Posted on 05/12/2006 3:10:38 AM PDT by SUSSA
Because many who now call themselves conservatives are what we used to call Rockefeller Republicans. They arent small government conservatives or personal responsibility conservatives, or personal liberty conservatives, like Goldwater, Buckley, or Reagan.
They are big government conservatives. They are only conservative when compared to people like John Conyers.
Back in 1960 JFK was a liberal. Today he would be considered a right wing extremist by the Republican leadership. It just shows how far weve slid into the slime pit of big government socialism.
Okay, but, how do people who choose to be conservative, in terms of their own self understanding, fail to grasp the notion of freedom as an individual versus collective right. Liberals believe the government has a right to intrude because it protects a greater collective right. Conservatives are reluctant to endorse any government intrusion of individual freedom. Data mining does not bother me. Common sense tells me it is a security matter and I can live with the Courts authorizing this intrusion into my affairs. What bothers me is conservatives not recognizing how challenging a test this is for us.
Because under this new definition of conservatism rights are collective, not individual, and government isnt the problem, it is the answer. Its the same old New Deal/Great Society crap under a new name. In government New Speak old fashioned socialism in compassionate conservatism.
Use it in good health, Diana.
Like I said, if the government can abuse it, they will abuse it.
Widespread abuses cannot exist without the cooperation of a corrupt media. If a President is corrupt, and the President appoints a corrupt Attorney General, there are limitless possibilities to harass and intimidate political opponents so long as a biased media ignores the abuses. That is what was happening on a huge scale in the Clinton Administration. And it will happen again in a future Clinton Administration. What is today is called "data mining" can turn into an enemies list in the future.
Hee hee. If you can't trust Livingstone, well, who can you trust?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.