John Horvat II: The Memo I Wish They Would Release to America

The controversy on the Nunes Memo is raging. Amid the claims and counter-claims, most Americans really don’t know what is happening. I am sure most look at the headlines (those that still look at them) and shrug their shoulders. It is simply too hard to make sense out of anything—emails, text messages, Russians, FBI agents and dossiers. It appears like a scene out of a never-ending movie without a plot.  So many just wish it would end.

I really can’t say I blame them. These topics clutter up minds and make it impossible to get things done. Whenever a subject is clogged with infinite details and emotions, it is a sure sign that small minds are at work since they thrive on scandals and intrigue. They like the drama and don’t want it to end.

Alas, we live in tragic times when petty minds rule. People derive tiny pleasures from the emotions, resentments, and sensations that fill their real and virtual worlds. Emojis, selfies and Facebook posts celebrate all that is trivial and shallow. Now manufactured rage and hurt feelings reign on a political stage where everything is theater. The age of principled stands is long gone. Facts and law don’t seem to matter anymore.

Thus, I cannot judge the merits of the Russian collusion case. I am not denying its importance. However, I can see how it could drag on indefinitely inside this climate of sensational emptiness. More memos, text messages and emails will be released. And Americans will keep feeling frustrated.

I could only wish that a memo of a different type might be released that would call the nation back to its senses. Perhaps somewhere in the vast government archives, there might be a hidden memo from a past statesman who had the foresight to see our lamentable state. He might have left instructions to release the memo when pettiness reaches the breaking point.

It might be the case to break the wax seal of that ancient document and read the much needed message:

Memo to future Americans: In Times of Comfort

Permit me to address you as you face a crisis that I deem a serious threat to our great nation. Perhaps my insights may prove helpful. I would ask that you could give them your consideration.

Times of war and sacrifice do not concern me since we have always risen to the occasion and confronted such obstacles with courage and strength. I would only ask that you do not forget those who have sacrificed for the nation. Always honor their memory.

What concerns me are the times when comfort rules and men’s minds turn inward. I can foresee days ahead when people will lose the notion of the common good of the nation and enter into petty and partisan conflicts that never end. There will be those who will be centered on self and think only in terms of their own advantage. The treasury will be burdened by demands for government to be all things to all people.

The people will be given over to their passions. Families will be broken up and communities will no longer be stable. People will turn away from God and His Law and cease to pray for His aid.

When these things happen, know that great suffering lies ahead. I would ask you to rise to the occasion by turning back to God and His law. I would ask that you return to the firm foundation of Christian principles that will guide you. Do not be intimidated by those who cling to their passions, but hold firm to your principles amid the storm. Now is the time to turn toward family and community and reflect upon those things that are most important.

Such are some simple counsels that I am compelled to write out of concern for the future of our great nation. The most dangerous times are those of comfort. America will only be great if She is virtuous and truly loves God.

Your Faithful Servant.

The signature of the handwritten memo is impossible to decipher. That is not important since the anonymous statesman – a true public servant—has done his duty.

Would the forgotten memo resolve the present case? Probably not. However, it would enlarge our horizons to see greater things that might in turn allow us to solve the causes of our present problems.

Our problem is that of outlook. We do not want to see the most important things. When petty minds rule, the nation perishes.

John Horvat II is a scholar, researcher, educator, international speaker, and author of the book Return to Order, as well as the author of hundreds of published articles. He lives in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania where he is the vice president of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property.