Replies

Can you, as a defender of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, support the Patriot Act, and the fact that under its provisions, at least three of your fellow citizens are today incarcerated without charge, without access to counsel, with no prospect of a trial and release – all this in violation of the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth articles of the Bill of Rights?

Can you support an Administration that assumed power through election fraud, the disfranchisement of thousands of our fellow citizens, the violent disruption of official vote counting, and an arbitrary and incoherent ruling by five partisan judges?

Can you, as an opponent of "foreign entanglements" support a war of aggression, launched under demonstrably false pretenses, and provoking a world-wide hostility toward the United States administration?

Can you, as a conservative, sanction a federal deficit this year of half a trillion dollars and several trillion dollars over the next several years, causing an unbearable financial burden upon the generations that follow?

If conservatives believe in limited government, then can you, as a conservative, accept without protest, government surveillance of your book purchases and your e-mail? Is it the business of the government to interfere with a woman's control over her own body?

Conservatives uphold the rule of law. Can you then condone the arbitrary violation of laws by the President and members of his administration; including the Presidential Records Act, the Freedom of Information Act, the law forbidding the outing of covert CIA agents and organizations?

Conservatives insist upon responsibility and accountability. Can you then allow exceptions by such well-placed individuals such as Ken Lay, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove?

As a conservative who believes in free markets and free enterprise, are you not concerned about the growth of monopolistic cartels and conglomerates which stifle and absorb competitors (e.g., Microsoft). Are you troubled by the fact that virtually all broadcast media in the United States are owned and controlled by six corporations, and that the corporation- friendly Federal Communications Commission has ruled in favor of still greater media market concentration? Are you aware of the devastation that WalMart has caused to small town business throughout the country?

----------------------- Responses

1) I do not support the provisions of the Patriot Act that you identify. However, there are may other provisions that I find very reasonable and agreeable.

2) You claim that the Administration came to power through fraud - this has proven to be false. Further, it has been further shown that that had Al Gore been allow his re-re-limited recount of selected counties, he STILL would have failed to gain enough votes to win.

3) AFTER 3,000 plus civilian and military casualties (more than Pearl Harbor) the United States decided to act. It is to my mind a war of self defence. I reject your claim that the war on terror is a war of agression. It is necessary and just.

4) I do not support the growing of the Federal deficit and as soon as we can cut the unconstitutional spending on social engineering projects and return to a constitutional spending that provides for the common defence, the budget deficit with it's perpetual entitlement programs will be fixed.

5) I do not support government monitoring of any indviduals purchases - be they bibles, books or even guns. I futher do not believe that a women have a "right" to kill another human being. Women have a right to do with their body what they will - but they do NOT have the right to harm another person (their child). It is the "life" part of "...life, liberty and the persuit of happyness"

6) I do believe in the rule of law including innocent until proven guilty. You make unsubstantiated accusations. Better to bring criminal charges that can be proven or not.

7) I do believe in personall responsibility. And support President Bush's enforcement of the SEC laws that were so blithly ignored and not enforced by the previous administration. I'm thankfull that the President and the long arm of the law is enforcing the laws of our nation and bringing proscutions against Mr. Ley and others who have defrauded investors. I have yet to see where criminal actions have been taken by Mr. Cheney or Mr Rove. If you have evidence of a crime, bring it forth.

8) As a free market supporter, I'm more concerned about a level playing field where the rules apply equally to all and all have a chance to aquire great wealth. As to Microsoft, I find that there practices did need be be reigned in. As for the national media, as long as they obey the laws and have equal access to the markets and customers as the next individual or company, then I do not see a problem with them controling such a large portion of the market.

And as long as you are asking questions to conservatives, perhaps you would be willing to answer a few questions to liberals?

If liberals oppose the government using the death penalty on convicted rapist and murders, why then do you allow, even encourage, a women to kill her unborn child who has never harmed any person?

If liberals are so stauchly supportive of individual rights under the Constitution, why then do liberals work so hard to take away a person's right to own and carry a firearm?

If liberals are so concerned about their fellow man, desiring to lift them up and change their station in life, why do liberals create programs that force their fellow man to be a slave to the government hand out?

If liberals or progressives are wanting the people to have a better life, why then is it that liberals desire to take (by force of arms and pain of inprisonment) more and more hard earned money away from the people through ever progressive taxation?

If liberals are so supportive of the Constitution and state that there is a "wall of seperation" between church and state, why then do liberals work so hard to establish the official state religion of athiesm? And further work to actively prohibt the "free expression" of religion - a phrase that is ACTUALLY IN the first amendment?

I didn't write the original letter, but I will try to answer your questions on his/her behalf:

>>If liberals oppose the government using the death penalty on convicted rapist and murders, why then do you allow, even encourage, a women to kill her unborn child who has never harmed any person?<<

When you say "kill," that implies viability. Terminating a pregnancy is not at all equivalent to killing a person. But if you think it is, then you should answer for the same inconsistency.

>>If liberals are so stauchly supportive of individual rights under the Constitution, why then do liberals work so hard to take away a person's right to own and carry a firearm?<<

We'd like to reduce or eliminate the murders, accidents, massacres, and mayhem committed with weapons more powerful than anything our founders anticipated. Regulated hunting with appropriate weapons is constitutionally protected.

>>If liberals are so concerned about their fellow man, desiring to lift them up and change their station in life, why do liberals create programs that force their fellow man to be a slave to the government hand out?<<

Because of inequalities in our system, some people need a helping hand. Let's work together to eliminate racism, poverty, etc. We can design programs that encourage people to help themselves, instead of becoming dependent.

>>If liberals or progressives are wanting the people to have a better life, why then is it that liberals desire to take (by force of arms and pain of inprisonment) more and more hard earned money away from the people through ever progressive taxation? <<

Many of the things that are needed to assure a better life--infrastructure, education, defense, health, environment, etc.--can best be provided by pooling our individual resources.

>>If liberals are so supportive of the Constitution and state that there is a "wall of seperation" between church and state, why then do liberals work so hard to establish the official state religion of athiesm? And further work to actively prohibt the "free expression" of religion - a phrase that is ACTUALLY IN the first amendment?<<

Your assumption is flawed: I don't see anyone trying to establish a religion of atheism. Many liberals do work to make sure that a particular religion is not endorsed by government agencies. Individuals can express all the religiosity they desire to but they should not be permitted to impose their religious views on others.

I hope this helps.