Thinking it Through

What is the infantile lack of ability to think things through that afflicts a considerable number of people these days? For instance, spreading the wealth, Robin Hoodism if you will. Taking from the rich to give to the poor or more bluntly Socialism. This, at first blush, may sound like a good scheme. After all don’t the rich have more than enough money to fully support at least some of those less fortunate? The answer is probably in the affirmative. Sure they do. So, how is it that we manage this massive transfer of wealth? We know that if the government manages it, a whole new bureaucracy will be needed and the cost of that alone will consume the majority of the transferred wealth. How much do we take from the rich and how much do we give to the poor? Who decides who is rich and who is poor? How many people who are close to the poor line and working 40 plus hours a week would quit their job and take a little less money not to have to work at all? All these folks not working will definitely affect the job market as there is less people to hire and when a business hires it will cost them more to pay the employee so their profit margin either goes down or they must raise their prices. If the business owners accept a lower profit margin then they have less wealth to transfer so they must lower their standard of living. The employee who will no longer get his annual COLA or any raises must now accept his place in life and soon he will see the merits of not working at all for less money.

It is not difficult to see the vortex that is created here. Sooner or later the system reaches the point of diminishing returns, where it can no longer support itself and falls apart, leaving those on the dole with no income whatsoever; hungry and on the street, they will have no skills and they won’t be happy.

If you think any government program through, you wind up with similar results. Why? Well, one reason is because the government has no money of its own. Whatever the source, the funds eventually come from the consumer. Import, export taxes, income taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, etc, etc, etc. And don’t forget fees that are taxes by another name that require a smaller percentage of votes to pass on to us. Any money the government has, either directly or indirectly, comes from us. Even if they print more of it, our debt increases and who is responsible for that? You guessed it, you and me. The only money the government has originates with you and me. This cannot be anymore clear. Any time the government gets involved in any program, the price of that program goes up, if for no other reason than the bureaucracy that must be created to manage it. Even as small a business as I own, when gasoline prices went to $4.00 per gallon, I didn’t pay for the increase, my hourly rate went up appropriately. When larger businesses receive cost increases, they pass it on to the consumer. It doesn’t work any other way.

There is no such thing as a government funded program. There are only consumer/ taxpayer funded programs, period. The next time some politician talks about a program to benefit a certain group of people, grab your wallet. If he is bringing to this state large money for special projects, grab your wallet. It is all our money and we deserve better management of it. Think it through.

It’s Not About Us

Most of us, in these days of high unemployment and economic recession, are very concerned about where our meals are coming from and how we are going to pay our rent, let alone some of the niceties of life. If we are of retirement age, we wonder if what we have will last or if we must find some other form of income. A lot of Americans have just given up looking for work and this is not just mainstream work force people. It is especially hard on young, first-time job seekers.

In the meantime, our government continues to give themselves raises (5.3%) to run their individual congressional offices this next year; this in a time of a strong recession. The unemployment rate is almost 10% and rising. Some say that if you count those who have given up and are no longer looking for work, the unemployment rate would be about 19%. That is not a recession, but a depression.

Add to all this that we have a person seated in the White House holding the most powerful office in the world and is, at best, totally incompetent, a socialist surrounded by America haters, and unvetted commissars bent on the ruin of this great nation, and at the worst, a person ineligible to hold that office and determined to change us from a Constitutional Republic to an Oligarchy of some sort. He continues to blame the prior administration for his failures, has already spent more and increased our debt more than any other administration or maybe all of them combined. Our grandchildren and their children will be paying for our mistakes.

When I say our mistakes, I mean all of us and not just the ones who voted for the hope and change they will never get, but also those of us who are uninformed and did not vote and those who think that all they have to do is vote and their job is done. Not So!!! Starting with those who are retired and those, like me, who would like to be. It is no longer enough that you vote and then sit back and go on your vacations abroad, while this nation that you worked hard to build, goes down the drain. You have the wisdom of life and the country needs that from your letters, your blogs and your involvement in organizations that support this country. You need to be vocal when you are not on that well deserved vacation. Those in the younger brackets working for their future retirement and still raising kids, you are the ones who need to over see the school boards, audit classes as concerned parents, study with your kids and teach them how to research and question, write letters to the editor and your representatives, show your children what it is to be involved with government. Finally, the youngest group, those just starting out, recently graduated, getting married and starting a family, settling into a career. Yours is the toughest group. You can, however, research, write and get involved with conservative groups that need young people and young ideas.

I want to tell you a brief story of a man that I met when he was 85 or so years old. At the time I was the publisher of a small magazine. This fellow was a retired WWII Naval Lt. Commander. He was aboard the North Carolina in the 1930’s. He left the navy in the mid to late thirties then re-entered in 1941 going aboard the submarine USS Narwhal for WWII. Then came Korea and he was aboard Cruisers and finally left after some time in the Mediterranean aboard Destroyers. He returned to be involved with fire fighting, becoming a high-ranking fire officer before his retirement. Since then he has been involved with a variety of groups that work for the benefit of this country, giving of his time, research and money. I could write a book on this true American hero, but he would not want that. As he would say, “I was just doing what had to be done.” He passed away a few weeks ago in his mid 90’s. Among his final concerns was that he made sure that his research papers and other information that he had accumulated over the years of defending this nation went to the appropriate person who he believed would carry on. (That person is the force behind CABPRO-www.cabpro.com) The point of all this is this great American never gave up the fight and neither can we.

It is not about us. It is about our children, their children and their children yet to be. Any thinking American knows that. If not us who, if not now, when? It is no longer enough to vote every election and then sit back and watch. Now is the time for involvement and commitment. Time, money and energy on your part are the only commodities that will save this country from the destruction that the left has planned for it. They are organized, funded and on the move and most of us just sit. No more. Now is the time to determine what kind of country our descendants will inherit and what legacy we will leave them. The man I talked about earlier never quit, neither will I nor will I let my family quit in the fight for this country that has given me so much.

It is not about me, it is not about you and it is not about us.

Let’s Open a Conversation

The purpose of this open letter is to find someone or more than one on the other side of the political spectrum to converse with me on the issues of the day. Let’s do it here in print for everyone to read. The only rules would be: 1. no name calling, 2. information that is presented as factual must be followed by the source of that information or it must be labeled opinion, 3. if a question can be answered by a yes or no, the yes or no must come first followed by any explanation or mitigation and not the other way around, and finally, answer the question and stay focused. To give you a hint as to where I stand on most issues, I am a fiscal conservative and a social moderate to conservative. My issues would be; the size of government and its intrusion into our lives, over regulation, mismanagement of funds, the nanny state, global warming - real or contrived and how much do we have to do with it, the Constitution, is it real or just an old piece of paper, sovereignty and nationalism, immigration, the supreme court and the illegitimate president, to name a few.

My opinion on the above issues (note the word opinion) is government is way too large and getting bigger, it over regulates us and mismanages our tax monies almost to the point of being criminal. I think our legislators have way too much time on their hands and are trying to justify their existence by ridiculous legislative action. I believe that over regulation is driving businesses out of California and lowering the tax base. I believe that right down to the county level, our elected officials mismanage the funds they are given and want to tax or put a fee on virtually everything we do. I believe that global warming or cooling is a complete product of sunspots and the earth’s natural heating and cooling cycles. We contribute an extremely small percentage and if we stopped all our contributions, the earth would still warm or cool in spite of Al Gore’s movie. I believe that the Constitution is a founding document and is the supreme law of the land, that it is not a living document but the ultimate document by which every legislative action must be judged. No activist judge should ever be appointed to the Supreme Court. Sovereignty, nationalism and immigration go almost together. We are a sovereign nation and as such have a right and duty to control illegal and legal immigration. Our borders should be closed until we get a handle on drug traffic and illegal immigration. Lastly, I believe that there is evidence indicating that this current occupant of the White House is in fact an illegitimate President. He is not a natural born citizen as required by the constitution and should be removed from office.

So, there you have it, my opinions in a nutshell. What do you think and where do you want to start the conversation? This publication is a place to start. I think it is a winning situation for all involved. The readership would like it, you get to challenge me and I you. We both get our voices heard. What do you think, other side? Are you game, I am. Let’s have at it. Quite frankly talking to the choir is not all that fun when all that are listening agree. It is safe and non- threatening. It seems to me that a point and counter point in this forum and elsewhere, allowing time for adequate research and response would stimulate thought and shine some light on the issues of our time. We don’t need others to tell us what to think, we can think for ourselves, right? I’m Dick Marshall, let’s talk.

They Still Don't Get It

On April 15th Thom Forsythe, his daughter Ciera and I went to a party in Sacramento, a Tea Party. Thom and I do a couple of Community Access Television shows at NCTV, Channel 11, so our intent was to interview anyone we could and get enough footage for two or three half-hour shows on NCTV. I interviewed and Thom ran the camera while Ciera went off and shot background. I guess we shot about three hours or more for future editing. My conservative estimate of attendance is 12,000 to 15,000. These people felt it necessary to take the day off from work and participate in sending a message to our elected representatives in California and Washington. Will it work? Only time will tell. It is a good start and we must persist through any venue we have.

We conducted 50+ interviews and, without exception, those interviewed were polite, well versed and respectful. They were also very angry at the way they are being treated by their elected officials. I spoke with electricians, plumbers, carpenters, teachers, newscasters, celebrities, homemakers, equipment operators, mechanics, sales people and as many others as I could. Only one person refused me an interview and I’ll talk about him later. The responses to questions were very much along the same line; too much spending, wasteful spending, lack of respect for the taxpayer and working man, out of control elected officials, too high taxes and too big of a government. The one question that I asked almost all of the persons interviewed was can we sustain this momentum and the answer was most always “ we must”.

There were those who thought that the police presence was over the top. I did not think so. There was a mounted unit, a bicycle unit, four shooters on the roof of the Capitol, but their rifles were never in view, six or more CHP patrolmen, who were very low-keyed and I’m sure there were a requisite number of undercover officers mingling with the crowd. To those who think this was over the top, I might remind them that there were, by my count, less than 30 Law Enforcement personnel to control more than 12,000 demonstrators. Further, it is the duty of the CHP to protect the Capitol and it is the duty of Law Enforcement to assure that our right to protest goes unhampered. The officers that I saw were pleasant, friendly and congenial. I was glad they showed a presence at this event.

Several politicians spoke at the event, as did some celebrities. Eric Hogue, KTKZ 1380AM, was the general emcee. Our own Representative, Tom McClintock, was a key speaker, among others. Most of the state legislators, with the exception of Assemblyman Dan Logue and Senator Sam Aanestad, hid under their desks and refused to come out and meet the people. Dan Logue, against the advice of his staff, left a meeting for a short while and came out to see the people. I saw Sam Aanestad standing on the steps of the Capitol talking to folks. I interviewed Tom McClintock, a Fox 40 newscaster, the chair of the Republican Chairman’s Association, our own County Chair Bill Neuhardt, McClintock’s field rep Kim Pruitt, Vets just back from Iraq, a WWII vet who was stationed in Alaska, Eric Hogue and Mike Reagan(twice). What a class act they all were, particularly Mike Reagan. We interviewed Mr. Reagan early in the day but had some technical problems and lost the interview. Later, as we were packing up I saw him walking down the steps of the Capitol. I explained our technical difficulties and asked if he had another minute or two. He graciously consented and we got our interview. What a classy guy.

Nobody there could have considered this gathering anything but a grassroots rally and protest; except, of course, the likes of Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi who referred to all of us as funded by the high end. Pelosi said of the Tea Party, “We call it astro turf. It’s not really a grassroots movement. [Supported] by some of the wealthiest people in America, to keep the focus on tax cuts for the rich instead of the middle class.” Liberal economist Paul Krugman said, “The tea parties don’t represent a spontaneous outpouring of public sentiment. They are AstroTurf (fake grass roots) events, manufactured by the usual suspects.” Krugman went on to indicate that we were all dupes to “the work of a party hi-jacked by hard liners and financed by the usual right wing billionaires.” If you were there, you know that Pelosi and others still don’t get it.

The absence of public officials and elected representatives, except for the few I mentioned, speaks volumes for their concern for their constituents and we heard it loud and clear. Where were they? They were actually in session working on very important legislation; spaying and neutering of animals and smog checking motorcycles were two subjects that were brought to my attention. Where was their staff? These brave emissaries (staff) of the public wishes for their Assemblymen and Senators, they were hiding in the Capitol, but all peering out the windows and ready to hide under their desks at the appropriate time. What an opportunity missed for them to explain their view to a group of concerned citizens who were participating in the government forum in the only way guaranteed by the Constitution. The excuse I’m sure was that the crowd would have become unruly. I assure you that had Eric Hogue introduced any one of these less-than-brave legislators with the statement to the demonstrators to be respectful and listen that would have been the case. But to the contrary, the courageous men and women of our government, instead of being part of the solution, chose to remain the problem. They still don’t get it.

Finally, I said previously that there was only one person who refused me an interview and ran away (he didn’t run, but he walked really fast). This person was the brave leader of the California Republican Party, Mr. Ron Nehring. I introduced myself to him as being from a conservative public access television show, which should have been a clue that I was a friendly, and asked for a couple of minutes for an interview. Mind you, when I saw him he was casually standing on the steps of the Capitol, apparently just watching the show. He became, upon my question, very nervous and said he had business elsewhere and would return shortly. Then he scurried off to the north, never to return. He may still be scurrying for all I know. What I do know about Ron Nehring is that he has been invited as a speaker on numerous occasions to Republican events here in Nevada County and has never once accepted. Further, I know of several attempts to contact him for information regarding substantive issues that were never responded to. This guy is the head of the CRP, he can really scurry, he is part of the problem and he still doesn’t get it. Let’s all of us keep the momentum going until they all get it. God bless America.

It’s Tough To Be A Patriot

We live in a state where most of the coastal counties and cities are liberal. Most of the state’s population lives in these counties and therefore, liberals hold the large majority of our legislative offices. The fact that, of the 58 counties in the state, less than 10 are blue and the rest are red, makes no difference, since the majority of the population lives in those blue counties. It is also a fact that in the counties where we hold the edge we don’t do our part and get out the vote. Not only do we fail in our job to get out the vote, we fail to get out the message or support those who are trying to do just that. The same is true across this nation, with the large urban areas holding most of the population and being mostly liberal. Liberals are liberals and we know what they do and we know what they say and how they act. They never take responsibility for their failures and indeed (according to the liberal play book) it is always someone else’s fault, namely anyone who is not liberal. Have you ever heard a liberal say either that he was wrong, made a mistake or that one of his own fell into either of those categories? I’ll bet not. We know this and yet we fail to combat it.

I know that it is tough to be a patriot, particularly when most of those around you drive Volvos or Subarus with Obama and Charlie Brown bumper stickers. They are also the folks who are anti everything you stand for. They expect you to dig into your pocket and give money to every transient, liberal cause and nonsense art project they can come up with. If you don’t, they will dig into your pocket for you. These are the people who spend their day applying for grants so that they can get more money to apply for more grants. They don’t really work unless it is for someone else and then they have fixed it so that they cannot be fired even if they wear a tutu to work. Liberals are anti God, marriage, self-employment, entrepreneurial efforts, the death penalty, smaller government, lower taxes, stronger military, law enforcement, the flag, meat, cars, trucks, any form of growth (with the exception of government), logic, truth in science, paying their taxes, defending your free speech, the two party system, equality, national sovereignty, secure borders, legal immigration, private property rights, second amendment rights, the Constitution, fair elections, you keeping the profits of labor, national security, using natural resources, living where you want to live, your pursuit of your own happiness, and many more. In this atmosphere it is tough to be a patriot. Emotion will almost always win out over logic and truth. What you must remember is that almost the entire liberal platform is an emotional one and the liberals largest fear is that their own will discover the truth. Should this happen and the liberal base discover that their hardcore leaders do not have their best interests at heart, rather paramount is their own self interest, power and the destruction of this great nation, the base will be in a much deserved dither.

This is where conservative patriots have a great opportunity and duty to get the word out. It will not be easy and it will take some of your hard earned money. You have four choices; stand by and do more of the “nothing” a significant portion of conservatives have been doing and watch as the liberals have their way and the country of our founders ceases to exist, or you can donate time, words, or money. It you don’t have the time to get involved, or like some that I mentioned in previous articles you can’t bring yourself to identify yourself as a patriot and speak the words, then give the money to those who are looking out not only for your best interests but the interests of your children and grand-children.

We have enemies in this country who want to see the end of this great experiment in self-government we call a Republic. Some are religious fanatics from the outside and others are our own, from the inside. Both groups are hungry for power and control over us. There are two other groups here in this country; those who quietly sit by and acquiesce, letting whatever happens happen, and those who realize that the troubles facing this nation are bigger than each of us as individuals and are willing to defend this nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Which group do you belong to? It is indeed tough to be a patriot.

Well There’s a Meeting Here Tonight

The other day I went to a meeting with the newly elected Congressman from our district, Tom Mclintock. The Congressman had wanted a meeting with the organizations that represented county businesses as well as other sectors of the county. The purpose was not to listen to him speak, but primarily for him to listen to the concerns of these organizations and their associated business clients. The group, while small, was fairly representative.

The Congressman gave a small opening statement that was par with his usual talks. No notes, just straight talk that we associate with Mr. McClintock. It was informative and current. The Congressman followed by answering questions from the group for about an hour, in a very informal setting. When the meeting was over he stayed for an extra 45 minutes just talking with those who wanted to ask a question they hadn’t gotten the chance to ask earlier.

This brings me to the purpose of this article. In every meeting of this type, there are two types of people; those who are there for legitimate enlightenment, and those who are there for the furtherance of their political egos. You can always recognize these folks, as they are the ones that monopolize the questions, but right in without asking for acknowledgement, want to carry on a conversation and control the Congressman’s time. They are also the ones that, after the meeting when everyone is just conversing, want to monopolize the face time, ignoring others who are waiting, or but into a conversation with almost a childish, “look at me, look at me”. It always irritates me, but I guess when your ego needs to be stroked that badly, you will do ridiculous things. As if the Congressman had not been in office long enough to recognize this syndrome.

Who gets shorted by these folks? We do, since the Congressman gets only a portion of the information he came to get. Oh, and when the Congressman holds the next meeting, these people will be there trying to get their egos, fragile as they are, stroked again.

I’ve got news for this type, we don’t need you to interpret for us, we don’t need you to but into our conversation with your feeble attempts to stroke your own ego, we don’t like your silly little anecdotes. We can converse on our own very well, thank you. We will quickly state our information and respectfully let the Congressman move on. I suggest you do the same.

I.O.U.’s?

Wow, here we are in February of 2009 and our legislators are sniveling about the budget and a $45 billion deficit. They can’t pay their bills, they say. They may have to issue I.O.U’s for tax returns this year. Don’t you think it is time we told them, in unequivocal terms, that they should live within their budget and control their spending?

If you hired a tradesman and paid him top dollar and he produced an inferior product, would you keep him or fire him? The Department of Education does just that and they continue to ask for more money. For your information, the Department of Education last year received about 50% of the entire State budget, $64 Billion dollars and produced a student who qualifies for the bottom rungs of the ladder. And, if that’s not enough, they get an equal amount from the Feds, plus monies from local bonds, state bonds, and don’t forget the lottery. Altogether, they get about a $150 billion each year, which is three times what California is left with to run the entire state! Still, with all this money, they ask for bonds to repair roofs and fix schools. Where does the money go? Maybe there is some waste here that we could cut.

Then we could go to the medical costs of illegals in this state, which is well over $12 Billion. What about the uninsured motorist costs of our illegal population? Jail incarceration and trial costs born by the state. How much do these add up to?

Let’s turn our attention to our legislators and their perks, gas cards, travel expenses, money for extra lodging if they travel far. I have no difficulty with the per diem payment for a legislator who travels far, but there are those who live right around the capital who take the money under the reasoning that they have to stay late on occasion and return early. How many of you taxpayers who live in outlying areas and work in Sacramento have ever worked overtime and still had to return for work the following morning? Did you get an additional check for a room for the night? I’ll bet not. Maybe it is time that our “leaders” show some leadership instead of just feeding at the trough and complaining. There are a few who do, but not many.

Finally, to the I.O.U.’s. What would you do if you went to the store and purchased an item for $14.75 and gave the clerk a $20 dollar bill to which the clerk handed you an I.O.U. for $5.25 explaining that the store was out of money and did not know when it could pay the I. O.U. This is exactly what the State of California is doing to us when and if they issue I.O.U.s. They have had the use of our money all year, collected interest on it and used it. Not necessarily as we would want. Will they pay interest on our change when they finally pay it? No. If you are late with your taxes, do you pay interest? You bet, at about 1% per month.

Let’s inform our state legislators that if they issue promises to pay, we expect interest in the same amount they charge. They are sent to Sacramento by us, to represent us and do the state’s work. That means, get the budget done on time, spend our money wisely and live within the budget they created. They are to help the state turn a profit and that means get out of the way of business growth. Businesses are leaving the state in record numbers and revenues are going down. All because of unnecessary over regulation by our liberal controlled state government. Talk about change, we really need it here.

In Our Country

Anger cannot describe my feelings toward the liberal left at this time in history. While watching the Fox News channel this evening (1/7/09) the main topic was, of course, the conflict between Israel and the Hamas controlled Palestine State particularly in the area of Gaza. In the past year, 3000 plus rockets have been fired into Israel from Palestine. Finally, having had enough, Israel has retaliated. Already the liberal left has been questioning the retaliation in terms of its appropriateness. What is this nonsense? The object of war is to make the enemy surrender without conditions and whatever force is necessary to accomplish this is appropriate. Where do the liberals come up with this crap about appropriate response?

Following up on this topic, there was a video sequence showing Palestinian people in their native garb shouting “down with Israel, death to the Israelis, Israel should be eliminated” and other niceties regarding the destruction of the State of Israel. This is a common sight in the area now considered Palestine. The problem is, this was not in Palestine, it was in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Yes, you read it right, this was in our country. Why were the liberals in all their pompous, self-serving ideology not screaming foul, hate speech, hate crimes, etc?

You see, I’ve noticed a pattern when regarding liberals. First, they never answer a question. They always deflect the answer with a response that transfers the question to the put down of the conservative philosophy. Secondly, they never acknowledge any fault with their side of the issue. All their people are perfect and all ours are flawed. On the very face of this, they fear that if a question is answered directly, or a flaw admitted to, their Achilles heal will be discovered and all will be lost. They are right in this fear. For when anyone discovers that their platform is an emotional one not based on fact and truth, that person will walk away from them and go elsewhere.

It becomes clear to me that emotion will always trump facts and truth. What is unclear is how any intelligent, thinking person who seeks the truth and wants the best for his/her country can listen day after day to the party line and never question it in any form. Does that mean that liberals are mindless, un-thinking lemmings following their leadership blindly into the sea? I fear so. The difference between Liberals and Conservatives is the intestinal fortitude to go against the grain. Maybe that explains why liberals are for big government, more taxes, weaker military, bashing America, bashing the military, a weaker America, pro-terrorist and a variety of other items not in the best interest of this country. I would like to ask a liberal what color the sky is in their world and how it got to be that way? But, alas, they wouldn’t answer the question.

The Cowards Amongst Us

Although I’ve written about this before, the other evening it was brought dramatically home to me again. I was talking to some Republicans leaders who also own businesses. The issue became fear of outing themselves as conservatives and openly becoming engaged in the cause of saving our country from the socialism of the far left. A few years back, when I was trying to sell advertising for The Republic News and Issues Magazine, store after store and business after business, that I knew had conservative owners, would respond the same, “I really believe in what you’re doing and I read the magazine every month, but, I can’t advertise because I would offend my liberal customers and I would lose business and I can’t do that.” This philosophy irritated me then and it irritates me now.

But this is not new to this brand of Rino, neo-con cowards. Thomas Paine referred to them as Sunshine Patriots and Summer Soldiers during the Revolution. George Washington had them in his Continental Army and they caused him nothing but grief and almost lost the War of Independence, which gave us this free land. This country was bought with the blood of patriots who understood that the cause was bigger than themselves, their families or their businesses. Even so there was a segment of colonial society that was ready to surrender it all for the promise of 1000 English pounds, a pardon and the ability to keep their home and business. When Lord Howe, the British Commander, made just such an offer, thousands of these sunshine patriots took him up on it.

Nothing seems to have changed today. The same type people, who talk big at a conservative gathering, fall short when asked to speak up or stand up or lend support in a public manner. They feel they might out themselves as conservatives. These are the same people who allowed Hitler to gain power, Stalin to commit his atrocities, the better red than dead crowd. These are the same people who will stand by and watch as the Governor of this state sells out his principles because he lost a battle a few years back and wanted to get re-elected and be liked. These are people who, as elected representatives, will admit privately that that there are billions of dollars of waste in the state budget but remain silent publicly. They will use the phrase “it was the best deal we could get.” The truth is they were afraid that if they stood their ground they would not get elected again and might lose their gravy train. What in the world has happened to principle? Certainly very little of it remains in the Republican Party.

It occurs to me that when one is too weak to stand on a piece of ground and say this is mine to stand on, regardless of the consequences, then that person stands for nothing. When a business owner is so afraid of his liberal customer base that he allows that base to force him to remain silent except when in the company of other conservatives, then he has no real business. By his own admission he only has a business by the permission of the liberal left. That’s not having a business, that’s cowardice and hypocrisy. Cowardice, because you are void of the fortitude to stand for your beliefs; hypocrisy, because you spout the conservative mantra only when you are safely surrounded by real conservatives.
I could go on and name names, but to what avail? These people won’t change and they know who they are and probably the reader knows who they are. I do wonder though what it must belike to be devoid of personal courage. I cannot imagine what it would feel like to be so lacking in fortitude that I would not stand up for my principles and the needs of my Country. What must it be like to stand down in the face of adversity? Do you lie to your children or grand-children when they ask questions about why your organization or you don’t stand up for the truth or do you teach them that it’s better to say nothing because to get involved might hurt your business? What do you see when you look in the mirror? Well, consider yourself lucky that there are those of us who will stand up as we always have for the undeserving likes of you. There are brave young men and women around the world and on our local streets who are defending your right to be a coward and a hypocrite. Enjoy the freedoms and rights that you and your ilk have done nothing to earn. One day when the likes of our soldiers, police, fire and emergency service personnel are too few in number to do much to keep the gangs, terrorists, socialists, liberals and corrupt politicians from your door, remember you once had the chance to stand bravely and show courage. You chose not to.