The Great One

The man of system . . . is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamoured with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government, that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it. He goes on to establish it completely and in all its parts, without any regard either to the great interests or to the strong prejudices which may oppose it. He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chess-board. . . .  —Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, 1759

If I was to identify one thing wrong with the current political  landscape (and economic, for that matter), it would be the mistaken belief that there is no right or wrong in the world of politics.  That is, many people seem to be of the bizarre opinion that, in the words of Jeremy Bentham, "pushpin is as good as poetry".  This is, of course, complete bunk.  To say that a Marxist perspective on politics is just as valid as that of a Conservative perspective is as irrational as saying that David Icke's "reptoid" theory of global history is as valid as...well, any sane person's historical perspective, to be frank.

Nobody would ever say such a thing, but when it comes to politics that is all I ever hear.  As I 've written about before, I think a large portion of this nonsense is due the political relativism that is often preached in the public school curriculum.  Sadly, a lot of Americans never outgrow this juvenile concept of politics that's been planted in their heads so long ago.

Now, why do I bring this up?  As you probably surmised, I spend a lot of time reading, watching and listening to politics.  Despite that fact, I rarely ever call out a particular author/commentator for praise.  The reason why I am reluctant to do so is that while some of them might be quite good on the issues, I always have the sense that they are what I call "instinctual" conservatives - that is, they have a natural compass, a sense of "right reason", built into them that guides them towards political Truth.  That is fine and all for them, but I find that you need to have something more if you intend to make a strong case as to why one political perspective is correct and another is incorrect.  Basically, you need to be like my political science professors of old.  These wise sages never just asserted a point based upon mere instinct, or the latest fashionable poll or book, but rather used the pages of human history and political philosophy as the backbone of their argument.  Their method of instruction was a living example of the ancient mode of searching for political Truth as set forth so long ago by the likes of Plato and Aristotle. 

With that in mind, there is only one person, one latter-day political sage, that I would heartily recommend to others when it comes to explaining the "realm of reason" that governs politics.  His name: Mark Levin.  Or, as his legion of fans know him: "The Great One".

Mr. Levin is the only contemporary political analyst who possesses the same deep political acumen that my professors possessed - not surprising seeing how Mr. Levin is a practicing constitutional lawyer (i.e., he didn't get a law degree and run off to television like so many other pundits - he actually practices what he preaches), constitutional scholar, and political philosophy junkie.  Only on Mr. Levin's radio show will a discussion on the expansive nature of the federal government wind up involving a tangential discussion on the Scottish Enlightenment, or where a discussion on Obamacare will detour into a conversation on Plato's Republic.  Sitting through any of Mark Levin's radio shows is truly like three hours in an advanced class on political science.  And for free...and with more humor!

And that is why I can wholeheartedly, unreservedly, recommend Mark Levin as the political analyst to trust when it comes to deciphering the political (and, again, economic) issues of the day.  For in the world of politics, as just about anywhere else in the realm of human reason, be it technology, math, theology, there is right and wrong...and being wrong can have tremendously bad consequences.  So be sure to be right...by starting with Mark Levin!

And here is your first lesson!  In the following interview, Mark explains his idea for an Article V convention to amend the constitution, as outlined in his latest book, The Liberty Amendments:

 And if you are looking for some deeper reading material, I can highly recommend one of my favorite political books of all time: Ameritopia:



If Mr. Levin was teaching a class, this would be the introductory textbook on the essential principles of political philosophy:

IN THIS INTELLECTUALLY BRACING #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, leading conservative thinker Mark R. Levin draws astoundingly relevant parallels to the Obama era’s dangerous utopian ideals from Plato’s Republic, Thomas More’s Utopia, Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan, Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto, and from the critical works of John Locke, Charles Montesquieu, Alexis de Tocqueville, and other philosophical pioneers who brilliantly diagnosed the nature of man and government.

If you are unfamiliar with any of the names in the blurb, you NEED to read this book.  After all, gamers are too smart to be just more political drones.  We like to leave droning to the addle-brained AIs of the world.

PS: Mark Levin has some gaming blood in him, too!