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Dear Lakeshark, Please find enclosed all that really needs to be said about your entire 'argument' and support of the ABO philosophy. And remember he, like I, am far smarter than you. It is nothing short of amazing to me how it is that so many self-proclaimed 'conservatives have not only decided to abandon all principle in their zeal to get “Anyone But Obama” into the Oval Office, but how willing they are to create their very own Ministry of truth to do so. Over the past several weeks here on Free Republic and elsewhere across the net, apologists for and supporters of Mitt Romney have launched an all-out effort to rewrite history to justify their abandonment of the ideals they once claimed to hold. Ironically, despite trashing conservatives and adopting the very tactics they condemn in liberals, they have not only proclaimed such as the 'conservative thing to do”, but have repeatedly made the claim that American heroes who based their entire existence on standing by and for principle would have joined them in heir abandonment. We are told that the threat of Obama trumps everything else. We are told that persons standing by their beliefs are “Obama supporters” “Marxists” and any number of other blatantly unsupportable accusations. I have recently had 'discussions' with several people who have related to me in no uncertain terms that Ronald Reagan, of all people, would be voting for Mitt Romney. I find that rather odd. Since Al ester Crowley is no longer around to speak with the dead, I have to assume that they are simply attempting to justify their shame over willingly and publicly supporting a radical liberal candidate for the highest office in the land while claiming they are conservatives. Because no matter how you look at it, they are casting their vote for a liberal 'to save America”. If you willingly empower a liberal, I fail to see how his vision qualifies as “America' but I digress... Now since Reagan isn't here to defend his position, we only have his words to go by. Just as we have the record of Mitt Romney to go by. And while the ABO crowd has taken the ignoring of Romney's record and made it into numerous Oscar-worthy performances, it remains a hard, cold fact. And one too well known and widespread to stuff down the Memory Hole any time soon. Listed below are a number of quotes from Ronaldus Magnus dealing with principle and the importance of standing by it. A number of them deal directly with or are easily applied to the issues of today. All of them put lie to the delusion that Reagan would have abandoned his principles for political purposes or for any other reason. They are also highly instructive to the formerly conservative among us “There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” So how is it "morally right" to empower a man whose record is pro abortion and pro homosexual" Where is the courage in casting aside what you know to be right in order to empower that which you know to be wrong? “Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith.” How is throwing away everything you hold up as the greatness of America keeping anyone free or keeping the faith? What faith empowers abortionists and what freedom embraces 'mandates'...or those who 'love' them? “We need you, we need your youth, your strength, and your idealism, to help us make right what is wrong.” "Idealism" is the very thing Reagan called for. And our strength. To toss them away in order to embrace and empower one liberal over another is the polar opposite of that “Admittedly, there is a risk in any course we follow other than this, but every lesson in history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement, and this is the specter our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to face.” "The greater risk lies in Appeasement". Pretty much covers it. Refusing to face that is the ground "ABO" is built on. “I made a speech by that title [A Time for Choosing] in 1964. I said, "We've been told increasingly that we must choose between left or right." But we're still using those terms -- left or right. And I'll repeat what I said then in '64. "There is no left or right. There's only an up or down": up to the ultimate in individual freedom, consistent with an orderly society -- or down to the totalitarianism of the ant heap. And those today who, however good their intentions, tell us that we should trade freedom for security are on that downward path.” "And those today who, however good their intentions, tell us that we should trade freedom for security are on that downward path.”" One more time... "And those today who, however good their intentions, tell us that we should trade freedom for security are on that downward path.” Is that clear enough? It would seem he and Ben Franklin, by their very words, do not support abandoning or "Trading" their beliefs for 'Security", regardless of the form it takes. And Reagan CLEARLY implies those that do, "however good their intentions' are contributing to our collective national problem. “This country was founded and built by people with great dreams and the courage to take great risks.” The courage to take great risks is not in evidence among the ABO crowd now is it? “Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us-we finished the race, we kept them free, we kept the faith.” Again, "keeping the faith". One does not keep faith by abandoning it when one gets scared, nor for political expedience. “A leader, once convinced a particular course of action is the right one, must have the determination to stick with it and be undaunted when the going gets tough.” But when the going got tough, the ABO crowd got going...over the fence to vote with other liberals and moderates. Thus abandoning 'the faith'. “I am very proud to be called a pig. It stands for pride, integrity and guts.” Integrity . in·teg·ri·ty [in-teg-ri-tee] noun 1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. By definition, to abandon one's moral and ethical principles is to abandon one's integrity. Therefore it logically follows that in order for Reagan to vote for a man with a clearly and radically liberal voting record, he would again, by the very definition of the word, be abandoning his integrity to do so. And since Reagan was a man, not a God, it also logically follows that any person claiming to be a conservative who supports/votes for a radical liberal would likewise abandon their integrity. Don't blame me. Words mean things. “You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.” So how does one do 'all' that can be done by fighting against the very people and things they claim to believe in? How does guarenteeing more abortion/homosexual 'rights' preserve Reagan's or any other definition of 'America' for our children's children? How does cementing liberalism into the Republican Party, the traditional check on Democrat excess achieve that goal? “To grasp and hold a vision, that is the very essence of successful leadership - not only on the movie set where I learned it, but everywhere.” It then stands to reason that to abandon one's vision is the very essence of FAIL. “The United States is unique because we are an empire of ideals.” Yet 'ideals' are the very thing the ABO crowd is mocking us 'purists' for. It seems Reagan was a big fan of ideals. So drop the pretense ABOers and just mock Reagan openly. “Some of you may remember that in my early days, I was sort of a bleeding heart liberal. Then I became a man and put away childish ways.” Sums it up. “There is a mandate to impose a voluntary return to traditional values.” Whereas with Romney, the ABOer supports a mandated entrance to the values of liberalism, the homosexual agenda and Planned Parenthood. That's not hyperbole, it's what Romney legislated with gay marriage and his personal and legal donations to the abortion industry. Reagan it seems, was quite clear on 'traditional values'...like having integrity. “We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life -- the unborn -- without diminishing the value of all human life . . . there is no cause more important.” The Abo crowd thinks otherwise. Why else would they vote for a man whose entire career is filled with not only the support of, but expansion of abortion? So if as Reagan believed, there is no caise more important, would he give support to, much less vote for such a man? That would logically make no sense. “I want to talk about political and economic fairy tales” What a coincidence Mr. Reagan, so do the ABOers... “Many Americans today, just as they did 200 years ago, feel burdened, stifled, and sometimes even oppressed by government that has grown too large, too bureaucratic, too wasteful, too unresponsive, too uncaring about people and their problems. I believe we can embark on a new age of reform in this country and an era of national renewal, an era that will reorder the relationship between citizen and government, that will make government again responsive to people, that will revitalize the values of family, work, and neighborhood and that will restore our private and independent social institutions.” There he goes again..supporting those 'crazy' people and their 'stupid' values. “Are you willing to spend time studying the issues, making yourself aware, and then conveying that information to family and friends? Will you resist the temptation to get a government handout for your community? Realize that the doctor's fight against socialized medicine is your fight. We can't socialize the doctors without socializing the patients. Recognize that government invasion of public power is eventually an assault upon your own business. If some among you fear taking a stand because you are afraid of reprisals from customers, clients, or even government, recognize that you are just feeding the crocodile hoping he'll eat you last. (October 27, 1964)” Somehow, he does not sound like he'd support a man who legislated all of that. But hey...ABO! Right? “Many Americans today, just as they did 200 years ago, feel burdened, stifled, and sometimes even oppressed by government that has grown too large, too bureaucratic, too wasteful, too unresponsive, too uncaring about people and their problems. I believe we can embark on a new age of reform in this country and an era of national renewal, an era that will reorder the relationship between citizen and government, that will make government again responsive to people, that will revitalize the values of family, work, and neighborhood and that will restore our private and independent social institutions.” Kinda runs contrary to supporting a man who 'loves mandates, furthered gun control, raised taxes and regulations to the point businesses left his state and stepped all over the freedoms of his constituents in a host of other ways. Then again, I guess Romney DID reorder the relationship between citizens and govt. “The very key to our success has been our ability, foremost among nations, to preserve our lasting values by making change work for us rather than against us.” “Our whole system of government is based on "We the people," but if we the people don't pay attention to what's going on, we have no right to bellyache or squawk when things go wrong.” Read it and weep. “Whatever else history may say about me when I'm gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears.” Where by their admission, the ABO movement is ALL ABOUT "Fear of Obama" and the push to elect Romney is a manifestation of that fear. “I know you have been critically looking at the mores and customs of the past and questioning their value. Every generation does that. But don't discard the time-tested values upon which civilization has been built just because they are old.” Damn. That's a hard one to spin. But good luck trying Romney fans. “Let us ask ourselves; ''What kind of people do we think we are?''” Unfortunately I think we are learning that lesson all too late. “The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas—a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated.” Pretty much sums it up. Now tell me again how it is that Ronald Reagan would be an ABOer? Or better yet, before spouting that garbage again, ecplain to the class why he spent an entire lifetime being so 'WRONG”? Good luck with that.

Hopefully the formatting willbe correct. Dear Lakeshark, Please find enclosed all that really needs to be said about your entire 'argument' and support of the ABO philosophy. And remember he, like I, am far smarter than you. It is nothing short of amazing to me how it is that so many self-proclaimed 'conservatives have not only decided to abandon all principle in their zeal to get “Anyone But Obama” into the Oval Office, but how willing they are to create their very own Ministry of truth to do so. Over the past several weeks here on Free Republic and elsewhere across the net, apologists for and supporters of Mitt Romney have launched an all-out effort to rewrite history to justify their abandonment of the ideals they once claimed to hold. Ironically, despite trashing conservatives and adopting the very tactics they condemn in liberals, they have not only proclaimed such as the 'conservative thing to do”, but have repeatedly made the claim that American heroes who based their entire existence on standing by and for principle would have joined them in heir abandonment. We are told that the threat of Obama trumps everything else. We are told that persons standing by their beliefs are “Obama supporters” “Marxists” and any number of other blatantly unsupportable accusations. I have recently had 'discussions' with several people who have related to me in no uncertain terms that Ronald Reagan, of all people, would be voting for Mitt Romney. I find that rather odd. Since Al ester Crowley is no longer around to speak with the dead, I have to assume that they are simply attempting to justify their shame over willingly and publicly supporting a radical liberal candidate for the highest office in the land while claiming they are conservatives. Because no matter how you look at it, they are casting their vote for a liberal 'to save America”. If you willingly empower a liberal, I fail to see how his vision qualifies as “America' but I digress... Now since Reagan isn't here to defend his position, we only have his words to go by. Just as we have the record of Mitt Romney to go by. And while the ABO crowd has taken the ignoring of Romney's record and made it into numerous Oscar-worthy performances, it remains a hard, cold fact. And one too well known and widespread to stuff down the Memory Hole any time soon. Listed below are a number of quotes from Ronaldus Magnus dealing with principle and the importance of standing by it. A number of them deal directly with or are easily applied to the issues of today. All of them put lie to the delusion that Reagan would have abandoned his principles for political purposes or for any other reason. They are also highly instructive to the formerly conservative among us. “There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” So how is it "morally right" to empower a man whose record is pro abortion and pro homosexual" Where is the courage in casting aside what you know to be right in order to empower that which you know to be wrong? “Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith.” How is throwing away everything you hold up as the greatness of America keeping anyone free or keeping the faith? What faith empowers abortionists and what freedom embraces 'mandates'...or those who 'love' them? “We need you, we need your youth, your strength, and your idealism, to help us make right what is wrong.” "Idealism" is the very thing Reagan called for. And our strength. To toss them away in order to embrace and empower one liberal over another is the polar opposite of that “Admittedly, there is a risk in any course we follow other than this, but every lesson in history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement, and this is the specter our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to face.” "The greater risk lies in Appeasement". Pretty much covers it. Refusing to face that is the ground "ABO" is built on. “I made a speech by that title [A Time for Choosing] in 1964. I said, "We've been told increasingly that we must choose between left or right." But we're still using those terms -- left or right. And I'll repeat what I said then in '64. "There is no left or right. There's only an up or down": up to the ultimate in individual freedom, consistent with an orderly society -- or down to the totalitarianism of the ant heap. And those today who, however good their intentions, tell us that we should trade freedom for security are on that downward path.” "And those today who, however good their intentions, tell us that we should trade freedom for security are on that downward path.” One more time... "And those today who, however good their intentions, tell us that we should trade freedom for security are on that downward path.” Is that clear enough? It would seem he and Ben Franklin, by their very words, do not support abandoning or "Trading" their beliefs for 'Security", regardless of the form it takes. And Reagan CLEARLY implies those that do, "however good their intentions' are contributing to our collective national problem. “This country was founded and built by people with great dreams and the courage to take great risks.” The courage to take great risks is not in evidence among the ABO crowd now is it? “Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us-we finished the race, we kept them free, we kept the faith.” Again, "keeping the faith". One does not keep faith by abandoning it when one gets scared, nor for political expedience. “A leader, once convinced a particular course of action is the right one, must have the determination to stick with it and be undaunted when the going gets tough.” But when the going got tough, the ABO crowd got going...over the fence to vote with other liberals and moderates. Thus abandoning 'the faith'. “I am very proud to be called a pig. It stands for pride, integrity and guts.” Integrity . in·teg·ri·ty [in-teg-ri-tee] noun 1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. By definition, to abandon one's moral and ethical principles is to abandon one's integrity. Therefore it logically follows that in order for Reagan to vote for a man with a clearly and radically liberal voting record, he would again, by the very definition of the word, be abandoning his integrity to do so. And since Reagan was a man, not a God, it also logically follows that any person claiming to be a conservative who supports/votes for a radical liberal would likewise abandon their integrity. Don't blame me. Words mean things. “You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.” So how does one do 'all' that can be done by fighting against the very people and things they claim to believe in? How does guaranteeing more abortion/homosexual 'rights' preserve Reagan's or any other definition of 'America' for our children's children? How does cementing liberalism into the Republican Party, the traditional check on Democrat excess achieve that goal? “To grasp and hold a vision, that is the very essence of successful leadership - not only on the movie set where I learned it, but everywhere.” It then stands to reason that to abandon one's vision is the very essence of FAIL. “The United States is unique because we are an empire of ideals.” Yet 'ideals' are the very thing the ABO crowd is mocking us 'purists' for. It seems Reagan was a big fan of ideals. So drop the pretense ABOers and just mock Reagan openly. “Some of you may remember that in my early days, I was sort of a bleeding heart liberal. Then I became a man and put away childish ways.” Sums it up. “There is a mandate to impose a voluntary return to traditional values.” Whereas with Romney, the ABOer supports a mandated entrance to the values of liberalism, the homosexual agenda and Planned Parenthood. That's not hyperbole, it's what Romney legislated with gay marriage and his personal and legal donations to the abortion industry. Reagan it seems, was quite clear on 'traditional values'...like having integrity. “We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life -- the unborn -- without diminishing the value of all human life . . . there is no cause more important.” The Abo crowd thinks otherwise. Why else would they vote for a man whose entire career is filled with not only the support of, but expansion of abortion? So if as Reagan believed, there is no case more important, would he give support to, much less vote for such a man? That would logically make no sense. “I want to talk about political and economic fairy tales” What a coincidence Mr. Reagan, so do the ABOers... “Many Americans today, just as they did 200 years ago, feel burdened, stifled, and sometimes even oppressed by government that has grown too large, too bureaucratic, too wasteful, too unresponsive, too uncaring about people and their problems. I believe we can embark on a new age of reform in this country and an era of national renewal, an era that will reorder the relationship between citizen and government, that will make government again responsive to people, that will revitalize the values of family, work, and neighborhood and that will restore our private and independent social institutions.” There he goes again..supporting those 'crazy' people and their 'stupid' values. “Are you willing to spend time studying the issues, making yourself aware, and then conveying that information to family and friends? Will you resist the temptation to get a government handout for your community? Realize that the doctor's fight against socialized medicine is your fight. We can't socialize the doctors without socializing the patients. Recognize that government invasion of public power is eventually an assault upon your own business. If some among you fear taking a stand because you are afraid of reprisals from customers, clients, or even government, recognize that you are just feeding the crocodile hoping he'll eat you last. (October 27, 1964)” Somehow, he does not sound like he'd support a man who legislated all of that. But hey...ABO! Right? “Many Americans today, just as they did 200 years ago, feel burdened, stifled, and sometimes even oppressed by government that has grown too large, too bureaucratic, too wasteful, too unresponsive, too uncaring about people and their problems. I believe we can embark on a new age of reform in this country and an era of national renewal, an era that will reorder the relationship between citizen and government, that will make government again responsive to people, that will revitalize the values of family, work, and neighborhood and that will restore our private and independent social institutions.” Kinda runs contrary to supporting a man who 'loves mandates, furthered gun control, raised taxes and regulations to the point businesses left his state and stepped all over the freedoms of his constituents in a host of other ways. Then again, I guess Romney DID reorder the relationship between citizens and govt. “The very key to our success has been our ability, foremost among nations, to preserve our lasting values by making change work for us rather than against us.” “Our whole system of government is based on "We the people," but if we the people don't pay attention to what's going on, we have no right to bellyache or squawk when things go wrong.” Read it and weep. “Whatever else history may say about me when I'm gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears.” Where by their admission, the ABO movement is ALL ABOUT "Fear of Obama" and the push to elect Romney is a manifestation of that fear. “I know you have been critically looking at the mores and customs of the past and questioning their value. Every generation does that. But don't discard the time-tested values upon which civilization has been built just because they are old.” Damn. That's a hard one to spin. But good luck trying Romney fans. “Let us ask ourselves; ''What kind of people do we think we are?'' Unfortunately I think we are learning that lesson all too late. “The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas—a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated.” Pretty much sums it up. Now tell me again how it is that Ronald Reagan would be an ABOer? Or better yet, before spouting that garbage again, ecplain to the class why he spent an entire lifetime being so 'WRONG”? Good luck with that.