ACTION

The raging, twenty-four-seven political debates that virtually consume social media, many news sites, and entire cable stations is mostly filled with cheap shots, one-liners, bumper sticker slogans, and the same tired, half-truth arguments.

The endless, partisan maneuvering and jockeying for power among the political parties and branches of government often completely masks the fact that the culture and policy wars are not just clashes between squabbling political parties, but often are really basic conflicts between fundamentally different belief systems, world views, and ideological viewpoints. But that is increasingly lost in the world of thirty second sound bites, character assassination, talking heads, opponent bashing and pundit sloganeering as well as in the blaring informational and sensory overload the average American is subjected to on a daily basis.

It is also frustrating that political and ideological labels are thrown so haphazardly around with wild abandon. Neo-Marxists call themselves progressives. Liberals call themselves moderates. Libertarians and Objectivists routinely cloak themselves in the conservative label. And let us not even begin to dwell on the various names they call each other. Rarely does the general populace know, or even care, what anyone actually stands for and believes in. Let alone why.

Ideological instruction for the average person is woefully pathetic, inadequate, or almost completely absent. High School instruction is normally incredibly simplistic and often inaccurate, while college instruction is nearly universally biased beyond any hope of redemption. And the media just adds another layer of confusion and misinformation onto the entire situation. Is it any surprise then that a great number of our fellow citizens have only the foggiest concept of the various belief systems at play and a distorted understanding, at best, of the competing world views and agendas that affect their lives on a daily basis?

To help clear the air just a little I have taken the liberty of compiling what I believe are, and should be, the core principles of the American conservative movement. This list is in no way exhaustive and is designed to be a simple, but effective, articulation of what true conservatives agree are the core beliefs of their chosen ideology. If you veer too far from the principles below you are probably, in reality, not a conservative but a member of one of the many other political philosophies that exist to one degree or another in the body politic.

I would like to hear your comments on the list I have put together below as well as any additions or subtractions you would make to it. I have attempted to boil down what can be, and often are, complex concepts to their most easily understood and basic elements while still getting the point across in an effective manner.  While these may seem like fairly common sense policies and reasonable ideals to many, the various isms of the Left oppose nearly all of them both in theory and in practice.

             Conservative Principles

• -Honoring our Judeo-Christian Heritage
• -Personal Responsibility
• -Traditional Marriage
• -Two-Parent Family
• -Sanctity of Life                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
• -Free Enterprise
• -Corporate Responsibility
• -Rejection of the Nanny State
• -Honesty
• -Good Citizenship
• -Respect for Tradition
• -Patriotism
• -Victory in any War
• -Right to Keep and Bear Arms
• -Fiscal Responsibility
• -Small and Limited Government
• -Limited and Legal Immigration
• -American Exceptionalism
• -Preservation of the Middle Class
• -Adherence to the Constitution
• -Ordered Liberty
• -Justice
• -National Sovereignty
• -Self Reliance
• -Individual Rights
• -Traditional Morals and Values
• -The Right of Self-Defense
• -Common Sense
• -Discerning mind, not an open mind
• -Conservation, not Environmentalism

The most fundamental principles and building blocks of Western Civilization and the Republic deserve to be revered and protected. I believe the conservative ideology to be the political philosophy most dedicated to advocating and preserving the ideals and concepts that are absolutely essential for a strong nation, healthy culture, and successful society. Presenting these basic concepts in such a manner is essential when drawing the distinctions between various ideologies in a way that can be easily understood by the “common man.”

I have a buggy blog called “Things That Bug Me” (http://www.insectman.us/articles/karls/what-bugs-me.htm) where I use street smarts, country common sense, and a biblical basis to say what Hannity, Limbaugh et al. won’t say.  For example:

We can win everything and lose it all! If we do not win the hearts and minds of the next generation—it is all a waste!! We must rescue our children!!!

Please see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRGZLSVph3A, http://insectman.us/exodus-mandate-wv/index.htmand https://www.youtube.com/user/IndoctriNationMovie. 

That makes some people mad, but it is not just liberals.  I have been banned from both the (sick) loony left Huffington Post and the (self-) righteous right Tea Party Nation and Teabook.

Since my posts were clean and reasonably respectful (but tough with loon-lefty liberals), it had to be because the points stung the HuffPost censors. 

The Tea Party Nation dictator banned me for proclaiming that today’s conservatives seriously need to see what happened in 1974 when this culture war was launched.  That single censor caused lots of conservatives to miss important information.  Liberal censors are loathsome, but conservative censors stink.

The Freedoms that this Country has received from God are evident by Our abundance. Although I'm no longer in the military, I have seen, and remember, looking over the Barbed Wire Fences across the Minefields into the City/Slum of Guantanamo, Cuba. The Abject Poverty and the clearly visible Bread/food lines daily, signs of the Socialist, Communist government right off our shores and allowed by earlier generation of American Liberal Politicians, were reminders of just how good We the People of this great land has it.This Country, established on Godly principles and Defended by the Brave Women and Men of Our Military forces, has been Blessed beyond measure.

My Brothers, and son with his friends that still serve today, have seen the same things in the third world countries of today happening still.

Social experiments in Communism and Radical Islamic states continue not to learn from the failures of yesterday. As the U.S. of A. pushes forward on the path to socialism, propped up by the Obama administration and his Liberal minions, the failings of the Job market and Healthcare along with the Governments other illegal activities has nearly driven America to the breaking point.

How is it that the Liberal Media doesn't seem to see the Failings of this Administration and continues to push the whacked out follies on us at the word of our Resident( not president because He doesn't Lead anyone of Right mind) that occupies space in the White ,but tarnished, House. The meeting of the mindless robots, that Obama called to him this week, came out spewing the failed lies and fake promises of Obama's corrupt idea of government controlling all minutia of our lives.This is in No Way a Government By the People and For the People, but By Obama and for Obama. Stop this Frankenstein and the Monster that he's created. Vote Vote Vote, and press the Republicans to follow the Moral Conservatism that is the basis for true Liberty and Freedom everywhere.

Any Veteran that has been overseas can attest to these things and tell you about it. Act now, and stop this Mad Experiment fro continuing in Our United States.

Be Radical for the Just and Right things in your Conversations, Actions, and Prayers, Amen.

We might just be able to keep the American Dream Alive.

Like my Day Today = 3 AM and already cooking. 1st Turkey in oven at 4 AM. 1 in and 1 to go. Gonna' be a Hot time in the Old Town Tonight.
I'm sure looking forward to cooking all day with Amber and my Mom. Next to BBQ it's the best meals of the Year on the Holidays.

Baked Turkey, Home Made Stuffing/Dressing, Giblet Gravy, Sweet Taters with Lots of Butter and Brown Sugar Smothered in Tiny Marshmallows, Cranberry Sauce, Fresh Bread, and Pumpkin Pie Topped with Whipped Cream, Washed down with Piping Hot Coffee and the best Company in the Whole Dang WORLD. My Family, Praise the Lord.

"God Has Been Good to Me" Thank you JESUS.

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas my Fellow Americans.It has been and always will be an Honor to serve You.

WHEN DID THE conversation become all about money?  It didn’t start out that way. Sure, we wanted to evoke the Founding Fathers and the American Revolutionary spirit, so we thought of the Boston Tea Party, and the Taxed Enough, Already, movement got started.

But it wasn’t really about money. It was about Good and Evil.

When the discussion was about Good and Evil, we knew who we were. We were the good guys. Our rallies were famous for lawn chairs, portable barbecues, funny hats and relaxed attitudes.

When the speakers were finished, they would more than likely pull up a chair under somebody’s sun shade and share a hamburger. In the midst of almost total governmental darkness, we laughed and joked and shook hands all the way to a House majority and a filibusterable Senate.

Then it got grim.

 Somehow, it always gets grim. Conservatives are distinguished for being decent people, and far too often this leads us into talking about what the other guy wants to talk about. The result is that the other guy gets to dominate the conversation.

 The other guy, this time around (and pretty much always), is mammon.

 “Mammon,” too-often translated simply, “money,” is more than money: it is the secular world system of money-driven power. It is the system that regards, “it makes money,” as a moral statement, and thereby subordinates morality to the profit motive. It is the system that opposes God, because God tends to get in our way.

 God tells us we cannot serve both Him and mammon (Matthew 6:24). The reason for that is that, if we serve God, everything—including the profit motive—is subordinated to morality. And  not just any old morality, not a morality that we make up for ourselves, but Godly morality: the sort that holds the integrity of the family—every family—sacred, and sees human beings—all human beings—as living icons of Christ, however scarred those icons might be. Godly morality proclaims the dignity and the intended Divine destiny of  man, and hence the inestimable value of every life.

 If we reduce all of that to “fiscal responsibility,” we find ourselves, albeit inadvertently, playing the opposition’s game, on the opposition’s field, with the opposition’s borrowed equipment.

 So, how’s that working for us?

 Where is that easy-going good nature the TEA Party movement started with? Where is that ebullient confidence we all had, that came from being part of something not just logical and sensible, but Right—not as in Right and Left, but as in Right and Wrong. When did our determined optimism turn to angry defensiveness?

 When did we start losing?

 I think it was when we began to redefine “patriotism,” away from preserving our Godly and moral culture and toward preserving our bankroll.

 The result is that we’re beginning to look just like the Left. “Our” media are all full of “scare-selling,” to try to get our attention (and sell us protection against The Inevitable Disaster), supermarket-tabloid scandal-mongering, (as if that were the only way to hold our interest) and nasty, even profane blather on our discussion groups.

 This isn’t how we started. This isn’t how we won. This is how we started losing.

 We need to get back to saying what we want to say, our way, in our words, without embarrassment and without letting the Left set the rules for the conversation.

Recently, a conservative conference was announced. Some didn’t want to have anything to do with the moral conversation, so it split into two “conservative”  conferences. I frankly hope no-one attends the “fiscal-only” conference, because we just don’t need any more selling-out to mammon.

America has never been an immoral nation. It has never been an amoral nation. It has never been an atheistic nation. It has been a Christian nation for its entire life, until the Left sucker-pinched us in the 60’s and began to dominate the cultural conversation. If we are truly conservative Americans, we will work to rebuild the country that became the greatest nation on earth, and we will stop caving in to the demands of the Left that we join them in tearing down the moral foundation upon which our every strength—including our fiscal strength—was built.

You and I are politically well informed. But there are many Americans like my family who do not follow politics as closely as we do. Their political views are shaped by liberal media bias hit pieces, spin and sound bites.

99.9 % of my family are democrats because Marcus family traditional taught us the democrats are “for the little guy”. Republicans are “rich white racists”. Liberal media and the Democratic Party jointly support and promote this silly simple lie which still wins the democrats 95% of the black vote.

Despite me, the eldest of his five children being a black conservative tea party Republican, my 84 year old dad's negative view of Republicans remains steadfast. Dad tolerates my baffling political views because he loves me.

However, I would not be surprised if my family scheduled an intervention. A black van pulls up, a hood is thrown over my head and I'm carted off to an undisclosed location. I am denied food, water, bathroom privileges and subjected to video of Obama speeches 24/7 until I break.

It occurred to me that my family like many Americans are probably clueless regarding the truth of what it means to be a liberal and a conservative. Ironically, the majority of my family lives extremely responsible “conservative” lives. They go to work every day, serve their communities, attend church and raise their kids. And yet, the liberal media has lead them to believe the term “conservative” equals evil white racist.

So, I would like to offer my family and others a little “Conservatism 101”. For fun, let's call it “Conservatism for Dummies”.

Let us begin with a parable.

Tale of Two Dads- School is Difficult and Little Johnny Wishes to Stay Home.

Little Johnny says, “Dad I don't want to go to school. The kids are mean and the work is too hard!”

Liberal Dad replies, “I know just how you feel son. School was no picnic for me either. Stay home today”.

Conservative Dad replies, “Boy, you had better get your butt out of that bed and get ready for school. I'll talk to the principal and your teachers to work out any problems. An education is vital to your future success and happiness. I'm forcing you to go to school because I love you!”

I am not suggesting Liberal Dad does not love his child. But Liberal Dad's attempt to be his child's friend rather than a responsible parent is a spineless choice all about making himself feel good.

Patently liberal. Most liberal thinking and choices are about making themselves feel good as opposed to truly helping the people they claim to feel great compassion towards.

Conservative Dad's reply was that, not of a friend, but a responsible loving parent.

Liberalism is a religion. Despite failing whenever implemented, disciples of Liberalism faithfully believe if they can spend a little more of “other people's money”, they can bring forth their godless utopia where man is the ultimate authority. Atheists tend to embrace Liberalism.

Conservatism equals true/real compassion; rooted in common sense and honoring the human spirit. Conservatism celebrates achievement and a desire to be all one can be.

Liberalism is harmful and idiotic, while shrouded in so-called compassion. For example. Teachers at an LA school wanted Ebonics to be acceptable speech for black students. They argued that speaking Ebonics was cultural and learning English was too difficult. Black kids are not too stupid to learn to speak English correctly. Also, an inability to speak English is economically stifling.

And yet, whenever compassionate conservatives suggest learning English be required, they are branded racist by liberals.

You would think a “Liberal” is someone who is easy going, embracing a live-and-let-live attitude. In reality, liberals tend to be HUGE control freaks; arrogantly thinking themselves compassionately and intellectually superior to us common folks. This makes them best qualified to dictate how we should live our lives. Liberalism birthed Political Correctness which seeks to control what we are permitted to think, say and do.

Unquestionably, America was founded on Godly principles. Liberals want all reference to God banned from government and the public square, while demanding we display great tolerance for every other religion. Am I saying liberals tend to be anti-Christian? Yes!

Liberals are notorious for setting rules for the rest of us while exempting themselves. They want the government to demand we drive little more than lawnmowers covered with an auto body to “save the planet”. Meanwhile, they travel in limos and private jets.

In a nutshell, Liberals believe they know best. They use government to constantly invade our lives with new restrictions and controls. Government control hidden in Obamacare is the epitome of Liberalism.

I hope I have educated my family and others a little to the virtues of Conservatism and why it is best for all people.

Lloyd Marcus, Proud Unhyphenated American

Chairman of The Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama.
Lloyd is singer/songwriter of the American Tea Party Anthem and author of Confessions of a Black Conservative, foreword by Michele Malkin.
Spokesperson for Tea Party Express
Please help me spread my message by joining my Liberty Network.
LloydMarcus.com