This link will take you to an article that is a classic example of how the GOP got itself in this mess. Read the article then come back and find out the problem.
http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2009/05/10/the-false-claim-concerning-a-right-wing-theocracy/
OK, so this sounds great. According to this the Founding Fathers always meant for this to be a Christian nation. The little flaw in this is that these quotes are not accurate. Patric Henry, George Washington, and John Quincy Adams never said the things attributed to them in the article!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Conservative Manifesto
Conservatives Believe:
1. The citizenry should restrict government to doing only those things that cannot be done effectively by the individual. Our government should only create those laws and take those actions imperative to “form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity”
“That government is best that governs least” Henry David Thoreau
2. Governance is best done locally. In those instances when government action is necessary, that action should be undertaken by the smallest and most localized unit of government as is practicable.
3. That “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” are the inalienable rights of all Americans. These rights may only be infringed to the extent that the free exercise thereof by one or more citizens will unreasonably and inequitably infringe upon the enjoyment of these rights by other persons.
4. Faith in a Supreme Being, Creator, or belief system is the province of each individual and is far too important to permit the interference or involvement of the government in the free exercise thereof.
5. Liberty without justice is anarchy. Although the role of government should be limited in a free society, that government should strive to enforce those laws that must be created in a manner that insures equal treatment before the law for every person regardless of race, gender, religion, wealth, or physical ability.
6. The primary economic roles of government are to provide for a reliable monetary system and to facilitate the development of diverse and vigorous free trade. Free trade is damaged by unfair practices, which includes unilateral control of markets (monopolies) and fraud. Government should be free to take those actions necessary to protect markets from unfair trade practices.
7. A strong national defense is vital to the security of a free people. In providing this collective defense, the government must be vigilant in avoiding the infringement of individual liberty.
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Benjamin Franklin
8. The right to individual privacy was provided by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States through inclusion of the phrase “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated…”. Infringement upon this right should be done only at the most dire of need, and then only when supported by clear and convincing evidence.
1. The citizenry should restrict government to doing only those things that cannot be done effectively by the individual. Our government should only create those laws and take those actions imperative to “form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity”
“That government is best that governs least” Henry David Thoreau
2. Governance is best done locally. In those instances when government action is necessary, that action should be undertaken by the smallest and most localized unit of government as is practicable.
3. That “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” are the inalienable rights of all Americans. These rights may only be infringed to the extent that the free exercise thereof by one or more citizens will unreasonably and inequitably infringe upon the enjoyment of these rights by other persons.
4. Faith in a Supreme Being, Creator, or belief system is the province of each individual and is far too important to permit the interference or involvement of the government in the free exercise thereof.
5. Liberty without justice is anarchy. Although the role of government should be limited in a free society, that government should strive to enforce those laws that must be created in a manner that insures equal treatment before the law for every person regardless of race, gender, religion, wealth, or physical ability.
6. The primary economic roles of government are to provide for a reliable monetary system and to facilitate the development of diverse and vigorous free trade. Free trade is damaged by unfair practices, which includes unilateral control of markets (monopolies) and fraud. Government should be free to take those actions necessary to protect markets from unfair trade practices.
7. A strong national defense is vital to the security of a free people. In providing this collective defense, the government must be vigilant in avoiding the infringement of individual liberty.
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Benjamin Franklin
8. The right to individual privacy was provided by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States through inclusion of the phrase “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated…”. Infringement upon this right should be done only at the most dire of need, and then only when supported by clear and convincing evidence.
Frustration in the land of conservatives
How is it possible that the basic tenets of conservative thought can be so sensible, yet the party that purports to represent us is guided by such non-sensible gibberish? Republican leaders have ceded the true intellectual and moral high ground for convenience. The Republican Party now advocates government activism for the imposition of a theocratic moral code. We have chosen to enforce our values on others through legislation and regulation. This is most clearly evident in the Party’s positions on gay marriage.
Government’s only role in marriage should be that of a clerk or record keeper. Obtaining a marriage license was never intended to be a regulatory process in which the applicants were required to demonstrate their adherence to a set of vague societal values. Since the institution of the banns on marriage, the process was intended to make the pending union publicly known. This was done to permit the discovery of any information that one or the other parties to the union may not have been aware, such as the fact that one of them was already married. The unfortunate instances when government has tried to impose restrictions to marriage, such as prohibitions against interracial marriage, are almost always later recognized for the repugnance they are.
That the “code” happens to reflect the personal beliefs of many conservatives does nothing to diminish the fact that we have forsaken our fundamental belief on the role of government: “ That government is best which governs least”. When we abandon the restraint inherent in the conservative philosophy we sacrifice individual liberty for the false comfort of our imposed values. We accept the premise that the collective is better than the individual. We simply become Democrats with conservative values.
Government’s only role in marriage should be that of a clerk or record keeper. Obtaining a marriage license was never intended to be a regulatory process in which the applicants were required to demonstrate their adherence to a set of vague societal values. Since the institution of the banns on marriage, the process was intended to make the pending union publicly known. This was done to permit the discovery of any information that one or the other parties to the union may not have been aware, such as the fact that one of them was already married. The unfortunate instances when government has tried to impose restrictions to marriage, such as prohibitions against interracial marriage, are almost always later recognized for the repugnance they are.
That the “code” happens to reflect the personal beliefs of many conservatives does nothing to diminish the fact that we have forsaken our fundamental belief on the role of government: “ That government is best which governs least”. When we abandon the restraint inherent in the conservative philosophy we sacrifice individual liberty for the false comfort of our imposed values. We accept the premise that the collective is better than the individual. We simply become Democrats with conservative values.
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