Posted on 03/29/2002 5:48:42 AM PST by oursacredhonor
I can no longer tolerate the GOP's disgraceful lack of principle and outright hypocrisy. I have therefore officially resigned from the Republican Party. Here's why.
Life is a balance scale of choices and few choices consist of all positive or all negative factors. Most are a combination that we must weigh and then make our choice.
Such is my case with the GOP. On the positive side, Bush brought personal morality back to the White House, has been an effective war time President and for now, has slowed the all out assault on the II Amendment. For this, I applaud him and his team.
However, the negative side of the Republican scale is heavily weighed down by serious failures to stand firm on principle, serious dereliction of duty and hypocrisy.
Although my voter registration card indicated Republican, I am much more of an independent Constitutionalist. I could have "un-registered" numerous times and aligned my voter card with my ideology but I just delayed getting around to it.
I delayed in 1995 when the GOP took control of Congress for the first time in 40 years and we heard bold promises of change. Despite the rhetoric about smaller government and replacing the income tax, government expanded and income taxes became even more complex!
I delayed resigning again when a Republican was elected president but look what happened.
A Republican education bill increased funding 11% for the unconstitutional Department of Indoctrination, a.k.a. Department of Education.
A Republican president signed the USA/Patriot Act after it passed the Senate 98-1, and the House 356-66, giving government the power to install the carnivore e-mail snooping system without a court warrant.
Under a Republican administration, airport security was federalized and Gestapo-like screening tactics implemented.
Bush told the world we would go after terrorists wherever they were, yet we pressure Israel for restraint in battling terrorism in their own backyard. That's tremendously hypocritical. Then on 14 March our Republican president committed 5 billion of your tax dollars to the war on global poverty—an international version of Lyndon Johnson socialism. The final burr under my saddle was the GOP disregard for the Constitution in two major ways: Ongoing failure to secure our borders and Campaign Finance Reform.
This Republican administration has failed to effectively enhance border security even after 9.11. Recently, it even prevented the National Guardsmen patrolling that border from being adequately armed because they wanted to avoid sending an "undiplomatic message" to Mexico and Canada. This violates government's constitutional duty to provide for the common defense and sending soldiers on a security mission unarmed is totally unforgivable!
Such neglect clearly says that America's security, even in light of 9.11, takes a back seat to the potential benefits gained from political pandering. That's dereliction of duty bordering on criminal negligence in my book.
Campaign Finance Reform passed both houses and Bush signed it even though it's "flawed in some areas" as he said.
Yes sir Mr. President it sure is flawed! Besides not complying with any of the principles you specified in a letter to Trent Lott, it clearly violates the Constitution you swore an oath to uphold. So why then did you sign it?
Our Constitution was clearly subordinated to political expediency and this "new tone" of yours. 'Politics over Principle' is standard operating procedure with the Democrats but it's also clear that's the theme and substance of this "new tone" as well. 'Go along to get along and to hell with the Constitution' is the same old tone we've seen in Washington for years Mr. President—there's nothing "new" here.
Despite how the Supreme Court may finally rule on Campaign Finance Reform or how our border situation ultimately turns out, when those sworn to uphold our Constitution can't be trusted to do so, it tells me a lot about them and we've been cautioned about such folks:
"If you can trust a man in little things, you can also trust him in greater; while anyone unjust in a slight matter is also unjust in greater." ~ Luke 16:10 ~
Although their rhetoric proclaims more freedom and less government, facts clearly show the GOP isn't really interested in standing firm in defense of and preserving America's constitutional principles—period. As most now realize about our major parties, the Republicans are nothing more than miniature Democrats. While the Democrats are clearly "SOCIALISTS", the Republicans are merely "socialists."
Don't take this as surrender or dropping out on my part. I'll remain decisively engaged and fight for the principles of colonial traditionalism through my writing. After all, I'm still 100% American and a son of my colonial forefathers. I'll just not be officially registered as a member of any party where principles and the Constitution are so easily ignored, blatantly stepped on and repeatedly compromised.
I can accept compromise on style [technique] but I can't accept compromise on principle and our Constitution is the very foundation of America's most basic principles.
As Thomas Jefferson put it, "In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock."
With extremely rare exception, the Republicans never stand like rocks on anything and are thus untrustworthy guardians of America's principles.
Personally, I don't care for any party, Republican or otherwise, where principle is negotiable, lip service is paid to the Constitution, sacred oaths are ignored, and America's security is bargained away. If that means I'm "party-less" and remain an independent irritant in the side of all politicos, so be it. As a "gun slinging columnist", that's probably as it should be anyway.
I've had my fill of disingenuous politicians, ulterior motives, incremental socialism, sacred duties neglected, constitutionality ignored and sworn oaths brushed aside.
The GOP has violated my trust for the last time. Since I will always choose Christ's teachings and Jefferson's wisdom over political hypocrisy and lack of principle, there is now one less Republican in camp.
Note: This isn't intended to persuade anyone to follow me out of camp. This is….
Just the view from my saddle…
The Colonel
DON'T TREAD ON ME
You did the right thing, IMHO. I bet it won't be long before the Repub's find a way to attack the 2nd Amendment. Oh, and I hope you have your flame-proof suit on cause the true believers will be all over you soon! (c;
FYI, the 'Sierra Times' is a loony ideologue rag run by a self-avowed Libertarian.
It's the same old crap we've been treated to by the unappeaseables for the last week.
You can't debate someone who's stomping his feet and holding his breath.
Although my voter registration card indicated Republican, I am much more of an independent Constitutionalist. I could have "un-registered" numerous times and aligned my voter card with my ideology but I just delayed getting around to it.
The massive 1% of you have hated GW before he was elected, before he became president and after he became president. You have just been waiting to do this stunt.
A simple little matter re the constitution. It is not the president's job nor place to determine if a law is constitutional or not. That is the supreme courts responsibility not the presidents, and you know that.
Adios and no big loss!
Exactly. Don't run away--FIGHT!
Sure Republicans have some bad apples in the sack. But the freedom of America and other nations is at stake. You don't want a Democrat in office during this time. Belive me, as one who lived through the Vietnam disaster, you don't want Democrats in office.
I said it during the 2000 election, when a viable third party candidate shows up on the scene, I'll think about bolting the GOP. I just can't see doing that right now. I do continue on a regular basis to refuse to give money to the national party, and every time they send me a BRE (business reply envelope) I send it back, tell them they'll get no money from me until we have real GOP leadership in the Senate.
This is politics. You win the battles you can, and realize that you'll never win them all.
Which ones?
As for the many people on this board who think that mindless brand loyalty is more important that principle...wisdom comes to the observant mind and ignorance is a drug for the clueless.
Like Ronald Reagan once said about the Democratic party, you didn't leave the GOP...the GOP left you.
I have been a monthly contributer to this forum for nearly two years. I would hardly consider myself a disruptor. I think this piece has some good points that so far have not been refuted.
Take the anmesty debate going on now. The 245(i) extension was more or less a way to acquire ammo to use on the Democrats. Right now, you have a former member of the Ku Klux Klan that is blocking this measure, along with the host of border and visa security measures that the GOP wants.
I wouldn't be surprised if ads were being developed now that drive home this point. This could elect more Republicans to the House and Senate, which will make getting more important items (more tax cuts, getting conservative judicial nominees approved, more spending for national defense) much easier.
Similarly, with CFR, strategy took center stage here. Without Enron, had this bill gone through, I think Bush would have vetoed it, and used the strategy that some here wanted. But Enron changed things, because the Dems now had a lot of firepower that they and the media would have used. So, Bush had to go for a more "back door" approach.
In my opinion, Bush is getting a lot of important things done. His judicial nominations look very impressive, and the way the Left is fighting them, he must have done something VERY right. The same goes for a lot of the other, little things he has also done with the early EOs. We need to get the Senate back to get those judges confirmed. More judges, particularly appeals court judges (and perhaps the one or two Supreme Court nominations we will get) in the Scalia-Thomas mold are far more important than political suicide charges.
In this case, I think Colonel Dan has been too impatient, and he needs to get to work electing enough conservatives to Congress so such legislation won't get to the President's desk when crap happens. I also recommend close study of the 1995 budget battle and the mistakes made during that event.
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