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Conservatives in History

Edmund Burke Did Not Invent – [ CONSERVATIVE ]

This section will aim at getting across two points

1 ‘Conservative’ is a Way of Being for each and every person who enjoys that Way. Conservative happens to people innately, genetically, livingly. Conservative life is not fixated on politics but is always present in family, neighborhood, community and all year long, throughout life.

2 ‘Conservative’ DOES NOT OCCUR as a reactionary way of – getting along with – whatever society, era or historic situation we happen to be in. Any time and place in history may produce styles and ‘characters’ and Realpolitik situations but Being conservative is the sum of personal character traits that WE (the Good guys) have innately, essentially and – Really. Conservatives are not merely creatures, or pawns, of the particular historic moment in which they live.

It is irritating to me when reading here or there about our American heritage and ancestry in Europe (et.al.) to be treated to the ‘standard view’ that ‘conservatives’ are somehow reactionaries to the events of a particular time and place ( French Revolution) and ‘conservative’ thus means people who want to cling to the ‘old ways’. This notion is just ridiculous, and wrong. The plain ordinary truth of the matter will come out in commentary in the following reviews of various people, events and nations. ‘Conservative’ is a way of being, a D.N.A. fact of life, that exists with most people on this planet, some more than others. It is an advancing Goodness way of Being in a Reality of Goodness.

Let’s go back in history to review some of the notable characters who somehow exhibited ‘conservative’ behavior and understanding when Edmund Burke was nowhere in sight! I will start with some of the Old Romans as they are ‘closer’ to our European heritage than their Greek predecessors.

Marc T. Cicero

Cicero lived at a place and time in history, the late Roman Republic, that was politically hectic and socially ill at ease. His contribution to that Roman situation, and further to our historic enlightenment, was to advance the understanding that most people are – “born for justice” – we are employing our right reason when we get agreeable with God’s Law and when we have perfected reason to appreciate ‘natural’ law. We respect justice for its own sake. We admit that legislation can be defective and accept responsibility to craft improvements when they are needed. His allegiance to the ‘good old’ Republican virtues and attitudes was not nostalgic, not conserving trite hometown habits. The ‘conservative’ principles we live with are not RELICS kept in a box in the attic. They are active traits that we carry with us to accomplish Goodness all day, every day. Cicero did not know Ed Burke, never met the guy – but his guideline signs on our path to reasonable, virtuous citizenship were intended to alert us, bring forth the D.N.A. reality and knowing of Goodness for its own sake, the Fact of Goodness that is – of course – our heritage, our Present Situation Responsibility, and our future. No French Revolution needed. No ‘classic liberal’ jive necessary.

Marcus Cato (the younger)

Cato the younger was born into the Old Roman family, Republican, honorable way of life and became a champion for all conservatives. He was born after Cicero, and died before him. While Rome at that time was heading for a Republican breakdown and the imposition of Imperial power play politics Cato took up the responsibility and challenge of defending and advancing the ‘old’ virtues that had lifted Rome up to power and influence in the Mediterranean world. With power and influence come greed and villainy with self-important desperados grabbing for total control of Rome. Cato put forward the resistance to dictatorial mendacity by speaking for the ‘old’ virtues and acting on those virtues in the offices which he held. Honesty, prudence, respect for law, competence and plain-dealing in government were traits that he employed blatantly to stand against corruption for profit and prestige. The breakdown of society was not a motivation or reason for advancing conservative principles – the conservative principles that are ever-present in Our Time were present in that Roman time and called into service when Rome was put in peril by grasping malefactors posing as ‘statesmen’.

Conservative principles are not ‘nice’ attitudes or quaint neighborly habits. They are essential, living, Real character traits that some people have from birth. Conservatives are not ‘reactionaries’; they are not witless cows grazing around in society while the ‘action figures’, in-crowd exhibitionists, and opinion mongers ‘lead’ society on a tour of worthless government wonders. It is somewhat unnerving to look through history and see the litter and wreckage of so many ultra-amazing put-on artists who brought lots of disruption, destruction and wasted lives – and ended up on the ash heap of history. You would think that after a few centuries people would catch on and learn some valuable lessons about who are the TRUE and who are the FALSE. Marcus Cato stood for an honorable, intelligent, accomplished kind of life while standing against miserable, vicious social thuggery. He also was not acquainted with Ed Burke. His ‘conservative principles’ were forthright from birth as a Fact of Goodness, not a current events management style.

Dante Alighieri

Who thinks of Dante as a Conservative Champion? His Comedy (or Divine Comedy as it is known popularly) is a long discussion of the characters good, bad and worse who he had to deal with in an Italy that was disintegrated and fractious. Opportunities for Good behavior and for Bad behavior produced a dizzy array of competing factions in the various city states, the Papacy and European affairs of state. An unsurprising series of bad experiences sent him on a dispiriting tour of places around Italy for much of his life. His, now classic, review of the ‘problem people’ who harassed and threatened him provides us with a front row seat to an unsympathetic, unsparing condemnation of all kinds of immoral, criminal and vile behaviors and attitudes that were common at that time. The menagerie of ‘officials’ from competing factions get the same roasting for their blatant mendacity and disinterest in honorable governance.

Dante gives us a plain view of the consequences of a lack of – Conservative Principles, attitudes and convictions. The wide-open, unrestrained ‘liberty’ of inferior behaviors is put before we the readers for our own edification and our own good. This was centuries before the French Revolution that supposedly ignited some great ‘Conservative’ reactionary movement that has become a pop phenomenon in Our Time. But ‘Conservative’ understanding, practice, living and being are always present for We the Good. The parade of History shows us various people in various situations that make possible all kinds of local events and interactions among people. Those who are born ‘Conservative’ will act ‘Conservative’ as their real, true way of being – Not as Reactionaries to whatever events happen in their time. Conservative D.N.A. is always around and always advancing toward the Best.

It is curious to see people in the 21st century getting lost and confused about how the various ‘factions’ of social opinion interact when we have a ‘study guide’ provided by Dante to reveal obviously the different actors and their roles as Good guys or Bad guys in ANY society…. the Bad guys are liars, thieves, thugs, halfwits, cowards, rotten, nasty and low class (don’t say inferior). The Good guys are honorable, courteous, decent, intelligent, generous, forthright, modest, considerate and accomplished ‘UP er’ class (don’t say superior). This is not rocket science – it is easily understood by any mentally competent person who can take five minutes to Pay Attention to what is going on around here. To me, our Present Situation is just plain exasperating. We are being plagued with so many troubles – THAT NEVER HAD TO GO WRONG IN THE FIRST PLACE – contrived by professional frauds who OUGHT to be in prison today. Now in 2025 would be a really Good time to start an Excellent America Party to get Our Country – LESS exasperated.

Wiliam Shakespeare – Conservative Champion

What a lot of people don’t realize (since thy never hear about it in school) is that Shakespeare was a standard issue law-and-order guy whose life was thoroughly conservative both at home with the neighbors in Stratford and in dramatical London. Growing up in Stratford with a father who was a business owner, and who also served as ‘bailiff’, which is like being mayor these days, young William would have been familiar with other businessmen in the community and also aware of various official municipal problems and official people problems.

The overwhelming fact of life for him was that wonderful gift he had for drama and poetry – which is our treasure to appreciate all throughout our lives. I have the Complete Pelican Shakespeare edited by Orgel and Braunmuller on the shelf behind me as I am trying to put in writing throughout this website my call for Conservative Champions to look UP to the BEST and advance to victory for Goodness in Our Country. ( Give me a break Will.)

In the plays that Shakespeare wrote a regularly occurring theme of respect for law, honor, duty, honesty, knowledge, contribution to community and country, and Christian life virtues pulls back the curtain on his plain conservative way of addressing life in all its variety. Tons of commentary have been written over the centuries making many different claims about who Shakespeare was really and what he intended to say and mean in the dramas, and in the sonnets as well. Different historical times produce differing critical viewpoints, but the wide scope and sheer quality of expression of ‘high minded’ thought put him in a place all his own for admiration and gratitude.

Or at least you would think so.

But we live in ‘transformed’ times and we must to go to the National Re-education Camps run by ‘liberals’ and ‘progressives’ and whatever hate-America creatures are running around out there. Shakespeare is currently persona non grata in the English Literature department – on campus! And the Stratford Shakespeare Trust has posted a bulletin apologizing for white supremacist Will and his white-o-centric, Eurocentric, sane-o-centric oppressor, fascist mental illness. BAD William! Go sit in the corner and – DON’T SCRIBBLE.

Shakespeare is reviled by the – I want to be like Che mob for being – NOT like Che, but just being a neighbor among English folk who must stand up, measure up and live up to the Reality of Best, and worst on a planet that goes around in circles in the middle of nowhere. His disgraceful history of business success (ouch) , property ownership (ick), marriage [ to a FEMALE ] with a family (appalling) is proof that he had – the disease. Throughout the plays which he wrote, produced and took part in the wretched conservative notions creep in. The NORMAL goodness and truth of civil order, respect for responsible authority, contribution to society, and SANITY are standard operating procedure for explicitly selected characters in the plays.

Personal Excellence is a Real, regular character trait for ‘conservatives’ in all places and all times. From the days when people lived in caves all the way up to our point-and-click daze we DNA conservatives have been happening and have ‘rolled with the punches’ all the way. It is a sobering, and somewhat humbling thought to consider what some ‘conservatives’ have lived with and endured through all ages before our time. ‘Conservatism’ is not a reaction to any current affairs situation that people may find themselves up against. That way of living is our way of being Good, Better, BEST.

As I was putting this article together my younger sister died. She was an English Literature major in college. She never graduated. She found it IMPOSSIBLE to register for the classes she needed each semester to accomplish a BA degree. The seats in every class were ‘given away’ by professors to student buddies and chums – bootlickers who those professors apparently found charming. Ellen sings with the Angels now. And I will say that those puny professors can roast and boast in hell – as they deserve.