by P. Leslie Riley, Jr.

I caught part of the press conferece about the Toyota plant coming to Tupelo yesterday. Amidst all the self-congratulations and rush to take credit by the politicians, you could almost hear the Battle Hymn of the Republic in the background -- as if the landing of an auto plant would have a messianic effect on our state. Allow me to be the lone skeptic.

Our way of life in Northeast Mississippi is about to be drastically changed. The triumph of the New South and of progressivism over traditionalism, stability, and agrarianism is almost complete. There are some very real economic negatives that have not been brought up, but I will save the statistics and economic argumets for a later piece .

The gist of my concern about the Toyota plant is something philosphical & foundational. What it boils down to is this :

1) Throughout history the battle has actually been between the one and the many -- centralization vs freedom.
2) This rift grew more pronounced in Western culture post-Reformation.
3) Prior to the Founding and particularly in the first few decades after the establishment of the American Republic the battle of ideas between the Federalists -- mostly Northern, industrialist, and advocates of a stronger role for the Central government ( in the name of economic growth and common defense) -- and the Anti-Federalists -- mostly Southern, agrarian, and advocates of less centralization, more localism, and more liberty -- was pitched.

The strongest advocate of the Anti-Federalist postion prior to the signing of the Constitution was Patrick Henry. He was defeated by somewhat like-minded friends who were sligtly more moderate, and who sought compromise like James Madison. After the Consitution was signed -- the debate was personfied by the rift between Jefferson and Hamiltion. . .

However, Jefferson -- a non-Christian with utopian ideals of his own -- was heavily influenced by his time in France and developed a more moderate view of Centralization and the idea that the government should spend public funds and power to advance the common economic interest. While he remained philospohically an agrarian & localist his actions were a mixed bag ( particularly the Lousiana purchase).

4) By the mid 1800's this rift between North and South had become more than Industrialism & Centralization vs Agrarianism & Localism. There was a strong theological rift as well. The North had become revolutionary & utiopian -- built upon Unitarianism & humanism. The South largely remained steadfast to the old faith which was much more suited to the slower pace of an agrarian & fuedal/ plantation economy. Yes, there was the glaring issue of slavery which was opposed more strongly in the South than in the North, but slavery did not become a central issue in the war until later. It began as a conflict over economics and governing philosophy.

Thornwall said that the battle between North and South was that between "Christianity and Jacobism" ( in our time Jacobism would be called the "New World Order" or Facism). Stonewall Jackson considered it a battle between "liberty and commerce".

I believe it was Mike Tuggle that said, "Atlanta, Georgia is a picture of everything that 250,000 Southerners fought to prevent." The Toyota plant & the "prosperty" of one big megaopolis from Memphis to Tupelo could be seen as another.

5) Sixty years after the victory of Lincoln over the South & the remaking of "these United States" into the Unitary STATE, a group of Southern Intellectuals published a ground breaking series of essays concerning Agrarianism vs "progress" called I'll Take My Stand. Every Southerner should read it. It is nearly prophetic in its warnings about the dangers of the "New South". The slow cultural destruction of Christendom & Agrarianism in the South in favor of the Chamber of Commerce model is part and parcel to the New World Order agenda.

** Before I go on, please note, agrarianism and localism are not necessarily anti-economic growth and anti-technology. Likewise, I can tell you that I personally am in no way nostalgic about living a hundred years ago. I am no Luddite . . . I appreciate modern technology; it is a great equalizer in the so-called culture wars. It gives me the ability to do things for my family, for the Kingdom, and for the cause of liberty under God that I would never have been able to do even 20 years ago. Without modern technology, three of my nine children and probably my wife would be dead. We have many more temporal blessings than any generation in history and opportunities to use them for great good. (remember though, to whom much is given, much is required). I am very grateful to be living in the time that we do. I would even go so far as to say that while visible Evangelical Christianity in America is a disgusting site to behold (I could write a book) , there are a number of areas in which the true Church is in better shape than it has been in generations. But these very things (technology; the new economy; a subsurface revival among real Christians outside the realms of big, established "churches") can be the reason that agrarianism and localism could well experience a major rebirth in our lifetimes ( this trend is already going on all around us). There has been an accelerating move towards centralization and authoritarianism in almost every area. Big Governemt/ Big Business/ Big Banking/ Big Religion are all growing in size and power exponetially. This is made worse by the fact that the cultural rot and fruit of the hellish anti-christian worldviews around us can only be controlled by Centalized, tyrannical power. However, Leviathin still has an unvanquished rival in the hearts of men. At the same time there are at least a dozen areas that I can think of in which a parallel and opposite trend is also growing just as fast. Homeschooling/ Christian Education vs Government Schools; People wanting to move "Back to the Land"; The desire for local, safe food; political and cultural freedom movements around the globe; the desire of more and more people my age and youger to get one place and settle rather than move across the country for more money; etc; etc.

6) Pat Buchanan masterfully detailed how this dual trend is playing out in the geopolitcal realm in this piece. In my view, Mississippi has been culturally on the right side of this growing trend -- more localized; more independant; etc. The current regime, in its relentless pursuit of an efficient way for government to be more "pro-business" and provide "better education, more jobs, and economic growth" is driving us more and more into the coporate/ statist matrix, and away from our self-sufficient, freedom-oriented, Celtic/ Agrarian/ Christian roots and towards a love of progress.

In The Conscience of a Conservative -- Barry Goldwater argued the difference between a liberal and a conservative is that a liberal believes man is first and formost an economic creature. if men just had enough stuff they would be happy and society would be better. Liberals believed Government exists to help men economically and to change his enviorment to make men/ society better. How does this essentially differ from Chamber of Commerce "conservatism"?

If you listen to speeches by or interviews with Mississippi Democrats & Mississippi Republicans -- they say essentially the same thing. "Our job is to help Mississippian economically acheive the Ameican dream -- more stuff ". This idea was foreign to our Forefathers and would have been repugnant to most of them. The idea that government directly ( socialism/ Marxism) or indirectly through corporations and a "public-private partnership" (facsim) can & should help people could both be classified as Secular Statism. In the 20th Century, this worldview led to the slaughter of 170 million and the indirect deaths of 350 million BY THEIR OWN GOVERNMENTS. And this was generally done by the most well educated and economically/ technologically advanced people & societies.

So much for the "education-jobs-the economy" mantra.

One of the big Hegalian lies that we have been fed is the false dichotomy that says :
Right Wing : pro-life; pro-family; pro-war; PRO-BIG BUSINESS
Left Wing : anti-moral; anti-family; anti-war; PRO-BIG GOVERNMENT.

The New World Order is built on the fact that BIG GOVERNMENT AND BIG BUSINESS are one and the same. Both are the enemies of freedom, families, and the Faith.

Anyway, I do not think that thinking & working towards this direction is the same as having my head in the sand; nor do I think it negates our duty to advance the Cause of Christ in whatever cultural setting we're in. The growth of this area will provide a huge opportunity for our church to evangelize and advance the Kingdom. Short term, there is little doubt this will be a plus economically for North Mississippi and me personally.

The jury is still out on whether auto plants or recruitment of manufacturing plant in general is a net, long term economic gain for a community. Culturally, I consider it a great loss.

Abjuring the realm, I am
Paul Leslie Riley, Jr.

1 March 2007 AD