Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Is Gary Johnson one of us or a CFR Pawn?

Gary Johnson, the former republican Governor of New Mexico is being cited more and more as a possible candidate for President in 2012. Many of those who continue to promote Johnson are current or former supporters of Ron Paul.

I do not dislike Governor Johnson. I have met him. He is one heck of a nice guy. However, I do have serious questions about him that would prevent me from ever voting for him for president. The first is that he has always considered himself to be pro-choice. It continues to boggle my mind in this day and age, with all of our advanced technology, that everyone does not agree that unborn children deserve protection from abortion. Take one look at a 3D or 4D ultrasound and then come and talk to me about choice. That Gary says he is for liberty and freedom and still supports the right of a mother to kill her unborn offspring is very troublesome.

However, even more concerning than that is Governor Johnson's strong ties to the Council on Foreign Relations or CFR. His ties cannot be denied or ignored.

Doug Turner was Gary's general consultant, state director, and Campaign Manager for both his 1994 and 1998 election. Doug Turner is a member of the CFR and is listed as such on their website. He is currently listed on the "Leadership and Staff" page. This is Gary Johnson's closest adviser. Its reasonable to assume he would be in the same capacity during a Johnson for President campaign. That is just a little too close for my comfort. At the very least Gary Johnson is under the influence of the CFR.

Genuine Conservatives do not dance with the CFR and so until further notice I continue to have serious questions about Governor Gary Johnson as he prepares his likely bid for President of the United States.

Here is the link to Turner's bio on the CFR website. See for yourself.
http://www.cfr.org/bios/11203/

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Are you a Genuine Conservative?

So are you? I am not talking about republican or democrat. I mean conservative. A real conservative. I have been a republican all my life, however I have not had the chance to support many genuine conservatives. I have, at times, supported a candidate who was the genuine conservative and who also was not the republican candidate. Are you a neo-conservative (aka Neo-Con) and consider yourself a genuine conservative much like Dick Cheney? Historically that position is not conservative at all. The historical conservative position is the exact opposite of the neo-con philosophy, that is that traditional republican (conservative) philosophy promotes an agenda that does not include preemptive war. Indeed anti-war even.

So what then is a genuine conservative?

A) First and foremost, a genuine conservative is a strict constructionist when it comes to the Constitution. Many republicans claim to be strict constructionists, but when it is not harmonious with their own agenda, quickly sing a different tune. A genuine conservative supports the Constitution as law the way it is written and accepts the difficult road our founders set forth to change it. So if you are a true strict constructionist, and not just when it feels good, you might be a genuine conservative.

B) If being a strict constructionist was all there was to it, most republicans would be genuine conservatives. However, sadly this is not the case. If you support a philosophy that allows for preemptive strikes against other nations you are not a conservative at all. That is not to say you must take a position against all wars or against the military. Very much the opposite. We should defend ourselves always. We should strike when we are attacked or invaded. We should be ready with a strong, unmatched military that is ready to defend our nation and her citizens. I will not give a long history lesson here. Its easy enough for anyone interested to find the historical truth for themselves, if interested - so if you doubt my next statements - do some research and find out for yourself. The republican party has historically been elected to get us out of wars and not the other way around. I voted to George W Bush, in part, because he stated over and over again in his debates with Al Gore that the United States should not be involved in, or paying for nation building. And yet that is exactly what he engaged in. At what cost? Who will pay the bills for our preemptive strikes all over the world? For our troops stationed in every nook and cranny of the globe? For the bases still being built in every corner of the planet? Look at our budget and ponder what percentage of it goes towards these needless activities. Who will pay? Without any doubt, it will be our children and our grandchildren. If you support putting all of that on their backs and destroying their futures so that we can have a very expensive false sense of security today, you are probably NOT a genuine conservative.

C) A genuine conservative will almost always have some moral compass. A clear understanding and strong feelings about right and wrong. Good and evil. I would argue its very difficult to be pro-choice and also be a genuine conservative. Killing unborn children in this modern age is just wrong. Its easy to not get pregnant. We have technology now that makes it undeniable that unborn babies are much more than a mass of cells. While I am pro-life and I support anything that limits abortion, I will concede that my conservative friends who argue this is issue is a state's rights issue have a very real argument and cannot therefore be discounted as genuine conservatives based on that view. Another hot topic is gay marriage. I believe the government should not be in the marriage business at all. Marriage is a religious institution and existed long before governments of any kind. So my view is that we should leave this up to churches to sort out. However, I will not disqualify my friends who believe the government should step in and define marriage as being between one man and one woman. I understand that point of view and do not personally disagree with their definition. I would hold this view if I did not feel so strongly that the government just should not be in the marriage business. This I know for certain-- If you support abortion on demand and believe the government should be sanctioning and validating same-sex marriage, there is a very strong chance you are not a genuine conservative.

D) Civil and personal liberties. This is an area where the republican party has really lost its way. This is where many republicans and even conservatives who claim to be strict constructionists get into serious trouble. If you believe the rights granted by the Constitution can be trampled on by government at any level or law enforcement at any level, you cannot claim to be a strict constructionist - and therefore are not a genuine conservative. What Ben Franklin said still rings true today. If we sacrifice liberty for security, we deserve neither liberty or security. There is nothing wrong with not wanting the police to search your house, vehicle, or person. The slippery slope argument is a strong one and every citizen has a duty to make sure their rights as granted by the Constitution are not trampled. Men died for those rights. And yet so many of us are so willing, even eager to toss them out the window for the sake of a little convenience. Many take it one step further and insist that anyone who would challenge authority in the name of those rights is a trouble maker. Non-sense! That was Hitler's argument. Is that the future we want for our children and grandchildren? The republican party has really lost its way on this one and if you think people who insist that the civil rights and liberties outlined in the Constitution still actually mean something are nothing but extremists and trouble makers ---you are probably not a genuine conservative.

"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined."

Patrick Henry- June 5, 1778

D) In general if you think government is the answer to your problems you are probably not a genuine conservative. If you prefer more government involvement in your life you are probably not a genuine conservative. If you support government take over of health care - you are probably not a genuine conservative.

So are you a genuine conservative? Barry Goldwater was. Ronald Reagan was. Most present day republicans and those claiming to be conservative are not. I think Dr. Ron Paul is. Fox News' Judge Andrew Napolitano is a good example of a genuine conservative. Are there others? Tell me who they are. There are others who I think are genuine conservatives who may not fit into everything I said above. Such as: Mike Huckabee, Tom Coburn, Jim Demint, Sam Brownback. The Tea Party movement has a lot of genuine conservatives and a lot of fake conservatives also.

This blog is dedicated to the latest news and events that pertain to genuine conservatives, our candidates, and our issues, and the 2012 presidential election. It is my hope - and indeed my prayer that the republican party I have belonged to all of my life will find ist way back to the principles and ideals that once made the GOP the party of genuine conservatives. However, I know that a genuine conservative can belong to any political party - or no political party at all. Let's discuss, debate, and reason together as we work towards electing an authentic genuine conservative in 2012.