As a conservative in this day and age, I have accustomed myself to being called a “redneck,” “tea-bagger,” “domestic terrorist,” “hate-monger,” “homophobe,” “religious-nut” and every other name in the book by liberals and the media. These terms pulsate and fester in the supposedly tolerant mindset of society. Who has given such laudable people the moral authority to dub us as any of the aforementioned, you may ask? Well, it is those who espouse the lovely doctrine of limited freedom, bigger government, immorality, spreading the wealth, mediocrity, and diversity (hidden racism). Let us examine how close to the truth that labels proudly put on us really are.
William F. Buckley, Jr., the father of the modern Conservative Movement, helped pave the way for conservatism beginning in the mid-1950s. These conservative beliefs were a fusion of traditional viewpoints, acceptance of the Constitution as the law of the land, anti-Communism, and laissez-faire economics. They went on to accept patriots like Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater as emblematic leaders of their time. They were to adhere to principles grounded into our nation since its birth in 1776. They were to root out disloyalty to the nation and defend her proudly in the act of peril or aggression.
One might wonder why an 18-year-old female university student like me would hold such beliefs dear to her heart, when I could be like the goose-stepping Obamanites out there hoping for change only they can believe in. Well, I attribute my conservative upbringing to my parents, who fled the Baltic nation of Lithuania in 1985 which was under the iron grip of the Soviet bloc. Along with the harsh impositions and realities of life in the former U.S.S.R., my parents were exposed to the indoctrination of Communism and Marxist-Leninism, however the Soviets were unable coerce them into becoming the subservient Homo sapien Sovieticus this system fashioned. My parents harbored the desire to come to the United States because they wanted to experience freedom and opportunity. The idea of owning private property and enterprise, the idea of freedom of speech, and the idea of living without fear of one’s shadow came to be the image of the United States that my parents recognized and sought to experience one day. The people’s paradise that the Communists portrayed the former U.S.S.R. did not afford any opportunities or liberties found in the Western world. In the case of my mother’s father, he was held captive as a political prisoner of the Communist regime for eighteen months because he held the mere premise of land ownership. This resulted in his imprisonment in a concentration camp near the Finish border and a painful life to follow, one marked by constant fear and doubt about the world around him. Communism oppressed many people including my grandparents and parents, and as a system proved to be ineffective in light of more successful and productive systems like capitalism found in the United States of America. Human life was not valued, private property was expended, and individuality was eradicated—the future our country is to hold if this current Administration persists with this takeover of our lives, freedoms, and associations.
All conservatives have their calling to life, with mine encompassing and embodying my past. Living under the harsh impositions of Communism teaches those who grasp its dangers to be conservative-minded. My parents wanted to embrace a system that respected individual freedoms, accomplishment, merit, and opportunity, which they found in adopting the ideals bestowed upon this lifestyle by William F. Buckley, Jr. The teachings of my parents have aided me in holding values, respect, consideration for life, determination, and rationale.
The genesis of this new Conservative Movement can trace its roots back to 1951 when William F. Buckley, Jr. recognized the presence of overbearing liberalism that had taken over the university setting at his alma mater, Yale University, in his account, God and Men at Yale. These radical leaders promoted the brainwashing of the masses in the university setting, and their control over the minds of the youth metastasized at dangerous speed as it spread through the school system and university. This societal disease spread in the breeding ground of innovation and . Information began to be altered according to the publishers of text books which misconstrue facts and alter the truth to fulfill the agenda of “social justice” and political correctness. Teachers and government employees are protected behind the protection of unions and tenure. They infect the masses with their rhetoric of hope and change of sharing the wealth, calling conservatives bigots, apologizing to foreign powers, and promoting social engineering within society. The fruits of their indoctrination came to a head when they proved fruitful on November 4th, 2008, leading to the election of the most radical and detrimental President and Congress, in the liberal desire to destroy the American principles and culture on which our nation was built.
Never before has the risk of “fundamental change” proven to be so instrumental for those who seek the eventual takeover or collapse of the United States. Communists and socialists are being embraced by the Democratic party and are hired to work for the President of the United States. The consequence of failing to watch and protect the conservative traditions instilled in this country permitted these individuals to push for universal health care, equal rights for animals, gay marriage, environmental fascism, destruction of manufacturing industries, global government, cult of personality, blaming our nation for acts of terrorism aboard, and accusing our troops of committing atrocities in the line of duty, among other asinine ideas. Furthermore, the failure of conservatives to operate against these destabilizing forces have demonstrated the need to reinvigorate and renew the ideals previously held by our Founding Fathers.
Yet, we conservatives need not give up tirelessly in this battle for America’s survival. The Conservative Movement is once more growing rapidly. The Tea Party Movement, has captured the sentiment of the once-silent majority. Conservatives must return to the principles of the Constitution. Americans have to embrace the Judeo-Christian principles grounded in the founding of our nation, rather than tossing them aside for the non-faith of government and political correctness. Parents must educate their children about important issues and core values on which this country was built upon, rather leaving them open to the brainwashing and indoctrination in public education. Hard work and merit must be emphasized rather than feel good quotas and affirmative action. Capitalism should not be detested because of its profit motive, but rather encouraged as it has lead to the greatest advancement of human society in the history of our existence. Corruption within the government must be denounced, with our elected officials held accountable to their constituents rather than interest groups. It is pivotal to incorporate these ideas back into our society in order to relish and embrace the America we have known and cherished.
How does liberalism form however? Liberalism festers best when the family unit is destroyed or nonexistent. At a 9/12 tea party in San Juan Capistrano, California, I had the pleasure to meet and talk with foremost conservative speaker Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson—the founder of BOND, a nonprofit religious organization dedicated to “Rebuilding the Family By Rebuilding the Man.” As an African-American conservative activist, Peterson puts being an American before his race and attributes the problems of the black community to the intended destruction of the family unit fostered by progressives and Democrats. The welfare system that minorities have become dependent upon replaced the self-reliant man and father in the family, only to substitute them with the government and hand outs. He emphasized that white Americans should not feel guilty for the failures of the black community, and that they must stop feeling afraid of speaking out against these problems, while encouraging the black community to work to achieve success.
Illegal immigration is another play toy of the liberals to blame conservatives. Liberals endlessly pout about broken immigration laws and procedures, and blame businessmen and other Americans as responsible for the problems of illegal workers. However while blaming illegal immigration on the United States, liberals also blame the United States for not helping those illegal immigrants who are already here. Unfortunately they cannot have this situation both ways. You cannot grant amnesty and citizenship to those who clearly break the law. As Americans, we have to come to realize that making illegal immigration permissible is the consequence of families and parents failing to educate their children that hard work and labor is honorable and worthy. The notion that a college education should be given to everyone, rather than facilitating a worker’s potential at a trade or vocational school creates the political and economic problem we are currently encountering and battling.
Our movement must also weed out those not genuine to the cause to prevent conservative imposters from ruining all that we have fostered. A foremost case involves elected officials posing as conservatives, namely in the Republican Party, who vote with and support our political opponents, while giving lip service to their constituents. To paraphrase Dick Armey, former House Majority Leader (R-TX) and founder of Freedom Works—an interest group invested in limited government and libertarian ideals—the Republican Party’s moderate figureheads like John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsay Graham (R-SC) should not pose as conservatives and behave like Democrats, when Americans will always vote for the real liberals instead of voting for liberal-lite.
The Conservative Movement is strong, as demonstrated by prominent speakers like radio talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin, conservative commentators Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham, Fox News Channel personalities Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, just to mention a few. These individuals work ceaselessly to defend our ideals from imposters and enemies who would like to destroy our great United States of America.
William F. Buckley, Jr. once retorted, “Truth is a demure lady, much too ladylike to knock you on your head and drag you to her cave. There she is, but people must want her, and seek her out.” In his prolific lifetime, Mr. Buckley had obligated himself to seeking the truth by espousing conservatism as his greatest tool in fending off political oppression of thought and nefarious information that predated the scene. The state-run media claims that conservatism is long dead in America, when in fact, it is merely rising from the ashes like the phoenix. Conservatives must demand the truth and the restoration of longstanding American traditions to protect the future of our great nation, the United States of America.