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LAND OF THE FREE, HOME OF THE BRAVE?
vanity | 11/9/12 | MrChips

Posted on 11/09/2012 7:25:00 PM PST by MrChips

Well, folks, in the wake of this disastrous election, the year 2012 cannot end too soon. But, as it winds down, it is incumbent upon us to ask just what kind of nation we have left, and from just what reservoir of fortitude and courage we, all of us, can draw the strength to continue. As the shock of Tuesday night lingered into Wednesday, the depression I experienced reached depths I have rarely known, as did the sheer existential angst and fear, so evident, as well, in various conservative chat rooms and blogs that I visited, including this one. We were told so often that this election was the big one, that the fate of the country, perhaps the whole world, was at stake, forever. Hyperbole? Perhaps. But is there truth in the assertion? Yes, certainly some.

This election was, indeed, a big one. And yet, it was a close one. I would like to think that we have all recovered sufficiently to realize that conservatism did not die. Not yet. Obama certainly has no mandate, though he pretends to. Whatever can be said of George W. Bush, at least it can be said, and often has been said, that the first thing he did, after his own slender election, was to recognize the country's division and to extend his hand across the aisle. Of course, they bit it off. How well I recall Ted Kennedy gutting his education bill, and the grand bipartisan effort to reform Social Security, assisted by Moynihan, which lesser men ridiculed and subverted. Bush tried twice, or was it three times, to reign in Fanny and Freddie, giving the lie to Obama’s false claims that "Bush caused the economic crisis," a falsehood which rests primarily upon a rejection of the Democrats' role in causing the economic crisis. But, they had a big role. Similarly, the bailout of GM that Obama loves to take credit for was actually initiated by President Bush; the trouble with it (other than the fact of it) is that he took it in a different direction, helping unions and shafting non-union Delphi employees, while nationalizing the company to an unprecedented extent. And, if there were excessive encroachments upon freedom in the Patriot Act in the wake of 9/11, they seem to pale in comparison to the insidious designs of our current "executive order" White House occupant, who essentially finds Congress irrelevant (e.g. HHS mandates on abortion, the gutting of Welfare, and just about everything the EPA does these days, from land grabs out west, to water confiscation and innumerable regulations . . . well, just talk to any coal miner trying to put food on the table for his family). Our beloved emperor has issued 923 executive orders in three and a half years, up from Bush’s 62 in eight years. And this with a Congress he fully controlled for the first two of those years! So much for checks and balances. Montesquieu, anyone?

I have heard the liberal argument that the huge numbers of people on foodstamps, and on welfare, will drop as unemployment drops. But, unemployment has been near 8% or above for four long years. Obama doesn't even meet with the job council he created! It's all for show. And, as for unemployment, the real rate is 15%. The long-tern rate is 22% (long-term unemployment rate rose to 40.6 percent in October, the percentage of the unemployed lasting for 27 consecutive weeks or longer). Millions work part-time without benefits who used to work full-time with benefits. Meanwhile, the first two days after the election, the market dropped 400 points. Thousands off people have been laid off just since Tuesday. Companies are considering thousands more, either because of tax policy or because of Obamacare (or both, considering the draconian penalties of Obamacare on business). A coal company in West Virginia yesterday laid off 150 people. Another in Utah laid off 100. Stryker, a medical device company being taxed under Obamacare, (and a stock in my retirement fund) is eliminating 1,170 positions. Dana Holding, an auto parts company, is laying of 25,000 people worldwide. Boston Scientific 1,400. Medtronic 1,000. AMD 400. Cigna 1,300. Countless others. Lockheed Martin may lay off 123,000 people! And Obamacare could result in tens of thousands of employees being limited to working 28 hours per week as companies avoid penalties. The new norm, I guess.

I have heard liberals ridicule the conservative argument that this election was, as Rush Limbaugh says, about Santa Claus. Free stuff. Well, I ridicule their ridicule. Did you all get your free Obamaphones?! Better hurry! The supply is limited . . . or is it? Obama is the most socialist-minded person we have ever had in the White House. And what is the basis of his socialist mentality? No, it's not the common welfare; it is the concept of Entitlement and government dependence. Food stamps, Obamacare, class warfare . . . When Obama said today so defiantly (far from working together with people, as he ought), is that "a majority of Americans agree with my approach," I wanted to scream at the radio, "Not a majority of working Americans!" I mean, the man can suck eggs! He's a joke. Here we have a guy who won by a mere 300,000 (legal?) votes across 4 states, and a slim 2.5% nationally. But we now live in a society where those who don't work can vote themselves the wealth of those who do . . . and all so that we can pay for Sandra Fluke's contraceptives. But that is the vote they are encouraged to make. What else do you think Obama meant by "revenge"?! He hates this country, and by that, I mean that he hates the work ethic of this country. Of course, those responsible for the reelection of his excellency don’t care at all because it does not affect most of them. Obama has gutted Welfare to Work requirements (yes, he has), which along with efforts by the National Labor Relations Board to force unionization on the American workforce and the disincentives to work in Obamacare (I'd be covered if I quit my job) merely serve to make people more and more dependent upon government, which is what Democrats want. It's about power. Theirs. And, ultimately, that kind of statism has, yes, the tendency to become totalitarian. So, Obama ran his campaign based on giving stuff for free, from birth control to mortgage relief and student loan bailouts to food and free medical care and who knows what all else, all while painting Romney as the Grinch who wouldn't give you the free stuff.

It's ironic, of course, that I will actually lose my own healthcare. You see, I have inexpensive catastrophic, which will be outlawed. And I cannot afford the expensive plans Obamacare will offer. Just remember me when they come after my house, my bank account, my possessions, because I will never, ever pay the penalty ascribed by the mandate. Never! I will die a free man! [Oh, that's right, the IRS said last month that they would not come after people. How reassuring!]. And, when liberals challenge us when we criticize their sense of entitlement to “free stuff, remember that it is Obama, after all, who has played the class warfare card so relentlessly. It’s our turn. Working people vs. Freeloaders. If I am to be called a "freeloader" for not buying insurance that I am forced to buy and yet can't afford, I feel perfectly comfortable using the term "freeloader" for anyone who lives off of the taxes I pay.

Hell, if the dead can vote (I am avoiding the subject of voter fraud), they can eat, too. I happen to be someone who had his identity stolen at the IRS (identity thefts of social security numbers are up 10-fold under Obama), and I shook my head in disbelief upon learning that 1,500 fraudulent refunds went to one address in Michigan, alone, 900 to another address in Chicago, 700 to each of two other addresses in Florida. And that's just last year. Our government at work (By the way, $120 million in FEMA money for Sandy victims just disappeared. Maybe they'll find it with the $900 million they lost on Solyndra).

I have heard liberals argue that the conservative media is maintaining the divisiveness in our country. But no, the source of divisiveness lies elsewhere. Oh sure, there are the nuts, reactionaries, troglodytes, but they are not the mainstream of the Conservative "48%." It is not Mitt Romney who ran such a disgustingly divisive campaign of personal destruction and class warfare. His campaign argued for jobs, for tax reform, for various economic policies, and was in many respects All-American, and uplifting. Even the ads run by Karl Rove and his people were relatively tame . . . I watched them all; the toughest were on Libya. But accusations of felon, murderer, tax cheat, attacks upon Ann Romney's horse (her therapy for multiple sclerosis), continued lies in the face of fact checkers, and ads comparing voting for Obama to having sex for the first time? (Gee, no wonder he won the single women's vote). Please. it was all very sleazy. And divisive, and all done with the help of the maintream Media, our very own Pravda, which were all so obviously in the tank for Obama, who remains the least vetted occupant of the White House (I won't call him president) that we have ever had . . . . all to the extent that I was frightened by it, frightened for my country. Moreover, the sheer cynicism of his campaign was self-evident, and cynicim can claim no mandate, for anything. If we hate him, it is not for supposed accidents of birth or undisclosed mysteries about his early life. No, it is because of his actions! He is driving this country, insidiously, in a direction we do not want! And whatever you think of the Romney campaign, Mitt Romney is a fine man. And I spit on Obama's treatment of him. As for Pravda, now that the election is over, they suddenly seem to have discovered Benghazi! Lo and behold! Maybe they will suddenly discover our unfunded $55 Trillion debt liability. No, I guess not; that won't drive ratings.

I have also heard people, conservatives, talking about Impeachment. Oh, why bother, with a Senate led by a man who does a good imitation of pond scum? But, Benghazi alone would be sufficient. What matters more, is what we do to save ourselves from him. Civil disobedience is one thing. I will be engaging in it quite consciously when I refuse to pay the Obamacare mandate. But A nation divided cannot stand, and I worry about real violence. Civil wars start in little ways. And I, like so many conservatives, am sick and tired of attacks upon Republicans, and I do mean physical attacks. Unions caught ripping up yard signs, or pissing on them, bricks thrown and gunshots fired into local Republican offices ( I can supply a list that runs several pages in length and goes back 30 years. everything from violence by the OWS crowd, to Tea party activists beaten up by SEIU thugs). Let alone that there was an explosion of death threats against Mitt Romney in the last two weeks of the campaign, but there he was, our friendly New Black Panther thug standing in front of the same polling place in Philadelphia (thank you Attorney General). In Virginia, a Romney supporter watched in horror as someone literally torched her Romney yard sign. In Florida a WWII veteran had his Romney sign AND his American Flag torched. In Wisconsin, an openly gay Republican campaign volunteer was sent to the hospital by some Leftist nut who labeled him a "traitor," and the son of a Republican State Senator was badly beaten when he attempted to stop people from stealing his Romney yard sign. The Solipsim of the Left is a bottomless pit. Hell! Yesterday a dead pig wrapped in a Mitt Romney t-shirt was found dumped at the South Bay Republican Party campaign office in Florida. As far as I can tell, most Democrats are animals. But, then, Marxists always end up in violence. And its the Alinsky way. Meanwhile, on the Right, gun sales are up . . . way up. I am not surprised.

You know, if Obama wants us to believe that he is not Hugo Chavez, maybe he should quit kissing up to him. He does all he can to fan our fears. Can we ever win an election, again? Yes, damn it! Believe it! We should diversify in the direction of Hispanics, but that is all I will concede on the "demographics" front. How ironic that all the hard-working, individual Hispanic success stories are all Republican (Rubio, Martinez, Fortuno, Sandoval . . .). But, hard work is not what the entitlement class wants. We did not lose by much, my friends. And we are a big tent, already, conservatives and moderates, big enough to win, with far fewer differences among ourselves than what we have with the other party. We should be wary of extremes, but not of principles, traditional values, time-tested truths we keep coming back and back to. Nor is the moral life and behavior of a people beyond the purview or legitimate interest of government. That is the position only of pure Libertarians. Roe v. Wade, for example, by putting the stamp of approval on abortion, unwittingly encouraged it to the extent that other restrictive measures had to come to bear. The argument is in the details, when and how to restrict, and where. Since 1973 there have been nearly 50 million legally induced abortions. Limiting that is only common sense! And there is something called religious freedom, which the Obama administration wants to destroy. It's contest with the Church over the next few years will be titanic.

No one can seriously argue that the concept of expansive socialism and far-reaching entitlement were ever a component of the founding doctrine of these United States (excuse my Southerner's use of "these"). The Founding Fathers are just dead white guys to some, I suppose. But not to me. Not to us. And yes, times change, but I prefer JFK's America to the new cry of "What will my country and government do for me? What am I entitled to?" And that is, indeed, the new cry. We must answer it with a cry of our own, the cry of liberty, asserting that this is, damn it, the land of the free, and proving once again that this is, yes, the home of the brave, the land our fathers fought for, and the land they died for. Let’s roll!


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: freebraveelection
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1 posted on 11/09/2012 7:25:04 PM PST by MrChips
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To: MrChips

I know how you feel. But remember...”and the flag was still there!”

Pray, fight, and keep the faith


2 posted on 11/09/2012 7:36:29 PM PST by MNDude
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To: MrChips

The answer is to recruit a new generation young patriots, starting as the earliest ages.

From this pool of right minded people, a new Gideon may arise who will select and lead the small cadre capable of defeating the modern day Midianites.


3 posted on 11/09/2012 7:37:02 PM PST by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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To: MrChips

It is curious that the first two responses to my post involved faith in God. A good thing, a starting place.


4 posted on 11/09/2012 7:40:41 PM PST by MrChips (MrChips)
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To: MrChips

Thank you for your thoughts. I’ll be in touch.


5 posted on 11/09/2012 7:45:11 PM PST by Graewoulf ((Traitor John Roberts' Obama"care" violates Sherman Anti-Trust Law, AND the U.S. Constitution.))
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To: Graewoulf

As a staunch enemy of Obamacare who also faces having to deal with it, I am curious about your comment that it violates the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Can you explain?


6 posted on 11/09/2012 8:02:06 PM PST by MrChips (MrChips)
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To: MrChips

Our job from now on it seems will be to work and fork over money to support Obama and his Marxist voting base until Hilary runs. They will reward the Democrats for handing them our tax dollars so they can multiply.

It’s a shame we can’t figure out a way to keep our money out of their hands and let them see if they can live on what they themselves and their Socialist benefactors can supply them. My thought is they’d all starve.


7 posted on 11/09/2012 8:05:42 PM PST by Aleya2Fairlie
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To: MrChips

Land of the Free Stuff, Home of Depraved. . . .


8 posted on 11/09/2012 8:10:21 PM PST by Salgak (Acme Lasers presents: The Energizer Border. I **DARE** you to cross it. . . .)
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To: MrChips

JFK killed America.


9 posted on 11/09/2012 8:18:13 PM PST by ansel12 (Todd Akin was NOT the tea party candidate, Sarah Steelman was, Brunner had tea party support also.)
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To: MrChips
"We should diversify in the direction of Hispanics."

Not just no but hell no! This is NOT freaking Mexico.

You are welcome if you Come here legally, learn the English language, Learn about limited government, Learn our history, learn what it means to be an American, LEAVE YOUR CULTURE BEHIND and adopt our heritage and our morals otherwise get the hell out of my country!

I'm damn sick and tired of flipping channels with a dozen or more ALL IN SPANISH. I'm tired of pressing one for English. I'm tired of demands that all our information be printed in Spanish. I'm tired of having to "reach out to the Hispanic community" which is code for rolling over to people that are NOT AMERICANS and who expect us to pay for it.

These poeple who are not Americans are electing our leaders and running our lives. Go back home, we don't want your vote and this is not your country.

10 posted on 11/09/2012 8:25:50 PM PST by precisionshootist
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To: MrChips

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. It’s past time for the best to become filled with passionate intensity.


11 posted on 11/09/2012 8:26:23 PM PST by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: All armed conservatives)
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To: tumblindice

Thank you. Just an effort to encourage people . . . and I suppose it was cathartic for me.


12 posted on 11/09/2012 8:29:40 PM PST by MrChips (MrChips)
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Comment #13 Removed by Moderator

To: MNDude
But remember...”and the flag was still there!”

When PR gets statehood the Flag will be changed.

14 posted on 11/09/2012 8:40:59 PM PST by higgmeister ( In the Shadow of The Big Chicken!)
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To: Aleya2Fairlie

Well you forget one thing:

International business. Which is set-up anti-American in scope. As international business increases, more and more Americans are hurt.

Americans lose jobs, and American businesses close.

These trends increase the number of DEMOCRATS.

How about we suck it up, and start working to increase American business?

Just a thought.


15 posted on 11/09/2012 8:42:15 PM PST by Cringing Negativism Network (America doesn't need any new laws. America needs freedom!)
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To: higgmeister

The flag should be changed to a picture of a bunch of piglets sucking on their moms teat.


16 posted on 11/09/2012 8:42:43 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: MrChips

After feeling sick to my stomach for the last few days, I broke down this morning and wept—didn’t know I had it in me or where it came from. This election was a big deal because before we could rely on the idea that America made a mistake, and didn’t know whom they were electing. Now it’s clear that they did, which reveals a much bigger problem. Anyway, after pulling myself together, I remembered that this country faced even worse odds at Valley Forge, and that the biggest disservice I could give is to mope around and give up, pondering where and how I’d immigrate. We’ll evidently have to undergo a major restructuring, it’s true, and the country will face a decline—not a fall—in the mean time. The liberal preponderance seems monotlithic, but we’ll finds cracks that exist or will form as this mess continues—and all our old lessons, our history, our institutions will be there waiting for us when people see the fruits of statism. We’re different. We’re not Russia or China and never will be. Those countries were founded by despots, no matter the effort, their political tradition inexorably veers back to their roots—there’s no culturally rooted sense of freedom. We were founded on the principles of liberty, free enterprise, small government, and the devolution and separation of power. No matter how hard people try, they can’t change our fundamental nature. When the money dries up, we’re not returning to Czarism—we’re going to roll up our sleeves, and awaken our dormant, default programming. Right now, our job is to keep our chin up, rest up, resupply, and weather the cold winter. Thanks for your post.


17 posted on 11/09/2012 8:43:04 PM PST by GlaucusRising
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To: MrChips

Thank you for that. I really need that.

God bless you.


18 posted on 11/09/2012 8:43:04 PM PST by Thorliveshere
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To: MNDude

Although we’ve been inundated with vanity posts this week, I am very impressed with the quality of thinking and writing in them. Someone should set up a Vanity Post Gazette to capture and share the best of FreeRepublic’s original writing.


19 posted on 11/09/2012 8:44:32 PM PST by AZLiberty (No tag today.)
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To: fatasshick

I am hoping it collapses, too. It is wreaking havoc in the business world, and that may do it. Personally, though, I have already started withholding less so that I don’t get a refund. That way, they can’t keep back the penalty. And when I pay my taxes, I will subtract the amount of the penalty from my check, with a note of explanation. Let them come after me. But I will not pay!


20 posted on 11/09/2012 8:45:54 PM PST by MrChips (MrChips)
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