Yesterday there was a posting regarding Carrie Prejean and the release of her book.  The poster took Ms. Prejean to task on a variety of issues and said the she did not speak for the poster as a conservative woman.  This started me thinking about what a conservative woman is and who does speak for conservative women.

What or who is a conservative woman?  She is a woman of Faith whatever her religious background.  Developing her opinions from her own background and experiences, she is an independent thinker.  If she is married, she is a full partner in the marriage realizing that marriage is a mutual submission to each other to become one flesh.  If she is single and looking that is the kind of marriage that she wants.  Some of us are single and content as we are.  She is a mother, married or single, who loves her children and wants the best possible future for them.  She is a business woman who wants to succeed.  She doesn’t want government making decisions for her.  She is a good and loyal citizen who wants the best for our country.  She can be soft.  She can be tough.  She knows her strengths and weaknesses. It would take many more paragraphs to describe one conservative woman.  We women are complex beings who baffle men every day.  Each of us is a unique being. (Thank Goodness)

We don’t have just one spokesperson, we have many.  Some we agree with and some we don’t.  They are all from different walks of life and a variety of opinions, but they have conservative values.  We have posters here on Redstate, Mom2, Jaded, Penquin2, and Lori_Z (who also blogs).  We have bloggers like Conversion Diary, Sister Toldjah and Anchoress.  We have those who make targets of themselves such as Rep. Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Michelle Malkin, Pamela Geller and all Luce Ladies.  None of these women are “cookie cutter” women.  They probably disagree on many subjects, but at the core they are conservative women.   We don’t necessarily need a spokesperson per se because as a whole we are a vocal lot, but I am thankful we have these women above representing us in all of our variety. 

Please add your thoughts I would like to hear them.

What an amazing phrase.  It is part of the foundation of OUR exceptional country.  When one reads the Constitution we focus on “We the People of the United States in order to form a more perfect Union, yadda, yadda!!  How many of us memorized the Preamble in school and have forgotten all, but these two phrases?  The full Preamble states:

“We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The men who established this document knew the horrors of civil war, of neighbor against neighbor, of having their government turn on them.  They did not want these for their posterity!!  At the same time they didn’t want us to be sheep an unable to defend ourselves.  They wanted us to be strong, unique, exceptional. 

They didn’t model our government on any one country, but took the best from many to create the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  They legislated ways for us the change peacefully and express our views without violence, but not without debate.  They were looking to the future with checks and balances for all branches of government.

There have been amendments to the Constitution and  Bill of Rights, expanding voting rights, Prohibition and its repeal.  All that change came through the People!  ratified by 3/4 of the States.  The majority of our ancestors wanted these changes and they made it so. Except for the Civil War, we have made theses changes mostly without violence through the process set up in the Constitution. 

Our forefathers wanted peace after many years of war.  They did not want their descendants to have to resort to the same to make changes.  We must support and defend the Constitution and the freedom it allows with our voice(spoken and written) and our vote.  We must be able to knowledgeably defend our conservative positions without resorting to naming calling, or worse “because I said so,” or just “because.”  Chapter and verse so to speak of the Constitution as well as other sources like Sowell, Chesterton, Paine, de Tocqueville, Voltaire and others.  The weekly book notes is a great start (I am behind, but catching up)

Red State is a great place to learn and debate among “friends.”  If you are way off base they let you know just as you will be supported if your post resounds with the people here.  By expressing your opinion here you can solidify your ideas and thoughts for debate.    Read the Constitution, re-memorize the Preamble, read conservative and classically liberal philosophers.  Supporting the Constitution is the  responsibility of ALL citizens. 

For to long conservatives have want just to be left alone to live our lives.  We neglected our responsibilities to monitor our government.  We can start taking back our government in 2010 without violence because of the Constitution, but we have to practice what we preach, making sure the people we are going to elect do the same.

I am learning to be a Catholic and we are studying social justice.  I agree with much of it from the start which is why I am converting.  I try to help others and treat everyone with courtesy and respect.  I was brought up that way in as a Protestant Army brat.  I agree with the Church that war should be a last resort, but my idea of a last resort differs from theirs.  Diplomacy can only work when all parties are reasonable.  Extremists of any sort are not!

Mr. Obama wants us to empathize with the islamic extremists because they are poor and under educated.  Bull Puckey!!  They are not poor.  Maybe is some cases uneducated and weakminded.  He wants us to empathize with people who celebrated and rejoiced on 9/11.  He wants us to empathize with people who think that women are property with very little protection under their laws.  He ignores their crimes while aiding and abetting their PR efforts.  He is just unbelievable!

Yesterday there was a post regarding Texas leading the way.  Governor Perry strikes again!!  He is sending teams of Texas Rangers to the borders since the federal government has failed to control the violence.  I wish our President would get his nose out of the sky and look at what is going on around the world regarding islamic extremists!  Mr. Perry has gorverned Texas through some hard times and has had some very tough decisions to make.  Mr. Obama we want a leader not another lecture.

Obama wants Americans to empathize with people who have no empathy.  He has no empathy for Americans.  He is an empty husk of a human being!

      I have been registered at Red State for nearly a year.  I have enjoyed reading the postings here, thank you Mr. Lane, Mr. Erickson and staff, as well as all the other regulars, for all of your hard work.  I have learned a great deal.

     A couple of months ago I made a suggestion about forming local “book” clubs to read and discuss our founding documents, interesting articles and publications.  So we could have ready knowledge and strengthen local conservative ties.  I contacted the local Republican Party, but I have not heard back from them so I am going to use you as my sounding board.  I know I will sound very idealistic because I love this country and I can’t imagine what the world would be like without the U.S.A.  Having lived in Europe and Turkey, I can honestly say this is the best country to live in and to be a citizen!

     I decided that I would read the founding documents in pseudo-chronological order starting with the Declaration of Independence. Then I will continue with the Northwest Ordinance, Virginia Bill of Rights, Articles of Confederation, the Constitution and Bill of Rights including the Amendments.  I welcome any other suggested readings as well.  I will use the SQ3R (study, question, read recite review) method.  I learned this method many years ago and it works for me.

     Esthetically, the document itself is beautiful.  The handwriting or calligraphy is amazing.  I notice handwriting because personally I write like a left-handed M.D. and the longer I use a keyboard the worse it gets.  The wording of the document is eloquent.  I hadn’t read the whole document since my freshman year of high school.  It was just an assignment then, but now it isn’t.  I had goose bumps when I reread it.  We have taken so much for granted.

     Our current president claims we are not a Christian nation.  I disagree for many reasons, but two of them are phrases in this document.  “The separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them,” tells me that every man who signed their name to this document believed in God as well as rights “endowed by their Creator.”  Many of our ancestors came here for the freedom to live and worship in peace.

     They stated government was instituted among men and that they derived their “just powers from the consent of the governed.”  When government becomes destructive it is the right and duty of the governed to throw off said government.  The Signers of this document stated all of the reasons for this declaration very succinctly and let it be known that they weren’t declaring independence lightly.  They knew how Britain would react.  They knew by signing this document they could lose their lives, families and everything they owned, but they appealed to the “Supreme Judge of the World” and “Divine Providence” and laid it all on the line. 

     Thankfully for the Founding Fathers foresight we don’t have to resort to the same lengths because we have so many rights and freedoms in the United States, but we have become complacent and take them for granted.  We have abdicated so many of our personal responsibilities to the government.  We have allowed Social Security and Medicare take care of our disabled, elderly, orphaned, and widowed.  We have welfare and other programs to help those less fortunate.  We have let the school systems teach our children.  We have become focused on our own lives and let our local, state and federal government get used to operating on their own unless it is an election year.  Thankfully we  do have the election process.  We need to support the United States with our prayers, thoughts, voice (spoken and written) and vote.

     I am always amazed at the statistics regarding voters’ registration and participation.  The Declaration of Independence started an amazing time in history and the cost has been high.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not completely wide eyed about the history of the United States.  We have had our good, bad and ugly moments during this time, but some of the ugliest have lead to our finest.  The U.S.A. is not a “melting pot” or a “salad.”  It is a tapestry with the warp being our Declaration of Independence and self evident truths “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

     Please read it if you have not read the Declaration of Independence recently.   It truly is a beautiful document.  I believe that if we were more familiar with it and our history we would not have many of the problems we have today.  We reading about the birth of Christ every Christmas so why don’t we read about the birth of the United States every July 4^th?  I am going to start this tradition in my family even if they think it is just an eccentric bent of their crazy, hermit Aunt.

First of all I want to apologize for a double posting several comments.  It is one of my own pet peeves, but I promise I am only hitting the “post comment” button once.

      I haven’t posted many diaries during my time on Red State mostly because my opinions have been so eloquently expounded on and posted by others.  Also my dad keeps a notebook of any misspoken words or phrases and rereads them to everyone for entertainment at Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner.  So far I only have one or two entries and want to keep it that way, but this morning I read the post, “An American Call to Arms”.  Lorij is a wonderful addition to the Red State family.  She is so correct.  So many of us, myself included, stay silent under the fire of the PC police even as they tread on conservative ideas and thoughts.  The unique experiment that is the United States of America is priceless.  We need to support the USA with prayers, thoughts, voice (spoken & written) and vote. 

     I am always impressed with Michelle Malkin’s command and knowledge of the facts.  We all need to be as well armed.  We need to know the founding documents and thought leading to those documents.  We need to know the thought behind “Modern” conservatism.   Something I think would be beneficial at the grass roots level would be “book“ clubs.  We could meet monthly after reading part of a document, say the Preamble or one of the Amendments to the Constitution or even current articles & authors.  We could discuss our feelings and thoughts with each other as conservatives.  This would help us organize our thoughts in a relatively, friendly atmosphere.  I live in San Marcos, TX which should be a suburb of Austin, so it would be interesting to meet other conservatives in the area.

I love reading and I enjoy hearing other thoughts and ideas.  In addition to helping us organize our thoughts, we would be strengthening the grass roots through contacts and knowledge.

The foundation of joy is gratitude.  This said I was raised in the Church of Christ where biblical knowledge was prized and the focus was the Sunday sermon.  We were taught about the power of the Holy Spirit in past tense.  The knowledge of the Bible still serves me well on a daily basis now that I am mature enough in my life to realize that God has no boundaries and He can’t be put in a box.

               The New Testament reading Sunday was from Ephesians chapter 4.  One translation calls us to stop living in the “futility of the mind” or another translation the “empty headed” life of the gentiles.  As human beings, we like our boxes or territories. (Card carrying member of Control Freaks anonymous = me)  We can’t put Him in a box or put our Bible on the shelf and only to dust them off for on Sundays. While the Bible brings us His word, it is not Him.  While church buildings and homes can be destroyed, God can never be.  While he is grieved and saddened when seven of his children are martyred, his grief is for the harm done to their families and loved ones.  He also rejoices as they come home to him.

We as Christians need to preach His Word through the way we live or the loss of our brothers and sisters in Christ, now and throughout history, is for naught.  People are called to serve and use God’s gifts in many ways.  God has given us so many gifts I have a hard time listing them all.  A short list for me:

1)      The life, death & resurrection of His Son

2)      My life & family

3)      My brain to think and reason

4)      It’s a tie between chocolate and a/c (Live in Austin, TX)

Even with the world going insane we have so much we must remember to be grateful these gifts and try to discern how we are call to use them.  I believe if we keep being grateful and keep that gratitude in the forefront of our thoughts, it will give us the joy and sanity to sustain us through any of the world’s craziness and any daily occurance.

     Last year at the Republican Convention we were introduced to a young man who on the surface seemed like an all american boy.  He had gotten his girlfriend into trouble, but he and his girlfriend made the decision to go ahead with the pregnancy, keep the baby and get married.  They knew it would be hard, but Bristol knew her parents loved her and would back her 100%.  It looks like she made the same assumption about the boy.

     I could revert to military mouth, but that would not be appropriate.  The poor boy just wasn’t raised right.  Bless his little (and I mean little) heart.  There are many real, adult men that post here that could help educate him properly.  Mailoux comes to mind first, but many here have shown the value they place on commitment, loyalty and marriage.  This boy has none! 

People have wondered why more women are waiting till later in life to get married this selfish, little boy is a prime example.  Todd Palin must have the patience of Job and huge dental bills from gritting his teeth and not punching the turkey.  Over all the lack of respect toward Bristol and her family is heart wrenching, but Bristol was blessed to have found out about him prior to marriage.   

Please, people who are brave enough to be parents, raise your children to respect and honor others, to be loyal, loving spouses if they find their mate.  Maybe, Mailoux and his wife, Mom2, Janis and Eric could author a Red State book or column on relationships. 

Thank you for letting me vent.

I live in Austin, TX and I found this site some months ago when I was looking for some back up information to have as comfort, sanity and shield from liberal family members and coworkers. I also dound the quotes below as well as others, but these make the point.
Our founders and friends are amazingly eloquent just as many of you are. I believe these quotes consolidate the themes of many of the post I have found here. It is a pleasure to read your posts and know that the ideals of the founders are not dead.

Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.”
Patrick Henry quote
Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, Judges, and Governors, shall all become wolves.
Thomas Jefferson, letter to Edward Carrington, January 16, 1787

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