Don’t Let the Left Silence You – Food for Thought

It's interesting that, according to Michael Moore on the election, "Hate lost yesterday." He and others on the left spewed some of the most vile hatred at President George W. Bush the eight years he was in office. What was that — constructive criticism?

But no, now that they won, conservatives are criticized for not being "good sports." No, being a good sport is something you teach your kid in Little League. You don't stand by and watch your country destroyed so you can be a good sport.

One thing that disturbed me on Facebook and Twitter today is when I saw people who would do anything to avoid conflict between their friends. You see, they have friends on the left and the right and don't want to make anyone angry. With relatives, keeping the peace is another matter – you're stuck with them, although it can make Thanksgiving dinner awkward. But it got me to thinking: How can you not care what your friends believe in? That you’d rather have “peace” in the house instead of dealing with the problem? That, for the sake of being nice, you’re willing to say nothing—no matter what they say about your beliefs? It's not like you're just playing for rival teams and come together afterwards to have a beer. Liberals have some seriously disturbed ideas on how the world should work. Suddenly, after eight years of bashing Bush, they want us to be nice and get along—and keep our mouths shut because they won, after all.

Liberals, by their nature, thrive on emotion—they are incapable of logic no matter how much education they’ve had. Everything is based on how they feel, which is why you can’t get a logical reason on why they support something. They support it because it makes them feel good, not because it actually does good!

Unfortunately, conservatives tend to fall for this line. Some are weary of the fight and fighting is not their nature. The media and the left tell them that they're mean and who wants to appear mean? I've been told that I'm mean or words to that effect. One woman I didn't even know called me passive-aggressive and greedy because I didn't like Obamacare. Then she proceeded to accuse me of pointing fingers when I told her I thought she was a typical liberal who doesn't care about helping anyone, except with other people's money. But see, that's what the left does — they accuse you of the very thing they're doing. They resort to name-calling, then accuse you of name-calling when you stand up to them. That's the way they shut you up — don't let them!

But it made me think — can (or should) a conservative even have liberal friends? I can only speak as a conservative; some liberals may feel the same way toward having conservative friends. But being a true liberal goes beyond the normal differences friends have — it affects their behavior. So even if you don't discuss politics, unless you have a very distant friendship, you're going to come into conflict. They are going to make a comment to one of their liberal friends on FB or post a cartoon derogatory about conservatives and their (your) values. They're going to express some liberal talking point that will drive you mad — usually along the lines that it "was all Bush’s fault." Or they’ll support legislation that’s drives the county toward the fiscal cliff like a lemming.

You're eventually going to slip and either try to argue logically (which never works) or simply make an enlightening comparison between lemmings and liberal ideas. Then they'll hit you with it: You're just mean! They, on the other hand, are liberal and therefore, they care. It doesn't matter if they've ever done a damn thing for anyone else, or if they just applauded the use of other people's tax dollars. Liberals, by their nature, thrive on emotion—they are incapable of logic, no matter how much education they’ve had. Everything is based on how they feel, which is why you can’t get a logical reason on why they support something. They support it because it makes them feel good, not because it actually does good!

And how are you going to handle that? Are you going to allow them to play the passive-aggressive tune and snap back into line? Or will you tell them to go fuck themselves? They're counting on the former — they want you to be a nice, passive friend — someone who’s pleasant (for a conservative), while they tear down your beliefs behind your back, or even in front of your face. They count on that you won't fight back because you're a "nice" person. I'm telling you now: There's nothing wrong with debate or disagreement. You can’t lead or educate others if you don’t speak up. Don't be a doormat for liberals. Don't let them oppress your opinion or roll over. We may have lost, but there is nothing wrong with righteous anger! If anything, many conservatives need to practice expressing what they believe and standing up for those beliefs in the face of the liberal mindset.

A Country Divided?

We are no longer a country who can "agree to disagree"—we are now at each other’s throats. We snipe at each other on Facebook and Twitter. We try to hold our tongue at the office or seek out allies we can voice our opinions to safely. If you go back over to the Real Clear Politics map and look back through past elections you can see how we've become more and more fundamentally divided just in the past 30 years. Instead of being rational, some people make excuses for their politicians like it's their hometown football team who got caught in a foul. They ignore and excuse them like a mother screaming at the police for arresting her “innocent” child for the 50th time.

The press has largely gone from the investigation arm, to the propaganda arm. You can find more objective reporting in blogs and by independents these days—which not surprisingly, are hated by both the politicians and the so-called “real journalists.” Politicians on both sides want to keep us divided so we go after each other, instead of calling them out for the sneaky business they're up to. Journalists no longer just report the news, they openly seek to influence it. They both look down on the majority of the populace as too stupid and uneducated and who must be spoon-fed and taken care of by an overprotective Big Brother. Bills are no longer written by the elected, but by the special interests. It's no wonder politicians can't tell us what's in them until after they made into law—they're spending more time raising campaign funds and running for office instead of actually writing the thousands of pages of laws they pass every year.

The more people who get what they didn’t earn, the angrier they are when someone tries to take it away. Give a child a bunch of toys and then tell them they aren’t going to get any more and watch them throw a fit.

I blame them and I blame the press. But I also blame the lazy public who refuse to lift a finger to educate themselves about what's going on. As long as your politician throws some money you're way, you remain coddled and asleep while the country goes down. And who's fault will that be if the country implodes financially? People will point the finger to Washington. But don't blame the politicians or the press—look in the mirror. Because it's you. You who couldn’t be bothered to look at what a politician does, not just what s/he says at election time. You who’d rather sit down than stand up. You who can’t be bothered to make an informed vote. Yes, you who watch The Colbert Report and The Daily Show with John Stewart instead of searching out the truth. It’s not always easy to find, but it’s out there. You who refuse to look at the overall well-being of your country and the massive spending going on and only care that your state gets a piece of the pie.

Because we are closer to Greece than you think, my friends. We are at the tipping point. But in our case I fear we could easily turn into a second civil war. The more people who get what they didn’t earn, the angrier they are when someone tries to take it away. Give a child a bunch of toys and then tell them they aren’t going to get any more and watch them throw a fit. But allow a child to work and earn what they can and buy their own toys and you have a more responsible child who is more secure because they are dependent on themselves, not others.

The generation that came out of the Great Depression and WWII were called the Greatest Generation. Unfortunately, they did not all pass these lessons on to their children and grandchildren. Within a few short years we went from a generation of self-sufficient and independent to the Me Generation fighting over our toys and expecting them to be provided to us. We went from the people who pursued happiness to those who demand it. Nearly fifty percent of the population now pays NO federal income taxes. Eventually someone is going to have to tell a number of them that there will be no more free toys.