Posted on 05/17/2006 7:47:58 AM PDT by Pukin Dog
Edited on 05/17/2006 8:30:59 AM PDT by Lead Moderator. [history]
"A house divided against itself cannot stand." – Abraham Lincoln, 1858
It is getting somewhat strange around these parts when not only the President, but yesterday the First Lady was personally attacked by someone claiming to be a ‘Conservative’. Can there be any doubt that there are forces among us looking to drive a wedge between us?
A few weeks ago, this forum’s owner attempted to remind all of us of the big picture, that regardless of any personal animosity towards the President or Republican Party over their adherence to Conservative principles, that they are still a clear choice over the alternative Democrat Party rule. At that time, I assumed that FReeper-sanity had been restored, and that some of the negative rhetoric aimed at those in Washington D.C. would be dialed back.
Free Republic is a political forum with a proud history and vision, responsible for dragging Dan Rather from his post, and providing countless radio-talk shows with their daily talking points. FReepers are unique in their determination and energy towards protecting and defending the goals of our Founding Fathers.
We are also quite a powder keg of emotion and anticipation, expecting our Republican majorities to take advantage of this opportunity to make permanent gains in our Conservative agenda. Some might argue that this opportunity has been squandered, but those persons would be ignorant of history, lacking understanding that change cannot occur overnight in Washington, and that this is the way our Founders designed our Republic.
In frustration, impatience, and ignorance, we have allowed this forum to become a haven for those who do not share our Conservative goals. I do not blame our enemies anymore then I would blame a scorpion for stinging me. If anger and stupidity were one’s nature, I would expect the trolls that infect this forum to be angry and stupid consistently, which also makes them somewhat easy to detect.
The trolls are not the problem, though. The problem is that so many of us are allowing ourselves to be taken in by those who seek only to prevent us from going to the polls in November to keep their stinking hands off our government for another term. There can be no doubt, that no matter how disappointing our current government has been in promoting the Conservative agenda, that the alternative, enabled by our staying home will be MUCH worse.
The way to deal with Republicans who have actively worked against our goals is to defeat them in Primary elections. We do not even have to defeat them all, only enough of them to send the message that we will indeed target them if they work against our agenda. It should be the goal of EVERY conservative to see that Lincoln Chaffee is defeated in November. His seat is one we can afford to lose. Were I a Rhode Island resident, I would vote for the Democrat if only to send a message to Snowe, Hagel, Collins, Graham, and especially that bastard Specter that their primaries just got a lot tougher.
We only need to get one of them, and Chaffee is the one to get. It does not really matter if a Democrat takes his seat; he will be junior and mute as long as we maintain our overall majority in the Senate.
The one thing that bothers me here like nothing else, is the simple disrespect of the President. Am I am Bush-Bot? Damn straight I am. If you want to know why, click on my handle to read Southack’s excellent list of Bush’s accomplishments in office. But if Bush had done almost nothing in office, it would be no excuse for some of the slights and disrespect he has received from some of us on this forum.
Some of the things I have read here this past week match in tone what one can find on our favorite Democrat sewer site. Someone calling himself or herself a FReeper was promoting shooting aliens at the border until they stopped coming. Is that what we are about? Obviously not, and that so-called Conservative has been eliminated from this forum.
I think it is important to remember that you and I have just as much responsibility as George Bush does in changing our culture to better reflect Conservative values. Right now, this very moment, Conservatives have the government they deserve. We put them there. They are not our mommies and daddies sent out to bring home our Conservative bread. That responsibility lies with all of us. These Republicans represent us, they don’t serve us. Our job is to pick the best individual and send him/her to Washington in the hope that their CHARACTER will see them through.
This is why it is such a nutty thing to consider punishing the Republican party, when we should be letting them know that we’ve got their back, but if they cant do the job, we will replace them with ANOTHER Republican, instead of handing the reigns of government to the party of anger, hopelessness and despair. We sometimes like to think that those people we send to Washington are different from us, that they are capable of meeting our every need and desire.
I want every one of you to think about what you would consider to be your perfect mate. Maybe some of you think you have found that person. If you are married and totally in love with another person, that is great. Now I want to ask you to think about the last time that person you love, who is PERFECT for you, completely pissed you off. Remember, this is your perfect mate, your one true love. Do they do everything you want them to do? Obey your every desire? If you answer yes, I am going to put you on my troll list.
Those people in Washington do not even cut your lawn, yet you expect perfection. Get over it.
I am issuing a challenge to every person who considers him or her to be a Conservative; why don’t we all commit to a return to HONOR? Do we honor our Conservative agenda when we comport ourselves in disgraceful ways? Is it an honorable thing to suggest that our President is a moron, as I read here a few days ago? Is it honorable to attack Laura Bush or any other person representing true Conservative values?
Some of you might argue that George Bush is not representing Conservative values to your liking. I would remind you that the first thing Bush said upon taking office, is that he was going to be President of ALL the people, not just some. You know that if you followed Bush from the beginning that he campaigned of the very immigration platform he is defending right now. Did you vote for him? Yeah?
If you have ever had a steak at a Ruth’s Chris restaurant, you know that sometimes they bring that wonderful steak to your table with a sprig of parsley on it. I hate parsley. Hate it. If I were to treat my steak the way some of us want to treat our President, I would have to throw out the steak, due to that nasty parsley that comes with it. I can deal with the parsley to get the steak, and that is what I am asking FReepers to do.
Expecting perfection from any person, group or team is a recipe for disaster. George W. Bush is my president. You can disagree with him, you can blame him for your problems if that is your desire. If you disrespect his office, his service, his risking his life to be with our troops in Iraq, his steadfast desire to bring a new tone to Washington, or if you just like the way he keeps Democrats so pissed off they lose their minds on a regular basis, I ask you to treat him and his wife with respect and cut the personal attacks. If you call him ‘Shrub’ or ‘Jorge’ consider yourself my enemy.
Right now, our real enemy are the Main Stream Media, the Democrat Party, and all who follow and support them. If you want to jump-ugly on someone, why not start with those leaky bastards and give our side a break?
Do it for Pukin.
I knew that you could.
I would agree that many in the Senate want inaction to rule the day. For many years on many issues that has been the case.
I think this issue today is very different. Elections are coming and they are all feeling the heat that inaction is not going to be tolerated as status quo. I think this is felt on both sides of the aisle because inaction may well lead to an anti incumbant standpoint from voters no matter what party the usually vote for.
Thus I think that both houses of Congress will end up with something neither is really happy with and they will send it to the President's desk in an attempt to lay all the responsibility onto the office of president for the fallout of the bill as made law or the veto of it.
A veto of it would make for great podium blame game saying that the congress heard the call and produced a bill but it was that damn W that played obstructionist.
As before I do not think W will veto anything. his record shows that to date. This will remove the claim that it is his fault and lay it right back on Congress.
The conference is really going to be something else and I can only wish that we could all see behind that door that will absolutely be closed when it comes to debate between the two houses.
What a load. So some Super Duper Secret cabal is mainipulating the Murderous Minions of Mad Mo? A big puppeteer pulling the strings of Osama and Saddam controlling all?
You must be a very frightened person.
The "base" which the Hysterical and Obsessed claim to represent is as firm as ice in the summer sun. As you have noted these clowns are constantly threatening to leave over any number of things. Totally undependable except for the certainty they will be threatening revolt at the drop of a hat.
Yeah. And I bet he's regretting it.
"They are the all or nothing crowd. They demand all or nothing and get nothing. The rest of us lose."
What they demanded was a sea-to-sea fence and no amnesty by any name, and enforcement of existing law.
What they got was not a fence, guest worker and no serious mention of enforcement.
They aren't angry because they didn't get ALL of their agenda. They are angry because they not only didn't get ANY of it, but the President reasserted his intention to do the OPPOSITE of it: a "virtual" fence (but not a real one), guest worker, national worker ID cards, eventual amnesty by another name.
They demanded something, they got nothing and worse than nothing - they got the inverse of their agenda.
So they are angry.
And you're right, we all lose...
unless they are brought back.
The only way to bring them back is to give them something.
Given the passions and political and economic calculations, you CAN'T give them harsh internal enforcement at this time - the business Republicans will bolt; and you CAN'T give them "No amnesty or guest worker, ever" for the same reason, and also because a lot of people agree with the President that it's too hard and too mean to deport 20 million people who are already here.
But we CAN stop playing games and strike the "virtual" fence for a fence. Period. A physical barrier, sea to sea, which the Border Patrol will patrol. Everyone knows that will be quite effective (which is why the open borders types want something virtual, and less effective, as opposed to something real, and effective).
Give them their fence, and nobody loses except the Democrats.
Naw, they'd be inedible. Sour tasting, mushy and they'd either get stuck in your throat or upset your stomach. Now, they might make great fertilizer...
See, my plan is to use lib soylent green to replace food stamps and other free food programs. That way, those recipients would most likely get off their butts and figure out a way to buy their own food, rather than eat those nasty tasting buffoons. : )
"The conference is really going to be something else and I can only wish that we could all see behind that door that will absolutely be closed when it comes to debate between the two houses."
The game's not complicated now.
There will be a conference committee, and the BorderBots will be given something that appeases them and gives them a reason to vote to protect the GOP Congress. Or they'll get the stiff arm and they'll walk. Or there'll be no agreement, and the status quo will rule.
President Reagan believed any immigration "solution" had to put the rule of law first-- it simply didn't work out that way. Any attempt to deal with the problem that does not is not establishing a long term path to establishing a shining city on hill; just the opposite.
I at NO time accused Mary Cheney, George P. Bush, George W. Bush or anyone else of having "ulterior motives" if by that you mean some sort of dishonesty. Mary Cheney is a very admirable individual who has put the nations's security ahead of an issue very near and dear to her heart, and in my opinion all of us, including President Bush, should follow her noble example... Because no matter you stand on the Borders issue, it is not as important as the issue of the WOT. Many take this to mean border control advocates must not throw overboard this great president, and I agree... But it also goes the other way-- he must not throw over the base because his presidency is too important in the WOT to so much as weaken it just so we can get a guest worker's program, even assuming for the purpose of discussion such a program would be a boon to the nation on its own terms.
That does not mean that need agree with her or Vice President Cheney, who I also admire very much, on every issue. Many conservatives have trouble understanding President Bush's refusal to compromise on this issue as he did on others such as the Education bill. I was simply speculating as to why he might feel so strongly about it that he (apparently)refuses to negotiate with the House members of his own party.
No one is banned from here because they are "conservative". They are banned for being too nuts, too rude or too disruptive. There hasn't been ONE conservative banned who didn't meet one or more of those descriptions.
Anyone who claims conservatives are being banned for being conservative is a LIAR.
Perhaps you are not aware that the GOP is not a monolithic, totalitarian party wherein anyone not toeing the Party Line is liquidated?
I have no objection to "raising objections" and have done so myself. My problem is those gleefully threatening to throw the baby our with the bathwater and aid our deadly enemies thereby.
If you want to use a baseball analogy a more appropriate example would be to turn on a team because a couple of players are having a bad year. The House has voted on an Immigration bill the conservatives claim they like and the Senate GOPers voted 2/3s AGAINST a bill the conservatives claim they hate. Yet, the threats continue against the GOP. Insanity, nothing but insanity.
Actually, it's another attempt to succeed at what he's been attempting for several. That's snagged in litigation. Fence proponents have been perversely unsupportive of the fed against the environazis/"human rights" types.
Do you honestly believe that any bill not containing anything about guest workers will be passed by the Senate? We have a razer thin majority, and thanks to Lott and Frist the 2/3 thirds majority problem. Besides, we have a guest worker program in place already.
Also, wouldn't saying we'll discuss things like amnesty after the fence is built sound a little greasy and snakelike to proponents of some amnesty and still outrage the one issue border types? Though it might slow down the forgery industry which is no doubt ready to gear up.
Either way, I agree that we seem to have a political death wish and the House needs to laugh that Senate bill to death and force a commonsense compromise which CAN work. And it would be fat better for the prsident to support it.
Toby06 - I slipped ya a mickey, so you now should go lay down.
nopardons - Alone? /jk
COMPUTER -- $1,000.00
POSTING ON FREEREPUBLIC -- $10.00/MO
WATCHING NOPARDONS GO FROM RABIDLY ATTACKING ANOTHER FREEPER TO JOKING ABOUT GOING TO BED WITH HIM WITHIN TWO HOURS -- PRICELESS
BUMP! I agree.
I quoted YOU Dirtboy. You make post after post railing about what it means to be a "true conservative" and then you say nothing will work to solve the illegal immigrant problem "UNLESS THERE IS A TRUE DESIRE IN THE GOVERNMENT TO SEE IT DOES WORK." "True conservative" indeed. Maybe you should address your concerns to the thousands upon thousands of your fellow citizens who knowingly break the law by employing illegals. Some of them may well be your neighbors. Instead, you want to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on additional government spending when we could solve this problem for free by removing the lures that draw these people over in the first place. You want to eliminate the gross amount of spending we waste on paying illegals social programs benefits? Get rid of the social programs all together. Since when was free healthcare a right for any American, nevermind illegal aliens. You want to prove there are no jobs Americans won't do? End welfare to able bodied legal citizens and make them get off their fat butts, and away from their cable televisions and go out and work for a living. THOSE ARE REAL CONSERVATIVE GOALS. The fact that we've got illegals streaming through our cities is a clear sign that government has screwed up yet again, and on this issue the screw up started decades ago. Rather than heaping more dependency on the least productive component of our society, maybe we should reduce the load to next to nothing. Government is not the best solution to ANY of our problems.
And finally....please stop spouting drivel about "real conservatives". Ronald Reagan is tired of spinning in his grave.
One must use a Silver bullet, stake through the heart, garlic, an infinity of mirrors and the noonday sun. Beating back the waves of Insanity is more difficult than trying to get any of the Party of Treason to protect the United States.
It even gives ME a headache and I generally love a good fight.
You don't even know what a "globalist" is.
I honestly believe that us screaming in each other's faces (metaphorically...mostly) is clouding the issue and causing more damage to the goal of REAL CHANGE than anything any Democrat subversive could dream up with their mad, slightly damaged brain cells. Civil debate is the only thing that will help honest conservatives achieve any sort of an honest result.
A civil - and thorough - FReeping of our congresscritters and political advisors might clarify what they're now hearing as confused gibberish. He who yells the loudest sometimes only deafens those he wants to hear him.
No, I said we cannot SECURE THE BORDER unless there is a true desire to see this work. Last I checked, state laws do not allow citizens arrest of illegals - therefore, IT IS A GOVERNMENT ISSUE.
But I will grant you this - you did a nice job of taking one aspect of the problem and then applying my stance to the larger issue in order to attempt to discredit it. Very dishonest.
True conservative" indeed. Maybe you should address your concerns to the thousands upon thousands of your fellow citizens who knowingly break the law by employing illegals.
I do, but thanks for the strawman. Go try this on someone who might fall for your tricks.
That's a bunch is "ist's".:-)
Most of the GOP Congresscritters are on the right side here. Bush isn't. He is the one who needs Freeping.
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