Review : Power to the People

The Barnabas Ministry
Book Review

Power to the People
Laura Ingraham (Regnery Books, Washington, DC 2007)

Power to the People is about how elites in media, entertainment, academia and government are trying to control America in certain cultural ways, and what people in America can do to stop it.

Interestingly, the United States Constitution explicitly prohibited titles of nobility (Article 1, Section 9). Yet, our country has always had its "nobles--" elite families and folk heroes. In this age of mass media saturation, celebrities are the new nobility.I remember once sitting in a auto repair waiting room. In the room the television was on and it was some daytime talk show. Somehow Tom Cruise ended up on the screen, and next thing you know everybody in the room is now watching the television. Each new year brings more and more celebrities; some of whom have talent but others are just exploited by entertainment executives to make a quick buck. But the combination of leisure time and media accessibility has created more and more of a market for celebrities.

The problem for our culture is that these various celebrities and elites in academia and politics have a decidedly untraditional, left-leaning or secular-progressive point of view, and they seek to use their power and influence to change American culture.

While they are entitled to freedom to speak, they don't really live in the same world as the rest of us, and accordingly they are out of touch with most Americans. Often, they are quite out of touch with American history and basic facts as well. But their popularity combined with their ignorance and/or prejudices makes for a dangerous influence upon traditional values.And frankly, some of these people aren't above lying to get their way either.

Ingraham was once a defense attorney and Supreme Court law clerk and is now the host of a popular national radio show, and also an occasional cable TV commentator. She cites actual stories where various aspects of traditional, moral American culture has been getting attacked by these elites:

eroding the influence of the parents in a family
illegal immigration
the domestic fight on terrorism
judges run amok
diminishing local control of governments
the pornified culture
schools failing to do their jobs
alternative political, social and moral values being advanced as "scientific"

True to her own academic, legal and journalistic ethics, she provides pages of endnotes documenting the stories she discusses. Yet, the writing of Power to the People is done with the same entertaining wit she displays in her broadcast career.

The title, "Power to the People," indicates that the people of this country and culture actually have more power than they think they do to combat this tide. Ingraham discusses various ways people can get involved in these battles and fight back-- everything from holding to one's own moral values to watching, exposing these destructive trends as they pop up in our lives, and using our collective influence to turn the tide in critical battles.

John Adams famously said, "our constitution is made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." The limited powers of the U.S. Constitution rely upon the morality and character of its people. Yes, America has some moral problems. But, as the basic morality and character of American culture is eroded, secular-progressives push for more and more of their values and ideals to be put into law to control us all. And our freedom is the big loser if this happens.

There is a moral, cultural battle going on in this country. Men and women of Christian character and faith can do far more than just sit back and watch it happen. Read Power to the People, and be informed and motivated to act.