by Thomas Craig

As the GOP continues to debate over the best way to reassemble a Party which has lost its way, there seems to be a growing divide within our members.  There is a faction of Republicans who believe that the way forward should include returning the Party back to ultra-conservative values where religion dictates the direction of our platforms.  Of course, there are others who want to see the Party move closer to the middle, compromising some widely held religious beliefs for the sake of political gain.  Personally, I think they are both right.  I believe that instead of narrowing the Party down to stances based on religious beliefs or trying to separate our Party from the ultra-conservative factions, we can become a Party that includes us all.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not going to put flowers in my rifle and start singing John Lennon songs, however I do think that the Republican Party has room for many people who share the basic principles of what a Republican is.  To begin with, a Republican is somebody who believes in limited Government, individual liberty, and both personal and fiscal responsibility.  We believe that we, the People, should be the masters of our Government and not the other way around.  We are law-abiding citizens, however, we acknowledge that there are certain unalienable rights to which we are all entitled to.  While Democrats use the Constitution as their justification for growing power for the Government, Republicans use the one single document that is above the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, to maintain the principles to which our Nation was founded on.  It doesn't matter which hat you wear, just as long as at the end of the day, that hat says GOP on it.  One thing that I think has acted as an impediment to our Party is contradictory actions, which have been a staple of all Members of the Party.  For example, the fact that the Government grew significantly during the last eight years is a complete contradiction to the principles of Republican governing.  We spent ridiculous amounts of money, which was bad enough, however the fact that the money was borrowed from Countries with hostile intentions to the US makes it that much worse.  Gay Marriage is another example.  I know this will get me a lot of jeers from many Republicans but the simple fact is that it is difficult to argue for limited Government, and then advocate for the Government dictating who can and cannot get married.  I'm not saying that People have to morally accept it or be happy with it, but actively opposing it in the form of trying to pass laws to deny it is contrary to the core beliefs of the Republican Party.  Perhaps you, as a loyal Republican, disagree with me.  That's fine if you do because what is important is that at the end of the day, you and I are still Republicans.

"Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle! Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either rods or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress."
-Frederick Douglass

There is something very frightening that is happening in New York City.  As a New Yorker, I see it more and more firsthand, and as an American I fear it is spreading throughout the Country.  The idea of personal responsibility is all but diminished in the city that never sleeps.  A few weeks ago, a young man left court with a verdict reward of $2.3 Million.  What did this young man do to receive such a reward?  Well, this gentleman a few years ago decided to go to a bar to watch a hockey game and wanted to kick back a few beers.  No problems, all good fun.  When he left the bar, he was so intoxicated that he could not even remember the details of what followed.  What did follow was a drunken stumble down to a subway platform and a subsequent dive off of the platform on to the tracks.  Now for those not familiar with the NYC subway system, there are spaces underneath the platforms which you could fit multiple people in if you tried.  Both outside and inside these spaces is garbage.  A lot of garbage.  Subway cars arrive every few minutes and breeze past the garbage routinely, not thinking much of it.  A subway car approached the platform where the drunken man had fallen and by the time the conductor of the train (a longtime Veteran of the MTA with a spotless record) realized that there was a person on the tracks, the train had accidentally run over the mans leg, severing it.  Now I feel for this guy, it has to be a nightmare having your leg cut off by a train.  What I don't understand is that a jury decided that this man held virtually no responsibility for this accident.  It is a terrible event, however, this man made the choice to drink to the point where he couldn't even recall the moment his leg was cut off.  I'm not saying the conductor is free of fault, but all he did was perform his job as usual and a horrible accident occurred.  To say he is at complete blame is to say that the conductor realized that there was a man on the tracks and maliciously continued to drive the train.  This is an accident which occurred because of the choices this drunken man made.  Skip forward a few weeks and I happened to come across the story of a poor woman who was raped on the subway not long ago.  The woman was assaulted on a subway platform late one night on her way home from school.  What makes this particular story even more tragic and frightening is that TWO subway workers witnessed the entire rape and did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to stop it!  The two workers both pressed a panic button to alert their superiors that there was an incident on the platform.  They did not even pick up a phone and directly call police or better yet, get off their behinds and try to HELP THE WOMAN!  I read about how the woman made eye contact with one of the workers who just stared back at her and made no attempt to help her.  Her life was practically ruined that day and when she rightfully tried to sue the MTA for virtually being an accessory to her rape, a Judge threw out her lawsuit and said the subway workers did all they legally had to do.  These two workers who stood by and did nothing are disgusting human beings and the fact that they felt they had no responsibility to stop a horrific crime occuring right in front of them is insulting to anyone with any sort of morals.  This is what the city has become and this is what our country is becoming.  A Nation of people who sit by and watch everything around us burn, while stupidity and arrogance are being rewarded time and time again.   At what point will we return to an era of personal responsibility and common sense?  Or will we just toss it aside permanently in the name of progression?

by Thomas Craig

There’s this annoying (in my opinion) presence across the Internet that I’ve personally encountered on multiple sites. After an unpopular president has departed and a new Messiah has come in to replace him, the Internet has become filled with a variety of commentators that I’ve lovingly coined as “Obamobloggers”. After trial and error, I’ve come up with a few guidelines for dealing with these phenomena.

Scenario: There’s a comment conversation occurring on say, Facebook, where an Obamoblogger is dumping paragraphs of rhetoric surrounding the notion that the American people voted for “change” so everyone who doesn’t like it should just “get over it”. You only feel the need to respond because the comments are directed to something you posted, or something a “friend” posted.

STEP ONE: Identify

Key Words and Phrases for Identification:
 
“Get over it”
“Change”
“Old and tired”
“It didn’t work”
“And I used to be a Republican” (thrown in for credibility)
“The last 8 years [yadda yadda]…”
“Thanks to George Bush [yadda yadda]…”
“The policies that got us here…”
“Get in touch”
“My party is in power”

STEP TWO: Diagnosis

“Hostile” – In the instance where ALL CAPS is used, it may be safe to assume the Obamoblogger is hostile. However, be cautious with this approach as the sneaky “bait and switch” tactic may be employed. This involves either a sob story intended to promote guilt or pompous chatter meant to prove their theories further using their own life as justification.

“Hippie” – The retort is filled with unrealistic ideals pointing to the embrace of all forms of life. In this instance, Americans are referred to via colorful language such as “mass murderers”, “thieves”, or the infamous “village air raider”. This blogger is not to be confused with the Ron Paul groupie, although their radicalism may give the initial impression that such is the case.

"Air Puff" – This blogger knows no more about politics and government than your dog. All judgments and perceptions are based on "feel good" inspirations of the moment and a need for inclusion and identity. Phrases like "give him a chance" and "a better future" are used although when challenged to demonstrate the issues being given a "chance", none can be identified.

STEP THREE: Recommended Treatment

The following are options useful for dealing with these types of Obamobloggers:

Option A: Say nothing and shake your head.

Option B: Make a joke. It doesn't make a difference as to the subject matter – all will likely result in offense being taken.

Option C: Give an educated response citing the various misgivings of the piece, offering a plausible rebuttal with cited sources.

Option D: Make use of language equivalent to a verbal middle finger.

"Hostile" – I recommend either Option A or C. Being ignored denies them further fuel to fight with, and sometimes facts will completely change the conversation in your favor. Be cautioned however – choosing Option C may divert your entire day's activities into this conversation.

"Hippie" – I recommend Option B or C. Facts are this blogger's enemy, and not being taken seriously won't inspire any heated response since they're so used to it.

"Air Puff" – Option B is the only recommendation. Option A will make them feel like they've made a difference by having their voice heard, C will waste your time, and D is too harsh for their developing political minds. B might embarrass them and perhaps induce some reflection and research – but be careful you don't blend D with B.

In summary, when dealing with an Obamoblogger, defensive or not, just remember one important thing: They are only the product of a castle built on air.

These times are not those of Camelot – they are those of Carter (or worse).

Don't lose your cool. Don't waste too much time. Don't feel like you're outnumbered.

Oh, and if you're lucky, sometimes they will admit their own fate:

"[We] had to sit back and watch Bush and the Republican Congress screw us. Your turn."

– Quoted from a recent personal Obamoblogger conversation (mistakenly using Option B…).

by Dacia Nichols  (view Dacia's Blog at www.republibabble.com)

Obama, we believe in thee.  It seems that reality is slowly creeping in to the mind of the man who came on a horse named "Change".  Just a few months in, the President is witnessing the harsh realities of the world.  He is learning that despite his election and massive campaign rallies, people around the world are protesting and (surprise, surprise) they still hate America.  The last eight years led many, especially Obama, to believe that the world did not hate America, they just hated George W. Bush.  Well, it seems that the protests abroad have not subsided, only slightly switched demographics.  Instead of seeing Muslims in the mideast protest against America every day, we now see Europeans and Russians protesting every day.  Add to this the continual Tea Party Protests occuring across our Country, and you get a universal harmony which comes a bit short from the Utopia promised to us by Obama.  The President has ended the War on Terror yet he continues an "Overseas Contingency Operation" because those darn terrorists just don't seem to realize that Obama is the President and they can stop hating America now.  The United States which used to maintain a strong presence in the world, now seems to become a running joke amongst hostile Nations.  North Korea obviously does not think much of Obama's threats over their missile launch, and they were proven to be right.  After all the rhetoric and warnings, North Korea is still going to launch the missile test  and we are going to roll over and smile as they do it.  Obama is meeting with Russian President Medvedev at the G20 summit to try and improve relations.  They will smile and shake hands, and then Medvedev will return to his Country which is hanging on by a thread and continue the scapegoating of the evil Americans.  Obama's efforts in Russia will be as useful as his efforts in Iran.  No matter how "nice" we are to them, these Nations will continue to hate us because as long as their Governments can blame their problems on us, their people will be distracted away from the failings of their own Leaders.  European Leaders, mostly extreme left-wingers by American standards, are almost unanimously against Obama's economic recovery plans.  It's not that I believe that the career politicans leading Europe know more than a one-term Senator and Community Organizer from Chicago, it's just that I think the Leaders of Europe (who don't have our finances) are reluctantly restricted by logic in finding solutions to the economic mess.  Obama the saviour, who wanted to turn America into the shining light and beacon of hope in the world once again, is instead turning us into the misguided, laughed at, wrecking ball, Paris Hilton of the world.

by Thomas Craig