REFLECTION ON OUR FREEDOMS

Reading others thoughtful writings, for a writer, is like planting and cultivating seeds, for a gardener. It produces a crop of ideas. One such article, by Brett Joshpe, "The International War on Free Speech", has provided fodder for Mirror On US. Brett is the co-author, along with S.E. Cupp, of "Why You're Wrong About the Right." (Also, a good read) I've added a link to his article in The American Spectator, at the bottom of this entry.

Our freedom of speech is like a muscle. If we don't exercise it, atrophy will set in. If we don't use it correctly, with forethought and intelligence, it will be used against us. It's time to persuade those close to us; our families & friends, our co-workers, the waitress, the barber, our beer drinking buddies, our church going Christian brothers & sisters, of the common sense fact that our freedoms are not guaranteed. In a comment at the bottom of Brett Joshpe's article, Mike Bell said, "freedom is our God given right", but so are other rights that have slipped from our grasp. God gives us much, but it is our responsibility to maintain and protect those rights. Both the 1st and 2nd amendments depend on each other. Our freedom to bear arms will have a great deal to do with our keeping our freedom of speech...and if we don't exercise our freedom of speech in support of the 2nd amendment...we'll loose that right to bear arms...and then, how long do you really think we'll be able to protect that "God given freedom of speech"?

We can get all stressed out about what is going wrong in our country and our world, but if we don't get off our lazy comfort zones and do something, we'll just be so much wind in the trees. The whole purpose of this blog is to generate self examination and movement. We can get all excited about the up and coming leaders that are on the horizon...Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, Mike Clynch and some others...but until we, the real conservative republicans, the voters, get involved in the everyday issues...we are doomed to failure. As we can see by history, good leaders can only succeed...can only become great, with the support and backing of the voters. Ronald Reagan became a great president, in spite of the obstacles in DC, because of the support from US. That's where the power is. US!

So get behind a local conservative in an election for alderman or mayor or state representative...or run for office your self. We are the foundation. We are the United States (US), and without a firm foundation, the central government we support will crumble. So get involved. If the local party is full of "good ole boys" who do nothing but feather their own nests, get your like minded friends and neighbors together and throw the bums out! That's democracy in action.

Start now. Comment on my article at the bottom. If you agree, tell me so and why. If you disagree, give me a rational, well thought out reason why. FORWARD MY BLOG TO A FRIEND, or enemy. If you think the democratics won big this Tuesday by accident, you're kidding yourself. They won because their supporters got involved. They believed in something. If you really believe in conservatism...prove it.

This is turning into a RANT. It's your turn.

ses

http://www.spectator.org/archives/2008/11/06/the-international-war-on-free

Political Cannibalism

Many years ago, while in the US Army, I had a very good friend who was an Army Chaplain. He was a soldier's chaplain, preferring to spend his time with the guys in the field, ministering to their needs, rather than political hob knobbing to enhance his career. I will talk about this very unique and selfless man in future blogs.

My good friend had many profound thoughts, some of which he wrote down on post-it notes and stuck on surfaces around his home. Others, he shared with those he chose to let into his thought process. I was fortunate to be one of them.

"Christians are like cannibals, they devour their own." I would like to transliterate into the political world. Republicans are like cannibals, they devour their own. The soup d'jour is Governor Sarah Palin.

Is it really possible that anonymous members of the McCain campaign are trying to throw Governor Palin "under the bus"? Of course! The Republican Party wouldn't know solidarity if it would a labor union in Polland. With a few exemptions (Ronald Reagon), republicans in power are mostly ineffectual, acting almost as if they are the minority party...even at a time when controlling both houses of congress and the presidency. When out of power, they spend all their time blaming each other for the fact that they are out of power. These "anonymous" cowards don't even have the courage to go on the record.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR REPUBLICANS!! You allow the "main stream media" to define you. When this media started bashing George W. Bush, you barely hesitated to jump on the band wagon. Don't get me wrong, there is much our current president has done, or not done, that I personally disagree with, but with almost no support from his own party public opinion had no where to go but down. Are you really going to do this "main stream media's" job and destroy the reputation of Governor Palin for the sake of diverting the blame away of yourselves? The Republican Party has too few up and coming stars in their midst. BACK OFF!

The time has come for the real republicans, those of us who are "just voters" to take back our party. It's time that we run the fakers and pretenders over to the other side of the aisle(where they belong), or out of the political scene all together.

Another profound saying of my good friend was this: "If it weren't for lawyers, we wouldn't need'em". What is it that is so attractive about Sarah Palin? She comes across as one of us. Why are the vast majority of congresspersons lawyers? It's high time we started electing "ordinary citizens" to go to Washington, DC.

Is this even possible? The democratic party has always (in my lifetime) be much more loyal (to it's own) than the republican party. As shown by this most recent election, the democrats are much more organized and consistent in their message. I could go on a RANT about the truthfulness of the democrats, but this isn't about them, it's about the republicans. Either John McCain didn't really want to be president, (ala, George H.W. Bush, 1992) or he surrounded himself with imbeciles. Conservative Republicans have got to learn from these lessons, yet we never seem to.

The only way I know to solve this problem is to get involved in your local party. Don't imagine that I have all, or even some of the answers. I'm merely looking in the mirror of our current situation and seeing lots of problems.

Sarah Palin may not have been the best choice. I don't really know. I do know that she excited the trully conservative republicans I know. I also know that Joe Lieberman was not the answer. Talk about a dissaster.

Quit blaming everyone else and LOOK IN THE MIRROR.

The Day After The Election

This is my first blog entry. I've been considering a blog site for some time. Why? Because I've got what I consider well thought out opinions and believe that I'm an objective thinker. I've called my blog Mirror on US...as in on us-you and I, and as in U.S. (United States).

Let me be up front. I'm a republican at heart. Ronald Reagan is one of my heros. I voted for George W. Bush both times (and his Dad), and would have voted for him a 3rd time if he was running for office. (I'll go into that more in depth in a future blog) However, I am sick to death of far right and far left political types. I am a conservative in the vast majority of political issues, but folks, I'm an American before I am a republican.

I voted for John McCain...proudly. He was not my first choice during the primary season, but when it became clear he would be the nominee, I did a lot of research on him. I believe that a President McCain would have be better for our country than a President Obama, but that's not how it turned out.

It is time to get behind our new president elect and support him in his future responsibilities. I am a praying person, and I believe it is my responsibility as a Christian to pray for the leader of my country. IT IS NOT TIME FOR THE RIGHT WING POLICOS TO BASH AND TRASH THE MAN WHO IS GOING TO BE THE NEW LEADER OF OUR NATION.

This blog is for the purpose of looking at our selves. Hence the name...Mirror on US!

If you want to respond, here are the rules.

1. Look at yourself, your own organization or party.
2. Write about what WE/US can do to make positive change in our communities.
3. Keep it clean.
4. Keep on non-threatening.
5. Perhaps your thoughts can impact positive change.

Man in the Mirror