First, the poem by Robert Frost, then some comments in the extended portion of the post. Hang on, folks, cos this one takes a few twists and turns, ‘K?

Mending Wall

He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors’.
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
‘Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t it
Where there are cows?
But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.’ I could say ‘Elves’ to him,
But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me~
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, “Good fences make good neighbors.”

For those of y’all who’ve stuck with me this far, I want to use the poem as a jumping off point for dealing with several issues. First, a couple of observations, then simply a list of issues I’ll be dealing with here at The Real Ugly American, as guest poster, and at third world county over the next few days. The Random Yak bids fair to join in and add his observations to the discussion. he just graciously allowed me to hike the ball.

The observations:

Notice the subtle, snide condescension Frost levels at his neighbor at the end?

He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, “Good fences make good neighbors.”

It’s the curse of the self-proclaimed intellectual to deem the insights of “lesser” folk to be shallow. “He will not go behind his father’s saying…” is Frost’s way of reiterating his earlier “elves” comment and assert, in effect, that his neighbor is a good sort, but rather dim, pedestrian in his thought.

That’s the attitude of our political elite in embracing waves of invaders, rather than mending the wall between the U.S. and the invading reconquistadores: we simple folk just don’t “get” the political realities behind the obvious issues, you see. In further extension, that’s the attitude of educrats and Mass Media Podpeople and Academia Nuts, one and all: “We must decide what’s best for the lesser folk.”

That’s observation number one. Keep it in mind, would you?

Next, consider: Civilization depends upon good walls. Borders. Limits. The Founders of this country knew well the value of good borders, good walls. Private property, for example, was considered in much of the Founders’ and Framers’ thoughts as a cornerstone of liberty, of freedom, of human rights. The ability to say, “This is mine, not yours” and have the boundaries of one’s property protected by covenant and enforced by the arm of the law was fundamental to all other rights. What is free speech, for example, if one has no place to speak one’s mind because aristocrats (or moneyed elite or any other power block) can throw one out into the street or deny access to public fora, since the aristocracy (or moneyed elite or other power block[s]) can simply take what is yours for themselves?

Oh. Right: Kelo.

*sigh*

But it’s not just walls and boundaries for private property but walls and boundries for a nation’s sovereignty. Any nation that cannot control its own borders will not long stand.

But of course it’s more than that. When boundries, walls, order break down or are used to keep out the good (but allow in the harmful), we have things like educrats and politicians and Academia Nuts turning children’s minds into mush with politically correct poisonous pablum in “prisons for kids” (so-called “public schools”) while parents are walled off from information and resources (”choice” anyone?) that would help them provide well for their children’s education, and the (fewer each year, I fear) teachers who are fundamentally able and who want to teach are walled off from doing so.

And then there are the broken walls of morality and ethics, in everything from entertainment to politics to business and more.

Who moved the markers? Who sat by and watched the markers being moved and did not do everything in their power to stop the adulturation of our society? (I must confess, I have not done enough in my life thus far.)

As The Random Yak reminded me recently, “Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless…” Proverbs 23:10

What are the boundaries, the markers that have been moved—or worse, removed? Who benefits and who loses when walls are breached and not rebuilt? It is these areas and issues I’d like to discuss in the following days here and at third world county.

X-posted at third world county and The Wide Awakes.

Walling out the ants at Basil’s Picnic, guarding the door at Jo’s Cafe, checking the locks on the windows at Woman Honor Thyself’s WeekenD’s Here!.

(Edit: A portion of the poem cut here, cos I was a tad uncomfotable quoting the whole thing… maybe this makes “Fair Use” a little more… fair. If you want the whole thing, just search for it and read it entire.)