3 Dangerous Phrases of a Compromised Conservative People
Kevin M. Nelson 10/08/2011
There is no doubt in my mind that if you ask any number of random people what the most important issue facing our country is, they might likely respond "the economy" or "jobs". But, just as that old corny joke goes "I'm so broke I can't even Pay attention", perhaps we should all take a moment and see if our collective focus is not just a little too narrow these days....
The first, and most prevalent phrase among much of the citizenry:
"I don't care, just anyone except Obama..."
While it may be hard to imagine anyone more dangerous to our democratic republic and the values it was founded upon, to think that "just anyone" is even remotely a principled approach to selecting our next leader is dangerous, and eerily reminiscent to the "anyone but Bush (Republicans)" mentality that got us here in the first place. If your only concerns in life are the economy and the health of your 401K, by all means, maybe a Mitt Romney seems more palatable right now. If you want all that and maybe a rugged Texan accent to go with it, Rick Perry is the guy. On the other hand, perhaps if the so-called "Conservatives", especially Christians, of our nation decided to set the bar a little higher, they might be left with no other choice than to support a candidate of less notoriety and more solid principles.
Why not Mitt Romney? Oh, I don't know, maybe mandated healthcare, the $50 co-pay abortions under that plan, or failure to stand-up for marriage when same sex unions were up for a vote?
What about Rick Perry? Other than openly admitting he supported in-state tuition for Illegals, being "fine" with gay "marriage", and forcing twelve year old Texan girls to be vaccinated for an STD, I suppose he's not too bad.
Just for kicks, let's throw Ron Paul into the mix. Ron Paul thinks legalizing heroin is fine, thinks we are "too tough" on Iran ( a nation whose leader openly calls for the destruction of Israel, our ally) and thinks they should have nuclear weapons if they want them. He is also paranoid that a border fence will "keep us in", and is one of the candidates who thinks States should ultimately decide whether to allow the continuation of our abortion holocaust.
Many of the candidates support incremental legislation on abortion, and none of the candidates, other than one, have even hinted at using the full authority of the White House to end abortion.
"I'm Pro-Life, except in the case of..."
There is no "but" in Pro-Life. If you make exceptions in certain cases, you are in-fact Pro-Abortion except in the case of a "cosmetic" elective procedure, where there is no rape or incest issue. The very minute you make exceptions, you have sided with those who do not believe in the sanctity of innocent life. Rape is a horrible crime and violation of one's body, but to disregard the unborn child as the living, innocent human being that it is, and sentence it to death for the crimes of its father, is no more righteous or justifiable than allowing the abortion of a child created by two consenting adults. Biologically, the unborn children in both scenarios are equally human, innocent of a crime, and due protection of their unalienable right to Life.
"At least we're saving some of the babies..."
Probably one of the most controversial phrases in the Pro-Life community. It is often heard during the endorsement of incremental legislation such as The Heartbeat Bill or the Fetal Pain Bill. It assumes that the Unconstitutional Supreme Court opinion of 1973 in Roe V. Wade is somehow the law of the land and the firm and final last word on murdering babies. It neglects to acknowledge that the unborn child is a person, or makes such an acknowledgement but then sets forth the only criteria by which that person can be protected. More simply put, most of these bills say something to the effect of "the unborn child is a person, but if they are old enough to feel pain or you hear a heartbeat you can't kill them, otherwise, you can kill them." It is the belief of a growing segment of the pro-Life community that these bills have actually made the fight against abortion more complicated and have set us back.
If all of the countless Pro-Life advocates, organizations, and believers would stand together and declare that "No one has the Right to kill children. The Unalienable Right to Life is protected by our founding documents, and an Unconstitutional court opinion does not change that.", and demand that from the top-down our elected officials must uphold their Constitutional oath to protect Life, an unalienable Right from our Creator, we would stop abortion, not dance around the subject for another ten years, or roll the dice on whether a State will ultimately grant this protection.
If you find yourself using these phrases, consider taking a more principled stand. Holding the "Party Line" or assuming that electing a certain candidate will get you a better return on your 401K are only comforting when it doesn't mean compromising on those things you claim to value. A few years ago, I might have used the first or last of these phrases. I know better now. Took me running for President to learn all that I have about compromise in recent months, and I'll always be grateful to the folks at America's Party, of which I'm an Affiliate, for teaching me that there are others willing to stand firm on principles without compromise, regardless of who or what is endorsing a compromised approach.
Principles before Party. Principles before Popularity. Principles in the face of uncertainty and doubt.
It's not an easy path to follow, but it makes looking in the mirror a whole lot easier.
Kevin M. Nelson 10/08/2011
There is no doubt in my mind that if you ask any number of random people what the most important issue facing our country is, they might likely respond "the economy" or "jobs". But, just as that old corny joke goes "I'm so broke I can't even Pay attention", perhaps we should all take a moment and see if our collective focus is not just a little too narrow these days....
The first, and most prevalent phrase among much of the citizenry:
"I don't care, just anyone except Obama..."
While it may be hard to imagine anyone more dangerous to our democratic republic and the values it was founded upon, to think that "just anyone" is even remotely a principled approach to selecting our next leader is dangerous, and eerily reminiscent to the "anyone but Bush (Republicans)" mentality that got us here in the first place. If your only concerns in life are the economy and the health of your 401K, by all means, maybe a Mitt Romney seems more palatable right now. If you want all that and maybe a rugged Texan accent to go with it, Rick Perry is the guy. On the other hand, perhaps if the so-called "Conservatives", especially Christians, of our nation decided to set the bar a little higher, they might be left with no other choice than to support a candidate of less notoriety and more solid principles.
Why not Mitt Romney? Oh, I don't know, maybe mandated healthcare, the $50 co-pay abortions under that plan, or failure to stand-up for marriage when same sex unions were up for a vote?
What about Rick Perry? Other than openly admitting he supported in-state tuition for Illegals, being "fine" with gay "marriage", and forcing twelve year old Texan girls to be vaccinated for an STD, I suppose he's not too bad.
Just for kicks, let's throw Ron Paul into the mix. Ron Paul thinks legalizing heroin is fine, thinks we are "too tough" on Iran ( a nation whose leader openly calls for the destruction of Israel, our ally) and thinks they should have nuclear weapons if they want them. He is also paranoid that a border fence will "keep us in", and is one of the candidates who thinks States should ultimately decide whether to allow the continuation of our abortion holocaust.
Many of the candidates support incremental legislation on abortion, and none of the candidates, other than one, have even hinted at using the full authority of the White House to end abortion.
"I'm Pro-Life, except in the case of..."
There is no "but" in Pro-Life. If you make exceptions in certain cases, you are in-fact Pro-Abortion except in the case of a "cosmetic" elective procedure, where there is no rape or incest issue. The very minute you make exceptions, you have sided with those who do not believe in the sanctity of innocent life. Rape is a horrible crime and violation of one's body, but to disregard the unborn child as the living, innocent human being that it is, and sentence it to death for the crimes of its father, is no more righteous or justifiable than allowing the abortion of a child created by two consenting adults. Biologically, the unborn children in both scenarios are equally human, innocent of a crime, and due protection of their unalienable right to Life.
"At least we're saving some of the babies..."
Probably one of the most controversial phrases in the Pro-Life community. It is often heard during the endorsement of incremental legislation such as The Heartbeat Bill or the Fetal Pain Bill. It assumes that the Unconstitutional Supreme Court opinion of 1973 in Roe V. Wade is somehow the law of the land and the firm and final last word on murdering babies. It neglects to acknowledge that the unborn child is a person, or makes such an acknowledgement but then sets forth the only criteria by which that person can be protected. More simply put, most of these bills say something to the effect of "the unborn child is a person, but if they are old enough to feel pain or you hear a heartbeat you can't kill them, otherwise, you can kill them." It is the belief of a growing segment of the pro-Life community that these bills have actually made the fight against abortion more complicated and have set us back.
If all of the countless Pro-Life advocates, organizations, and believers would stand together and declare that "No one has the Right to kill children. The Unalienable Right to Life is protected by our founding documents, and an Unconstitutional court opinion does not change that.", and demand that from the top-down our elected officials must uphold their Constitutional oath to protect Life, an unalienable Right from our Creator, we would stop abortion, not dance around the subject for another ten years, or roll the dice on whether a State will ultimately grant this protection.
If you find yourself using these phrases, consider taking a more principled stand. Holding the "Party Line" or assuming that electing a certain candidate will get you a better return on your 401K are only comforting when it doesn't mean compromising on those things you claim to value. A few years ago, I might have used the first or last of these phrases. I know better now. Took me running for President to learn all that I have about compromise in recent months, and I'll always be grateful to the folks at America's Party, of which I'm an Affiliate, for teaching me that there are others willing to stand firm on principles without compromise, regardless of who or what is endorsing a compromised approach.
Principles before Party. Principles before Popularity. Principles in the face of uncertainty and doubt.
It's not an easy path to follow, but it makes looking in the mirror a whole lot easier.