Promoted from diaries and bumped – Moe Lane

My 23 year old son sent me this video. From there, came the idea of a Christmas post; though it is about more than Christmas – had Thanksgiving on my mind, and the year to come.

As I watched this video, I was enthralled with the beautiful scenes of nature: the quiet of the woods, the light reflecting off the snow, seasons of the year – all capturing moments of beauty and life. Look at the little birds – in their winter garb, a red, red male cardinal, next to his mate, a red fox in the winter woods. And the pictures of churches, old and new, big and small – all belonging to a world that allows us to appreciate the “wonders of His love.”

Yet, there are times when the negative and the shadows of this world intrude upon us. We are coming to the end of a tumultuous year. Lows and highs. Obamacare passed despite our efforts to stop it. We won elections no one thought we would, and yes, we lost others. Two years ago, the Republican party was pronounced “dead.” While we were lost and uncertain, there was still something deep within us – a yearning to be free. We remembered who we are, Americans, stout of heart, principled, and we know how to move toward the light, and work for what is right. No, we’re not dead; the renewal and rebirth of traditional Americans, citizen activists, and Tea Party groups – says otherwise to those who thought they had broken our spirit.

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Promoted from diaries. – Moe Lane.

Over the past month, I’ve been thinking about November 2nd. Quite a bit in fact. Every day, posts about various candidates are posted and almost all of us here at RedState read them eagerly, gleaning what we can to keep us optimistic. Before I can talk about the present, though, I need to go back to two years ago. Two long years ago (and it does seem like an eternity). I had gone to the polls with a heavy heart, knowing that our side had only the slimmest of chances to pull it out. November 2008, a month and year that brought despair and depression to many. Truthfully, I don’t think we knew how bad it would be, but instinctively we knew that something “wicked this way comes.” A dark cloud settled on the nation.

Those aren’t dramatic words. The country soon learned what a Barack Obama presidency brought. We have endured one piece of legislation after another, and executive orders and czars to fill in wherever the president couldn’t quite push something or someone through the regular channels meant to provide checks and balances for overzealous branches of government. Democratic control of all three Federal branches of government enabled and ensured that the beginning of the transformation of America would commence. And it did. Progressive/Socialist policies have brought an explosion of debt to America for generations to come. Her economy is weakened, there is high unemployment with a longevity not seen before, and ultimately the Democrats initiated the final assault on Americans and their freedom by passage of the healthcare reform bill against our will. Everything the Democrat/Socialist/Progressives have done is to bring us to dependency on the government and the State. I’ll leave it for another day to discuss where such central planning and control takes us. But, out of all the things that President Obama and the Democrats set out to do, there were two results. One they hoped for, and the other they did not expect. They hoped for success in passing their legislation; yes, they did succeed and we cannot forget that. What they did not expect is the peoples’ response to their efforts to deprive the people of freedom and liberty. They did not expect the people to rise up and speak out. They thought they could fool the American people; after all, they are the political class/ruling class and know what is good for us.

What about this unexpected response by the American people? Who are we? What do we all have in common? We are Conservatives, Tea Party activists, Independents – bonded by our desire to pull our country back from the brink of disaster. Socialism would be a disaster; just look at the countries of Western Europe; look at Great Britain. 2009 and now 2010 have been about finding and supporting candidates that could help defeat and remove from the Halls of Congress those that would bring such destruction upon America and The Constitution. Primary elections have seen the defeat of establishment politicians from both sides of the aisle. We’ve all given time, talent and treasure. There is one thing left to do – vote.

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We’ve been through a number of primaries recently, winding down to the last of them and heading right into the general election. Some of the races have been more contentious than others. Several have been played out here on the stage at Redstate, including strong voices, and the site’s own preferences. This post is not about the candidates – who won, who lost, who is right or who is wrong.

I love reading and participating at RedState; there isn’t another site like it on the Internet. A year ago, after returning from the RS Gathering, I wrote a post called “Welcome to the Neighborhood.” It was my second effort venturing into the waters of diary-writing. Though shy and reserved, I pay attention to people, everyone here to me is important. Reading what most of you post or write in diaries is enjoyable. So much is revealed.

I wasn’t here for the 2008 primary battles, but I’ve heard quite a bit about them, and they are not cheerful tales. Words like rancor, animosity, and enmity are still resounding through the halls of RedState. The battles were so heated that when we finally had our GOP nominee for president, the behaviors of the winners and losers, I understand, caused some wonderful long-time members here to leave RS, never to return. Then there were, and still are the battles that rage around Sarah, and this post is not about her, but only to use her as an example for my main point.

We all have candidates we support.  Most of us here are on the same page with each other’s and the site’s preferences. We get visitors and regular members who are not. But ultimately, once a candidate is the nominee, we have to find a way to get it together. Get it together by respecting that a candidate may have lost, but does that make them a bad person? No. Maybe they were a poor candidate, or they really are not good for our party and conservative goals, but I have a hard time seeing people attacked on a personal level. Ultimately, what we see is a candidate’s supporters attacking each other, on a personal basis. Art Chance had a post recently; he wrote it out of his passion for his candidate. Maybe through some misunderstanding regarding whether his candidate was perceived to be “trying to steal the election” or along that line, he responded. When I first saw it, I thought “Oh no.  This is going to get people going.” Alaska politics are almost the most inflammatory subject around here, and long ago, it made sense to stay out of the Sarah diaries. But, if I entered them, I tried very hard to focus on the issue, not the person making the remark. In return, I always received courteous acceptance on the part of the poster, because they saw that I wasn’t attacking them but just disagreeing with their position. People should be able to have opposing viewpoints without meltdown occurring. When the poster is put on the defensive personally, it leaves no choice but for them to come back at the commenter. This is not about any one person, this is about the way one has good and reasonable debate, without destroying the individuals involved in the discussion.

My title, “When a Candidate Loses” or “Dignity and Honor” has to do with this concern – that when there is only one nominee, those that did not get the nod, have to be brought on board, to help the nominee win – against the Democrats, against Obama, Pelosi and Reid and their Socialist agenda. How can we do that if we are stomping and dancing on the corpses of the other candidates and their supporters?  How do we expect those supporters to turn around and stand up for the one we need to get to DC? If we leave a candidate and their supporters without honor and dignity….then we have not lived up to the principles that we so often speak of eloquently here at RedState.

This is not meant to be preachy, but only to express concern and an approach: keep in mind that disagreements can happen, but there’s no need to fire cannons, when a a squirt gun will do. Think about every person here who expresses their opinion as doing a beautiful job of exemplifying that wonderful First Amendment. People that we make into enemies today will not become friendly acquaintances tomorrow.

Now I have a hurricane to get ready for, Hurricane Earl is heading my way, so it reminds me to always try to keep all of these things in perspective.

A few months ago, I wrote a couple of diaries introducing and expanding on the concept of a RedState University and a  reading list to complement such an august institution at RS.  I promised an update and would like to add some other thoughts to the foundation already laid. First, a brief review of the RSU concept:  any diaries written that address or focus on some application of Conservative principles, discussion of laws and amendments, society and economic issues, impact by the government, etc. should be tagged with the RSU category tag.  One just types in RSU as a tag, along with any other categories your post covers.  We have it on our wish list to see RSU as a hot topics link in the RS header.  If one clicks on the Constitutional Knowledge link in my sig line it will take you to all the diaries that have been tagged with RSU.  The second link in my sig line (Conservative Education) is the reading list I compiled from the excellent input from our RS readers. At the end of this post will be a short addendum and a request for more books, fiction this time, that can support our quest for knowledge, understanding and support.  I would also like to mention the Booknotes project here, as it is ongoing thanks to the faithfulness of Andyd. We are reading 1-2 chapters a week from these books that are so vital to understanding our conservatism.  Currently, “Road to Serfdom” by F.A. Hayek is our book selection.  Every week Andyd has posted a diary on the chapters covered and all are welcome to participate in discussing the reading.

This brings me to perhaps the most important reason why I am writing this post.  I want to talk about reviving the spirit.  Recently, an acquaintance and outstanding blogger wrote a note expressing quite simply, burnout. Miserable, discouraging burnout.  She expressed in her note what so many of us have been feeling with the constant drumbeat against our side, the battles we’ve lost, and the challenges of the “wahr” ahead.  Not only are we struggling to keep further harmful legislation from being passed,  the walk-back we must accomplish for the legislation already signed into law feels almost insurmountable.  When we signed onto this fight, most of us were new to this world and it has been difficult, almost beyond belief, that so much damage could be done.  I wrote and told this acquaintance, as others did, to take time to rest, take a break, whatever was necessary to keep her going in this fight.  In other words, we need all of our warriors in this fight; losing any one of us is one less voice to stand up against tyranny.

About the same time as this discussion on burn-out took place, I read an article by R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. in The American Spectator – “The Reading Mind and the State of the Book.”  It is an excellent article, and he does focus on the loss of the “reading mind” (G. J. Nathan – 1920’s), but he also discusses a critical point for our side.  He notes that the Left is practicing a segregation of ideas; not just about race do they do this; they are seeking to suppress truth and ideas that are unacceptable to them.  He says, “Segregationists are the soi-distant Liberals, and wherever they hold sway writers who disagree with them are banned and misrepresented.”  Now, where have we heard that before?  Every day, everywhere in the MSM and the Liberal academic institutions we find those of the Left who seek to suppress our ideas of Conservatism by speaking with a loud and controlling voice to drown out our ideas.  The positive for our side?  We are not letting them do it.  Almost more than any other time, the numbers from our side are seeking out the books that will give them knowledge and the ability to rebut the Left.

As you may have guessed I love to read; books have always been a window to the world for me, taking me places that I might never physically go, but nevertheless have “visited.”  Since becoming an activist, almost all of my reading is non-fiction now, but I assure you there is always a lighter fiction book on my bedside stand.  At first I was hesitant to read these heavy non-fiction books and documents from our Founding Fathers and other esteemed writers who had so much knowledge to share.   But I discovered one thing from reading these books; rather than weakening or discouraging me, they have strengthened my resolve.  The knowledge I am gaining from them fortifies my spirit.  Discovering that knowledge truly is power, and not just trite words; it is ammunition against the Left and the liberals, who seek to “transform” and thus destroy the great foundations of this nation.

Conservative education – reading – is a way to strengthen the spirit, we can unplug from the computer and open the book and allow a reading mind to aid in healing the spirit.  Discovering that others have had similar fears and battles lived decades/centuries ago allows us to understand that we are truly not alone, that the angst we have and the challenges we face have been faced before and we can prevail.  Others have fought wars, yes, some have been lost, but the testament of time shows how the human spirit survives.  In these dark and dreary moments, American Exceptionalism, the American character far surpasses the emptiness of  the Left, whose words and ideas are like sand through a sieve.  To the Founders’ credit, the great documents they gave us in the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution are timeless and cannot be destroyed.

In order to pass along our own encouragement toward freedom, a few additional titles are listed below, (h/t Vassar).

“Across the Wide Missouri” (1947) – Bernard DeVoto (1897-1955) – History of the early 1800′s and focus on the Fur Trade; the westward movement and the ingraining of the rough and ready of the American character.

“A Distant Mirror” (1978) – Barbara Tuchman (1912-1989) – History of 14th century Europe and the “cataclysms” suffered by Europe.  Tuchman saw parallels between 14th century Europe and the 20th century.

“Territorial Imperative” (1966) – Robert Ardrey (1908-1980, anthropologist and screenplay writer) connected a view of natural and social man.  Focus on territorial behaviors of man and animals.

“The Fatal Conceit” Errors of Socialism, (1988) – F. A. Hayek (1899-1992) – Refutes the theories and premises of Socialism.  Focuses on the evolution of modern man, and that it is not a result of “planning by man.”

“Two Generations of Soviet Man, A study in the Psychology of Communism” (1962) – John Kosa (1914-1972)

To start our fiction list…”Mila 18″ (1961) – Leon Uris (1924-2003) – Story of the Nazi occupation of Poland and the Warsaw ghetto uprising.  I read this book many years ago, and plan to reread it.

I also would like anyone who has some fiction titles that can aid us in our battle to please leave them in the comments, and I can plan a future diary.

One final thought.  The words ‘discouragement and encouragement’ are based on the word–courage. Let us stand for COURAGE!

Or, is the President Cognitively Impaired?

Recently there have been discussions regarding Pres. Obama’s governing choices; Vassar and Flagstaff both had excellent diaries about Mr. Obama and what he has done, or failed to do, and the possible whys.  I want to examine Barack Obama from a different perspective, one we have not seen discussed in depth, yet.  Almost every day words are being used to describe Mr. Obama from a point of view that people may not be aware of–I am referring to psychological appraisals of the man.

My professional background is nursing, (20yrs).  In the health fields, one has to have medical knowledge and the ability to do skilled assessments.  We spend almost every moment around patients assessing them for changes. More importantly, if you catch the early signs, you can prevent the bigger problems.  Before, and certainly since Obama was elected, many words have been used to describe his persona, his personality, his reactions (or lack thereof), his speeches, interactions, his general behavior and of course, his executive decisions. This is not unusual with public figures, and as President, Mr. Obama would certainly expect that he is under a fine microscope.

I too have watched and observed Barack Obama–not always easy to do, because his attitude and words have grated on me.  But still, I became aware early on that something is not quite right about this man who is our President.  First it was the physical observations I’ve made about him.  Terms like flat affect came to me (reminds me of a claymation puppet), or problems with thought retrieval, or delays in his responses, or his rambling answers to questions in news conferences, allowing him to barely answer 6-7 questions in over an hour.  Initially, one could think that those difficulties were related to him trying to find the answer that wouldn’t give him away, as in the truth vs political expediency.  After awhile though, I dismissed that as the cause.  The realization of Obama’s extensive and almost pathological dependency on teleprompters began to support a different premise for the speech and behaviors we’ve seen.  Everyone has a definition of normal or average, and one would expect the president to be average or better, but with Mr. Obama this is not the case.  For example, there are literally some people (many in fact) who get “stage fright” and cannot speak in front of a crowd.  But, if you are going to be a politician I would assume you need to get over it.  But what drives a normal person to need teleprompters when addressing 6th graders in a classroom, or even a high school graduation?  Is Mr. Obama that incapable of spontaneous/extemporaneous speech?  There is no need to spend any time discussing the media’s selling of Obama to us as an intellectual giant, or extraordinary speaker.  They’ve made liars of themselves.  Nothing Obama has shown us indicates that he is or ever was any of these wonderful, extraordinary, people.

Now why is that?

Obama’s life is really divided into two parts–the one that he himself told us about in his book, “Dreams From My Father” and the part we know during this past decade.  If there is much in between, it has been so sanitized as to consider that the past of this person has been eradicated.  But it is important to bring up Mr. Obama’s adolescent (high school and college) years, because he told us something about himself in that book.  “I had learned not to care….I blew a few smoke rings remembering those years.  Pot helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it.  Not smack, though.”

We know that major neurological growth and development occurs throughout childhood, but it is important to understand that it continues well into the mid-twenties.  Neurologically, brain cells go through critical changes in these years; they are also highly sensitive to toxic substances, hence the severe effects of alcohol and substance abuse–including marijuana and other illicit drugs.  Yes, we all probably fried a few of our own brain cells in those years, too, but hopefully not too many.  It is not known how many years Mr. Obama used these substances, but we do know that he did.  The other part to knowing about substance abuse are the short and long-term effects. Almost all organs are affected by toxic substance abuse, but none more so than the sensitive, still-developing brain.

Fast forward to today.  When candidate Obama presented his one-page certificate of being in “good health” by his physician, we all had to accept it.  He is entitled to his privacy; the law gives all of us that regarding our health records.  But, I doubt that any of us believed that he had no medical history.  He does – we all do.  He certainly has a nicotine addiction, perhaps he has been treated for it. Here is something else to consider though.  Look at some of the words that have been printed describing Barack Obama:  unemotional, detached, disconnected, cold, dispassionate, indifferent, unresponsive.  Yes, we are all seeing the same thing; your eyes are not deceiving you.  But it is not “normal’ to be this way, unless, and I emphasize, unless–he is cognitively impaired or on medication that causes these same symptoms as side effects.  For example, the SSRI’s, considered a major breakthrough for anti-depression therapy and obsessive compulsive disorders, affect short-term recall, memory, affect people’s libido, affect people’s ability to feel, unless an extreme emotion finally erupts.  They may not be feeling pain and psychic distress, but they are not able to feel empathy, sympathy, etc.  People report that they find it difficult to cry when on these meds.  I am not saying anything against these drugs.  Medications are life-saving for those who need them and one may have to learn to live with the side effects in order to get the relief from a major disorder.

When we observe and speak about Pres. Obama’s lack of feeling, lack of response, lack of emotion, rambling speech, or behaviors that almost seem inappropriate, these are the things I think of:  It is not normal to be this way, and there is something causing it.  No one yet knows all the cognitive long-term harm from his early years of substance abuse; nor do we know how many years he used substances that could have caused residual cognitive impairment.  But, as I have observed Pres. Obama and realized that similar words were being used to describe him that we use in psychiatry in assessing patients or their responses to psychotropic medications, it should not be ignored.

Many have examined in detail the reason for Obama’s lack of governing; he has been said to be incompetent, incapable, inexperienced, and didn’t he always vote present in his Illinois Senate days?  What kind of person functions this way, and why?  What is “normal” about a leader who parties and plays, while the people he supposedly cares about face disasters.  Barack Obama was given a blank slate for his past, the MSM covered for him.  Very few individuals get that kind of “cease to exist” treatment, unless you are in a witness protection program.

We may agree that Barack Obama is doing a poor job of governing and the thesis I present does not help that, but perhaps we will no longer wonder at the why and not spend energy expecting him to be any different than he is.  Truly, what we see is what we get.

Where Have All the Flags Gone?

I am posting this before Memorial Day for a reason; I do not want any RedStater to have guilt after the holiday.

When I was growing up, there was strong patriotic sentiment, reinforced in our schools and in the public square.  Patriotic holidays were more than just a special sale for the malls, or huge flags on the car lots.  Patriotic hymns were sung in churches and taught in public schools.  Almost everywhere was the reinforcement of love of God and Country.  The two went together.  I believe that most of us grew up in families that flew the flag on special days, especially the ones that honored those that fought and died for our nation, and of course, the birthday of our Declaration of Independence.  We honored America and her people, the surrounding culture supported and reinforced this.  That is what culture and society is supposed to do, reinforce the foundational precepts upon which a nation exists.  We celebrated America.  Isn’t that a beautiful thought, to honor and express support and affection for a land that gives us all opportunity?

What happened?

The upheaval of the sixties brought severe societal and cultural changes, not so obvious then, but the gradual long term effect of those times have finally borne fruit. Unfortunately, some of this is rotten fruit. The  secular socialists in society have taken hold of our core societal institutions – academia, government, schools, and even our churches.  In 1962, they managed to remove God from public schools, laying the groundwork for taking God out of the public square.  There has always been an entwined relationship between the founding principles of this nation and a belief in our Creator.  The Founding Fathers wove it throughout their documents, and anyone who reads their works can see the connection and the threads of the fabric they laid out for us, to take us through the ages.

What has the secular Left  brought us?  While they seek to take God out of the public consciousness, with diligent relentless efforts, they have also been marginalizing patriotism and love of America.  In fact, today we are seeing blatant anti-Americanism, and Achance recently gave us some background on this here.  The schools don’t teach the patriotic songs like they used to, the churches don’t even sing them, though they remain in the hymnals.  Yes, I know some of this is anecdotal, but there have been enough news stories that support what we see locally in our own school systems and churches.  Kids are sent home for wearing a t-shirt with an American flag on it, and the assistant principle says he sent them home to avoid inciting violence.   Ever since a Leftist administration came into power, the efforts to undermine traditional American support and loyalty has accelerated, but the groundwork was laid decades before.  There is an unrestrained assault on traditional America, no holds barred.  We read about it everywhere.  Traditional Americans are marginalized, disparaged and treated as if they are the perpetrators of some horrible crime.  Arizona has been excoriated since passing a law that is a duplicate of Federal Law, and simply says they are going to begin to enforce the law that protects their sovereign borders.

Where have all the flags gone?

The American flag is strictly a symbol, an emblem that represents a nation founded on Judaic-Christian principles, a land of freedom and opportunity.  The American Revolution was fought and blood spilled to bring about her birth.  Blood spilled for the 1st Amendment that allows one to burn the flag as free speech. Wars have been fought to maintain this nation, from within and without.  Countless Americans (and others) have died to keep this land free, and the spirit of American Exceptionalism, alive.  I see the flag as representative of her people.  The American people have character, strength, durability and a can do willingness that has yet to be surpassed by other nations.  When catastrophe strikes, it is the United States that responds; our military is the best in the world, made up of the Americans who get down in the trenches, they bring humanitarian aid, and they also fight tyrannical genocidal enemies, while assisting others to survive and be free.

Where have all the flags gone?

Until recently, citizens of this country, from both parties, lived their patriotism and flew their flag and spoke positively about their country.  The passing decades have brought a distinct change in the culture, and genuine expressions of patriotism and respect for our nation and the flag have decreased.  Been to some recent sporting event or something similar, and seen how many pay no attention to the National Anthem.  Don’t place their hand over their heart?  Well, as the years have gone by, stop and think about it, the flag isn’t in abundance either, some end up in the trash.  As the veterans of past wars die off, and society has separated itself from God and Country, there is a sorrowful loss of cherishing and honoring that which is symbolic to this great nation.  Yes, we saw a resurgence of patriotism and flag waving after 9/11, but it did not seem to stay with us as it should have.  Each passing year our people are succumbing to the assault from the Left.  Call it secularism, socialism or Communism – all of it is designed to separate the American people from their heart and character.

But we can have a resurgence.  As we are seeking to take back our country and government, we can fly ‘Old Glory’ with love and affection, and yes, a hint of defiance, because that is what keeping that beautiful flag flying means; it means our nation is still standing and supported by those that love her.  Men and women have died so that, “long may she wave” – we’ll not yield the colors now.  Think about that when you go to your closet and dust off that banner, or replace a worn one.  Or consider a family member who might appreciate hoisting their first America flag, or an elderly neighbor who used to have one out, but may need assistance to put it up.  Much like Cold Warrior and his Precinct Committeeman Project, RedStaters can fly their flags, and influence someone, somewhere, one flag at a time.

Whenever I put up my flag, I allow the sentimental feelings to flow and make no apologies, neither did Johnny Cash when he sang this.  After all, what we are doing at RedState is fighting for the right to fly that beautiful symbol that represents freedom, and love of God and Country.  We do it for this, “Sweet Land of Liberty.”

h/t Erick B.-flag graphic
h/t Klondike-JC reminder

Recently there have been several news stories regarding the Left and our side: Congressman Lewis and the Black Congressional Caucus, The Tea Parties that turned out benign, and the Leftist protesters that are virulent and call for harm to our side’s leaders and spokespeople. A discussion with some friends brought up the concepts of hatred and evil. This discussion yielded mixed conclusions; we all agreed that there was hatefulness in the behavior of the Left, but there was the question of what evil is. These words,”evil” and “hatred,” have been on my mind and perhaps because of these recent events, I wanted to analyze the meaning and interpretation of these words.  Here are some word associations:

Hatred:  hostility, enmity, rancor, resentment, antipathy, ill-will, intolerance. I could stop right here because you all know where this goes, but it is deeper than that and I will show it.

Evil:  amoral, corrupt, depraved, hateful, malevolent, malicious, unprincipled, vicious, malice, black-hearted. Right now I see many words almost interchangeable with any of the definitions or associated words. Keep this in mind.

Good:  enjoyable, appropriate, delightful, esteemed, nice, right, decent, noble, valid, and wonderful. That list goes on and on.

When I see or hear words from the Left directed toward us, I am amazed and shocked, but no longer naive.  Who in the world are these people talking about? Then I realize they are talking about us – decent, caring people who love our country. People who work hard, raise families, do what they can for others, and now give time they don’t have to try and save this great nation. We are speaking out, we are getting involved in our communities, we are reading the Founding Fathers, and the Constitution; and for this, we get trashed, maligned and denigrated by a portion of the population that gets the airtime and the support of the MSM and this administration.

What is so bad about half of the American people that our own government with the aid of the media, mocks us? The media makes a big deal about “right-wing” extremists – they’ve referred to us as racists, haters and Nazis, at one time or another.  Tabitha Hale’s Freedom Works post has an excellent collection of who is really doing the hating, and wishing harm to others. The recent sign at a demonstration, “Hope Sarah Chokes” or wishing Rush Limbaugh to get cancer and die, are remarks and public displays of this extreme vitriol. How many times did the Left wish publicly, that Pres. Bush would be harmed?  The Leftists Dems encourage this type of rhetoric by their silence, because it helps their agenda.

The media has stumbled over themselves to try and distort the Tea Parties. See Vassar’s post at their lack of success. In the end, it is the extremists of the Left, that has the public square and ear, who seek to sow hatred and enmity and stigmatize those that don’t agree with them. Strange how they don’t call our true enemies, the Islamic Jihadists, these names, just their fellow citizens get these ugly labels.

Consider that hatred has to be fueled, fed like a greedy fire. Stoked. This is what is happening with the Leftist administration and media. But there is a danger when a government stokes the flames of hatred of one group of citizens against another. The extremists in our government are aided and abetted by the media and hate-filled sites like Daily Kos and Huffington Post, many of us never visit, because we cannot absorb such venom and vitriol.

Let me talk about our side for a bit. We do not hate, we are driven by something much lighter, more positive. We see things wrong and we want to fix them, not project hate and destruction. We are able to voice discontent, disagreement and frustration without calling for someone’s death. We also quickly marginalize those on the extreme end of our continuum – we do not present them as heroes. We are not elitist looking down upon a whole group of people. We have discovered that the Constitution, in an incredibly marvelous way, fits us all in. Simple as that. Maybe intuitively our side realizes that hatred can only destroy, it can never build up anything. Even in our most passionate moments of protest, we have not sought their destruction or harm, but only to stop them from causing harm.

So about this hatred that oozes from the Left, and the foaming mouths that utter such hatefulness toward an innocent group of citizens. It is their empty souls that spew venom toward our military (Murtha and Kerry are two examples), yet it is that military that protects this country and their right to spew such venom. Do evil and hatred go together? Yes, I believe they do and for the Leftist extremists, the two are entwined. There is hateful behavior that those with an agenda encourage, and this is where the inherent evil exists. Most of us understand evil as exemplified by the atrocities of the 20th Century: Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot. But no one should think that those hideous genocides occurred in a vacuum. I believe we see the same kind of mentality fostered today, and hatred stoked, similar to the kind that enabled those infamous names to carry out their horrific deeds. It was the townspeople who smashed the storefront windows, or gave up their neighbors, or despised the gypsies, the homosexuals, and political opponents.  I use this example because the German people thought they were regular people and that they were right.

The names of Milosevic and Saddam Hussein, Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong il come to mind as well.  A leader with the support of a portion of the population, driven by hatred, can lead to unspeakable acts against their fellow man.   I don’t believe that we would have such horrors here as have happened elsewhere in the world,  but I do believe that understanding how propaganda and fostering a certain mind set can lead to extremes of behavior that we ordinarily could not fathom.  What seems impossible now can gain credibility over time.  These are examples that help to remind us of the extent that man can feel hatred and commit evil.  It may be controversial to say that one can glimpse similar mindsets in those of the radical Left, but I think it is there and in an insidious way the future is being affected, just what form it will take remains to be seen.  The seeds of hatred help sow evil.

When the Left cheers the most despicable and heinous comments made about our side – people who are decent and good and hard working Americans – and they sneer at us and belittle us, that is hatred and evil, and must be fought.  There is danger in this attempted marginalization of a group of citizens.  Since Obama and the Leftists took over the nation, they are unrestrained now.  Can we change their mindset? I do not know. IMO, it is more than just corruption and a loss of perspective that drives these people.

We need to think about the differences between our side and theirs, because I believe those that hate us will be the ones to cross the line to stop us.  Whatever our response, it won’t include foaming at the mouth with vitriol, or “hope you die” signs, it will be with dignity and truth and the law, and as much as possible, we will prevail. But it is necessary that we finally recognize, (even if we don’t understand it) the hatred directed toward us.

You know that saying that revolves around “knowing something when you see it?”  I think that is what has happened to many of us. I have not looked for evil, almost didn’t recognize it, but now I know it when I see it.

ColdWarrior requested that I write up my experiences in becoming a Precinct Committeeman, and as you all know, he is a fairly persistent fellow.

Two meetings, yes, just two meetings is all it took.  Our local GOP has a monthly City Committee meeting, 2nd Monday of the month.  Lasts an hour.  Upon attending my first one, I filled out a form, paid a membership dues of $50.00, good for two years.  That allowed me to be nominated.  The second month, I was confirmed.  Simple as that.  I have attended 4 monthly meetings so far, the most recent was the annual Mass Meeting, where all the precinct committee members are once again confirmed and recognized.  Other party business went on at the Mass Meeting as well, including preparation for the convention to be held in May for election of the our 2nd District Chairman.  Now that is an important election, as the Chairman is the one who is critical to getting VA -02 back into the hands of the GOP.  I am a delegate to the Convention, so is my husband. No charge.

Let me tell you what else has occurred as a result of a simple phone call, a couple of meetings and filling out a form.  Our GOP City Committee has a Saturday morning breakfast meeting every week.  An inexpensive breakfast buffet works for me. Current business is addressed, then we have speakers.  GOP officials from City Council and the School Board are often there.   With pride we have a prayer, say the Pledge of Allegiance, and sing God Bless America.  You have to know how nice it is to have an opportunity to participate in such activities and not have to hide one’s patriotism.   The speakers we have had include local government officials, state Congressional Delegates and Senators, City Council and School Board officials.   We receive information and updates on events happening locally and at our State House.  I’ve learned about budget shortfalls, City Council and School Board funding concerns, light rail, (ongoing mess) and how it all interacts with our State Capitol in Richmond.

In addition to learning so much about my local government, I have met many members of my local and state government, and well as the candidates for a number of offices.  This includes the six who are currently running in the GOP primary for the 2nd Congressional District.  They have spoken at a number of these meetings.  I have spoken to them individually.  When Moe did an interview on one of the VA -02 candidates the other day, I exclaimed, “Hey, that’s us!”

Where has all of this taken me?  The phone call and participating in my local GOP organizations has opened the door to learning and interacting with representatives of my own local government.  FJG made an important point in a recent comment exchange we had.  She said that not only are all politics local, but that they are personal.  Politics at this level is for me, my family, my friends and my neighbors.  FJG also expounded on the purpose of becoming a precinct committeeman – “getting educated, opinionated and involved about political candidates so that you can get Republicans and others in your area, educated, opinionated and involved.”  From this, I take it even one step further.  When people say they don’t vote, because their vote “doesn’t count” I now can easily let them know how much their vote really does count.  Because it really does all begin at this level, as a precinct committee person, or just as an involved citizen going to local meetings.  You connect with the people who can make a difference, and they want to hear from you.

Now I want to tell you about some monthly luncheons.  There are four GOP womens’ groups in my city. A church friend encouraged me to go to hers.  I did and joined.  Once a month, they meet where there is a luncheon, and now I will say I am probably on the younger side to most of the ladies, but they represent an amazing bedrock of American women.   These ladies are the ones who put together care packages and cards for our military, and do so many other good works in the community.  The first meeting I attended, we had a speaker from the Department of Homeland Security, an outstanding individual who told us about the E-Verify program.  The last  luncheon had the six candidates vying for the 2nd District GOP nomination.

It is not difficult to get involved.  The members of your local GOP need you.  The night of the Precinct Committeemen confirmation, I met another Conservative activist, who is going to fill the second slot in my precinct.  We’re going to share the Precinct Captain title.  The members of my local GOP have been friendly and welcoming.  I believe our party is hungry for help, you just have to get out and start somewhere.  I started with getting my conscience squared with ColdWarrior, so I wouldn’t have to avoid him at the next RS Gathering, and as a result I have found it enjoyable and interesting to participate in the other GOP organizations as well.

We come here to RedState looking for information and direction.  We say the challenge is to take back our party and to save our country.  Becoming a Precinct Committeeman is one of the best ways to do it.  The biggest takeaway on this:  is not just how interesting getting involved with my local GOP has been, but how much I’ve been learning about my local and state government.  The importance of that aspect for us as Republican/Conservative activists, cannot be underestimated.

The journey begins……

This is part two to the concept of RedState University.  The first part can be found here.  This post is my promised “Suggested Reading List” to enhance our knowledge and understanding of the principles of Conservatism that our Founding Fathers laid out for us in the Constitution.  So much of what they believed and incorporated in those early documents in the founding of this nation came from incredible thinkers and writers before them.  Those that have come after them helped to expand on those principles and apply them as our nation grew.  Philosophers, economists, historians, theologians, Doctors of the Church and modern day writers are all part of this abundance of knowledge out there.

There are literally thousands of works that could supplement our understanding of Conservatism; this list is a compilation from all of the suggestions I received from you, the great members of RedState.  It is a preliminary list, one that can be modified and updated; it is just a way to start somewhere. Categorizing them was difficult because there is so much overlap.  Philosophy almost encompasses all of them; that makes sense when you think about it – economic philosophy, theological, social, cultural, etc.  History is probably separate, but many writers note history from a philosophical viewpoint as well.

So the categories are broad vs specific, but by including a bullet point, I hope to give the prospective reader at least some idea about the selection.  Title and author are listed; where possible I included the date of publication and the author’s lifespan.  I think it is relevant.  Links are provided to the first few (those wonderful Constitutional Documents) so you can read them outright.  The rest are available by any internet search engine to either read about further or obtain the book itself.  One warning, if you start looking them up you will go off on pleasurable and fascinating reading tangents, learning not only about the book but the author as well.

Suggested Reading List (Not in a particular order so you can peruse the entire list).

The Bible, Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, Articles of Confederation, and The Bill of Rights.

Message to Garcia (1899) – Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) (A favorite of Erick Erickson’s)
-Initiative-

Federalist Papers (1787-1788) – Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), James Madison (1751-1836), and John Jay (1745-1829).
- philosophy, democracy – essays written in support of the Constitution. Insight into the vision and philosophy behind it.

Common Sense (1776) – Thomas Paine (1737-1809).
- philosophy, democracy – early and powerful political writing openly calling for separation from Great Britain, challenging the authority of the British Monarchy.

On Liberty (1859) – John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) – philosophy, liberty, democracy – regarding the limits of power by the government over the people.  Talks about the “tyranny of the majority” and interesting concept of the “harm principle.”

Democracy In America (1835) – Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) French philosopher
-philosophy, history – an overview of our fledgling Democracy, examines the principles of our free government and compared our nation with his.  de Tocqueville was appreciative of this new nation.

Road to Serfdom (1944) – F.A. Hayek (1899-1992)
- philosophy, economics, socialism, fascism – collectivism lead to tyranny.  Warning abut the Socialists and the “end justifies the means” danger.

Five Thousand Year Leap (1981) – W. Cleon Skousen (1913-2006)
- history, philosophy,The Constitution, liberty.  Lists 28 basic principles of the Founding Fathers. One of my favorites.

The Conservative Mind: from Burke to Santayana (1953) – Russell Kirk (1918-1994)
- political philosophy – traditional principles of Conservatism, focused on the connection between Christianity and Western Civilization.  The Conservative movement post WWll.

Witness (1952) – Whittaker Chambers (1901-1961)
- philosophy, history, conservatism, anti-communism – insight into 20th century America and the dangers of Communism and Liberalism.

Political Writings of St. Augustine (354-430) Doctor of the Catholic Church
Summa Theologica – St. Thomas Acquinas (ca 1225-1274) Doctor of the Church
-philosophy, religion, morality – ethics, virtues from God

Woodrow Wilson and the Roots of Modern Liberalism (2005) – Ronald J. Pestritto
- history – politically where it all started, the Progressives’ assault on the Founding Fathers foundation of Constitutionalism.

Orations and Addresses of George William Curtis (3 vol) (1824-1892)
-philosophy, history – focus on citizenship and reforming the Civil Service.  Who knew then we had a corrupt Civil Service?

American Progressivism:  A Reader (2008) edited by Ronald J. Pestritto and William J. Atto
- collection of essays focusing on the Progressive Era.

Liberty and Tyranny (2009) – Mark R. Levin
- conservatism, philosophy – preserving liberty, recognizing tyranny.
Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American left (2007) – Jonah Goldberg
-traces the roots of Fascism and Socialism in the 20th century.

The next two titles are, “know thy enemy.”  Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals – Saul D. Alinksy (1909-1972) -the definitive treatise for the Left on how to gain power and undermine Constitutional government.

Case For Socialism (1911) – Fred Henderson (1867-1957) – all about Socialism from an author who wanted it.  Considered a handbook for the Independent Labor Party.

Slouching Towards Gomorrah (1996) – Robert H. Bork
-philosophy, culture – focuses on decline of Western culture secondary to modern Liberalism.

Conscience of a Conservative (1960) – Barry M. Goldwater (1909-1998).
- political and economic conservatism, noted for “firing up” the modern conservative movement.

What Has God Wrought: The Transformation of America -1815-1848 (Oxford History of the United States) Daniel Walker Howe
- history, American democracy.

Patriots History of the United States (2004) – Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen
- history – from Columbus to the War on Terror, history as it should be told and none of this revisionist writing.

The Case For Democracy (2004) – Nathan Sharansky and Ron Dermer
-history, politics – focus on freedom to overcome tyranny, and you cannot appease tyrannical regimes and expect democracy to survive.

A Conservative History of the American Left (2008) – Daniel J. Flynn
-history, American Left – broad perspective and recounting the history of the American Left.

God and Man at Yale (1951) – William F. Buckley (1925-2008).
- philosophy, education – Liberalism taking over institutions of higher learning, lack of academic freedom.

Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation (1983) – Ronald W. Reagan (1911-2004)
-morality, abortion, philosophy – President’s Reagan essay on the wrong of Roe v Wade and his whole philosophy on the value of life.
Reagan, In His Own Hand (2001) – Kiron K. Skinner – collection of his radio addresses 1975-1979, laying out his vision for America.
The Reagan Diaries (2007) edit. Douglas Brinkley – Reagan’s thoughts and observations during his eight years as President.
Reagan’s War (2003) Peter Schweizer
-history, philosophy – the story of Reagan’s 40 yr. war against Communism.

Party of Death (2006) Ramesh Ponnuru
-morality, abortion – the Left’s disregard for human life, destroying the inconvenient life.

Godless: the Church of Liberalism (2006) – Ann Coulter, focus on liberalism’s animosity towards Judaism and Christianity.

What’s So Great About America (2003) – Dinesh D’Souza -philosophy, morality, religion – defends his adopted country against criticism from Islamic nations.

Discovery of Freedom (1943) – Rose Wilder Lane (1886-1968) (dgt. of Laura Ingalls Wilder).
-libertarian philosophy – shows what is wrong with statism  and collectivism.

Conservative Comeback to Liberal Lies (2006) Gregory Jackson

ECONOMICS

This section is last but not least.  I was fascinated by how closely liberty and freedom are tied to economics.  If we do not have economic freedom, we will not be free.

Economics in One Lesson – (1946) Henry Hazlett (1894-1993).
-libertarian – looking at the long term effects of economic policy, not just short-term.  Responsible for bringing Austrian Economics to the US.

Economic Sophism (1845) Frederick Bastiat (1801-1850).
-focus on the negative of statist policies, look at the big picture.
The Law (1850) – Frederick Bastiat -
-philosophy, Socialism. liberty -Stopping the police powers of the state, natural rights from God to defend life, liberty, and property.

Free to Choose (1980) – Milton and Rose Friedman
-economics – focus on free markets being the best for all in society.

Wealth of Nations (1776) – Adam Smith (1723-1790).
-economic philosophy – Considered the cornerstone to modern economic theory and a free market being better for society.

New Deal or Raw Deal (2009) – Burton W. Golsom, Jr.
-FDR’s economic policy and the effect on the U.S.

Basic Economics – Thomas Sowell 3rd ed. (2007).
Almost a textbook – how the economy functions.

The Forgotten Man (2007) – Amity Shlaes.
-The Great Depression – focus on government intervention by Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt; examination of the New Deal policies.

Capitalism:  The Unknown Ideal (1946) – Ayn Rand (1905-1982).
Belief in freedom of the individual and property rights, laissez faire capitalism.

The Art of War (ca 6thcentury BC) – Sun Tzu.
-military treatise – tactics and strategies on war, considered a classic to read even in the business world.

From Hillsdale College: Hillsdale Constitution TownHall

The Conservative Book Club has a group of 15 titles, some of which I have noted.  Several others to look at would be The Best Of Burke, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Political Writings of John Adams, Political Writings of James Monroe, and The Language of Liberty: The Political Speeches and Writings of Abraham Lincoln.

In conclusion, there are a multitude of additional titles by these excellent authors. These books are meant to be a gateway for gaining further knowledge and an understanding of philosophy and history, which shaped our Constitution and Conservative principles.

Last fall our esteemed leader Erick Erickson and FP contributor, Aaron Gardner, initiated a great idea for us to read and learn about the principles that form the foundation of our conservative beliefs. This would allow us to not only understand why we believe as we do, but refute Liberalism and the Leftists. It was known as the RedState Book Notes: A Group Project. Please read Erick’s post on the plan.  It essentially was for a reading group and did well through the first couple of titles.  Andyd has been the one to remain faithful in doing the readings and write-up on a weekly basis.  His most recent post was on  “Liberty and Tyranny.”

Last week, Vassar spoke about putting our writings – diaries, into a special category so that not only would the members of RS learn about the founding principles regarding our conservative beliefs, but the application of them, posited in the writings, would be helpful as well.  Vassar notes, it is important to educate ourselves about our conservatism, in order to educate others.  He used the term “Constitutional Education.”  He also suggested it as a possible Hot Topic line, perhaps in the future this can be done.

Beaglescout then came along and titled this concept of Constitutional education at RS, as “RedState University” and initiated the process by which diaries could be categorized with the tag, “RedState University” and anyone going to the link would find the wealth of writing so many great minds at RS have written, all addressing some aspect or application of Conservative principles.  These may be analysis of the Founding Fathers, discussion of laws and amendments, society and economic issues impacted by government – the list is endlist.  The folks who wrote book note diaries could go back and tag their diaries with the RedState Unversity tag.  Thus far we have asked for any of you to look at your writings and if they fit this category of Constitutional Education, add the tag.  My understanding of how to do it:  Go back to your diary, click manage, then go to the bottom for the tag listing, add RedState University, and be sure to remember to click “Save” and it should take.

Second item.  Mriggio requested a book list of suggested readings, which I would love to do.  To quote:

“This type of listing/discussion might help some of us who still operate on ‘instinct’ to locate uplifting literature that fills the ammo belt with facts & logic, is fun and educational, and closely jibes with our world-view.”

I would like to compile a list of books related to Constitutional principles, that we as conservatives read, study and enjoy.  If you like, please leave your titles for me in this diary, or whenever you see me post in these types of diaries.  I read quite a bit and will pick up on them.  Additionally, I may be able to write a one or two line note for each one, just to help identify the purpose of the book.  I am open to any and all ideas to aid in this library resource for RedState University.

One last thought, all of this started with a seed of an idea planted by one of our good members, Vassar, expanded on and developed by Beaglescout; and me -  I am just along for the sheer joy of being able to do whatever I can for the Conservative Movement.  A perfect example:  Ausonious and his “Butterfly Effect” diary.