Just When You Thought the CC Crew Had Gone Far Enough....

(Please start the music before reading. It's more fun that way.)

Those with spines of linguine and Obama voters beware!!! For in their great wisdom and folly, the shiny batch of conservative malcontents that got together to rub out this blog called Conservative Convictions have extended and invitation to the great and plaid master of the ever-out-there-ish-ish blog entitled Sane Political Discourse to come before you as a regular and postify his confrabulations (and made up words (and parentheses (ad nauseum (because he can (6 this time (count 'em))))) for your reading pleasure and eventual mental reprogramming. And so, here he is, to explain himself in only ways he would dare, he who is the wisdom and the light, the legend of legends, and more humble than the greatest of the humbly humble, the illustrious Patrick M!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*tenuous applause*

Okay, that was a little over the top, but if you can't start out with an overblown, ego-feeding intro, what's the point? SO let's get to the real intro, Patrick M style:

The Beginning - I grew up in small-town Ohio. Spent eight F'ing years in Catholic School. Went to college around here before going to Dayton to finish. Moved back. 'Nuff said.

Writing - I started this worthwhile pursuit in 7th grade. I wrote on a pre-Mac apple clone, printed out on green and white striped tractor feed paper (that you couldn't tear the tractor feed off of). It was a festival of dick and fart jokes. I moved on to some short story and poetry by my last year in high school. It was a few years later that I wrote a short story that created the universe which you can find on my blog Stories from the Front Row, which may lead to the book (also in process). And the poetry, such as it is is on yet another blog. More on the blogging.

Workage - I've really found two things that I seem to do well: dealing with people and figuring out anything electronic. I've worked on computers since I was 6 (an Apple II Plus), have spent more time working at various locations for RadioShack (long story) and after some really crappy jobs mixed in there, I find myself doing Internet Tech support. At least people are glad to hear me because I am on the same continent.

Comedy of Errors - I can divide my love life into several periods. I'm not going to go into details, but there are three significant ones, one that scarred me emotionally for a long time, one that lacked a personality, but led immediately to the third, who left me with two children and an intense dislike of bad mothers who squeeze out children. It's been over a year since I became fully single again, although I still have to deal with my ex, because of the kids, despite winning full custody. But, one thing she gave me (despite bills, BS, and two children was:

Blogging - I fired up SPD shortly before booting her ass from my apartment. Essentially, my writing had ground to a halt between working and taking care of three children (yes, I'm counting her as a child) nonstop. So, with things in motion to remove her from my daily annoyance, I decided to get into the world of blogging. I churned away for several months, fleshing out some of my ideas, putting myself into the role of a presidential candidate, and generally begging family to read my blog so I had more than a hit or two a week. But one weekend, I was listening to a rebroadcast of Hannity, when someone called in from KC Missouri, and mentioned her blog. That happened to be Dee over at Conservatism with Heart. And from there, I began to visit and find more blogs, mostly conservative, some liberal, some completely socialist. And from there, I grew SPD to something worth reading. I don't remember how I ended up there, but I made my way here by way of Jennifer's blog. Again, 'nuff said.

The Politics - If you have yet to visit SPD, let me give you my particular conservative slant, as discussions here have really revealed all the splits in greater conservatism. I'm more of the libertarian mold. I focus mainly on the fiscal and governmental role aspects of conservatism and have conflicting views with my social brethren over government enforcement of morality. In other words, while I have aspects of my faith that lead me one direction, they sometimes conflict with my belief in limiting government involvement in our daily lives. A post I did on abortion explains this tension the best. And I am far from a party man, especially when the GOP has abandoned many of the principles that catapulted it to power in 1980 and 1994. Which means I can finish with:

Blogging Philosophy - One thing that I decided when I started blogging was that I didn't want my blog to degenerate into incessant namecalling, which was a hallmark of the extremist blogs. So, while I'm not above copious amounts of humor, blasting someone who deserves being blasted (Mike "Huck-a-duck" Huckabee, and mocking those who deserve to be mocked Barney Frank), I generally treat every politician with a minimum of respect, and will judge them only by their comments and actions of the day. Except Ron Paul, Ralph Nader, and their tinfoil hat brigades, because there has to be someone to laugh at.

Big Honkin' Finish and Plugs - It's getting late in the day, so I'm going to have to go to sleep (or pass out while typing). But I shall return to pontificate soon enough. And since I'm not a fan of crossposting my stuff, you'll be able to delve into more of my buttery goodness by clicking on this big-assed link to my other blog: Sane Political Discourse. I promise I won't staple anything to anything in the process. And if you want to email me on anything you don't want every mofo ever ill-bred to read (and response is guaranteed), it's patrickmspeaks@gmail.com.

Thank you, and good night.

Who in Tarnation is Gayle?

I'm a conservative blogger and have been blogging at http://www.myrepublicanblog/ for approximately four years. I used to post every day, but life has managed to get in the way of such tenacity and I've found I have to slow down. Time passes too darn fast!

We own a farm in the country and my closest neighbors are far enough away where I can't see them, which both my husband and I appreciate. It's not that we don't like people, we just don't like people barging in at all hours of the day and night. My husband is a Vietnam Vet and retired Army. Our children are all grown and on their own. We've moved so many times I can't remember them all, but we're here on the farm in Texas to stay. We grow corn and milo in the summer and wheat in the winter. We go to Church on Sundays and do volunteer work locally. Although it would probably not be appreciated by the PETA people, I shoot wild hogs when I find them because they destroy our crops and kill other small animals, like our outdoor cats. I also will shoot a rattlesnake or a water moccasin on sight. No... I don't lose any sleep over it. When I go fishing I keep what I catch unless I go over the limit. I'm not "politically correct" but I am always polite unless treated with rudeness. I love America and am extremely proud of it. I realize we have our faults, but there's no other country on earth where I'd rather be. I always realized how lucky I was to have been born here, and I pray every night when I go to bed that the liberals don't screw it up too terribly!

Hello

I am Craig Bardo and I am humbled by the invitation to join Robert, Jennifer (if I may), Truth-Pain and Sam. Perfunctorily, I am a married, father of 5 and a business owner, who resides in Nashville. Who I am is what I believe. I grew up liberal blaming America first, self-absorbed, ungrateful, unmotivated but blessed beyond knowing. I went to church once, on Easter as a child and maybe one other occasion. I was an athlete and played basketball for eventual national champion, Indiana University, but was ineligible to play because of poor grades. I joined the Navy and grew up a little. I saw how truly blessed we are to be born and live in the greatest country in the history of earth and wondered why people lived the way they did elsewhere. I finished college at The Citadel and while there met a man who set me on this path to conservative thought. His name is Dr. Walter Williams of George Mason University, who was a guest speaker for the college's Greater Issues series. My economics professor took an interest in me and arranged an audience with Dr. Williams before he spoke. I asked him questions from my liberal perspective that he batted down with such ease that motivated me to learn more.

Questions I had included: Why not help poor black families with welfare? Why not have people who earn more, pay more in taxes? Why not make corporations pay more taxes and why not regulate business more? Why shouldn't affirmative action be expanded? Why with all of the (supposed) unfairness in this country do we continue to prosper? I assumed and had been taught that it was the work of evil white men, scheming, as it were, to keep a brother down. I also made the most important discovery of my life in this period of inquiry. I discovered that there is someone who always looked past my many, many faults and saw my need. He is known by many names, The Lily of the Valley, The Bright and Morning Star, The Rose of Sharon, The Way, The Truth and the Life, Redeemer, Savior, The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, A Rock in a weary land, A Balm in Gilead, The Alpha and the Omega, The Great I Am and when I can't call him anything else, I call him Jesus. I hope you don't mind if I talk about him from time to time, I'll try not to preach, I won't preach, but sometimes I get excited.

Back to the inquiry... what I discovered in my search for reasons why we prosper here in America and why there is an uneven prosperity here didn't yield simple answers but it did yield a direction and a set of unassailable principles, principles that those that established the experiment that we call America had studied, understood and had the fortitude to be willing to die for and more importantly live by. The key to our prosperity is what John Locke said. He said that a man ought to own himself and the fruit of his labor and intellect, that he should not be subject to the whims of a monarch or a tyrant. He reasoned that the role of government should be to protect a man's life, liberty and property. He argued that being able to dispose of property (real property, personal property and contract rights) as one wished (owning it) is the key to liberty. As it turns out, it is also the key to prosperity.

Another Scotsman, Frances Hutcheson, wrote later that there are certain rights that are inalienable. Thomas Jefferson, being a widely read and well educated man, combined the natural law/rights concepts of Locke, Hobbes, Hutcheson and others into what Dr. King would call on the steps of the Washington Mall, "the magnificent words of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution." "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The wisdom contained in that one sentence is the key to America's unprecedented freedom and prosperity.

I have learned that all of the do gooder schemes of the uninformed do more harm to those they purport to help than had they been left alone, that the unintended consequences of social engineers and tinkerers is more detrimental to the fortunes of America than a direct assault on those the programs are designed to benefit. I look forward to sharing my observations and getting your feedback.

Who the hell is Truth-Pain?

Dear Fellow Bloggers,

Allow me a brief post to introduce myself. As the founder and main writer for “Truth-Pain Emporium” (http://www.truthpain.blogspot.com/) I’ve been recklessly (some say) rendering opinions and editorial blasts on many topics since 2006. Most of my posting have been on political themes but I do wander off and post on the virtues of watching lizards lick their eyeballs from time to time. One cannot ever confuse my style or content with those Bloggers having serious penmanship or depth of knowledge. Social Sense or Benning's Writing Pad, I am not. I don't even dare call myself a writer, but a social commentator who happens to express it via the written word as my abilities best allow me. When my friends Robert, Jenn and Sam invited me to bring my arsenal of landmines to their garden, it required a brief (yikes…) biography so that the gathered conservative masses could know a little of what makes my Twinkies really frost. So here we go …

I am an Independent voter, with conservative / libertarian leanings, who at times thinks that anarchy mixed with a benevolent Dictatorship is not such a bad idea. I am not a person who buys into any party platform line in absolute alliance. I believe in making the case the case that one can parse ideology to fit your moral or philosophy compass. In my yute, er youth, I was a Democrat because my family mostly was that. Then I turned Republican because I had a severe aversion to communism and thought the only way to defeat the USSR-driven ideology was through the iron-fisted foreign policy of Ronald Reagan. Then I went off the reservation completely and converted to Libertarian thought. Yes I was even baptized and took first Communion in the social-liberal/fiscal conservative dogma. If that description has you confused, it gets better.

I would pile-on to all of you the history of Messier Truth-Pain's life since he was a guppy swimming in his father's pants, but do you really want to know about my childhood in New York, New Jersey and (gasp!) Puerto Rico? Well neither do I, so I will spare you the pity-party I was just going to throw myself. Let’s just itemize those “Jesus moments” of how I became who I am, … deal?

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  1969: My nine-year old goober butt sits perplexed at the grainy black and white image of Neil Armstrong hopping down from the ladder of the landing craft onto the Moon’s surface. The first memory I have of my mind having a semblance of critical thinking. ["hmmm, Americans are cool and groovy people!"...]
  


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  1973: I’m 13 years old sitting in my mom’s Miami home, and instead of playing with my rock em’ sock em’ robots, I was glued to the Watergate hearings [“who is this John Dean guy anyway? and boy, Plumbing sounds like a great career choice...”]


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  1975: The images of blind-folded American hostages taken by militant students in Iran do not make me more understanding of the world, but it does open my curiosity of Religion, and its cause-effect of events throughout history. At this time, my Pentecostal upbringing is beginning to suffer some serious foundation damage. [..."so Dad, how does God allow this crap to happen again?] Yes, my Christian boat has serious leaks.
  


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  1978: While applying on-masse to a federal college grant (true story, I swear), my (Puerto Rican) public-finance High-School Counselor, tells 400+ kids to put “0”, or zero as our parents income so that we could get the top amount in the available BEOG (later Pell Grant) funding. […“hmmm, somebody has to be paying for this, why is my counselor asking me to lie about my parent’s income? Are we Puerto Ricans THAT special?”]


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  1980: Ronald Reagan was the first truly inspirational public figure that I can remember. Nobody else could have awoken me from the late 70’s “malaise”. His theme of “Morning in America” was my call to serve. For the first time in my lifetime, I was proud to be an American (sorry Michelle Obama, I used the line first). I then joined the US Navy and for the next 4 years ate, drank and crapped GOP evangelism. The Elephant could do no wrong.


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  1985: I attended a Libertarian seminar in San Francisco by a guy from the CATO Institute. I was never the same. He whipped my melon to ideas and views I had never considered. Talk about a singular moment of clarity. It did not dispel the notions of my Republican blood, but the meaning of Liberties and Freedoms were expanded to the point that I began to question some of the GOP’s platform (It hasn't stopped…)


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  1992: The first year I began to listen to talk radio. Limbaugh was the only guy on the right, but I had a myriad of left-leaning talkers in the San Francisco market. The truth, I felt, was always in the middle of the war’s fog. I registered independent that year and (so shoot me) I may have helped Bush 41 lose the election by voting for H. Ross Perot [well, at least HE did not look at his watch during the debates…]. Had Perot not run, I dare say, the majority of the 19% who voted for him may have either stayed home, or voted for H.W. Bush. The Clintons would have been a zit in the Ass-heap of history.


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  2001: September 11^th. I remember rocking my 4-month old daughter to sleep in her mechanical rocker, while watching CNN replay the tumbling down of the twin towers and being scared, truly scared, for the first time in my adult life. The world to me has not been the same since. I remember spending the next month online sucking up everything about Islam. Before that, the last time I seriously thought about it was when Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali.


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  2005: The year the GOP party lost me completely. Not conservatism, just the party. I could not understand how a party that shoved “No child left behind” and expanded Drug benefits worth tens of billions down our throat could have won re-election. Was Bush a conservative? Angry and hell-bent confused I searched the web for Forums where I could discover other like-minded persons such as myself and I blundered into “bloggers” […”what kind of idiots are these people who think they can editorialize about news and actually expect people to stop by and comment? The hubris!”]


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  2006: I turn into an above-stated idiot and launch my own blog, not expecting one comment to come my way. Surely nobody would think the rantings of and ex-Democrat, ex-Republican, ex-Military and living in the People's Republic of Kalifornia were serious enough to consider thought-provoking, right? Boy was I surprised…

I tend to mask my anger and dysfunctional logic with irreverent humor and satirical camouflage. My writings are so grammar and syntax-dyslexic that I am surprised some of my fellow bloggers have not awarded me the prize for “Person most likely to make the English language obsolete all by himself”.

At the end of the day, I am –like most of you-, a native-born American who loves his country, wants to change what is good slowly, and what is bad a bit more rapidly; and who may prefer different roads in the pursuit of my happiness. I try, repeat, try to look at things pragmatically and through the prism of others before I park my cannons on their front lawn and lay waste to their ideology-orchids. I was last in line when God was handing out politically-correct genes,… and then he kicked me out of heaven altogether for beginning to doubt him in the first place.

Having said all that, I am humbled at anyone who graces my opinions with their time and banter. I hope my musings can add to the mission of this blog, not detract from it.

Onward …

An Introduction To Jennifer......

I really should have written mine first, because I am not sure how I am supposed to follow up Robert's introduction. Most of you know that I have another blog called Palace For A Princess and while that mixes politics along with my personal life, I felt like I needed to find a place where I could truly make a difference in the community and most importantly in the country that I love with all my heart. When Robert approached me with this endeavor I didn't think twice.

One reason is that I respect him so very much. I know he did his own introduction, but I want to add a few points from my perspective. He was a Marine and in his heart, he always will be. His service for this country is one that I admire and am truly thankful for. Robert and all those that have served in the military are the reason that we have the freedom to write on our blogs and pursue our goals without fear or persecution. That is a gift I can never repay and will always be grateful for. He is extremely intelligent and I look forward to what he will bring to the table. When I first started blogging, he was my first contact and he nurtured me through the whole process. I wouldn't be where I am now, if it weren't for him. He is a true gentleman, and in today's society, that is a rarity indeed. He is a family man, and just like he said about me, his priorities are always in the right places. I am honored that he asked me to work with him on this, and I pray that my contribution will do him and this blog justice.

The second reason I jumped on board is because it breaks my heart every time I see our ideals trampled on by those that do not understand nor respect it. One of the reasons that the GOP lost this election is because they do not realize the importance of Conservatism, but with our help and determination, they soon will.

I am a country girl living in Jersey. Those two are certainly a contradiction but somehow I have managed to survive without compromising on the values that have been instilled in me, and that I now instill in my children. My parents have always been supportive and it is through their Faith and example that I have come to find Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I am strong in my faith, and it shapes who I am, and what I believe. I have struggled with anxiety for about thirteen years now and it is only through my Faith and the unconditional support by my parents and my husband, that I have been able to fight through it. It has taught me that life is not easy and sometimes you have to fight with strength that you didn't even know you possessed. It is with that same strength and purpose that I will fight to keep Conservatism alive and thriving. America was once a proud nation full of tradition and Conservative principles and ideals, and with your help, we can restore her to her former glory! We cannot do it alone, and we welcome your ideas, comments, and yes, even your criticism.

An Introduction To Robert

Welcome to our new place! This new partnership has fallen into place pretty quickly and we are both excited and enthused to press on and build on our own blogging experiences. I hope you will come back often and participate as much as you can so that we can have some lively discussions and do a little part in making America strong.

More than likely if you are reading this soon after it was posted, you know Jenn and me. You can fast forward if you like as this will be old news to you.

If you are new then I thought a brief introduction would be nice. I am a relatively normal guy who leads a relatively normal life in Helena, Alabama. I believe that the family environment is the greatest area of socialization and development for a child, and my home environment was led by a Marine father and my mother, who personified the values of a southern lady. My childhood was normal - I played baseball and my dad coached, I was a scout and my dad was a scout leader, I played sports and broke windows, cut grass and forgot to take the trash to the curb.

The first time I was eligible to vote was in 1984 and Ronald Reagan was my choice. Other than my dad, I don't really have heroes, but President Reagan was and will always be on the top of my respect list. His vision for America and the world was established at the right time in history. Politically, I was a conservative long before I applied a label to myself. I am a registered republican because the GOP most closely resembles my personal philosophy and ideology. At least it did in the 1980s. The GOP of today is weak and wishy-washy and undefined. The party leadership has been clueless since 1994 as how to govern and achieve results. This needs to change.

I am a christian, redeemed by the love of God and the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am on the Road to Canterbury, having embarked on an Episcopal journey a short time ago after becoming disenchanted with the Baptist Church. As with all people, I fall short of perfection and forget to check my moral compass at times and freely admit it. My faith is my own, and I am not hesitant to share it but you will find that it does not occupy much of my written works. I simply proclaim my faith here so you will know about me and how my opinions and thoughts are formed.

I am proud of my partner in this endeavor! I have followed Jenn's blog since its inception and have always enjoyed her writing and especially her passion on issues. She has an ability that I lack, and that is communicating her points of view with emotion. The emotion in my writing usually manifests itself though sarcasm and ranting....lol. I think we will fit together nicely here, as we largely have the same beliefs expressed differently at times. She has a beautiful family to which she is committed, and her priorities always seem to be set. At times she keeps my focus where it belongs by her writing and her daily challenges, although I have never told her that fact. I truly appreciate the things she has to say.

My work experience often is relevant to my posts. I am a Marine and served in the Persian Gulf War and present for all three campaigns (Desert Shield/Storm/Calm). My formal education is an B.S. in Criminal Justice, and an M.S. in Justice and Public Safety. I was in law enforcement for most of a decade, and left in early 2002 to join the Department of Homeland Security. It was the one time in my life that I had achieved that which we all desire - a career that allowed me to actually look forward to every morning, and that work wasn't work at all, but a mission. The downside was that I was away from home almost six months of every year. My kids were getting older and I needed to be a baseball coach and a scout leader, not to mention my honey-do list that was five pages long every time I returned from a trip or assignment. I left DHS two years ago for an opportunity in the corporate world that isn't nearly as fun, but presented itself at the right time for my family.

So much for a brief intro, huh? More will be revealed through our posts and discussions, and I hope that you will bookmark, subscribe, link and generally take ownership of this site with Jenn and me. The door is always open, so feel free to drop in for a visit or stay the night. Where I am from we still sit on the porch and talk with neighbors for hours on end, and there is always a cold glass of tea for you!

Yahoo IM = rtclark0311