by Barry Hastings

Contrary to the belief of many (not most) American citizens, this nation was founded on a political, not a religious basis, as witnessed by Article 6, Section 3, of the original Constitition; and Amendment 1 of the ten articles of amendment known as, “the Bill of Rights.”

The last sentence of Article 6 concludes, “but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to an office or public trust under the United States.” First sentence in the first article of the (Constitutional) “Bill of Rights” clearly says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” and goes on to enumerate other inalienable rights — free speech, assembly, all of which, religion and guns alone excepted, have been much modified in actuality, due to realities of modern times. (Pssst, Congress, both items excepted need attention.)

Very, very few of the founders were overly religious men (or women). George Washington, for example, almost invariably substituted the word Providence for ‘God’, even when giving thanks for victories in war when national survival was at stake. Most of those men knew failure in war would mean death, for themselves, and likely enough, for many family members.

They’d all pledged, “their lives, their fortunes, and sacred honor,” to building a new nation. They meant to keep it free of religious intolerance, and the wars (about 400 years worth in total) responsible for deaths of millions in the ‘old’ countries, the mid-East, and as far from home as South America, the Philippines, large parts of Western North America. As far as their fleets could take soldiers — and religious nut-jobs — hence the two articles on religion.

I’ve read at least some of the writings of all the prominent founders, and am ever pleasantly rewarded by the (almost) total lack of religiosity and preaching. They were, mostly, people dedicated to building a radical new system on a strong foundation appealing to persons interested in sound, strong, democratic government, without overt religious impositions. In nations they, or their forebears, arrived from, religious intolerance, religious war, religious murder had dominated lives of all but the wealthiest. And them as well, if they happened to be Jews.

Republicans, after being whipped by FDR four times, and after winning a majority in Congress, wasted little (no) time in establishing new rules for the presidency — two terms to a man, no more. I hate to think about what might have happened to our delicately balanced alliance against Germany and Japan had Tom Dewey won the ’44 election. They have, since Teddy Roosevelt, blundered around in foreign policy like small children at play in the back yard — if it feels good, do it.

They claimed George Washington set a precedent of two terms for our presidents. Well, let me tell you, ole George didn’t choose not to run for a third term because he felt it was “best for the nation.” He knew he was best for the nation. He chose not to run again because he was sickened, almost unto death, by a fractious Congress, keeping the new nation on the doorstep of anarchy (almost) from the day our Constitution was adopted. The resulting war of 1812 -14, damned near spelled the end of our nation.

The only things coming out of the war that were good for us, were a fair number of single-ship naval victories at sea, and victory at New Orleans, by Andrew Jackson and (mostly) Southern-state militias . A few days before Jackson’s victory, a peace-treaty ending the conflict was signed (Treaty of Ghent) by both nations in Belgium. (Neither signatory had any idea of Jackson’s victory. Things moved a bit slower, then.)

Our navy, decommissioned and let run to ruin by Adams and Jefferson after the War for Independence (the ‘revolution’ was over before the fight began), earned a firm position in hearts, and minds, of the nation. Even so, future generations ignored the lessons, and southern egos expanded regarding fighting ability and efficiency of Yankees. They badly misled themselves, and like the Germans after WWI, created for themselves a myth of superiority in combat and politics, still plaguing the nation a century and a half later.

And while I write about the old navy, I’m one of those concerned about the ‘new’ Soviet State’s ongoing recent pushiness at sea in the Med, Syria, near Crimea, the Black Sea, in Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. After more than 20 years of not much widely-publicized news, few recall the heavy strain on equipment and men of the “cold” war at sea. It became hot on many occasions, on the surface, and below — and in the air, most of which our “open” government failed to inform us. (It’s easier than making explanations.)

Russians love vodka. Their government likes stirring the world’s kettle. Their rotting, rusting relics of the cold war at sea have become dust on Neptune’s Baltic floor. Many of those decaying hulks still contain decaying nuclear power plants. There’s little chance government there will ever attempt to clean it up

One thing I can tell you about the Bears, they have long memories, and they’re top-notch haters. Drunker, by a long-shot than us. The government they support is as evil and trouble-making as was their former. But the worst of them are no worse than the worst of us. We began pulling even when we went-along with torture, began letting a bunch of clowns in the House of Representatives avoid lending any support, on any issue, while the nation is besieged by hostility — all of it more or less dangerous.

We’ll never be forgiven for bringing down the USSR. Stupid, and uninformed (despite a long history of being abused by government in many guises), Russians collectively took it as “personal” though they hated and feared the Reds, more than they had the Tsars. The “evil empire” will ever be there for us to deal with.

The upshot of all this (and much more) is that we can look for a heavier commitment of warships, supply ships, and all the hoopla surrounding a fleet in the info age. Many, many U.S officers and enlisted people will be operating in those waters, and at on-shore support bases.

We have learned (one hopes) what leaving a vacuum anywhere near reach of Russian power means — instant Russian action to fill the void, at whatever expense. Unless cooperation against ISIS is attained, we’ll be “over there” for a long while. But then, it looks like a long time already. We are (as I’ve said and written many a time) in the hell of a mess.

P.S. As I write CBS News announces Turks have shot a Russian military aircraft from the sky over the Turk/Syrian border.