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.
Now, THAT'S a plan :-)
Both our sons were born in Elizabeth City, NC and we loved that area. We often thought about returning there to retire.
As I recall (it's been a while) but it almost seemed like NC was three states, the coast, the "Piedmont" and the west (mountains). Where is the greatest number of illegals? I'm guessing the Piedmont.
You should make this your tagline:
"Rule or Ruin far rightists can never run the country but can ruin the only hope of improving it.
"Great post (I'm taking my wife to Ruth's Chris tomorrow night too ; )"
Don't throw your steak at the waiter if he/she/it puts parsley on it.
Fascinating. This is TN in reverse. We are also 3 states. Traditionally republican east, mixed middle, corrupt den of the Ford Family to the west.
BTW, speaking of republican east TN, a very wise FReeper taught me something I didn't know: Any mountainous region in the south will be mostly republican, going all the way back to the civil war. No plantations in the mountains. East TN did NOT want to secede, and almost broke away like WV did. Same for northern AL, GA. They used to have nicknames for the different sides. Johnny Reb. Billy Yank. Those in the mountains who wanted to stay in the union became known as "HillBillys".
Ah, the wealth of knowledge on FR!
Now, back to the slugfest!
I disagree there. The escalation of the rhetoric, especially after the ports deal, is what prompted the legislation. You'll remember the states which refused to cooperate with the Fed on "students" who came here, went to one or two classes but were AWOL for the rest of the terms even after their student visas had long expired? Or the mayor who ordered city cops not to cooperate with the INS (I'm pretty sure it was still the INS then) when they wanted to do a sweep of illegals? Sure, we were sweeping for terrorists...that's evil now, too....but a lot of illegal, non-terrorist Mexicans would have been swept up in it too just because they're illegal and that would have been a GOOD thing for us.
A lot of us on FR were outraged then, but nowhere near as outraged as some of us have suddenly become with just Mexicans. Otherwise, we might have been able to force our local governments to cooperate with the Fed a couple of years ago, which would have resulted in more immigration reforms a LOT sooner.
And what about the fence which keeps getting tied up in court with frivolous lawsuits over whether it'll interfere with the migration of the Mexican Spotted Owl or whatever and the lack of drinking fountains and porta potties for illegals? Where was the support for the Fed against the wackhjobs? It was non-existant, because people were too busy screaming about the lack of a fence to support it. It makes no sense.
Why do we hold governors who pass E.O.'s and sign Legitimate (I mean having been passed by dure under, under the rules of parlaimentary procudure, by durly elected representatives) legislation accountable for things like tuition breaks, driver's licensing - which brings us to motor the voter insanity which my commonwealth has just voted to keep, BTW - and forget that abuse of state's rights is part of the reason the fed can't fully enforce the law even when they try to?
I've read a lot of your posts over the years, and you and I have a lot of common ground on this issue. I'm trying to point out that if we degenerate into tactics which cloud the real issues and prevent real solutions from being implimented, we ALL LOSE.
I mean...when someone is shrieking in your ear, are you going to listen earnestly to whatever argument they're currently making in their newest attempt to win the entire argument or break your eardrum, or are you going to plug the offended ear and instinctively get ready to swat the individual shrieking in your ear? Because that's what the entire border debate has turned into since a little before the ports deal.
So, you think immigration is its own self-contained issue, and not directly linked to issues 1,2,3 and 6 on your list?
For example: Social Security. (by the way Medicare reform makes Social Security reform a relatively simple problem by comparison, and is not on your list)
What kind of impact would granting amnesty to another 20 million aliens have on the Social Security system? How about Medicare?
Bottom Line: The average citizen idiot watching American Idol last night understands that amnesty, for example, means 20 million idiots to provide for out of our tax dollar that were only just stealing services before. As I write this, the Senate PASSED the amnesty bill AND 24 REPUBLICANS CROSSED PARTY LINES TO PASS IT!
You want insane? I give you 40% of the GOP Senate.
"You probably have days as well that you wonder why you are a Democrat."
Many. But I still think it's the best strategy at this time.
In military terms, you never retreat without covering your retreat. That's exactly what happened when conservatives retreated en masse from the Democratic party in the 1980s and 1990s.
The cast of frequently quoted notables within my party were the predictable end result.
I'm more into salties then sweets, but I am a certified chocoholic. And am now craving one of the above, none of which we have....though there's still a bunch of leftover Easter candy I could raid, and also some mocha cappuccino...OOPS!! Did I just break one of the rules for good conservatives by admitting a love for mocha or cappuccino? Yikes!! (ducking for cover)
I agree. But I have discussed this with other serious-minded freepers as well, and we're all puzzled why Bush just can't table the guest worker program for a year or two and see if improved border security can work. His refusal to do this is what is driving the rift.
Here we go! FR will become a bloodbath tonight1
The House GOP is the last line. May God give them strength and give RINOs a clue.
Largemouth are what I wish for, mostly. Sorry you got no takers. Any rain in your forecast?
Grew up around Charlotte, lived in the mountains for 7-8 years, and now live in the Raleigh area. Believe it or not, my worst experiences (where I saw the most immigrants (non-yankee ones at least)) was in the mountains. I moved to Raleigh in 2000 and it was like a respite. However, it has changed it seems and the upper part of Tobacco Road is being overrun slowly but surely. I can't say as I know anything about the coastal areas but I have friends down there as well. They say it's pretty bad. Definitely not the NC I grew up in...
My two senators voted for the Amnesty. Frist isn't running again, but Alexander MUST go down in the primary.
Nobody here would be advocating this amnesty plan if it had been proposed by a Democrat in the White House.
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