America’s mom on law and (dis)order
If numbers, as they say, do not lie, then the picture they’re painting is grim. After a respite from chaos and crime, the once-peaceful climate has been shattered in New York, and fear stalks boldly in the streets.
According to a Siena College survey, a full 41% of New York residents “have never been this worried about safety,” and 61% are very or somewhat concerned that they might be a victim of crime. While 36% have felt threatened by a stranger’s behavior, 38% have witnessed violent or threatening behavior in public.
In New York City itself, 16% have been physically assaulted, and 16% have been burglarized, all within the last year. No wonder New Yorkers are taking self-defense classes (1 out of 6) and purchasing firearms (12%) for their own defense.
As William F. B. O’Reilly outlines it, under Mayor Guiliani and his Broken Windows policing strategy, things changed. The program was so effective that police departments from around the world came to see how it worked. The chokehold of fear eased as crime rates continued to fall, but then came DeBlasio and his progressive ideas. Under the guise of fighting racism, he rolled back Broken Windows. It careened downhill from there, landing in a thornbush called Cashless Bail. And right on cue, the chaos, crime, and fear returned.
In a perfect world, we would need no laws. If every citizen would follow the biblical injunction to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself,” then love would negate the need for law. We would all be governed by love. On this side of Eden, however, such perfection is unattainable, so we must have guidelines in place.
Where lawlessness abounds, there is disorder. In other words, something is out of order. You can write that down with permanent ink.
In the home, for instance, there must be a structure. A father and mother assume authority over their children, laying down boundaries and lines which should not be crossed, not to oppress, but to protect. They also establish expectations for proper behavior and participation in the family unit.
In our home, I had a mantra I trotted out when truculent, little helpers went on strike. “You live here, eat here, sleep here, you work here,” I would say firmly in response to their complaints. They may not have liked it, but it made the family run smoothly. It was a benefit to us all.
There are some attitudes that are encouraged in healthy families, and others are discouraged. The same is true of behaviors. This is a balancing act. Too permissive, and the kids run wild. There’s chaos. Too punitive, and they just might rebel. Again, there’s trouble and chaos.
Consequences for bad behavior, we’ve learned in our parenting career, are some of the greatest teachers. Refuse to give them—or refuse to let kids receive them—and you’re sowing the seeds of bitter fruit. Essentially, you are tying the hands of said teachers, delaying your children’s personal growth. It isn’t worth it.
When there are reasonable rules (i.e., laws) administered with loving firmness, the family thrives. Such order births peace and unity, for it is fueled by mutual respect. In this climate, the soul can breathe and grow to its full potential.
What is true of the home is largely true of any other organization in a civilized society, from the workplace to clubs and civic groups to governments and the common man on the street. A reasonable system of laws administered rightly will protect, not oppress the innocent and those for whom we’re responsible. Too permissive, and folks will get hurt. Just ask the people of New York. Removing the penalties (cashless bail, anyone?) ties the hands of Consequence, which just might teach thugs a lesson. It certainly fails to protect the law abiding, and it ushers in law-less-ness and much disorder.
Conversely, when laws are too restrictive or invasive, folks will still get hurt. Ask the business owners who suffered through covid mandates. Ask those who lost their jobs for refusing to take a vaccine.
Suspending the rule of law in the name of combatting racism is diabolical, and it’s deceptive. True racism should never be tolerated, but stopping criminals of certain colors is not that. Allowing criminals to go free because of their color is what’s racist. It just victimizes a different group of people. That’s all, and that is wrong.
Law, order, and a peaceful existence. When something’s out of order, there’s unrest. When things are in good order, there is peace.
There can be no true order or lasting peace apart from a moral foundation. When a nation forsakes God, it has removed itself from the solid rock that cannot fail. That rock is objective Truth. It has, instead, rested its great weight on shifting sands. That sand is relative truth. One cannot last. The other can never be moved.
Oh, may God have mercy on our beloved America. May we individually ensure that our hearts are in good order, that we are ruled by the sweet law of Love and Truth. For then and then only, there will be peace.
You can hear America’s small, caffeinated mom every Saturday morning on 77 WABC with James Golden, aka Bo Snerdley.