The Daily Conservative

From Neo-Conservatism to Libertarianism; My Political Journey to Enlightenment

Patrick Britton — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:28:17 +0000

My political journey has been an interesting one. Much like my personal journey to Christianity I grew in my ideology over the years and have become something much different than what I was when I started. A lot of people claim that they are open minded and are willing to learn. Very few take it as serious as I did and truly seek to find understanding about a topic as serious as politics.

Growing up I struggled with depression and the bipolar disorder. I was the kid in school everyone thought would come in one day guns blazing, taking out everyone in sight. That wasn't my plan but neither was staying in school. After several years of intense counseling, medication and failing grades I dropped out and went about my lifestyle of drinking, smoking pot and depression. To make the story short I began to attend church thanks to my girlfriend's (now my wife) mother. Over time I became intrigued by the teachings and soon became a Christian. My life changed at that point and I have never been the same since.

My political journey has been exactly the same. Before I became a Christian I had very little interest in politics but thanks to my politically passionate pastor I began to get involved. Soon after I registered as a Republican and started to research conservative politics. I fit the suit rather well. I opposed gay marriage, voted for Bush and defended the Iraq War; all without knowing how wrong I really was.

I was comfortable in my new found political ideology. I mashed together my personal religion and politics without thinking for a second how little the two should have to do with the other. My personal understanding of freedom was greatly flawed. What I didn't understand was that my personal lifestyle should not in any circumstance be forced upon anyone else. Personal moral law should not be made national law. In my ignorance I dwelled for several years. I voted for Bush twice, I even voted for McCain in the last election.

Then something happened. I began to ask myself questions a neo-conservative should never ask themselves unless they wish to be given a rude awakening. "Why do I believe what I believe?" The months up until the elections things in my brain had already started to boil over. I was always asking of a Republican candidate, "are they conservative enough?" The frustration grew as I realized none of the candidates were conservative enough. Perhaps the Republican Party isn't conservative enough? Maybe I'm not a conservative if this is what a conservative is supposed to be?

The reality was that the Republican Party had long forgotten what it meant to be conservative. How could Bush's massive spending be conservative? How could the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan be conservative? How could the Patriot Act be conservative? The same people that claim to live up to the so-called great standard that is Ronald Reagan were acting very un-Reaganesque. If this is what the Republican Party has to offer perhaps I should waste my vote on someone else.

Then it got worse. That crazy Ron Paul guy that made all those stupid comments at the Republican debates started to make sense. Wait a second, I said, this crazy Ron Paul fellow really isn't so crazy. In reality, he sounds a hell of a lot like the kind of conservative the Republican Party claims to be. I know, once you start listening to Ron Paul crazy things happen. A light bulb turned on in the dusty attic that was my head. I began to read about liberty, began to turn off the MSM and realized how wrong I had been all along. Freedom should be free. This altered state of freedom I was preaching onto others was not freedom at all.

At that time my understanding of politics was completely shattered. I no longer had a left or right scale. I realized that the only thing that really mattered was freedom. I had a right to live as a Christian, to worship as I deemed necessary, to maintain the type of lifestyle that I felt was right. Forcing others to respect my personal choices beyond permitting me to live them is wrong. The desire from people on the right and left to control our lives for any reason is wrong. If no one is hurt by our actions but ourselves than we should be free to do as we please.

There is no secret formula to converting a neo-conservative to a Libertarian. The truth is that a lot of them don't want to change. They aren't willing to face reality. They aren't willing to re-evaluate what is wrong or right. If something is wrong does that mean we should force people not to do what is wrong? At the end of the day if we incriminate everything that we feel is inappropriate have we accomplished anything? Is the world a better place because a pot smoking teenager is behind bars?

In the end the key to my conversion is simple. I had a passion for conservatism because I was a believer of small government. As I delved deeper into the subject I realized that I really, really loved the idea of small government. Hell, if you took it all away I'm pretty sure we'd all be better off. But that's a whole other eggs waiting to be hatched. At the end of the day human nature is to desire freedom. Let people chose what freedom means to them. If that is donating every penny to charity, let it be. That also means if their idea of freedom is smoking pot until their eyes dry out and Pizza Hut runs out of pizza then let that be as well.

Average:

Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

The Continuing Battle for the Right to Life

Patrick Britton — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:00:10 +0000

As a newbie to politics there were few issues that I was passionate about. I was a Christian, so stereotypically I was a Republican and Christian conservative. There was no issue more important to me that abortion. I was unmovable from the belief that life was precious and deserved the right to be treated humanly. As I developed in my political ideology I became passionate about other issues as well. I transformed in my political thought from an oblivious neoconservative to a Libertarian. The most influential element of my transformation was the realization that freedom should not be a limited resource. Freedom should be free and anything that restricts it should be cut down.

That doesn't mean I am no longer pro-life. On the contrary, my belief in the protection of life has become solidified because of my understanding of personal freedom. How is that you say? Doesn't restricting women from choosing abortion contradict the idea of absolute freedom? That would be correct if you assumed that the woman's life is worth more than the child that she is carrying. Is the unborn child a life? That is the continuing debate that is a steady fixture in the middle of this conversation. I firmly believe that an unborn child is a life, and as a Libertarian that is opposed to force against another life abortion is an act I could never condone. On a higher level abortion halts a human life and is therefor murder.

The argument from many on the other side of the issue is that a woman should not be told what to do with her own body. The unborn child is not an appendage, it is not a tumor, an ulcer or a cancerous cell. It is a living human being with a developing nervous system and a heart beat. The women is not burdened by a virus or a parasite. In the case where a women has sex with a man willingly and a child is created it is then the women's responsibility to see that child to its birth. At that stage they can opt to raise the child or put him or her up for adoption so that a willing family can properly raise them.

Child birth is a reality of life. Children have been labeled as million dollar burdens. They are the worse case scenario, they force you to grow up and make you responsible for another life. Many women walk into an abortion clinic only because of reasons such as these. Would it be excusable if a women dumped her newborn baby off a bridge because she were poor? Would it be ok to shoot my neighbor because he bothered me too much? This is much the same but also much worse. Can you truly say an unborn child is not a life? Are those little arms and legs the doctor vacuums out of the mother pieces of anything but a human being?

The debate is often met with a stalemate because of this discussion. Is it a life? It can't live outside of the mother so it's not really a human being? Well, an elderly person often needs assistance as they get older. Pushing her down the stairwell because she must wear an adult diaper and be fed by someone else does not mean she is not a life or that you should be allowed to kill her. There is often a debate about whether or not it's humane for a person to live on life support. Does being prone to the elements make you more worthless or does it further the point of how precious the life is and how much more the mother should care for them?

I blame the feminist movement. Really, start throwing your stones but I mean what I just said. They feel inadequate up against men because they are the gender that carries a child to birth. They want to be able to recklessly live their lives like so many men do. They feel jipped, I understand, but their hate should be towards God not their innocent child. With that being said a man is responsible for that child as well. They should be there every step of their lives, support the mother and child financially and emotionally and carry any amount of the burden they can. The woman feels like the unwilling test tube but a man should be just as tied to the child. They had just as much to do with it. No sperm, no child.

In the end you have to decide how you categorize this issue. Is it an issue of life? Is the little person growing in you, who's brain, spinal cord, heart and other organs begin to form in just four weeks a human being? Is it a choice issue, does one person have the right to extinguish another for any reason especially if it is their personal responsibility to care for? Finally, you have to put it all together. Being that the unborn child is a life, that it is the women's responsibility to care for them is it not murder? Should we allow it? After that you ultimately have to argue in favor of or against a crime towards a fellow--weak but still worth protecting--human life.

Average:

Your rating: None

Discrimination is Discrimination is Discrimination

just a conservative girl — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:39:53 +0000

I don’t listen to conservative talk radio all that often. Over the past two days I have listened to quite a bit, as I was interested in the reactions to the nomination of Judge Sotomayor. The reaction is about what one would expect. The conservative talking heads are all against her. Rush Limbaugh called her a racist yesterday. Rush did this knowing that the AP was streaming his show for his reaction. My initial reaction was that it was a very strong charge and we shouldn’t prejudge based on one quote and one court case. I detest the word racist being thrown about without real thought or proof. It is dangerous and very damaging. Just remember the shameful behavior when Justice Alito was going through the confirmation process.

I am still not comfortable with that term being used to describe the Judge, but I think this may be an opportunity to further the discussion in this country. After all, the Attorney General feels we are cowards on this subject. So, let us have the uncomfortable conversation. There is apparently a theory that states that people of color have basic differences in reasoning and logic based on inherently physiological and cultural differences. Reportedly, the judge feels that this may be valid theory. Based on her quote it seems like that is a fair assessment of her beliefs.

But let us talk about biases that are based on more than just race. Let us talk about the bias based on political beliefs. In 1948, a black child was born in a very small poor town in rural Georgia. The father left the family when he was only 2, and at one point his family became homeless. He moved in with his grandparents who had him working on the family farm. This boy grew up to become Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Yet, another feel good story about someone overcoming all the odds and reaching the pinnacle of his chosen profession. Yet, yesterday President Obama said that the Supreme Court is full of people of privilege. Judge Sotomayor would be the first “real” person to sit on the bench. What about the early life of Justice Thomas is privileged? Is this about the fact that he is a minority who happens to be a conservative? That bias does exist in this country, and that must be part of the conversation. Not all conservatives are old white men.

Another uncomfortable part of the conversation also needs to be the brilliance of the pick of Judge Sotomayor itself. The choice of a minority woman lends itself to the fact that anyone going after her aggressively can and will be called a racist. A cynic could easily say this was part of the thought process that went into the pick itself. “If there is the perception that somehow she is being treated unfairly or they are distorting her record or comments, I think there will be a backlash in the Latino community. All we want is for the process to be respectful and fair. There could be a great resentment within the Latino community if it is seen somehow that she is not being treated with the respect due to a Supreme Court nominee”. This is a statement from the President of National Council of La Raza. If we are truly to live up to the ideal of Dr. King and we judge people based on the content of their character, it would only be fair to ask the same questions that were asked of Sam Alito. He was made out to be a racist during his confirmation hearings solely based on some college clubs and some well chosen cases. At one point his wife ran out of the Senate chamber in tears. President Obama himself wanted to filibuster to stop the floor vote. This statement came after admitting that he was well qualified for the position, his objection was only based on his constructionist views of the role of the Supreme Court.

The question about what the reaction would be if a white man made the statement that he would come to a better conclusion than a Latino woman is a fair one. If we are truly to become the nation that Dr. King envisioned, we must be able to ask the same questions of everyone without fear of recrimination. Discrimination is discrimination no matter who the person is. Men, women, black, white, hispanic, gay, and straight, we are all capable of discrimination. This is why the conversation is so uncomfortable

Average:

Your rating: None

On The Outside Looking In

Patrick Britton — Mon, 25 May 2009 05:51:13 +0000

There's always something going on between the left and the right. They cannot survive without constant drama and arguing. The idea of bipartisanship is a complete farce. Without the ability to argue with the other party neither would have a reason to exist. Republicans need Democrats to do things they disagree with. Otherwise they'd be stuck in the spot light, allowing others to see their own mistakes.

Individuals within the party are just as guilty of this useless game of cat and mouse. Every single debate is categorized as either left or right. If they believe they are on the right anyone that disagrees with them must be a liberal. If they claim otherwise they are just RINOs. There's no way in hell they themselves are flawed in their beliefs. Never, it is always the other person who is wrong. They argue about what is right, what is wrong, what is moral, what is Godly; I only argue about what is constitutional. I am against anything that restricts someone else's freedom. They don't understand how anyone can be outside of this left and right boxing match.

Libertarians are seen as the minority of the minority. We are the ones fighting for everyone's rights. Not just the rights of Christians or Atheists. We don't care if you are gay, we do not care if you hate gays; if what you do does not hurt anyone else we couldn't care less about what you do. We are not political preachers, we do not want to tell anyone else how to live or more importantly how not to live. That's complicated for some people. The right believes everyone should be as moral as themselves, or as moral as they pretend to be. Liberals are on the other side of the aisle but are just as forceful when it comes to how we should live.

Since Libertarians are on the outside we are more likely to realize how ridiculous the arguments between left-man and right-man are. We keep trying to explain things to the people in the middle of the arguments but they are too occupied arguing about the latest news piece on CNN/FoxNews--and about how much CNN/FoxNews sucks. The founding fathers were religious, some of them were not, but they all understood the importance of individual freedom. They didn't see the Government as some sort of moral compass. They often spoke of the evils of government and people like me understand how right they were.

A simple example of the different between left-right and us is to watch the main Twitter channels for each group. Watch #tlot, #tcot and #p2 at the same time. While most channels have all sorts of people pay attention to the majority of the Tweets. You'll see the typical anti-left rants on #tcot, talk about how horrible Obama is and a quick reply to any mention of Bush (quit talking about the past dude!) #p2 is a little bit better, but make any mention of Obama though and they will go into a rant much the same. Both are in great denial over how much alike Bush/Obama really are. Then take a look at #tlot. You'll notice a major trend. Lots of criticism of everyone on every side who restricts freedom for everyone else. You could say we're hard to please and it's a good thing. We aren't stupid, we know how screwed most of the politicians are. We do not discriminate.

Average:

Your rating: None

A Bold Step Sideways

Patrick Britton — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:36:18 +0000

The Republican Party is running around like a chicken with its head cut off. People are talking about re-branding, Rush Limbaugh says the losing formula is good enough for him and some people are taking the initiative to give their own proposals. One such website is A Bold Step Back. I would rather call it a bold step sideways as it offers no real change. Just more political nonsense to get the GOP back in power which is the last thing we need.

You can read the website and decide for yourself. I'm going to outline a few problems with the proposal. The steps back it suggests are like tossing a stone in the ocean. Just like the earmark hoopla it will only distract people from real problems. I understand that some people will find this proposal appealing. To them dropping the abortion issue is the only thing needed to win those lefties over. Let's get real.

In fantastic bullet point presentation the details on winning back the country are outlined. In the list we see less personal privacy and the same old Republican politics. Fingerprinting for voting, more earmark distraction and a 23% sales tax that is anything but fair. No discussion about Iraq and our interventionist policies. No discussion about the failing dollar or the need to abolish the Federal Reserve. While it's amusing to see a Republican act like people still care what their party says it's another dose of reality as to how few ideas their followers really have.

Here's a bold step back: abolish the 16th, abolish the fed, withdrawal our troops and stop being the world's police. Bring back the gold standard and cut out all unnecessary programs. Get the government out of all personal decisions. Let gays marry through their respective churches. End the war on drugs, the only war less effective than the war on terror. Stop foreign aid, especially with Israel and allow them to make their own decisions. Make ballot access easier, allow Americans to have more than two choices. Let the free market work, do not restrict an individuals access to different companies in all fields especially health care. Begin here and continue eliminating wasteful programs and taxes. Let private industry do the work that government now steals to pay for.

There are real bold steps that we can take to reverse the path of destruction our government is on. Republicans will always balance small government with a desire to be a moral compass for the public. This makes them no better than the Democrats. Different morals, same desire to force it on us all. Sadly the Republican Party doesn't want to get back to basics, they just want to get back in office. A bold step back? Only if you're bold enough to buy into the hype.

Average:

Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

A Terrible Trend.

Haynes — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:34:26 +0000

After reading day after day of the subhuman condition of some people on this earth I can now say that I feel "like putting a bullet between the eyes of every Panda that wouldn't screw to save its species." That I want "to open the dump valves on oil tankers and smother all the French beaches I'd never see." That I want "to breathe smoke." Why do I feel this way? It is due to the human race acting so de-evolved and I am beyond feeling sick about it.

We have the heads of families who do absolutely appalling things to members of their own family's and to themselves! Seriously! Why would any man or woman want to harm those who are nearest to them? Here are a few instances. A man in Austria builds a decrypt bunker under his house. He then places his own daughter for over 10 years in this bunker. He rapes her 1,000's of times over the course of those years and has several children through her. Once she finally somehow manages to escape he blames his SICK actions on his mother who didn't love him enough. Thankfully the German courts are very strict and penalized him to the utmost.

We have also seen several men here in the States, who after loosing their jobs and houses, kill their entire family's and themselves. The media calls it "mercy killing". I call it weak and selfishly unloving.

I, only minutes ago, finished reading a story about a black man who threw his girlfriend's baby across a room, then grabbed it up from the floor, took it to the car, rode down the highway and then tossed the baby out the window. It was determined that the baby died from the blunt trauma to the head! This wretched subhuman deserves the same!!

Why do these events continue to occur? Has the head of the family unit really seared the conscious so much that he doesn't understand how to cope with stress, to love those who are closest to him and to protect that which came from him and looks to him for support?

I am sickened to think upon this subject today any longer.

Average:

Your rating: None

Looking for Writers

Patrick Britton — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:05:37 +0000

As I'm sure you have noticed content on TDC has become rather scarce. The reason for this is the lack of my involvement. I have been occupied with my latest project, TLOT.us, and have not had the time to write on here. Most of my articles are just cross posts.

The point of The Daily Conservative is to be a community driven content provider. I wanted to step back and allow others to write down their feelings and share them with a crowd. I will continue to write for TDC but hope more people start to share their thoughts as well.

I want to post this article in hopes that more people start to write on TDC. It's a very easy process that involves very little technical know how. There are no guidelines, no rules, you are allowed to write whatever is on your mind. Conservative, Libertarian and even Liberal ideas are welcome. Open debate is the goal here.

Check out the welcome page and get started.

How The Teaparty Movement has Already Failed

Patrick Britton — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:54:33 +0000

I've had mixed feelings about the Tea Party protests since I first heard about them. At the core, the idea of an anti-tax rally is great. I was initially excited to see how much interest there was in the protests. My excitement was quickly dampened when neocons and their comrades began to take over the scene. It went from an anti-tax rally to a pro-Republican rally. We all know how foolish that is. The Republicans are fiscally conservative all of-a-sudden?

Because of this the movement has already fallen flat on its face. When I went to the Pittsburgh rally I didn't know what to expect from the speakers. My question was quickly answered when Glen Meakem stepped up and started to speak. His message was as anti-Obama as it could get. He even defended Bush at one point in the speech. A good representation of his speech was a line he repeatedly spoke hoping for a crowd response, "The left doesn't do good. The left wants power." He somehow spoke for about thirty minutes without once pointing to the GOP as part of the problem. Wake up Glen, the Republican Party isn't any more financially sound than the Democrats. You are foolish for spewing your GOP punch lines at an Anti-Tax rally. A rally that has plenty of reasons to be mad at the right as much as the left.

It's no wonder the general consensus from most Americans, other than the party goers, is that the Tea Party protests are nothing but anti-Obama rallies and GOP PR campaigns. That's what they have turned out to be. They could have gotten it right. Gone out with the message of anti-taxes across the board. Obama has only been in office for a couple months folks. This anger, this built up rage towards the government is being misplaced. Give Obama time, he'll rack up the debt for sure. At this point you need to be looking back into the past for the real blame. This destructive use of money and power has been going on for years. Democrats and Republicans have had their hand in our current situation. The only way this movement would have worked is if they went out with that message instead of the GOP one liners.

The feeling of anger towards the government is understandable. It's no secret that they are corrupt and love to waste our money. The two party system mentality has caused people to find mislead comfort in their party affiliation. While their man is in power it's common to ignore actions you would otherwise disagree with. When the other party's candidate does the exact same thing those beer goggles are removed. People go out and protest in the name of the Republican Party against things their party made a habit the past eight years. If not for this asinine dedication to the two party system the Tea Party protests would have been a lot more legitimate.

It's a deadly cycle we will never escape if we continue to be dishonest to ourselves about the two major political parties. Here's how Mr. Meakem's protest liner should have gone "The left and right doesn't do good. The left and right wants power." The most beneficial thing you can do is stop falling into the two party trap. Stop voting for the lesser of two evils. Either vote for the best person or don't vote at all. In the end you're doing more damage by voting for the Democrat or Republican than not at all. If you do choose to vote may I suggest someone from the Libertarian Party? Whatever your tactics may be, trying to change the GOP from within with candidates like Ron Paul or voting for a third party, don't get caught up in the Tea Party hooplah. It's bad for your mental health.

Average:

Your rating: None

My Hello and Debut to TDC Readers.

Haynes — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 01:30:08 +0000

Hello my equals. My name is Jason Haynes. I have been reading TDC since the beginning of the TDC trip. TDC has compelled me to think from a different aspect and view about our government. I have been challenged on many levels and wrestled with a few of my own ignorances after reading several, several great blogs by TDC. I have now, after a short delay from an invite, come to this WONDERFULLY insightful site to give my own ideas and opinions.

This is my first blog post on TDC. I have found it wise to give you an idea about where I have come from and where I am at now. I wrote the following after reading a powerful book about the Liberal Agenda and their attack on our borders, language and culture.

I hope it gives you a glimpse of where I come from and where I am at. I also hope to hear from and read the blogs of the TDC readers here in the future.

Educating and Fighting For Our Freedoms,
Jason Haynes

===========================================================================

This is dedicated to the blind and non-caring sectors of America. I was once like you, too. I believed that the Liberal Left ideology was correct and proper. Once I had walked deep in it. I have since, years past, walked away from it and now I have dived far into the politics of it for understanding. I have come to understand far too much to be ignorant of its trappings and massive effects it has on me, you, our children, our government, our media, our laws, our military, our values, our cities, our perceptions ... shall I go on?

Take offense at my freedom and understanding of my freedoms. Perhaps it will invoke a type of righteous anger that will cause the scales to slough off your eyes.

You have been indoctrinated more and more to believe that diversity is key to humanity, that "hate-speech" is constitutionally wrong, that Judeo-Christian teachings and values are out of sync with modern sciences and is harmful to the psyche.

They have made you automatons! You react as they tell you to react. You think as they tell you to think. You believe that they are correct with out question, because they tell you they are correct. You are brainwashed, mind numbed, intellectually limp. You are foolish enough to believe that you are a well informed, enlightened, tolerant American while the core of society and family values fall out from under you.

Signed,
The Defiant

Please visit our sponsor.

Average:

Your rating: None

The GOP Tea Party Campaign

Patrick Britton — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:52:58 +0000

Looking from the outside, with a different point of view than both Democrats and Republicans, I can see the benefits and the problems with the Tax Day Tea Party movement. As a Libertarian I whole heatedly agree with the point of the protest. Government is too big, too corrupt and too wasteful. I understand the resentment towards the government from my fellow Americans and look forward to going to my local Tea Party in Pittsburgh. The problem with the Tea Parties is a big one; it’s just a chance for the GOP to start early campaigning.

When the Tea Parties first started picking up some steam people on the right were not too crazy about the idea. Now that the right has realized people are getting involved with the protests they want a piece of the pie. They are on the right side of the fence this time around. A Tea Party protest would have made just as much sense during the Bush years. I doubt Hannity would have went to that Tea Party. Republicans are ready and willing to be deceived by goons like Hannity. Ready to forget about Bush and pretend the GOP knows what fiscal conservatism is again. Until they win back power of course.

People like me, and probably you too, can smell the trail of dung being left behind by the Republican Party as the run around screaming about government corruption. We aren’t dumb enough to pretend like the Bush years didn’t happen. Yet, somehow Republicans across the country are picking up signs and heading out to protest what their folks did for eight year. We could shrug this off as yet another Republican PR campaign but I won’t and I hope you don’t either. I’m going to head out to the protest with my fellow Americans and do my best to get the message of liberty out. Maybe a couple will listen, maybe they will understand how badly they have bamboozled. Even if they don’t it’s pointless to sit around and complain about it to ourselves.

I will be out to represent #TLOT and The Daily Conservative. If you’ll be at the Pittsburgh Tea Party it won’t be hard to notice my sign in the crowd. I’ll be more than happy to have chat with you and share some thoughts. If you are going to be at another party I will be posting an article with photos from the protest, I welcome you to tweet or mail them in to be included. The message of freedom is popular. As a former neoconservative myself I assure you that most conservatives desire to know the truth and need to hear it from someone like you. Have fun, be safe and spread the message of freedom.

Average:

Your rating: None