Why "conservative" is a dirty word
A conservative is someone who says one thing and votes for another. They have principles, but are willing to subvert them for the good of the Party.
A conservative blames those he does not like, but makes endless excuses for those he does - even if the actions are the same.
For example, conservatives, who are ostensibly pro-gun, constantly bash Clinton for his temporary ban, but conveniently fall silent on Reagan's machine gun ban, Bush I's permanent import ban, and Bush II's permanent parts/kits import ban. That's three-to-one in favor of the GOP, friends.
A conservative is also not bright enough to realize when he is being played for a fool. A while back the big talking point amongst the pundits was the attempt to turn "moral relativism" into an epithet. They classified such relativists as hypocrites and wafflers, all the while stating that it was their superior notion of moral absolutism that made the invasion of Iraq justifiable.
Yet moral relativism is exactly what conservatives engaged in when defending the actions of Americans at Abu Ghraib.
To me the adjective conservative is about as reprehensible as the term liberal. But whereas a liberal is someone who is ignorant, often willfully so, a conservative is a big talker, but a practical coward. They vote for people that have displayed decidedly anti-conservative values time and again, justifying their actions with meek excuses deep-seated in Party phraseology.
Many things come and go. And many things become perverted as time goes by. Conservatism, by the actions of its adherents, has become polluted beyond redemption and should be discarded. Our freedoms were trampled, our economy brought to the edge of disaster, and our security compromised... and the man most responsible was not just elected, he was also re-elected.
That has got to change.
When a car is totalled, you do not try to fix it. You get a new one and move on.
And that is what we must do.
Conservatism is no longer applicable. It is an extinct term. It is dead. An adjective applied to a meaningless set of ideals.
What we must fight for now is rationalism. Devoid of the idiotic naivete of liberalism and the stubborn childishness of conservatism, rationalism proposes what is beneficial, logical, and reasonable, not ideological, emotional, or popular.
And I truly believe we are all rationalists at heart. We do not support the 2nd Amendment because it's chic to do so, we do so because it makes sense: more guns equals less crime, less rapes, and less murders. We denigrate welfare not because we are heartless and like to see people wallow in poverty, we do so because welfare is an unsustainable and destructive enterprise that invariably leads to economic, social, and moral ruin.
Rationalism is not a more liberal way or a more classically conservative way - it is a way that will withstand the test of time because doing the most good for the most people to ensure the most freedom will never be a bad thing.
A conservative blames those he does not like, but makes endless excuses for those he does - even if the actions are the same.
For example, conservatives, who are ostensibly pro-gun, constantly bash Clinton for his temporary ban, but conveniently fall silent on Reagan's machine gun ban, Bush I's permanent import ban, and Bush II's permanent parts/kits import ban. That's three-to-one in favor of the GOP, friends.
A conservative is also not bright enough to realize when he is being played for a fool. A while back the big talking point amongst the pundits was the attempt to turn "moral relativism" into an epithet. They classified such relativists as hypocrites and wafflers, all the while stating that it was their superior notion of moral absolutism that made the invasion of Iraq justifiable.
Yet moral relativism is exactly what conservatives engaged in when defending the actions of Americans at Abu Ghraib.
To me the adjective conservative is about as reprehensible as the term liberal. But whereas a liberal is someone who is ignorant, often willfully so, a conservative is a big talker, but a practical coward. They vote for people that have displayed decidedly anti-conservative values time and again, justifying their actions with meek excuses deep-seated in Party phraseology.
Many things come and go. And many things become perverted as time goes by. Conservatism, by the actions of its adherents, has become polluted beyond redemption and should be discarded. Our freedoms were trampled, our economy brought to the edge of disaster, and our security compromised... and the man most responsible was not just elected, he was also re-elected.
That has got to change.
When a car is totalled, you do not try to fix it. You get a new one and move on.
And that is what we must do.
Conservatism is no longer applicable. It is an extinct term. It is dead. An adjective applied to a meaningless set of ideals.
What we must fight for now is rationalism. Devoid of the idiotic naivete of liberalism and the stubborn childishness of conservatism, rationalism proposes what is beneficial, logical, and reasonable, not ideological, emotional, or popular.
And I truly believe we are all rationalists at heart. We do not support the 2nd Amendment because it's chic to do so, we do so because it makes sense: more guns equals less crime, less rapes, and less murders. We denigrate welfare not because we are heartless and like to see people wallow in poverty, we do so because welfare is an unsustainable and destructive enterprise that invariably leads to economic, social, and moral ruin.
Rationalism is not a more liberal way or a more classically conservative way - it is a way that will withstand the test of time because doing the most good for the most people to ensure the most freedom will never be a bad thing.
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Wrong forum. 0 -
Thank you Mr. Not-a-moderator.
I believe it applies to everyone regardless of political affiliation and is just as relevant to how we conduct ourselves as posting a pro-gun article here in GD.0 -
I think you have labels mixed up. Has nothing to do with conservatism, sounds more like self-identified republicans, though everything sounds more like anything that'd be labeled liberal nowadays, "nowadays" being last 80-90 years. 0 -
Conservative is only a dirty word because people like GW Bush and EM Monkey don't understand what it means.
The GOP is close to being totalled, mainly because it has strayed from the one true faith, conservatism.0 -
ElMuertoMonkey
Well you figured out the problem, how do you fix it?0 -
yawn , such crap
like the "progressives" are better or more consistant
thamks for bringing up abu graib again also
that one of few stains on one of the cleanest fought wars and you still embrace it0 -
I am with you about moving on.
BOTH parties, but the democrats are far worse0 -
quote:Originally posted by tsavo303
I am with you about moving on.
BOTH parties, but the democrats are far worse
In some respects the GOP has been far more injurious. Democrats have saddled us with welfare, the GOP have robbed us of our right to own certain arms - I'm not sure which one I despise more.[;)]0 -
you seem to forget that the democrats always do that, the rep. just do it sometimes[V] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by tsavo303
thamks for bringing up abu graib again also
that one of few stains on one of the cleanest fought wars and you still embrace it
I'll go as far as to say that those who don't fight clean all vote democrat are secular-progressive-social-democrat commies. How's that?0 -
Talk about stirring the pot.....[xx(] 0 -
Victor,
As tsavo noted, the so-called "progressives" are not an alternative because they're just liberals by another name.
To truly change things, we must be active with our reps, vote for those that stand for what we stand for regardless of party affiliation, and stick to our guns both figurative and literal. If we do that, change will occur. It may not happen over night and we may experience setbacks, but the tide of conservatism that supposedly swept the nation was not a reversion back to classical non-intrusive government, it was carte blanche for the GOP to behave as they pleased because they knew conservatives would make excuses for them rather than demand accountability.
Unlike liberals, we know what's right and wrong - now we need to back it up with votes and activism. No more choosing the lesser of two evils - we need to demand the better of two positives. And the only way anyone will offer us that is if we start behaving like adults with convictions rather than Party functionaries with a ready-to-go list full of excuses and talking points.0 -
Words/labels aren't important anymore.
Meaningless, at best.
[:D]0 -
THEOCON... now there's a dirt word that makes "NEOCON" look like a bunch of pussies. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by zipperzap
Words/labels aren't important anymore.
Meaningless, at best.
[:D]
Not true - it was when we started calling ourselves something other than American that we began to fall apart as a nation.[;)]0 -
how about one term for all - douche nozzle. 0 -
Ya know, I was just wondering about that.
Thanks for clearing it up.
I will now begin to take the internet more seriously.
Doug0 -
A lot made sence Mr Muerto.
But this is mayor crap
"We denigrate welfare not because we are heartless and like to see people wallow in poverty, we do so because welfare is an unsustainable and destructive enterprise that invariably leads to economic, social, and moral ruin."
Have a heart emotions are important.Without feelings we would be nothing bether than the wild monkeys.
Anyway just admit you're greedy and want a taxcut ?[;)]0 -
I'm a conservative and I don't care if it is a dirty word or not. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by tsavo303
you seem to forget that the democrats always do that, the rep. just do it sometimes[V]
And for that they deserve the undying fealty shown by some around here?
Oh the joy of lowered expectations.0 -
quote:Originally posted by ElMuertoMonkey
A conservative is someone who says one thing and votes for another. They have principles, but are willing to subvert them for the good of the Party.
A conservative blames those he does not like, but makes endless excuses for those he does - even if the actions are the same.
For example, conservatives, who are ostensibly pro-gun, constantly bash Clinton for his temporary ban, but conveniently fall silent on Reagan's machine gun ban, Bush I's permanent import ban, and Bush II's permanent parts/kits import ban. That's three-to-one in favor of the GOP, friends.
A conservative is also not bright enough to realize when he is being played for a fool. A while back the big talking point amongst the pundits was the attempt to turn "moral relativism" into an epithet. They classified such relativists as hypocrites and wafflers, all the while stating that it was their superior notion of moral absolutism that made the invasion of Iraq justifiable.
Yet moral relativism is exactly what conservatives engaged in when defending the actions of Americans at Abu Ghraib.
To me the adjective conservative is about as reprehensible as the term liberal. But whereas a liberal is someone who is ignorant, often willfully so, a conservative is a big talker, but a practical coward. They vote for people that have displayed decidedly anti-conservative values time and again, justifying their actions with meek excuses deep-seated in Party phraseology.
Many things come and go. And many things become perverted as time goes by. Conservatism, by the actions of its adherents, has become polluted beyond redemption and should be discarded. Our freedoms were trampled, our economy brought to the edge of disaster, and our security compromised... and the man most responsible was not just elected, he was also re-elected.
That has got to change.
When a car is totalled, you do not try to fix it. You get a new one and move on.
And that is what we must do.
Conservatism is no longer applicable. It is an extinct term. It is dead. An adjective applied to a meaningless set of ideals.
What we must fight for now is rationalism. Devoid of the idiotic naivete of liberalism and the stubborn childishness of conservatism, rationalism proposes what is beneficial, logical, and reasonable, not ideological, emotional, or popular.
And I truly believe we are all rationalists at heart. We do not support the 2nd Amendment because it's chic to do so, we do so because it makes sense: more guns equals less crime, less rapes, and less murders. We denigrate welfare not because we are heartless and like to see people wallow in poverty, we do so because welfare is an unsustainable and destructive enterprise that invariably leads to economic, social, and moral ruin.
Rationalism is not a more liberal way or a more classically conservative way - it is a way that will withstand the test of time because doing the most good for the most people to ensure the most freedom will never be a bad thing.
I would agree in large part if you substitute "Republican" for "conservative".
Reference the bold points above. I disagree. If your statements were being made by a "liberal" with break-away tendencies, then you are probably right. Maybe that is what you are????[;)]
Most "conservatives" support Amendment II, not because more guns equal less crime, but because at its core it is a god-given right and because it is the final line against tyranny in government. The crime issues are secondary to many "conservatives".
I would hazard a guess that a large number of "conservatives" don't denigrate welfare for the reasons you list, although they are an element of the equation. "Conservatives" denigrate welfare because it is not the role, duty or responsibility of government to perform this function. The constitutional authority is not there at the federal level, or is tenuous at best and the state programs are overreaching and create bigger government, more controls on the populace and more of a "nanny state", all by taking from those who have and redistributing to those who have not......Socialism....communism-lite?
This from a "conservative's" point of view.0 -
You could substitue liberal for conservative in that document and it would still be 100% accurate. 0
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