THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume V, Issue # 109, April 13, 2003
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
WHY IT IS GOOD TO BE A CONSERVATIVE
By Alan Caruba
I was first exposed to Conservatism when, in 1964, the late Barry Goldwater gave his acceptance speech as the Republican candidate for President, running against Lyndon Johnson. He said, "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."
Like a good Liberal, I was appalled at the time I heard this. I voted for Johnson and got seven years of the Vietnam War and had to wait for a Republican, Richard Nixon, to extricate us from it. I also watched as billions were wasted on Johnson's "War on Pov- erty," billions spent to no avail. It took the overhaul of our welfare system to have any real impact on poverty.
The Liberal solutions didn't work then and will not work now. Now, I watch the Demo- cratic Party decry another Republican administration's effort to cut taxes, an effort being made while that administration pursues one of the greatest victories in modern warfare. Republicans still know how to reinvigorate the economy, as well as how to effectively employ armed force in defense of liberty. Democrats haven't a clue in either area of endeavor.
There is nothing more "extreme" in the defense of liberty than war and, after eight years of the Clinton administration's effort to undermine our Armed Forces and its feckless and desultory response to the threat the Middle East poses to this nation and the world, that is being reversed. After the September 11, 2001, Islamic terrorist attacks on the U.S.A., President Bush decided to apply the extreme response of war, first to Af- ghanistan and then to Iraq. He was proven right in both cases, though it will surely take a very long time to see his efforts play out in a Middle East that must adopt constitutional democracy and end its support for a worldwide Islamic Jihad.
Under President Carter, we saw the loss of Iran as an ally and the giveaway of the Pan- ama Canal. By contrast, we saw, under President Reagan, the collapse of the Soviet Union. In two cases, Republican Presidents were required to clean up the mess left be- hind by two Democratic Presidents, first in Vietnam and now in the Middle East.
John F. Kerry, well-known political opportunist and a leading contender for the Demo- cratic Party's nomination as its candidate for President in the 2004 election, called for "a regime change" in Washington, presumably comparing President George W. Bush to Iraqi ex-dictator Saddam Hussein. House Minority Leader (House Democratic Party floor leader), Nancy Pelosi, keeps talking about casualties in the war against Iraq. Tom Daschle, Senate Minority Leader (Senate Democratic Party floor leader), has totally disgraced himself. If you are concerned about the future, there are any number of good reasons to vote for Bush in the 2004 election and to support GOP congressional candi- dates who are not Democrats in disguise.
Like many Conservatives, I worry about the "Patriot Act" and the loss of our rights to privacy and the jettison of constitutional protections. Still, the contention that "modera- tion in the pursuit of justice" is not a virtue rings true to me, when it comes to exposing and weeding out the enemies in our midst. In times of war, this nation has followed a rather drastic course of action in dealing with our internal enemies.
It is good to be a Conservative and be able to have alternative avenues of information, to have information sources other than the defeatist daily newspapers and broadcasting networks. I tune to Fox News for "fair and balanced" news of events. I can listen to any number of radio talk show hosts who understand who the enemies of this nation truly are. I have access to dozens of Internet websites for further insight and information. This is a fairly new phenomenon.
It is good to see Germany, France and Canada, whose leaders spoke out in opposition to America's decision to put its troops in harm's way for the cause of liberty, scramble to support regime change in Iraq. They hope we have short memories, but I don't think that will be the case. A lot of Canadians have personally emailed me to say how ashamed they are of their Prime Minister. Some Germans, too, have written to apologize for the Chancellor. The deafening silence of the French and the widespread rise of anti-Semi- tism in that nation speaks volumes.
It is good to see the weakening of public support for the United Nations, after more than a half century of being told it was going to end "the scourge of war," while it failed to do so on a regular basis. Few Americans, however, are aware that the UN is vigorously pursuing its goal of becoming a global government, nor are they aware of the countless UN treaties, protocols, and conventions that harm the interests of the United States of America and undermine our national sovereignty. We need to withdraw from the UN and let this hotbed of anti-Americanism implode.
We need to tighten our immigration laws and our borders. We need to keep an eye on Red China. We need to pay more attention to Communist inroads in South America. We need to end destruction by the U.S. national government of America's educational sys- tem. We need to let thousands of environmental laws lapse or be rescinded. We need to revive the economy. Who do you trust to do this? Democrats or Republicans?
In my younger days, I was a Liberal, but as Paul wrote in Corinthians I, Chapter 13,
"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."
Now, I am a Conservative!
Barry Goldwater was right!
More on American Politics & Political Competition
More on Liberalism Versus Conservatism
in American Politics
Alan Caruba is a veteran business and science writer, a Public Relations Counselor, Communications Director of the American Policy Center, and Founder of the National Anxiety Center, a clearinghouse for information about media-driven scare campaigns. Caruba writes a weekly column, "Warning Signs," posted on the Internet website of the National Anxiety Center (www.anxietycenter.com). He is the author of A POCKET GUIDE TO MILITANT ISLAM and THE UNITED NATIONS VS. THE UNITED STATES, both available from the National Anxiety Center, 9 Brookside Road, Maple- wood, New Jersey, 07040.
Copyright 2003 Alan Caruba
Published with Permission of Alan Caruba
ACaruba@AOL.Com
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic,
Cultural, Military, International, Strategic, & Geopolitical Issues
Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity