The Cost of Freedom by Ira Schwartz

As a child growing up in a small suburban town just outside New York City I always looked forward to “Memorial Day”. Besides the obvious thrill of being off from school, I always looked forward to our “Memorial Day” parade. It stretched half way through the city and included fire trucks, police cars, High School bands, the local chapter of the VFW, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and several sharply dressed military drill teams. Most of the 75,000 that lived in Mt. Vernon would line the streets to watch the parade go by. They would smile and holler as the fire engines sounded their air horns and sirens but would always go silent with respect as the local VFW chapter would march past. I remember how proud they always were, with their medals on their chests and their unit emblems on their hats. And how they would always break out in sad, uncomfortable smiles as applause erupted from the crowd.

The parade would always end up in our local park where dignitaries would make speeches while the veterans sat quietly and listened. Soldiers representing the joint services would then place a wreath at the base of our war memorial followed by a 21 gun salute and a lone trumpeter playing taps. Then the crowd would slowly disperse, most heading home to be with family and friends.

Today most of us know the significance of this holiday but are either too busy with the family or too preoccupied to take the time to remember those this day was meant to acknowledge. Parades are fast becoming as scarce as a $2.00 a gallon gas price and heartwarming speeches have turned into 30 second sound bites for the news. Here’s a little history to help refresh your memory.

Decoration Day was officially decreed a holiday on May 5th 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic and was first observed on May 30th 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Gen. Logan's order for his posts to decorate the graves "with the choicest flowers of springtime" and "We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. ... Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic."

New York was the first state to officially recognize the holiday in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war. It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May due to the National Holiday Act of 1971 passed by Congress to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays. The name of "Memorial Day" was first used in 1882 but was not declared the official name until 1967.

"I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign or domestic, and I will bare true faith and allegiance to the same.  I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the officers appointed over me according to the regulations  and the Uniform Code of Military Justice...So Help Me God."

The above is the military oath that each enlistee, regardless of branch of service, is required by law to take. This oath, in one form or another, has been around since 1775 and was first administered on June 14th to those men who wished to join the Continental Army. It’s simple and to the point and speaks volumes of what our military is all about. Though each branch of our armed forces has its own slogan regarding service and duty the oldest and best know is The Marine corp’s “Semper Fidelis”; Always Faithful.

Over the years “Memorial Day” and speeches seem to go hand and hand. And there have been a lot of excellent speeches. However, in my opinion the best of the best is listed below.

“We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate...we can not consecrate...we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

The above is an excerpt from President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Like I said it’s clearly the best of the best.

To date 2,757,196 American service men and woman have given their lives defending the freedoms we enjoy today. Sadly that number goes up almost daily. They didn’t place themselves in “harms way” for medals or for glory; they did it for honor and for duty, values that seem to have slowly vanished in today’s society.

In December of 2000 a resolution called “The National Moment of Remembrance” was passed. It asks that at 3 p.m. local time, all Americans " voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of Remembrance and Respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps." This was designed to reacquaint Americans in the true meaning of “Memorial Day”. It’s a sad testament to our times that resolutions need to be passed to remind us to do this. You would think the daily news stories regarding our troops fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan would be enough. Or maybe we just need less half hearted speeches by our political leaders and more good old fashion “Memorial Day” parades.

Below is a poem written in 1981 by LTCD. Kelly Strong USCG(Ret.) He was in high school when he wrote the poem.

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

I watched the flag pass by one day,

It fluttered in the breeze;

A young Marine saluted it,

And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform,

So young, so tall, so proud;

With hair cut square and eyes alert,

He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought... how many men like him

Had fallen through the years?

How many died on foreign soil?

How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down

How many died at sea

How many foxholes were soldiers' graves

No, Freedom is not Free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,

When everything was still;

I listened to the bugler play,

And felt a sudden chill;

I wondered just how many times

That Taps had meant "Amen"

When a flag had draped a coffin

Of a brother or a friend;

I thought of all the children,

Of the mothers and the wives,

Of fathers, sons and husbands.

With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard

At the bottom of the sea,

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No. Freedom is not Free!

“Freedom is not Free” - ©Copyright 1981 by Kelly Strong … kellystrong@aol.com. Used with Permission

Article - © 2010 by Ira Schwartz. All rights reserved. Used with Permission

Vote Them Out

Let me start this article by repeating something I have been saying for 18 months now. Whether you like it or not, we lost the election. We have a democratically elected President and Congress that are very liberal. We must live with them until November or beyond. They are in power. They can do whatever they want until they are voted out. And, that should be our goal: To vote them out before they do irreparable damage to the country and our freedoms. And, before they succeed in destroying what is left of the Constitution.

Frankly, I am getting sick and tired of all the whining about what the Progressive Liberals are doing. I do not care about Obama’s birth certificate. He is President and baring someone proving he is ineligible to hold that office, he will remain our President. I do not care about his Progressive Agenda. I do not care about the behavior of his cabinet or the behavior of Congress. They are in power. We can only do one thing: Vote them out in November.

The only thing I would like to see investigated more are the allegations made by Congressman Sestak in Pennsylvania in which he said he was offered a position by the Obama Administration to get out of the race against Arlen Spector. Attorney General Eric Holder should hire a special investigator immediately in this regard. This is a story that should not go away and if proven could be an actual impeachable offense if the President was behind it.

So, our goal should be to “Vote Them Out.” In the next six months we should do whatever we can to “Vote Them Out.” We should take all of the energy that is going into complaining about the Democrats, Progressives, Lefties or whatever you want to call them, and put that same energy into voting them out.

And, let me continue by saying, “the process of getting rid of them has started.” That should make us enthusiastic and get our collective energies flowing. On Saturday, we won a special election in Hawaii that puts a Republican into President Obama’s home seat for the first time in decades. Of course, the Democrats will argue that they also won a Special Election last week. They managed a win Pennsylvania 12. However, this is far from an upset as Pennsylvania 12 is registered almost 2-1 Democrat. The fact that the race was close at all is a good sign for the Republican Party.

Last Tuesday, we got rid of the traitor Arlen Spector whom I mentioned earlier. He is no longer running for reelection as he lost his primary to Congressman Sestak. If current polls mean anything (which they may or may not), we should be able to put that Senate seat into the Republican column in November. The Republican nominee is currently polling ahead.

A true conservative, Rand Paul won his primary in Kentucky last Tuesday defeating the Republican establishment candidate. Before Mr. Paul committed a major flub on Friday, he was over 20% ahead in all polls to take the Senate seat. The flub which may come back to haunt him in November has been adequately explained away. But, it still may be costly. Thus far, no polls have been released since his stupid comment about the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Is Mr. Paul, the future of the Republican Party or just an anomaly of the Tea Party movement? We do know he is more of a Libertarian than a Republican. Is that where our party is going?

Attorney General Blumenthal of Connecticut who is running for Senate has been caught “misspeaking.” Or, should I say what it really truly was, an out and out lie. Yesterday, he finally apologized to the real Vietnam vets. Apparently, the apple does not fall too far from the tree in Connecticut. One liar, Chris Dodd, is retiring and should be in jail; another liar is trying to gain Dodd’s Senate seat. I say, the Republican National Committee should make an all out play for this seat in Connecticut. Picking this one up should not be an issue.

A similar situation is going on in Nevada. Apparently, our good friend Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is very vulnerable. In fact, most Nevadans look upon him unfavorably. Recent polling has shown that he loses to almost anyone running against him. Again, RNC, this is one to put money behind.

I could go on and on about the good news, but I don’t want to. What I really want to talk about is what we need to do in order to “Vote Them Out!”

And, for once Michael Steele, are you listening? Stop trying to be PC and start talking about really what is going on in this country. The current Democratic Administration is spending our country into bankruptcy. In the process, they are creating a socialist country and destroying what is left of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. There is a tremendous amount of anger out there and it should be channeled for the next five months into ending their majority rule in Congress.

The Tea Party is just a small sign of the anger. The anger is festering in the Reagan Democrats whose jobs are disappearing and whose 401K’s are disappearing and whose home values are floundering. Just this morning a statistic came out that showed housing prices dropped last month another .5%. Do you think it is any coincidence that this happened after another entitlement program, the $8,000 tax credit for buying a home, ran out at the end of April? Of course, not. Prices of homes were being jacked up falsely again by a bubble with no air. Look for housing prices to drop in the next few months without the government handout.

The Anger is festering in our Senior Citizen population. What are you doing to get their votes Mr. Steele? They are also seeing their savings depleted in the current economy. They are afraid that the new health care bill will put the final nail in the coffin of Medicare. They are afraid that Social Security will collapse when the out-of-control spending comes home to roost.

The legal immigrants are angry that the current administration is doing nothing to control the flood of illegal immigrants. They are angry because they know why: Mr. Obama, Mr. Reid and Ms. Pelosi are going to do nothing to hurt a potential voting block in November. Do not be afraid to say it Mr. Steele. Tell the Hispanics what is really going on. Tell them that once these Liberals get re-elected, they are going to come down on illegals.

The country is definitely at a cross-road. Now, is our chance to get out country back. But, it is not going to be easy. We are going to have to use every one of these crises in order to do it. We are going to have to steal from the playbook of Rahm Emmanuel. After all, isn’t he the one who said, “Never let a crisis go to waste?” Let us stop being whimps and do whatever we have to do. Our country needs us. We must make sure we “Vote Them Out.” Tomorrow is not the time. Now, is the time.

Thank you for listening to this angry rant.

By the way, a song I wrote for the movie “Prince and Me 4” has just been released as a single. If you want to buy it, it is called “Someone I Can Love” and you can find it at:

http://amzn.to/aem8SJ

or

http://www.itunes.com/johndang

© 2010 by Frank T. DeMartini. Permission to copy will be granted freely upon request.

Splitting Hairs by Ira Schwartz

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Those famous words, part of a sonnet written by Emma Lazarus in 1883, are inscribed on a plaque mounted on the inner wall of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in New York. For decades The Statue of Liberty was usually the first thing refugees and hopeful immigrants saw as their boat entered New York harbor and the waters of the United States. The United States of America was always known as the one place down trodden and persecuted peoples from around the world could come for a new start. Most of you reading this article are decedents of immigrants. Immigrants built this country and made it into the greatest country in the world. Most people don’t know the United States naturalizes more people per year than all the countries of the world combined. A record 1,046,539 persons were naturalized as U.S. citizens in 2008 alone. It is our differences that have always made us strong and unique in the world. But as I continue please do not confuse “Legal Immigrants” who took the time and effort to become a legal American citizens with those “Illegal Immigrants” that take the fast and dangerous track into this country. So why has illegal immigration suddenly rocketed to the forefront of today’s news headlines?

Economics. According to the National Research Council illegal immigrants cost taxpayers 346 billion dollars annually. California’s cost according to F.A.I.R. is $10.1 billion. As our cities here in America scramble to balance failing budgets and cut corners they can no longer afford to take such hits especially those of us who live in the Border States; Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, who take the brunt of the costs.

In an article titled Criminal Alien Nation, by Edwin Rubenstein, criminal illegal aliens are a growing threat. In summary, he reports:

“In 1980, our Federal and state facilities held fewer than 9,000 criminal aliens but at the end of 2003, approximately 267,000 illegal aliens were incarcerated in U.S. correctional facilities.” The figure is estimated at double that today. “The article goes on to state that in fiscal 2004, the Federal govt. spent $1.4 billion to incarcerate criminal aliens, 75% of that cost to be picked up by the local jurisdiction. It is worth noting that all the incarceration costs are ultimately paid for by the taxpayers.”

It gets worse.

An interim report from the House Committee on Homeland Security, A Line in the Sand: Confronting the Threat at the Southwest Border details the criminal activity and violence taking place along the Southwest border and notes that the region has been experiencing "an alarming rise in the level of criminal cartel activity, including drugs and human smuggling. The report notes that in 2005, Federal drug seizures were a total of 1,129,275 pounds of cocaine and 6,866,465 pounds of marijuana. Most of that was along the southern border. Additionally, the report further states that Federal law enforcement estimates that only 10-30% of illegal aliens are actually apprehended and only 10-20% of the drugs are seized.

The Department of Justice's latest National Drug Threat Assessment says there were 267 kidnappings in Phoenix last year and 299 in 2008. The report said the victims usually have a connection to immigrant smuggling groups or drug traffickers. The report also showed that assaults against U.S. law enforcement on the southwestern border are on the rise. The report found that the number of attacks on Border Patrol agents increased 46 percent to 1,097 incidents in fiscal 2008. The report said the assaults were mostly related to immigrant smuggling. Together, Arizona, California and Texas are now home to 4.7 million of the 11 million illegal immigrants the Department of Homeland Security estimates are in the country.

Pretty sobering stuff to say the least. For those of us who live in and around the Los Angeles area here are some additional numbers provided by Heather MacDonald in a 2004 article, The Illegal-Alien Crime Wave:

• In Los Angeles, 95% of some 1,500 outstanding warrants for homicides are for illegal aliens. About 67% of the 17,000 outstanding fugitive felony warrants are for illegal aliens.

According to Arizona Senator Russell Pierce, the author of Arizona controversial Immigration Law, 87% of all the Peace Officers murdered in Arizona were killed by illegal immigrants. Is it any wonder Arizona decided to act. This is the heart of the Arizona Immigration law that has stirred up the country. Section 1. B & C.

B. For any lawful contact stop, detention or arrest made by a law enforcement official or a law enforcement agency of this state or a law enforcement official or a law enforcement agency of a county, city, town or other political subdivision of this state in the enforcement of any other law or ordinance of a county, city or town or this state where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who and is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person, except if the determination may hinder or obstruct an investigation. Any person who is arrested shall have the person’s immigration status determined before the person is released. The person’s immigration status shall be verified with the federal government pursuant to 8 United States code section 1373(c). A law enforcement official or agency of this state or a county, city, town or other political subdivision of this state may not solely consider race, color or national origin in implementing the requirements of this subsection except to the extent permitted by the United States or Arizona Constitution. A person is presumed to not be an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States if the person provides to the law enforcement officer or agency any of the following:

1. A valid Arizona driver license.

2. A valid Arizona no operating identification license.

3. A valid tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification.

4. If the entity requires proof of legal presence in the United States before issuance, any valid United States federal, state or local government issued identification.

C. If an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States is convicted of a violation of state or local law, on discharge from imprisonment or on the assessment of any monetary obligation that is imposed, the United States immigration and customs enforcement or the United States customs and border protection shall be immediately notified.

Pretty cut and dry stuff. But what will this law really do?

Will it prevent the flow of Illegal Immigrants into the United States. NO. This law does not give local authorities the right to patrol the border.

So all this law will really do is allow local and state law enforcement to ask for proof of citizenship AFTER the person has already been stopped for a crime then detain them. So basically this law is reactionary not preventative. What this law will do is put added pressure on local law enforcement. It will cause more paperwork and keep law enforcement officials from doing the jobs they are supposed to do….be on the streets, protecting Arizona citizens. If the projected numbers are correct and this law actually goes into effect, Arizona’s local jails and prisons will be heavily overcrowded. And who pays for all of this? You guessed it…the taxpayers of Arizona.

One begins to wonder the real reason behind placing such a law on the books. As I said earlier it does nothing to prevent Illegal Immigration and will put a huge financial burden on a state already suffering from the economic firestorm. So why do it? The answer is simple, to bring what is essentially a Southwestern States problem to the attention of the rest of the country. And to embarrass the Federal Government into actively enforcing laws already on the books. If that is what the governor and lawmakers of Arizona were after they are succeeding but if they were interested in writing a law that would stem the tidal wave of Illegal Immigration then they will fail horribly.

So what’s to be done?

The Federal Government needs to put some of the paid back billions of the TARP money into I.C.E., hire more agents and shut down the crossings. They need to make Mexico understand that they are a partner in this and they need to actively attack this problem from their side. If they refuse they need to be reminded that AFTA can be cancelled as quickly as it was signed. As far as amnesty for those already in this country illegally? Our government needs to realize that giving lawbreakers a “free ride” does nothing but prompt more illegal immigration.

Over the last few weeks I have heard several news networks reporting Civil Rights Advocates saying that most of the illegal immigrants are not criminals and are law abiding people. Maybe most are good people but if you are in this country illegally you are committing a Federal crime, therefore all illegal immigrants are criminals. They also complain it takes too long to become an American citizen. Truth be told once you file your application for citizenship it can take anywhere from five months to two years before your interview. Then if you’re approved the swearing in ceremony can take anywhere from one week to 180 days. The total cost is $595.00 but, you must have had a valid green card and been a legal alien therefore for five years prior. Maybe our lamp is not as bright as it used to be and our golden door a bit tarnished but I don’t think waiting two years or spending $595.00 is a bad price to pay for the privilege to vote without fear, practice your religion in peace and the right to speak you mind freely. If some still think the waits too long, wait till they have to go to the DMV.

© 2010 by Ira Schwartz. Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved.

Of Free Speech, Illegal Immigration and Border Wars

As all of my friends, relatives and acquaintances know, I have just returned from Bangkok, Thailand where I have been since January prepping and shooting a film called “Elephant White” with Djimon Hounsou and Kevin Bacon. On the whole, the experience was rewarding. Working with Prachya Pinkaew, the internationally acclaimed Director was both a treat and a learning experience. I know it will continue as such during the post-production period.

However, while in Thailand, I also was a student: A student of free speech and the right of assembly and tolerance. Three items that I used to believe we had here in America. Thailand, the country were a military coup took over control of the government a few years ago is now on the verge of a civil war. Even though it is a military run country, its people have more freedom of expression than we have here in the United States thanks to the PC movement, the ACLU and our friends on the Far Left.

The political situation in Thailand can be considered fragile at best. The two political parties are on the verge of what may be a violent and bloody civil war. When I left there about ten days ago, the Red Shirt Party had taken control of downtown Bangkok and, for all intents and purposes, had occupied it. The party in control, The Yellow Shirts, has allowed this to happen.

What started as a peaceful protest against the government is on the verge of becoming violent. Already, there have been minor skirmishes in which guns have been fired, grenades have been launched and a small group of people on both sides have been killed.

However, for the most part, the military and local police have exercised restraint and did not permit the situation to get out of control. They were ready to defend the populace by being fully armed and patrolling the streets, but they did not do anything to take away the rights of the protestors. Freedom of Speech and Assembly were respected by both sides.

Unfortunately, this is not what is happening in the United States. The Far Left, as stated in some of my prior articles, has been doing everything in its power to take away these freedoms in our country. In fact, Nancy Pelosi has actually called the Tea Party protestors the equivalent of Nazis. She has stated that she would like them to cease from all activities and simply does not want to give them the right to protest.

The same also seems to be true of a large portion of our country in response to the Arizona Immigration Law. In fact, the City of Los Angeles and other organizations are calling for a boycott of Arizona in response instead of recognizing that Arizona has a right to protect itself if the Federal Government refuses to do such. Arizona is merely exercising its Tenth Amendment Rights.

A careful reading of the Arizona Law shows that it is nothing more than a state codification of the current federal law; all legal immigrants and legal non-immigrants are required to show proof of their right to be in the country if requested by proper authorities. The law is not fascist nor a return to Nazi Germany as has been suggested by those who oppose it. And, it is not an affront on the Hispanic Community. It is simply an affront on illegal aliens. It is an affront on those who have no right to be in the United States, whether they be Hispanic, Eastern European or Asian. I am the grandchild of immigrants. My grandparents came through Ellis Island at the turn of the last century. They followed the law and became American in the proper manner. They did not hold onto the Old Country. In fact, my parents barely spoke any Italian at all. They were told to become American. They were no longer Italian.

Arizona is dealing with a problem that must be dealt with. In fact, the immigration statute is so popular that a number of other states, including Texas and Michigan, that’s right liberal Michigan, are considering similar statutes. A poll released today shows that 64% of the population approves the law.

The illegal immigration situation in Arizona and other states on the Border has reached crisis proportions. Arizona State Senator Sylvia Allen explains the law and her reason for supporting it in her commentary on why she voted for the statute. You can find a full text of her commentary at: http://tucsoncitizen.com/the-cholla-jumps/2010/05/01/state-senator-sylvia-allen-responds-to-sb1070/. In that article, she explains the problems on the Border; the uncontrollable influx of illegals and, drug traffickers using the border in Arizona as the principle means of bringing drugs into the United States.

The facts are clear. Illegal immigrants are filling up both state and federal prisons; they are a drain on federal and state welfare; and, they are a drain on our education system. They are responsible for a large portion of the murders and other felonies throughout the country. In fact, the situation on the Arizona Border has gotten so bad that it can almost be considered a war zone. People are being murdered on both sides of the border daily. That’s right, daily. The Federal government is doing nothing to stop the situation and would grant illegals amnesty if permitted. The states must take the matter into their own hands. They are going bankrupt and must do whatever is necessary and legal to protect their citizens and budgets.

You may wonder why the Federal Government is not doing anything to curb the tide of illegal immigration. The answered is simple. The party in power sees illegal immigrants as a potential voting block that would support them. If the Democratic Party cannot get votes from naturally born and/or naturalized citizens, then it will get them from wherever it can, especially in Arizona and Texas which lean heavily to the right. Imagine giving illegal immigrants the right to vote in these two states. It could be just enough to tip them to the left.

Cinco de Mayo was celebrated a few days ago. This is a national holiday in Mexico. In some states with large Mexican populations including Arizona and California, it is becoming a day of celebration too. A group of students in a Southern California High School decided that they were going to celebrate America on Cinco de Mayo by wearing shirts with the American Flag on them. The administrators in the school decided that this was inappropriate behavior and demanded that the students change their shirts or turn them inside out. It must have been the administration’s viewpoint that the American Flag should not be displayed on Cinco de Mayo.

The students were then subjected to discipline by the school board when they refused to remove their shirts. When the parents of these students found out what was happening, they went to Fox News with the story. Fox News chose to air it. It was later picked up by both NBC, CBS and @ yahoo. In my opinion, the school district is clearly violating these students Right to Assembly and Free Speech. To date, the school district has not apologized for its actions. However, they have ceased the disciplinary proceedings against the students.

Since when did it become bad to love the United States? Since when did it become in bad taste to be a dissenter? Don’t the Federalist Papers and the Equal Protection Clause state that protection of the minority is one of the guarantees of the Constitution? Apparently, in this school district the non-Mexicans are the minority and they are being disciplined for exercising their Constitutional Rights and showing love for their country.

In similar story, a grammar school student in another part of the country was stopped from drawing an American Flag with the words God Bless America on it by her teacher. The teacher felt that this drawing was inappropriate content. I guess the teacher felt that God shouldn’t bless America or that the American Flag, a symbol that millions have fought and died for, was not a proper art project for a student at the elementary school level.

It appears that the Administrators in the Southern California school district and the grammar school teacher have less tolerance than the military controlled government and people of Thailand. This also appears to be unfortunately true for most of the left leaning people in this country, including our current President. We all need to remember this in November when we cast our votes to take our country back.

© 2010 by Frank T. DeMartini. Permission to copy will be granted freely upon request.

Conservatism. Too Many Definitions and November is Fast Approaching by Craig Covello

Loyal Reader and Friends:  I am finally back from a long four month trip to Thailand where I was shooting my feature film entitled, "Elephant White."  The film which stars Kevin Bacon and Djimon Hounsou is currently in post-production and will be complete sometime in December.  Now, that I am home and relaxed, I will get back to writing at least one article per week for this column.  Again, I want to thank Ira Schwartz and Craig Covello for keeping this column going while I was away.

I'm hoping to have an article posted sometime mid-week.  In the meantime, here is one more article by Craig regarding the definition of a Conservative.  I think it is very well thought out and addresses a lot of points to make one think . . . . .

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine last week when, admittedly, I steered towards politics. I should know better. When it comes to politics, I believe we share many conservative viewpoints. He wants to keep his own money, live his own life-style and raise his kids as he see fit without government intervention. Yet when I suggest the obvious, his response is typically something along the lines of "that doesn't make me a conservative!". So it started me thinking, is there a generally accepted standard defining conservatism? After a little research on the Internet, it appears that Wikipedia lists no less than seven definitions:

• Christian conservatism — Conservative Christians are primarily interested in family values.

• Neoconservatism — A modern form of conservatism that supports a more assertive, interventionist foreign policy, aimed at promoting democracy abroad.

• Limited government conservatism — Limited government conservatives look for a decreased role of the federal government. They follow Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in their suspicion of a powerful federal government.

• Paleoconservatism — Arising in the 1980s in reaction to neoconservatism, stresses tradition, especially Christian tradition and the importance to society of the traditional family. Paleoconservatives are generally isolationist, and suspicious of foreign influence.

• Libertarian conservatism or Fusionism— Emphasizes a strict interpretation of the Constitution, particularly with regard to federal power.

• Fiscal conservatives support limited government, limited taxation, and a balanced budget.

• Social conservatism is generally dominated by defense of traditional social norms and values, of local customs and of societal evolution, rather than social upheaval.

Of course, Wikipedia is not the final word on any topic, so I decided to do a little more digging by looking for core conservative principles. Anthony Martin of the Columbia Conservative Examiner offers his top-ten list:

1. 'Government money' does not belong to government. It belongs to the taxpayers who worked hard for it, and who had funds deleted from their paychecks even before they got to see them. 

2. The government that governs best governs LEAST.

3. Government normally does not solve problems. People do. Big government usually IS the problem.

4. Oppressive large governments are responsible for more murders of citizens than all of the wars in history.

5. The private sector is where the juice of society lies. There you will find ingenuity, creativity, and the creation of wealth--provided government gets out of the way.

6. Government social programs reward pathological dependency. True adults, unless hindered by debilitating physical impairment, seek independent living as free persons who are not stuck in an infantile dependency on the government nanny.

7. The one role of government mandated by the U.S. Constitution is to provide for the national defense.

8. Human rights are not granted by government. They are inherent and automatic. We are 'endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights.' Government can only choose to recognize and protect those inherent rights.

9. The right to self-defense, as encapsulated in the 2nd Amendment, is the key to all of the other rights described in the Bill of Rights. Free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and a free press are secured and kept secure by an armed citizenry.

10. Our form of government is NOT a 'pure democracy' or 'majority rule.' In a Constitutional Republic such as ours, the will of the majority is tempered and limited by the rights of the minority, which are always intact and unalienable regardless of the 'will of the majority.'

The Patriot Journal takes a somewhat more simplistic approach by listing three core conservative principles:

Faith:

Faith in God is the most important principle. God provides the moral stability that every standard of conduct is based.

Honor:

Your word is paramount in this world. A true Conservative would never let their honor come into question. Personal accountability is never an issue. You do what you promise to do and expect the same from others. You live by example always.

Patriotism:

Americans now are enjoying the fruits of labor of 233 years, and generations of blood, sweat, and tears of American ancestry before them. A lot of respect is due. As a patriot you believe that the country created by the Declaration of Independence and governed by the Constitution is just, and does not need radical change from the vision of the founders.

Political commentator Mark Liven has his own top 10 list of conservative principles:

1. America is guided by morality, having an origin in God.

2. The U.S. Constitution is not a “living and breathing document.”...It is the defining document which enables our rights, and delegates the powers to each branch of the U.S. Government, as well as to the states of the Union.

3. The Free Market fosters creativity and inventiveness.

4. Entitlement programs tend to be intergenerational swindles that threaten the well-being of future generations with massive financial obligation incurred from benefits received by today’s generation.

5. Illegal immigration is against the law, and threatens our security, morality and traditions as a nation.

6. Enviro-statism is a threat to freedom and its citizens.....With the assistance of a pliant or sympathetic media, the Statist uses junk science, misrepresentations, and fear-mongering to promote public health and environmental scares...

7. The Tenth Amendment is not to be ignored; rather, it is that amendment which was to keep the intent of the Declaration of Independence. ....States are more likely to better reflect the interests of their citizens than the federal government.

8. Self Preservation is the reason for public policy. Conservatives understand that the reason for public policy is for the preservation and improvement of American society. It cannot be made in an experimental attempt to rush us into a Utopian society.

9. Conservative activism must be maintained at all times to keep Americans educated....“The conservative must become more engaged in public matters.

10. Americans have the right to keep the fruit of his own labors.... taxes must be reduced to give people and business more disposable incomes. ... the progressive income tax must go. ... All residents must be required to pay the tax so they have a stake in limiting its abuse.

And finally, Mike Huckabee has his own list of 10 principles:

1. Lower taxes are better than higher taxes.

2. The purpose of government is to protect us, not to provide for us. We should provide for ourselves.

3. The best government is self-government.

4. If there must be a form of civil government, it should be as limited as possible and as local as possible. The most local government is ideal in that it is closer to those being governed and therefore more accountable to the governed.

5. Peace for a nation is best achieved by having a superior military capacity than those who pose a threat.

6. Government should facilitate and not complicate the free enterprise system.

7. Excessive taxation, regulation and unmitigated litigation lead to job migration. Government intervention and regulation should be the court of last resort and not the first option in anything.

8. Mothers and fathers raise better children than governments do.

9. Government should undergrid the basic family structure and not undermine it.

10. The Constitution and the Bill of rights were written to limit and restrict government from interfering with the right s of it citizens, not to keep citizens from exercising their rights.

By now, you're probably dizzy with various definitions of conservatism, so I won't bother including The Mount Vernon Statement, the Tea Party's Contract from America, or several other definitions of conservatism found in various websites. You should be aware, however, of a few fringe conservative views posted on the Internet which many mainstream conservatives would challenge:

• The statement that the United States is a European country and Americans are part of the European people.

• Conservative values include the protection of the environment and natural heritage.

• Conservatism supports America's national interest in advancing freedom and opposing tyranny in the world.

• If you want peace, prepare for war.

• Fundamentalist Muslims and Socialists are enemies of the state and must have no power or public influence on any law or custom in this nation.

• There are times when interference in the affairs of foreign nations are necessary for American security.

Analysis?

There are simply too many different descriptions of conservatism, and a few even seem to contradict each other. But that's not surprising since there appears to be at least seven different types of conservative definitions in this country. Why should we care? Because we are rapidly approaching the 2010 elections, and unless the Republican Party starts to do some heavy lifting in defining what it stands for, the moderates in America will be confused by all this noise. The Tea Party cannot shoulder sole responsibility for carrying the conservative message forward. It must be refined by the Republican Party. Sean Hannity may have the right idea by insisting that Republicans create a contract with America. It should be in simple terms so that it can be easily communicated to most citizens without room for excessive interpretation. Mike Huckabee's list might fit the bill.

Make no mistake. The progressives who currently are in control the federal government will use the radical's well-established technique of saying the exact opposite of reality. This website has chronicled literally hundreds of facts for the sole purpose of helping us remember the past 18 months of progressive rule. My fear, however, is that some moderate Americans will be so worn down by the corruption and deliberate obfuscation of facts by the Obama White House, that they may lose hope for America and avoid the polls altogether. The only way to stop this from happening is to continue to beat the drum of conservative optimism while exposing the progressives agenda for what it is: Total control over virtually every aspect of our lives by use of governmental force. The words of manufacturing czar Ron Bloom come to mind: "We kind of agree with Mao that political power comes largely from the barrel of the gun". All Americans need to be reminded of that statement in November.

It also might be appropriate to remind them of the words spoken by President Ronald Reagan -

"The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom......We're still Jefferson's children. Freedom is not created by Government, nor is it a gift from those in political power. It is, in fact, secured, more than anything else, by limitations placed on those in Government."

I could not have said that any better myself. Let's hope the Republican Party crafts a simplified conservative message now so that it will be understood in November.