A Monarchist in America

The Alvarez Galloso News Hour has been dedicating a segment on the concept of Monarchy VS Republic in America. I have the honour of interviewing Mr. Theodore Harvey of

Theodore’s Royalty and Monarchy Site
http://www.royaltymonarchy.com. 

It is a pleasure having Mr. Harvey with us. Now for the questions.

Why a Monarchy for America? What could a Monarchy do for America that a Republic cannot do?

 

As indicated above, officially I do not in fact propose a monarchy for the contemporary political entity known as the United States of America as we know it.  However, I would point out that the distinction between Head of State and Head of Government found in constitutional monarchies like the United Kingdom makes it easier for people to criticize their government’s policies without being accused of lack of patriotism.
 
 

2. Why has the Concept of Republic failed in America?
 

American traditionalists (“paleoconservatives”), with whom I am in some sympathy though not in the strict sense one of them, generally identify the victory of Lincoln and the North in 1865 as the destruction of the Old Republic.  The events of that decade are a bit beyond the scope of this interview.  I would add though that an institution founded on unjustified rebellion against one’s lawful King (George III) cannot expect to remain genuinely conservative in the long run, however otherwise honorable the intentions of its creators.

3. Why do Republicans and Democrats behave like the “absolute kings” they claim to detest?

  Power tends to corrupt, whether its wielders are called kings or presidents, but it is more dangerous to entrust it to those who seek it (elected politicians) than to those who may not even want it (hereditary monarchs.)

4. Why is it that a Republic brings disaster? This is asked taking into account that Nepal voted to abolish its monarchy and now things are spiraling out of control there?

 

When a monarchy, especially an ancient one, is abolished, it creates a sort of vacuum which anything can fill. ”People naively expect that problems which genuinely existed under the monarchy will be solved with its removal, and when that does not happen, turn to more extreme “solutions” than democracy can provide.”

We can see this time and time again throughout history with the Reign of Terror in France, the Bolsheviks in Russia, the Nazis in Germany and Austria, the Ayatollahs in Iran, and now with the Maoists in Nepal.  There is no monarchy so bad that its replacement cannot–indeed, almost invariably WILL not–be worse.   Perhaps C.S. Lewis put it best: “Where men are forbidden to honour a king they honour millionaires, athletes, or film stars instead: even famous prostitutes or gangsters. For spiritual nature, like bodily nature, will be served: deny it food and it will gobble poison.”

 
5. What can be done to inform people about Monarchy in order to initiate a discussion about it?

The internet has been helpful for monarchists, as for all non-mainstream causes.  I try to reach people with my website and its forum (though the latter is intended for people already sympathetic) and have engaged in discussions at other types of forums.  I will admit thought that I have not been as successful as I would like.   
 
 

6. What would an American Monarchy be like?

It is impossible to say; again, I do not expect the unified entity known as the US to become a monarchy without any other convulsive changes.  With the possible exception of Hawaii (and even that would involve a great struggle), a return to monarchical rule in any part of what we know as the US is highly unlikely to occur without being preceded by dramatic events beyond our imagination.

7. How Did the Concept for an American Monarchy get started?

I am not aware that there is any single unified and coherent “Concept” for an American Monarchy.
 
 

8. Both of us [I was born in America too] were born and raised under the concept of the “benevolent republic”. What made you become a monarchist?

I address this in two articles at my website:
 

http://www.royaltymonarchy.com/opinion/whymon.html
 

http://www.royaltymonarchy.com/opinion/ideology2.html
 
 

9. Are there monarchists movements in America doing charitable work in America?

http://www.royal-rwandan-association.org/
 

http://www.russiannobility.org/
 
 

10. What is the future for America if it continues its present course?

I really have no idea.  I am not particularly optimistic, but am reluctant to make specific predictions.While my answers may not have been exactly what you were looking for, I hope you found them interesting and helpful in some way.  Best wishes for your endeavors.

Sincerely,
 

Theodore Harvey
 

Charlotte, North Carolina

Thank You Very Much Mr. Harvey for taking the time to answer the questions posted by The Alvarez-Galloso News Hour. My Best Wishes to You and the Monarchists living in America.

A Conversation with A Monarchist Who Lives in America

Hello Mr. Alvarez-Galloso,

Sorry for the delay in responding.  Part of the reason for the delay, though, is that while I will try to answer your questions, it may be difficult for me to answer them in a helpful way as some of them imply assumptions about what it means to be an American monarchist that are not quite accurate in my case.  Let me try to explain in a general way before moving on to the individual questions.

While I do believe that monarchy is the best form of government in the abstract, it does not necessarily follow from this belief that each and every country in the world must become a monarchy, or that monarchy is in practice equally suitable for all countries.  The most successful monarchies in history were all organic in the sense that their precise origins were shrouded in myths and legends, with the institution gradually evolving over centuries.  Even when new monarchies were created in Europe in the 19th century, they were established in lands accustomed to monarchical rule. 

Monarchy depends on a certain respect for tradition, and for better or for worse the tradition of the United States for 230+ years has been republicanism.  One could even argue that it would be contrary to authentic monarchist principles to demand (even theoretically) that a country established as a republic for more than two centuries (i.e. the US, Switzerland, and San Marino) should become a monarchy.  This is one of the fundamental differences between monarchists and republicans.  Republicans [anti-royalists] believe that the entire world must conform to their agenda.   They want there to be ZERO monarchies left in the world.  But most monarchists are not like that; we do not say that there should be ZERO republics left in the world.  I think most monarchists would be quite overjoyed and satisfied if monarchies were restored only in countries with substantial traditions of monarchical rule as independent nations (e.g. France, Brazil, Greece, Russia, Iran, Ethiopia, etc.), while other countries, with no claimants to their “thrones,” continued to be republics.

 Now, there is the possibility that the US as we know it might not last forever and that new, smaller, successor states might emerge.  In this case, monarchy might be worth considering.  In particular, I would support the secession of Hawaii, which DID have its own monarchy until 1893, and the restoration of the monarchy there.  But part of the problem on the mainland is that it is impossible to say who the king(s) would be.  If it were up to me, I would prefer a division based on colonial history modeled on the [British] Commonwealth Realms (Canada, Australia, etc.) in which, roughly, the British monarch would be sovereign of the eastern US, a restored French monarch of the central US, and the Spanish monarch of the western and southwestern US.  But I must recognize that this is profoundly unlikely, especially as the US moves further and further away from its European colonial roots, and that the results of any break-up of the USA would in reality probably not be as attractive, with the possible exception of Hawaii.

What all this means in practice is that I am not so much an “American Monarchist” as a Monarchist who happens to live in America (I would move to the UK or Canada if I had a professional reason to do so) and therefore often feels more passionately about other countries than my own.  For me, my top priority as a monarchist is the support of existing monarchies throughout the world and of restorationist efforts in countries where there is at least a substantial native tradition of monarchy and a widely acknowledged claimant (or, in a few difficult cases, two rival claimants) to the throne. 

“People naively expect that problems which genuinely existed under the monarchy will be solved with its removal, and when that does not happen, turn to more extreme “solutions” than democracy can provide.” Theodore’s Royalty and Monarchy Site
http://www.royaltymonarchy.com

La Monarquia Estadounidense

El Noticiero de Alvarez Galloso llevo unos estudios acerca del concepto de monarquia vs republica en EEUU. Concluyeron que los Monarquicos Estadounidenses como otros partidos alternativos han sido marginado por la prensa cotidiana.

En las conversaciones con los Grupos Monarquicos dentro de los EEUU, ellos reconocen que existe un problema en comunicar el concepto. La razon es que la mayoria del pueblo de los EEUU no tienen idea lo que es una monarquia ni lo que es un rey. Otra razon es la mas de 200 a~nos de Republica que sirvio como una mascara para una monarquia absoluta.

Reconocieron que los EEUU es un gran pais debido a la gente trabajadora en vez de los gobiernos corruptos y ineptos que gobiernan EEUU.

An American Monarchist: Throne and Altar

The Alvarez Galloso News Hour has decided to do a special on Monarchy VS Republic in America. Our staff has talked with several American Monarchists and has seen their webpage. Afterwards, it was decided by a majority vote that the American Monarchist do not have a forum and that the Alvarez Galloso News Hour was to give them the opportunity.

I have the honour of interviewing Nick Howard of “The Altar and Throne Blog” and will start immediately with the questions.

1. Why a Monarchy for America? What could a Monarchy do for America that a Republic cannot do? 

1. I believe that monarchy is the most efficient form of government. Our government is anything but efficient. A monarchy could provide stability and moral guidance to our nation, something the Republic has failed to provide.    

2. Why has the Concept of Republic failed in America? 

2. The concept of Republic has failed in America because Republics lead to chaos:  when the people are allowed to decide what should and what should not be legal, fallen human nature kicks in; people don’t know what is in their own best interest and the “whatever feels good” mentality becomes prevalent. Because the people have political power, they get what they want, which thus leads to moral and societal chaos. 

3. Why do Republicans and Democrats behave like the “absolute kings” they claim to detest? 

3. Republicans and Democrats, once in power, want to hold onto that power.  They then do what is necessary to keep their power, even if that requires utilizing means they claim to oppose. 

4. Why is it that a Republic brings disaster? This is asked taking into account that Nepal voted to abolish its monarchy and now things are spiraling out of control there?  

4. Again, people don’t know what is in their own best interest. Without a father or mother figure in the person of a king or queen, people act like little children whose parents aren’t watching. A Republic has no father or mother to the nation, and thus has no one to reign them back in when things get out of control.    

5. What can be done to inform people about Monarchy in order to initiate a discussion about it? 

5. I think the first step is simply to let people in America know that monarchists exist, as well as what monarchism means.  I cannot tell you how often I’ve told people that I am a monarchist only to get the response “What’s that?”  Most Americans have some vague notion that the Queen lives in England, but no real understanding of what a monarchy is or what it means in the political sphere.  We monarchists must get the word out that we are here! (As a side note, I’ve often thought it sad that hate groups such as the KKK, Neo-Nazi groups, and the Black Panthers are far more vocal and recognized by society than any monarchist organization I know of).    

6. What would an American Monarchy be like? 

6. I’m not really sure what an American monarchy would look like as republican and egalitarian ideals have been so ingrained upon our national psyche for over 200 years. I really don’t see a monarchy in America unless some terrible natural disaster happened, a terrible and destructive world war, or our government utterly collapsed.  I think that realistically we won’t see a monarchy in this country except under the above conditions.   

7. How Did the Concept for the Altar and Throne Blog get started? 

7. I started the Altar and Throne Monarchy Site as a way to express my own political and religious views, but also to let others out there know that they are not alone in their monarchist leanings. I cannot tell you how alone I felt in my early days of monarchist beliefs. I wanted other monarchists to know that they were not alone.  An unintended consequence of my blog is that I have informed many die-hard republicans about monarchism. I don’t think I’ve “converted” any of them, but I have gained their respect.   

8. Both of us [I was born in America too] were born and raised under the concept of the “benevolent republic”. What made you become a monarchist? 

8. I became a monarchist because I simply lost faith in this nation. I was tired of abortion, contraception, pornography, homosexuality, the war in Iraq, etc. and saw a strong Catholic monarchy as the only solution and preventative to these evils.    

9. Are there monarchists movements in America doing charitable work in America? 

9. I know of no monarchist movements doing charitable work here in America.    

10. What is the future for America if it continues its present course? 

10. I firmly believe that this nation will continue to fall into the abyss of immorality and debauchery, and ultimately the government will implode. This might not happen within my lifetime, but this Republic’s days are numbered.  Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be interviewed, and thank you for furthering the monarchist cause! Nick  

I would like to thank you for accepting my invitation. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you, your family, and the Throne and Altar Site. 

Roberto C. Alvarez-Galloso

The Alvarez Galloso News Hour

http://alvarezgalloso.wordpress.com