Charles Koch: I'm Fighting to Restore a Free Society

Op-Ed by Charles G. Koch - Instead of welcoming free debate, collectivists engage in character assassination.
I have devoted most of my life to understanding the principles that enable people to improve their lives. It is those principles—the principles of a free society—that have shaped my life, my family, our company and America itself.

Unfortunately, the fundamental concepts of dignity, respect, equality before the law and personal freedom are under attack by the nation's own government. That's why, if we want to restore a free society and create greater well-being and opportunity for all Americans, we have no choice but to fight for those principles. I have been doing so for more than 50 years, primarily through educational efforts. It was only in the past decade that I realized the need to also engage in the political process.

Read more at the Wall Street Journal Read More......

Ashton Kutcher's acceptance speech - a word to the youth of America

Ashton Kutcher, who played Steve Jobs in the movie Jobs, gave an acceptance speech at the Teen Choice Awards that is worth watching.  He has a three point message for young people concerning opportunity, being sexy and living life.

(Hat tip: Patriot Update and GenFringe, Conservative Millennials Unhinged)

The message - 1) Opportunity: It looks a lot like work; 2) Being Sexy: The sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart, and being thoughtful and being generous; and 3) Living Life: Build a life, don't just live it. Read More......

WaPo: Republicans should stand and fight

12/10/2012 by Marc A. Thiessen (Hat tip: John H. Detweiler) - When the 1st Marine Regiment was encircled by communist forces at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Marine Col. Lewis “Chesty” Puller was said to have declared: “We’re surrounded. Good! Now we can fire in any direction.” ✧ It’s time for congressional Republicans to adopt some of Puller’s courage — and strategy — when it comes to their fiscal stand-off with Barack Obama. Read Thiessen's three part plan... Read More......

Glenn Beck: Fundamental Transformation

America is at a crossroads. We have known this for 10 years now but after each tragic event or “bubble” America has gone back to sleep because we wanted to believe that we could have it all and “it just isn’t as bad as they say.” Our gut however, has told us that it was time to wake up and use what used to be known as “common sense.” It is what Americans from all points of the political compass meant when focus groups gave every politician the presidential campaign slogan, change.

After spending years, and thousands of man-hours, in research, reflection, and prayer, my team and I have come to realize that a “Fundamental Transformation” is required. While it is just as powerful, it’s also the polar opposite of what President Obama touted last election. President Obama and the progressive ruling class of both parties believe in the collective planned society. I believe America’s answers are to be found with, by, and in the individual American honestly pursuing happiness not in 2,000 page bills.

If one is looking for a “collective” based solution it can be found in the phrase: America is great because America is good. When we look for our answers in Washington we ask our politicians or parties to “make us good.” They cannot. But we can, must, and will. The secret our Founders understood was that America is good because individual Americans are honest, just, thrifty, responsible, educated, charitable and God fearing. Read more at www.glennbeck.com...
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Sowell: A crossroads election

ONENEWSNOW.com, 11/1/2010 by Thomas Sowell - "Most elections are about particular policies, particular scandals or particular personalities. But these issues don't mean as much this year-- not because they are not important, but because this election is a crossroads election, one that can decide what path this country will take for many years to come. ∴ Runaway "stimulus" spending, high unemployment and ObamaCare are all legitimate and important issues. It is just that freedom and survival are more important. ∴ For all its sweeping and scary provisions, ObamaCare is not nearly as important as the way it was passed. If legislation can become laws passed without either the public or the Congress knowing what is in those laws, then the fundamental principle of a free, self-governing people is completely undermined. Read more at One News Now... Read More......

WSJ: The Death of Conservatism Was Greatly Exaggerated

WALL STREET JOURNAL/OPINION by Peter Berkowitz - In 2008 liberals proclaimed the collapse of Reaganism. Two years later the idea of limited government is back in vogue. Last August left little doubt that a conservative revival was underway. Constituents packed town-hall meetings across the country to confront Democratic House members and senators ill-prepared to explain why, in the teeth of a historic economic downturn and nearly 10% employment, President Obama and his party were pressing ahead with costly health-care legislation instead of reining in spending, cutting the deficit and spurring economic growth.

Still, whether that revival would have staying power was very much open to question. A year later—and notwithstanding the Democrats' steadily declining poll numbers and the mounting electoral momentum that could well produce a Republican majority in the House and a substantial swing in the Senate—it still is.

Sustaining the revival depends on the ability of GOP leaders, office-holders and candidates to harness the extraordinary upsurge of popular opposition to Mr. Obama's aggressive progressivism. Our constitutional tradition provides enduring principles that should guide them. Read more at WSJ...

Keep up the good work conservatives! --bc Read More......

RGA: America's Comeback

From the Republican Governors Association

"Washington is increasingly trouncing on your freedoms. Its time to fight back from the states. Join America's Comeback by visiting governorsalliance.com." See more videos from the RGA here. Read More......

The "Mount Vernon Statement" (Conservatives)

FOXNews.com, 2/17/2010 Why I'm signing the Mount Vernon Statement by Grover Norquist - The truths we endorse once again have not changed since the American Revolution. They will not change in another 200 years. ∴ The Mount Vernon Statement is a contemporary restatement of the American commitment to our constitutional republic, the rule of law and individual liberty. It echoes the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and more recently the Sharon Statement written by M. Stanton Evans [Founding principles of the Young Americans for Freedom] and popularized by William F. Buckley in the 1960s. Read more at Fox News...

Grover Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform and author of the book "Leave us Alone: Getting the Government's Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives." Read More......

Is America No Longer a Christian Nation?

WALLBUILDERS: ISSUES AND ARTICLES, 4/2009 by David Barton - Is President Obama Correct: Is America No Longer a Christian Nation?

Modern claims that America is not a Christian nation are rarely noticed or refuted today because of the nation’s widespread lack of knowledge about America’s history and foundation. To help provide the missing historical knowledge necessary to combat today’s post-modern revisionism, presented below [by following link] will be some statements by previous presidents, legislatures, and courts (as well as by current national Jewish spokesmen) about America being a Christian nation. These declarations from all three branches of government are representative of scores of others and therefore comprise only the proverbial 'tip of the iceberg.' Read more at WallBuilders...

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Related: On Dr. Charles Stanley’s Sunday program “In Touch”, the guest speaker was more of a historian than a Biblical speaker, but he is very famous for his knowledge of historical facts as well as Biblical truths. Dr. David Barton is his name. He is an expert on the subject of whether or not the United States was founded as a Christian Nation. Dr. David Barton – on Obama and his goals for America (Hat tip: Linda Weimer/via email)...



[B]oth Democrats and Republicans, called upon America to unite behind Obama.
Well, I want to make it clear to all who will listen that I AM NOT uniting behind Obama!
I will respect the Office which he holds, and I will acknowledge his abilities as an orator and wordsmith and pray for him, BUT that is it.
I have begun today to see what I can do to make sure that He is a one-term President!

Why am I doing this?
It is because I do not share Obama's vision or Value system for America;
I do not share his Abortion beliefs;
I do not share his radical Marxist's concept of re-distributing wealth;
I do not share his stated views on raising taxes on those who make $150,000+ (the ceiling has been changed three times since August);
I do not share his view that America is Arrogant;
I do not share his view that America is not a Christian Nation;
I do not share his view that the military should be reduced by 25%;
I do not share his view of amnesty and giving more to ill egal's than American Citizens who need help;
I do not share his views on homosexuality and his definition of marriage;
I do not share his views that Radical Islam is our friend and Israel is our enemy who should give up any land;
I do not share his spiritual beliefs (at least the ones he has made public);
I do not share his beliefs on how to re-work the healthcare system in America;
I do not share his Strategic views of the Middle East, and certainly do not share his plan to sit down with terrorist regimes such as Iran.

Bottom line, my America is vastly different from Obama's, and I have a higher obligation to my Country and my God to do what is Right!

For eight (8) years, the Liberals in our Society, led by numerous entertainers who would have no platform and no real credibility but for their celebrity status, have attacked President Bush, his family, and his spiritual beliefs!
They have not moved toward the center in their beliefs and their philosophies, and they never came together nor compromised their personal beliefs for the betterment of our Country! They have portrayed my America as a land where everything is tole rated except being intolerant!
They have been a vocal and irreverent minority for years; they have mocked and attacked the very core values so important to the founding and growth of our Country!
They have made every effort to remove the name of God or Jesus Christ from our Society! They have challenged capital punishment, the right to bear firearms, and the most basic principles of our criminal code; they have attacked one of the most fundamental of all Freedoms, the right of free speech!
Unite behind Obama? Never!
I am sure many of you who read this think that I am going overboard, but I refuse to retreat one more inch in favor of those whom I believe are the embodiment of Evil!
PRESIDENT BUSH made many mistakes during his Presidency, and I am not sure how history will judge him. However, I believe that he weighed his decisions in light of the long established Judeo-Christian principles of our Founding Fathers!!!

Majority rules in America, and I will honor the concept; however, I will fight with all of my power to be a voice in opposition to Obama and "his goals for America." I am going to be a thorn in the side of those who, if left unchecked, will destroy our Country!! Any more compromise is more defeat! I pray that the results of this election will wake up many who have sat on the sidelines and allowed the Socialist-Marxist anti-God crowd to slowly change so much of what has been good in America!

"Error of Opinion may be tolerated where Reason is left free to combat it." --Thomas Jefferson

God bless you and God bless our Country!!!

Thanks for your time, be safe. "In God We Trust"

'If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.' --Ronald Reagan

I WANT THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE BACK... Read More......

LTC West: Poster Child of the GOP Comeback

DEMOCRACY PROJECT, 6/1/2009 - In a press release, the Queens Village Republican Club (NY) stresses the need for Republicans to elect Republicans to congressional seats in 2010. The QVRC is [excerpt] hosting Lt. Col. Allen West, candidate for U.S. Congress in the 22nd District of Florida, at three separate venues from June 7- 9. Described by his supporters as 'charismatic' and 'energizing', LTC West has gained nationwide support for his proven leadership skills and keen ability to channel a positive message to the electorate.

[Excerpt] LTC West who has served for 22 years in U.S. Army, said: “it is a logical progression to go from serving one’s country in the armed services to serving one’s country in a different uniform, a civilian suit because you have taken an oath to the Constitution and you know what it means to sacrifice for the country. And you believe in something that is bigger than yourself.” With Congress spinning out of control with record spending under Democrat control, this upcoming election is indeed bigger than all of us.

LTC West calls on RNC Chairman Michael Steele to get to work developing a qualified incoming freshman class of Republican candidates to win back 50 seats in Congress in 2010 as the GOP did in 1994. He recommends that Steele convene a meeting of the state chairmen and make each one pledge to groom, train and fund one winner from each state. In light of opinion polls showing that 65-70% of the American people are still uncertain of their options, he urges the GOP to stick to their guns, keep the message and formulate a winning strategy to take back Congress in 2010 or the GOP will suffer the same fate as the Whig Party in the 1850’s.

"If we’re not careful we can lose this country. 2010 is the definitive election cycle for the future of the legacy of this Republic, because if we do not win back 35-40 seats in the House of Representatives, there’s no telling where this (Obama’s) agenda is going to go….There’s something very troubling going on in this country and it all comes to a head in 2010, because by 2012 if we haven’t started to turn this ship into the wind so that we can launch and reclaim American pride and restore this Republic and recommit to our principles and values, we need to look at our children and grandchildren and say “we’re sorry, we let you down.”

Read More......

January 26,2009: Jeff Limón's Speech to Republican Women

Let me first quote from an unknown author:

I am wounded, but I am not dead. And I will lay here and bleed a while, and then I will rise and I will fight again. OR...

I'm wounded, and I am dead. And when my last breath escapes me, I will whimper. And I will acknowledge that I have lost. And all of my principles, all of my being, will leave me, like... tears... in... rain.

WHICH IS IT?

Towards the beginning of the Korean War, Colonel Lewis Puller (commander of the first Marine Regiment of the First Marine division) found himself and his men surrounded by the Chinese 80th and 81st divisions at the Choisun Reservoir in South Korea. (THOSE FOLKS WERE IN TROUBLE.) But Colonel Puller saw things differently. He poked his head out of his embankment, surveyed the turf, and said to his men "Those poor slobs. They've got us right where we want them. We can shoot in any direction, and we will hit them.”

When his words reached his men, their eyes lit up. They began to feel that they could indeed win. That all they had to do, was to do what they had been trained to do.

AND SO THEY DID!

That day, Colonel Puller's Regiment lit up in every direction. They found a hole, and mauled the Chinese divisions. They escaped, and in doing so, and they put the hurt on the enemy.

History is replete with stories of men and women who, in the face of long, long, odds laid down and died. They didn't have to. They chose to. They chose to abandon their principles. They chose to acknowledge the ideology of the enemy was perhaps superior.

Now, we don't have tanks. We don't use guns, we have no flame throwers.

So, what weapons do we have? How do we arm ourselves? What weapon can we use?

Our weapon is our principles, and the history that has been shaped by those principles. Each of us must find one or more core principles that defines us as Republicans. And defend those vigorously and actively.

Personally, I am a Republican because I believe in the fundamental integrity, capability, and wisdom of the common person. I believe that ordinary citizens know what they're doing. They don't need government to help them. Just as Lincoln believed that the slaves could govern themselves, I believe that people can govern themselves, and take care of their own matters. They don't need a government "nanny" to "help" them. They don't need to borrow money, and saddle future generations with debt, in order to solve the problems of today.

And for me, the belief in the fundamental ability of "the common person" hearkens back to our roots, to the post-Civil War creation of the Republican Party.

In order to go forward, we will ground ourselves in the values of the earliest Republicans.

Lincoln referred to the famous writer Frederick Douglass as "one of the most meritorious men in all of America". Lincoln saw the value and the integrity and the wisdom that Douglass and the former slaves could possess.

Meanwhile, Lincoln's successor, Andrew Johnson (a racist southern Democrat), believed that if allowed to govern themselves, the former slaves would "descend into barbarism".

Obviously, Lincoln and Johnson had fundamental differences in their perceptions of the former slaves. Lincoln had faith in the common African-American, while Andrew Johnson did not. As with all of the former slaves, Johnson could only refer to Frederick Douglass using nasty racial slurs.

Concerned that Southern Democrats would repudiate the Emancipation Proclamation, the "Radical" Republicans passed the 13th amendment, which banned slavery. They then passed to the 14th amendment, which conferred "equal protection under the law" to the former slaves. They then passed the 15th amendment, which gave the former slaves the right to vote. Each of these amendments to the Constitution was staunchly supported by the Republicans and furiously opposed by the Democrats. In fact, when it came to voteing on the 14th amendment, every single Republican voted FOR the amendment, while every single Democrat voted AGAINST the amendment.

Every single one...

And it is true to say that no Republican ever owned a slave.

And it is fair to say that Republicans invented civil rights.

And we did not stop there. The Republican Party pioneered the right of women to vote. We are the first major party to advocate equal rights for women and the principle of equal pay for equal work.

The women's rights convention held in New York in 1848 was the beginning of the women's suffrage movement in America. Two years later there was a nationwide meeting in Massachusetts. By 1870 the Massachusetts Republican state convention had already seated two women as delegates. The national Republican convention of 1872 approved a resolution favoring the admission of women to "wider fields of usefulness" and added that "the honest demand of this class of citizens for additional rights should be treated with respectful consideration".

Two Republican delegates from Wyoming were seated at the 1892 Republican national convention. This convention was also the first to be addressed by a woman (Jay Ellen Foster) chairman of the women's Republican Association of United States, a strong believer in the organization, Ms. Foster said her association had prepared plans for women's involvement in national politics.

When the 19th amendment was submitted to the states, 26 of the 36 states that ratified the amendment had Republican legislatures.

Of the nine states that voted against ratification eight were Democrat legislatures.

12 states, all Republican, had given women the right EVEN BEFORE THE FEDERAL AMENDMENT WAS RATIFIED.

That means something...

Not only are we the party of civil rights, we are also the party of women's rights


For me, this too hearkens back to the Republicans fundamental belief in the intelligence, wisdom, and capability of all people.

Yet somehow, when people think of civil rights, and women's rights, do they think of the Republican Party? Is that the organization that is in the front of their minds? And if it isn't, why not? Why have we not stood up and defended our legacy?

Why is it that Republicans never get credit for these things? Why is it that the Democrat, Senator Robert Byrd (of West Virginia) who joined the Ku Klux Klan in 1942 is still referred to by Democrats as the "Conscience of the Senate"? Why is it that the Democrats are able to get away with that. Why is it that no one mentions that up until 1934, EVERY SINGLE AFRICAN-AMERICAN ELECTED TO CONGRESS WAS A REPUBLICAN!

Why is it that no one mentions it as a percentage of the party, more Republicans voted for the civil rights act of 1964 than Democrats? Why is it that no one acknowledges that the Democrat Senator, Robert Byrd, filibustered for 14 hours against the passage of the Civil Rights Act before the final vote?

Why is that?

I will tell you why.

What has happened, is that we have not defended our legacy. All that is required for evil to prosper is for good men, and women, to do nothing. Whose fault is it that our legacy has been stolen from us? Is it the media's fault? Is it the Democrats fault?

No, I think we should assume full responsibility. We have not defended our legacy. We have not armed ourselves with facts. We have not expressed our principles. We have not argued.

John McCain did us a great disservice by being moderate. You cannot bring a knife to a gunfight, and that's what John McCain brought to the campaign. You have to stand on your principles and vehemently defend them. When you stand for principles, you win. When you compromise your principles, when you try to present a "watered down" version of your principles, you lose.

Never bring moderation to an ideology fight. If you're going to go toe to toe with Democrats on principle, go for the throat. Remind them that we are the party of civil rights. Remind them that no Republican ever owned a slave. Remind them of their history and ours.

Remind them that the Ku Klux Klan was the terrorist wing of the DEMOCRAT party, whose sole purpose was to stifle the Republican agenda in the South. Don't be afraid to remind them of events, such as when a white Democrat mob killed 300 African-Americans in an attempt to oust a black Republican sheriff from office in Jackson Mississippi in 1874. Remind them, that in 1872, in Colfax Louisiana, following the 1872 election campaign, after a three-week siege, a white (DEMOCRAT) mob killed 200 African-Americans defending the county courthouse from a Democrat takeover.

Arm yourself with facts. And go for the throat. Crush your enemy. Do not let him think, do not let him breathe. Be tough, and stand your ground. Define for yourself why you believe you are a Republican, and do not back down.

This is our opportunity.

When the American public realizes that they have been "had’, when they realize that they are not getting a check in the mail. Higher taxes does not result in higher prosperity. Government bailouts will not help the long-term health of the economy. When the failed policies of the Carter administration are again attempted, and result in failure, they will be looking for alternatives.

You will be that alternative.

When people talk about "the Republican Party", what do they really mean? Do they mean this building? Do they mean me? Do they mean John McCain, or George Bush? What do they mean?

The Republican Party is the people guided by Republican principles. The party is you, and is me, but only to the extent that we ground ourselves in principle, arm ourselves with facts, and are willing to stand tall.

Read history. Find a Republican hero that you identify with, and read their work.

Read the speeches of Ronald Reagan. Read the history our early party. Read how conservative ideology triumphs again and again. Read how liberal policies fail, fail, and fail again.

Pause

Be proud of your legacy. Be proud to be a Republican. AND BE TOUGH -

YOUR TIME IS NOW!

Jeff D. Limón is the 2009-2010 Chair of the Benton County Republican Central Committee and resides in Corvallis, Oregon Read More......