Conservatism is the Latest Fad

Like many of you, I am an active participant in the Facebook networking site.  As a film actor, it is a useful tool. I also play the occasional game and stay in touch with friends.  There are many aspects of facebook I find annoying.  I really hate the bait and switch App's which proliferate the site.  I initiated one app, the other day, which promised to track my page views.  After filling out 3 surveys and receiving numerous spam texts to my cell phone number, I finally lost interest and texted stop to the spam texter.

Even more annoying than these misleading offers, is the proliferation of misleading "Conservative" ads.  Joe Strauss for Texas Speaker of the House: A true Conservative; the new tea party book - Why did Obama bow to foreign leaders?; ads for conservative newsletters.  I think you get the point.

Of note: Joe Strauss is a Rhino Republican based on his voting record.

With the November elections, came the previously muted voice of the silent majority.  To the surface emerged millions of previously unheard from voters.  The Tea Party turned out to be a mere postage stamp for the powerful message sent to the leadership of our country.

"Talk radio, of all things, leveled the playing field. "

Much has been made of the true face of the Silent Majority.  Republicans had often speculated them conservative.  Democrats have always touted them Moderates.  It is no longer speculative nor is it open to interpretation.  Americans, by and large, are conservative.  One wouldn't know it based upon news reporting, film,or the make up of our government. What we see on television and on-line is the product of a small liberal populace that controls the public message.  Their opinions are shouted from the mountaintop via the most powerful medium in history.  Talk radio, of all things, leveled the playing field.  It is incredible that AM radio has been the vehicle by which conservatives have united and are in the act of retaking America?  Radio is the modern revolutionary underground.

Based upon the demonstrable changes in our political climate, I assert that maybe 10% of the American people are truly Liberal.  90%, or more, embrace the ideals of the American breadbasket, Rockwellian, conservative principles.  The liberals would have you believe the numbers are lower than that.  They would site that no one wants to see others suffer.  They hold that the individual American sees the need for social reform, health care for everyone, welfare for the common man down on his luck: everyone wants to help his neighbor when he's down.

"Silent Majority" was stirred to action by the blatant arrogance of a liberal government..."

The United States is the most giving country in the world.  We are always first to offer assistance when our brothers fall upon hard times.  As a result, our eagerness to lend a hand makes us an easy target for those who would take advantage of this same generosity.  Liberals take it one step further by mandating "generosity" in all their corpulent social programs.  These mandates become a vacuum which sucks money from the doers into the pockets of  government first and the needy last.  The ranks of the needy grow as a result, as does the glut for the doers' money.  But I digress: this missive is about the emerging conservative fad.

I believe that most Americans are so disenchanted with the political climate, and so busy with the important work of their lives, that they fail to engage in the day to day monitoring of our governmental behemoth.  This "Silent Majority" was stirred to action by the blatant arrogance of a liberal government that flew its undisguised agenda in the face of the American people.  The Democrats' brazen disregard for American ideals caught the attention of even the most non political of us.  The result was a jaw dropping political defeat unheard of since the 30's.

In the breach of this election, the American people have adopted a breathless wait and see posture.  The newly elected are being scrutinized more closely than even the deposed liberals before them.  Campaign promises are now more than just flowery pillow talk.  The candidates, newly elected and incumbents, will be supported or discarded according to his or her actions.

The bi-product of all this groundswell reaction is a strong, if not awkward, marketing push to capture a market share of the conservative movement.  Even more obviously self-serving and opportunistic are the newsletters and periodicals subscription offers coming out of the woodwork.  Suddenly, every candidate is a staunch conservative.  Everyone is now a pundit and author.  Liberal democrats now lay claim to conservative values as are select liberal Republicans riding the party wave.  The democrats are to be forgiven because lies and misdirection are hallmark traits for them but, as the party selected by conservatives to assimilate, liberal Republicans are to be reviled as cancerous impediments to conservative progress.

"When Ted Koppel and Dick Morris are dubbed conservative strategists, something is up. "

So now the campaign is on.  We free thinkers and American patriots are being hammered  by anyone, who is either, out to make a buck, political position, or those who want to garner his or her 15 minutes of fame as a pundit, author or blogger.  It is conceivable that I could be lumped into the latter category except that my conservative inflamatorium predates even George W. Bush.

Conservative tomes used to be rare and much the scandal.  Nowadays, every talk show host is published as are most conservative politicians.  I grow weary of the same ham handed attempts to rouse the conservative troops to a lather: touting trite epitaphs and taking quippy back-handed shots at the liberals.  Now that it is cool to be a conservative, the cowardly politician, who would have considered suicide before he or she would ever have outed himself or herself from the conservative closet, has taken that bold step out-of-doors behind the protection of a new political correctness, made possible by a scant few who put their careers on the line.  Now that the 'all clear' has been sounded, the cowards are coming out of hiding, like roaches scurrying about after the kitchen lights have been clicked off.

"A liberal will always define conservatism as selfish and callous. "

My fellow conservative stalwarts, be slow to trust the conservative trumpeting of the politicians.  Be leery of what you read under the guise of 'conservative publications.'  Check the internet archives for past video or audio recordings of the conservative media hosts.  When Ted Koppel and Dick Morris are dubbed conservative strategists, something is up.  Conservatism is not a new shoe style to be selected while it is in style.  Conservatism is a life choice.

The most difficult part of conservatism is the bedrock values inherent to being a true conservative.  A liberal will always define conservatism as selfish and callous.  This definition is easy to illustrate from the liberal view point.  Remember that liberalism is the path of least resistance.  It is easy to be liberal.  All one must do is relegate any inequity or tragedy to the avoidable; thus, either purposely devised, or avoidable through more careful preventions.  All victims of these tragedies are victims of the inequity or tragedy.  Victims are entitled to help and succor.  All tragedies and inequities can be avoided through more careful and compassionate legislation and larger sums of money thrown at the problem.  To be conservative means to understand that bad things happen to good people and not everyone can finish in first place.  Losing is not popular with anyone but it is completely unacceptable to a liberal.  The term 'less fortunate' illustrates this lunacy.  A wealthy person is not more fortunate than another.  The homeless are not less fortunate than the wealthy.  What you get out of life is in exact proportion to what you put into it.  Being fortunate is like being pregnant.  You are either fortunate or you are not.  It was once said that we are all self made but only the millionaires are willing to admit it.

"How can the words of an imperfect man be made perfect?"

Finally, liberalism is all about money.  The typical liberal is a victim of the efforts of the worker.  'If I had only invented Velcro I would be wealthy too. ' 'Who couldn't turn 8 million dollars into 800 million?'

Conservatism is all about opportunity.  Abraham Lincoln said all men are created equal.  This is completely untrue.  All men were created with equal opportunity.  How can the words of an imperfect man be made perfect?  If we were all truly equal, no one would win a foot race.  No one would be more attractive than another.  There would be no birth defects.  IQ tests would be pointless.  Why is it that the vast majority of entrepreneurs have no college education?  Unrewarded genius is a proverb.  If the greatest musical talent were making the greatest amount of money then the people in Nashville wouldn't be there: someone else would be.  Conservatism is founded on the belief that anyone is capable of anything if they are willing to work hard enough to earn it.  Liberalism is founded in the belief that gain is possible only through loss by another.

The fad conservative cannot hide from the light of conservatism.  Principled decision making and a willingness to sacrifice one's political career for conservative values, no matter how unpopular, are key components of the litmus test.