When one declares oneself to be a conservative, one is not, unfortunately, thereupon visited by tongues of fire that leave one omniscient. The acceptance of a series of premises is just the beginning. After that, we need constantly to inform ourselves, to analyze and to think through our premises and their ramifications. We need to ponder, in the light of the evidence, the strengths and the weaknesses, the consistencies and the inconsistencies, the glory and the frailty of our position, week in and week out. Otherwise, we will not hold our own in a world where informed dedication, not just dedication, is necessary for survival and growth.

William F. Buckley Jr., Feb 8, 1956, NR

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Guest Post By Ken..... BARRACK OBAMA - SHOULD CONSERVATIVES SUPPORT HIM

Since the votes were tallied and the final election results were in naming Barack Obama winner of the 2008 election, there have been countless discussions and postings concerning conservative support for Obama because he would be the Nation's President. After all whether one votes for the person who sits in the Oval Office or not he is the President of all Americans.

Over the last few days this conversation has come to the fore front again with Obama telling GOP lawmakers that they cannot follow Rush Limbaugh and expect anything to get done. On the other side of this coin Rush has stated that because of his conservative beliefs and principles that if Obama pushes the socialist agenda that he stated during the campaign he does not want him to succeed because of the path it would take the Nation.

Now that Obama is President of the United States, then the question for conservatives is once again, " do we support Obama because he is the President ?" To this question, as a conservative, I would have to follow my conscience and principled beliefs and say emphatically, "NO !"

There are those, who because he is President, that would consider this attitude to be unpatriotic and nothing that I state here will convince them otherwise. But to my fellow conservatives I offer this explanation as to why we cannot support Obama or even state that we do because he is the President.

Though I do not support Obama, I still and always will respect the office of President of The United States. But for me to use that respect for the office and state that because a certain individual is holding that office, I should then support what he does would be hypocrisy on my part.

Nothing that Obama has stated as his policy, goal o the direction he wishes to take this Nation agrees with my political, moral and ideological beliefs or principles. For me to state that I support the President but not his policies is a similar argument that was used by the left concerning the status of our troops and their mission in Iraq.

Throughout that political discord liberals continually stated that they supported the troops but not their mission. Conservatives countered the cry from the left with, " how can you say you support the troops but not what they are doing ?" The same argument holds for Obama. How can we as conservatives state that we support the President but not what he is doing without falling into the same counter accusation from the left that we used during the troop support argument ?

If I am completely honest with myself and my convictions, then I have to admit that I do not want Obama's agenda to succeed and therefore cannot support him just because he is the President. If he insists on continuing the agenda that he has stated and that he has already begun how can I state that I support him and hold true to my beliefs and principles ?

Of course I would hope for the sake of the country that he understands the short and long term ramifications of what he is doing and what he plans to do and the negative impact it will have on the country. Not to mention that the socialist ideas that he presents take this Nation down a path that was never intended by our Founders.

I believe that the moves that he has made and is planning on making weaken this country and make us even more vulnerable to attack from our enemies. He is taking us back to a pre- 9/11 atmosphere and as such the security of this country could be threatened in a way that it has not been since that fateful day in 2001.

His socialist agenda promises to take this country down a path that may never be reversed. I ask you, how many government programs once started have ever been stopped ? The answer is zero and Obama plans expanding government more than any other President including Franklin Roosevelt.

If we do come under attack, as an American I will rally behind the President as we should and pray that he has the wisdom and sense enough to handle the situation in a manner that protects and preserves our Nation. But to state that I will support him just because he is President is not holding true to who I am and those values and beliefs that have formed my ideas, my morals and my principles.

Do I want him to fail ? Absolutely not ! But I cannot support what he plans which will bring failure and insecurity to this country both economically, morally and in the protection of the country and our people.

Did I agree 100% with President Bush ? No, in fact there were numerous times that I did not support what he was doing. His immigration stand, increasing entitlements, bailouts just to name a few were policies that I could not support. But generally I agreed with the direction Bush wanted to take the country and in the way he stood fast in protecting the Nation after 9/11. As a result I could support him while disagreeing with certain policy issues.

Obama presents and entirely different situation. I find nothing that he says or any part of his very liberal agenda that I can agree with. I do not believe that what he is and will do has any possibility of taking this Nation anywhere but Socialism and weakening our security. How then can I support him as President ?

Our Founders faced a similar dilemma when they gathered to ultimately bring about the birth of this country. They respected the British Monarchy, but not the King who held the throne and especially not his policy toward the Colonies. As a result they created a new form of government that was formed from their beliefs and principles which came from the inability to support King Charles and his agenda for the Colonies. Had they supported the King, they would never have signed the Declaration of Independence.

Am I suggesting that we rebel against the Obama Administration and begin a new Nation ? No, but I am suggesting that we take every opportunity to make it known through the blogosphere, discussion with friends and family and especially in constant contact with everyone and anyone in Washington, that we do not support the President's agenda and emphatically know that it will take us the wrong direction and threaten the security of each of us.

This is our responsibility as a citizen. Our Constitution begins with the words, "We the people." These words were not written by James Madison because they had a certain poetic ring to them. They were included at the very beginning of the document that created our government and the laws that formed our Nation as a testament of who we are and what our responsibilities as Americans are to each other and our country.

Those in government do not dictate to us what we are to do, even the President. It is our responsibility as Americans to tell them what we expect and then hold them accountable to those expectations. As a whole we Americans have forgotten this blessed liberty which was instilled in this country from the very beginning.

Is it radical to stand against our leaders when we disagree with them ? Some today consider it to be. But if we truly believe in our Constitution and understand how our Nation was founded and what the words found within this precious document provide in freedom, then we will also understand that we cannot support that which we believe is wrong and it is our duty to stand against it especially if it is the agenda of a President whose ideas and policy promises to change the very foundation of our country and the principles instilled by our Constitution.

Ken Taylor B

Friday, January 30, 2009

RNC Takes First Positive Step

After a day of casting multiple ballots, the Republican National Committee voted to make former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele as Chairman.

There are some concerns about Steele, as he is more moderate than most conservatives would prefer. However, he is a fresh breath of air into party that needs to modernize, and decide that they are tired of the 1050s look...

I listened just moments ago to the acceptance speech delivered by Steele, and it included references to "conservative principles" and the conservative party. I think there is some danger here that he truly does not understand what is needed, but for now, his attempts at making the party cool again are working....Let us hope that he considers tax cuts cool...

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Just When You Thought the CC Crew Had Gone Far Enough....

(Please start the music before reading. It's more fun that way.)

Those with spines of linguine and Obama voters beware!!! For in their great wisdom and folly, the shiny batch of conservative malcontents that got together to rub out this blog called Conservative Convictions have extended and invitation to the great and plaid master of the ever-out-there-ish-ish blog entitled Sane Political Discourse to come before you as a regular and postify his confrabulations (and made up words (and parentheses (ad nauseum (because he can (6 this time (count 'em))))) for your reading pleasure and eventual mental reprogramming. And so, here he is, to explain himself in only ways he would dare, he who is the wisdom and the light, the legend of legends, and more humble than the greatest of the humbly humble, the illustrious Patrick M!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*tenuous applause*

Okay, that was a little over the top, but if you can't start out with an overblown, ego-feeding intro, what's the point? SO let's get to the real intro, Patrick M style:

The Beginning - I grew up in small-town Ohio. Spent eight F'ing years in Catholic School. Went to college around here before going to Dayton to finish. Moved back. 'Nuff said.

Writing - I started this worthwhile pursuit in 7th grade. I wrote on a pre-Mac apple clone, printed out on green and white striped tractor feed paper (that you couldn't tear the tractor feed off of). It was a festival of dick and fart jokes. I moved on to some short story and poetry by my last year in high school. It was a few years later that I wrote a short story that created the universe which you can find on my blog Stories from the Front Row, which may lead to the book (also in process). And the poetry, such as it is is on yet another blog. More on the blogging.

Workage - I've really found two things that I seem to do well: dealing with people and figuring out anything electronic. I've worked on computers since I was 6 (an Apple II Plus), have spent more time working at various locations for RadioShack (long story) and after some really crappy jobs mixed in there, I find myself doing Internet Tech support. At least people are glad to hear me because I am on the same continent.

Comedy of Errors - I can divide my love life into several periods. I'm not going to go into details, but there are three significant ones, one that scarred me emotionally for a long time, one that lacked a personality, but led immediately to the third, who left me with two children and an intense dislike of bad mothers who squeeze out children. It's been over a year since I became fully single again, although I still have to deal with my ex, because of the kids, despite winning full custody. But, one thing she gave me (despite bills, BS, and two children was:

Blogging - I fired up SPD shortly before booting her ass from my apartment. Essentially, my writing had ground to a halt between working and taking care of three children (yes, I'm counting her as a child) nonstop. So, with things in motion to remove her from my daily annoyance, I decided to get into the world of blogging. I churned away for several months, fleshing out some of my ideas, putting myself into the role of a presidential candidate, and generally begging family to read my blog so I had more than a hit or two a week. But one weekend, I was listening to a rebroadcast of Hannity, when someone called in from KC Missouri, and mentioned her blog. That happened to be Dee over at Conservatism with Heart. And from there, I began to visit and find more blogs, mostly conservative, some liberal, some completely socialist. And from there, I grew SPD to something worth reading. I don't remember how I ended up there, but I made my way here by way of Jennifer's blog. Again, 'nuff said.

The Politics - If you have yet to visit SPD, let me give you my particular conservative slant, as discussions here have really revealed all the splits in greater conservatism. I'm more of the libertarian mold. I focus mainly on the fiscal and governmental role aspects of conservatism and have conflicting views with my social brethren over government enforcement of morality. In other words, while I have aspects of my faith that lead me one direction, they sometimes conflict with my belief in limiting government involvement in our daily lives. A post I did on abortion explains this tension the best. And I am far from a party man, especially when the GOP has abandoned many of the principles that catapulted it to power in 1980 and 1994. Which means I can finish with:

Blogging Philosophy - One thing that I decided when I started blogging was that I didn't want my blog to degenerate into incessant namecalling, which was a hallmark of the extremist blogs. So, while I'm not above copious amounts of humor, blasting someone who deserves being blasted (Mike "Huck-a-duck" Huckabee, and mocking those who deserve to be mocked Barney Frank), I generally treat every politician with a minimum of respect, and will judge them only by their comments and actions of the day. Except Ron Paul, Ralph Nader, and their tinfoil hat brigades, because there has to be someone to laugh at.

Big Honkin' Finish and Plugs - It's getting late in the day, so I'm going to have to go to sleep (or pass out while typing). But I shall return to pontificate soon enough. And since I'm not a fan of crossposting my stuff, you'll be able to delve into more of my buttery goodness by clicking on this big-assed link to my other blog: Sane Political Discourse. I promise I won't staple anything to anything in the process. And if you want to email me on anything you don't want every mofo ever ill-bred to read (and response is guaranteed), it's patrickmspeaks@gmail.com.

Thank you, and good night.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

White Men Can't Jump So Be Nice to The Black Guy

Into the White House strolls the most unprepared President in modern history, but Barack Hussein Obama is also the first person of color. He has no resume to recommend him, save a series of rather remarkable electoral successes. He also comes in with the most radical agenda in the history of this country, except for perhaps Woodrow Wilson and FDR. Nearly 49 million people voted against him, yet, he enjoys stratospheric popularity, even among elected Republicans. Why?

I'm no psychologist but I've seen this before. The phrase that comes to mind used to be the subject of 80s sit coms. "Some of my best friends are_____." I have a theory about Obama's outsized popularity and it has nothing to do with issues. It has to do with fear. As infants, we are born with only one fear, the fear of falling. As we mature, we take on all kinds of phobias and among adults, the fear of public speaking has long held the top slot, followed by the fear of snakes, heights, etc.

If you could do a double secret blind poll of white adults, for many, the fear of being called a racist would rank right up there with the fear of public speaking, which ranks higher than the fear of death. So it stands to reason that so many, who would be naturally critical of Obama, have backed off. Now, it's also current reality that most conservatives (those that would be critical) are also not black.

Now, as one born in an era when the clerk typed "Negro" in the box for "race" on my birth certificate, I hereby give leave to white conservatives to criticize Obama. White liberals, feel free to chime in too! One of the phrases that emerged from the Bush administration that I really liked (although, I didn't like the program it was associated with) was the soft bigotry of low expectations. Now, I know that this will subside somewhat over time as it becomes clear just how radical and wrong Obama is, but by then, much of the opportunity to make a difference may be lost.

To be clear, I'm not advocating the kind of hateful rhetoric that was assigned to Bush by the left because most of that was mean spirited and reflexive. I'm talking about considered expressions of honest philosophical differences. Besides, I'm sick of seeing the guy playing basketball while he's in motion and everyone else is standing still. He must take after his mother's side athletically, because the pictures indicate that you couldn't slide a piece of paper between his shoes and the floor when he "jumps" and everybody knows white men can't jump!

Obama Will Explain to the Arab World That We Aren't the Enemy....

...and they will apologize and quit trying to kill us!
(Did I tell you the one about the... oh, nevermind!)

Obama chooses Arab network for first TV interview
CAIRO, Egypt – President Barack Obama on Tuesday chose an Arabic satellite TV network for his first formal television interview as president, delivering a message to the Muslim world that "Americans are not your enemy."
*snip*
The president expressed an intention to engage the Middle East immediately and his new envoy to the region, former Sen. George J. Mitchell, was expected to arrived in Egypt on Tuesday for a visit that will also take him to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

"My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy," Obama told the Saudi-owned, Dubai-based Al-Arabiya news channel.
*snip*
WOW! All we have to do is tell them that we aren't their enemy and they will stop trying to kill off the infidels. Interesting? Why didn't President Bush think of that? Oh, yeah. I remember! President Bush was busy trying to protect us after radical Muslims destroyed the Twin Towers and killed off 3,000 innocent civilians. I guess he wasn't in the mood to tell them that "We aren't your enemy."

Note to Obama: They don't care! We aren't Islam and their agenda is to kill off everyone who doesn't convert to Islam. Gads, this is so infuriatingly frustrating! They will stop trying to do us in when pigs fly.

Another excerpt from the article:
"What I told him is start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating," Obama told the interviewer.
Read it all here.

Yes, it's America's fault because we are dictators, folks! That's why 9/11 happened. That's why the USS Cole was attacked. By the way, Clinton was president when the USS Cole was attacked. I suppose he wasn't friendly enough either.

Well, Obama is going to talk to them and tell them that we aren't their enemy and everything will be hunky-dory. After all, they are simply misguided people filled with love for all people and don't have a prejudiced bone in their bodies. This entire thing is a simple misunderstanding and is all our fault because we are dictators. BARF!

Just a reminder. Perhaps Obama needs to watch it:



Please scroll down for another new post as well............

Settled....Once and For All.........The gloves come off!

Photobucket

I truly started this out as a comment in the last post, but I think we need to get this settled once and for all, and this is the only way I can think to do it. I am frankly tired of other "conservatives" coming here and telling us how to run our blog. I can safely say that none of here have done that to you have they?? If so, please by all means enlighten us. Most of your comments here are about his policies......and none of here have ever said that we are going to support the policies. So where is the issue, the problem, the misunderstanding??

I truly have to wonder if the people who come on here just to attack this blog, and you know who you are, actually read it. When I say read, I mean really read and try to understand it, not just pick out words here and there and try to twist them around. As we have said time and time again, we will fight Obama when he goes against our beliefs, values, and vision for America. How can you possibly find fault in that?

I have repeatedly said that I will challenge him on his policies and his actions that I think are wrong. Already, in my opinion, it's not a good start for him. I have already said that in my previous comments and posts, so I can't imagine you finding fault in that either.

So the fight begins and the fight will continue as long as necessary. Gayle, Craig and Patrick, also has been taking him to task on their blogs, if you happen to read it, which I highly suggest. Mine and Roberts, haven't seen much action since we have been devoted to this blog and have let ours go for a little bit. We all have different opinions on certain issues, if we didn't we wouldn't be human. Our opinions come from our background and our experiences and something would be seriously wrong with this picture if we all agreed on everything. That is one of the reasons for various authors.....to offer varying viewpoints on the issues that we are faced with.

I do have a few questions for you to answer and maybe, just maybe, we can break through this battle and come together as conservatives. If not, then there frankly isn't much hope for 2010 or 2012. If we can't even find common ground among ourselves than how are we supposed to be a united front against liberalism?

Let me ask you a few questions if I might......

What steps have you taken to change anything besides venting on your blogs?

I have already contacted my representatives, telling them my opinions on the issues as they have been happening. Other than that, I really have no other ideas at the moment, so if you have anything productive, please do share.

Do you feel that we should sink down to the level of the way the liberals treated Bush?

I do not. I don't like his policies and if you have read anything I wrote, I've said that time and time again. To lower myself to petty name calling and Obama bashing does nothing in my opinion but lessen my integrity. How easy it would be to do that....but I hold my actions to a better standard than that. Just a couple months ago you were all complaining of Bush's treatment and yet you do it to Obama? Don't you find that just a little hypocritical. Do you find it wrong that we don't sink to name calling? Like Gayle said we are all different and we express it different ways. We, here at CC have taken the high road because we feel it is very important to see the vision and follow that road, and not get lost in the other paths.

Do we crash your blogs and tell you how wrong you are and that you are not true conservatives.?

What gives you the mindset to do that to ours.


Why is it wrong to see the bigger picture here instead of focusing on the man himself?


When I say bigger picture, I mean the future of America. His policies now will affect tomorrow, and our children's tomorrows.....shouldn't we be focused on that rather than the man himself. Would you really rather see another 9-11 or the Great Depression just to see the man fail? To be able to tell say, I told you so? Is that what you want for your children's future? I certainly do not. The only time I want the man to fail is when a policy goes against what I want for the future of America. To make a general statements saying "I hope the man fails" is ultimately saying the same about America and I just can't wish that this great nation fails because of our dislike of the president.

I sincerely hope that you answer these questions and are able to see that we want the same things as you do. We have the same goals.....a conservative future!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Bootstraps By Patrick (Our New Author)

This post is by Patrick at Sane Political Discourse, and I am happy to announce that he has agreed to join our team. I've been reading his blog for a while and I love his no-nonsense way about him. He tells it like it is. It is not only refreshing but desperately needed at this critical time in history. Welcome aboard Patrick!


Let me begin by excerpting one more sentence (with critically necessary edit) of the president's inaugural address:

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.

While I was reading through the multitudinous comments to my Wednesday and Thursday posts, one thing tied them together. And it also reminded me of some of the dumbest comments of the dumbest Obama voters (the ones who expect Obama to magically make their problems go away). And

Far too many people have become dependent on others to survive.

I know, it's a statement of the obvious, but it had to be done. Because at this point, with the deepening recession, we're approaching the point where we can be cast irrevocably into the type of command economy that worked so well for the Soviets. And with the mentality that others must provide us stuff, we're poised to accept it.

Now here's where I tie my earlier posts together. The Obama/Newdeal v2.0 post was about, in essence, unrelenting assumption of power and responsibility over our daily lives. My post arguing that the old guard of the civil rights movement are becoming the source of racial tension now has a side corollary: far too many in the black community still cling to the idea that the deck is stacked against them, and therefor government is required to "balance" things for them.

Other things catch my eye. Walking past the TV a minute ago, I saw two stories mentioned at the bottom of the screen (over the three seconds it took me to get from the kitchen (for coffee) to the bedroom (to type this)) indicating two states were having financial problems keeping up with unemployment. Every news break on the radio details the latest bad numbers. Hell, the damn commercials try to sell shit based on the idea the economy's doing a swirl around the crapper.

Oh, and don't even get me started on the assload of bailouts pouring forthwith from Washington, and how people claiming to be conservative saying that they "have to do something" to justify it.

But this post is not about blaming the government. Because blaming other people is a step on the road to expecting government intervention in the name of "fairness." And the simple fact is that we are reaching a point where we're simply going to run out of money trying to "help" people.

I know, because I've been there (and am still not wholly free of government largess).

So here's the point. We need to get responsible for ourselves and for our families, and encourage others to do the same.

Now I know many of you are already self-sufficient. And I know there are people who have had bad things happen that are overwhelmed by the hits that keep coming. But for this to work, it's time to take it to the next level.

I'll be honest, it won't be easy. But the idea is that we take care of our friends, our family, and ouur neighbors so that the government doesn't have to. I do make exceptions, though, if people seek self-destruction despite our help. But you all know the differnece between the person who blows his money on crap while his ouse gets foreclosed and the family that's struggling to keep up with medical bills while one parent is on the roles due to layoffs. We need to embrace our common faith, both in each other and in God (or an equivalent morality for you atheists). We need to support those businesses that serve us best and that strengthen our community (even to returning to some semblance of the Buy American mentality). And charitable giving should be embraced to help other people, tax deductions be damned, which means donating time, food, personal items, and clothes instead of just money to a charity.

And we need to demand that people in our personal circle take care of the messes they have created, the children they have produced, and others they impact daily.

Simply put, we're not going to drag ourselves out of this mess by waiting for the Stimulus of the Week (add that under Asshat of the Week?) to show up from Washington or the next check from the state to deposit (I assume you go direct deposit rather than messing with paper).

This is not a new idea, but it is forgotten as we isolate ourselves (oh, I'm guilty here). It would be truly amazing if we banded together at the local level to support each other rather than sitting around in our houses looking to far-off governments to plunk their magic twanger and bring relief and prosperity through the most inefficiency method.

So grab up them bootstraps and start a'pullin'.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Positive Outlook........Half Full or Half Empty?


I am going to expand a little on Robert's last post called the Call to Conservatives. I do not like Obama. Let me make that loud and clear right now. I have a problem with a lot of his policies and I have the feeling that in the future, we will be addressing them as time goes on. The election is over, done, finito and no amount of whining and complaining is going to change the outcome. The worst possible thing we, as conservatives can do right now, is to wallow in self pity instead of fullfilling the vision that we see as our future. I ask you what good it does to sit on our blogs and complain? What possible good does bitterness serve us? As individuals we can make a difference. As a united front, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish but as evidenced in the comment section of the last post, we are not.

"You must start with a positive attitude or you will surely end without one." ~Carrie Latet



It's actually a very easy concept to grasp. When I first learned to ride my bike, I fell down time and time again. It would have been very easy to just sit down on my bruised butt, cry a little bit (or a lot), and complain about how hard it was to ride, and give up. I didn't do that. I got back on the bike, probably a little more gingerly than before, mind you, but I got back on and tried again. I fell again, but I got right back up, and tried again. After a bruised butt and ego, and a lot of Band-Aids, I finally learned to ride my bike. It wasn't easy, and certainly wasn't always pretty but I did not give up. I rode that pink bike with the handlebar pom-pom's, like I was Lance Armstrong. Eventually, I even managed to ride with no hands, but that is getting off track......Anyway, the point to this little flashback was to demonstrate the importance of a positive attitude.

"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect it’s successful outcome.”
~William James

It might feel good to sit on our blogs and whine and complain about the state of things, but until we take a pro-active role in changing things, nothing will get accomplished. We need to have a positive outlook in order to make the changes that are necessary to bring our vision to fruition. We need to stand by our convictions and fight with all the ammunition in our corner. This country needs direction and we need to be the ones to supply it. Together we can do that.........

"Sometimes we are limited more by attitude than by opportunities." ~Anonymous

"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it." ~Anonymous

"I never saw a pessimistic general win a battle." General Dwight David Eisenhower

"If you have the will to win, you achieved half your success; if you don't, you have achieved half your failure." ~ David Ambrose

Monday, January 19, 2009

A Call To Conservatives

Tomorrow, a new President will be sworn in to serve our nation and defend her form our enemies. This is a monumental even in our nation’s history; one that regardless of politics can be looked back upon in years to come. There aren’t many events that occur in a person’s lifetime that can be seen as historic while they are evolving, but President Obama will indeed make history.

History will also be made regarding the events and supporting characters. We look back at the Reagan years and today see that the federal deficit exploded, creating a trend that continues to this day. What we often do not remember is the refusal of a congress, controlled by the opposition party, to make good on their word to provide spending cuts to offset approved expenditures.

I wish for a successful administration and that the President guides this nation through its current dark hours. I do not wish success for many of the items on the upcoming agenda, for I will surely find many of them to be tragic and ill-advised. However, it would be unpatriotic and un-American for me to wish failure on a President.

I will support my President at every opportunity. I will oppose him when his actions strike at the heart of my convictions. If he sends our forces in harms way I will support him and those forces, whether I believe in the mission or not. I find it reprehensible to do otherwise. I am not suggesting that we abandon conservative beliefs; indeed, I find the need for mature and consistent leadership to be at the heart of conservatism. We must make decisions for the general welfare of our people, in line with the Constitution, and we owe it to present a well reasoned and philosophical opposition where it is necessary.

We are issuing a call to all conservatives to rise above politics. For too long, our nation has been divided along ideological lines. This is not a bad thing as both sides have their opinions and beliefs as to the role of government and the proper administration of the nation’s business. It becomes a negative when our legislators act as politicians, and not statesmen. Every liberal idea is not bad, just as every conservative idea is not good. No matter who is in control of the White House and the Congress, we point fingers and call names. It isn’t just bloggers, but the very people who are supposed to represent us in the hallowed and solemn halls of the most benevolent government in history.

Have you ever been involved in a circular argument with a spouse or a child? Child 1 says he does A because Child 2 does B. Child 2 says he wouldn’t do B unless Child 1 didn’t do A first. That is exactly what happens in Washington. It has to stop, and someone has to be the adult influence to make it so. If conservatives want to move forward and return to principled leadership, this is our role beginning tomorrow. We must act as statesman, placing the good of the nation before our party. We must step forward and stop the blame game and the finger pointing and the name calling. We must refrain from special prosecutors when the President or his people jaywalk. We MUST NOT repeat the Lewinsky fiasco, which was only an issue because we made it one. We must focus on the business of America – terrorism, financial stability, and responsible yet restrained government.

Join us in refusing to concede that we can do nothing more than whine and complain and play politics. Join us in demanding that we stop procrastinating, make tough decisions, and bring this nation to a new era of prosperity. It begins tomorrow

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Thank You, Mr. President

Post Submitted By Ken Taylor at The Liberals Lie, The Conservative Truth

Eight years have passed bringing us to the final full week of the administration of George Walker Bush, the forty third President of The United States. A few weeks back I posted about the legacy of President Bush so this will not be about what he will leave behind but a personal story of gratitude for what he has done for our Nation as he has led this country through some of the most historic and troublesome times in our Nations history.

President Bush is a good, honest and principled man who has been the target of the most vicious attacks by the media and the left of any sitting President in our history. He has been vilified and demonized by so many that it is no wonder that he leaves office with low approval ratings because this attempted destruction has been the goal of the left and much of the media since the 2000 election.

As a result the true accomplishments of President Bush will take the calming nature of time to show just how much this President has done and how he has protected this Nation during a time in which a lesser leader would have sat back an allowed events to control him rather than being proactive taking the initiative to act as his conscience dictated.

As a conservative there were times during his Presidency that I was somewhat aggravated with President Bush. I have found disagreement with some of his spending policies especially when he compromised and teamed up with the likes of Ted Kennedy and others who used his nature to ,"reach across the isle," as an opportunity to take advantage of him and create entitlements that have done more harm than good.

While President Bush reached across the isle, those who grasped his hand in a non-partisan gesture, stabbed him in the back after they got what they wanted. I also found frustration as he refused so many times to take the offensive when he was attacked and seldom took his case to the American people which allowed the left and the media to have a field day in condemnation and vilification even when his actions proved right and succeeded.

But the true nature of this good man also prevailed as his love for this country, his belief in the cause of liberty and his dedicated steadfastness in fulfilling his oath of office to, "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, " drove him to action and principled resolve in protecting this Nation in the wake of 9/11.

And defend and protect is exactly what he has done which will be his greatest accomplishment as President as he not only prevented another attack in keeping American safe after 9/11, but took the fight to the enemy with such strength and resolve to this Islamic foe whose cowardice kills innocent people. President Bush recognized this evil and went after it with an assured vengeance that has kept them running and decapitated their ability for more than seven years.

He understood that this enemy would not yield to negotiations or pacification but that the only course was action through strength in defeating this evil enemy. His faith in the tremendous ability and dedication of our brave men and women in uniform and his caring leadership as Commander in Chief has protected this Nation and brought freedom to thousands who had known nothing but oppression in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

It has been comforting to me to know that each night that I lay down on my pillow that because of the principled dedication of President Bush and the sacrifice and equal dedication of the troops that he led as Commander in Chief protected this Nation from harm and that while he and the heroes he led and served were on watch nothing or no one would again attack us.

Yet I also knew that this relentless enemy continued to seek opportunity too attack America and kill Americans. But President Bush stood fast and with our troops on the front line both he and they said, "not on my watch," and This Nation is better for it. And because of that sincere dedication we owe both President Bush and our troops a debt of gratitude that we can never repay.

Their love for this country and respect for their Commander in Chief has defended our freedom and strengthened the cause of liberty both here and abroad. And while our troops deserve praise for their sacrifice and tremendous accomplishments in defense of our Nation, President Bush deserves like praise in his ability to stand firm when others would have fallen. To hold fast when others would have let go and to continue to fight when his detractors and opposition said to surrender.

His belief in freedom and it being a gift to mankind from God drove him to stand when political opposition and polls would have caused a less principled man to yield to save his popularity. He understood that to lead one does not necessarily remain popular and chose rather to sacrifice that popularity in order to make the decisions and actions needed to protect this Nation.
For this dedication he has been condemned because he refused to yield. His love for this country and his belief in its greatness were far more important than good poll numbers or the praise of the media. History will vindicate him for this dedication and this Nation remains free and strong because of that same dedication.

While the politically correct look forward to January 20 when President Bush will peacefully transfer to his successor the Presidency in one of the greatest traditions of our Republic, this conservative and millions like me will miss him when he leaves office. President Bush deserves our thanks for what he has done and his many accomplishments. He deserves our respect for his principled steadfastness in the face of undue opposition.

Thank you Mr. President for keeping us safe. Thank you Mr. President for putting our country first. Thank you Mr. President for standing true and strong. Thank you Mr. President for your leadership and dedication. Thank you Mr. President for being who you are and for being the right man at the right time for our Nation. Thank you Mr. President !

Thursday, January 8, 2009

The Greatest of These is Love!

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down. It is thrown into the fire. You can tell each tree by its fruit. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do what my Father in heaven wants will enter. "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord! Lord! Didn't we prophesy in your name? Didn't we drive out demons in your name? Didn't we do many miracles in your name? 'Then I will tell them clearly, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who do evil!'
Matthew 7:19-23

Two days before Christmas, the husband of the sister of one of my high school classmates died of liver cancer. They had been married 24 years. They did everything together and had no children. She told me that she lost her "soul mate."

Christy was one of my sister's best friends in high school but as life goes, we live and our paths diverge and we lose touch with one another. I hadn't seen Christy since high school. We grew up in Carbondale, Il, a small university town, our homes less than 2 miles apart. Out of the blue, I get an email from Christy one night telling me that she and Colleen, my classmate, were at her home, which as it turns out is about 4 miles from my home here in Nashville. How ironic, I'd lived here for 15 years and never knew she was here, let alone, so close.

Here's the heart of the matter. I love the lord Jesus Christ! He is my savior and hope. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus. Christy and Colleen related to me how Christy had been harangued by co-workers about her husband's soul salvation. Many of them, co-workers and she says Southern Baptists, were telling her that he was in danger of hellfire if he did not confess Jesus...

I also love Nashville, it has been described as the most churched city in the country. I understand the desire to share the Gospel, even the admonition to do so but who among you believes that this is the way to go about it? Mind you, her husband was diagnosed in October and died, as I mentioned, 2 days before Christmas.

I shared with Colleen and Christy a conversation I had with someone I met while purchasing a new set of tires. He said that he met a woman from Hawaii who said that Nashville is the most unfriendly town. He and I made a discovery or had a revelation, the woman was probably right at least as it relates to the unchurched. We tend to live in our own bubbles or circles that involve church here in middle Tennessee.

My younger children attend church school, my older children's core of friends are college aged members of the church or those who have been adopted by that impossibly huge gaggle that seems to move in unison and were they to be high enough off the ground, they would appear to NORAD as incoming.

Aside from work, there is prayer meeting, teacher's meeting, youth and children's choir rehearsal, praise team rehearsal, church basketball league, church super bowl parties, picnics, school programs, church Valentines day, Christmas parties, etc. Oh and then there's church service and we eat together after church and usually on Friday nights. I'm not complaining, to the contrary, it's a wonderful support system. Have we become so isolated, however, that we have lost touch? We are called to be a peculiar people, not a people detached from reality. I don't have answers, just questions that I will commit to prayer.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Soliciting Answers - The Purpose of Government

Throughout the historical documentation of political philosophers, there are a variety of opinions regarding the purpose of government. Why does man decide that he is best served by rules made by other men? How are an individuals interests served by becoming submissive to an entity that may or may not share priorities?

Is the purpose of government to protect individual rights? Is the purpose to preserve the government structure itself? Is the purpose to determine the moral and ethical constraints of behavior?

Please respond with your thoughts.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

"The Call to Dunkirk" Launches Mass Exodus From Public Schools

Christians called to mass exodus from public schools and it's about time!
Critics of America's public school system have launched a new effort highlighting the need for Christians to exit the system.

The initiative -- dubbed The Call to Dunkirk (video posted below) -- was launched by Dr. Bruce Shortt, author of The Harsh Truth About Public Schools; Rev. Voddie Baucham, author of Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God; and the founder and director of the Exodus Mandate Project, retired U.S. Army Chaplain Lt. Col. E. Ray Moore.
*snip*
For more on this story go here.

I've often said if I had children who were young enough to be in K through 12 grades, I would do everything in my power to keep them out of the public school system. The video I've posted below does a good job of explaining why. I know several people who have chosen to homeschool, and I congratulate them on having made that choice. I will pray for this effort by The Call to Dunkirk initiative to be a great success!

The Call to Dunkirk


Cross posted at Dragon Lady's Den