Posted on 06/13/2002 8:27:39 AM PDT by christine
Why I'm not a conservative
© 2002 WorldNetDaily.com
I've said it before and I'll say it, again: I am not a conservative.
This comes as a shock to some people. We have come to view politics in America in this paradigm of right vs. left, conservative vs. liberal, Republican vs. Democrat.
I tell you that is no choice at all.
I don't like the label "conservative." I reject the label. With all due respect to my "conservative" friends, I find the description detestable, extremely unflattering, simplistic and an insult.
Let me tell you why.
Conservatives, by definition, seek to conserve something from the past institutions, cultural mores, values, political beliefs, traditions.
What happens when a society moves so far from righteous values and freedom principles that there is little left to conserve?
That is where I believe America finds itself in the early part of the 21st century. Let me give you some examples of why:
the breakdown of the institutions of marriage and family;
the inability of many to distinguish between right and wrong;
the consolidation of power in Washington and in the executive branch;
the breakdown in the rule of law;
the usurpation of power by unaccountable supra-national agencies;
infringements on personal freedoms
increasing vulnerability to weapons of mass destruction and government's unwillingness or inability to address such a basic concept of defense; What do these and other problems our nation is facing have in common?
Today we have a federal government that acts without regard for the Constitution. What's the conservative prescription for that? Has "compassionate conservative" George W. Bush reversed unconstitutional government or continued it? Can you defeat unconstitutional government by putting your finger in the dike to prevent more?
No, it takes a radical agenda to defeat a radical agenda. Conservatives have no stomach for fighting the kind of fighting it takes to restore real freedom to America.
It's not a time for timidity or compromise. It's not a time for defensiveness and conciliation. It's time to take the offensive in this struggle.
I'm not a "conservative" because I see precious little left in this world worth conserving. Conservatives, from my experience, do not make good freedom fighters. They seem to think a victory is holding back attacks on liberty or minimizing them. They are forever on the defensive trying to conserve or preserve an apple that is rotten to the core.
What is the rotten apple? You can see it in the government schools that dumb down American kids. You can see it in the universities that pervert the concepts of knowledge and wisdom. You can see it in the federalization and militarization of law enforcement. You can see it in the proliferation of non-constitutional government. You can see it in the real "trickle-down economics" of confiscatory taxes. You can see it in the unaccountable authorities which give us global treaties. You can see it in the relentless attacks on marriage and the family. You can see it in euthanasia, population control and the phony "right" to abortion on demand. You can see it in the surrender of our national security.
It's all got to go. But how? Politics as usual will never get us there.
Conservatives, it seems to me, only forestall the inevitable slide into tyranny. I don't want to forestall it. I want to prevent it. I want to reverse that slide. I want to restore the dream that was America.
Was George Washington a conservative? No. He was a revolutionary. He is known throughout the world or was when people appreciated such concepts as the "father of freedom."
Today, those who stand for freedom, justice, the rule of law, self-government and the moral principles of the Bible are not part of "the establishment." We're the rebels. By the world's standards, we're the renegades.
The founding fathers knew that even the best designed government wouldn't work if the people were not righteous, moral and God-fearing if they didn't love liberty and cherish it.
To practice self-government again, we must have a people capable of self-government.
It takes courage to stand in the gap, to man the barricades, to say "enough is enough" and mean it. It takes more than a "conservative" vision to lead the way back to freedom.
i could add a few names that we've been called: whackos, malcontents, disrupters, tinfoilers, conspiracy theorists, bushbashers, blame america firsters....
...America-hater...
Rather Orwellian that those who advocate a Constitutional Republic in the United States of America should be called those names.
Recent events have revealed that those who want to abandon the Constitution and find exceptions in time of crisis are those who really didn't believe in it to begin with.
Hear that, Sean Hannity?
Thank you Registered!
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
We're not conservatives... we are "counter-revolutionaries".
I like!! :-)
2)[T]he consolidation of power in Washington and in the executive branch; the breakdown in the rule of law; the usurpation of power by unaccountable supra-national agencies; infringements on personal freedoms
I broke the list into two separate groups to illustrate a point. Group one factors tend to cause group two consequences.
To paraphrase one of the founders: those who will not govern themselves will be governed by tyrants.
That's wonderful, Joseph. I am proud of you. However, you forgot to tell us exactly what you ARE.
I'm for all the things that you are for. We've just not reached the boiling point as a nation where we can list out our grievances and make a call to arms.
I'll tell you what, Joseph. You find a way to get the sheeple interested in returning to our Constitutional roots, and I'll join in behind you. Until that time, I am doing what I can -- teaching my kids about our founding, our fore-fathers, and how to get back there. It is practical, and it defeats the leftists at their own game.
By mushing the minds of children over the last 30 years, the left has advanced their socialist agenda.
We MUST raise the next generation of leaders for this country, if it is to be saved.
Homeschool bump!
PS - visit pocket declaration.org to see how to get our children to read the Declaration of Independence. We have to get our children to understand Liberty at an early age.
Our Constitutional Republic will self-restore when Americans self-reform. That means rejecting irresponsible sexual behaviors (which lead to the breakdown of the family, the evil of abortion-on-demand etc) including so-called homosexual marriage, devil-may-care substance abuse etc. It means adopting, supporting, and living a God-based personal morality of right and wrong even if one does not consider oneself particularly religious.
As John Adams said, our Consititution was made for a moral and religious people; it is wholly unsuited to any another.
Can you show evidence of the existence of Group one factors in American society in the early 1900's that led to the massive expansion of federal government and consolidation of power in DC under Wilson and FDR?
Once a 'conservative' gets elected, all the talk about freedom gets shoved down the memory hole and suddenly the importance of government power to control people's behavior becomes important. In the last couple of elections, 'conservatives' have lost, because they opposed the lottery and opposed medical marijuana. Pro-freedom, pro-personal responsibility ideas get trashed in favor of some religio-moral crusade.
'Conservatives' can win, if they become pro-freedom and stay in power as long as they act on that pro-freedom agenda. "Stay out da' Bushes". George H W Bush experienced the biggest political collapse in American history. Why? He raised taxes, he signed the quota bill, he signed the ADA, he signed the Clean Air Act. He supported the out of control IRS and BATF. He backed the jack-booted thugs instead of the freedom of the American People. He went from 91% approval rating to getting 34%, while people desperately tried to turn him around on the freedom issue.
George W Bush is heading down the same path. The only thing holding him up is the war. Dubya said the 9/11 attacks were attacks on our freedom. Well, shouldn't our response be more freedom? Where is it? Where's our liberty going? He's doing nothing, but going along with the liberals. He's to the left of Feinstein and Boxer on terrorist profiling for Pete's sake.
As the article points out, we need to have the courage of Peter and Paul and the other disciples, and that of great leaders like George Washington, to re-establish our country as it should be. As Christ feared no scorn, neither should we.
I agree. Kevin seems to think it's the other way around, so I'm trying to determine if he can objectively support that theory.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.