Most enduring political truths are exposed and accessible in the 1995 Mel Gibson classic Braveheart: freedom, eros, love of country, sacrifice, loss, anger, vengeance, lust, hatred,betrayal, evil, and everything in between. Conservatives should see moderate Republicans in the character of Robert the Bruce’s leper father.
“You admire this man, this William Wallace. Uncompromising men are easy to admire. He has courage; so does a dog. But it is exactly the ability to ‘compromise’ that makes a man noble.” – Robert Bruce’s father, advising his son to betray William Wallace
In Braveheart, the elder Bruce and his fellow “nobles” conspired to use William Wallace’s bravery and heroic pursuit of freedom to their advantage. They ultimately betrayed Wallace, allowing his capture, torture, and death at the hands of Edward Longshanks.
Here in the US, the treachery and betrayal was no less self-serving, but their consequences could alter history to a sharper degree than the Bruce’s. Scotland was not the last beacon of liberty on the planet; America is.
The next time we’re asked to support a moderate Republican, we should remember William Wallace’s words to the frightened Scotsmen who wanted to cash it in and return to their farms.
Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live… at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!
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