Conservative Convictions

2009-04-18T17:12:00.002-05:00

The following are some thoughts from Laura Beth, a friend of mine who is a conservative woman and involved deeply in the community and regional politics. I am posting as is...

For those of you who don’t believe that an assault on our First Amendment rights is brewing, get a load of this.

LA Times op-ed columnist and a law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center Rosa Brooks has joined the Obama administration as an advisor to the undersecretary of Defense for policy, but not before writing her final column on April 9 calling for a federal bailout of the newspaper industry. In her article Brooks advocates increasing "direct government support” for public media (scary!) and, even scarier, creating licenses to govern news operations.

Our founding fathers would be rolling over in their graves if Ms. Brooks’ proposal were to come to fruition. Not only does it fly in the face of one of the very first issues expressly addressed in the Bill of Rights, it’s incredible that an adviser to our federal government would even consider bailing out an industry that “free enterprise and competition marked for failure – or a transition into something else,” as Ken McIntyre, media & public policy fellow at the Heritage Foundation, so rightly points out.

Brooks admits that (she) "can't imagine anything more dangerous than a society in which the news industry has more or less collapsed". And on this point, I wholeheartedly agree. But what Brooks is missing is the fact that the news industry isn't collapsing - it's merely evolving with new technology.

People my generation and younger obtain their news differently than previous generations, and have vastly different expectations of the type of the news we read. We get most of our news from the internet and expect it to be both immediate and free. Not only that, but we may also read the same story from several different sources in order to formulate our own thoughts and opinions on the subject. Newspapers, and even the nationally televised news channels, simply cannot meet our needs and expectations. Mark my words, before too long, newspapers and television news will join scrolls and stone tablets in the graveyard for obsolete media.
Ms. Brooks, this is not the time to cry “Do not go gentle into that good night”; instead, it’s time to recognize that the aging prize-fighter’s winning streak is over, and allow the champ to disappear quietly with his dignity.
Providing a licensing system and/or a bailout package in the hopes of reviving the struggling news media industry is not only expressly contrary to the rights expressly granted to the people by our federal Constitution, but also completely disregards the valid reasons that these rights were granted to us in the first place.

The term “free press” obtained its origins from the abolishment of licensing printer/publishers. In 1688, when England abolished the office of Imprimenteur, “works could then be published without first obtaining the permission of the government officer”, as Thomas Paine elegantly explained in his 1806 letter on the Liberty of the Press.

In fact, the common law view to this very circumstance was expressly addressed in Blackstone’s Commentaries, a major legal text of the 18th century. It reads, "To subject the press to the restrictive power of a licenser, as was formerly done, both before and since the Revolution, is to subject all freedom of sentiment to the prejudices of one man, and make him the arbitrary and infallible judge of all controverted points in learning, religion and government."

One of the primary reasons for the freedom of the press clause in the First Amendment is to eliminate government censure, but the practice of licensing journalists would practically guarantee that widespread censure is exactly what would occur.

Preventing governmental censure is also a primary reason that the media should reject any and all “direct government support”. If the government is licensing and financially supporting the national news media, they are merely a hairsbreadth away from controlling its content. Then, what would be the point? Joel Brinkley, a visiting professor or journalism at Stanford University said “no one would trust the news industry if it accepted heaps of government money.“ And you know what? I think he’s right.

However, it’s already started. In a March 18 article in The Nation, John Nichols & Robert McChesney admit that “Today the government doles out tens of billions of dollars in direct and indirect subsidies, including free and essentially permanent monopoly broadcast licenses, monopoly cable and satellite privileges, copyright protection and postal subsidies”, as if calling the postal subsidies instead of mini-bailouts will make it all better. So far, the Obama administration has been silent on the issue, and media experts don’t believe that there will be any chance of an actual bailout for the newspaper industry. Even so, legislation is in the works to allow newspapers to operate as tax-exempt nonprofits as long as they don’t endorse political candidates, effectively censuring editorial columns nation-wide in one fell swoop of the pen.

I am positively flabbergasted that the movement supporting a “broadsheet bailout” is gaining momentum. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since Ms. Brooks apparently isn’t on her own; several formal journalists from media powerhouses such as the Chicago Tribune, Time magazine, and the Washington Post have gone to work for the Obama administration after the ax had fallen. But what gets me is that it now seems as if the journalists’ self-preservation is quickly superseding the defense of rights that journalists have fought for centuries to protect because of their advocacy of programs that would essentially eliminate the freedom of the press.

Tax Day Tea Party - Birmingham, Al

2009-04-16T14:36:00.002-05:00

Surely everyone who may read this knows of the Tea Parties that were held across our land yesterday. I thought I would give you a brief commentary fro my perspective, as I was part of the Tea Party in Birmingham, Al last night.

A week or so ago, I was contacted by one of the organizers to help with the volunteer security arrangements for the event. By the time I was bale to get in touch with the appropriate persons, it was merely 36 hours before the event and no one knew how many would attend. I walked into the park at about 430 pm and there were about 150 people milling about. I looked for the organizer I had been talking to and we waited for others, all the while he was distracted time after time with many things going on at the park.

Before this was over, more than 6,000 people were in the park. Sean Hannity had a live feed from there, and radio personalities Rick and Bubba as well as a few local market talk show hosts spoke at the event. It was absolutely amazing to me that a crowd this large turned out in probably the most red of red counties in the nation.

It was a republican grassroots movement that has probably never been seen. Despite the mainstream media's portrayal of the event, as well as some juvenile commentary regarding the event, across the nation people are fed up with out of control government. Fed up with bailouts and taxation. Fed up with an administration that only three months in office has launched the most liberal and immoral assault on liberty ever seen. Fed up with a President who says that we are not a Christian nation, but a nation of citizens.

This movement must continue. It must gain traction and become a monthly event, allowing the numbers to swell, and the voices to grow. We must not let the left hijack this country as it is attempting to do. Check our local area and join the organization that organized the event. Join in, and help stop the overwhelming onslaught against freedom.

I Will Always Give Credit Where Credit is Due

2009-04-10T09:18:00.001-05:00

Hello to all! I know this post is a long time coming, but as some of you know, my wife and I are expecting our first baby, so my time has been consumed by attending to all of her needs. My promise and commitment to you all is that I will be posting as much as time permits me to. Having said all of that, allow me to share my first post with all of you!

Our Vice President; Mr. Joseph Biden, was absolutely right. He told us before Barry was elected that our young president would be tested by a foreign relations challenge before the end of their first six months in office. Well, he was right. Two times over! First, N. Korea and their little cherub like dictator announced to the world that they were planning on launching a rocket to "send a communications satellite into space." In reality, this was to test their first long range rocket and show to the world that N. Korea is more than a dirt poor country where people out in the country eat mud.... and each other because they're so poor. In response to this announcement, the POTUS said, "I am going to send a couple of guided missile cruisers to sit off the coast of the Korean peninsula to shoot this thing down if they can actually get it off the ground." OK, now, I am with the POTUS so far. I actually respect him a little more at this point, unfortunately that respect would be short lived. Then the day comes where the Koreans launch this thing, and our response is....... (insert cricket sounds here...). Ok, thats not "entirely" true. The POTUS was woken at 2am to learn of the news that N. Korea fired the rocket, at which time he assembled his crack foreign relations team (lead by none other than Hillary Clinton herself) to formulate a response. After many, many hours of brainstorming they had a plan! Go to the U.N. security council and let THEM slap Kim Jong Il's little hand. Brilliant! If nothing else, Barry is consistent. He told us that once he was POTUS he would seek world consensus before acting. Kudos Barry! So, what was the U.N.'s decisive edict? (Insert cricket sounds here......) Yep, thats right, nothing... well, "maybe" impose more sanctions on the country where human flesh is the dish de jure.
OK, foreign relations crisis numero dos (I am practicing my Spanish... we are going to need it soon)! Terrorists (a.k.a. Pirates... Yaaaaaaaaaar!) have taken a U.S. flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia. Why is this significant? After all, these kids in their lil boats have been doing this for a loooooong time. Well kiddies, if you read and know your history, you would know that this is the FIRST TIME IN OVER 200 YEARS that a ship flying a U.S. flag has been boarded and held. Can anyone tell me what President Jefferson's response was to the piracy the last time one of our ships was taken (Cue my Marine friends here....)? The answer can be found in the second line of the Marine Corps Hymn, "From the shores of Tripoli." Thats right kids, President Jefferson's response was to send in the Marines because he knew that acts such as these could not be allowed to go undeterred (side note, this is also where Marines got the nickname "leathernecks." But thats for another rant.) What has been our valient president's response thus far? Insert cricket sounds here. Ok ok ok.. thats not entirely true. He did dispatch a U.S. Navy destroyer to shadow the ship as well as sent a team of F.B.I. hostage negotiators to talk to the "misguided young Somali men." Huh? Team of negotiators? Come again? What about that whole "The U.S. will NEVER negotiate with terrorists" thing? I want to know why we dont have a Marine Expeditionary Unit parked in some Somali port right now. Well, I know the answer, but it makes me want to vomit, so maybe someone else can give me another answer to make me feel better. Sigh....
If you couple those two incidents with Barry's "Apologetic World Tour '09," the POTUS BOWING to the king of Saudi Arabia, giving the P.M. of England some DVD's that wont play in British players, giving the Queen of England an Ipod and giving the finger to our dead war heroes at Normandy... I am seriously beginning to question this man's ability to lead. Also, look at the fact that he went to Europe "hat in hand" so to speak to beg for more NATO troops to be sent to Afghanistan and was told again to go pound sand. Where is the egalitarian spirit that was going to unite the world behind us? I can think of one quote from the movie "A Few Good Men" that so eloquently sums up what happened to us on November 4th, 2008: "Col. Jessep: You fuckin' people... you have no idea how to defend a nation. All you did was weaken a country today, Kaffee. That's all you did. You put people's lives in danger. Sweet dreams, son."

Congress Is On The Warpath

2009-03-16T18:23:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I was entertained by what was originally an HBO mini-series on our founding father, John Adams. I got the three DVD set from Netflix, and spent about 10 hours engrossed in the biography of one of the most impressive men in our nation’s history.

What was particularly interesting was the interactions and friendship between Adams and Thomas Jefferson. It portrayed a relationship that is exactly that which I have decried for years as what the nation needs to see from its political leaders. Adams, a devout Federalist, believed to the core that a strong Federal government was necessary to the freedom of the nation. Jefferson, influenced by Locke and others, believed that it was the individual and the sovereign states which held the powers and the responsibilities. He served as Adams Vice-President, and the two were good personal friends while political opponents. Their deaths, which occurred within hours of each other on July 4, 1826, ended the lives of the last two signers of the Declaration of Independence.

So while these two men possessed complete opposite views of the size and responsibility of government, agreed on one thing: The role of the government was to protect the rights of individuals guaranteed under our Constitution. Today, our government, and particularly those on the left, find that the power of government should be used for personal folly. Senator Christopher Todd (D-CT) decided that he would target specific individuals with the United States Tax code. The issue arises from the massive and absurd bailout bill given to companies to weather this recessive storm. AIG received massive amounts of that money, and gave their executives $165 million in bonuses. Now, forget the ethics of the bonuses. I am opposed to them in principal, as the company failed and is needing citizen’s money to survive. I want to focus on the targeting of the bonuses.

Dodd and his colleagues rushed to pass enormous amounts of bailout money with no oversight, in an attempt to correct a regulatory system that had no oversight. It is taxpayer money and should not have gone to pay huge bonuses for failure. Yet, there was no such provision in the bill. Dodd wants to target these bonuses with special tax legislation. Do you think that is a legitimate function of government? I say not. I say a government that will write into a tax code provisions to tax at immoral and surely unconstitutional rates is out of control. Do you think that these fat cats deserve the money? Do you think they deserve individual action by the United States Congress? Is say they do not, and that any sanctioning of this measure is indicative of supporting the most tyrannical of regimes.

What is to stop them from individually targeting the money of families? is someone else’s success today, it could be yours tomorrow. Even John Adams would find this reprehensible, and I think is rolling over in his grave. United in spirit, there men, yet again.

What Happens When I Accidentally hit Publish

2009-03-08T07:39:00.002-06:00

Oops. I would wipe this out but since you all are having fun in the comment section.

(Note: This was originally blank, but I had to add something.)

A Post to Jennifer

2009-03-04T13:25:00.004-06:00

This is an open post to Jennifer, who is one of the creators of Conservative Convictions and has now decided to leave it.

I tried to figure out what the problem was, so I scrolled down and found your last post here, Jennifer. The one titled “Short and to the Point.” I think that semantics is what is causing the problem. Let me try to explain. You write that you “have been reading over and over on conservative blogs that they wish Obama complete failure, but I truly wonder if they understand the ramifications of what they are saying. If Obama fails in keeping us safe and protected, then that means that you are in essence asking for another 9-11.” That’s true, Jennifer, but I must explain that although I hope he keeps us safe I hope his socialist policies are a “complete failure“ and I believe we are on the same exact page. I think that’s where the misunderstanding lies. We conservatives can’t wish for him to succeed when that would mean his socialist policies succeed and there are scads of them, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want him to keep this country safe. So, just like Rush Limbaugh, I hope he fails too, as long as his success means his socialist policies succeed. There are going to be some people, including conservatives, who will disagree with that. It's okay. It's the way I feel and I have a right to my opinion, as you have a right to yours, as they have a right to theirs.

I read the comments in the “Short and to the Point” post and can see why you felt you were under attack. I personally believe it is a matter of misinterpretation of what you wrote. I don’t hate Obama, but I do hate his politics and absolutely hate where they are leading this country! I want to make it clear that there were also some things that Bush did and didn't do that I also hated, and although Obama isn't directly responsible for the mess we are in now, what he has tried to implement since he has been in office will prove to be a disaster.

You are one of the creators of this blog and one of it’s most valuable writers. I don’t know why you believe you aren’t eloquent because it isn’t true. Your opinions and insight are needed every bit as much as anyone's. I hope you will reconsider and return, and I have to tell you that if you don’t, it is truly our loss! Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best in all that you do. Although I know that you have already given this a lot of hard thought, please think about it a bit longer. It's my belief that you are appreciated far more than you know!

God bless you.

The Blessings of Liberty

2009-03-04T12:55:00.002-06:00

Those of us who consider ourselves moderates — moderate-conservative, in my case — are forced to confront the reality that Barack Obama is not who we thought he was. . . . But his actions betray a transformational liberalism that should put every centrist on notice. As Clive Crook, an Obama admirer, wrote in The Financial Times, the Obama budget 'contains no trace of compromise. It makes no gesture, however small, however costless to its larger agenda, of a bipartisan approach to the great questions it addresses. It is a liberal’s dream of a new New Deal.'

- NY Times columnist David Brooks, March 2, 2009

David Brooks, Peggy Noonan, David Frum, Christopher Buckley and other self-described conservatives who supported the candidacy of president Obama perplexed me. There is a nascent desire to get along and not to confront what needs to be addressed in all of us, even among those who, like Brooks, should have known better. I have discovered a more ominous threat than the desire to get along and that threat is fear, the fear that makes some receptive to vapid messages like Hope and Change. When did this happen, how did so many of us become fearful and susceptible to the irrational?

America has been a blessing to so many for so long that we have had the security to listen to revisionist history, politically correct moral equivalents and accept them as equally valid points of view, because there was no threat. We have been so removed by time and distance from the lack of liberty, that we take our own for granted. Now that our way of life is under threat and people are losing their jobs, their retirement incomes and security that we will endure, we no longer have a national understanding of the blessings of liberty. Even those whose instincts tell them that as the moderate Gerald Ford observed, that the government that is big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you have (paraphrasing), are uneasy about standing up to those who would enslave them.

Liberty from the tyranny of government and the free (non-coerced) exchange within a market economy is at the core of what defines my conservatism. I also believe that what John Adams said regarding America is true: "Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." My Christian faith, which is core to my being also informs my conservatism. Some will try to characterize that faith as intolerant or impractical and focus on that but my response is that you don't know my God!

I, like Jennifer, am bowing out. I appreciate the invitation to join the fine folks here and to contribute as an author but in ordinary times our differences would be academic. I think there's consensus, even among those of us who disagree, that this is no ordinary time. As I mentioned to Jennifer, I believe I am responsible for the sharp differences and fissures that have revealed themselves here. I am unyielding and stubborn in the best of times but when I sense danger, I am intractable. It is my view that some of the ideas put forward here are decidedly not conservative in the classical liberal, modern conservative tradition. I'm not talking about the difference between Ron Paul followers with neo-cons on the war in Iraq, I'm talking about more fundamental, basic issues about ownership of production, do the producers own what they produce or does the government? I say the producers because that embodies the wisdom of our founding fathers.

I am also unrelenting in the face of a threat to me or mine and I say no to Hitler taking the Sudetenland, I mock those who pronounce "peace in our time." Analogies often fail, so let me be direct. Do I want Barack Obama to succeed with his plans? Hell to the no (forgive the ethnic expression)! I have studied this man and his words, his background and associations, his tactics and his actions, he is a lying Marxist in the Saul Alinsky tradition. My beliefs don't accommodate another view, my family is under threat from this man and his collaborators and I am locked and loaded!

God Bless you all and Good Luck!

Farewell, My Friends.......

2009-02-26T00:31:00.003-06:00

This is not an easy thing for me to do, because truly I had such high hopes for this blog and our success in making a true difference. Fulfilling a vision that I had for my country's future. I know I am not the most eloquent writer so I left some of the really tough ones to those more equipped to do it justice and tried to put my unique spin on things. Lately, as most of you have probably noticed we have pretty much disappeared off of the face of the earth and have only been kept up to date with Ken and TAO's guest posts. (Thank you by the way!)

My emotions and feeling have been through the ringer lately because I just don't feel like I fit in anymore. I consider myself a conservative because I truly want less government interference in our lives, and less spending. I thought conservatism was about individual responsibility! What I was truly surprised to find though was this blind hatred. This all or nothing mentality. I just don't have it in me to hate the man and wish his failure. To some, this does not make me conservative and so be it. I am tired of trying to convince people of my views. I personally think it makes me an optimist. It makes me realistic and practical...to steal TAO's words. I have fought hard against Obama, since he first became a candidate and don't like him any more now. He scares me, especially when I think of what he has done with this stimulus bill, or BULLSHIT as Patrick likes to describe it. :-) I have a feeling that there are a lot of emails in store for me, to my lovely NJ representatives. in the future.

I am not giving up the fight nor am I giving in. I just don't feel that this blog is right for me anymore. I feel like everything I've written lately has brought in some people and opinions that completely contradict everything I am trying to say and these are not liberals, but conservatives. I am not accomplishing my goals and that really was my whole point in this endeavor. This blog is better run by those that share the same views and opinions and mine definitely seems to be completely my own right now. I treasure all the authors and commenters here, and hope that you will continue to fight the good fight in whatever way you think best. I will continue to visit and give you my input (I'm too stubborn to stay away) but being an author here will only continue to cause questions about what conservatism means or doesn't mean and that is another issue that has been talked about to death. I find the constant bickering harmful in the big scheme of things, and that was never my purpose here.

I also have some personal issues that have been taking up a good majority of my time, and if I can't do something with my whole heart, I don't do it. It's not fair to me and it certainly isn't fair to the readers. So I will leave with a heavy heart knowing that what I am doing is best for me and the sake of the blog. Thank you for giving me this chance to write and be heard even if you didn't happen to agree with me all the time, or any of the time for that matter. I truly am thankful for the friends I've made and the times we've spent together bringing this blog to fruition.

So What Is A Conservative? Guest post by TAO

2009-02-25T01:19:00.002-06:00

I seriously debated whether or not to post this because I am tired of the same old rhetoric that has been taking place here at CC. When we started this blog we had a vision but it seems that we can't even get past defining what beliefs make up a conservative. If we can't agree on what conservatism is about, how the heck can we bring others to our cause? Frankly, what I have seen lately is disheartening. If the public opinion of Obama starts to drop, where is the conservative movement? Are we there, with a solution? With a vision? With anything? Have we thought about how to win people over or are we simply content to sit on our blogs and complain about how things aren't going our way. This was a well written post about what conservatism is about and two words stick out.....realistic and rational. Is that how you would define yourselves? I certainly hope so because that is what this country needs right now. I have highlighted a few of the statements that really stood out to me.

So What Is A Conservative by TAO

WOW! Post one favorable article about Obama and the hate mail is overwhelming and the followers are falling like leaves in a fall windstorm!

So, lets ask the existential question: What is a Conservative?

Yes, and I mean 'existental' like in existentialsim; like in starting from disorientation and confusion in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world.

Traditional Conservatives believed in smaller government, lower taxes, balanced budgets, isolationism, and in the concept of live and let live.

Now, very simply, did Ronald Reagan give us smaller government, lower taxes, balanced budgets, isolationism, and or did he remove the government and society from infringing on our personal lives? Not really. Bill Clinton actually gave us smaller government and balanced budgets but he failed in a couple of other areas; so he is also a 'not really' too but since he never claimed to be conservative then that really comes as no surprise. Did George Bush, Sr. achieve any of the conservative values that some of us hold dear? Not really, but then again he never claimed to be a true conservative.

Then we come to George Bush, Jr., and we have the biggest government we have ever saw, lower taxes, the greatest deficit we have seen, and he has put our personal liberties at risk all over the place but we allowed it because it was done for national defense. I will not even discuss isolationism....

We need to accept the fact that 20 years of supply side economics, the great idea that Ronald Reagan implemented and George Bush, Jr., followed up on has led us to the economic collapse that we are experiencing today. Economically we have turned back the clock to the 70's in regards to some statistics, the 80's for others, and now the stock market is at 1997 levels.

Now along comes Barack Obama and the hatred and anger felt by a newer version of conservative thought is just appalling. Now, you can point to the liberals and their hatred of George Bush as a justification for your own actions but true conservatives are realistic and rational and they do not need to point fingers to justify their own actions.

Now, one thing about conservatives is that they were never followers; they would rather walk alone than blindly follow anyone. I cannot sit here and and find pride in myself nor try to justify the fact that I want a President to fail. I didn't want George Bush to fail but I did not agree with his decisions in a lot of his policies and I cannot let him hide behind the fact that he kept us safe or he was strong on defense. The truth of the matter is a President is responsible for everything and the success and or failure of his tenure is determined by the totality of his actions.

That is true no matter who the man is or which party the man professes allegiance to.

This financial meltdown was as predictable as a scheduled freight train; it is hard for me to believe that I am the only one that saw it coming and sold all my investments in 2008. It really isn't hard to understand that you have not really created any economic wealth if the median household income is stagnating.

It also isn't all that hard to grasp that concept that if you believe that WWII was what ended the depression then you also believe that government spending does create economic growth because WWII represents nothing more than immense government spending for war material. In this particular case the government all centralized economic planning.

When David Stockman, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Dick Cheney are all running around claiming that "deficits don't matter" all conservatives should have an issue with that because we know that deficits do matter. It makes no difference who the President is or what his party affiliation is.

Alan Greenspan did a wonderful job killing the internet bubble with increasing interest rates. Why did he not do the same with rising real estate values? A bubble is a bubble. Now Alan has gone from being a disciple of Ayn Rand to being a socialist by claiming, "...we just might have to nationalize banks once every 100 years or so to get a fresh start...." That wasn't Barack Obama that is trying to nationalize the banks its actually conservative republicans.

This country is a mess; it is a mess due to greed and arrogance. Both of which existed well before Barack Obama became a Senator let alone President.

I am sorry but I do not want him to fail. Because if he fails this country will suffer deeper and longer than what is necessary; that means all of us will suffer.

I may not like the stimulus package anymore than I liked the bailout package and I am not going to switch to calling on TARP and the other a jobs program. TARP is a bailout package for our financial system and the stimulus package is nothing more than worthless tax cuts and spending.

Neither of which would have been necessary if we had had true leadership in the White House and in Washington over the past 20 years.

We all know that all economic decisions are based upon the simple equation of supply and demand. For 20 years we fertilized supply with tax cuts and various other programs and no matter what tax cuts are wealth redistribution if they are not fair and across the board. Programs that benefit the poor are income redistribution and tax cuts that favor the rich are wealth redistribution. What cuts one way also cuts the other.

A majority of Americans were disgusted with George Bush and that was why they voted for Barack Obama in record numbers. That is the way representative democracy works. That is why, if you want to keep the party in power that you believe represents your values the best then you should demand that they do not rob and steal or take bribes, that they should not hit on male interns, and that they should make government smaller and balance the budget.

If you truly believe in the principles of conservatism then it would seem logical that it would be easier to expect the party that you support to believe in your principles and govern by those principles than it would be to expect the opposition to believe as you do.

We have already nationalized AIG, that occured under the Bush Administration. We will have a 40% stake in Citibank by the end of the week and by April that will be up to 60%; that is more than half which means they will be nationalized and the same thing will eventually befall Bank of America. It may not be what the American people want but the executives of Citibank, Bank of America, and quite a few others have no problem with it.

So, what does that tell YOU about free markets when the titans of capitalism are begging to be nationalized? When people begin to claim that something is TOO BIG TO FAIL...thats socialism plain and simple.

One thing conservatives understand is that it isn't just the poor or minorities that expect something for nothing from the government; some of our biggest and most powerful companies and quite a few rich people expect the same thing. Thats why government must play fair and impartial; something it has failed to do for the last 20 years.

Sorry I cannot entertain you with Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity rants; no one is paying me big bucks to type bullshit....

If Barack Obama can cut the "inherited" deficit (which is what he really said) in half by 2013 then good. But I also want to know what he plans to do about the deficits he will create; I also want to see his budget and see if he plays any of the tricks that are so popular in Washington in regards to our true deficit. I will also want to see how sincere everyone in Washington is about dealing with our future liabilities.

If a man is willing to roll up his sleeves and deal with the reality of our current situation then I do not care what color he is or what party he associates with. I will get right in the trenches and help. Its not about the man, its not about the party, its about the country; my country and yours.

But I am not interested in leadership that 'fiddles' while the country slowly crumbles and burns. If being conservative means hoping and praying for the failure of a black liberal President then I am not that type of conservative. If being a conservative means doing the right thing, putting your country first, and respecting the rights and opinions of others then by God sign me up!

Conservatives are realitistic and rational; they will call a spade a spade. They are not bimbo cheerleaders for one party over the other. If you are a conservative then you believe in individualism and you respect thinking for ones self both by yourself and by others. Its not about seeking out only those that agree with you or finding comfort in being part of a commentators fan club.

Its not that complicated and it does not involve doing mental flips and turns. Its pretty cut and dry and direct to the point.

Obama Signs Stimulus...Guest Post by Ken Taylor

2009-02-18T17:58:00.001-06:00

OBAMA SIGNS STIMULUS TO THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE ENDING AMERICA AS WE KNOW IT

"So this is how democracy dies, with thunderous applause." Senator Amidala, from Star Wars II Attack of the Clones.

America as we have known it and loved it came to an end in Denver, Colorado as Barack Obama signed the single largest transfer of power to the federal government that he calls, "The Economic Recovery Package." Obama socialism in The United States has begun and it began with, "thunderous applause."

The 787 billion dollar socialist spending bill, rushed through Congress without a single Senator, Representative or citizen having the first opportunity to read or review this massive transfer of power to the government shakes the very foundation of our Nation as the end of Constitutional individual freedom and responsibility is being replaced by government control and socialist programs designed to create dependency rather than freedom.

The rush to pass without review was intentional in order to get a Presidential signature before Americans had an opportunity to protest this government take over at the hands of Obama and the Democrats. In their tingling leg worship of Barack Obama the media refused to vet this take over and the American people were denied an opportunity to find out what this President and the Democrat Congress are forcing down our throats.

More than 32 new government programs are included in this debacle. Programs designed to eliminate self reliance and force government dependency. All without the first opportunity to find out what is being forced upon us nor the details of this deconstruction of our Constitution and our Republic.

And because of blind worship of an inept President the bill was signed to, "thunderous applause." Using 10 pens which cost the American people 78.7 billion dollars per pen Obama with a air of arrogance signed a portion of his name with each pen and then proclaimed with the satisfaction that his American socialism had begun, "it's done."

Yes my fellow Americans, "it's done." The beginning of the end of our freedom. "It's done, " the beginning of the end of Constitutional principles that have sustained our Nation since 1788. "It's done," the beginning of a European style socialism created by Obama for Obama and because of Obama. "It's done, " and it was done with ,"thunderous applause."

Ken Taylor

Guest Posting by Ken Taylor

2009-02-12T20:30:00.000-06:00

BARACK OBAMA, SCARING AMERICA INTO SOCIALISM

The House version cost 820 billion dollars. The Senate version, 837 billion dollars. Now the, "compromise," only a measly 789 billion. The bill will have a price tag after interest of well over one trillion dollars awaiting the President's signature. Resulting in Barack Obama having his victory to begin the march to socialism in America.

Whether it is called ,"The Economic Stimulus Package," or, "The Economic Recovery Package, " this bill which will be sent to Obama's desk and soon after we wil witness the greatest transfer of power to the federal government in the history of The United States. Little of this debacle has any chance of creating a job or stimulating any aspect of the economy.

It is loaded with liberal pet projects and massive government spending all of which is designed to give control through spending to the government. Arguments against it are called un-American. Proposals that cost less by removing the pork were not even considered. Proposals that actually put money back into the pockets of the American people through legitimate tax rate cuts were called old and failed ideas.

As the bill began receiving stiff opposition from House and Senate Republicans and especially as the American people started seeing through the garbage and realizing that this bill was nothing more than a liberal wish list of spending and government programs, poll numbers began drastically dropping and the bill was quickly losing favor with the people.

Obama reacted with frustration and anger similar to a child who was not getting his way. The only thing missing was the stomping of feet and tears because we heard the whining and the small tantrums as he spoke to House Democrats during their 100 thousand dollar retreat in Williamsburg, Virginia.

In his press conferences, radio addresses, speeches at various functions Obama has used every opportunity to insight fear in the American people in order to get his way and force this bill down our throats though its passage. His attitude has been, "whether you like it or not we are facing Armageddon and only I can save the day with my bill."

Using phrases like, "the worst economy since the Great Depression, " which it is not, and ,"total economic collapse," also words like, "catastrophe," and , "Armageddon," if the bill was not passed Obama created an atmosphere of fear. He is used this fear as a tool to get the bill passed and literally scare the country into accepting socialism.

In the final analysis that is exactly what this bill is. The beginning of a complete and likely irreversible march to socialism in The United States and Obama is using fear to get his way. He does not care what it costs, he does not care what the ramifications will be, he does not care that this total socialist spending bill is contrary to everything that our Constitution stands for.

He does not care that the bill does almost nothing to stimulate the economy. He only cares about changing the very fabric and foundation of our country from a free Republic of and by the people to a government controlled socialism with Barack Obama as its leader and author. This is what he meant when he campaigned on the mantra of change and the change from freedom to socialism is what he is beginning with the passage of this bill.

In 1981 when Ronald Reagan took office he faced an economy that had 21% inflation, interest rates in the high teens which made purchasing a home and affording the payments nearly impossibly but also not very desirable. The country because of Carter embargoes and windfall profit taxes faced a fuel shortage that had Americans waiting in line sometimes hours to get what little gas was available.

Reagan's response to a far worse economy than we are facing today was to encourage Americans not scare them. He reminded us of who we are as a free people. Spoke of America as, "the shining city on a hill," and the best hope for the world. He encouraged Americans to stand in our freedoms and told us that are best days were before us.

He talked of his faith in the ability of Americans to revive the economy and backed these words up with action as he dropped tax rates for individuals and business returning money to the people from the government knowing that true stimulus comes from the people and not the government.

Reagan never promoted fear but created optimism. He never talked of weakness but stood fast through strength. He encouraged Americans and believed in America. He gave real hope and not fear mongering platitudes. And Americans responded. The economy soon turned around and America experienced the greatest peace time economic growth in our Nations history.

Reagan displayed true leadership and the people responded. Obama does not lead he creates fear. He does not provide an example to follow but uses scare tactics to get his way. While the economy is suffering because of the recent down turn, much of the problem lies in the fear that Obama and others like him are creating through their gloom and doom approach that has Americans afraid to spend and business afraid to hire.

All of this creates a climate of economic failure, job loses and a general atmosphere of gloom throughout the country and the world. I am not saying that optimistic words alone can change the current atmosphere, but continually discouraging Americans does not create an atmosphere of recovery either.

Reagan trusted the American people to promote and finally make the economic recovery of the eighties. He understood the necessity of letting the people control their money and their future. Obama trusts the government and complete social control of the people and every aspect of American life.

And he is succeeding through fear in creating the American socialism he wants. This bill is just the beginning. We are witnessing at the hand of a completely incompetent President the total change of our foundational principles and the creation of a new form of American government. A government of Obama, by Obama and for Obama.

Ken Taylor

Welcome To A New Author

2009-02-10T12:31:00.002-06:00

The newest addition to the CC team is CKinAtlanta, and I ask that you welcome him and make a point to take in his particular sense of style.

CK and I have been friends for a few years, although not in the blogosphere. This is his first run at bloviating on a blog. He is a conservative animal with a particular wit and sarcasm that you will find interesting. He also has a brain that is full of the most irrelevant information I have ever seen. He knows everything about that which is important to no one.

That is said in jest; CK has a masterful way at getting his point across and you can't help but laugh no matter which side of the political roadway you drive. Other than his choice of universities, he is a great guy.

I will let him write his own introduction beyond this. Welcome CK, and take the gloves off when you step in!

All Enemies Foreign and Domestic

2009-02-07T15:59:00.004-06:00

John Locke's Second Treatise on Government details a fundamental truth, a natural law, if you will with regard to man. He said that every man ought to own himself (not be the subject of a king or tyrant) and that he ought to own the fruit of his labor. In other words, he said that man is entitled to life, liberty and estate (property). The, I believe, divinely inspired, Thomas Jefferson, when tasked for making the case for rebellion against the crown, tapped Locke's wisdom as well as that of another Scotsman, Hutcheson, who fleshed out the concept of unalienable rights.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Is there any American that argues that this isn't the essence of what separates us from the rest of the world? On the steps of the Washington Mall, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called these "magnificent words."

To reinforce the significance of Locke's and Hutcheson's thoughts and Jefferson's recognition of their centrality to the American ethos, our founding charter, The Constitution contains the words, more closely resembling Locke's concept. This concept is so important that is contained within our Bill of Rights. The 5th amendment's "due process clause" contains these words, "nor shall any person...be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." The 14th amendment was intended to secure the rights of former slaves. Again, in section 1 of the 14th amendment in the due process clause these words are written "nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." I think our framers made their point, life, liberty and property are sacred to Americans and central to who we are. On another thread, I will tell you how and why those words are responsible for the greatest economic juggernaut in history if you don't understand already but we have more urgent business now.

In 1848, Karl Marx and Frederick Engels summed up what they hoped to accomplish in the Communist Manifesto in one phrase, the elimination of private property. Private property rights in this country, that which makes us distinctly American, have been under assault since then. Private property rights secure freedom and liberty from the tyranny of government. The Lochner decision, Williamson vs. Lee Optical and others have eroded the concept of property rights to replace them with the nebulous concept of "economic rights." Economic rights erode property rights. Education, health care and social security are not unalienable rights. Unemployment compensation and food stamps are not unalienable rights.

Patriots threw tea from the struggling British East India Company, a monopoly granted by the crown to enforce its right to impose the Stamp Act, into Boston Harbor for the equivalent of today what would be less than a dime. From that time until 1913, there was no tax on income in America. In 1848, Marx and Engels urged "heavy progressive taxation of income."

Thanks for the history lesson Bardo, so friggin' what?

Along comes the 44th President of the United States, having explained in clear terms that what he wants to do is to dismantle what makes us distinctly American and he is doing it with alacrity. In the audio above, Obama describes what he thinks is America's fundamental flaw, the Constitution ought to list what government's obligations are to its citizens, including the redistribution of wealth. If the recording was a little too professorial for you, he told "Joe the Plumber" that he wanted to spread the wealth around. Has he spread some wealth?

The American concept, post civil war, post Wilson and FDR, has never been under more threat than it is today. Barack Obama is an intelligent man who has just pulled off a coup on the American way of life without a shot being fired. Why should I fear islamo fascists when the person at the helm of my government wants to destroy what I hold dear faster than they and apparently with our permission?

Short And To The Point.....

2009-02-06T20:26:00.005-06:00

I have been reading over and over on conservative blogs that they wish Obama complete failure, but I truly wonder if they understand the ramifications of what they are saying. If Obama fails in keeping us safe and protected, then that means that you are in essence asking for another 9-11. Do you really want his absolute failure that bad that you would risk human lives to see it happen.? If Obama doesn't succeed in getting this country's economy stable once again then we are looking at a Great Depression like our lifetime has never seen. Is that worth the joy of seeing him fail? To me, my country's welfare supercedes my personal feelings for who is in charge of it. I am not picking up for him nor do I support his actions so far as president, but I just don't understand why people cannot see the big picture? I can't help but wonder if he does something you agree with, would you wish it doom, just because he is the one who accomplished it? Does it have to be all or nothing? Black or White?

I don't want his "liberal" policies including his "Distribution of Wealth" to succeed. We have said over and over on this blog that we will fight him when the need arises, but this blind hatred accomplishes nothing. I love this country and I wish her the best, regardless of who happens to be president at the moment. Can you truly say the same?

"I have more love for my country than hatred for it's president" .......me

Conservatism and the Bailout

2009-02-05T00:30:00.001-06:00

From Foxnews.com:

President Obama's economic stimulus plan has topped $920 billion after the Senate agreed Wednesday to give a tax break of up to $15,000 to homebuyers in hopes of revitalizing the housing industry. [emphasis added]

Excuse me while I bludgeon myself against the cold brick wall outside my door.

*multiple thuds followed by wretched screaming*

What I want to know, very simply, is how anybody who could even be considered conservative (or even moderate) can:

1. Justify adding ANYTHING more to this massive pork bill, or,
2. Justify trying to keep trying to perpetuate what's left of the housing bubble which is a part of the reason we "need" this "stimulus" bill.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known and the perversion called Porkulus, continues to grow beyond any reasonable number. And while there may be debate on what the government may be able to do to fire up the economy, this ain't it!

I suspect the following ideas will be wasted, as the GOP in the House only grew a spine because they could only make the news if they were unanimous, and the Senate will eventually get the bill over a trillion before someone "reaches across the aisle" and spends another trillion (over the first). And I've heard all kinds of bipartisan crap on how to justify racking up another trillion.

So here's conservatism applied to the concept of stimulus and see if anything in the current Porkulus bill will survive:

Government Does Not Create Jobs (except for government jobs) - Part of the concept of the stimulus is that it will "create jobs" (or save jobs, in case those created jobs aren't). The problem with this is that government can only create "jobs in two ways: Either by creating work with make-work jobs that will eventually stop being funded (the FDR way), or by simply adding people to the government dole by hiring them to do something. Either way, it doesn't produce a product or service that grows the economy. So any idea of spending money to "create jobs" can be discarded.

Command and Control - In my latest post over at my blog, I did a little comparison between the self-destructive effects of the old Soviet economy and the current state of our government. The Soviet model featured the command economy. The highlight of the command economy is that it stifles productivity and innovation (as in bread lines and rationing). Anything in the stimulus bill that attempts to control the means of production for political reasons (stimulus directed to fighting climate change by subsidizing electric cars) is counterproductive.

Eff Yu Pork - Whether you call it pork, or earmarks, or targeted stimulus (bet they'll steal that line), there's no reason ever to use the concept of a stimulus to advance personal pet projects and magic cash for their home states or districts. Enough people have highlighted the inanity, so I'll leave it at that. No pork for you!

Borrowing for Tax Cuts - A conservative stimulus plan would naturally involve lessening the burden of taxes on businesses and individuals. But in the world of Porkulus, these tax cuts have two inconsistencies that render them dumb. First, some of the tax "cuts" are not a reduction in taxes. They are the growth of entitlements for those who do not pay income taxes. And targeting people who are financially on the edge just means they'll be able to invest it in the trailer park retirement plan, more commonly known as lottery tickets. Second, we're running a massive deficit. And while reducing taxes is not a bad idea, borrowing billions to do so sets a dangerous precedence. A related note is more spending to "help" the poor. A government check never motivated anyone.

So.

So now we've eliminated everything contained in the corpulent flesh of Porkulus. And we've done so because we will never grow the economy by growing government, as every dollar that goes to government does not go and grow in the private sector. This leaves only a couple of ways we can stimulate the economy.

We must reduce taxes and regulations. I know I just eliminated the tax cuts above. But my expectation is that we pay for any tax cut by eliminating redundancy and pointless regulation, which requires oversight (which is always inadequate). But as the sheer volume of regs shrinks, the people who are responsible for enforcing the remaining ones will actually need to work more. I don't advocate cutting government jobs right now, as putting people out of work is not a good idea.

And I'm not expecting a balanced budget this year. In fact, there will be deficits. But that brings us to the other secret to recovery.

We must freeze all spending and grow out of debt. One of the things that caused the balanced budget in the late 90's was that government spending did not outgrow increased revenues. And as the engine of the free market starts kicking in, a government that doesn't increase its spending will not only begin to shrink deficits, and maybe the debt, but it will also reduce itself as a percentage of the economy. And as we start growing and creating surpluses, some of that can service the debt, and some can be used to reduce more of the tax burden.

That's it. This plan will not require another trillion in pork and BS, and will begin to address the conditions that led to the current series of crises. And only in shifting away from an expectation of government intervention can we create lasting stability in the economy, and in the country.

From Another Perspective.....Guest Post from TAO

2009-02-03T15:01:00.004-06:00

I have read an article on Shaw’s blog at Progressive Eruptions and it triggered some thoughts to come back to me that I had lost over the last few months. We get so wrapped up in the moment that we lose sight of the bigger picture from time to time and I realize that I lost sight of how I saw the election of Barack Obama earlier on.

I know most people still see this election as a fluke; that somehow Americans became infatuated with false hopes from a messiah or it was just a guilt trip over race; that would be fine if we just viewed the voting as only a political act. Most elections are just political events and that is what they will remain.

But every now and then you have an election that is transformational; it represents more than just a political vote, much more.

Think back to 1960 when Kennedy beat Nixon. Kennedy, much like Obama, was a political newcomer who ran in against some pretty established Democratic political warhorses in the primary (Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Adlai Stevenson, and Stuart Symington) and he came out the winner and let’s not forget that he was a Catholic.

Which back in those days was about as foreign of a concept as electing a half black man to the Presidency is today.

Then JFK runs against Richard Nixon, who at the time was Vice President to a very highly respected and popular President and wins. Nixon, in those days was just about as popular with the Republican base as John McCain was to conservatives today. There is no way to compare Eisenhower to George Bush; other than they both served two terms.

Kennedy represented change, he represented about as much to that generation as Obama represented in this election to a whole new generation. Did Kennedy live up to the expectations that his supporters had for him? No, not at all because he actually didn’t accomplish all that much during his short time as President. But we just might have to realize that he represented the ‘first wave’ of the social change that racked this country during the 1960’s and represented a societal transformation.

Transformations, which usually are defined by historians, but realistically, they should be obvious to us, much like recessions and economic experts; historians should only confirm what we already know. Was Kennedy a transformation? Obviously, having been a child during the 60’s it was a totally different society and I would argue that Reagan represented a transformation, but it was less social and more economic; his transformation involved our views of the military, international intervention, and the beginning of the concept of government deficits don’t matter.

Kennedy changed a whole generation and their concept of themselves, society, and government. Reagan did the same. I venture that Obama represents now what those two did then. Of course, back then I am sure that quite a few scoffed at the idea of JFK amounting to anything long term, even within the Democratic Party and lets not forget that George H. W. Bush called Reagan’s economic plans, “Voodoo Economics.”

So, what does that mean? Very simply, it means that besides the Republicans some of the old time Democrats, such as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, are going to have trouble adapting.

The Republicans picked Barry Goldwater as their 1964 candidate, a real conservative in the very true sense of the word and Lyndon Johnson basically ended any future that the conservative wing of the Republican party may have had of recapturing control of the party until Ronald Reagan in 1980. If history repeats its self then that translates into the re emergence of conservatism in….2028!

Sometimes elections are a lot more than just elections. Sometimes they represent a fundamental change in society that slowly but surely manifests its self on a much broader scale as time goes on.

It might be best to see Obama in this light and deal with that as a potential reality then it is to just consider him a one term fluke.

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

2009-01-31T13:00:00.000-06:00

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

RNC Takes First Positive Step

2009-01-30T15:07:00.002-06:00

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...

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

2009-01-29T00:01:00.003-06:00

(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.

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

2009-01-27T21:01:00.003-06:00

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....

2009-01-27T13:40:00.005-06:00

...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!

2009-01-27T12:27:00.004-06:00

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!

Bootstraps By Patrick (Our New Author)

2009-01-26T14:05:00.003-06:00

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'.

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

2009-01-24T21:58:00.011-06:00

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

A Call To Conservatives

2009-01-19T15:48:00.003-06:00

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

Thank You, Mr. President

2009-01-13T08:06:00.002-06:00

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 !

The Greatest of These is Love!

2009-01-08T14:33:00.005-06:00

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.

Soliciting Answers - The Purpose of Government

2009-01-06T18:42:00.005-06:00

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.

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

2009-01-03T08:48:00.003-06:00

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

A New Year, A New Calibration

2008-12-31T19:25:00.004-06:00

There is a theory in psychology known as the Gestalt Theory that posits that the mind is self organizing, seeks patterns, and that the whole is different than the sum of its parts. The image above is an example of Gestalt, where moving from A to D the mind sees a triangle, an S, a mace (or a sphere with cones/horns), and finally a snake or sea monster. In fact, these are visual perceptions of items that are not really present in the image you see. The mind is self-organizing, and craves patterns and consistency. We view with awe the uniformity of marching bands or Marines in a parade. We seek to find order in chaos.

In my professional world, a fact of life in management is a concept we use called a clean point. A clean point is the realization and agreement that things have become out of control; perhaps a process was not the right process or staffing inadequate to meet demands which has resulted in poor performance. A clean point is where we stop doing what wasn’t working and move forward with a new process or procedure or perspective.

Because of the two things above, I believe we see the stroke of midnight on a new year to be a clean point. We realize that something about our lives or about ourselves is not where we would like it to be. Listen to the resolutions given by friends and family. Among them I am sure you will hear multiple promises to lose weight, spend more family time, drink less, take better care of the yard, and the list is infinite. We use New Year’s Day to calibrate where we are, and look where we would like to be 365 days later. We seek to find order in chaotic lives; we seek patterns that can be relied upon. We know that our lives are more than the sum of the parts, otherwise there would be no triangle to be found.

I think America needs a clean point. I think that we have allowed ourselves to be distracted by the continuation of processes and trying to improve those processes that we simply refuse to acknowledge that sometimes it is best to do nothing at all. Sometimes it is necessary to make massive change to processes. I believe firmly that the election of 2008 and the Obama administration is the perfect opportunity for a clean point in this nation.

I shall say upfront that I do not agree with the liberal agenda for many items that are on the horizon. I can also say that a man who engaged the Clinton steamroller and the Republican machine in places like Virginian, North Carolina, and Mississippi, and stepped onto the podium to accept the Presidency, and did so without barely breaking a sweat, is made up of something as yet unproven. The President-elect has made courageous and important decisions regarding his cabinet. I am not sure of another time that an incoming President has asked senior cabinet members from another party to remain on the cabinet. I see left wing ideas, but I also see a centrist movement and a few right wing ideas looming as well.

We believe that the GOP has become weak, and has allowed conservatism to take a back seat to the other priorities of the party. We seek to change that. We seek to reinforce the nation’s desire for responsible and effective government. We seek to re-establish the Constitutional aims of our founders, but speaking out to our nation and our representatives that we must have a clean point in America. This clean point must be to define what we want from our nation, demand changes to the waste and corruption of politics, and move forward with the aims of success and prosperity for our nation and her citizens.

Change your new year’s resolutions. Make a resolution to be involved, active, persistent, and loud in the demands for conservative principles for our country. Don’t worry, there is much lifting to do and the weight will fall off. We have the perfect opportunity to take conservatism to new heights and new definitions. As the new year begins, there will be many opportunities for you to help us define conservatism. Roll up your sleeves, the four year ride begins soon.....

A Conservative Lost In Liberal-Land.

2008-12-30T10:07:00.013-06:00

My trip to the Smokey Mountains was awesome (do people still use that word?) and very enlightening. I've always heard the term southern hospitality and I've always known that the north and south were different, but this trip really opened my eyes.

From the moment that we arrived, you could just tell things were different, it was just a feeling that is almost indescribable. Our first stop was at the Cabin rental building where we were greeted with genuine cheerfulness. Notice that I used the word genuine, like it's somehow born and bred into them at a young age. Anyway, we got directions and were on our way. The climb up the mountain to our cabin would make even the calmest person a wreck. Mountain cliffs on both sides. Have they never heard of a side rail before? Suffice it to say that we went very slowly and since I am back home to write this, we did it quite successfully.

We did a lot of sightseeing through the mountains, hit the aquarium, raced on the go karts, but what I want to focus on right now are the shows that we saw. First was the Comedy Barn. It was hysterical, and could even keep the staunchest, Bah Humbug, grouch in stitches.
I've enclosed a video below, and although it wasn't the one we attended it made us laugh so hard that we had to purchase it. If you somehow make it threw the video without getting downright hysterical, then there is just something seriously wrong with you.

**I should warn you, put down all drinks, and make sure you have gone to the bathroom before you attempt to watch this.

Now that you have been entertained, I will actually get to the point of my post. One thing very unique about the Comedy Barn is that is was wholesome family comedy. You didn't have to worry about the F-bomb getting thrown all over the place nor did you have to explain to your kids that a blow-job is actually when people get a job at a car wash and they blow the cars dry at the end of it. (You think I am kidding?) They somehow were able to make everyone of us, from three different generations laugh our butts off, and at the same time pride themselves on their family styled comedy. Half way through the show, they honored the veterans for their service and had them stand up to be recognized. What a sense of pride and thankfulness I felt at that moment. It hit me somewhere throughout the show that this NEVER would have worked in New Jersey. Besides the fact that they had cloggers and sung about a "Tender Tennessee Christmas" the reaction of the people back home would not have been the same. Northerners would have thought it hokey and probably made fun of everything they were doing. You might be asking yourself well, you are a northerner, so why didn't you? Even if you weren't particularly asking yourself that, I will tell you anyway. My family is southerners in disguise. We are so out of place up here in liberal valley it's like the show, The Beverly Hillbillies. So when we have a chance to visit the south, it is almost like coming home.

The next show we attended was The Black Bear Jamboree. A magical night, but another example of how very different the north and south are. People were polite and pleasant, not the usual...."Follow me" you get, like this is the last place they want to be, when we were getting seated. The show was full of singing, dancing and dare I say it...... GOSPEL. They actually celebrated the real reason for the season. They sung about the birth of Christ and it was a very poignant reminder to everyone there that Christmas had nothing to do with lights, tinsel, gifts and stockings and everything to do with Jesus' birth.

There wasn't one thing in particular that made me realize how very different it was between the north and south. It was as if we were visiting a totally different country. Southern hospitality is a living, breathing thing and this experience really restored my hope in America. I realized that the values and beliefs that are non-existent up here are bountiful down there and it just confirmed how much harder I needed to work with my kids, on instilling those same values. It's a difficult task I have ahead of me, when so many of their friends, are very different than what I expect of Anthony and Nicholas.

Being from the north doesn't make you a bad person, just as being from the south doesn't make you a good one, but there was just a fundamental attitude that was very different between the two places. The atmosphere here in Jersey, is stifling, it is crowded and people are just not friendly. They seem to have the "What can you do for me attitude", where as in the south, it felt more like "What can I do for you?" The atmosphere down in Tennessee was just genuine and welcoming and the people actually were polite and used phrases like "thank you" or "yes ma'am." Sometimes I feel downright lost up here. The people, the places, the values, and the atmosphere are so completely different. God seems to be welcomed down there, wherever you are, while here, He is only allowed certain places. Sometimes southerners get a bad reputation but I truly think that we would all be a lot more content if we took some lessons from them. Especially that southern drawl......that was music to my ears!

The mountains all around, reminded us every day of the beauty God has bestowed upon us. You could see HIs beauty in the clouds that floated over the mountaintop and the trickling streams running throughout the mountains. There was a sense of peace there that I have never found anywhere else. The air was fresh and clean and it was a wonder how the simple act of breathing felt so good. As I sit here in yankee-land, I am thankful for the memories that I will always hold with me and I hope those that are able to experience that beauty and magnificence every day, appreciate what they have been so blessed with.

Cross posted at Palace For A Princess

Wishing You Peace of Mind

2008-12-26T09:33:00.004-06:00

(Painting by Ron DiCianni)

Although I run a political blog, for now I’m avoiding politics like the plague, with the exception of reading what other bloggers post. In fact, if it weren’t for the political postings of others I wouldn’t have a clue as to what’s going on, which wouldn't be such a bad thing, at least for awhile. It's a matter of sanity and wanting some semblance of peace during this sacred time when we observe the birth of our Lord.

As usual, before Thanksgiving and right after Halloween was over, the commercialization of Christmas began. There’s not much on the boob tube about the real reason for the season, including movies. After we finished with Christmas Dinner I sat down to watch some movies on Hallmark, knowing they would be running Christmas movies all day long. I watched two, which were moving and entertaining, but neither of them had anything to do with the birth of our Savior. I believe the fact that I wasn’t surprised in the least says a lot.

No, I’m not going to even get into the War on Christmas in this post, because it will dampen my spirit and I’m feeling quite pleasant and mellow. I feel at peace right now because I do know who is really in charge and it isn’t any of us, no matter what we think. It isn’t even Obama! LOL!

All that build up and preparation for one short day! WHEW! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone would hold the spirit of Christmas in their hearts all year round? I don’t mean by going out and purchasing items either. I’m talking about being upbeat and pleasant and not walking around with a frown on your face. I see so many people when I do get into town who walk around looking like a living spirit of Doom and Gloom! I want to tell them, “Smile. You’re alive! You aren’t living in a mud hut somewhere scratching for roots to eat! You aren’t living in a place where you might be hauled out of bed in the middle of night and shot! You aren’t crippled up so badly that you can’t get around by yourself without help. Be thankful at least for those things.” But of course I don’t say anything. I would be perceived to be off my rocker. Besides, they may be slightly deranged and I might have my rocker knocked off! That’s another thing… we shouldn’t have to fear saying what’s in our hearts to anyone, stranger or not.

Christmas cheer should be something we hold in our hearts all year round, not only during the Christmas season. I’m going to attempt to hang on to mine, and that’s why I’m avoiding politics for a little longer than just on Christmas day. The nastiness going on in the world is simply too depressing. It’s a matter of self-preservation. So I will visit my blogger friends and risk running into political posts, but it’s not quite as bad as having a newscaster bleat all the bad stuff going on in the world.

To those of you whose blogs I may not have managed to visit to wish you a Merry Christmas, I’m doing it now. MERRY CHRISTMAS! To my Jewish friends I wish you a HAPPY HANUKKAH! To everyone I wish you PEACE OF MIND! All of us who are paying attention to what's going on in this world desperately need it, and it isn't an easy thing to achieve, so it's the best thing I can think of to wish for you.

This picture of our black lab Sweetie was taken on Christmas morning. She's getting a bit gray around the muzzle, but she still knows the joy of playing with her squeaky toys just like she did when she was a pup. She likes to play catch and she loves to fetch. She knows what peace is. We should all be so lucky!

Cross-posted at Dragon Lady's Den

Merry Christmas Eve!

2008-12-24T09:54:00.004-06:00

Despite what has been an unusual Christmas season for me, and a heavy heart/mind this year, a friend reminded me late last night of love and joy! Christmas is here!

If you find yourself wanting Christmas stories that don't involve red-nosed reindeer, longhaired yaks, yams for dinner, or the bustle of crowds with every discussion about Christmas, take a trip over to Cathouse Chat and enjoy Kat's "Carnival of Christmas!" You can probably find yam recipes and there are stories about the Christmas rush, but there is some good reading there.

Our own Gayle was selected as "Pride of Place" this year for her Christmas posting, and given top billing. Congrats to you, Gayle, for a touching and remarkable story.

Jennifer and I are both humbled by the selection of our Christmas pieces to be included in the Carnival as well. Those pieces are here, of course, but they can be found under "Christmas Meditations" at Cathouse Chat. Jennifer, thank you for your posting and I hope your travels remain safe!

This time of year brings about rushing around shopping, baking, stress, love, joy, happiness, some grinchiness, and about every emotion one can experience. Take a few minutes and enjoy the work Kat did this year in continuing a Christmas tradition on her blog.

To all who may wander in here today and tomorrow, please accept the wishes from everyone here at Conservative Convictions for a safe, happy, warm, amazing, perfect, and fascinating Christmas!

Christmas Lost and Christmas Found

2008-12-23T09:17:00.008-06:00

UPDATE - Dec 24,08: This post has been honored with a "Pride of Place" award by Kat who is hosting "Carnival of Christmas", a huge collection of great Christmas posts. That my meager offering won this honor - along with another post by Hoosier Army Mom for her post "The Men and Women of the Armed Forces" is a tremendous honor! Thank you so much, Kat!

We who celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th know who He is and I'm so thankful I know who He is. You see, I was raised by an Atheist father. I know my step-mother had been raised in faith, but she let my father have his way, so as a child Christmas didn't really mean very much to me after my mother died from cancer when I was seven. After all, I was only seven, so of course I blamed her death on God, and there was no one to dispel that notion until I went to stay with my grandparents for a year while my father dealt with his demons. I honestly can say that I have no childhood memories of Christmas except for one. Please don't feel sorry for me because I would truly hate that.

The year my mother died I remember Christmas because my father visited me and as a Christmas present he gave me my first bicycle. That's why I remember the Christmas of 1948. My mother died and I got my first bicycle. It didn't have anything to do with the birth of Christ. All other Christmas's from 1948 until 1958 have been wiped from my memory. There are many reasons for that, but the main reason is because I was truly miserable. I'm not going to go into the horrors of my childhood in any great detail, only to say that dealing with a verbally abusive alcoholic step-mother and an Atheist father who was gone most of the time somehow wiped my memory of those years pretty much off the slate, until 1957 when I met my future husband. I'm writing this on December 23rd, early morning on our 50th wedding anniversary, which seems surreal in itself. Fifty years! My word, the time goes by fast! Cherish your youth if you still have it, because it won't last long.

I have a very strong faith in our Lord, but I don't really know how I acquired it. It seems to be something that has always been with me. As a small child I felt the presence of God, and briefly lost that feeling after my mother died, but it came back soon thereafter, and when it did it was stronger than ever. I went to church whenever I could, but I had to go with a friend. My parents never attended church. Even with my faith in the Lord, I never put Christmas together with the birth of Christ. I don't know what I thought of Christmas because I seem to have some sort of amnesia. I suppose we had a Christmas tree and gave one another presents, but I don't remember. Perhaps I don't want to, but those Christmas's are lost, along with any birthday celebrations that may or may not have taken place. What ever the reason for the blank spots of my memory, I don't dwell on the past. I've always dwelt on the present and the future. The past is exactly that: The Past! The fact that I can't remember is probably a true gift from God.

I married a man who absolutely adores Christmas and knew about the reason for the season. I'm positive that my wonderful husband was sent to me by our Lord. When Walt came out of basic training at Ft. Ord, California, we were married in Los Angeles at City Hall the very next day and almost immediately got into his car and drove from LA to Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, where he was assigned for duty. I can tell you in all sincerity that I hated Los Angeles and detested my family, so when we left I felt that I had escaped the bowels of Hell. A strange thing to write on a Christmas post, but it's the truth. Many of you may wonder if I have forgiven my father and step-mother. The answer is yes. Absolutely! Nothing comes of carrying anger in your heart but the destruction of your own soul. To be honest, it took a long time, but I managed to forgive them both before they passed on. I do wonder sometimes if my father was surprised to discover he was wrong.

Christmas finally had meaning to me after our marriage. That first Christmas of 1958 was spent on the road driving across country to Ft. Belvoir, but even in a car with no tree and no presents, it was glorious! Every Christmas after that has been very special, but there is one that I will always remember more than any other. That is the one when my Lord sent my husband back to me alive and well from Vietnam. I'll never forget that wonderful and glorious gift, and never cease to thank God that I still have that gift! My husband is one of my life's greatest blessings. That was the Christmas of 1970.

Even though Christmas had no real meaning to me during my growing up years, it has been my favorite time of year for many years now. I learned the true meaning of Christmas and don't feel deprived in the least bit because of lost Christmas's of the past. On October 1st, 1941, my physical birth took place, but my real birth took place on December 23rd, 1958, a birth that I celebrate today. On Christmas Eve we will go to church to worship our Lord and celebrate His glorious birth, and in the morning we will do the traditional exchange of gifts, which we really don't need because we have each other, and that's the best gift either one of us has ever been given. I know I feel that way, and I also know my husband feels the same way because he tells me so almost every day.

I am so blessed!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

(A Christmas Cactus Flower snagged from Born Again ~~Redneck~~ Bourgeois )

This post is cross-posted at Dragon Lady's Den.".

Remembering Christmas

2008-12-20T17:00:00.002-06:00

I remember as a child seeing pictures of the Magi from the east traveling across the dark deserts to see the Christ child in Bethlehem; those pictures colored drawings of men and camels gazing to the heavens in fascination at an enormous star glowing so bright as if it were reaching for the earth. The long tails stretching to the ground appeared to be God’s hand reaching down.

I remember many Christmas mornings from my childhood, although not really one in particular. I simply remember the coffee brewing and the excitement of my parents although in retrospect, and after being a parent myself, I realize that excitement was tempered a bit by the fact that they had played Santa and wrapped gifts until 200 a.m. The coffee certainly wasn’t the first pot of the day. I remember Christmas dinner which was always traditional, meaning it consisted of a menu of items that I didn’t really like. The entire family was present for those dinners, and that was the part my Mom loved the most.

One Christmas I do remember is because of a special gift I received for which I will be eternally grateful. I was about 10 years old, perhaps a year or two younger, and it was a tough economic time for many, much like today. A couple of years before I had been given an electric car, one of those toys that you plug in and charge for 12 hours so that a child can ride for about 30 minutes. I really liked that car, and took great care of it even at a young age. That year, my dad sat me down and told me that he wanted to give my car away. I was getting too big for it and there was a man he worked with who was having a tough time and wasn’t going to be able to buy any presents for his son. My dad wanted to give it to him so that his son could have Christmas.

I consented, reluctantly, and my car disappeared. Christmas morning made me forget it as there were new boxes and miles of colored paper that rapidly covered the floor. At the end of unwrapping, my dad pulled out a small package to be unwrapped. It was a gift from the man who had received my car. My dad opened it, and in un-Marine like fashion began to wipe his eyes which quickly became moist. Inside the wrapping was a little, brown, plastic horse with a cowboy. It was an inexpensive toy, probably fifty cents in those days, but has held a million dollars in importance to me to this very day. The note attached said that the gift was from a family that didn’t have much money and couldn’t compensate monetarily for the thing they had been given, but that love, respect, pride, dignity, and self-respect could not be measured.I don't remember the exact words, but this was how my dad explained it to me. He sent that cheap toy because we all have things to give; that we must always return the things that God had given as blessings, and that money was not important next to family and friends.

I wish I could say that I appreciated the lesson for the sake of the lesson, but I think that I appreciated the impact on my father – born during the Great depression, a Marine veteran himself of two wars, three children, and the daily efforts it takes to make men from boys. As I grew older I saw that toy every day in its prominent position on a shelf in my parent’s living room. Even today, 30 years later, I wind that horse at Christmas time and let him gallop for a short time to remind myself that what we truly have is love. To remind me that we are blessed with special people, not special things. Anyone can give a sweater or a football; to give someone love and admiration and to cherish what they offer is the real gift.

During the week of Christmas 1990 my brother and I were at Camp Lejeune, N.C. preparing to depart for Saudi Arabia. Several times that week our unit packed up and headed for Cherry Point, only to be returned to the barracks as our orders and priorities changed.

Christmas day saw a bunch of Marines sitting around a six-inch tree singing Christmas carols and praying. We knew what we were going to face - combat and miserable conditions for the foreseeable future - but the prayers were for families. Prayers that they would be comforted, and taken care of during the dark times. Prayers for them to be content, and happy, and to be able to anticipate our return and not be obsessed with the possibility that we wouldn't.

December 26th at dawn saw us loading an aircraft headed for the desert, and seven months of prayers that continued for families. I don't want to turn this into a discussion about Iraq, but for those who have never served with our warriors, they aren't concerned for themselves. They spend their days in combat zones worrying about their families. My biggest worry was not of death or injury, but in making a bad decision as a team leader that would cause one of my Marines to be injured or killed.

Within days, I saw first hand the stars that had guided the Magi to Bethlehem. Always an outdoors enthusiast, I was overwhelmed with the star filled sky and the amount of light that cascaded from the heavens. I may not have seen the Bethlehem star, but I did see the hand of God.

Those two Christmas memories are a little different. One is a reminder of how a fifty cent toy can mean more than a new car or a pony or an iPod ever could. The other, that we may find peace in the simplest of things. A brilliantly illuminated night sky showing me that peace and guidance were there for the taking, just when I needed it most.

In the intervening years I have asked for that divine guidance a number of times, and have been doing so for many days recently. Sometimes I heard the answer, sometimes not. Sometimes my mind is too cluttered or too determined to do it my way, even while I am asking for direction, that I don't hear the answer. The worst thing to know is that God is telling me to wait, that the time is not yet right for my answer to be revealed. I do know that God is there, he is listening, and sometimes just knowing that is enough.

Christmas is about giving, and giving is more than just something wrapped in colored paper purchased among crowds of people in shopping malls. It is about giving our hearts and even our very essence to something or someone on the outside. Sometimes it is giving something of yourself, with no expectation that it is even a gift. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the same is true for the value of things recieved. The best Christmas gift I have ever received was just this year, and the person who gave it to me paid nothing. It wasn’t so much intended for Christmas, but was given in the spirit of giving, just to give. The warmth of Christmas is spread not through wrapping paper, but simple conversations and the opening of hearts to let in new love and new possibilities. It is a time to renew old friendships and heal a rift with a neighbor. Pick up the phone and call someone you love that you haven’t talked to in years. Take an hour and speak to everyone on your Christmas card list. Drive your children to a dark place and let them wonder at the night sky. Let this be the year that they find their stars, or a little wind up horse.

I hope that this Christmas finds you in peace. Peace in knowing that you are loved and peace in knowing that others find peace in the love you give to them. Find peace in knowing that God gives without expecting in return, and loves without ceasing. May the celebration of the birth of Christ give you a boost into a new year!

My Christmas Post........

2008-12-19T05:00:00.001-06:00

Christmas this year will be a little different than it usually is. By now, lights are on our house, lighting up the darkness, a tree is up with all the boys homemade ornaments, and the ones that we buy them every year as part of our Crispaldi tradition. I would like to say that the house is filled with smells of homemade cookies, but anyone that knows me, knows better than that. The house is decorated with garland and stuffed animals that sing when you touch them (you can tell the kids picked them out, if only to annoy us.) A manger scene sits in front of our tree and awaits the presents that will soon surround it come Christmas morning.

This year none of that happened. We will be spending Christmas down in Tennessee, (Pigeon Forge) in a log cabin, with my mom, and my sister and her family, who will be coming up from Texas. My sister has two boys that are Anthony and Nicholas' age, so I am sure they will have a lot of fun. We will be leaving today, so I wanted to get this post out because I am not sure how much opportunity I will have at a computer. 10 days in a cabin with four rambunctious boys gives new meaning to "cabin fever."

Where I am eventually going with all this, is that however and wherever you spend your Christmas.....remember the true meaning of the season. It isn't about gifts, or egg nog, or the perfect Christmas tree, it's about celebrating the birth of Jesus. We always take time on Christmas Day, to sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus....okay it might sound a little corny, but it's our way of reminding the kids that there is so much more to Christmas than just the presents under the tree.

In the coming days, appreciate the simple things, most of us take for granted, this season. The fact that you are surrounded by those that you love, and you can celebrate knowing that you are safe, and protected. While we gather with friends and family, our soldiers are alone with only pictures and precious memories. Remember those that are far away, missing their loved ones, risking their lives, so that we may celebrate however we may choose. Remember those that have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Wreaths Across America, has captured that Christmas spirit and have blessed those around them by carrying on this tradition.

"What started over 17 years ago, as one's man's dream to honor Veterans with Maine wreaths for the holidays, has become an annual event cherished by many. Humbled with a new understanding about the impact the Arlington Wreath Project has made, not only in honoring the dead, but recognizing the sacrifices of the living, Morrill Worcester - President of Worcester Wreath Company committed himself to doing more, by reaching out across the country." For more information click here.

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I wish you a child like happiness that fills your heart with joy.

"The Christmas season reminds us that a demonstration of religion is always much better than a definition of it...especially in front of the kids."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am sure many of you have read this poem before, but we can all use a reminder of what it costs to keep us free.

Merry Christmas, My Friend.

T'was the night before Christmas, He lived all alone,
In a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney with presents to give
To see just who in this home did live.

As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
No tinsel, No presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand,
On a wall hung pictures of a far distant land.

With medals and badges, awards of all kinds,
A sobering thought soon came to my mind.
For this house was different, unlike any I'd seen,
This was the home of a U.S. Marine.

I'd heard stories about them, and had to see more,
So I walked down the hall and pushed open the door.
There he lay sleeping, silent, alone,
curled up on the floor in his one bedroom home.

He seemed so gentle, his face so serene,
Not how I'd pictured A U.S. Marine.
Was this the hero of whom I'd just read?
Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?

His head was clean shaven, his weathered face tan,
I soon understood, this was more than a man.
For I realized the families that I saw that night,
Owed there lives to these men, who were willing to fight.

Soon around the nation the children would play,
And grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom each month and all year,
Because of Marines like this one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder, how many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas eve, in a land far from home.
Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.

He must have awakened, for I heard a rough voice,
"Santa, Don't cry, this life is my choice.
I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more,
My Life is My God, My Country, My Corps."

With that he rolled over, drifted off to sleep,
I couldn't control it and continued to weep.
I watched him for hours, so silent and still,
I noticed he shivered from the cold night's chill.

So I took off my jacket, the one made of red,
and covered this Marine from his toes to his head.
Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold,
with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold.

Though it barely fit me, I swelled with pride,
For one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.

I didn't want to leave him, so quiet in the night,
This guardian of honor, so willing to fight.
But half asleep he rolled over and in a voice clean and pure,
Said "Carry on Santa, It's Christmas Day, all secure."

One look at my watch and I knew he was right,
Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi and Good Night.

Written by....James M Schmidt
To see the story behind the poem visit here.

I couldn't decide which tribute I liked best, so I posted all three.

Dear Santa

2008-12-18T06:46:00.005-06:00

This is my Christmas wish list for America.

End legalized pre birth murder. Not only does it diminish us all in ways we don't seem to recognize to sanction the pre-meditated murder of the most innocent and defenseless among us, it has contributed to the unacceptably high incidence of fatherless homes and poverty (such as it exists in America).

Abolish the federal reserve system. Jefferson warned that such a system would ruin us financially, Andrew Jackson stopped federal deposits to and failed to renew the charter of the Second Bank of the United States. But along comes America's first fascist, Woodrow Wilson to implement the collectivist ideas of Marx and Engels (centralization of credit) using the currency panic of 1907 as an excuse.

In the same vein, return America to the gold standard. Richard Millhouse Nixon couldn't get Congress to fund the Vietnam war effort, so he abrogated the Bretton Woods agreement in order to print the money he needed. Together with boom and bust cycles caused by the central bank, the ability of the federal government to confiscate wealth by inflating the currency has imperiled us all financially.

End the failed regulatory schemes and programs of America's second fascist, the one that Mussolini so admired, FDR. The SEC, Social Security, FHA, FNMA, FDIC, farm subsidies, TVA, etc. The regulatory schemes have created a false sense of security and confidence that has led to some very poor decisions and prevented nothing from occurring that they were designed to protect us against. The programs have distorted the market and kept prices artificially high, benefiting a few, politically well positioned souls at the expense of us all. The current rage is Bernard Madoff and his self described Ponzi scheme, it pales in comparison to the world's largest Ponzi scheme, social security.

End the monopoly of public funds going to failed public schools (like the centralization of credit, another Communist Manifesto favorite). Even if an academic education for all children has been universally accepted (which it clearly has not, given the high level of drop outs and nearly unlimited funding) why should money continue to go exclusively to union dominated schools, whose primary and secondary purpose is the provision of full teacher employment and benefits? It's worse than a Halliburton no bid contract, because at least Halliburton got the job done!

Because Brother TP is going to write on LBJ's failed War on the Poor (What I call the War on the Black Family) I'll leave this until next Christmas.

Finally, Santa, please expose the global climate change mythology for the redistributionist, anti-capitalist, Malthusian tripe it is before it completely wrecks America. Roll back the corn subsidies that are incentivizing the destruction of our ecology and biodiversity and far from helping the environment through facilitating the production of ethanol, it has only caused the price of staple foods to increase around the world and raised the price of food across the board.

Oh, by the way, I think a Titans win in the Super Bowl would be good for America too.

A System Of Logic

2008-12-18T04:00:00.005-06:00

Friends, if you embark on a journey to both read and understand the following words then I wish you success in that endeavor, but I think it to be pointless. The following is more personal than political, although it has a distinct relationship to political thought that I will tie together in a few days. I must admit that political thought has not occupied my mind for some days now, for personal matters have demanded a solemn period of introspection that has not yet been resolved. I welcome comments and thoughts from those who are far more clearly able to reason at this point, should you elect to opine. For those pure humanities people out there, don't presume this to be a dissertation on philosophy.

For my entire adult life, as a result of my upbringing and my training, I have been a relatively logical person. When confronted with a decision I analyze the options and consequences and then take the path that results in the most beneficial consequences a year down the road. Recently, I have found myself with situations that have given me a desire to obtain the immediate consequences; to change the paradigm by which I have long made decisions and to discard the shackles of previous decisions. For the moment the best analogy that I can relate is that I set sail on a particular course and at some point I realized that while my objective has not changed, I had perhaps taken the wrong route and have never wavered from that heading. The question therefore becomes whether I change the course, encountering much more turbulent waters before I reach the calm seas of peace and tranquility, or do I press on in hopes of a change in wind that gives the current course fair skies and smooth seas?

That question begs that I pause to consider the framework of my personal decision making and how as humans we act based on circumstances. Socrates asked “How should I live?” The question results in many answers, for everyone has an opinion. How should I think? How should I act? Are my actions influenced by the desire to conform, or ar they true to my essence?

I believe that it was J.S. Mill who proposed the “Regularity of Sequence”; that is, people will take action based upon human history, their personal history, and other factors such as their upbringing. In Mill’s time it was known as the “Doctrine of Philosophical Necessity” and posits that whatever action a man takes, it is the only action that he could have taken. His contention is:

Person A, having disposition X, confronted by situation Y, will act Z.

It can be seen, perhaps, that this is an attempt to relieve man of responsibility for his actions because there is little that can change an inherited pre-disposition (through upbringing, history, or religious teachings perhaps) and that man will predictably act in certain ways. My intention is not to take this line of thought but to apply it to changing circumstances. The Regularity of Sequences is not a law; when X+Y=Z is stated, it should be accompanied by ceteris paribus, or “all other things being equal.” As even the course of large aircraft carriers are affected by winds, the actions of man are affected by changing conditions.

I freely admit to being the personification of the X+Y=Z model. I have constantly applied a personal belief system that frames my thoughts and decisions. To this point in my life, that box has been a comforting presence on my table. When something happens, I open the box, organize the facts inside, and close the lid. When I again open it the decision has been made because it fit inside. This particular model is not working for me at this point.

My next question is to the moral relativism between two principles. My own upbringing has taught self-sacrifice for the higher good. This can be admirable, for without that particular ethos then we would have no Audy Murphys of WWI or Captain Brian Chontoshs of Operation Iraqi Freedom, who placed their own lives in jeopardy for the sake of others. For sci-fi buffs, it is Mr. Spock’s famous “The good of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or of the one.” When straying from this absolute principle, it begs the following questions: Is there a lack of morality in all selfish decisions? Are morality and selfishness mutually exclusive?

Recently a situation has presented itself that doesn’t fit in that box. It isn't so much that there is an outside influence acting upon the situation (Y), as it is a change in my disposition (X). In my personal history, rain meant a few things. As a Marine, the rain meant a favorable environment for combat operations. As a law enforcement officer, it meant a long night drenched from working traffic accidents. As a manager, it meant that my suit is going to get wet and I will look badly at the next meeting. They were all negative connotations! Today I want to embrace the rain because it is raining, and nothing more. Instead of focusing on the end game, or the next year in framing a decision, I wish to discard the entire box and reach for a ring without fear of the consequences. I have realized of late that I have never gambled with my life. I don’t mean gambling my very physical existence, as a Marine and a law enforcement officer I have done those things more times than I care to repeat. I mean gambled with the intangibles, taking a risk to see if there is a place that transcends the simple, yet to this point sufficient, gratification of being responsible and acting based on the greater good of others. I want to forget that the greatest fear I have is failure. I have been driven to succeed in an attempt to avoid failure, not driven to succeed because I have a great love for something. I have this overwhelming urge to change that sooner rather than later.

So by now you are asking one of three things – Has he been consuming an illegal substance? Is he planning a casino heist in Atlantic City? Perhaps both? I assure you, there is no truth to any of those. At this point I am trying to determine if there is a good served by living within the established framework that has existed my entire life, or if there is merit in changing my disposition to make decisions. Perhaps my priorities have changed from self-sacrifice for a greater good to a need to find my own essence. Perhaps the greater good, in the long term, actually melds with a legitimate self-interest in the situation.

Socrates also said to “Know thyself.” Perhaps the self I know has been on an inflexible course for too long.

When writer's block happens? ... just type away ...

2008-12-16T20:14:00.010-06:00

Part of the problem with the Blogosphere is the self-importance we bestow upon ourselves. Everybody wants to be heard or in this case, read. Everybody wants to write something relevant, of heavy content and that creates a viral impact that spreads out to all ideology corners of the planet. OK, maybe not everybody is like that, but jeez, don't you wish that at times you can just read something mindless and fun with a superfluous amount of cheese to go with it? Well they don't call me TP for nothing... I've earned that acronym well and I wear it proudly on my TP holder.

Here's a couple of things that I've thought about for a while, that while important (to me) doesn't have enough meat for me to fully cook up a posting. Feel free to duck at your discretion:

* Remember when Congress was crying for an "exit" strategy on the war on terror? or the war in Iraq? Great. But how come nobody ever demanded an exit strategy on the war on poverty and the war on drugs? Those two wars by themselves have been colossal failures yet we keep giving them "surges" every 2 years...... just sayin'...

* You want to save some serious dead presidents to our Federal budget? lets look at the bloated Bureaucracy that is the intelligence community in our country. Can anyone tell me why in the world the US needs 15 intelligence agencies? I was astounded but not surprised to learn there are 15 intelligence agencies (that we know of) in the Federal Government. Fifteen! This is the official Government site for the intelligence tree (http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members.shtml). I count 6 for the military branches, 2 for in-country law enforcement, 4 for cabinet level directorates and 3 for James Bond stuff. Call me stupid or naive but just looking at this list has me of the opinion that there HAS to be severe overlapping responsibilities here, .... am I alone on an Island on this one? I would love to see what percentage chunk of the Federal Budget these 15 prima donnas takes in.

Lets cut the fat. I am fully for a strong, prevalent and take-no-prisoners policy as to intelligence gathering ability. But this largess has been built through years of inter-agency squabbling, military branch rivalries and territorial peeing. Its time to start consolidating these agencies into real-world efficiency entities. You keep hearing of inter-agency bickering and turf-protection... are you kidding me? Are we not all on the same team? Are the military branches not in the business of working together in a wondrous ballet of cooperation? (I know, I know.. but you get my drift). Somebody CALIBRATE me on this please.....

* Why is it, that you have to take a test for everything in life? You have to test to drive, to get a contractor's license, to sell real estate, to practice medicine, to teach,.... you have to get tested for almost everything this country has to offer........ except for two things. One, you don't have to get tested or pass a test to procreate. you just boink away and voila! you are a parent, regardless of whether or not you are psychologically ready or not. Regardless of the fact that if you fail, chances are tax-payers will have to pony up to take care of his offspring -one way or another-. And two: You don't have to take a test to vote. Nothing. You can be as dumb as a bag of rocks, and have the IQ of a grapefruit and they will shove your butt into a van, indoctrinate you on who to vote for on your way there, wheel you into the polling station, strap the electronic pen onto your wrist and boom! Done. Imagine that. Two of the most noble and important things a citizen can be, a parent and a voter requires zero testing or preparation by the state.

* You ever wonder why almost every cop car and highway trooper / patrol has a supped-up V8 engine just chugging away at the gas gauge? Why is it that the Sierra Club or Tree Huggers Inc have not asked or demanded that all public safety vehicles be Toyota Prius's? I mean, this is the lifesaver of the planet, is it not? Imagine the savings on gas? on local, State and Federal budgets, on carbon emissions, on insurance premiums,... on safety and accidents! Why is there a deafening silence on this?... inquiring minds do wanna' know...

* Finally, ... Colin Powell, (in my humble and subjective prism of view) is just as much a political opportunist as the Clinton's, the Cuomo's and the Kennedy's (insert GOP opportunists here as well, I just can't think of any at the time of my writing). Every single ounce of respect I had for him,... is nearly gone. I don't hate him or loathe him; and his contributions to flag, Army and country are noted. But respect is something you earn, and have to keep earning. But I have to give him one smidgen of credit, for at least now, he is finally showing what he has been for 25 years. A phony in conservative clothing.

There... don't we all feel better now?... OK,... back to the important postings that really make a difference ...

A Guest Post From Tao - Part II

2008-12-14T05:00:00.001-06:00

To be American used to mean that a man was not judged by the wealth that he exhibited but rather by the standards that he brought to his work. It was more honorable to be considered a good honest person rather than a rich person.

We were once a people that lived with one another but now we have our poor in separate neighborhoods and our rich barricade themselves behind the gates of their country club communities.

We were once a place where your banker worked in an office at the bank and now all decisions are made in another city by someone who you have never met. Customer service and your extended warranty are outsourced to other companies and other countries.

“Our” schools are run by administrators who hide behind regulations and standards that they call “regulations.” “Our” teachers work for the unions and “our” school boards are professional positions who meet and cloak everything in rules, regulations, and procedures.

“Our” churches have grown bigger and more grand where the congregation number in the thousands and yet their influence on our day to day lives is becoming smaller and smaller.

We shop in stores where if you have a question and if you can find store staff willing to help then the most typical response you will get to your question is, “…I don’t know…I just work here…”

It seems that as we have lost control with our own personal lives we seem to have an increased desire to control the events in other countries. We have meddled in the affairs of other countries all over the world since the end of WWII and we have not learned one thing from all that meddling. Then one day we find that the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked (the White House was the third target). Did anyone stop to think that these terrorists attacked the center of our economic power, the center of our military power, and planned to attack the center of our governmental power?

NO! All we thought was, “…how dare they attack us!” Not once did we bother to think that we have been meddling in their world for decades and they have only once attempted to meddle in ours.

Did you ever stop to think that during the election, John McCain announced that “....the foundation of our economic system was sound…” and then for the first time by any Republican acknowledged that the American worker was the foundation of our economic system. In one sentence he debunked 30 years of supply side economics.

In the last 30 years we have watched as massive Agribusiness concerns have pushed families off the land they farmed for generations. We have watched as mega box stores have entered our communities and put the family owned and operated retail establishments out of business. We have watched as locally owned manufacturing concerns were gobbled up by multi national corporations which traded these factories back and forth among themselves for tax and accounting benefits only to eventually move the operations overseas. McDonald’s has replaced the local diner as the place to socialize and eat. Thanks to blogs and social media we are “friends” with more people in the world but know less about the people that we live by and work with.

We gave up being Americans when we became fascinated with “bigness.” We wanted our companies and our economy to get bigger and bigger. We wanted our military to become bigger and more involved in everything throughout the world. Of course then government became bigger because it had to meet all the demands put on it by the people.

We became so arrogant in our bigness and the corresponding righteousness that we felt from being the biggest that we no longer remember what America was all about. We got involved in wars with ideology. We bullied the world in the name of freedom and democracy. We created an enormous amount of wealth for a few and a tremendous amount of consumer goods for all the rest…but now it appears that we have in fact created nothing but illusions.

We have found out that bigger is not better.

It is obvious that the concept of “Too big to fail” is an illusion. It should also be no illusion that this country is “Too big to fail.” There is nothing wrong with being big as long as you maintain the same values that you had when before you were big. We obviously lost our values along the way to gaining “the one and only superpower” status.

Now, we do not need to wait to elect change we can actually begin to implement change ourselves. Shop locally and buy “Made in the USA.” Find local providers of produce and buy baked goods from local bakeries. Find local service providers and use them rather than national chains. Move your banking to independent locally owned banks and or credit unions. Turn the television off once a week and the computer and take the family to the local library. Don’t go to church but rather have your family commit that time to a local charity or cause. Go to the next school board meeting and ask them a very simple question, “..why is this school so far behind the national average…” or better yet, “…why is my kid so stupid?” Then demand an answer because we have to start locally to demand accountability and no place is more local than school boards and city councils. Go to your local city council meeting and demand that all services contracted with local funds be given to local firms. Call this the beginning of an affirmation action program for Main Street. Look around your company, your church, and or your school system and see what goods and services they consume and demand that they be locally produced and or provided and that they be “Made in the USA.”

Will it cost more? Sure! But freedom is never cheap and this is definitely an issue of freedom. We have to free ourselves from big government and big business because they exist to support each other. We will never be able to overcome the interests of lobbyists or the desire of politicians for money and thus there is no other way to combat the ills that affect this country except by changing ourselves. We are not victims but rather we have victimized ourselves. If, as conservatives, we believe in the power of the individual and the concept of small government then lets do something about it and lets start now. It has nothing to do with philosophy or concepts but rather it has everything to do with each and everyone of us taking responsibility for our own actions.

I do not need elected officials or leaders to change things I can do just fine all by myself and I have been doing this since around 2000. I do not shop at Walmart but rather at local stores. I buy American every chance I get. I even invest in only companies that have plants in town, and are companies that I know quite well; .truthfully, I invest mostly in Treasury Bonds, Municipal Bonds, and my favorite, U.S. Savings Bonds. When my banker of 15 years told me he had to check with “corporate” I moved all my banking to a local community bank the next week.

That is why I do not buy into all the typical conservative slogans and it is why I do not get all worked up over Obama and all that. I know what it means to be an American and I know that my actions speak louder than any vote I could offer ever could.

Radio On Saturday!

2008-12-13T11:30:00.003-06:00

UPDATE: Jenn and I were on the show for about 50 minutes, and it was a very interesting experience! Our thanks to Ken and Oliver for having us on and giving us a forum to talk about our place here and conservatism in general. I don't think we broke any barriers, but it was fun! My personal thanks go to Jennifer for being a trooper...she came down with the flu yesterday but was determined to carry the torch...The link is below to listen, and it will be good until 1:00 pm EST, Tuesday. After that, go to The Liberal Lie for playback.

Just a little reminder that Jenn and I will be appearing on The Liberal Lie radio on Saturday at 10:30 am EST. This show is fun, light, and quick moving. We are both excited about the chance to get our voices and views out beyond this space.

Go there a few minutes early and register for the chatroom, where you can interact with the show if you don't want to call in, but since we thrive on interaction on the blog, we certainly will on radio!

If you miss the live broadcast, it will be archived on the BTR site within minutes of the show concluding. Click over there and listen to the first half hour or so...

We have all been a little slow this week due to the busy time of season, but don't go away, check out the radio show, and stay tuned in the near future for appearances by T-P and Craig, and even Gayle and Sam if they can break away from life for a few minutes...

A Guest Post From TAO - Part I

2008-12-13T05:00:00.002-06:00

Sometimes you have to look around at the world you find yourself in and you just cannot help but wonder, “...what is going on?”

Just a few short months ago our economy was just chugging along and now when you look around not much looks different but you are now seeing everything from a different perspective. In a matter of months our economy went from being strong and robust (Paulsen, July 2008) to today where we find out that the core of our economic system is rotten and that we are most likely on the verge of a depression. Oh, and it was announced this week that we have actually been in a recession for almost a year (I am not really sure what kind of data the Federal Reserve, the Treasury Department, and or all these economists study but it sure is out of date by the time they get to it if it takes them a year to figure out a recession!). The only real difference between a recession, which most of us are familiar with and, a depression, which very few of us has any experience with, is that the situation is similar except that during a depression you also have deflation.

There are homes empty on your street where once families lived and this is due to the economy. It is not something that affected certain communities but it is affecting all communities; it is just not as obvious of an event in some communities as it is in others.
Between the subprime mortgage fiasco, the absurd mortgages that were proposed, and or the economic downturn many more Americans will lose their homes.

Our children are also beginning to drop out of college because their parents cannot afford the cost of tuition. I am not real sure that our economy can truthfully generate enough jobs, even in the healthiest of times, to justify all the college graduates we turn out in a year but I do realize that without college graduates we sure are not going to be able to create anything.

If you really look at our middle class today, you see people who work very hard and are very capable. But they are fearful for their jobs. They are putting off having children just due to the sheer cost of raising children. They are taking part time jobs or working for temporary agencies just in an effort to stay economically viable. Yet, they cannot seem to achieve anything without credit. As I drive to the office everyday I cannot help but notice that most of the newest businesses that have opened up over the last five years are payday loan centers and rent to own stores.

None of which represents wealth but in actuality represents poverty. In the month of November we lost the most jobs in one month than we have lost in any one month in the last 34 years. Our only gains, in regards to jobs, occurred in schools, government, and health care. All of which are dependent on the government to a large degree for their income.

We need to realize that this economic meltdown began with the speculation in real estate. Ten years ago you could not find a home valued at $500,000 now we have gated communities where the lots alone cost $200,000. With the development of interest only loans any weekend handyman could begin to “flip” houses on the weekend and make big bucks. It’s no different than in the days of the internet bubble when anyone with a couple of hundred dollars could get on the internet and trade stocks during lunch time. You didn’t need to know anything about the stock market, you didn’t need to know anything about the companies whom you were trading their stock; the market always went up.

I was getting telephone service from WorldCom and every month the bill was getting less and less and every month there was another special to save me hundreds of dollars and every month their stock was hitting new levels.

Enron was breaking records with its income but yet under everything they were a utility company and for the most part utilities are a regulated sector.

If you are constantly building homes, remodeling homes, or selling homes for a higher and higher price you need to constantly find more people to sell to if the scheme is to continue.

Our automakers are on the ropes but do not fear, so are all the foreign automakers; I wonder how many millions of their cars are sitting on the docks at our ports. No one is selling cars right now.

Less than six months ago our economy was just fine. Now we have watched our stock market lose almost 50% of its value, we have watched real estate prices plunge and will continue to do so. Next we will see companies folding, those companies that need short term loans to make payroll every week, then those companies that used low interest rates to expand their facilities and then in a short time the REITS will begin to fold under the over leveraged positions they find themselves in.

Then it will be credit card debt that will fold and take down the very same banks that are being bailed out right now. In 2007 banks earned 18 billion dollars in late fees on credit cards debt alone. Trouble is they can call it income but it is only a fee until such time it is collected. In 2009 they will charge all the fees they want but until someone actually pays their bill that income is an uncollected receivable.

Now, conservatives can continue to point at government and blame them, the liberals can point at the rich and blame them but the reality is our government and our economy no longer represent the values of the people of this country. It is not about the values of our Founding Fathers, or of our religious beliefs, but rather the core values that have made this country great.

Our government and our economy lost those values because we lost sight of the importance of our values to our lives. We got wrapped up in dogma of the political parties, we got blinded by the reward of supply side economics, we got cocky about being the “winner” of the battle of superpowers, and we became distracted by issues such as abortion, and gay marriage. As the liberals watched “MSM” which discussed all of the negative news the conservatives hovered over Rush Limbaugh and Fox News who lambasted everyone else and glorified their listeners and viewers for being the “true” patriots.
Some place along the way we forgot what it meant to be Americans. We lost sight of the fact that Americans were liberals, and conservatives. That Americans were the rich and the poor, the gay and straight, the pro life and the pro choice. Someplace over the last 30 years we lost sight of the fact that society, government, and an economic system all exist for one purpose and one purpose only: “…of the people, by the people, for the people.”

A Guest Post From Ken....Baracks's Night Before Christmas

2008-12-11T20:38:00.006-06:00

A fantabulous guest post written by Ken at The Liberal Lie, The Conservative Truth

BARACK'S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - THE SUNDAY COMMENTARY

Twas just days before Christmas and all through the land, liberals were celebrating the election of their man.

His name was Barack the libs favorite son, they just worshipped this guy and called him, "the one."

He hailed from Hawaii or Kenya or both, the left didn't care they just gave him their vote.

With change as his motto and no substance at all, this guy came from nowhere and they gave him the ball.

Now he has signs which say, "I'm Prez -Elect," he's picking and choosing from rivals to select,

those that work with him as he takes up the reigns, of an office in DC which can be a strain.

Nancy and Harry are up on the Hill, chuckling and dancing, which gives me a chill.

"We've got full control and we think it just swell, though the people who come here surely do smell."

"We'll push through our socialist plan every day, with our messiah, Barack leading the way !"

But wait just a minute, "the one," changed his plan, he's picking some people who differently stand.

He says to Bob Gates, " I want you to stay, since defense in now working we'll keep it that way."

The left is now fuming and feeling betrayed, but don't worry guys you'll still get your way.

You see he's got Hillary and Joe, Eric and Bill, they think as he does from the left with a shrill.

Don't forget Bubba with his wife now at State, he'll find blonds and brunettes to add to his slate.

Barack's in Chicago meeting the press, with his wife named Michelle finding an Inaugural dress.

He stands at his mike with a sign he made up, just telling his minions, "I'll give you a full cup."

"Filled with programs and goodies and government deals, paid for by those with more earnings, those heals !"

"I've got bailouts and credits and loads of green cash, whose mortgage is paid for by those we will tax."

"I'll talk to Iran, Hugo and Castro, we'll sit at a table they'll call me their Bro."

"The UN will be the foreign policy guide, and terrorist need no longer to hide."

"The courts will take over not guns, men and tanks, the troops will come home and give ME their thanks."

"Their mission will be left not finished and undone, but I'll still claim victory and tell you, I'VE won."

"The troops will complain about their relief, but who gives a rip I'm Commander in Chief !"

Barack will soon to Washington go, with plans and agendas taking him to an fro.

They'll dance and they'll sing on inauguration day, but surely our history might show him the way.

When he sees each great icon of George, Abraham and Tom, standing in awe in Washington town.

I pray that the influence these giants created, will give him a pause and he'll see he's overrated.

The greatness of men who have led us through time, may hopefully give Barack the wisdom of mind,

to see that our freedoms came not from the Gov, but from a an idea whose framing was made through strong love.

For a country where everyone achieves and believes, in making our way in this land of the free.

If this happens when Barack takes command, then maybe we'll have bright hope in our land.

If not then the struggle in keeping us free, will reside in the power of you and of me.

In making this guy who thinks Gov is the key, accountable and answerable to each who are free !

If we do then this Christmas of two thousand and eight, will be one in which we the people do great.

In keeping our land from the socialist bug, and fighting for freedom in this land that we love.

Telling this guy who thinks he's the light, Merry Christmas to all, and our country's still RIGHT!!

What Color is the Conservative Flag?

2008-12-11T05:00:00.001-06:00

We thought this to be an interesting post with some interesting comments, and thank those who have written for their participation. We are leaving it on top for a couple of more days, so please not only read and respond, but keep scrolling for new material!

Truth-Pain:

Lately, we have been talking about certain tenets or beliefs dealing with government and civics that all factions and wings of conservatives can rally around. So what are those things? What are these pillars of conservatism that we all agree upon, regardless of where we are in the ideology spectrum?

I took this question to the esteemed members of this Blog. Each of us have our own Blogs, our own life-experiences that have influenced how we view conservatism; I can safely say we each have a particular view within the conservative tent that appeals to us more than others.

I chose four as the number. Four is an architectural commoner for me, as it implies symmetry, cohesion and basic support; pillars of foundation for lack of a better visual. I think we as believers of a conservative philosophies can express at least four items to imprint into a universal conservative platform. At the very least, its a good start.

I volunteer to step on the Elephant dung first. My choices, not in any way prioritized, are as follows:

* Smaller Government: Can there be a bigger Elephant (pardon the pun) in the room? If this is not the one banner to unite us, then we cannot be united. But what is small? Size of bureaucracy or size of budget? I will keep it simple just to get to my next one. I will pick budget. I recommend a Constitutional amendment that will limit federal spending to no more than 15% of GDP (excepting bona fide national emergencies). That's a full 5% more than God himself demands from his flock. I'm being generous.

* Non-foreign intervention: This is a sticky one, but I am not saying cutting the military unnecessarily. I am saying, eliminate wasteful weapons systems that will NEVER come to production, stop being the world cops for every little event that happens and calling for an end to being protectors of the European Union. We send the Marines abroad only when there is indisputable proof and blatant evidence that by not conducting pre-emptive action that it would cause grave and imminent harm to the United States. Liberating countries and spreading freedom through military means is a liberal bastion of thought. Where the hell it got into the conservative platform is beyond me.

* Free-but-equal trade: This is not a sexy choice, but I think there is no larger item that directly affects the economic model of a conservative country. We tear up every single NAFTA, CAFTA, CRAP-TA agreement we have and make new agreements with everybody. You subsidize your industry? so do we. You have cheap labor, sorry, our consumer goods have to rise a bit but we don't bleed our jobs overseas for the sake of 10% savings on our I-pods. I am simplifying of course, but you clearly see where my sails are blowing here. This goes somewhat cross-grain to my open market belief, but like all things, none can live in a vacuum.

* We celebrate conservation of the land: What? you say... are you talking environment? Isn't that a liberal stronghold? Yes it is! and I don't know why! Look, I am not for taking over large swaths of land by Fiat the way Teddy Roosevelt did, but the Genie is out of the bottle on that. Conservatives let liberals steal this prime item by using the land when convenient (oil, gas, lumber and coal industries) but looking the other way at clean water issues, air quality, and keeping our lips shut when the Exxon Valdez went "ooops" up in Alaska. Conservatives should conserve! Conservatism moves slowly and methodically towards change. That is natural to us. Who says we have to be business developers 100% of the time? Can we at least get a dialogue here?

OK, who is next?

JENNIFER:

Okay, I guess it's my turn. I'll stick with the theme and do my four most important conservative principles. Not in any particular order I will now type who is safe.......oh sorry, I've been watching too much Dancing With The Stars.....

* Small Government - I agree 100% with T-P on this subject, although I will take it a step further and say both bureaucracy and budget. I want the government involved in social issues, health care, education, etc. as little as humanly possible. Let me decide what is right for me and my family, not some out of touch with reality politician. When we put politicians in charge we are basically saying that they are more honest and capable of making decisions and nothing could be further from the truth. Stop the irresponsible spending, especially on bailouts that they have no business interfering with, in the first place.

*Preserving the Constitution - The Constitution of the United States is the cornerstone of our American government. Our forefathers developed the Constitution to set limitations on what government is allowed to do and establish our freedom. It has done so quite effectively for over 200 years and they would be appalled if they could see how liberalism is chipping away at it's fundamental principles.

*Individual Freedom and Empowerment - There is power in knowing that it is up to us to determine how we live our lives. It is our duty and responsibility to protect and defend individual's freedom and rights granted to us by the Constitution. Individual Freedom has empowered people throughout the years and they have accomplished many great things because of it. We want to be free, to choose our own destiny, to make our own choices and to have the power over our own mind, body, lives, and soul.

*States Rights - We desperately need to give the power and responsibility back to the states, especially in regards to education. All states are different and need to be treated as such. One policy that might make a lot of sense in Alaska, might not work so well in New York. We need to remember that the government did not create the states, the states created the government. Too many have forgotten that important fact! One size fits all may be great for sweatshirts but in government it just doesn't work. The Tenth Amendment states.......

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

ROBERT:

Since I haven't yet been voted off the island here at CC, I will press on and add what four items on which I believe the conservative philosophy should rest. This is easier for me since T-P and Jenn have already served as guinea pigs.

* Respect for the original intent of the framers of the Constitution. Distinctly different from strict constructionism, originalism is the theory of interpretation that relies upon the framer's intent. The articles within the Constitution are both broadly written and narrowly defined. The Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial does not specify the definition of speedy, but the Sixth Amendment does specifically guarantee the right to counsel for a trial.

It is important that the intent of the founders be respected if the document is to remain viable. Adding new rights and eliminating old ones are not within the purview of courts. The courts were constructed so that the Constitution would be applied to federal and state decisions, not to be the creator of phantom law.

* Respect for states rights. Jenn covered this one, but as usual we are of like mind. I need not discuss the concept here, as it is evident in the text of the Constitution that the federal government was to be limited to specific areas of concern, and the other areas left to the individual or to the states. A prime example of the intrusiveness of the government into state affairs is the condition of education in this country. The Constitution does not give the fed the responsibility of educating children, therefore the education standards should be written and enforced at the state level. It is how citizens can actually control the outcome of the affairs of the states, as local control is far more effective and responsive to citizen desires and concerns.

* Capitalism. In his first inaugural address in 1801, Thomas Jefferson said "A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government."

I am not sure anything else need be said.

* Strength and Integrity of the nation. Alexis de Tocqueville stated "America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."

America's integrity is in question. Not because of the war in Iraq, and not because we seek to eradicate those who would attack us. It begins at home, where about 1 in 5 people have a healthy disrespect for the very legislative body that rules with an iron fist so many aspects of our lives. Our government, as individuals, acts selfishly with only the thought of today. How can the decisions of our federal government around the world be respected when her own citizens do not have confidence in the very people for whom they vote?

Conservatives must define the role of the United States in the world, for the reality is that as America goes, so does the world. It can be seen in this current economic downturn which is affecting the entire world population. The economic situation didn't start in North Korea or Somalia or the United Kingdom. It began in America because of irresponsible lending practices by banks that were not regulated by government. It is our own domestic actions that cause doubt and lack of confidence in America.

There you have it, short and to the point. Will they let me stay here another week?

Craig

What am I trying to conserve? When I look at the world, even the history of the world, what we have in America is unprecedented and unique. Imagine going to a room at a convention center in any city in America and sitting with 2 or 3 dozen other people and its up to you to form a new nation. You have just come through a period of abuse and oppression at the hands of a monarch. Older relatives have told you stories of how they fled their homeland because of religious persecution. Some of the people in the room with you own other human beings and treat them as chattel. What are your priorities, what do you insist upon, what points do yield and what informs your decisions?

Imagine being able to access the words and thoughts of people throughout history through youtube videos. You could watch History Channel depictions of past civilizations and determine what worked and what didn't work. If you had the works of great philosophers and thinkers who had studied these questions long before you, what would you find? What would be your priority? The absolute essence of who we are as Americans, what draws the rest of the world's citizens to our shores, legally, illegally, by stowing away on a ship, by milk cartons and inner tubes tied together with shoe laces launched into shark infested waters, by H1 visas and through asylum, by charter or military transport, by hook or crook is freedom from the tyranny of government. Whether it is the stifling tyranny of Eurosocialist regulatory and entitlement schemes or the dictatorship of a Zimbabwean thug, their people want to come here. Whether it is the oppression and corruption of the ejido system or laws in Mexico that don't permit dark skinned Indians to migrate to the cities or a People's Republic that can't feed its people in Asia, they want to come here. But why?

It is rumored that Thomas Jefferson was unhappy with a couple of the revisions to his original writing of the Declaration of Independence. Principle among the changes he objected to was changing the wording of that famous phrase "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Hapiness." It is rumored that he originally wrote what he took from John Locke's Two Treatises of Government, Life, liberty and the pursuit of property. Jefferson understood and believed what Locke wrote. He knew that the key to freedom is the ability to own and dispose of property as you see fit (property and contract rights). Jefferson hung around long enough to eventually become president, of course, but also to participate in the Constitutional convention. In the 5th and 14th Amendments, you will find in the due process clauses of those amendments the phrase, life, liberty or property.

Property rights secure our freedoms (religion, speech, right to bear arms, assembly, etc,) and protects us from the tyranny of government. As it turns out, it is also the key to our prosperity and anywhere you find prosperity in the world, you will find either tyranny or property rights and since there can be only so many tyrants, to me the essence of classical liberalism, conservatism, what I want to conserve, is free exchange secured by property rights. The strongest critique of John Locke was by Karl Marx who in his Communist Manifesto said "the theory of communists may be summed up in a single sentence: Abolition of private property." How does one "spread the wealth?" Through the abolition of private property.

A Revolutionary Spirit

2008-12-09T19:49:00.003-06:00

A Good Idea For All Of Us! Courtesy of TAO at A Radical Perspective.

Since Christmas is fast approaching I think it might behoove all of us to realize that WE can make a difference! So, remember this as you go out shopping:

"There are 293 million people living in the United States. If each one would shift $20 a month in spending from foreign made products to American made products, that would create 5 million new jobs."
---Made in the USA.com

So rather than waiting around for Washington to solve our problems or waiting around till 2010 to vote for the candidate that will represent our values let "vote" with our pocket book; lets start a revolution one person at a time!

Two great resources: Made In The USA and Still Made In The USA.

Lets purchase $20 worth of MADE IN THE USA goods for each and every person in your household and or each and every person on your Christmas gift list!

P.S. To all my blogging buddies please cross post this on your own blog (banners are available at http://www.madeinusa.com/ and
http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/ it is the patriotic thing to do!

Monday Night Panel Chat - Economics

2008-12-08T16:02:00.000-06:00

Radio Appearance By Jenn and Robert!

2008-12-07T05:00:00.005-06:00

We are humbled to be invited as guests on a BlogTalk Radio show next Saturday, December 13th at 1030 a.m. Eastern time. You can listen at http://theliberalslies.blogspot.com/
The BTR link will be at the top of the main column, and click on it to be taken to the show page. Go a few minutes early and register there, as there is a chat room that accompanies the show and you can interact with the show in chat, or you can call in just like regular talk shows.

Ken and Oliver over at The Liberal Lie are long time blog friends of both of us. In fact, it was through the blog over there that Jenn and I first met. Ken spotlights a new Blog Of The Month and Jenn's was highlighted one month, and I thought her title was intriguing - Jenn's Journey As A Conservative Chic - so I clicked over to find an interesting place on the net. I don't remember how long her site had been published, but neither of us had been there very long. It didn't take long and we were friends, each following the other's blog. Ken was a regular at both of our sites, and has already become a regular here. I have always valued his perspective, his words of support and encouragement, and CC is his current BOTM.

He has done a BTR radio show for some time, and has a nice following there. If you go to the BTR page from his page, then you can listen to archived shows. If you are hanging out Saturday morning, click over there and listen to Jenn and I muddle through this interview. It will be good practice, because we have already talked about a Conservative Convictions show of some type.

In the coming weeks, Ken wants to get the entire CC group on as guests, either individually or all together, and I promise interesting interviews and fun radio. As always, we enjoy your support and following, and the knowledge that you guys have taken ownership of this place too. Without you, we are just a few odd people typing to ourselves...Please join in the radio broadcast. Our part will be about 30 minutes at 1030.

Almost forgot - Don't go hunting Jenn's Journey. Jenn abandoned that site to create her Palace For A Princess. Our loss, because she had some amazing things there.

Monday Night Panel Chat - Economics

2008-12-06T08:00:00.002-06:00

Join us Monday December 8th for a Live Blog event that you will find informative and educational! The event begins at 900 PM Eastern Time.

Other materials follow this announcement, so please scroll down and don't stop here!

A few points so you will know the format:
1) There will be a panel answering questions from the moderator. A question will be asked, and each panelist will have 1 1/2 minutes to give a response. Each panelist in turn will then have the same amount of time to respond.
2) A panelist may request time to respond to the others comments, with a 60 second allowance.
3) After each moderator question, a question will be given from the audience. Please submit your question just as you would for the chat room, and when it is time I will post it for the panel. You can address the question to one panelist, or the moderator will assign one.
4) After the formal panel chat, the chat room will be open for general chat.
5) During the panel time, the room will not be open for general chat.
6) With the chats at the site this week surrounding economics, several people have expressed their appreciation for the discussion and the "lessons" given from Craig. Please attend and participate, and there will be some good information as well as entertaining discussion.

Guest Post by Patrick.......Death, Taxes and A Holiday

2008-12-06T00:00:00.000-06:00

Death, Taxes, and a Holiday

Patrick Murray
Sane Political
Discourse

It's said that there are two things in life that are certain: Death and
taxes. Somehow I'm going to tie them altogether and make it make
sense. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure and insanity (despite
the name) of my blog, that's a bigger challenge than you'd imagine. But
with the $700 billion socialist sickness that I have kindly termed the Dastardly
Bastardly Bailout continuing to fester (and having trillions added), we're in
the process of making mistakes that will eventually cripple our company.

First, Principles First

The idea of the federal government taking taxpayer money to fix problems they
have caused with a myriad of idiotic programs and laws by bailing out companies
who messed up and didn't have sense to see the hole their benevolent Big Brother was digging for them should be anathema to anyone who possesses conservative convictions. We are
(supposed to be) a country that functions on free market principles and
individual responsibility. This means that when you succeed, you rake in
the dough. If you fail, you crash and burn. But since the days of
the Great Depression, the government has increasingly swept in as the
"protector" of people and companies. And the ways they have done this have
gone so far from the Founding Fathers' intent that we could power a city if we
hooked them up to generators. That's how fast they have to be spinning in
their graves.

Of that $700 billion flung out there by Congress, plenty has been happily
abused. But at this point, there's $350 billion still floating out there
uncommitted to specific companies. And to add insult (and the usual
Washington shuffle) to injury, the Bad Three automakers (AKA Oliver G, Oliver F, and Oliver C Twist) were back on the Hill, having spent a day driving their
hybrids up to make up for their private jet ride the first time (commercial
flights do go from Detroit to DC) just so they could stick their hands
out and ask for more (from $25 to $35 billion now). And there are some
lawbreakers... uh, lawmakers that want to tap some of the $350 billion left of
the DBB to do it.

"I Beg to Dream and Differ..."*

Enter Congressman
Louie Gohmert. He came up with a great idea to use up the rest of that
otherwise wasted money:

A TAX HOLIDAY!

Here's the deal. We pay about $160 billion a month in deductions from our
paychecks (Income and FICA). His idea is to take the money already
committed to waste on suckling a failing business and just eliminating
everyone's taxes for January and February.

Imagine the advantages:

1. $160 billion pumped into the economy for those two months-- Instant growth
and debt reduction across the board.

2. There's no administrative costs, because the money never gets to
Washington!

3. In March, taxes come back and people realize how much money Washington is
sucking from them. There's a good chance it will make the Boston Tea Party
look like an ice cream social in comparison.

Now, like government, taxes are a necessary evil, as the legitimate functions of
government do have to be financed. But the temporary elimination the theft
of cash from the weekly wage earner will prime people for a change....

Save the Economy, Abolish the IRS

The change I'm talking about is the FairTax. I'm going to cover it in
brief here, but when you are wondering whether it can work, check out the
site: http://http//www.fairtax.org/ (apologies for having to look at Huck-a-Duck, who's hawking his
book there right now).

I discovered the FairTax through my incessant need to devour hours of talk radio
(Neal Boortz in this case). I heard about it for several months before I
finally got around to the site. I spent a couple of hours reading, and was
converted enough to send them money from my tax refund (and money was tight at
that time). The FairTax (a consumption tax) is absolutely in line with
conservative principles of limiting government and empowering the
individual.

Some highlights:

No paycheck deductions - I start with this one because this feature is
what will sell it come March and people have to pay these. Essentially, if
you get paid $8/hour, you get that much on your check (except state, local, and
personal deductions, of course). And the employers don't have to pay the
matching crap. Which means they can pay more.

23% - This is the absolute maximum amount of your income that will go to the
tax. If you made $2000, spent $2000, and were an illegal alien
(undocumented worker for you PC whiners), you'd pay $460 in taxes. For
those of us with Social security numbers....

The Prebate - This is a check from the government that offsets any
FairTax paid up to the poverty line. So by personal choices, you can pay
no taxes, or a whole lot of taxes. The prebate is paid based on members of
your household. If you have 3, you get the prebate for each
individual.

One-time taxing - The tax only applies to consumer items once. This
means used items are not taxed. Related to this is....

No embedded taxes - Businesses do not pay taxes. They take the tax,
turn it into a cost, and make us pay that. The FairTax eliminates that,
putting all the taxes in one place. This means that prices adjust to
remove the embedded taxes and are only added back in on your receipt.

Transparency - You can look on your receipt and see the FairTax.
$23 of every $100 goes to the FairTax (which is the average amount we pay
now).

Emasculating Washington - While Congress will have the power to adjust the
FairTax, what they won't be able to do is adjust the system to reward some
people while punishing others, control behavior, and deceive the people who
can't afford the accountants to hide their money. The obscene tax code is
one of the greatest powers that they have over all of us. Not so under the
FairTax.

For further info (and clarification of my highlights), here's the FairTax FAQ.

Big Honkin' Finish

One of the first steps to making the government responsible and limited again is
to create transparency, both in spending and taxing. Until we can unify, we'll be caught between our personal benefit and
our principle, and the cluster that lives inside the Beltway will continue to
tentacle out like a demonic octo-pig, with a hand on every shoulder and a teat
in every pot. I believe something as simple and radical as the FairTax is
a first step. The tax holiday would help to accomplish that goal.
And it would be a better use of that thrice-damned** bailout than what our
"leaders" have come up with.

And remember, if we're loud enough, they might figure out that another stimulus
check is really not the answer.

(* bonus points for anyone that can name the song title, artist, and album I
snatched the above quote from)

(**double bonus points if you can get the TV show and character I get that
phrase from)

Different.......... Yet Alike

2008-12-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

I thoroughly enjoyed the chat yesterday. Besides getting to know everyone better (some, too much LOL) I learned something very important. We are all here for the same purpose, to bring back conservatism back to the GOP. What I realized though, is that we are all different. Our viewpoints take many different shapes and sizes. There is no one size fits all when it comes to conservatism. Some of the topics we came across last night was the importance of chocolate, and how to correctly say you all. Since we were surrounded by southerners, ya'll seemed to be the consensus. A few of the more important ones were the legalization of drugs, and the auto industry buyout. There were some really good debates with many varying opinions. I've always been rather stubborn when it comes to my opinions, (as some of you know) but what I have come to realize is that if you don't open up your mind you will never grow and mature as a person.

We've had a few people that have taken issues with the fact that opinions are like....well you know the saying. For the first time, I am actually thankful for all the different viewpoints presented. I've realized that to accomplish our goals we need to open our minds and really listen to opposing viewpoints. In the end, they might still be dead wrong....... but it will only strengthen our views and opinions, and if we come out with just one thing that we not have thought of then we are the better person for it. We need to respect the differences among us, and unite in the things that we have in common.

We are here to debate, discuss, and pursue the true definition of conservatism and only through that, can we accomplish our true purpose, bringing conservatism back to the GOP.

Monday Night Chat - Econ 101

2008-12-05T05:59:00.002-06:00

Big news, and a big event here at CC! Monday night at 9:00 EST we will have a moderated panel chat with three panelists discussing an economics topic that touches you personally, and the country as a whole!

I will post some more information later today, as this will be a different format than this week's chat, but I know you are going to enjoy it! There will be an opportunity for you to address your questions both during and after the panel chat. In addition, we will have a panelist with a viewpoint that is not strictly conservative...it will give a wider perspective on economics issues and the panelists participating are intelligent people who give a great deal of thought to their positions.

Join us Monday! Spread the word!

And a side note, we now have a presence on Facebook as well...check the top of the sidebar for the link....It is a little bare right now, but it is w work in progress! Invite your friends there too!

Who Gets to Decide Who is "Normal"?

2008-12-04T09:54:00.004-06:00

1 in 5 young Americans has personality disorder"

CHICAGO - Almost one in five young American adults has a personality disorder that interferes with everyday life, and even more abuse alcohol or drugs, researchers reported Monday in the most extensive study of its kind.

The disorders include problems such as obsessive or compulsive tendencies and anti-social behavior that can sometimes lead to violence. The study also found that fewer than 25 percent of college-aged Americans with mental problems get treatment.

The article also stated that one expert said personality disorders may be overdiagnosed. Go to the link for the full article. You can actually read an article from MSNBC without suffering too much of a personality disorder.

What seems normal to one person may not seem normal to another. Two questions: Who's deciding what a personality disorder is? Do they have any personality disorders themselves? Are all psychiatrists personality disorder free? Okay... that's three questions. Sorry.

I've been tagged by Don's" mind. The tag requires that I post seven "odd" things about myself. it seems to fit in pretty well with this post.

I occasionally enjoy the whiff of Skunk when driving. I'm a woman who hates to shop. I don't like crowds, and after hearing about that poor man being stomped to death at a Wal-Mart, I'm thankful for that! I'm ambidextrous. I don't have a favorite color. I actually like Caster Oil. I like the smell of Cabbage. My favorite smell is gasoline. So... am I normal? Probably not. But what's normal, and as I said before, who gets to decide? Do I even want to be considered "normal"? I don't think so. We're all born with different abilities, and we all have different experiences that help make up our personalities. One man's "normal" is another man's "crazy as a loon", so I don't see how these studies can be made with any real accuracy.

I know the study focused on personality deficiencies that interfere with everyday life, but I still have my doubts as to the accuracy of it, probably because I hate to contemplate one out of five young people being nuts.

I'm going shopping today. :(

(Crossposted at Dragon Lady's Den.)

Meet And Greet Chat!

2008-12-03T19:55:00.000-06:00

Chat TONIGHT, 9:00 PM EDT

2008-12-03T05:56:00.002-06:00

Please join for a live chat session on Wednesday night at 9:00-10:00 P.M. EST.

Since we have a great group of regulars here, Jenn had an idea to make the first chat an open forum so that everyone can become acquainted. Since we want to make this as interactive a place as possible, it will be a great opportunity to hear about you! Also, we need to get some input regarding chat topics and preferences so that it is something worthwhile for you to attend. Please join us for an hour or even for part of the hour.

When you come to the site tonight, look below this announcement and there will be a large post. It will look different than the rest, and will have a "Play" button in the center. Click that play button to enter the chat. You will enter a name, and that is how your comments will be displayed.

A couple of notes about that chat:
1) The chat is moderated, which means that your comments won't appear until cleared by the moderator, unless I give change your settings to allow unmoderated comments. I will do that for as many as possible, but there is a limit on how many can be granted that instant transmission. It is the one real downside to this chat function.

2) Please refrain from anything uncivilized. I don't think anyone who is regular will create problems, but there are trolls and gremlins lurking from time to time.

3) Please be patient as I conquer the learning curve moderating the chat for a number of people. This chat function has been tested with just a few, but I am sure it will take a few minutes for me to get comfortable with the controls.

Enjoy! Please let us know your preferences for topics, times, days, and anything you think would make the blog better! Thanks for joining us tonight!

We Reap What We Sow

2008-12-02T09:42:00.002-06:00

A Talking Paper on Economics Basics
By Sam Huntington

Introduction

While there are some of us who find history interesting, its only real value is that it teaches us valuable lessons from the past. We know from history that there are causes and effects; we understand that there are very often unintended consequences to causes, and that over time, one effect may in turn cause yet another. Often, causes and effects are not readily apparent, so we must rely on critical thinking to sort them out. In my opinion, we Americans don’t do so well in our critical thinking skills; if we were a nation of critical thinkers, our country would not be in its present financial mess.

Economics is both an art, and a science. There are two essential parts to this topic: theoretical economics, and practical economics. The people who deal in theoretical applications are mostly university professors who have never worked in the real world, so they are prone to argue the kind of nonsense promoted by Karl Marx. Practical economists, on the other hand, have had to sink or swim in the real world of financial management; they generally know what they are talking about, but even then, it is difficult to find economists who agree on either the causes or effects of economic decisions.

It is not the intent of this essay to restate the economic development of the United States; it would take too long and few people are even interested. Rather, I will attempt to illustrate important developments that produced our present economic situation.

Background

First, understand that money is a medium of exchange. Until recently, money had a value based on standardized weights and measures. Gold and silver coins, for example, contained a certain amount of this precious metal, often certified; its weight in gold or silver gave the coin its value. The problem with heavy coins, however, is that they are heavy and somewhat inconvenient to carry around, In early America, bankers sought to create paper money, gold or silver certificates; that way, gold and silver could be retained safely in banks while allowing people to exchange these certificates for goods and services. We called this paper money certificates because it was possible to present them to a bank, and receive gold or silver upon demand.

Not everyone was in favor of paper money, however. Thomas Jefferson, for example, warned us that “Paper is poverty . . . it is only the ghost of money, and not money itself.” Over time, the US government removed currency from the gold and silver certificate standard; today, our money is simply paper. The point is that there is no longer a psychological attachment to money because it has no intrinsic value except that we can exchange this paper for some quantity of goods. If we still used twenty-dollar gold pieces, we would be less likely to exchange them for Chinese made goods at Wal-Mart. Mr. Jefferson continued: “The trifling economy of paper, as a cheaper medium, or its convenience for transmission, weighs nothing in opposition to the advantages of the precious metals . . . it is liable to be abused, has been, is, and forever will be abused, in every country in which it is permitted.” Mr. Jefferson was right.

About Debt

Individual (consumer) debt has been with us for a very long time. It might have started with one neighbor borrowing a shovel from another and then giving it back later. If the borrower failed to give it back, ancient societies might have placed the borrower into bondage until “interest” to the lender was satisfied. Modern lending began in Italy during the 1300s; bankers loaned money, but demanded the payment of some amount of interest in addition to the amount borrowed. It was a penalty for borrowing . . . and it still is. Even so, consumer debt in the United States is a relatively new phenomenon, simply because until the 1920s, banks refused to loan money to middle class or poor people. When these people bought things, they had to pay cash for them; this means they had to save up their money first, and then make high-cost purchases.

But then merchants realized that they could expand sales by extending “credit” for the purchase expensive goods. Combined with exceptionally smart marketing techniques, merchants offered “time saving” conveniences, such as appliances: washing machines, refrigerators, gas or electric stoves and ovens, and electric irons. It was possible to buy them “over time.” Consumers had two options: they could put the product on interest free “lay-away,” or they could take the product home, make regular payments, and pay a surcharge for credit (interest).

Credit purchases involved some risk, however. By spending future income on purchases made in the present, there was always the possibility that a worker might lose his job and have no future income. It was a risk many people were willing to take, however. And under credit arrangements with local banks, car dealers could sell more vehicles. Under this system, car dealers profited, and so did banks. Interest rates were usually high (12% in 1928), but no one seemed to notice “over time.” During the Great Depression (1929-1941), the US government encouraged banks to increase loans for cars and homes, and in order to encourage more spending, government began to guarantee these loans.

Following World War II, with a massive increase of consumer goods, government backed loans helped to propel the United States into a consumer-based society. Veterans received government guaranteed loans and by the 1970s, there were six government agencies in the loan guarantee business. By 1989, the US government backed more than 40% of all home loans; they also guaranteed education loans, farms, and small businesses. But even that was nothing compared to the invention of the credit card. It began with Frank McNamara’s Hamilton Credit Corporation (The Diner’s Card, 1950), and rapidly expanded to American Express cards (1958) and Bank of America. Since federal banking law limited interest charges equal to that allowed by state law, bankers made deals with South Dakota and Delaware, permitting unlimited interest charges. And then credit card companies realized that they could charge less interest and make more money by increasing their debt — smaller interest charges on higher amounts, compounded over a longer period. They also made money by charging fees . . . late payment fees times the number of irresponsible borrowers equated to millions of dollars in pure profit.

Discussion

We must now confront two psychological factors: paper money with no intrinsic value, and plastic money, which is no more than an obligation to pay. Most people do not think much about this—they simply go through the motion of working for some number of dollar bills, which they in turn exchange for goods and services . . . most of which they don’t really need. And they use their credit cards regularly, which means, “debt accumulation.” Because it is convenient to use a credit card, people give no thought to accumulating more debt than they can pay off over several years.

Most credit card debt comes from large consumer purchases: televisions, cell phones, cell phone bills, iPods, and computers. People use their credit cards for gasoline purchases, groceries, medical needs, and even sending packages through the Post Office. Every time someone uses a credit card, they incur debt against future income. There are two glitches to this process however. People not only use one credit card to its maximum limit, they often have between six and ten credit cards, and each of those is used to maximum limit as well. The second problem is people do lose their jobs; when that happens, they no longer have the ability to pay off a mountain of debt.

Psychologically, using a credit card isn’t the same thing as pulling out a twenty-dollar bill to pay for purchases, and even that is very different from giving away a twenty-dollar gold piece. Plastic and paper is easy to dispense because we subconsciously know it has no intrinsic value. It is merely a utility. And even when we pay our bills, whether we do that using online services, or writing checks — it is only key strokes or valueless paper. Either process is only a utility to transfer earned income from one account to another. Again, the system appears to work very well up until there is no more income; or when the amount of debt exceeds income potential.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Government has been acting exactly this way since the administration of Woodrow Wilson. One administration after the other has attempted to expand “services” through debt . . . spending future revenue (income) on government programs today. But now it’s much worse; we are spending so much money not even our great grandchildren will be able to pay it off. Like most Americans who have collectively incurred 1-trillion dollars of personal debt, our government is technically bankrupt. Note that government doesn’t create wealth, people do. What government does is tax people a portion of their income in order to spend money on a wide range of programs (most of which the federal government has no business being involved with in the first place).

What are the likely consequences to government’s inability to tax people who are no longer working? Like the errant hedonist consumer, our government increases spending even in the face of diminished revenues, and they do this by going into debt. Like consumers, government must pay interest on its debt, but rather than 20% of say, $10,000.00 . . . the government is paying 10% on $10 Trillion. This obligates the American taxpayer to pay the principle and interest, of course . . . but even worse, the amount is so large that our great-grandchildren will be paying it off. It also means, eventually, much higher taxes for everyone. Our government is currently borrowing money from foreign governments to sustain outrageous spending. How can the United States maintain its internal security and national sovereignty when it is so close to outright bankruptcy?

Tying up Lose Ends

When people aren’t working, they aren’t spending. When they aren’t spending, there is a decrease in the demand for goods. When people no longer demand products, companies who make those products start laying-off their workers. An increase in unemployment means a substantial (exponential) decrease in spending and a concomitant decrease in tax revenues. Recently, Congress announced that since gasoline has dropped to less than $2.00/gallon, it would increase its federal excise tax by forty-cents per gallon. Don’t worry though . . . this is the hope and change everyone voted for.

This country is well on its way to economic collapse. I wonder what people will do with all of their expensive high-definition television sets when they have no place to live because they lost their jobs, when they can no longer afford to make their mortgage or rental payments. I wonder what people intend to do with their Lexus or GM Tahoe vehicles that carry upside-down balances: where people owe more than their toys are worth. I wonder how people will react when they finally realize that the federal government is no longer standing there with a safety net.

The number one rule of good government should be, “First, do no harm.” It may also be fitting to consider the saying, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Government does great harm when, in attempting to provide a wide range of human services to the American people, it tramples on the Constitution of the United States. As we have seen, the road to hell in this case is extraordinary debt and the loss of national sovereignty to foreign creditors.

If this realization finally takes hold, people will understand that it isn’t the purpose of government to provide safety nets. People would not be losing their jobs right now if government had not intruded in areas that are not the business of the federal government. Similarly, people might also realize that had they not spent themselves into oblivion, they would have real savings to sustain them through periods of economic recession.

Recommendations

It is time to learn the lessons of history, even if only recent history. Federal spending on programs that clearly fall outside the purview of constitutional intent of federal government must stop. But there are only three options to stop that wasteful, meddlesome spending: (1) States must tell the federal government to “butt out” of areas that our founders intended to be within the realm of states’ rights. (2) American voters must demand that their elected officials focus more on reduced spending than increasing taxes; enough is enough. We do not need a federal department of education, or Indian affairs, or any number of other programs that do little more than spend our money, and (3) the federal government must acknowledge that they do not have all the answers to the problems that confront us.

Presently, there are more than 26 major federal departments . . . all of them arguing for a percentage of your hard-earned income. These huge bureaucracies employ hundreds of employees who do little more than gobble up our tax dollars. They are very much like the charity organizations that spend enormous sums of money on everything but the charity they advertise. Every dollar collected by the government represents a dollar less available for spending, saving, or investing. Beyond the budget, your federal government has spent $2.7 Trillion on “bail out” provisions; and half of that is money borrowed from foreign governments.

The cost of our consumerism is at hand. Your debt is about to catch up with you. And so too is government debt . . . only it will plague you for the rest of your life, your children’s lives, and for two generations beyond that. There is a long-term solution, though . . . but it must start today with a reorientation in the way we think about money and our economy: Debt is bad even when necessary (such as mortgage loans). High debt places people in a bondage situation: they must work for n years in order to pay off their loans. And because of our artificial monetary system, over-use of plastic credit cards, and uncontrolled government and consumer spending, we are no longer in control of our economic destiny.

Cross-post: Praesidium Respublicae

A Summary of BBC, AP and NYT Coverage of Mumbai

2008-12-02T09:37:00.004-06:00

Youth, disturbed by US aggression in the Middle East and Central Asia, protested attacks on the Muslim faith in Mumbai last week. Some western travelers, many of whom traveled there to exploit the conditions of poverty, created by the largest democracy in the world, including US and British citizens as well as citizens of Israel, were inadvertently harmed by the series of protests, . It is feared that the government of India may have harmed the youth, in an overreaction to their protest. International aid organizations, the Pakistani government and the United Nations are demanding to know the condition of the young men seen carrying the symbols of struggle and resistance in various videos released late last week and over the weekend. Unnamed sources assure us that any civilian casualties were random and most likely due to Indian government ineptness.

Who in Tarnation is Gayle?

2008-12-02T05:01:00.002-06:00

I'm a conservative blogger and have been blogging at http://www.myrepublicanblog/ for approximately four years. I used to post every day, but life has managed to get in the way of such tenacity and I've found I have to slow down. Time passes too darn fast!

We own a farm in the country and my closest neighbors are far enough away where I can't see them, which both my husband and I appreciate. It's not that we don't like people, we just don't like people barging in at all hours of the day and night. My husband is a Vietnam Vet and retired Army. Our children are all grown and on their own. We've moved so many times I can't remember them all, but we're here on the farm in Texas to stay. We grow corn and milo in the summer and wheat in the winter. We go to Church on Sundays and do volunteer work locally. Although it would probably not be appreciated by the PETA people, I shoot wild hogs when I find them because they destroy our crops and kill other small animals, like our outdoor cats. I also will shoot a rattlesnake or a water moccasin on sight. No... I don't lose any sleep over it. When I go fishing I keep what I catch unless I go over the limit. I'm not "politically correct" but I am always polite unless treated with rudeness. I love America and am extremely proud of it. I realize we have our faults, but there's no other country on earth where I'd rather be. I always realized how lucky I was to have been born here, and I pray every night when I go to bed that the liberals don't screw it up too terribly!

Welcome To Another New Team Member!

2008-12-02T05:00:00.001-06:00

Gayle joins us from myrepublicanblog.blogspot.com. She is another who has maintained her own blog for some time. Jenn had the idea to invite her some time ago, and while I suspect that she was getting a little swamped with this testosterone laden blog, Gayle is a welcome addition with her reality based perspective.

Looking forward to hearing more from her soon! She will be posting her own introduction soon, and while her presence may be rare during the holidays, she will be a great contributor as we move into a new year!

Welcome Aboard, Gayle.

Hello

2008-12-01T17:37:00.004-06:00

I am Craig Bardo and I am humbled by the invitation to join Robert, Jennifer (if I may), Truth-Pain and Sam. Perfunctorily, I am a married, father of 5 and a business owner, who resides in Nashville. Who I am is what I believe. I grew up liberal blaming America first, self-absorbed, ungrateful, unmotivated but blessed beyond knowing. I went to church once, on Easter as a child and maybe one other occasion. I was an athlete and played basketball for eventual national champion, Indiana University, but was ineligible to play because of poor grades. I joined the Navy and grew up a little. I saw how truly blessed we are to be born and live in the greatest country in the history of earth and wondered why people lived the way they did elsewhere. I finished college at The Citadel and while there met a man who set me on this path to conservative thought. His name is Dr. Walter Williams of George Mason University, who was a guest speaker for the college's Greater Issues series. My economics professor took an interest in me and arranged an audience with Dr. Williams before he spoke. I asked him questions from my liberal perspective that he batted down with such ease that motivated me to learn more.

Questions I had included: Why not help poor black families with welfare? Why not have people who earn more, pay more in taxes? Why not make corporations pay more taxes and why not regulate business more? Why shouldn't affirmative action be expanded? Why with all of the (supposed) unfairness in this country do we continue to prosper? I assumed and had been taught that it was the work of evil white men, scheming, as it were, to keep a brother down. I also made the most important discovery of my life in this period of inquiry. I discovered that there is someone who always looked past my many, many faults and saw my need. He is known by many names, The Lily of the Valley, The Bright and Morning Star, The Rose of Sharon, The Way, The Truth and the Life, Redeemer, Savior, The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, A Rock in a weary land, A Balm in Gilead, The Alpha and the Omega, The Great I Am and when I can't call him anything else, I call him Jesus. I hope you don't mind if I talk about him from time to time, I'll try not to preach, I won't preach, but sometimes I get excited.

Back to the inquiry... what I discovered in my search for reasons why we prosper here in America and why there is an uneven prosperity here didn't yield simple answers but it did yield a direction and a set of unassailable principles, principles that those that established the experiment that we call America had studied, understood and had the fortitude to be willing to die for and more importantly live by. The key to our prosperity is what John Locke said. He said that a man ought to own himself and the fruit of his labor and intellect, that he should not be subject to the whims of a monarch or a tyrant. He reasoned that the role of government should be to protect a man's life, liberty and property. He argued that being able to dispose of property (real property, personal property and contract rights) as one wished (owning it) is the key to liberty. As it turns out, it is also the key to prosperity.

Another Scotsman, Frances Hutcheson, wrote later that there are certain rights that are inalienable. Thomas Jefferson, being a widely read and well educated man, combined the natural law/rights concepts of Locke, Hobbes, Hutcheson and others into what Dr. King would call on the steps of the Washington Mall, "the magnificent words of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution." "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The wisdom contained in that one sentence is the key to America's unprecedented freedom and prosperity.

I have learned that all of the do gooder schemes of the uninformed do more harm to those they purport to help than had they been left alone, that the unintended consequences of social engineers and tinkerers is more detrimental to the fortunes of America than a direct assault on those the programs are designed to benefit. I look forward to sharing my observations and getting your feedback.

Welcome To A New Team Member!

2008-12-01T10:15:00.005-06:00

An exciting announcement today regarding a new author here at CC. In our commitment to making this a place for serious discussion and quality content, we are pleased to welcome Craig Bardo (CB) to the team!

Craig comes to us from Nashville, TN and has authored his own blog (http://www.financialmarketmeltdown.blogspot.com/) for some time now. He brings to the table economic expertise as well as the perspective of a business owner. His acceptance has been highly anticipated, and I know that you will find his work a value added as you make your rounds through here each day.

Look for his own introductory post in the coming days. Make sure you take a minute and visit his site and see where he has been discussing the economic issues of the day.

Again Craig, Welcome Aboard!

Who the hell is Truth-Pain?

2008-11-30T17:19:00.012-06:00

Dear Fellow Bloggers,

Allow me a brief post to introduce myself. As the founder and main writer for “Truth-Pain Emporium” (http://www.truthpain.blogspot.com/) I’ve been recklessly (some say) rendering opinions and editorial blasts on many topics since 2006. Most of my posting have been on political themes but I do wander off and post on the virtues of watching lizards lick their eyeballs from time to time. One cannot ever confuse my style or content with those Bloggers having serious penmanship or depth of knowledge. Social Sense or Benning's Writing Pad, I am not. I don't even dare call myself a writer, but a social commentator who happens to express it via the written word as my abilities best allow me. When my friends Robert, Jenn and Sam invited me to bring my arsenal of landmines to their garden, it required a brief (yikes…) biography so that the gathered conservative masses could know a little of what makes my Twinkies really frost. So here we go …

I am an Independent voter, with conservative / libertarian leanings, who at times thinks that anarchy mixed with a benevolent Dictatorship is not such a bad idea. I am not a person who buys into any party platform line in absolute alliance. I believe in making the case the case that one can parse ideology to fit your moral or philosophy compass. In my yute, er youth, I was a Democrat because my family mostly was that. Then I turned Republican because I had a severe aversion to communism and thought the only way to defeat the USSR-driven ideology was through the iron-fisted foreign policy of Ronald Reagan. Then I went off the reservation completely and converted to Libertarian thought. Yes I was even baptized and took first Communion in the social-liberal/fiscal conservative dogma. If that description has you confused, it gets better.

I would pile-on to all of you the history of Messier Truth-Pain's life since he was a guppy swimming in his father's pants, but do you really want to know about my childhood in New York, New Jersey and (gasp!) Puerto Rico? Well neither do I, so I will spare you the pity-party I was just going to throw myself. Let’s just itemize those “Jesus moments” of how I became who I am, … deal?

1969: My nine-year old goober butt sits perplexed at the grainy black and white image of Neil Armstrong hopping down from the ladder of the landing craft onto the Moon’s surface. The first memory I have of my mind having a semblance of critical thinking. ["hmmm, Americans are cool and groovy people!"...]

1973: I’m 13 years old sitting in my mom’s Miami home, and instead of playing with my rock em’ sock em’ robots, I was glued to the Watergate hearings [“who is this John Dean guy anyway? and boy, Plumbing sounds like a great career choice...”]

1975: The images of blind-folded American hostages taken by militant students in Iran do not make me more understanding of the world, but it does open my curiosity of Religion, and its cause-effect of events throughout history. At this time, my Pentecostal upbringing is beginning to suffer some serious foundation damage. [..."so Dad, how does God allow this crap to happen again?] Yes, my Christian boat has serious leaks.

1978: While applying on-masse to a federal college grant (true story, I swear), my (Puerto Rican) public-finance High-School Counselor, tells 400+ kids to put “0”, or zero as our parents income so that we could get the top amount in the available BEOG (later Pell Grant) funding. […“hmmm, somebody has to be paying for this, why is my counselor asking me to lie about my parent’s income? Are we Puerto Ricans THAT special?”]

1980: Ronald Reagan was the first truly inspirational public figure that I can remember. Nobody else could have awoken me from the late 70’s “malaise”. His theme of “Morning in America” was my call to serve. For the first time in my lifetime, I was proud to be an American (sorry Michelle Obama, I used the line first). I then joined the US Navy and for the next 4 years ate, drank and crapped GOP evangelism. The Elephant could do no wrong.

1985: I attended a Libertarian seminar in San Francisco by a guy from the CATO Institute. I was never the same. He whipped my melon to ideas and views I had never considered. Talk about a singular moment of clarity. It did not dispel the notions of my Republican blood, but the meaning of Liberties and Freedoms were expanded to the point that I began to question some of the GOP’s platform (It hasn't stopped…)

1992: The first year I began to listen to talk radio. Limbaugh was the only guy on the right, but I had a myriad of left-leaning talkers in the San Francisco market. The truth, I felt, was always in the middle of the war’s fog. I registered independent that year and (so shoot me) I may have helped Bush 41 lose the election by voting for H. Ross Perot [well, at least HE did not look at his watch during the debates…]. Had Perot not run, I dare say, the majority of the 19% who voted for him may have either stayed home, or voted for H.W. Bush. The Clintons would have been a zit in the Ass-heap of history.

2001: September 11^th. I remember rocking my 4-month old daughter to sleep in her mechanical rocker, while watching CNN replay the tumbling down of the twin towers and being scared, truly scared, for the first time in my adult life. The world to me has not been the same since. I remember spending the next month online sucking up everything about Islam. Before that, the last time I seriously thought about it was when Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

2005: The year the GOP party lost me completely. Not conservatism, just the party. I could not understand how a party that shoved “No child left behind” and expanded Drug benefits worth tens of billions down our throat could have won re-election. Was Bush a conservative? Angry and hell-bent confused I searched the web for Forums where I could discover other like-minded persons such as myself and I blundered into “bloggers” […”what kind of idiots are these people who think they can editorialize about news and actually expect people to stop by and comment? The hubris!”]

2006: I turn into an above-stated idiot and launch my own blog, not expecting one comment to come my way. Surely nobody would think the rantings of and ex-Democrat, ex-Republican, ex-Military and living in the People's Republic of Kalifornia were serious enough to consider thought-provoking, right? Boy was I surprised…

I tend to mask my anger and dysfunctional logic with irreverent humor and satirical camouflage. My writings are so grammar and syntax-dyslexic that I am surprised some of my fellow bloggers have not awarded me the prize for “Person most likely to make the English language obsolete all by himself”.

At the end of the day, I am –like most of you-, a native-born American who loves his country, wants to change what is good slowly, and what is bad a bit more rapidly; and who may prefer different roads in the pursuit of my happiness. I try, repeat, try to look at things pragmatically and through the prism of others before I park my cannons on their front lawn and lay waste to their ideology-orchids. I was last in line when God was handing out politically-correct genes,… and then he kicked me out of heaven altogether for beginning to doubt him in the first place.

Having said all that, I am humbled at anyone who graces my opinions with their time and banter. I hope my musings can add to the mission of this blog, not detract from it.

Onward …

A New Generation

2008-11-29T08:13:00.003-06:00

A guest post, by Mustang

Kathleen Parker’s recent article in Jewish World Review does a good job assessing the average American’s understanding of civics, and she was equally credible tying this lack of understanding in to our recent presidential elections. She does overlook one or two things, however. The first is that American education today is precisely where socialist educators wanted it to be from the beginning of their efforts ninety years ago. We cannot expect the American people to choose wisely (from a conservative point of view), when liberal educators have been busily dumbing down our children for more than three generations. I agree American voters did not choose wisely in the past election, but they do have a right under our Constitution to throw off the manacles of freedom in exchange “free” government programs. Our forefathers didn’t trust popular wisdom, and this explains why they created a republic, rather than a democracy.

Last week Victor Hanson wrote a typically exceptional essay, during which he reminded us, “Failure is not an option.” I had to laugh. Failure is most certainly an option. It has always been an option . . . just not one that we older Americans selected for our Nation, our families, or future generations. Failure is always possible, and perhaps even likely in the most difficult endeavors. But we should note the difference between the failure of men who tried to do well, but fell short, and those who failed because they were lazy, inept, or corrupt. Republicans failed when they promised us smaller government, when they reneged on their contract with America. One cannot achieve smaller government while maintaining massive spending, and I think spending less is the key to conservative, smaller government.

The other day, I watched a YouTube video with Mary Katherine Ham participating in a Heritage Foundation forum. The entire focus of the discussion surrounded the question of how to attract younger voters to the conservative camp. They discussed video presentations and ‘chic’ gadgets, and massive text messaging ala Barack Obama. I suppose that’s our direction these days. But I wonder how much substance one can possibly put in 140 characters of text messaging? Not much; but then, how much substance can younger people retain for more than thirty seconds? As I listened carefully to the discussion, it suddenly dawned on me these people were discussing almost everyone in the United States below my age bracket. The “new generation” consists of people content to know, rather than to understand . . . they would rather amuse themselves with video games than read a book.

The new conservative leaders are people like Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindel, and Mark Sanford . . . and while they may recall Ronald Reagan for his contributions, they speak of Reaganism as something that occurred in the “olden days,” somewhere around time when Davy Crockett “kilt his self a bar when he was only three.” I cannot help but wonder if Ham’s post-election discussion would have pursued a different track had John McCain not demonstrated how irrelevant or “out of touch” older people are.

I wish the new generation luck, of course. The new conservative leaders will be dealing directly with people who are the product of liberal education, who do not know the fundamentals of American government, and true to form, don’t really care. Liberals, of course, understand it is easy to lead the ignorant . . . and this is why I believe so much effort has gone into dumbing down the American people. Conspiracy theories always raise eyebrows, but I can find no other explanation why extraordinarily expensive school systems are only able to produce woefully uninformed people who lack the capacity of critical thinking. Well, it did seem to work well enough for socialists in Europe; we Americans just happen to be the last great society to trade government oppression for human dignity and liberty.

After the new generation of conservative political leader finds out how to send text messages, wrap themselves in attractive packaging, and learn how to speak to vast crowds in small sound bites, I hope someone will do something important for the American education system, if it isn’t too late. Since only thirty-four percent of the American electorate is conservative, the failure of our new political leaders to woo moderates toward traditional ideology can only mean one thing: the end of conservatism.

Cross-post: Social Sense

Crime and President Obama's Agenda: A Talking Paper

2008-11-28T09:01:00.008-06:00

Introduction

On President-elect Obama’s website there is a list of items on the agenda for his administration. As I perused these items, I noticed that there was no listing for addressing the issue of crime and the impact on society. I think as President, Obama has an historic opportunity to address a few specific social issues that no President has been able to address in the past.

The issue of crime is on that impacts all of us. Have you ever planned a trip around certain areas of town? Not shopped in a particular location after a certain time? Have you ever looked at the person behind you in line and thought they were reading your credit card number? While perhaps you have not been a direct victim of crime, you are an indirect victim because it influences your lifestyle or life habits.

As a black American and with the support in the election of the national black community, Obama can speak to the causes and solutions of crime. He could speak honestly about the breakdown of the family, the inner city mentality that can become self-perpetuating, the lack of priority on education not from the system but from the individual, and the problem of street gangs. Both the left and the right are off track when it comes to issues of crime. The right believes in retributive justice where punishment is the goal. The left believes in restorative justice and interventions. The solutions, like most other things in life, can be found somewhere in the middle and through a combination of approaches.

Background

A relatively recent, yet not new focus in criminal justice is Community Oriented Policing, or COPS. If the new administration would take advantage of their unique ability to address issues honestly this approach could be encouraged at the national level and as a national priority.

Sir Robert Peel, known as the father of modern policing, believed in a set of nine principles for law enforcement. These principles led to the Metropolitan Police Act of London that established the first full time, professional police agency in 1829. One of his principles held that the community is the police and the police are the community. Peel meant that the police are part of the community, as they live and socialize in a place with the people who expect their service. They are also citizens, who have concerns about their neighborhoods and schools and businesses. The fact that London was to have a full time police service did not excuse the other members of the community from participating in the public interest and of assisting the police.

Community Oriented Policing (COPS) is not a program, but a philosophy. The philosophy takes Peel's principle and applies it to the entire community, and in places that have effectively implemented COPS, to the larger system of government and civilian agencies and services. COPS seeks a partnership between the community, the police, and other stakeholders (social service agencies, municipality departments such as Human Resources or sanitation, medical and psychological services) to find solutions to the problems in the community. This can include community corrections and social service programs such as the much maligned "Midnight basketball" programs. COPS programs seek to improve the quality of life for the entire community on many fronts, not just in arrests and enforcement. Law enforcement, in the perfect theoretical model of COPS, intervenes in problems before they become criminal problems.

In many places, COPS is a symbolic solution. COPS cannot be effective if a police department initiates a "Community policing officer" or a COPS Bureau. COPS must change the very focus of policing from traditional policing where officers ride around their district waiting for a call, to a very interactive style of policing that returns police officers to foot patrols and meeting business owners and other citizens.

In 2005, I had occasion to interact with the Metropolitan Police of London. It was after the terrorist attacks on the London Transit System, and the Metropolitan Police had begun to institute a COPS bureau that placed officers within each of 647 neighborhoods in Metro London. Those officers were responsible for the activities in the neighborhoods, and interacted daily with the people of the community. It has received significant support from Londoners, and had already returned good intelligence on criminal activity. It will take a couple of years to see if the advances in crime prevention are statistically supported, but the initial results proved very positive. While not the intention of the action, it also provides a good source of information for counter-terrorism purposes.

COPS can be many things, depending on the level of commitment on the part of those who implement programs under an overall umbrella of the police culture change. If a department is only making feel-good efforts to latch on to the fad, there will be little result. If a department actually attempts to change its management style, positive results can be achieved. An example of this is in New York City, where William Bratton was the head of the Transit Police. He instituted a "Fixing Broken Windows" style that sought to clean up the subways and increase enforcement of petty crimes. The graffiti was removed, turnstile jumpers were prosecuted, officers increased their presence in the system, and petty crimes were not tolerated. Through the efforts of the department that went outside the realm of traditional policing, the NYC subway system has become among the safest in the world.

Fixing Broken Windows

The noted criminologists George Kelling and John Q. Wilson published "Fixing Broken Windows", which was an approach to crime that suggested that the police can have success by enforcing petty crimes, and therefore setting standards that everyone understands. This theory was brought about by an experiment conducted by a sociologist in two locations, Palo Alto, California and New York City. In NYC, a car with a broken window was placed in a curb. Within hours the vehicle had bene vandalized, and within a week children were playing in it and it had been stripped of everything meaningful. The car In Palo Alt was placed with all windows intact and it was ignored. For days the vehicle was observed and no notice was taken of it sitting on the roadside. It was only after the sociologist broke the window that the car attracted the same attention as in NYC.

The theory is that if the small things are prevented from happening, and not tolerated, the larger things will not follow. In other words, when small crimes are tolerated, it creates an atmosphere that larger crimes are also tolerated.

COPS programs are intended to do more than just gain information. It can be a wide effort to improve the community through the presence of law enforcement working with citizens to improve the quality of life. COPS brings in resources before it is necessary to arrest an incarcerate someone. It is an attempt to work with people to improve life, as opposed to working with people to simply arrest criminals and solve crimes. The sociological theory posits that if the police and other agencies interact with the community to prevent problems, and then the police quickly deal with the problems that arise, then crime will decrease because of an environment of productivity and positive approaches. People will receive services and assistance before their needs become a case number in the criminal justice system.

Recommendations:

1) President Obama should use his unique opportunity to honestly discuss the problems of crime and social issues in the inner city. Michelle Obama could use this as her focus during the next four years, and be a strong voice for progress.

2) President Obama should direct the Department of Justice to expand the current training programs for local law enforcement agencies. A COPS coordinator could be appointed to serve in each large city to oversee the implementation of COPS. The current structure of Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) located at each U.S. Attorney’s Office already presents a relationship between federal and state/local agencies.

3) There should be bottom up review that evaluates all social service organizations at the federal and state level. These organizations should be structured to work with law enforcement and the other agencies in a COPS approach.

Comment Of The Week

2008-11-27T02:25:00.007-06:00

One of our objectives here at CC is to rally conservative bloggers so that we are not individual voices crying out for attention, but a loud voice consisting of many. Another goal is for us to have an interactive site so that everyone can claim some ownership in what we are doing, so we have a new feature that we hope will meet those goals!

Every week, collectively, we will pick one comment that best represents our goals of defining, explaining, educating, and discussing conservatism. There have been some interesting and insightful comments, and many are worth noting! Once selected, the person who has the spotlighted comment will then be the guest writer of the week, if he so desires. The guest post will be published on the following Saturday. Contrary opinions are encouraged, and sometimes the guest writer may be someone who isn't conservative, but challenges our thoughts and principles. There won't really be a process, it will be completely arbitrary and subjective....At the moment, the person who sends me the best leftovers from Thanksgiving will probably win....lol

If you have questions, email one of us or catch us online in the chatbox.

Keep reading below this post....Don't ever stop at the top comment, as there may be more!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T20:00:00.001-06:00

Turkey Day Humor..........

Thanksgiving Divorce

Eddie in Dallas calls his son in New York just before Thanksgiving and tells him, 'I am sorry to tell you but your mother and I are going to divorcing. I just cannot take any more of her moaning. We can't stand the sight of each other any more.' I am telling first, Eddie, because you are the eldest, please tell your sister.

When Eddie calls his sister Julie, she says: 'No way are they getting divorced, I will go over and see them for Thanksgiving.'

Julie phones here parents and tells them both 'You must NOT get divorced. Promise you won't do anything until I get over there. I'm calling Eddie, and we'll both be there with you tomorrow. Until then, don't take any action, please listen to me', and hangs up.

The father puts down the phone and turns to his wife and says. 'Good news' he says, 'Eddie and Julie are coming for Thanksgiving and they are both paying their own way.'

The man who forgot to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving

It's the day before Thanksgiving, and the butcher is just locking up when a man begins pounding on the front door.

'Please let me in, 'says the man desperately. 'I forgot to buy a turkey, and my wife will kill me if I don't come home with one.'

'Okay, 'says the butcher.' Let me see what I have left.' He goes into the freezer and discovers that there's one last scrawny turkey left. He brings it out to show the man.

'That's one is too skinny. What else you got?' says the man.

The butcher takes the bird back into the freezer and waits a few minutes and brings the same turkey back out to the man.

'Oh, no, 'says the man, 'That one doesn't look any better. You better give me both of them!'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All of us here at Conservative Convictions would like to wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving. As we fill ourselves up with turkey, ham, stuffing, corn, biscuits (okay, I am getting seriously hungry here) lets take time to remember those that aren't as fortunate as we are. As we gather with friends and family, lets remember those that are far away protecting our country and are unable to hug their loved ones in person. Let us remember all those things that we are blessed with but so often take for granted. Our blessings are all different and I encourage you all to share what you are most thankful for today.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them....... John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Fight To Win

2008-11-26T11:57:00.009-06:00

Thank you to Greywolfe for this outstanding video!

Please don't forget to read Robert's post on Illegal Immigration found below!

CNN VideoPlease don't forget to read Robert's post on Illegal Immigration, below.

Illegal Immigration: A Talking Paper

2008-11-26T08:27:00.009-06:00

Background

One of the most pressing, yet relatively untouched issues of our time is the challenge of coming to terms with the illegal immigration problem. Over the past several decades illegal immigrants, primarily from Mexico and Central/South American countries have swarmed across the borders. Some current estimates place the number of illegal aliens in our country to be between 20-40 million. The median number of 30 million represents 10% of the entire U.S. population.

1. The principle of law and order are being largely ignored and laws pertaining to immigration are unenforced.

2. The United States, for the past two decades, has experienced a geometric increase in illegal immigration. This immigration is largely due to illegal border crossings from the southern border, but is not limited to Mexico.

3. The United States is undergoing a significant challenge in protecting our economy and preventing a depression. Revenues to the fed are becoming smaller. The effect of illegal immigrant labor suppresses the wage paid to lower income earners.

4. The 9/11 attacks brought the spotlight to bear on areas of weakness concerning national security. The U.S. spends tens of millions each year in vetting international airline passengers and maintaining numerous terrorist watch lists, but the borders remain porous.

Discussion

1. The principles of national security and the social controls of controlling detrimental activities to the nation are cast aside and no real solutions have been proposed, much less implemented. The long term ramifications of continuing to allow open borders can be seen in the following numbers:

1. In 1996 it was estimated that illegal immigration accounted for a job displacement of 730,000 Americans as a cost of 4.3 billion dollars. The numbers have tripled since that time.

2. The national security implications are significant, and each year the potential for a terrorist attack conducted by illegal aliens crossing the border increases. In 2000, a U.S. Customs officer interdicted a vehicle crossing into the U.S. from Canada. Inside the vehicle were explosives that were to be used to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport.

My Opinion

1. The primary function of government is to protect the rights of the citizenry within the responsibilities delineated by the authors of the Constitution. Those rights include insuring the common defense that is part of the concern in the issue of illegal immigration.

2. We should demand that the U.S. government secure our borders. While debating bailouts and tax increases, one of the most depressing factors to our economy is growing each day. It is estimated that in California, only two percent of illegals work in agriculture, while 29 percent are on welfare rolls.

3. The Department of Homeland Security should place an emphasis on allocating resources for securing the border.

4. We should work with Mexico and other Central American nations to assist with building their economies to provide a higher quality of life for their citizens to reduce the need for them to migrate to the U.S.

Recommendations

1. The United States should stand strong an pressure the governments of other nations to reduce their immigrating citizens.

2. All possible action by the various government agencies should be pursued. DHS should utilize B.I.C.E., CBP, and the DOJ should all work to forcefully investigate and deport illegal aliens. Extremely punitive measures should be taken against U.S. companies whi employ illegal immigrants.

3. The National Guard in Border States should be tasked with patrolling the border and interdicting illegal immigrants. In Juarez, the border city of El Paso, the Mexican government sent 1,000 Army personnel to combat the 17,000 gang members that are fighting over smuggling routes in the U.S. There have been 1,000 murders in Juarez this year alone. The State Department has advised that the violence in Juarez is the equivalent of small unit combat engagements using machine guns and grenades. The President should declare illegal immigration a clear and present danger to the security of the U.S., and military and intelligence assets used to secure the borders.

4. Socials services, except for emergency medical care and provision for infants, should be denied to illegal immigrants.

Homeland Security: A Talking Paper

2008-11-23T18:00:00.004-06:00

Background

1. The U.S. Constitution defines the role of the government in the preamble to the document, which gives insight into the founder’s intent in establishing our system of government. “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

2. The United States has long been oblivious to the terrorist activity that has targeted Europe and the middle east, largely due to the Palestine problem. A resurgence of radical Islam beginning in 1979 has become the main source of threats against the U.S.

3. Recent events that culminated in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States resulted in the creation of a new cabinet level department, The Department of Homeland Security. The department is tasked with “common defence” issues that are not military in nature.

Discussion

1. At the time of the Constitutional Convention, the founders could have envisioned neither the threat of terrorism as it exists today, nor the technologies that we rely upon on a daily basis. As the nation works diligently to protect her citizens against the ever more devious plots to destroy her, care must be taken to assure that the rights guaranteed under the Constitution are protected.

2. There were three events that transpired to spark the resurgence of radical Islamic intentions for a modern caliphate:

A. The increase in radical Islamic thought, primarily in Iran, that resulted in the American hostage crisis which ended in 1980.

B. Following the 1979 invasion and 10 year war, the 1988 defeat of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan cultivated a sense of empowerment among Islamic militants. The United States erred by leaving the country and not maintaining a strong influence.

C. The fall of the Berlin Wall. This left a vacuum of power in the region that was filled with Islamic fundamentalist ideologies, such as the Taliban in Afghanistan.

3. We should realize that new technologies and the rapidly expanding access to weaponry such as nuclear and biological weapons demand new approaches to our security, yet we must be alert to measures that encroach upon those liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

4. The nation should view the fight against terrorism as a multi-faceted strategy; law enforcement, military actions, and other government agencies such as the Department of State all play a role in defeating a terrorist ideology.

The need for a department to engage in the collection of intelligence, evaluate intelligence, and work to mitigate threats that are not military in nature has shown to be essential. There is an area of concern between a law enforcement action and a military action that was the weak link in the common defense.

5. Considering the non-conventional methodologies of our opponents, pre-emptive actions should be taken to eliminate threats. The situation is such that we can ill afford to again wait for an attack to take action.

My Opinion

1. The primary function of government is to protect the rights of the citizenry within the responsibilities delineated by the authors of the Constitution. Those rights include insuring domestic tranquility, which as we have seen is not the condition following a terrorist attack.

2. The government should be allowed all measures in the mission to protect our liberties and our democracy, provided that these measures do not violate basic principles of civil rights. We must not repeat the mistakes made following the 1988 defeat of the Soviet Union. The Patriot Act and other provisions of law, such as the FISA courts, should be solidified, with any sunset provision removed.

3. The Department of Homeland Security should continue to be empowered to engage in intelligence dissemination and emergency response coordination. It should be continuously involved in task forces with local agencies, chaired and directed by the federal authorities.

4. We should pursue the interests of America, regardless of the support and approval of other nations and organizations such as the United Nations. America’s sovereignty should be asserted in all affairs, particularly those that place the nation at odds with state sponsored terrorism and non-conventional forces.

The United States should actively engage in intelligence gathering and covert activities overseas, maintaining an influence and infiltration; human intelligence (HUMINT) is essential in the fight against non-conventional forces.

Recommendations

1. The United States should continue to assert the “Bush Doctrine”, which places the U.S. in an aggressive posture against forces with the intent to attack the homeland or our interests overseas.

2. All possible action by the various government agencies should be pursued. The Department of Justice, DHS, and Department of State should be regularly coordinated so that the method used can quickly move from law enforcement to military action with little delay.

The C.I.A. must undergo a thorough assessment and organizational review. Following such review, resources should be provided to enable the agency to maintain both quantitative and qualitative HUMINT.

3. The U.S. should constantly evaluate infrastructure and make improvements in security postures to secure critical facilities and operations. While overall security responsibilities fall on the federal government, the individual states should be given the responsibility to provide assessments and arrange security provisions for the infrastructure items within their borders. For transportation related operations, the federal government should maintain the responsibility.

4. The Congress should act immediately to resolve the problem of dealing with terrorist detainees. The release of detainees into the general public, and the creation of rights for detainees is adding to the threat faced by the nation. The government must establish a solid precedent for processing these individuals.

Things Coming Together Here

2008-11-21T10:58:00.004-06:00

To all of those who have become regulars in our cyber-coffeehouse, a sincere thank you from all of us here at CC. We know that you can click around and find thousands of places to read, and we appreciate the time you spend here reading and discussing.

We are trying to build something unique, and many seem to think that we are making great progress to that end. As we go forward, we hope to offer qualitative content for all. As you read further down, you will notice the "talking paper" format. An idea proposed by Sam, it is an interesting way to organize posts, and involve everyone who visits. Please give the template a test drive and let someone here know how you like it.

We are attempting to create "Conservatism 101" here, and following a substantial series of posts and thoughts we will author an "Ideological Charter" that will become editorial policy so to speak for the site. That doesn't mean that everyone will always be in lockstep, but if we are to reach our goal of demanding a return to conservative values then by default we must know what those values are before we can expect action on them. At that point we will have an organizational outlook of conservatism, and we can then use that guideline when discussing the future issues of the day and the activities of the incoming administration.

This is why it is extremely important that everyone participate. If we just wanted to talk among ourselves, then we could simply exchange emails. We are wanting your input and your discussion! Read daily, subscribe to feeds, leave lengthy comments, take us to task for the things we miss or get wrong....take some ownership here and help propel this ship forward! The posts have items for discussion as well as the authors opinion. Let us know what you think.

A Guest Post From: Always On Watch

2008-11-21T08:00:00.002-06:00

Always On Watch -

Now that the intitial weeping and gnashing of teeth following the election has diminished a bit, the conservative blogosphere has a task ahead, that of contrarian dissent. In my view, that dissent shouldn't descend into the lowest of the tactics shown by many of the lefties in the blogosphere and the media. On the other hand, being too refined and too dignified won't likely yield results, with either the electorate or the rebuilding of the Republican Party. Certainly, remaining quiet and sulking will have no outcome.
--------

On January 20, Barack Hussein Obama will take the oath of office and become President of the United States. Like it or not, he will become our President. Certainly, based on what we know about him and his political philosophy, he may lead our nation in a leftist direction, as he attempts to keep even some of his pie-in-the-sky campaign promises. And he will have the partnership of a leftist Congress to help him accomplish his goals. Still, we should also remember that often Presidents govern in a more centrist manner than in the manner in which they campaigned. We'll be finding out soon enough in precisely what direction our new President will lead our nation.

Today's electorate apparently responds to and needs a leader who offers "shock and awe." These same voters also seem to respond more to contrarian dissent and derangement syndrome than to the analysis of political philosophies. Say what you will about the importance of political ideology and integrity, the Democratic Party's campaign was successful. Voters may well suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder and respond to sound bites around which to rally!

In my view, the Right needs to begin anew by offering contrarian dissent — patriotic dissent with just a tinge of Leftist Derangement Syndrome. Appeal to the people may be a logic fallacy, but we've just seen that such an appeal is indeed effective, much like the teachable moment in the classroom. The Right needs to learn and to employ some of the same tactics which the Left used to win the election.

Consider the following video, not only from the perspective of observing the apparent idiocy of those interviewed but also from the perspective of how such an electorate can be moved in a different direction:

Perhaps we truly have entered a new era of voters, ones who need a different kind of appeal from the Right. Based on the above video, we may not have the option of or the time for educating the electorate.

Your thoughts?

Federalism: A Talking Paper

2008-11-20T06:00:00.004-06:00

Background

1. Our founding fathers determined that sharing government power was also the way to limit power. It was thus that at the federal level, each branch of government is equal — meaning that one can trump the other. The president can refuse to sign a bill into law, the Supreme Court can overturn a law, and the legislature can refuse to fund a presidential program.

2. Our founding fathers also sought to limit the power of the federal government by acknowledging every state as sovereign, and that every power not specifically delineated in the Constitution to the federal government shall be reserved to the states, and to the people.

Discussion

1. Since the administration of Franklin Roosevelt, a period following the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and a period during which the United States experienced an ecological disaster of epic proportions, the federal government has progressively encroached on the rights of states (and the people) in delivering “human services.” We might today argue that some of these programs were (and continue to be) unconstitutional, or that legislators back then did not consider the long-term implications of the laws they passed with all good intentions. We must also acknowledge that people have benefitted from some programs, and that the likelihood of overturning “social security” (as an example) is highly unlikely.

2. If we do not wish to see the United States moving ever-steadily toward a socialist state, then we must at least begin to dialogue about the right of the federal government to impose “human services,” paid for by the American taxpayer, and which effectively deny states their constitutional authority to govern themselves. What right, for example, does the federal government have to impose “educational standards” on any state educational system? Aren’t state educational standards a matter for the citizens of states to decide for themselves? Similarly, what right does the federal government have to impose “national health care,” a relevant question even if we erroneously concluded that the federal government is better able to manage it than independent states?

3. The only rights we have under federal rules were those accorded to us by the Bill of Rights, and even then, only once our state of domicile incorporated them. This relationship must be a two-way street. If a federal program violates the Tenth Amendment, our states must vociferously object to it, thus protecting “the people” from unwarranted (and unconstitutional) intrusion by the federal government. Over many years, our states have allowed the federal government to intrude on states’ rights; examples of this include state acceptance of federal money for education and highway construction.

4. We now face a Democratic Congress who, rather than exhibiting any discipline in spending, believe their recent “mandate” allows them to impose even more taxes to support a plethora of federalist programs. In my view, we must resist . . . the only way to do that is to insist our state governors and legislatures demand adherence to the Tenth Amendment.

My Opinion

1. Politicians at the federal level only address “the people” when they are seeking election. Most of the time, they could care less about what we think, and few of them ever ask for our opinions before they vote on pending legislation. This is in fact how representative democracy works; we are like the proverbial mushroom: they feed us crap and keep us in the dark.

2. For far too long, most citizens have forgotten they are first and foremost, citizens of states. It has become convenient to buy into federal programs legislation, especially if we mistakenly believe that we will benefit from them personally. In fact, this may be one of the greatest lies ever told. Considering the abject failure of the American educational system, which demands hundreds of millions of dollars each and every year, no one can effectively argue the results justify the costs.

3. If citizens of Indiana agree that they must be entitled to universal health care, it is up to the state of Indiana (and its citizens) to pay for such a program. The people of Indiana are not entitled to monetary resources from the hard-working people of any of the remaining 49 states.

4. If we believe that the Constitution is our “protector” from intrusive federal government, then we must begin to assert our constitutional rights — and our attachment to our state of domicile. Until that happens, there will be no change in the behavior of the federal or state governments.

Recommendations

1. Citizens must correspond with state legislatures and governors to demand they in turn challenge every federal program that interferes with the rights of states to govern themselves, on behalf of the citizens of those states.

2. Citizens must encourage state government to reject federal money whenever those expenditures require state obedience to federal mandates. Note: the NCLB law is a case in point.

x-post: Praesidium Respublicae

Rules of Engagement ....

2008-11-18T22:36:00.011-06:00

... Or better yet, -Knuckle-draggers Beware-

I know the title and body of my posting may inflict some fury on the gathered few here. So be it. Call this a moment of calibration before we head along a beaten path (yet again...). I promise to keep it short (not.....)

So a couple of Bloggers get together and tell themselves, "You know, we just got our butts pasted in the elections, the GOP has ______________ (fill in the blank of your favorite cliche), conservatives don't know who the hell they are anymore, and we just elected a guy who has never run anything close to a Dairy Queen. Let's try and break it down and see what happened to us, shall we?" That is the essence of why this came to be. We're not rocket scientists, we're not party apparatchiks, we're not learned folks or scholars. We are four regular Americans, of wide age-range and backgrounds, ... strong individuals who in spite of having varying views and ideas about where the conservative movement should go, all agree that we love the word: Conservative. It unites us in far greater levels than the individual policies to which we differ.

So here we are, a week and days into it, with some great postings from the main contributors (Robert and Jenn) to warm up the kind audience, a terrific level of comment traffic, and a measure of excitement from the four of us that has re-kindled our desires to do something grander than we imagined capable.

All good,... well, almost.

Ladies and gentlemen. This is a plea from me as a person and individual who loves my country more than I love my party, my ideology and myself. The posting "the more things change, the more they stay the same", and the comments that followed made me think that the biggest problem the movement (if we can even call it THAT anymore....) has, is ourselves. Some bullets for you:

* Keep calling people names, go ahead. It is amazing to me that after all this time, all the hard lessons, all the negativity we know that comes with pejoratives, ... that some of us still lob the occasional name-calling bomb for effect. Look, I've done it myself in my own Blog. I'm not on a soap box. What I am saying is that using sophomoric names to make a grander point -while getting a chuckle from a knuckle-dragger here and there-, does little to further your point of view. Holster that crap. Make a point about some body's policy or opinion but elevate your integrity and opinion-reputation by divorcing the policy from the person on your sights.

* I have a little saying on my blog, "nothing is an absolute, ... absolutely nothing" (you DO get the contradiction in terms, .... right?) A fine fellow blogger commented that I sounded arrogant in a comment a few clicks before he pipped-in. Maybe. But what I was trying to say was that we have to stop nuancing everything to death. That some things, -some things- are as black and white as the shine on my dome. Especially when it comes to the basic tenets of what conservative philosophies entail. And yet, my nuance comment was interpreted by another Blogger as some obscure and bland form of conservatism to which she was not subscribing (I am paraphrasing, by the way). This blog is about discovering ourselves, educating others to things that are no longer apparent. Sure there is room for interpretation, but splicing a hair to its infinite molecular level just to show others the cleverness of your debating skills -while cute-, really detracts from the efforts herewith. Simplify.

* Don't just take a s**t, be kind enough to leave one! .... , Meaning, don't be content with just doing a low-level fly-by, dropping a few nukes and getting the hell out of dodge to miss the mushroom cloud,... stay awhile. You had the stones (or ovaries) to blast away at something you thought stupid? Cool, love it! Now shift from your left butt-cheek to the right one, and tell me something I don't know. Tell me a story. Tell me what you would do to correct that which you deemed so stupid to make your nose-hairs curl up. Believe me, I love a good ideology brawl,... but don't land a punch and jump over the ropes,.... where's the honor in that?....

Fella's.... the demographics are changing. My mom has a saying, "If by 20 you're not a liberal, you don't have a heart. If by 40 you're not a conservative, you don't have a brain" (she definitely did not plagiarized that from Biden ...). While that may have been true in her day, ... we're not in Kansas anymore. Younger electorates will veer towards that which is easier, that which promises more, that which espouses more permissiveness of behavior, that which is more "global" in view, that which professes to spread the wealth around, and that which is certainly cooler in perception. None of those things I said describe a conservative ethos of life. We can't afford to alienate people by the messengers. Its easy for Limbaugh to bellow about how "if conservatives ran as conservatives they'd win!"... really? He should get out of his southern command more often Mr. Snerdly. We have a ton of baby-boomers coming into retirement who are scared crap-less that their 401k is worth dog-meat and you want to preach the virtues of "rugged individualism"? Conservatism does not have to be wrapped in the same tart candy wrapper any more. Let's get with the times people.

Reality bites,... and the reality is that we as conservatives have to re-package our ideology in a whole new way, in a whole new tenor, in a whole new angle. The conservative CPU is still on windows 98, sort-of-speak. Stop the name calling, stop the "we are good, they are evil" lingo, stop the "we are free market purists and they are Marxists pigs"...(while true, at least get creative with it....). Let's wrap ourselves in new tunics, get a better bull-horn, and start winning hearts and minds... one beloved American at a goddamn time (I give Rev. Wright credit for that morsel of writing elegance)

Look, we did not start this blog to be another Los Alamos nuke testing ground. Sure we will get the occasional lunk-head or Coulter wanna-be whose opinion-horizon is all lipstick and no pork-chop. Let them spew. The rest of us, should march to a different kind of drummer. 'Cause the beat I've been hearing in some of the comments already sound like an orchestra from the ice age.

Ok.... back to our regularly scheduled programming. My IQ just dropped 30 points ...

Passions Ignited, But Minds Doused

2008-11-18T14:48:00.008-06:00

It would seem that several of my comments have inflamed the passions of some, yet have doused the ability to apply critical thinking to the problems at hand. The comment threads have taken on a life of their own, and could not have missed the entire point by a further distance.

Originally, the comments began on two other blogs where I visited yesterday. To summarize, the comments dealt with how stupid conservatives were who sat home and "gave" Obama a victory. I thought "there were many conservatives who sat out the election, so let me see where this goes." Unfortunately, the critical thinking stopped there.

To take the reasoning to the next level, we must ask ourselves WHY conservatives sat home. Apathy? Laziness? Ignorance? I posit that it is none of the above. REAL conservatives worked their tails off to give Reagan a 49 state victory in 1984. So I was hoping to hear some explanation of WHY conservatives sat out this election, but it never happened.

I voted for McCain. I don't know how much more clearly I can state that. I would never sit out a major election. I don't think that anyone else should either. Regardless of the candidates, one is a better choice for the nation. I am not sure where anyone found that I said differently. I made a couple of posts inquiring down the next line of thought, and I understand why conservatives weren't motivated to vote. There was NOT a conservative candidate in the race. There was a less liberal candidate, but there was no conservative candidate.

In the comment threads here, there is little said about what conservative credentials McCain possessed, nor what he has done in the Senate to carry the conservative torch. "He is a war hero!" Of course he is. As a combat vet from a line of combat vets, few men enjoy my respect as much as John McCain. However, what the hell does that have to do with championing and leading a three quarter of a trillion dollar bailout for poorly managed companies? Do you find that a conservative approach? How about health care? "Senator Obama has a plan? Well, look at OUR plan." You find government control of healthcare to be a conservative position?

There are neither pro-Obama nor pro-liberal comments in my postings. I have no idea where anyone gets that perspective. A few points:

1) Obama wasn't defeated despite the attempt to undermine his credibility with William Ayers, his preacher, and other associations. NEWS FLASH: It didn't work. The country is turning to the left because there is no real right. This "liberal monster" didn't work in the campaign, and it won't work running up to 2010 and 1012. People really did vote for a change, they just didn't have a choice of changes to make.
2) McCain lost the election because it was poorly managed.
3) There is not a single bit of data that implies that conservatism is alive and well. For goodness sakes, SOUTHERN states turned blue, such as North Carolina. Virginia? The home of Thomas Jefferson? BLUE STATE IN 2008!
4) New voters picked Obama 80-20. Voters under 30 picked Obama 73-27.
5) Obama won the popular vote by 6.7 percentage points. Do you really believe that 9 MILLION conservatives sat out this race?
5) Not a single one of you can give me five core beliefs that McCain possesses.

When are you going to stop and ask why? It is because the GOP is not conservative and has not been for quite some time. What I see in the passion ignited here is that we at CC are not passionate because we are not all pissy about Obama. Guess what? You are right. I don't look forward to the next four years. I see disasterous things on the horizon. But we aren't going to win in 2012 by continuously pointing out that conservatives didn't vote. We are going to win if we can demand that we have true conservatism in the party. This blog will not be like every other blog out there and spend the next four years sounding like a bunch of whiney-asses because of the last election outcome. You can blog your hearts out for the next four years but guess what? Without changes to the GOP the same thing will happen again. Obama acted like a liberal. Is that a big surprise? It isn't to me. You expect the dems to roll over and play dead because we trot out a war hero? Not going to happen....Dems could care less about that, and few respect it. The demographics that the dems target don't even know what decade Vietnam occurred.

Our purpose here is to make long term changes to the GOP and to the hearts and minds of America. It is place for all the conservative voices to get their points across to each other...and to the party, so that we aren't presented with mediocre candidates any longer. The next step to defining conservatism, for the party and for America, and to determine a new paradigm is to take the thinking past "who" stayed at home and discover "why" they stayed at home.

I am not, nor have I suggested that Obama is going to do good things. What I know is that we need to prepare for the future, not languish in the past. People MUST open their minds to move forward....

Passionate About Conservatism

2008-11-17T22:19:00.002-06:00

"Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion." George Wilhelm

We've defined what conservatism is. We've discussed what things we need to do to bring conservatism back into the GOP. We've come together on ideas such as small government and personal responsibility and differed on where Reagan fits into the scheme of things. There has been some great discussions and debates and we've exchanged many different ideas. In all this banter though, I've felt one thing that has been decidedly missing and that is passion!

"My passions were all gathered together like fingers that made a fist. Drive is considered aggression today; I knew it then as purpose." Bette Davis

I once heard that passion has no place in conservatism and I heartily disagree. A person without passion has no more value than a heart without love, or a candle without a flame. Passion is a burning desire to a commitment and a cause. It has brought us Picasso, Beethoven, William Shakespeare, Walt Disney and Mother Theresa, who would have been nothing without the passion that they all shared. Every great endeavor has been fueled by passion in some way, shape, or form. Passion is power, an unstoppable force that nothing can hold back. Passion can be magical, it can turn virtually nothing into something glorious. It can change the ordinary into the extraordinary. It can change something boring into something fun and exciting. Passion is severely lacking in conservatism today and we need to change it. With our words and with our actions.

I sometimes joke that I don't always have the right words, but what I have in abundance, is passion. Passion for this mission and the goals we have set and in my vision for the future of America. Without it words don't mean a thing. Without passion where is your drive, your ambition, your hunger for a better tomorrow? This is an uphill battle and without passion, the battle has been defeated before it ever got started.

"Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things." Denis Diderot

Think about the last thing that you have been truly passionate about and remember that feeling that you had. Where there were no limits, no goals too high, no endeavor too small. Channel that into our goals and mission here at Conservative Convictions and nothing will stop us. The passion we feel will motivate us every day in our fight for conservatism. I want a better America for my kids. That is the most important thing that drives me. It may be different in all of us, but we need to look within ourselves and find the passion that lives there and use it to accomplish whatever we set out to do.

Something that I think we all realize, is how imperative it is to reach the young'uns! ( I tried some of that southern slang, but I have no idea if that is even a word) Anyway, it is vitally important in our mission. One way to reach them is through the truth and through our passion. The combination of them is the key in getting their interest and keeping it.

"The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to it's fulfillment." Earl NIghtingale

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

2008-11-16T19:18:00.007-06:00

I would like to point out a story on Foxnews.com that was published today, and it is the perfect example of the subjects we have been talking about for the past few days.

In the past few weeks as it became more clear that Obama was going to walk into the White House, the Republican Party has become extremely disoriented as it seeks to define the problems within the party and how to set the ship on the proper course. "Change" was the term that Obama used to ride to the Presidency, but the GOP apparently still does not understand the dire straights that the party is in, as change is not happening within the Republican establishment.

Here is the story that details how the GOP is going to be fighting against a stimulus package proposed by democrats. There are two things about this story that contradict the topics discussed in the last post which detailed six items that should be included in the strategic approach of the GOP as it moves forward.

The first is the return to politics as usual. The outright hypocrisy of the Republican Party is shameful. The Democrats are presenting a stimulus package that would distribute checks to the American taxpayer, and the GOP is going to oppose this package. The past three years have seen numerous stimulus packages from the Congress.The past two years we have seen a rebate, and this year here were two bailout packages totalling almost a trillion dollars given to select industries. Yet immediately after being dismembered in an election the Republicans all of a sudden oppose returning money to the public?

Which brings me to the second point about the story that has me is astounded disbelief!

"First of all, where does the money come from?" Sen. Jon Kyle asked on
Sunday. "Washington doesn't grow money on trees. It gets it from the
American people. And when you take it from families, when you take it from
small businesses, you're taking money right out of the area that we need --
where we need production, that creates jobs."

I don't recall them having a problem with dispensing this money the past few years, not when they were bailing out select industries that failed partially due to lack of government oversight during a time when the GOP controlled all three branches of government! At a time when democrats are preparing to raise taxes, and we know there will be massive changes to the tax codes next year, Republicans are fighting over money that shouldn't have been taken from taxpayers in the beginning. Senator Kyle is basically saying, in my read of his comments, that government can't afford to send this money to anyone because they need to keep it for their own priorities.

I think the Congress should spend far more time writing new rules and oversight for the financial sector, and less time worrying abut the money in MY pocket. Perhaps Sen. Kyle should spend more time trying to deliver the spending cuts that were promised more than 20 years ago, but never delivered. Perhaps conservative should mount an assault on the spending in Congress. Perhaps then there wouldn't be a need for tax rebates.

Article of Interest: George Will

Trying A New Concept

2008-11-14T09:53:00.004-06:00

After a lengthy, hand wringing staff meeting, we have decided to try a new concept in editorializing, and the first post of that nature is below this one. Let me try and bulletpoint the idea:

-Post will be written in a "talking paper" format. Don't want to bore you with details, but it will basically be a post, as normal, with a few choices for recommendations at the end.
-We would like to get comments on the recommendations. Pick the best one, argue with them, agree with them, modify them, whatever is appropriate for the post and best suits your opinion of the subject matter
-Each post will have a "closing date" or a deadline for comments. You can comment after that date without a problem, but for the next step there has to be a deadline. It will make sense.
-The original author then updates the post with a conclusion. This is the hardest part to explain. The comments will be taken and a summary will be written. It will do something that I have never seen in the blogosphere before, and provide a conclusion to each post.

It may not sound like it makes sense, but I think you will like the outcome. This gives you an actual voice in the final outcome of the post, and that is what we want to happen. We want everyone as owners to some degree in our place.

Give the concept a test drive, let us work some of the kinks out of the process, and then give us some feedback as to how you like it. In the meantime, guest posts are accepted and just email Jenn or me with your interest.

There will be times when there is info that is not in this format. We like to also stay on top of developing issues, and it may require a "normal' type post. We are trying to provide a variety of content,as well as keep all of our content of substantial quality and interest.

As always, subscribe, link, email, or put a bumper sticker on your car advertising us...the rally point grows each day!

Part II - Approaches To The New Administration

2008-11-14T09:52:00.015-06:00

“If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac River, the headline that afternoon would read "President Can't Swim”

-President Lyndon B. Johnson

This statement was directed at the press, but is also illustrates quite well the level of political discourse in this nation as it has existed for the past few decades. Since well before the election was held on November 4 there has been some consternation as to where the Republican Party is going, and what should it do to once again become relevant. That debate largely fueled the publication of this blog and will be a significant focus of our work.

Following the first two years of the President Clinton’s first term, conservatives were the dominant force in the Republican Party. Newt Gingrich of Georgia and Tom Delay of Texas crafted a masterful strategy that enabled republicans to control congress for the first time since the elections of 1952. Conservatism was strong and the voters wanted a substantive change in government. The new congress proposed the Contract with America (CWA)and there was new life and new winds in Washington.

There are a few other significant events that occurred during this election. Republicans overturned 20 state legislatures and 12 governor’s chairs. For the first time in 50 years the Republican Party controlled a majority of the states as well as the federal government.
It is imperative to understand why the conservative movement was abandoned in the intervening years, and why the election of 2008 was a foregone conclusion immediately after the Democrat Party’s convention. The expedition in Iraq that has become lengthy and tiresome, coupled with an economic meltdown during the course of the campaign contributed, but I posit that the GOP itself is the main culprit in its own downfall. In 1995 Republicans moved quickly on the provisions of the CWA with some success, but ultimately had to compromise with the Democrats due to the inability to gain consensus in the Congress regarding the specifics of the legislation.

In the time period since the CWA was introduced, Republicans have offered little in the way of distinction between the party and the Democrat Party. The Bush administration made no progress, and indeed exacerbated the problem of government spending, for example. There was no priority placed on reigning in the size and scope of the federal government. Without the drive to accomplish something the party was left dangling in the wind and directionless.

The party became exactly what it had fought against in 1994. In pork-barrel spending, the Republicans surpassed the levels of earmarks that the Democrats had passed in Congress. The party mitigated its stand on values and morals, allowing the issues of the to day fall by the wayside. As the adage says, “If you don’t stand for something, then you stand for nothing’” and that became the condition of the Republican Party. The Party establishment made selections for candidates who were not conservatives, and in fact have steadily “moderatized” the party candidates. Following Ronald Reagan’s second term, the candidates were George H.W. Bush, Senator Bob Dole, and Senator John McCain. All of these men are personally admirable and worthy of respect, but their politics was not conservative as desired by the American voter. In 1994 American voters told the nation that they wanted true conservative values and limited government, yet the party did not heed the call.

During this time frame, the relationship between the parties was little more than the trench warfare mentality of World War I. The War in Europe was fought between trench lines, with little effort to advance and capture territory. Instead, each side sat in their own bunkers and fired small arms and artillery into the other side’s trenches, taking and giving casualties yet the battle lines remained stagnant.

All is not lost. During the Obama administration conservatives have a prime opportunity to recreate the party into a conservative movement. Democrats control both the Congress and the White House, so the onus of decision making and responsibility for outcomes is on our opponents. Historically, the off year elections, such as the one that will take place in 2010 favor the minority party as the public juxtaposes the election day expectations with the reality if policy and legislation. Conservatives are in a position to reawaken the stagnant conservative voters who exist in massive numbers. It is the approach of the party that will determine success and failure.

A revolution of the kind exhibited in 1994 is what is needed not just to take political control in Washington and across the land, but necessary to revitalize conservatism among the minds and hearts of a nation.

Recommendations For Action

1) The GOP should find the common threads that can bind the various wings of the party and make those threads the tenets of the new conservative movement. Despite the diversity of the party and the presence of several factions, there are commonalities of beliefs that should be the strength of the party, and not let single issue politics divide a united front.

2) The GOP should engage the base. The establishment of the party has lost touch with the run of the mill conservative, the “Joe the Plumbers” of the nation. The party leadership should listen to talk radio, read blogs, and seek the counsel of those they are sworn to serve.

3) The GOP should reinstate statesmanship as opposed to continuing as politicians. George Washington did not want to be President of the new United States. He wanted nothing more than to retire to his plantation in Virginia, yet the nation called and he responded. We should seek leaders that approach leadership as an obligation, not a new suit that will be displayed to friends.

4) The GOP should educate the citizenry as we oppose policy and legislation. There should be no opposition based upon party affiliation, but opposition when it strikes at our conservative beliefs. Conservatives should learn from the Obama campaign by repackaging conservatism, such as abandoning the call for personal responsibility, and present the same concepts as “personal empowerment” and explain how the concept can benefit the individual as well as the nation.

5) The GOP must present a solid, consistent vision of America supported by specifics such as occurred with the CWA. We must communicate this vision in all corners of the land, and not concede territory such as California simply because it is historically liberal.

6) The GOP should make inroads into the traditional Democrat minority strongholds. After all, it was the Democrat Party in control during Jim Crowe. The Democrats allowed Plessy v. Ferguson (163 U.S. 537, 16 S. Ct. 1138; 41 L. Ed. 256; 1896 U.S. LEXIS 3390) to remain in place for 60 years. I am heartened to see that Michael Steele, the primary contender for head of the Republican National Committee, as having this approach.

As we oppose that which is not in the best interest of the nation, the party must construct arguments that are communicated across the land as positive disagreement, not partisan trench warfare.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The comments posted on this topic by readers appear to agree that there must be significant change in the Republican Party and that conservatives are most appropriate to do so. Because Republicans have typically been successful when they do present a conservative approach, a return to those principles is what is desired.

There are areas where the party in general can improve and educate. The party should present a unified, mature front and educate the public on conservative principles and show Americans where they can personally benefit from conservative government. The term I used in the post was "personal empowerment" and not personal responsibility, but in many ways the outcome is the same with different packaging.

In presenting the case for conservative government, it was pointed out that the GOP has not taken advantage of alternative methods of communication as well as the Democrats. Blogs, podcasts, and other high tech alternative should be pursued in the effort to get out the conservative message.

Finally, the general theme of many comments was best summed up by TAO, who suggested that instead of concentrating on the individual candidate, the GOP would be better served by a focus on the merits of our own positions, not so much on the downfalls of our opponents. I think this is a distinctly excellent suggestion, as over time the GOP has been relatively indistinguishable from the Democrat Party.

Construction Underway ...

2008-11-13T00:22:00.008-06:00

How is it that the word "Conservative" has become a four letter word, instead of a 12 letter ideology? When did conservative thought become "old"?... when did the GOP become synonymous with mostly Caucasian white males living in fly-over country, who are flag-wavers and cling to guns for moral support? How did the political movement of Goldwater and popularized by Ronald Reagan, suffer such a devastating shot to the solar plexus? When did being a conservative stop being "cool" and began being old, square, religious and dinosaur-ish? I don't know. I think I know, I have ideas on how this morphing took place, but I can't put it in a nice synopsis for you to digest. I just don't know.

Tonight, as I had an online chat with the esteemed members of this Blog, it hit us that we have to begin a process of re-education in terms of what it is to be a conservative. The conservative brand name is now the Edsel of political-think. So if you are going to peel off the skin of something that has suffered the erosion of its public relations luster, you have to re-invent the wheel. Seriously. You have to destroy the matrix, kill the blueprint, vaporize any semblance of its imagery and perception and retool the assembly line. This is not to imply that the engine does not work, or that in the hands of a good driver it won't pull the horsepower we all know and love, it simply means that the public is not buying it. It is sitting in a bloated car-lot, with its 6th coat of turtle wax, with the stupid colored triangular flags adorning its antenna,... while passers-by go straight across the street to try the liberal brand of chariot. So be it.

This is our call to arms to all of you, no matter which "wing" of conservatism appeals to you. Blogging alone is not gonna' do it. Spewing off in somebody else's blog? Cathartic? yes,... long term gain? Negligible. The tried method of attracting voters by attacking other forms of ideology does nothing but make people defensive and makes us look mean. Dumb. Calling people who follow opposing political doctrine all sorts of names and labeling them as communists or socialists -while probably fun-, does not allow us the higher ground and we come across as a bunch of louts and sophomores. Bomb-throwing may be great, but not when you don't have the luxury of public trust and poor imagery. We don't need it.

In the coming days, weeks and months, we here are Conservative Convictions are going to dedicate ourselves to doing something quite extraordinary in both scope and ambition. I am tempted to spew the beans and give you and insight into what is coming, but as a sign of respect to the kind persons who have invited me to be part of this metamorphosis, I will not disclose squat. Let me just say this: If we get to do half, HALF of what we briefly discussed casually over a few hours of banter, this Blog is going to develop into a serious player in the re-definition of the conservative movement in America. Bold statement? You bet your ass.

To our contributors and like-minded friends, tell us what you think. Give us your ideas, your fears, the events you feel betrayed your faith in conservatism and the items in the platform of your party that you think helps or hinders the cause. Tell us the events of the past that reflect conservatism at its finest, and those political figures that damaged the philosophy. Tell us what you need. Tell us what we can do to fill the voids of knowledge in your gray matter. Tell us, how to help you. Give us a wish list, a list of things that you feel conservatism should stand for. Talk to us, become part of the process, become one with the inertia of things to come.

In our hearts we believe that if you put conservatism side-by-side against any other ideology, no matter what the agenda is, conservatism will trump the other just on the merits of its own logic, history and available data. We don't have to yell it or blow our horns. Just lay it side-by-side, connect the dots for those unable to fully understand, and let the facts jump at the masses. We don't have to expose the virtues of conservatism by putting any other ideology down, we don't have to. Conservatism can stand on its own wheels. Just make those wheels look good enough for the passers-by to admire them...

To those of you who do not agree with conservative values and stop by just to raise some hell? Go ahead. As the rules of engagement state so clearly, we welcome all opinions as long as they are cordial and free of the sort of language Truth-Pain uses in his own back yard. But if you are here to Bush-bash? Save it. I can do that better that you can ever imagine. If you are here to pick a fight and tell us we are this or that? That's to your peril. We should not allow any emotional button-pushing to take our eyes of the greater goal. We should be here in this medium of communication to try and save a cause and philosophy of citizenry greater than any one individual. You want to help us? (seriously) Tell us why you think conservatism sucks. Why is your philosophy better? ... Tell us what parts of conservatism you disagree with and why. Go ahead, lay the lumber and lay it hard. Break our the mirror of perception and show us, ... show us what we look like.

There are thousands of Blogs born every day but very few of them make any significant ripples in the waters of the American mind. We are hoping this one makes a serious dent to the existing Edsel model of Conservatism. But we cannot do it alone. I pledge to you that I will wander to your individual Blogs and assist as I can to expand your own networks of influence, while at the same time working my tail off to make this place our "coffee-house" of information. Let's get to work. I am going to do some serious house-cleaning at my own blog, while working concurrently with all who participate in this one. It is and should be a symbiotic movement where we take individual actions in our own blogs to refine and make them laboratories of though, while bringing the best ideas here for dissection and argument. I think its going to be fun to do this, I really do.

Bring it on ... (Sorry, couldn't help myself)

Welcome To A New Team Member!

2008-11-12T06:39:00.007-06:00

As we make our way around the blogosphere we are communicating the message that we want to create a place for conservatives to rally and become a strong voice in taking back the party that has all but cast us aside. While Jenn and I will continue to take the lead here at CC, we have invited a couple of people to join the team and help us keep this a mission oriented site. We are excited about the response to date. We are at the 72 hours mark and already growing. Stay tuned for more exciting developments in the near future, such as a weekly Live Blog Chat. I tested the feature last night, and it was well received and I think there will be an outstanding level of participation, once we overcome all of the operator errors...

Today, we welcome Truth-Pain to the Conservative Convictions realm! T-P hails from the left coast, but he really doesn't belong there. He is a man of relatively few words, but when he does speak it is worthy of a read and comment. I chide him for his self-imposed sabbaticals, as he will blog for days on end and then disappear for a month, only to return revitalized and enthused. He has been a blog friend of both Jenn and me for a couple of years now, and we have become friends off-post as well.

T-P brings a slightly different perspective to the table than Jenn and I, perhaps a little closer ideologically to Sam, but it will add a degree of interest to what we do here. T-P will be our "Contributing Policy Commentator" which is really code for "I won't be posting on a weekly basis..." He will be commenting on upcoming policies as they are proposed and/or implemented. I am sure we will hear from him often during the first few months of the new year, and rest assured, he will be an active and valuable member here.

T-P maintains his own place at www.truthpain.blogspot.com. Please drop in and read his site so you can become familiar with him. He and Sam have also been invited to post an introduction as Jenn and I did, but that is their decision. Please feel free to email any of us directly, or either castigate us in public on the site!

Jenn has posted a sidebar item about guest postings. If you are interested, please contact Jenn or me. To be a productive site for everyone to rally, we have to hear many voices!