Posted on 09/11/2008 10:57:32 PM PDT by joanie-f
Most conservatives decry the ‘bread and circuses’ atmosphere of modern politics, principally because the consistent focus on meaningless pursuits takes the citizens’ focus away from the important issues … even crises … that must be considered, and faced, if we are to remain a free society.
Our Founders continually warned that liberty, and the republican form of government that is best suited to ensure it, can only be maintained through an informed citizenry.
Wisdom and knowledge, as well as virtue, diffused generally among the body of the people, are necessary for the preservation of their rights and liberties.
Many of us consider the ‘bread and circuses’ nature of modern American society to be most frequently exhibited in our adulation of the Hollywood crowd, professional sports figures, and reality programming, the accumulation of creature comforts, the me-oriented nature of the citizenry, the need to ‘be entertained’, etc. … with an incremental de-emphasis on genuine heroes, the importance of personal character and responsibility, and a sense of civic duty ... which includes being educated about our history, and concerned about our future as a free society.
I completely agree that all of the above trends have increased in intensity over the past fifty years, and that, if they continue to gain momentum, our very lives, liberties and sovereignty as a nation are in grave danger.
A sub-level of this toxic trend has become glaringly apparent over the past few weeks of the election campaign.
Our republic is facing potentially deadly crises the likes of which there is no historical precedent:
... and on and on, ad infinitum ...
One would think that, with one of the (if not the) most crucial presidential elections in the history of our republic approaching in fewer than eight weeks, the crises mentioned above would be foremost on the minds of every American who intends to step into the voting booth on November 4th. And, even more importantly, one would think that the American media (the self-appointed purveyors of information and education) would be hard at work seeking, and reporting, the candidates’ opinions on, and proposed solutions to, all of the above.
Yet what do we predominantly see and hear in all of our media outlets? What are we being subliminally told is of utmost importance in this crucial election?
Many of my conservative friends, all of whom are true patriots, have voiced the opinion over the past few days that they are glad Barack Obama and the left are ‘getting a taste of their own medicine’ via the production of the new RNC ad that plays off of Obama’s lipstick/pig gaffe, and they are pleased with all of the attention his gaffe, whether innocent or purposeful, is receiving.
I could not possibly disagree more vehemently.
By producing such an ad, and even debating Obama’s intent – indeed, by even giving credence to this story – conservatives are accomplishing three fatal outcomes:
(1) they are legitimizing the bread and circus atmosphere in this election process
(2) they are stealing a worthless page out of the left’s playbook
(3) they are spending major campaign funds on nonsense advertising that would be better spent educating the public about issues of critical importance to our republic
On my list of 'Things I Want the Voting Public to Know about Barack Obama That the Media Aren't Reporting', there are 8,563 items ahead of the fact that he may (or may not) have referred to his opponent as a pig.
I think the McCain campaign, and the RNC, should be telling us about those 8,563 things in their campaign ads, and leave the lipstick remark to those who believe it has some importance in the grand scheme of things. The fact that they have wasted the donations of loyal Republicans on such nonsense is infuriating to me.
The media, academia, and the political left profit from such abject stupidity. It allows them to fill the airwaves with such drivel, and to scrupulously avoid discussion of Barack Obama’s dark, longstanding connections to anti-American zealots and his agenda to impose his Marxist/black separatist ideology on a populace that has been programmed to be preoccupied with ‘looking the other way’.
Half of the American electorate is ready to put such a man in the White House. And I believe that ninety percent of that group possesses no real knowledge of his infamous background or his ultra-left-leaning agenda.
Why have so many of our countrymen fallen into such an ignorant stupor? Because, for fifty years, we have allowed the leftists in the media, our institutions of ‘higher education’, and Hollywood to incrementally turn our focus away from the enemy within ... and toward tattletale pranks and kindergarten pursuits.
I don't give a rat's patoot what derogatory label one candidate may affix to another. What I do care about is whether that candidate intends to dismantle the noble foundations upon which my country was built.
And the media be damned.
We're going to pay a terrible price for allowing ourselves to be so pliant in the hands of those who most certainly do not have our best interests at heart.
~ joanie
Neither you, nor Father Pavone, are limiting evil at this point. You won't admit it, or perhaps even recognize it, and neither will he, but you're empowering it.
So are you with your unAmerican stand against federalism but you won’t admit it either.
I stand fully for federalism. I just happen to know the difference between enumerated powers and unalienable rights. I also know what the word unalienable means.
President Bush picked originalist judges for SCOTUS, as well as many good circuit court judges, which will help empower goodness, but you will never admit it.
We just need one more SCOTUS to overturn Roe, and at least we will be able to save many more babies.
If a building were on fire, and you could only save half the people, wouldn’t you do so, or would you let them all die?
Please pray before you cast your vote.
Tell McCain how you feel about embryonic stem cell research:
John McCain 703-418-2008 and http://www.johnmccain.com/Contact/
No you don't. You don't even have a clue.
So much for personal liberty.
The difference is individuality.
Sharanski is speaking of the individual ("self") whereas Obama is speaking of the hive. Only the queen bee has an individual identity in the hive.
Seven of the nine sitting justices were put there by Republicans. At least eight of them are legal positivists, and don’t have a basic understanding of what the word “person” means. Sorry, but the promise of judges, especially from someone who has been the enemy of conservatives and conservatism for the last decade like Senator John McCain, just doesn’t wash.
The burning building analogy makes me sick. The so-called “leaders” of the pro-life movement have barricaded the doors, and they have no intention of saving anyone.
Their self-serving “strategy” of regulating abortion instead of standing for principle and demanding its end NOW, is the primary cause for its continuance. It’s time conservatives woke up to that fact.
I don’t have to pray about whether to stand for what is right. That’s already a given for anyone who has read and believed the Bible.
Right. And you’re the possessor of all knowledge. Let me guess, you have a law degree.
John McCain doesn’t listen to conservatives. I can’t believe that you’re so naive as to believe that he does. Ever.
I note here that you have refused to answer every direct question put to and have refused to acknowledge every statement made about the structure of our republic with either a confirmation or a denial. You position is untenable so you ignore every reasonable challenge to it and throw out the "I know what unalienable means" or "you aren't pro-life" nonsense in place of an intelligent reply.
Do States have a right to alienate the God-given rights to life and liberty or not? Why can’t you just address this simple question? Or is personal insult all you’re capable of? You do have a law degree, don’t you?
I did answer that question and after all the insults you have thrown around you have no ground to stand on with that accusation.
I note the complete unresponsiveness of your post. You’re the one doing what you claim I’m doing.
Good night.
The same unresponsiveness you show in all of your posts. You are a complete lightweight. Where is your law degree?
Our Constitution doesn’t belong to the lawyers.
You call me a lightweight. That’s fine. But we’ll see who has the last word on this matter politically.
We’re changing the rules, and folks like you aren’t going to like it very much.
The only reason that RvW still stands is that Congress wants it to stand. Congressional statesmen with an eye toward their duty, by the mere offense to the power of their office, would have knocked down that judicial tyranny the very year it was birthed. It is by their consent that Roe v Wade stands to defy them, Democrat and Republican alike.
Then we are back to the states. MOST states will be opposed to abortion on demand. A few—New York, California—may go the other way. Then we can fight the good fight on the state level.
I do not agree with you. Giving the power of Life to the states is every bit as unconstitutional as RvW is, and is a terrific foot in the door for euthanasia, and ever other sort of bastardization of that sort, which the court will then nationalize, and then here we go again.
One cannot ignore the plain words of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution, which specifically take Life beyond the reach of ALL branches of government, and lay it only in the hands of the Creator. Until that (Conservative) ideal is fully recognized and protected, there will be no end to the perversions that will occur, with 50 different states to use as legal testbeds.
It is not a matter for the federalists to resolve. It is beyond their right to claim. It is an unalienable right, one upon which our federal government is established, as a protector thereof, and without which, our sovereign government has no business to conduct, or moral right to stand.
If a RTL Act can’t get passed, neither will a HLA, which is much more complicated, requires alot more votes, and is much more time-consuming.
On principle, it also suggests we are accepting their premise that the US Constitution does not already acknowledge the God-given right to life-which I believe it does.
As we debate it, though, more babies die, and I have no doubts that O will ensure more innocent deaths for many years to come.
btw, Despite God’s desire that we be made perfect as He is perfect, He annointed imperfect leaders, as told throughout the Bible.
Are we talking adult stem cells or Embryonic stem cells?
Something happened....
...EV, I appreciate & respect you, but God could be using Palin (& she's willing to be used) to hold a mirror to the world and to our government especially.
Who knows.......God may use her for a season....for 4 years...
...and on the world stage, we will see her little Trig grow & he will shine a light on all who were prevented from being born because they were potential 'Trigs'...
..we will see the baby born of her teenage daughter...(Lord willing)...
..and the world will see all the babies who were not allowed to be born, because it was inconvenient!
EV, it could bring repentance to our nation!!
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