"THAT which you believe"---"An open letter to Republicans"

"This is free ground. All the way from here to the Pacific Ocean. No man has to bow. No man born to royalty. Here we judge you by what you do, not by who your father was. Here you can be something. Here's a place to build a home. It isn't the land--there's always more land. It's the idea that we all have value, you and me, we're worth something more than the dirt. I never saw dirt I'd die for, but I'm not asking you to come join us and fight for dirt. What we're all fighting for, in the end, is each other."

A real question....since so many times on this forum, and others, the Republican 'mantra' has become a simple one.

Defeat the Democrats..whatever the cost..the Democrats are the enemy...(sort of Orwellian in it's simplicity)..repeated time after time...and anyone who dares to ask questions of George Bush's policies and actions is loudly shouted down.

But here's a 'news flash' for ya.......It may be that the Democratic Senators...Representitives.....leaders ARE the enemy of maintaining a Constitutional Republic.

The average member of the Democratic Party is just brainwashed..(for want of a better word)...

"This is a party, this Republican Party, a Party for free men, not for blind followers, and not for conformists. "

And Republicans who wish to rant and rave about 'third party' this or that...go right ahead.

You NEED staunch conservatives ( nowadays I guess we would be considered 'radical'.....) to help re-elect him....and others of the party..

CONVINCE us.........that at a certain point you will be willing to fight for 'old time values'.....

CONVINCE us ...that you have not become slavish followers of GWB...in much the same way as some did with Clinton....that you will ask the 'hard questions' (and demand the answers).

CONVINCE us.......and you will not do so by the constant dismissal of our very real concerns.

Should we elect rapists or murderers...if they are members of the Republican Party..and could 'help retake the Senate'???

Must every single American 'prostitute' themselves in order for one political party (one which on CLOSE examination is no different than the other one) to 'control' government???

Should I just throw those Beliefs and Values away...and close my eyes....just so the Republicans can win???

The basis of this Nation is a hardcore belief that the values and ideals (sorry to use that word..ideals...seems that word anymore has the same effect on Republicans as a Cross does to evil) that founded this Nation are important....

Republicans have a hard time. I think they have a harder time than the Democrats, because the Democrats have basicly sold their souls to further their agenda. Witness the defense of Clinton, his criminality, his licivious behavior, his sellout of the nation, his debased human condition. I think Bush supporters and those of us who are not sold on him would agree, that above all else, we DO NOT want to become a group of people who will support OUR MAN through anything to maintain power. However, in the interest of civility, I want it known that I do not think Bush supporters have reached the level of Clinton supporters. Bush being the honorable man that he is, how could they.

At least we are asking the question of how much will we tollerate. As a non-Bush supporter, I salute the Bush supporters who are honest. There are some who are willing to accept that Bush makes mistakes and weigh them. I say fine. I may disagree with their overall take, but at least they are thinking. Clinton supporters were so far gone, they never asked of themselves question one.

What we each have to assess for ourselves is how far we are willing to go. After assessing each individual act by Bush, we must take them collectively and determine if he is the man we thought he was. Hey those who do not support Bush should be doing this. Those who support him should be also. And we should decide not to slam each other for our individual decisions. Non-Bush supporters such as myself should be willing to go back into the fold if Bush can prove that we have misjudged him. And Bush supporters should be willing to reassess as well.

Now, as to individual decisions, I will not slam someone who honestly thinks Bush has made his mistakes but that he is overall a very good President. I might slam someone who fawns on the man to the point that they will not accept the fact that he can do any wrong. My candidate could do wrong. Clinton could do wrong. Even George Bush can do wrong. And he has. What it all comes down to, is this. In four or eight years, will this nation's budget be smaller? Will our education system have turned back toward the right and have made marked progress? Will we have turned the corner on the demise of our defense forces? And most importantly of all, will our individual rights we in tact? Will we have more or less freedom, more or less civil rights protection than we did when Bush took office? If the answers to these questions is no, or you aren't sure, then Houston, we have a problem.

I would like to encourage both sides to debate these issues. Knock off the name calling which I have participated in as much as the next guy. Discuss the Republican and third party issues. See if there is some commen ground. Quit asking the next guy if he's made as many phone calls, sent as man faxes, attended as many rallies or donated as much money as you have. Quit dismissing people because they supported someone who lost last time. You loss may be coming. Dismissing you wouldn't be productive either.

Folks, we need to find some common ground. These thousand or two reply threads where we trade insults and try to outlast the other guy are non-productive exercises in mutual self-destruction. Let's stop it. It was unproductive before the 2000 elections. It will unproductive in-between elections. It will be unproductive when the next elections occur. Let's work together and get through this.

Bush supporters, we third party supporters can be real a.h.s at times. And since your man won the election you have been too. Whatya say we agree to disagree and try to find some common ground. You are going to need every vote you can get in 2004. In 2002 we have important races where we ALL need to work together. I know in my state California, we must get behind Simon and do everything possible to get him in. It's very important. We have state and local races across the nation that will be decided this November. They are as important as the Simon race. Let's carry on our debates in a civil manner. Don't key off on every single comment made by us third partiers, and we'll try not to key off on each of yours.

As adults we should be able to put the animosity behind us and discuss issues on point. If you disagree, simply say I disagree. You don't have to say, you f----- a----ole, you're an idiot. Just say you disagree.

Let's put aside our trash talk and work toward giving Bush his Republican Senate. Then let the man put up or shut up for the following two years. I'd say that's a fair test we can all get behind.

To the Bush supporters I have tweaked, hey sorry. I don't hold grudges. Let's work together. Then we'll see how things shake out.

Trent Lott personifies my dilemma on this issue. There is no one I would less like to see as Senate Majority Leader. Except Tom Daschle.

In the real world, those are my choices. I don't like that my alternative to Tom Daschle is Trent Lott. I think Trent Lott is a worthless, spineless, blow-dried empty suit, who -- if the Republicans do re-take the Senate -- will let Tom Daschle run the place anyway, just as he did before Jeffords switched sides. I cannot express enough contempt for Trent Lott in this family forum. However, does that mean I would rather have Tom Daschle instead, just for spite?

I had my bout with spite. I had it in 1992, and my reward was eight years of William Jefferson Clinton. Lots of us showed ol' man Bush just what we thought about 'read my lips.' Sumbitch can't keep a promise, we'll show him, we'll vote for Ross Perot.

Been there, done that, got the stained dress. Never again.

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