An open Letter to Freepers, Lurkers, and all who question the Patriotism of Liberals.

[The Doctor.]

I am an American and a lifelong Republican.

In that order, and to this very day, very much both.

I am an American, and a proud one, not just because I can trace my lineage to the Mayflower and one of the very signers of the Declaration of Independence, Not just because my family, for generations, has fought in every major war for the preservation of this country and our way of life, including the very first War for America, but because I believe in the Dream America once represented.

It was the dream that ordinary, hopeful and hard working people could live, learn prosper, and be happy without being beholden to the Powerful and Elite. It was the dream that any person, from any background, could learn to contribute to a great society for that society’s betterment. The dream of America was one in which ordinary people could shape the law, the land, and their lives to suit their needs and pursuits.

And it was working… for a while.

I am a Republican, and I have reasons to be proud of that. I am proud that we live in a Republic, where each state has a level of sovereignty and self-determination, thereby promoting a nation of diversity. I am proud of the values that real Republicans have represented for generations. I am proud of Republican leaders who have lived the values they promoted. I can be proud that Republicans were the standard bearers of civil liberties. I am proud that those who upheld Republican ideals regarding the self-determination of the individual, personal responsibility, devotion to community, and diligence against tyranny. Those are values that Republicans have held dear for generations, but Republicans have taken the guardianship of those values for granted. Republicans have been so self-assured of the righteousness inherent in their core values, they have so dwelt upon the laurels heaped up by the likes of Lincoln, Eisenhower, and so many past Republican leaders that they have forgotten something vital;

Those aren’t just Republican values.

Democrats, Liberals, Libertarians, and many affiliated with other parties have also widely stood for the same things Republicans have been lauded over for so long.
Worse than failing to realize that; Republicans seem believe that fighting for those values is no longer necessary. They believe that since Republicans once established themselves as the party for accountability, personal responsibility, equal rights, military superiority, and intellectual finesse, that they no longer need to pursue and maintain those values. Because they believe their party stands for those things, the maintenance is somehow automatic.

Well, just like you can’t perfect a garden one year and expect it to be forever fruitful, you can’t assume that a once great party will always uphold the values once instilled in it.

Now take a look, and realize that so many of the values you’ve been so sure your party owns are now being upheld by Democrats and Liberals.

Democrats are now fighting for accountability in Government while your tax dollars are being poured into a black hole in Iraq. Bundles of cash are literally disappearing to the tune of billions of dollars, while contractors are doing shoddy work in helping to rebuild Iraq. Democrats are fighting for oversight, fighting to hold those contractors to a higher standard for taxpayer dollars. Republicans in Congress are stopping them.

Why?

Libertarians are fighting to maintain the legal rights of Americans to a speedy trial, to keep and bear firearms, and to exercise free speech without fear of reprisal from the government. Yet today many Republicans advocate for limitations to be placed on those rights.

Liberals are now fighting for equal rights for all Americans. As a Republican I can respect this. Republicans are now using the same fear mongering speech that Segregationists used to prevent interracial marriage because it would “threaten the very institution of marriage”.

Conservatives are pushing for fiscal restraint in the Federal Government, but Republicans are blocking those efforts.

All of them, Conservatives, Libertarians, Democrats, Liberals, and others are fighting for these self-evident rights and prudent practices. They are all fighting for another important thing; The right of every American to have their vote counted.

They have been trying to pass legislation that allows you, the American voter, to verify that the vote you have cast is awarded to the candidate or cause of your choosing. Right now that is simply not the case, and many Republicans are fighting transparency. This fact is a shameful scar on a once noble party. Brave Americans** have had the tenacity and courage to stand up, weather criticism, derision, and even threats, in order to preserve your right to have your vote counted.

Think about this; even if they are over reacting, even if they need not stand up for your right to vote because you are satisfied all is well… they deserve your respect for delving into matters others haven’t the passion or fortitude to take on.

So for all that your media tells you that everyone but Republicans are un-patriotic, that the efforts of Democrats to institute a plan in Iraq is somehow ‘cowardly’, and that all who question the federal government are ‘traitors’, remember this…

It was defiance that founded this country and kept it strong, and today’s Democrats have a lot in common with the founders of our country. And I should know, as a Son of the American Revolution, I’ve never been allowed to forget just what it takes to preserve Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, and the dream that America can be.

So when you vote today, if you believe that your tax dollars need to be accounted for, if you believe you need the rights of freedom of speech or Habeas Corpus, if you want equal rights for all law-abiding Americans, then put a Democrat in a seat. Because in six years, Republicans have thrown your values to the winds while you’ve believe they were upholding them.

We’re Americans first and we need to fix some things that aren’t getting fixed now.












**Andy, we need you today…

[MsMagnificent]

1. Fine post!

I'm very happy to be the 5th to recommend :)

[TygrBright]

2. Thank you, Dr. e.... America needs more Republicans like you.

Now please promise me this:

When the crash cart is wheeled away and the long, slow, recovery/rehabilitation starts (sometime shortly after November, 2008, I think/hope/pray,) could you please, please, PLEASE gather your friends and fellow-travelers among GOPpies and head back over to the right hand side of the aisle and rip control of your once-respect-worthy Party back from the grifters and wackjobs and neofascists who've taken it over?

Please?

Don't get me wrong, we're so glad you're here, now, and I deeply respect your willingness to do whatever has to be done to restore the Republic. It will take time so please stick with us just a bit longer.

But for the Republic to be robust and government to make thoughtful, quality, long-term decisions we need TWO functioning Parties that represent each half of the spectrum of views with care and integrity.

In return, I pledge you this: If Democrats take power in 2008, and get drunk on success and begin selling our national patrimony to the highest corporate bidder and lying us into disastrous wars to enrich the military-industrial complex and restricting civil rights and defecating on the Constitution to retain their hold on power, I WILL CROSS THE AISLE AND VOTE REPUBLICAN to save America from that fate.

And I also pledge you this: I will do my utmost as a lifelong and loyal Dem to ensure that the Democratic Party maintains high standards of integrity, fidelity to the Constitution, and service to ALL Americans.

Deal?

hopefully,
Bright

[The Doctor.]

5. Not just a deal, a promise...

an oath even.

I have never been such a creature to fasten myself to fleeting ideals, but rather to fix upon those timeless tenets of fairness and deliberation.
I cannot support a man, only what he stands for.
I cannot support a party, save where that party supports reason.

So indeed you have my word, that when I am once again on the 'other side' of the issues and we argue about State's rights, Gun control, management of social programs,labor, and many other issues whose intricacies can be thoughtfully explored between rational people, it will be with the civility and mutual respect that has been bludgeoned from our society in the last few years.

I will always be on guard against the ravages of corporate interests, the despotism of the ruthless minority, and the tyrrany of the righteous majority.

I stand against hypocrisy, vanity, fear, ignorance, greed and all the other failings of character embodied by so many of our leaders, whether the lion's share currently claimed by Republicans, or the few failures pinned to Democrats, I will seek those failings out and lay them bare with every resource I can muster. I will do this, as I have for years, both to expose them and to test them against the body of evidence and context available to us all and by whatever form that medium takes.

I will fight, whether through laws, words, pictures, ideas, bloodshed, or at the cost of my own life (in that order) to uphold, protect, and defend the Constitution and philosophy my very forefathers fought to create and realize with any and every resource at my disposal until I no longer draw breath.

-This I swear upon the souls of my ancestors.

And because there are people like me, people like us in every city, town, village, in the coffee shops, the internet cafes, bookstores, firehalls, and even the wilderness, I guarantee you...

No one wants to bring us all out.

I look forward to a new day of civil discourse where those with differing opinions can test their theories and approaches through intellectual debate; thus providing realistic expectations for those who might execute those theories.

Until then, I will be thrilled to watch the hubris, the corruption and the treachery burned from the Republican party like dirt in a crucible to whittle them back down to the values Americans can widely respect once again.

Know also that I will hold you, and all Democrats of integrity and character to that very standard you have pledged to uphold in your party - as I have held my party to such a standard and have actively worked against them in the years they have displayed their arrogance and corruption beyond any reasonable excuse.

Fair enough?

-Garth Eldritch.

[TygrBright]

6. Done. Whether you believe in "big" gov't or "small" gov't...

...whether you consider yourself "blue" or "red," whether you come down to the left side of the aisle or the right side, one thing is true for all of us:

We ALL (except the kleptocratic oligarchs who would run our country like their personal feudal kingdoms,) do better when our government functions the way it was designed to function. Which is rarely "fast," almost never "efficiently," but rather *deliberately,* and *effectively.*

To do that we must maintain an atmosphere of respect even as we differ and advocate for our passionately-held beliefs. To do that we must hold every single elected official --OUR EMPLOYEES-- accountable for the highest standards of ethical conduct, responsibility, and, yes, maturity and good manners.

The results only last when the process works. Slow and frustrating as that may be, sometimes. Annoying as it is to take baby steps instead of giant leaps. Difficult as it is to accept what we see as "risk" in order to accommodate the needs of our fellow-citizens.

It's too important that we have honest data to make decisions from to allow steel-cage partisanship to reign in the CBO and the research offices. It's too important that we listen and HEAR the hopes and fears of those with whom we disagree. It's too important that we maintain all of the Constitutional protections that keep the process working. We can't let winner-take-all robber baron wannabes ride roughshod over the system that has kept this Republic together and vital and strong for more than 200 years.

determinedly,
Bright

[democrank]

3. Thanks for this post.

I appreciate it.

[Raffi Ella]

4. Beautiful Post

Thank You for taking the time to write that.It means SO much. :kick: