Politics is really depressing me...

[wildbill]

THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.

Cowboy up, youngster!

[raybbr]

If a person wants to be President, they can’t be a petty little piker like Obozo and whine at the criticism.

Don't you find that statement quite a bit odd?

[dforest]

No, but you do. I do in the respect that Obozo is already President, but I suspect many that voted for him didn’t know he was the petty little joker he has turned out to be.

They all thought he was going to rise above petty politics. Hah

I guess if you are a republican, you can’t whine. Nobody would report it in your favor like they do Obozo. LOL

[daisy mae for the usa]

We are in a war for the spiritual and political freedom of America. We are fighting to defend what our founders established as truth — “In God We Trust.” This government is unique from every other government that has ever been established because of that single fact. Will this battle be won? It depends on the hearts of Americans. If we are government like that of Sodom an Gamorrah we will fail, if we are like Ninevah and receive our repremand with sack clothe and ashes, we will succeed.

It has been and will continue to be a difficult time until we see this to the end. The battle is never won by the stronger — only by the more determined. Grit your teeth, steel your heart, and keep moving forward with the goal ever before you. Trust in God who will lead your way. Read Proverbs, read Job, read Esther. Every answer you need to bring you through you will find in God’s word. You are not alone...not by a long shot.

About Mrs. Palin — she is a fighter with strong forces, you don’t need to worry about her as her momentum varies from time to time. She has her own pace, her own plans, and she is right where she wants to be. If you are concerned about her, pray for her. I am absolutely certain she would say as much, and you will feel better, too! And don’t forget, even she needs some set-backs from time to time to help her remember to be humble, and to remember why she is doing what she is doing.

Buck up, Patriot! We are going to get this thing done!!!

November is going to be a really hot month this year! Global warming will be hitting America with a vengeance.

[Free Vulcan]

I actually run and advise campaigns. I am an officer in my local GOP. This is my 5th election doing this stuff. I was an issue activst before that.

That said, sometimes I get manic depressed over what’s happening till I take a step back, pull myself together and think it through.

Remember for all the defeats, there are victories. The media isn’t going to tout the victories, you have to sift for them. But they are there.

And sometimes you get your Ronald Reagan or your AZ immigration law and it justifies everything you’ve worked for.

[TxGrandMom]

“Does anyone else have this problem?”

Yes. It is a normal reaction.

I think I got burned out (temporarily) by the Clinton years. The constant indignation, the rousing to action (this very timid, reserved person even attended the FR March for Justice).Then with Obama: the depression—oh-what-good-does-it-do feeling. I know a lot of people who have felt depressingly frustrated. I had to step back for a while & try to recover motivation & a more cheerful we-can-do-it attitude.

As you can see by the responses here, not everybody reacts the same way to things. Know yourself, know your own responses & try to adjust (as much as possible) your own expectations.

“I just don’t feel the positive momentum anymore.” “It is like there is nothing to be excited about now...”

One cannot be in a constant state of excitement, indignation, stirred-up emotions. It’s not healthy & results in depression when the stimulus is removed.

Step back for a while, take a break, catch your breath, heal a bit, analyze a bit more.

Then come back renewed & roaring!

[dfwgator]

Politics has always sucked. The difference was back in the day, the government didn’t have as much impact on our lives as it does now.

[OB1kNOb]

Treat politics like a marathon rather than as an endless sprint. Sometimes you have to pace yourself to retain your endurance. If you need a break, take a break. All the political problems will still be here waiting for you when your return to the fight.

[FreeReign]

Log off and take a break from politics, for a week, or for a month.

I've taken a break from here a few times, after the failed Clinton impeachment removal for example.

The good news is that when you come back, you'll find that a new crop of pissed off posters has logged on, and kept up the fight.

[Salem]

[This is a general ping to my list.]

Really.

C'mere kid, let an Olde FReeper brush you off, put sword and shield back in hand, and review some Free Republic history.

The article copied below was first posted here, but it's a dead link now. Maybe Jim can fix it. If not, I can post it again for records sake. The original source, although active, doesn't offer anything either.

Although the times; the scenarios, are different, the ideas remain the same.

Is the battle laying hard on your perimeter? Free Republic was born in this crucible. Welcome back to the late 90's, my FRiend. Spend a moment at Free Republic's Memorial Wall and scroll through the many patriots who have gone before us. They all earned reputations within this massive electronic community which is Free Republic, and saw the worst of the Clinton years, Millennium hysteria, and the Y2K threat.

See that lady, JudyB1938? She first recruited me to Free Republic back in the late 90's. She insisted. I have been here ever since. They are all the foundation of what we take part in today.

If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. (Proverbs 24:10)

If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? (Jeremiah 12:5)

He arose (Eleazar), and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil. (II Samuel 23:10)

Americans love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle. - George S. Patton

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The Commitment: Why We Do It
Tom Adkins
CommonConservative.com | June 2, 2000

WE LEAVE OUR REGULAR LIVES, abandon our families, jobs and leisure time.

Some spend hours hunched in front of a computer screen, tapping away for papers and websites. Others trudge off with signs and placards. Maybe it's some unknown researcher at a think tank or a talk-radio host in some town you never heard of. Perhaps a housewife taking a minute to write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper.

Instead of enjoying the leisure American life, conservatives all across America are becoming soldiers in an obscure war. The counterattack to the liberal assault upon America is finally underway, and we are leading the charge.

As American liberalism evolved into socialism, conservatives have been content with beating the system. When liberals increased taxes, we just worked a few more hours. If they raised them again, we found the loopholes. As liberals ruined our cities, we just moved away. When they ruined education, we used private schools. When liberals sold off our national security, we consoled ourselves with Reagan's Cold War victory. When all those dopey liberal programs failed, we didn't worry about it. After all, it didn't bother us. We were conservatives. We adapt.

But all that has changed. Somewhere in our "leave me the hell alone" stupor, something snapped. The liberals went too far. And now, we are fighting back.

It's hard to say when that line in the sand was crossed. Perhaps Reagan's 1980 election. Or it could have been the 1994 Gingrich Revolution. Or maybe it was the last few years of cynical Clintonism. But somewhere over the last twenty years, conservatives drew the line. And liberals crossed it.

We finally noticed the $6.5-trillion-dollar price our children must pay for the massive failure of the Great Society. We came to understand the looming entanglement of the Social Security Ponzi scheme. And we saw the sacrifice of those who laid down their lives to secure our freedom, now being cynically sold to China for campaign donations. Our kids are growing up in a culture with no heroes, indoctrinated with failure and perversion, to become fodder for the nanny-state. The cost of liberalism is being hung around their necks, and the noose tightens a little more every day.

Above all, we recognize the abdication of the American watchdog, the free press, who have not merely "missed" these issues but have sided with the socialist traitors as they gobbled up power.

We each have our reasons. Moral, social, economic, religious. But we remember the America where we were governed by the same laws. Where right and wrong was a respected concept. Where honor, integrity, honesty and all those great virtues and values distinguished us from the rest of the world, and made us better. And we want them back.

Liberalism has crossed the line. Instead of being merely being inconvenient, it is now a threat. The liberal assault on America has been horribly destructive, and the cost of ignoring the damage has become too high to bear. Conservatives are finally leaving their cocoon of luxury, sacrificing their everyday lives and attacking liberalism head-on.

Strangely, we aren't alone. Even traditional leftists such as Christopher Hitchens, Camille Paglia and even the irascible Jim Trafficant have openly parted with the Democrats and their corrupted, twisted leadership. They have joined us, surrendering hard-earned status within the liberal community. That is, indeed, a magnificent sacrifice.

They understand what's at stake. It is man's nature to dominate others. In a nation founded upon freedom, those rights are fragile and always under attack. The temptation of power is almost irresistible. That is why government attracts those who crave power over others. The most dangerous attacks on our freedom are not from without, but from within.

Thus, the battle to preserve American rights shall be perpetual. But it must be fought, and it must be won. Evil will prosper when the good are idle. Liberals have waged a dirty, despicable war upon America to gain power at the expense of our rights and freedom. Finally, American conservatives have been prodded awake from our long yawn of indifference. We are committed. We are angry. We are motivated. And we are the liberals' worst nightmare. We are the first generation of conservatives who can tell the truth better than liberals can lie.

Our husbands, wives and friends think we are nuts. We miss the fun. We miss our families. We surrender the temptation of American leisure within a nation of shrinking greatness. But we are soldiers of conscience. We are the air raid sirens. We are the Paul Reveres who ride into the night. We fight any traitor who blithely surrenders America to socialist tyranny.

As in every war, the hours stink, the pay is awful and the risks are great.

Who pays the bills? Who watches the kids? Yet we make this sacrifice because we are compelled. We owe it to our children. We owe it to our parents. We owe it to each other. We owe it to our nation. We want to bring back the ideals that made our nation great. We have a commitment to freedom. We have a commitment to America. And that is why we do it. This is indeed, a war. And we are called to battle. No, we are called to victory. Our goal is to utterly defeat liberalism. And we will. Because we must.

Get ready. The revolution is coming.

For some of us, it has arrived.

Tom Adkins is executive publisher of CommonConservative.com.

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FREE REPUBLIC was the first in the arena of the "new media." FREE REPUBLIC was here before bloggers, and YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, and pretty much every other social media advance Conservatives use today to end run the main stream media. And Free Republic is still better than all these wanna-be late comers in the arena of the War of Ideas. Because the people who are Free Republic and the ideas they represent are called to victory.

An original Free Republic graphic I snagged off an early FReepers homepage in the late 90's.

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." ~ Theodore Roosevelt "Citizenship in a Republic," Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

Now take sword and shield and get back out in that Arena. You have a lot of Free Republic history behind you. Come back with your shield—or on it.  

[MNJohnnie]

Then this should cheer you up. We are winning. We will lose battles along the way but we will win the war.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2511808/posts

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - A West Virginia congressional seat that's been held by a Democrat for generations is now up for grabs after 14-term incumbent Rep. Alan Mollohan was swept out of office on a wave of voter unrest that an opponent called a referendum on President Barack Obama.

[TChris]

I thought this was going to be the year we took back congress and things were going to get better. I just don't feel the positive momentum anymore. Sometimes I fear our fate is sealed as a country. I pray something changes.

Don't listen to the news. It at least distorts reality, and usually turns reality on its head.

As Rush Limbaugh says, his audience keeps growing, even as the liberal news media's audience keeps shrinking. That's a very good sign.

There is plenty of reason for optimism! Hold onto it!

[left that other site]

Here's a happy picture to cheer you up:
Tea party, Washington DC

[daisy mae for the usa]

W O W -—

History is always the best teacher...thank you for sharing!

[Repeat Offender]

The days' events are getting my wife down too. The best I can tell you (and her) is to be happy you are informed. They say ignorance is bliss, but in this day and age when the train ride stops you'll definitely regret your false "bliss."

It is difficult to wake up every day with a smile in the face of such tyranny and infringement on our rights. But, take comfort in those that support the same ideas. I haven't been here all that long, but I was sure glad to find out there were others that thought like me (outside of my tight knit circle). Take comfort in God's Blessings and do not allow life's misgivings to bring you down.

Take comfort in your knowledge of the truth and use it to prepare for your family's future and survival.

Now is the time for vigalance. I am definitely a FR addict. To any of the mods that can see when I'm on here, they probably wonder "when are you going to get a life?"

And even if we can't stop it, things will run their course. The Founders felt the same way as they approached uncertain times. They even sent out the Olive Branch Petition to avoid all out war with Great Britain; after Lexington and Concord.

I'm sure they must have felt hopelessness and despair with each new tax and tyrannical policy. While they did not want a war (nor do we), they did not stop with their vigilance. They did not withdraw from the truth. Far from it. The exhausted all possible means of diplomacy and advocated for their rights by grounding their arguments in truth. We must be always informed and at the ready to counter the lies and obfuscations. We must remain informed and prepared to defend our beliefs, our families, and our Great Land.

While I am not a Palin Basher, and often get frustrated with the Palin bashers, I am glad for the conservative sharing of ideas. I believe that many (on here) are skeptical of her and want to ensure "our" choice is a true conservative that is knowledgeable, preservering, and supportive of us in return. I'm sure that more than a few are trolls; however, I am also sure many others love their country, wish to promote conservatism, and are searching for the best candidate.

I myself would caution against her becoming our personality cult icon..... Even though I agree with most of her ideas, if she is to represent us she needs to be held accountable to us.

I don't think we will ever find that "true" conservative candidate that we agree with 100% of the time. If you do, WATCH OUT, because they are probably pandering to you and are not worthy of your trust (unless maybe if the candidate is a relative, but when does family ever agree 100%?). Even Reagan said something along the lines of 'you may not agree with me 100 percent of the time, but if you agree with me 80 percent then I'm your man.'

[Outlaw Woman]

Thank you for that terrific post.

[avacado]

Get some rest the big fight comes this NOVEMBER!!!

[LibertyRocks]

Speaking from personal experience here... First, I do recommend taking breaks here and there, and establishing balance in your life if need be. We will never be free of those who wish to tear down the Liberty and Freedom in this country. That is why it has been said that;

“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” — Wendell Phillips, (1811-1884), abolitionist, orator and columnist for The Liberator, in a speech before the Massachusetts Antislavery Society in 1852, according to The Dictionary of Quotations edited by Bergen Evans

We could live every moment of every day fighting against these people, and STILL never be done! That is why it is important, and indeed NECESSARY to recognize when we are getting weighed down in the muck and mire.

Not a coincidence that “free time” for our military is called “Liberty (pass)” or “Leave” in order to “Provide respite from the work environment in ways that shall contribute to improved performance and increased motivation”.

Needing to take a break does NOT indicate giving up, nor does it indicate weakness. Take some time, examine your priorities, readjust your thinking, and then you will regain the motivation and positive morale necessary to stay in the battle for the long haul.

I also very much recommend looking to God and seeking him out for increased strength and endurance. Without the grace of God, and my wonderful family here at FR I honestly don’t know where I would be today.

As a side note: If you are truly feeling a depression that you just cannot shake, or are experiencing other troubling symptoms, please do seek out the help of a qualified therapist (preferably one within your “faith network” - whatever that may be, because an overwhelming amount of psychologists are liberal, there are many Christian Counseling services that I would recommend seeking out help through if you think this is something you need). There is no shortage of Conservatives who have completely burned themselves out at one time or another, and true depression isn’t something to joke about. We have lost several fine FReepers to the depths of depression, and if you are truly feeling completely dejected at this point, please do seek help... Been there, done that, and there IS light at the end of the tunnel — even if you can’t see it from where you stand!

Praying for you! Feel free to FReepmail me if you’d like. As I said, I’ve “been there, and done that” when it comes to depression and such. I may not be able to solve your problems, nor would I attempt to, and I’m NOT a licensed therapist, or anything of the sort. However, if you need to rant without people giving you hell for it, I’m willing to listen! :)

[LibertyRocks]

Awesome post, Salem! Thank you!!!

[Salem]

             Thanks!



"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." - Thomas Paine