On the day I was called upon to answer executive, judicial, and legislative questions, conservatism’s benevolent angel spread its wings o’er me and in my stead said “I am the protector of all, but especially of commoners. And it’s I who truly cares about, and watches over the downtrodden, rather than use them as political pawns. And when my comforts reach the nation’s population, they aid all segments of it. And I’d ask you to remember that it’s one thing to determine if speculations concerning the past were real or fabricated, and then quite another to fathom what, if any changes were wrought in the great society because of any alterations to the expected present.”
“And if I were a human, I’d not want my nation’s top investigative force to determine how many beers I’d drunk at a party many years ago, or if indeed that party had ever taken place. And I’d especially not want such a probe, when the real reason for it would not be to determine whether or not any wrongdoing had occurred many years ago, but rather to simply delay the confirmation hearings of a well-qualified judicial candidate until after some upcoming elections had taken place. And if indeed I had attended some parties where illegal or immoral activities had occurred, and I found my conscience troubled by my attendance there, or by my participation in such activities, I’d report such parties and activities to parents and authorities as soon as possible, not half a lifetime later.”
“But I wouldn’t continually try to pit men against women, and women against men for political advantage. And I’d try to dissolve and resolve racial tensions across my land, rather than exacerbate them in an attempt to gain governmental power. Oh, and I’d not pick on elderly white males simply because their lives are nearing their conclusions. Instead, I’d honor those men for the work they did for me; and remember, if all they did during their lifetimes was support themselves and their families, then they helped me, because then I didn’t need to pay for their welfare.”
“And if I voted in elections to determine the leadership of my nation, I’d not vote for such a political party which constantly tries to stir up trouble across my land. I’d vote instead for such a party which attempts to keep my freedoms real, and which works to protect me from seizures of my hard earned wealth, and redistribution of it to mortals who wish not to work, or are existing within my homeland illegally, or both. And now, Steven, my testimony is ended, and yours must begin”
And Mr. Fillmore took his place on the stand then and said: Rest now. Rest within the knowledge that we sought always righteousness, civility, caring, humility, individualism, order, and personal freedom for all men and women; but that we tempered that search with a promise to never grant victory or sanctuary to those who in one way or another wish to denigrate the lifestyle of any human, provided of course that such a lifestyle was in accordance with rightful laws. And, no, we didn’t sanction the actions of freeloaders. They feel society owes them a living.
And maybe you’re wondering why the word “lodestar” appeared as the title of this piece. Apparently it’s a convenient word for cowards to use when they publish anonymous opinion pieces. Words such as it evidently “set up” innocent pawns as the possible authors of worthless cheap-shot pieces which publications of credibility wouldn’t print.
But of course we support freedom of the press. And we support magazines and newspapers who dig for dirt against aspiring governmental employees. And we sympathize with writers who evidently have nothing better to write about than meaningless mistakes and accomplishments either committed or performed recently, years ago, or many years ago. Yet, we wish those writers would take a look at themselves in a truth-telling mirror. Maybe then they’d see that they’re neither God’s gift to journalism, nor to a peaceful passage of time for God’s children upon planet Earth.
Still, thank goodness our members of the House of Representative and Senate can take time out from their “impeachment crying sessions” to determine for us whether or not any judicial nominees ever bumped into any members of the opposite sex as they walked down the hallways of their high school many years ago. And may God bless those ex-presidents who travel our land today spreading their message of hatred and racial discord; as well as those “investigators” who today waste their own time as well as taxpayer dollars “looking into” possible wrongdoing by the winning side of the last presidential election, when most likely the losing side was guilty of it.
And, if the liberal-based political party ends up not faring as well as it expects to in the upcoming elections, it may well be because of the shameful conduct its members displayed during the recent Supreme Court nomination process. Hopefully voters will remember how, for nothing more than the chance to extend their control over the American populace, those liberal senators attempted to ruin the career of a good and honest man.
But in the end, the most tragic aspect of liberalism and its purveyors is that it and they are, and always will be beholden only to losers, haters, crybabies, and nihilists. And as a political force, though it has, and will continue to win certain battles, ultimately it will always fail, simply because most human beings don’t want the fruits of their labors torn from them and given to other humans who wish not to work, or would rather live off the labors of someone else, in that someone else’s country.
The general rule for those who create jobs is to seek labor at the lowest possible cost. As a result, since deregulation began and unions declined, wage earners have not kept up with management in terms of income. In fact, statistics show that over 50% of the working public has no assets. There are lots of conservative arguments against this inability to save, but it is a result of underpaying labor. And conservative elements have contributed largely to outsourcing jobs overseas, downsizing staff and hiding money in offshore accounts to avoid taxes (big government).
As for ethical behavior, you and I both observed unethical behavior in high school and in college, particularly among certain cliques, gangs and fraternities. I didn't report what I saw or heard, because it was small potatoes… Mostly racial insults… Sexual innuendo towards females… And marijuana use. Nothing that I wanted to report. However, women who were raped because they went somewhere for the excitement of a party, had many reasons why they couldn't tell even their best friend what happened to them, especially not the police who often would interrogate them more than their abusers. Rich boys always got off with a slap on the hand for vile acts. Their parents had money and influence.
Supreme Court justices should have the highest ethics available. Thirty years ago, Anita Hill had the courage to challenge the appointment of Clarence Thomas. Conservative elements allowed him to serve anyway. Last week, Bill Cosby was sentenced to prison for sexual assault of women. Many other men recently have been proven to be sexual predators. And we know of presidents that took advantage of their power. It is time that the double standard when it comes to sex between men and women cease. "Boys will be boys," is no longer a good excuse. Boys become men. Unethical boys become unethical men.
I looked up the best presidents. Aside from Abraham Lincoln in first and George Washington in second, the top presidents were all liberal leaning with the highest conservative being Ronald Reagan. Even the hated Barack Obama rated ahead of Reagan. Our current president ranked absolute last of all presidents, including some of very dubious character. His administration has been full of drama, leaks, firings, indictments and missteps. Along the way, some impeachable acts. No one of any ability to think critically would wish to continue to honor someone who so continually disgraces the importance of the work the people have elected him to do.
United States of America is a very important country, even great. As such, we should embrace the rest of the world in friendship, fellowship and work on our most severe problems. Conservative insistence on isolating ourselves like George Washington wanted nearly 250 years ago does not bode well for a peaceful, helpful and forward thinking world.
Ron