This Memorial Day, build freedom’s foundation

Civil War Memorial, Peoria, Illinois

Most of us grew up reading about Tom Sawyer and his adventures on the Mississippi. John Bremer lived them. The 18-year-old immigrant wasn’t an orphan, like Tom. But his parents were a world away. Like many in his generation, he left his home in Schleswig-Holstein (northern Germany) for the New World.

Certainly, opportunity beckoned. But he was also driven by strife in his homeland. Prussia and Denmark were vying for control. The First Schleswig War (1852) ended in a stalemate before he could be conscripted. Now, a second war was brewing. In 1864 it would subject his Lutheran homeland to the same religious oppression that drove waves of German emigrees to America in the previous decades.

Before that could happen, in 1857, John boarded a steamer to America. He landed in New Orleans and took a Mississippi riverboat to Davenport, Iowa. There, he found work as a barrel-maker, sending his earnings to his mother in Germany. 

After several years, she wrote that she didn’t want the money, she wanted to see her son. Obediently, he began retracing his steps back home. But along the way everything changed. His first time through New Orleans the horrors of the slave-trade did not oppress him as they now did. With America on the brink of Civil War, his senses of justice and decency were assaulted by what he saw. Men, women and children were being bought and sold in the open market. A strong young man, of comparable age to John, brought $1,100 at auction. 

He could no longer continue his journey. Nor could he return to his life in Davenport. The people whom he saw at the slave market filled him with an inescapable sense of duty. He returned north to Peoria, Illinois where, in August of 1862, he joined the 86th Regiment of the Illinois volunteers. The young man who earlier had fled war, now willingly sought it out. 

He did not fight for loyalty to the Yanks, nor for land, nor for glory. It was duty for his fellow man that drove him to put his life on the line. For two years and nine months he fought. His first battle was at Perryville, Kentucky—one of the bloodiest of the Civil War. The following year he saw the carnage of Chickamauga and soldiered on to victory at Lookout Mountain. By the war’s end, he marched with General Sherman to the sea.

On April 9, 1865 Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse. Five days later President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. That summer, John was discharged from the volunteers and made his way back to Davenport. There he courted and married Miss Bertha Prien and began to raise a family. 

John G. Bremer discharge, June 6, 1865

God had spared his life in numerous battles and given him the opportunity to continue building the American legacy, not with a rifle, but with a plow. In time he saved enough money to buy a farm in central Nebraska where his daughter became my great-grandmother. 

It would be nice if I could claim John Bremer’s honor for myself. But I cannot. Nor can anyone. The descendants of abolitionists have no more claim to righteousness than the descendants of slave owners deserve condemnation. Every man stands before God in his own generation to be judged by his own actions. None of us receives either the honor or dishonor of father or mother. But we do receive their legacy.

We are the beneficiaries of the world that they built. Hundreds of thousands of men like John fought, bled, and died to build a world where all men might be free. They fought “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” 

John G. Bremer

John was inspired to join the fight when he saw his brother sold for $1,100. They probably never saw one another again. I wonder, however, if any of the great, great grandchildren of John Bremer have ever met the great, great grandchildren of the man who stood on that auction block. We can only imagine. 

If divine providence should bring me to meet a descendant of the slave that inspired John to volunteer, I would probably never know it. But any chance encounter might be exactly that. Will we treat each other with the gratitude and respect befitting such equals? That is the question of our day. It is the only question that matters. 

It’s not only a question of honoring the past. That interaction also has the potential either to build community or to destroy it. This weekend as we gather to honor those who fought and died to give freedom to our generation, let us honor their memory by building a future for our own great grandchildren.

Also published in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, May 28, 2021.

How emerging technology can right a wrong

Fetal lamb in artificial womb, 2017

In his watery parlor, baby #032533 was awakened by the violence of his own hiccups. He drew his knees closer to his chest and balled his hands into fists. Above the imperceptible hum of electric motors, he could hear his own tiny heartbeat, but not a second, adult heartbeat that other babies experience. Six weeks earlier he had begun hearing muffled sounds from the outside world. But his ability to flex his fingers was an interesting new development. 

According to Gonzales v. Carhart, a Supreme Court decision from 2007, baby #032533 had officially taken on “the human form.” He was 12 weeks old and had lived his entire life in a lab. There were humans around, interacting with the machinery that powered his artificial womb. But none ever talked to him. None caressed him or loved him. The year is 2033 and he lives in an artificial womb, separated from a mother he had never known.

This baby is imaginary. But the scenario is not. The idea of an artificial womb is decades old, but its first success was achieved in Philadelphia in 2017. Researchers kept a fetal lamb alive for nearly a month. More recently, Israeli scientists announced that they kept 250 embryonic mice alive in artificial wombs--some halfway into their second trimester. Soon, these breakthroughs could be applied to humans.

Artificial womb technology represents a quantum leap in neonatal care. Like all technology, it offers both moral advancement and hideous, dehumanizing misapplications. Fifty years ago, the average age of viability for premature babies was barely 30 weeks. By 1987 James Gill set a new record--surviving a premature birth at 21 weeks. But this astounding rollback of the age of viability has essentially stalled there.

Tiny, undeveloped lungs are damaged by the air-pressure needed to help them breathe. Artificial womb technology could allow the child’s lungs to continue developing outside the mother without the damage of premature inflation. This has the potential to roll back fetal viability into the first trimester of pregnancy. It also has the potential to dramatically change American jurisprudence.

Last Monday (May 17, 2021), the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) announced that it would hear the case titled Dobbs v. Jackson. The case involves a Mississippi women’s health law enacted in 2018. To protect women from the extreme risks of late term abortions and to exercise the state’s interest in protecting the lives of its youngest citizens, Mississippi legislators passed the Gestational Age Act which banned most abortions after 15 weeks. 

This was a gutsy move. They all knew that the law would be challenged in court. Years ago, SCOTUS decided that it would not uphold the state’s interest in protecting life prior to the age of viability. That is why Wyoming statute prohibits abortions after viability, but no sooner. Two bills last January sought to change that law. But both were denied a floor vote.

The Mississippi legislature, however, did not shrink from the fight. It passed the bill, fully intending to defend it in court. Sure enough, a federal judge enjoined its enforcement within 24 hours of the governor’s signature, and that judgment was upheld in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Now SCOTUS has accepted the case but narrowed the question significantly. Of three questions presented by Mississippi Attorney General, Lynn Fitch, the justices agreed to take up only one: “Whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional.”

Ever since Roe, the Court has treated “viability” as the earliest stage when a state can exercise its interest in protecting citizens. But “viability” has always been a fuzzy and subjective boundary. It is a moving target that depends, not on fundamental human rights, but on ever-changing technology. As science has advanced during the past five decades, the court’s wisdom has not kept up.

2021 Supreme Court

SCOTUS’ tone deafness to scientific advances has held America back from keeping up with the moral advances of the civilized world. When it comes to abortion policy, America ranks in the bottom five percent. A 2014 study of 198 nations found that the “clear norm among countries that permit elective abortion is to limit abortion to before 20 weeks gestation, and elective abortion is more commonly limited to 12 weeks (the first trimester).” By contrast, America finds herself in the barbaric company of China, North Korea and Viet Nam, where abortion remains unrestricted until the moment of birth.

It is unjust for SCOTUS to keep any state from protecting its citizens based on bad science. Future generations will want to know how the court could deny human rights simply because of technological ignorance. They will not receive a satisfactory answer. Dobbs v. Jackson is an opportunity to acknowledge their right to an answer, and to join the civilized world.

Open Letter from Retired Generals and Admirals

Flag Officers for America, click flag to see original

Our Nation is in deep peril. We are in a fight for our survival as a Constitutional Republic like no other time since our founding in 1776. The conflict is between supporters of Socialism and Marxism vs. supporters of Constitutional freedom and liberty. 

During the 2020 election an “Open Letter from Senior Military Leaders” was signed by 317 retired Generals and Admirals and, it said the 2020 election could be the most important election since our country was founded. “With the Democrat Party welcoming Socialists and Marxists, our historic way of life is at stake.” Unfortunately, that statement’s truth was quickly revealed, beginning with the election process itself. 

Without fair and honest elections that accurately reflect the “will of the people” our Constitutional Republic is lost. Election integrity demands insuring there is one legal vote cast and counted per citizen. Legal votes are identified by State Legislature’s approved controls using government IDs, verified signatures, etc. Today, many are calling such common sense controls “racist” in an attempt to avoid having fair and honest elections. Using racial terms to suppress proof of eligibility is itself a tyrannical intimidation tactic. Additionally, the “Rule of Law” must be enforced in our election processes to ensure integrity. The FBI and Supreme Court must act swiftly when election irregularities are surfaced and not ignore them as was done in 2020. Finally, H.R.1 & S.1, (if passed), would destroy election fairness and allow Democrats to forever remain in power violating our Constitution and ending our Representative Republic. 

Aside from the election, the Current Administration has launched a full-blown assault on our Constitutional rights in a dictatorial manner, by passing the Congress, with more than 50 Executive Orders quickly signed, many reversing the previous Administration’s effective policies and regulations. Moreover, population control actions such as excessive lockdowns, school and business closures, and most alarming, censorship of written and verbal expression are all direct assaults on our fundamental Rights. We must support and hold accountable politicians who will act to counter Socialism, Marxism and Progressivism, support our Constitutional Republic, and insist on fiscally responsible governing while focusing on all Americans, especially the middle class, not special interest or extremist groups which are used to divide us into warring factions.

Additional National Security Issues and Actions:

• Open borders jeopardize national security by increasing human trafficking, drug cartels, terrorists entry, health/CV19 dangers, and humanitarian crises. Illegals are flooding our Country bringing high economic costs, crime, lowering wages, and illegal voting in some states. We must reestablish border controls and continue building the wall while supporting our dedicated border control personnel. Sovereign nations must have controlled borders.

• China is the greatest external threat to America. Establishing cooperative relations with the Chinese Communist Party emboldens them to continue progress toward world domination, militarily, economically, politically and technologically. We must impose more sanctions and restrictions to impede their world domination goal and protect America’s interests.

• The free flow of information is critical to the security of our Republic, as illustrated by freedom of speech and the press being in the 1st Amendment of our Constitution. Censoring speech and expression, distorting speech, spreading disinformation by government officials, private entities, and the media is a method to suppress the free flow of information, a tyrannical technique used in closed societies. We must counter this on all fronts beginning with removing Section 230 protection from big tech.

• Re-engaging in the flawed Iran Nuclear Deal would result in Iran acquiring nuclear weapons along with the means to deliver them, thereby upsetting Mideast peace initiatives and aiding a terrorist nation whose slogans and goals include “death to America” and “death to Israel” . We must resist the new China/Iran agreement and not support the Iran Nuclear Deal. In addition, continue with the Mideast peace initiatives, the “Abraham Accords,” and support for Israel.

• Stopping the Keystone Pipeline eliminates our recently established energy independence and causes us to be energy dependent on nations not friendly to us, while eliminating valuable US jobs. We must open the Keystone Pipeline and regain our energy independence for national security and economic reasons.

• Using the U.S. military as political pawns with thousands of troops deployed around the U.S. Capitol Building, patrolling fences guarding against a non-existent threat, along with forcing Politically Correct policies like the divisive critical race theory into the military at the expense of the War Fighting Mission, seriously degrades readiness to fight and win our Nation’s wars, creating a major national security issue. We must support our Military and Vets; focus on war fighting, eliminate the corrosive infusion of Political Correctness into our military which damages morale and war fighting cohesion.

• The “Rule of Law” is fundamental to our Republic and security. Anarchy as seen in certain cities cannot be tolerated. We must support our law enforcement personnel and insist that DAs, our courts, and the DOJ enforce the law equally, fairly, and consistently toward all.

• The mental and physical condition of the Commander in Chief cannot be ignored. He must be able to quickly make accurate national security decisions involving life and limb anywhere, day or night. Recent Democrat leadership’s inquiries about nuclear code procedures sends a dangerous national security signal to nuclear armed adversaries, raising the question about who is in charge. We must always have an unquestionable chain of command.

Under a Democrat Congress and the Current Administration, our Country has taken a hard left turn toward Socialism and a Marxist form of tyrannical government which must be countered now by electing congressional and presidential candidates who will always act to defend our Constitutional Republic. The survival of our Nation and its cherished freedoms, liberty, and historic values are at stake.

We urge all citizens to get involved now at the local, state and/or national level to elect political representatives who will act to Save America, our Constitutional Republic, and hold those currently in office accountable. The “will of the people” must be heard and followed. 

Signed by:

1.RADM Ernest B. Acklin, USCG, ret.
2.MG Joseph T. Anderson, USMC, ret.
3.RADM Philip Anselmo, USN, ret.
4.MG Joseph Arbuckle, USA, ret.
5.BG John Arick, USMC, ret.
6.RADM Jon W. Bayless, Jr. USN, ret.
7.RDML James Best, USN, ret.
8.BG Charles Bishop, USAF, ret.
9.BG William A. Bloomer, USMC, ret.
10.BG Donald Bolduc, USA, ret.
11.LTG William G. Boykin, USA, ret.
12.MG Edward R. Bracken, USAF, ret.
13.MG Patrick H. Brady, MOH, USA, ret.
14.VADM Edward S. Briggs, USN, ret.
15.LTG Richard “Tex’ Brown III USAF, ret.
16.BG Frank Bruno, USAF, ret.
17.VADM Toney M. Bucchi, USN, ret.
18.RADM John T. Byrd, USN, ret.
19.BG Jimmy Cash, USAF, ret.
20.LTG Dennis D. Cavin, USA, ret.
21.LTG James E. Chambers, USAF, ret.
22.MG Carroll D. Childers, USA, ret.
23.BG Clifton C. “Tip” Clark, USAF, ret.
24.VADM Ed Clexton, USN, ret.
25.MG Jay Closner, USAF, ret
26.MG Tommy F. Crawford, USAF, ret.
27.MG Robert E. Dempsey, USAF, ret.
28.BG Phillip Drew, USAF, ret.
29.MG Neil L. Eddins, USAF, ret.
30.RADM Ernest Elliot, USN, ret.
31.BG Jerome V. Foust, USA, ret.
32.BG Jimmy E. Fowler, USA, ret.
33.RADMU J. Cameron Fraser, USN, ret.
34.MG John T. Furlow, USA, ret.
35.MG Timothy F. Ghormley, USMC, ret.
36.MG Francis C. Gideon, USAF, ret.
37.MG Lee V. Greer, USAF, ret.
38.RDML Michael R. Groothousen, Sr., USN, ret.
39.BG John Grueser, USAF, ret.
40.MG Ken Hagemann, USAF, ret.
41.BG Norman Ham, USAF, ret.
42.VADM William Hancock, USN, ret.
43.LTG Henry J. Hatch, USA, ret.
44.BG James M. Hesson, USA, ret.
45.MG Bill Hobgood, USA, ret.
46.BG Stanislaus J. Hoey, USA, ret.
47.MG Bob Hollingsworth, USMC, ret.
48.MG Jerry D. Holmes, USAF, ret.
49.MG Clinton V. Horn, USAF, ret.
50.LTG Joseph E. Hurd, USAF, ret.
51.VADM Paul Ilg, USN, ret.
52.MG T. Irby, USA, ret.
53.LTG Ronald Iverson, USAF, ret.
54.RADM (L) Grady L. Jackson
55.MG William K. James, USAF, ret.
56.LTG James H. Johnson, Jr. USA, ret.
57.ADM. Jerome L. Johnson, USN, ret.
58.BG Charles Jones, USAF, ret.
59.BG Robert R. Jordan, USA, ret.
60.BG Jack H. Kotter, USA, ret.
61.MG Anthony R. Kropp, USA, ret.
62.RADM Chuck Kubic, USN, ret.
63.BG Jerry L. Laws, USA, ret.
64.BG Douglas E. Lee, USA, ret.
65.MG Vernon B. Lewis, USA, ret.
66.MG Thomas G. Lightner, USA, ret.
67.MG James E. Livingston, USMC, ret. MOH
68.MG John D. Logeman, USAF, ret.
69.MG Jarvis Lynch, USMC, ret.
70.LTG Fred McCorkle, USMC, ret.
71.MG Don McGregor, USAF, ret.
72.LTG Thomas McInerney, USAF, ret.
73.RADM John H. McKinley, USN, ret.
74.BG Michael P. McRaney, USAF, ret.
75.BG Ronald S. Mangum, USA, ret.
76.BG James M. Mead, USMC, ret.
77.BG Joe Mensching, USAF, ret.
78.RADM W. F. Merlin, USCG, ret.
79.RADM (L) Mark Milliken, USN, ret.
80.MG John F. Miller, USAF, ret.
81.RADM Ralph M. Mitchell, Jr. USN, ret.
82.MG Paul Mock, USA. ret.
83.BG Daniel I. Montgomery, USA, ret.,
84.RADM John A. Moriarty, USN, ret.,
85.RADM David R. Morris, USN, ret.
86.RADM Bill Newman, USN, ret.
87.BG Joe Oder, USA, ret.
88.MG O’Mara, USAF, ret.
89.MG Joe S. Owens, USA, ret.
90.VADM Jimmy Pappas, USN, ret.
91.LTG Garry L. Parks, USMC, ret.
92.RADM Russ Penniman, RADM, USN, ret.
93.RADM Leonard F. Picotte, ret.
94.VADM John Poindexter, USN, ret.
95.RADM Ronald Polant, USCG, ret.
96.MG Greg Power, USAF, ret.
97.RDM Brian Prindle, USN, ret.
98.RADM J.J. Quinn, USN, ret.
99.LTG Clifford H. Rees, Jr. USAF, ret.
100.RADM Norman T. Saunders, USCG, ret.
101.MG Richard V. Secord, USAF, ret.
102.RADM William R. Schmidt, USN, ret.
103.LTG Hubert Smith, USA, ret.
104.MG James N. Stewart, USAF, ret.
105.RADM Thomas Stone, USN., ret.
106.BG Joseph S. Stringham, USA, ret.
107.MG Michael Sullivan, USMC, ret.
108.RADM (U) Jeremy Taylor, USN, ret.
109.LTG David Teal, USAF, ret.
110.VADM Howard B. Thorsen, USCG, ret.
111.RADM Robert P. Tiernan, USN, ret.
112.LTG Garry Trexler, USAF, ret.
113.BG James T. Turlington, M.D., USAF, ret.
114.BG Richard J. Valente, USA ret.
115.MG Paul Vallely, USA, ret.
116.MG Russell L. Violett, USAF, ret.
117.BG George H. Walker, Jr. USAR Corp of Engineers,ret.
118.MG Kenneth Weir, USMCR, ret.
119.BG William O. Welch, USAF, ret.
120.MG John M. White, USAF, ret.
121.MG Geoffrey P. Wiedeman, JR. USAF, ret.
122.MG Richard O. Wightman, Jr., USA, ret.
123.RADM Denny Wisely, USN, ret.
124.LTG John Woodward, USAF, ret.

Get involved for Wyoming’s children

Scene from "The Patriot," Mel Gibson

There is a war-of-words waging in Wyoming and across the nation. For decades, it was a cold war played out in the halls of academia. Last summer it went hot as riots erupted in the streets of major US cities. Most recently, an offensive from the U.S. Department of Education called, “Proposed Priorities-American History and Civics Education,” put every local school board in the crosshairs.

Wyoming’s Superintendent, Jillian Balow, fired back. On May 4, she released a Statement on Proposed U.S. Department of Education Rule Prioritizing Critical Race Theory Curriculum in K-12 Schools. It calls out the Proposed Priorities, among other things, for the “alarming move” to encourage “districts to use curriculum related to divisive author Ibram X. Kendi and the New York Times ‘1619 Project.’” This she said, “should be rebuked across party lines.”

Every Wyoming parent should be grateful for Balow’s vigilance and leadership. But we should not let her fight alone. A general can only be as successful as the troops that are marshaled behind her. Every Wyoming parent needs to get educated and engaged in the battle. Wyoming’s children are at stake.

Supt. Jillian Balow

One factor that keeps parents sidelined is sheer bewilderment. It is hard to join in the fray when the smoke and noise of battle conspire to obscure the truth. The Proposed Priorities are an incomprehensible word salad, designed to bewilder. It lobs flash-bang grenades like “antiracism” and “systemic racism.” Then it rolls out undefined terms like “linguistically responsive” and “equity” (not to be confused with equality). Like smoke bombs, these hide what’s really happening.

The confusion caused by such language is intentional. Constantly changing terminology and the invention of new words are meant to keep you out of the fray. But common sense can cut through the distractions to provide clarity. When you are unable to decipher what people are proposing, simply ask: what are they opposing? This cuts through the fog of war.

The Proposed Priorities implement Executive Order 13985, which was signed by Joseph Biden his very first afternoon in the Oval Office. It revokes EO 13950 Combatting Race and Sex Stereotyping, and commands agency directors to scuttle any changes that it accomplished. Next, it canceled EO 13958 Establishing the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission, and scrubbed its Report from the Whitehouse website. 

Joseph R. Biden, Oval Office, January 20, 2021

Clearly, the Proposed Priorities do not want to combat race and sex stereotyping. Also, they treat the 1776 Commission as hostile to the new federal priorities. In fact, the priorities are designed to award government educational contracts on the basis of racial and sex stereotyping, and to teach the New York Times’ discredited 1619 Project in opposition to the Report of the 1776 Commission. No wonder Superintendent Balow raised the alarm! 

To understand what is at stake, simply read the short 1776 Commission Report. “Above all else,” it concludes, America’s founding “principles recognize the worth, equality, potential, dignity, and glory of each and every man, woman, and child created in the image of God.” Why would anyone want to cancel that language?

Last January, Rep. Jeremy Haroldson (R-Wheatland) carried the flag of 1776 by sponsoring HB 177 Education-Understanding federal and state government. Balow weighed in to support the concept of Haroldson’s bill. Sadly, the Education Committee did not send it to the floor.

Part “(a)” called for every school district to provide “instruction that prepares students for informed, engaged citizenship,” and named 11 content areas. More importantly, part “(b)” required transparency. It would have allowed “any parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the school district” to inspect the curriculum and materials used to teach the child American history, government and civics. 

Jeremy Haroldson

The need for parental inspection of educational materials was highlighted just this week by a controversy in Cheyenne. The Laramie County School District #1 hired Western Education Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC), an out-of-state company aligned with the ‘1619 Project,’ to administer a survey to Cheyenne’s kids. It looked like a “push-poll” designed more to influence young minds than to gain useful knowledge.

When parents asked to inspect the survey before it was administered, they were told that that WEEAC considered its materials “proprietary,” and would not allow parents to preview them. Enough parents raised alarm that the school board postponed the survey at the last minute, promising to replace it with materials that parents could inspect ahead of time.

Like mold and mushrooms, poisonous ideas thrive in the dark. Healthy ideas, like green plants, enjoy the sunshine. You can help to let in the light. Support Superintendent Balow by supporting your local school board. Attend its meetings. Listen to what is going on. Talk to the board members. You might even run for a seat yourself! Wyoming’s children need your voice to keep them out of the crossfire.

Also published in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, May 14, 2021.

Natural Law and the Nuremberg Trials

Two years ago, we remembered the 75th anniversary of D-Day. But last year’s lockdowns overshadowed the anniversary of Germany’s surrender (May 8, 1945). This year offers a golden opportunity to remember the 75th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials. They teach the most important lesson to come out of World War II.

Allied troops spent the early days of May 1945 hunting down the most high-ranking Nazis. Unlike common soldiers who are simply disarmed and sent home at the end of a war, leaders of the Third Reich were imprisoned to face an international trial before judges from the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, France, and the United States. It was to be a first-of-its-kind event.

Ultimately, it was decided to indict 24 of the most prominent Nazis and to try them in Nuremberg, Germany—where the Nazi Party had drawn up the antisemitic Nuremberg laws ten years earlier. The trial would be held in the Palace of Justice—a fitting venue if ever there was one.

The physical arrangements were easy compared to the legal considerations. Before they could indict Nazi criminals, they had to write the laws under which they would be charged. The whole world was watching, and all of posterity would be judging the fairness and justice of the Nuremberg trials.

Cannons of justice prohibit criminalizing actions after the fact (ex post facto). Yet, there was no international law that prohibited the actions of the Nazi government. It is one thing to enact arbitrary laws like speed limits. It is quite another thing to recognize that some behaviors are criminal by their very nature—whether codified in writing, or not.

People around the world knew, in the depths of their souls, that the systematic murder of citizens, prisoners, and unfavored races was inherently evil. In fact, it would be evil to deny this fact. Even presidents and kings are accountable to this unwritten law. This truth became known as Nuremberg Principle III: “The fact that a person who committed an act which constitutes a crime under international law, acted as Head of State or responsible government official, does not relieve him from responsibility under international law.” 

Principle IV, likewise, reads, “The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him.”

All told, there are seven Nuremberg Principles which have become the backbone of international law. But it should never be forgotten that these seven principles themselves rest on an even greater principle of justice: Just laws are not the creation of governments. Laws are only just if they reflect the truth written into nature itself.

This principle is known as “Natural Law.” Every man, woman and child knows it intuitively. There are certain rights and duties that are shared by every human being—whether they are written down or not. Likewise, there are actions which are forbidden to every human being. Societies and governments—no matter how powerful and no matter how widely approved—cannot make laws and policies that defy these natural laws.

The Nuremberg Trials provided a forum for the entire world to affirm Natural Law. Even the Soviet representatives had to agree. While the atheistic philosophy of Marxism, like Nazism, recognized no moral absolutes, the Soviets participated in the Nuremberg Trials nonetheless. The truth was just too obvious to ignore. In fact, this same Natural Law was the basis for the entire war effort of the Allied forces.

World War II was not primarily a territorial dispute. It was a war over the soul of the civilized world. Are governments authorized to make their own truth and morality? Or are they, themselves, subject to a higher authority? Are laws the arbitrary diktats of whoever can seize the levers of power? Or are laws authored by the God who created all things, and written into His creation?

America’s founders believed the latter. In the Declaration of Independence, they wrote that all civilized people are governed by “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” America still proclaims this founding principle. Every piece of currency says, “In God we trust.”

There are voices in America today that want to remove these words from our currency. They are the same ones who deny the existence of Natural Law. By denying the existence of any Authority higher than government, they are embracing the very same worldview that was condemned at Nuremberg.

The 75th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials gives us an occasion to remember that the claims of America’s founders are not outdated and marginalized. They remain to this day the foundation of truth and justice the world over.

Also published in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, May 7, 2021.