Inclusion Not Dillution Or Surrender

Michael Medved opened my eyes.

On his radio show he was trying to explain on “Disagreement Day” to disheartened conservatives that trying to “purify” the Republican is not the correct course of action. The root of his argument:

You win by making your group bigger, not smaller.

First: you should not win by selling out. A win bought at so dear a price may not be worthwhile.

Second: you should not compromise your deepest principles either.

But, in my stands and beliefs there is a hierarchy: Abortion is one of my strongest concerns, to not value life is to not value life, there is no grey area. The issue of homosexual privilege is strong, though not as strong as abortion. Abortion is more external and more obviously a violation of laws and human rights and can be dealt with more legislatively than homosexual privilege.

The economy is a matter of principle: free market economics benefit the most people in a way most conducive to supporting Free Will as divised by God. But we can witness to people regardless of thier economic station and a faulty economy is less of a harm to people’s souls than abortion or homosexuality.

By balancing the hierarchy of beliefs and convictions and principles I can find ways to include people who I may have less in common with in reaching my goals.

I have no qualms working with members of the Mormon church to work for significant reinforcement of traditional marriage and the preventing of special privilege for homosexuals beyond the privilege accorded to heterosexuals, despite my serious disagreements with their beliefs.

I have no qualms working with Catholics to further the protection of the innocent unborn despite my belief that most Catholics are decieved and not Christians.

I have no problem working with athiests in pursuit of a libertarian economic policy despite serious disagreements on probably every other issue due to our differences in root beliefs.

The point is: Being wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove, I will work with any I can to achieve the ends which follow my convictions. I will be accepting and friendly to all as people so that none will have reason to say that I’m not for them as they could be for me.

With the devious I will be devious, with the narrow I will be narrow. The goal being that by any and all means, except those which violate my conscience and God’s law, we can advance the cause of physical and economic freedom here on earth for as many as possible, and hope and eternal freedom in the life hereafter for as many as will believe.

Refining this ideal is the fact that people follow a leader with a vision. It does not have to be a clearly defined vision so much as a stirring vision (or at least one spoken of stirringly, see Barack Obama). Reagan was the “Great Communicator” and people followed his visions. Barack Obama has a way with words, a visible empathy that stirs people to want to believe what he says.

Individually, we need to be ready and willing and able to act in concert with all kinds of people, making the “big tent” an actual Big Tent. Seek common ground more than ideological purity within the bounds of our own individual abilities to accept differences. Instead of finding people most like us, find people most able to bring most of us along with them in a path headed towards truth.

As a group we need to find those people who have strong and principled stands we can agree with mostly who are also strong communicators and vibrant individuals. Vision and passion have few foes who can stand against them working together.

That is my plan for real change.

I Am Responsible

Do you want to control your own resources gained from the use of your own abilities according to the dictates of your own conscience?

Then vote for McCain.

Do you want a wasteful and treacherous government to take your resources and distribute and squander them according to their whims and philosophies?

Then vote for Obama.

Do you believe that an unborn child is a human, or even barring that, do you believe that if a child survives the murderous intent of an abortion doctor and is alive outside the mother they ought to to be protected as a living being?

Then vote for McCain.

Do you believe that such a survivor, because the intent of their parents and doctor, deserves no protection and ought to be left to die?

Then vote for Obama.

Do you believe in personal responsibility?

The vote for McCain.

Do you believe the government knows best and is the best caretaker for all needy?

The vote for Obama.

It’s that simple.

NYTimes: Obama’s Health Plan Hurts People

The NYTimes goes through the numbers and estimates and says that Obama’s health plans will cause the cost of hiring people to go up for businesses, and this will cause businesses to decide not to hire people.

thatmarkguy says the NAA(L)CP is really involved in this election. More so than the last one. Much more so.

Compare the homepages then and now. There is one link to an article lower on the homepage regarding voter supression back in 2004, when two old white men were once again battling for head honcho.

Now the website looks like an election campaign, complete with the large black bus with the slogan “Vote Hard”. Conspicuously absent is the direct object. I suppose they expect the reader to add their own as applicable: “Left” being their preference.

Election 2008:

Election 2004:

It’s almost like it’s the leftists who want it to be about race while screaming interminably about how racist the right is…

Whodathunkit?!?

McCain/Palin No Messiah Either

Some good and sane friends of mine have professed their decision to support a third party candidate on the contention he is a closer match to their own beliefs.

It struck me in reading their comments that just as many in America are looking toward Barack Obama as a messianic figure of boundless ability, there are many conservatives looking to Washington with too much longing and desire.

McCain/Palin can no more be expected to be capable of delivering on many of their campaign promises than can Barack/(whoever he’s running with). Neither can any of the third-party candidates be trusted to perform most of their promises.

And it is our mindless braying for salvation from Washington DC that feeds these pols need to fill our hungry little mouths with meaningless lies.

Even many conservatives have fallen prey to the temptation to vote ourselves pieces of the pie. Our desired pieces are just not necessarily monetary.

Our true Savior, Jesus, is the only one deserving of the desire and hope pinned on our candidates. To put it anywhere else is to commit idolatry and to set ourselves up for the failure of our hopes and dreams.

When our hope is in the Lord, we are less likely to put a false or unhealthy amount of hope in humans. We are anchored to the only Rock which cannot be moved. The inherent property of the Rock that is Jesus is that it cannot be moved.

No matter the storms of time, that Rock ever has and ever shall hold firm.

With a steady Rock to stand on, I am free to take the long view.

I do not need to look for salvation from Washington DC because I know real help comes from above.

Random Election Stuff: Don’t Worry

This morning the Wall Street Journal blogs laid out a scenario for the results for the Socialist Supermajority in Congress and the Presidency.

There may be dark days ahead…

…but this is still America. And we may not wake up in heavy chains and the dark dystopian socialist paradise if Obama ascends:

It’s always possible that events — such as a recession — would temper some of these ambitions. Republicans also feared the worst in 1993 when Democrats ran the entire government, but it didn’t turn out that way.

Like ShatteredChina quoted:

The sun will come out tomorrow…

Smile… it’s just tomorrow.

Just a thought:

Joe the plumber is a real man.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

Did our favorite socialist just shoot his own foot off?

Please, oh please!

No. Really. You’re kidding me. Barack Obama actually told that Joe the Plumber guy that he wants to “spread the wealth around.” What, did Obama just get done reading the Wikipedia entry on Huey “Share the Wealth” Long or something? Was he somehow channeling that left-wing populist from the Depression? Talk about playing into the most extreme stereotype of your party, that it is infested with socialists.

Dirty Pol

Dirty politics are not what people call dirty politics.

Dirty in this context means wrong, false, lying, etc…

Truth is not dirty.

Are you with me so far?

It is a matter of fact that Bill Ayers is an unrepentant (and very lucky) terrorist.

It is a matter of fact that Jeremiah Wright (the man is unworthy of reverence) is a racist agitator.

It is a matter of fact that leading Democrats worked tirelessly to prevent any regulation of the Sub-prime mortgage market and allowed their community organizer arms to berate and bamboozle any who called for protection against this sure failure.

It is a matter of fact that Barack Obama associated himself and his family with the racist agitator Jeremiah Wright, that he valued his relationship with that man, and that he trusted his teaching and his counsel.

To make any of these factual statements is not dirty politics.

It is truth telling.

Dirty politics occur when people lie about their opponent and seek through illegal and unethical means to diminish their statements, beliefs, or person.

Dirty politicians occur more frequently than dirty politics, since even dirty politicians prefer to use the truth whenever possible to gain their desired goal.

Dirty politicians object most stridently to the truth being used against them because they have most to hide and the most to lose.

Dirty politicians cry “dirty politics” most often because they fear the truth most.

Dirty politicians know their so-very-righteous indignation is false at very best and continue using their own dirty methods to achieve their own dirty ends. Their desired end is usually their own power.

Their ultimate end is always the same.

Dear Mr. Obama

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Dear Mr. Obama

Why Hurry?

Words to truly live by: “Hakuna Matata”

Yes, I’m really off my rocker this time: words to live by courtesy of a Disney movie? Of course!

I’ll take my wisdom where I can find it.

In the news today there is a mea culpa without the “mea culpa” bit.

The media can make or break a story: report a sensational bit of blood however far-fetched it is and the Evening Alphabet Soup can lend credence to the slimest of fabrications.

Take HPV and the vaccines released recently: overnight there was a frenzy about how every young girl needs to get these vaccines. Especially the part about government knowing best: parents who did not want to have their little girls inoculated against sexually transmitted diseases (because every father who loves his daughter is a pervert) were considered worse than priests in the ‘dark ages’.

I don’t have daughters (yet) and I would be against inoculating for any sexually transmitted disease. It’s not that I want them to contract them, it’s that odds are heavily against their needing such a vaccine. Your children may be animals without self-control, but that’s no reason mine should be too.

Well, the media loudly proclaimed that every little girl needs a lollipop and Gardasil, and now they can eat it: the efficacy of the drugs are being questioned, seriously.

I’m not too concerned about one little dust up over some popular (and cash-cow if it were mandated) drug. I’m concerned about the idea that anything good must be rushed.

From the innocuous: Anybody watch “The New World” and like it? (raises hand) I loved the fact that this movie takes it’s time to tell a rich and moving story. Sit down and watch it. Turn off your clock and turn the DVD player around so you can’t see the time. Forget your appointments. You’ll have to. And you’ll find yourself enjoying it almost like you’d enjoy a good book. No instant gratification here.

To the important: The environment. Important? Yes! Jump to seeding the entire sky with silver oxide to force moisture accumulation to jump-start carbon dioxide processing? Not on your life. It will not be over today or tomorrow (despite what the Evening Alphabet Soup’s favorite movie says. We have time to work together to increase our energy efficiency and continue our amazing work managing this amazing planets incredible resources better than we have. That is one thing this nation has done better than anyone else.

To the political: Change for change’s sake. Heh. Have I got some excellent ocean-front property in Kansas to sell you.

So, while all y’all are running about like chickens with your heads cut off screaming about how the sky is falling while rubbing the lump the tennis ball left you. I’ll be over here getting things accomplished.

Quiet please! I’m enjoying this thunderstorm.

Also on StopTheACLU.