Are You Willing To Compromise & Surrender What Our Founding Fathers Set Forth For This Republic?

me | February 3, 2003 | callisto

[callisto]

Honor, justice, and humanity, forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them if we basely entail hereditary bondage on them.
- Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of the Causes and Necessities of Taking up Arms, July 6, 1775

Many of us were hoping for a truly Conservative candidate to be our nominee, but Hunter, Tancredo and Thompson made their exits and those who remain are less than substandard by comparison. Some of us are willing to support whomever the Republican nominee may be. I was recently asked if I was willing to compromise my Conservative values and principles to support the nomination of a less than worthy candidate in order to defeat what I think may be the worse destruction leveled on this great nation: the election of Clinton or Obama to the Presidency.

Initially, I understood the question posed but I failed to see the truth behind the question. Fortunately, DoughtyOne, posted a thread asking just how willing we are to compromise those values with a great analogy as to the ramifications of such a compromise. I won’t restate DO’s words as he said them so well himself, but the meaning behind those words have reverberated in my mind since and left me asking myself, “How many of us realize the compromises we are about to make this coming Tuesday?” The more I read and posted on threads this week, the more I realized that many of us are willing to make that compromise without regard to the intent and principles of our Founding Fathers when they created this great nation in which we are fortunate to live.

Our Founding Fathers were eloquent spokesmen on the founding principles of self-government who believed in Liberty, Freedom, Justice and Equality. They believed that Wisdom, Knowledge and Virtue were necessary for the preservation of those rights and liberties. With a stirring language, that reaches the depths of one’s soul, they wrote one of the greatest documents in history which changed the face of this world forever. When they undertook to sign their names to the document they risked their own pursuit of life and happiness to grant us the ability to know and live under the principles they valued most. To denounce the king’s authority was an act of treason, punishable by death, yet 56 determined men picked up quill and ink to sign the Declaration of Independence risking their lives, fortunes, family and all that they held dear.

So I ask each of you, are you willing to give up all that these men gave for so little in return? Because if we refuse to stand up for what is right and principled when given the choice, we will deserve what we receive for accepting what has been handed to us. To many of you I am preaching to the choir, but to others I hope you will read this post and consider the principles on which our nation was founded, and the effects of relinquishing those tenets. Before you go to the polls on Tuesday, consider exactly what is at stake when you cast your vote.

In the words of Samuel Adams, 1781:

Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual - or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.

[big'ol_freeper]

In fairness, I did at first not intend to include Ron Paul because Ron Paul is not a conservative and to my knowledge he does not claim to be one. He is a libertarian, and unfortunately for other libertarians he occupies the lunatic fringe. Some of the things he espouses are spot on. Others are just plain insane and lunacy. I don’t think he is totally in possession of his sanity, so I don’t take him seriously.

[sam_paine]

What we need is more vanities, not action!

THAT is what will save the Republic!

[RichInOC]

No. I’m not willing to saddle America with a Democrat president just because I don’t think the Republican field is good enough. And never have been. And as long as the Democrats are as they are now, never will be. I’m especially not willing to saddle America with Hillary Clinton just because I don’t think the Republican field is good enough. And never have been. And as long as Hillary, and Bill, and their followers, are as they are now, never will be.

Are you?

[callisto]

What we need is more vanities, not action!

THAT is what will save the Republic!

I thougt I did very well to constrain myself to one vanity in 7 years of posting, and 10 years of lurking. Do you think subject matter not important?

[callisto]

I hope we never stray far from this ideal.

Me too! I hunted for a while to locate that exact phrase. I remebered it but wanted to ensure I quoted it accurately. Thanks for reading it.

[sam_paine]

I thougt I did very well to constrain myself to one vanity in 7 years of posting, and 10 years of lurking.

Sure. You and 50 other people have constrained themselves to a single vanity recently.

No problem. Enjoy.

I just think the fact that so many people are being stirred to espouse the ultimate political philosophy of all time just really says more than the individual posts.

It's the golden age of inactivism!

[Grizzled Bear]

Excellent post.

However; do we really have a choice? Our choices look a lot like what the voters in the Soviet Union had to choose from.

What would our founders do?

[mimaw]

I don’t like McCain but how do you think Hillary would fight the WOT? If she manages to get in the White House it will be in spite of her vote on the war and she will be quite hand tied from pursuing an aggressive war against those who would be only too happy to annihilate us. Remember Clinton was like Nero he fiddled around while our enemy plotted the worst attack on American soil. I’m not happy about his stand on supposed torture or gitmo but I think his views are shaded by his personal experience. On the other hand his experience in the military would assure Iraq would not end as Vietnam did. The WOT is my number one issue. Could McCain be any worse than Hillary on taxes? As to judges that is a worry but again could his appointment be any worse than what we’d get from Hillary? Finally no one believes John McCain is a conservative on most issues and he would not be considered a conservative by anyone.

[stentorian conservative]

Thank you for posting this. It's importance and impact are far greater than you may imagine. I have a Daughter who will be voting for the first time this November. You have reminded me where to look for answers to her many questions. . . and where to regain my footing in an incredibly dizzying time.

Again, thank you.

[DoughtyOne]

Thank you Callisto. I do appreciate that others are wrestling with the same decision I am this year.

The status quo just doesn’t seem to be the answer any more. We have continued to support the people our early primaries foist off on the rest of us election after election, until now we are evening willing to take the dumbed down (with regard to conservatism and sound policy), John McCain. Folks, John McCain? I haven’t been a big fan of President Bush, but John McCain when he took him to task, did it from the left side of the isle in nearly every instance. Where was John McCain when Bush was implementing leftist policy. If not right there with him, he was criticizing it for not being leftist enough. Doesn’t that tell you anything? As bad as Bush has been on many issues, we’re about to sign on to a worse fate. Not no, but HELL NO!

The Republican party has adopted rules that allow crossover voters (read that democrats and independents) to decide who our nominees are going to be, before good solid Republicans even get a chance to vote. We’ve had a few million people cast votes for our nominee this year, many of them being democrats and independents, yet the decsion is nearly made. Essentially all but two candidates have been eliminated, under the rules the Republican party has devised to usher in a still more leftist individual election after election. When will this end? If we vote the status quo this year, it could actually mean the loss of portions of our sovereignty. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

I realize it’s a very hard thing to ask. It is hard for me too. I hate being in this position. I hate being confronted with four years of leadership with one of the four people left in the races. The problem for you and I is that if we don’t take a stand now, in four years we’ll have candidates that are even worse than these. And if we go along to get along then, in eight years we’ll be faced with something even worse than that, and in twelve years, I cringe to think what we will be facing.

Folks why are the candidates worse every four years? They are wose because our situation becomes more critical. And when the election comes, we’re blackmailed into poor choices. This year the boogie man is Hillary or perhaps Barak. Are the choices in four years going to be any better if John McCain governs from the left and puts us on the verge of some cataclism? No. And that is what he will do, because controlling us is paramount. Some of you think this election is about saving the nation. Get real. It is about the continuation of herding us into the decisions they have caused us to have to make.

Isn’t it obvious to you that the status quo isn’t working. Serioiusly? Please be very careful what you do this election. I don’t know how many we have left.

[callisto]

What would our founders do?

I'm glad you asked. Here are two basic philosophies they extolled:

Thomas Jefferson, 1787
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.

Thomas Jefferson, 1820
I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.

And, no, I am not advocating violence. I will wait to see the direction our country heads before ever contemplating any such action. I feel we have tried the first idea expounded by Jefferson and I pray we never have to return to the second.

[bill1952]

The problem is, that a brokered convention pretty much gives John the nomination.

He has the most push with the K street boys, and the most history in the GOP elitist circles from which the electors are certainly going to be culled.

[callisto]

It's the golden age of inactivism!

I assume you are speaking for yourself. Activism can be applied on many levels, and although I will admit this year (read: 2007-present) I have not physically assisted the RNC with my actions, I have on multiple levels been active in promoting Conservative ideals. I almost strayed into the blind obedience of RNC thought...but I regained my foothold. And, if you feel my post is unworthy of this forum that is your opinion and I respect for it.

[jrp]

Other than vote, write letters, donate and talk to friends and co-workers, etc., what can one do? Half the country wants full on hard-core socialism. We’re about half way there I recon.

I heard an audio clip of a crowd cheering when Clinton said she wanted to raise taxes. It’s sad we’ve come to a point where Americans are cheering for a politican to raise their taxes. That’s what we get for allowing socialists to take over education, the media and entertainment. The non-stop socialist brain-washing seems to be working.

[jern]

bit dramatic

[Gondring]

Bump

[Fiddlstix]

My first, and hopefully only, vanity.

A good one too!
Bump

[callisto]

bit dramatic

I wasn't going for that effect, but you may correct in your assessment. While composing, my thoughts were on many of the comments on the forum recently. I happen to have a very strong love for our country and respect for those who fought so hard to ensure that we, in the present day, have liberty and the freedom to write the words we do on this forum. My heart can be idealstic at times and it must have shown through in my writing. I appreciate your honest assessment.

[TLI]

This list needs to be spread to all parts of the internet.

Post away but don't credit me. Two other FReepers put it together and I was grabbin stuff so fast one day that I clean forgot to get their names.

[callisto]

Other than vote, write letters, donate and talk to friends and co-workers, etc., what can one do?

Educate! See my post 131. You're already taking the right path. The time for education is NOT over yet. If enough of us do all we can to educate the "sheeple" and disseminate the knowledge in the inaccuracies of our representatives attitudes and legislation, and the reality of the path our country is heading down we may be able to make our Founding Fathers proud (at least, to stop rolling over in their graves). Thanks for your inquiry!