Soliciting Answers - The Purpose of Government

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

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

Please respond with your thoughts.

A New Year, A New Calibration

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.....

Merry Christmas Eve!

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!

Remembering Christmas

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!

A System Of Logic

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.

Radio On Saturday!

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...

What Color is the Conservative Flag?

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.

Radio Appearance By Jenn and Robert!

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.

Crime and President Obama's Agenda: A Talking Paper

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.

Illegal Immigration: A Talking Paper

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 annual cost of providing services to illegal aliens is more that 45 billion dollars.
3. In 2003, only 186,151 illegal immigrants were deported from our borders.
4. It is estimated that 30% of federal prison inmates are illegals.

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

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

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.

Passions Ignited, But Minds Doused

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....

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

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

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

“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.

Welcome To A New Team Member!

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!

How Should Conservatives Approach The Obama Presidency?

Part I – Individual Perspectives On The Upcoming Presidency. Part II Will Discuss Party Approaches

Across the country the comments regarding personal approaches to the upcoming term of President Obama have ranged from apathy to refusal to acknowledge the outcome of the election. Obama’s message of intangible change has resonated throughout the world, and this represents a good opportunity to define how conservatives, both individually and collectively, should treat the new President.

First and foremost, we are Americans. We espouse the values and morality of democratic rule and the virtues of our representative republic. We cannot, therefore, abdicate those positions simply because our party did not win the election. The fact is that you win some and you lose some, and the hardest losses to take are the ones that result not from being defeated, but from defeating oneself as happened in this election. The emotional reaction might be one of simple disgust, but the emotional has little place in defining our role and responsibility during the next four years. We must take a step back and frame our mindset so that everything we do politically is a step in accomplishing our goal of a Reagan-esque policy emerging as a Phoenix! It can’t happen by itself, and it will take discipline and determination.

I submit in this post five things that we must do as individuals to confront the Obama presidency and prepare for not only the 2010 elections, but the Presidential race in 2012.

1. We must identify who we are and what we believe. We often berate liberals for lockstep voting for the democrat party. Are we as conservatives any different? I thought John McCain, as admirable as he is as an individual, was a very poor candidate to put before America as the next President and he was not my choice in the primary election. However, there was little else to choose from in the general election so of course he received my vote. Once he was the GOP candidate, he was in possession of my full support, if not agreement with his campaign/philosophy.

We must identify ourselves. To what segment of the GOP do you belong? Are you a Reagan conservative, believing in small government and individual responsibility? Are you a “right wing wacko” who only votes on the issue of abortion? Perhaps you are a social liberal but a conservative in things economic. I do not seek to pass judgment on anyone’s affiliation, only to qualify who we are and where we stand. Regardless of where you fall on the line, you must know before you engage where your own prejudice lies in relation to your political ideology.

2. We must refrain from being democrats. Over the past eight years, President Bush has stood before the nation and been castigated from all quarters. I do have my issues with his financial policies and I doubt his true conservative convictions, but no President in this nation should be so vilified that he cannot function and focus on the issues and concerns of the nation. No President deserves the blatant disrespect and hatred exhibited by almost half of our population.

We must act in a mature and responsible manner. We should respect the Office of the President regardless of who holds the office. As I tell my son all the time, just because someone did something “first” is no rationale for you to do it second. What matters to character is the actions you take, whether anyone is watching or not.

We must act responsibly and maturely. The madness of politics must stop at some point. We must assert statesmanship as the way of doing business. Again, as I tell my son, “There is no need to make _______ look like a jackass. Just let him be and he will take care of that himself.”

3. We must honestly evaluate programs and policies that are recommended and proposed. There are many areas in politics that should be free from partisanship. There are areas of budgeting allocation that can be agreed upon. There are programs which can easily be supported by both parties. The things with which we disagree should be fought. The things which damage our nation or our conservative principles should set loose the proverbial dogs of war! We should speak out against them, blog against them, contact talk radio in opposition to them, and stay informed of changes.

The political parties float “trial balloons” which are public release of information or intentional leaks that are used to gauge the reaction of the public. If the reaction is favorable, then it is then released as a policy matter. If it is readily and vigorously opposed, then they have the deniability that is was a policy recommendation and simply bad information on the part of the news media. We must be current on what is actually happening and not fall prey to those short soundbites that are often lacking contextual materials. We must react swiftly, and with loud voices.

Stay informed! Do more than just read right leaning blogs. Watch real news shows, read papers, visit left leaning blogs. In addition, not many people know of the Federal Register. It is a daily publication of proposed rule changes, executive orders, etc. It is also published on the web at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/

Most items are open for a period of public comment before it is implemented. Things that deal with national defense issues are not included.

4. We must get involved. It is not enough to sit back and simply blog. We must find new conservative voters. We need voter drives, people to place signs, people to write letters to your representatives in Congress and the party, and a thousand otheractivities to lend our support to conservative candidates.

5. We must confront our party and demand what we want. We must hold them to the fire until we get what we want. Our party is absolutely out of touch with the real base, but it is US who stands in line for two hours to pull a lever. If they expect us to support them when they act like democrats, we must tell them that we will not do it! This party is ours. We must assert ownership, or lose it.

Keep your eyes on the prize! Our nation will withstand anything that is put before us, and one man with one term cannot destroy that which God has blessed and for which millions have died. We did not succumb to the Great Depression, the New Deal, the Fair Deal, two world wars, Vietnam, the Great Society (yet), the Carter administration, and eight years of President Clinton. I predicted two years ago that Hillary would not win an election in this country, and I was wrong. She never even got the chance. We will endure, and with us all working together, we will overcome!

Happy Birthday Marines!

Semper Fidelis !

I must take a short timeout from things politic for this post. November 10, 2008 marks the 233rd birthday of the most successful, most feared, and most respected fighting force in history, the United States Marine Corps.

If you are not a Marine then there is no way to explain what it means to earn the title of Marine and wear the emblem like the picture above. In 1775, with war on the horizon, the Marines were created at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since that time, Marines have "...fought in every clime and place..." and have never failed in answering the call of our nation. The Marines with which I have served are the finest men I have had the privilege of knowing. The Marines I have deployed with are tenacious in battle, loyal against their own interests, and proud of what they have accomplished. As President Reagan said, "Most people spend and entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. Marines don't have that problem."

I won't bore you with the battle history of the Corps, but suffice it to say that one man cannot carry the Battle Colors of the Corps. Marines exist for the reason cited in the mission statement of the Marine Corps Rifle Platoon - "Locate, close with, and destroy the enemy with fire and maneuver, or to repel the enemies assault with fire and close combat." Beyond that, Marines have become synonymous with discipline, loyalty, devotion, tenacity, and innovation.

On November 10th, Marines around the world whether in garrison at Camp Lejeune or in fire bases in Afghanistan, in the reserves or on ship, will stop and honor the traditions of the Corps and eat birthday cake. To this day I have a personal birthday cake when I don't attend a birthday ball.

Each year on this day the Commandant of the Marine Corps issues a birthday message to all Marines, and I have posted it below. It runs 7:20 seconds, and I encourage you to view the entire clip. If not, go to the 4:33 mark and watch the remainder.

MUSTANG has a fantastic tribute at Stacking Swivel

Addition......a very nice tribute found here.