A Moment in History We Cannot Let Slip By

Except for a brief respite from 1980 until 1988 -- those glorious years when a real conservative ruled the land -- Democrats have been the captors of the country, and more specifically, of Republicans for the past 50 years. We have been beaten down and  shoved aside, and the signs are starting to show.

Most of us had never heard of the Stockholm Syndrome until Patty Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) in the 1970's, but many of us remember the symptoms to this day. And we are seeing it in the so-called Republican Party today. No matter how badly mistreated the Republican party has been by the majority Democrat Congress -- and equally so by the majority Democrat media -- they are all too eager to please their tormentors by any means possible.

And the American people have finally had enough. It began in 2010 with a massive landslide victory for what was supposed to be a new breed of Republicans, a brood that promised fire and brimstone for the policies of the recent past and a vow to bring the party back to its glory days. And yet, once these alleged "new Republicans" got to Washington, most were quickly co-opted by the cozy lifers already ensconced in their comfy seats. And the people lost again. When was the last time you heard someone utter the words "TEA Party"? Hmm?

Two men have lived up to that promise, however, and only one is now paying the price for his deflowered colleagues' foibles. Mike Lee remains a strong fighter for the principles on which he ran, and if the Establishment Republicans get their way, the other -- Ted Cruz -- will remain in the Senate as well. But how will they do it?

Well, someone stepped up to aide them in that endeavor...Donald Trump. And Democrats, again.

Donald Trump has been performing above all expectations in this election cycle, mostly because the American people are so fed up with the shenanigans of Washington that they have gone overboard in their desire for an "outsider" to win the White House. And while Trump makes grandiose statements and speeches about what he will do for America, the people pay no attention to the fact that Trump has virtually no concrete plans to anything.

"He is a smart businessman", they will say, and that may be true. But Trump's litigious style will not go far with the likes of Putin, China or the mullahs of Iran. And as he promises to bring us back from the financial brink, Chapter 11 bankruptcy will not fly with our creditors. These are two tactics that Trump is known for, and they have made him billions, but they will not work with our own Congress, and the Trump supporters of today will be sorely disappointed with their choice. (Think of Obama buyers' remorse).

Ted Cruz is taking the brunt of the ire of Americans because they simply will not vote for any Washington candidate, but they do so at their own peril.

Think about what Cruz has already done. He campaigned on the TEA Party platform, stating that he would fight for the dismantling of Obamacare and against the influx of illegal aliens from Mexico. He promised to fight against Obama's unconstitutional Executive Orders. And he has stood fast on these issues. And often alone. Did he give in? Did his own ostracization make him slink away?

The answers are no and no. So please don't blame Ted Cruz for the anger you feel towards everyone in Washington.

Cruz, unlike Obama, is a genuine Constitutional Conservative, having clerked for J. Michael Luttig, United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit in 1995 and Chief Justice William Renquist, SCOTUS, in 1996.

An Unabashed Conservative

As Solicitor General for the state of Texas, Cruz argued before the Supreme court nine times, winning five out of nine cases. He also wrote the amicus brief in District of Columbia v. Heller which was signed by the attorneys general of 31 states. District of Columbia v. Heller, you may recall, argued that D.C.'s handgun should be struck down for infringing on the second amendment's right to keep and bear arms. Cruz also presented oral argument for the amici states in the companion case to Heller before the  United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Trump speaks boldly and bluntly about issues dear to the American people, and I understand the enthusiasm, I really do. But he is incapable of delivering on much of what he claims. Ted Cruz, on the other hand, has demonstrated that if he says it, he will do it. Or at least fight like hell for it. And I fail to see how any bona fide Conservative can actually vote for Trump.

His big wins in the primaries and caucuses thus far are the result of the open primary policies of the respective states in which they have been conducted. Open primary means that Democrats can also vote for (or against) Republican candidates.

We get one shot at saving America, folks. Please...don't blow it this time because of a misguided rage.

(Side note). For those that may argue that Cruz will get nothing done because everyone in Washington hates him, remember one thing. Historically, all new presidents enjoy a "honeymoon" period in which everyone in Washington scrambles to ...kiss ass, for lack of  better term. President Cruz will do just fine, trust me.

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A Country I No Longer Recognize

I mourn for my country.

It gives me no pleasure to write this essay. I just wanted to make that clear from the outset. However, in just the last decade, my country has transformed into an unrecognizable land so diverse from my childhood that I weep today. At times, I truly wonder if ISIS has taken hold here, eager to destroy every historical landmark of our heritage through the politically correct process.

A terrible tragedy befell the residents Charleston, South Carolina  last week, in which a man who was seen previously waving the Confederate flag sat in a Bible meeting for an hour and then murdered nine innocent people, including the pastor.

In the aftermath -- and I do not mean to brush aside the incredible grace of the families of those murdered by any means -- the debate  has shifted from the ridiculous to the outright absurd. Not only are politicians and activists around the country lobbying to have the Confederate flag removed from virtually everywhere, but now old monuments to our original Founders have come under attack.

There are already cries from so-called Americans to have the statues of generals from the Civil War removed from universities and government sites, and even calls by some to abolish the American flag itself. Some ponder the demolition of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. And I shake my head.

How did we get to a point in America where we so cavalierly consider destroying our own historical structure just to appease a few dissenters? More to the point, how did said dissenters gain such a powerful voice and opinion? The answer is shocking to anyone who has avoided politics most of their lives, while those who have remained engaged will understand perfectly.

Our entire educational system has been co-opted by radical left-wing elements who teach in our universities and churn out far more radicalized pupils than those who emerge unfazed by the indoctrination techniques employed therein. These former pupils then immerse themselves into every aspect of the American system, most notably our media, and the results are not very difficult to observe.

Borne of necessity, alternate news sites have emerged in the internet age, but are easily marginalized by the Progressive machine, and results have filtered down even to the consumers of these sources. We are losing America, folks, and I'm not sure if we can reverse course. As government continues to grow, and as all three branches continue to morph into a giant conglomerate of the same ideology, the sane among us continue to be cast aside as heretics, and we are losing ground.

We are legion across this nation, but we are disconnected. We must find a way to organize -- a phrase I am loathe to use -- into a network of people determined to save our country before it is too late.

We must put forth the message that our history, for all its warts, is an important reminder of how far we have come. Today, black and white Americans interact as though a chasm never existed between us, and yet, our first black president has succeed in driving a wedge between us large enough to nearly cause complete chaos. Our friends of the opposite color remain as before, but inner city kids have taken Obama's message a bit too far, and the main stream media has only stoked the flames. And supposedly well-meaning professors and celebrities have done far more harm in our collective relations.

I estimate we have but one more chance -- a last chance, if  you will -- to set this once great nation back on the course originally laid before us by the very men who are so cavalierly vilified on a daily basis. November 2016 is slightly more than a year away. We must hold on tightly to what we can and elect a Conservative president at that time or I fear it will be our swan song.

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Proof of the Slippery Slope and the Hypocrisy of the Left

The First Amendment is number one for a reason; it is the most fundamental right of American citizens under the Constitution.

Our Founding Fathers knew one thing most clearly, and that is that men are inherently drawn to power and are thence corrupted by it, resorting to the most base tactics to maintain it once it is in their grasp. These great men worked tirelessly to craft a document that would best protect their future children from the fates other nations had suffered under oppressive tyranny, and prevent future politicians from the same temptation.

It seems their efforts were in vain.

So deeply did George Washington hold those beliefs that after his second term was over, he left the Capitol and returned to his plantation over the objections of an adoring populace that begged him to stay on as President.

Today, there are no men of such principle, for they cling to power and refer to their relative positions in Congress as "their seats". And America is suffering as a result. The Founders never intended this nation to have career politicians, those who would reign over the people for thirty or forty years. We now have "representatives" who have known no other way of life. Their entire careers have been spent writing laws telling the rest of us how to live our lives. The sad thing is...we keep re-electing them.

Which brings me to the most disturbing news of the day. A city in Idaho has enacted an ordinance that basically forces Christian churches to perform gay weddings or risk fines or imprisonment. Yes, you read that correctly, this is not about a public bakery or florist, this is about churches. The town of Coeur d‘Alene, Idaho, is threatening pastors within their community with jail time and fines if the pastors defy the ordinance instructing them to violate their beliefs.

Remember when the whole issue of "gay rights" began heating up? Remember the assurances of Liberals that all they really wanted was "equality for homosexuals"? Well, like any other issue, the Left lied to you, and if you were sympathetic to their causes, you helped create this new nightmare.

Congratulations.

What will follow in the coming months and years, presumably, should be fairly entertaining to behold, for as the left has been quite adamant in their assertion that Thomas Jefferson built a "wall of separation" between church and state, they will no doubt rally around this new trend in governance whereby it is suddenly okay to breech that wall so long as it suits their agenda. The problem, however, is that the Left's position is in stark contrast to Jefferson's intent.

Jefferson intended to ensure that free men (that would be all of us) would not be compelled to subscribe to a particular religion but would rather be free to worship their own private God, or not worship at all if that was their prerogative. It was never intended that government could not embrace religion at all, such as Nativity scenes being banned from public spaces.

And despite the assurances given by the Left about the aims of the pro-gay crowd, in which they swore that "no one is going to force churches to abandon their beliefs", here we have a small municipal entity doing just that very thing.

Oh sure, the next argument from the Left will be that it's just an isolated incident, and that the behemoth that is the Federal Government would never  enact such laws...um, got some spare cash and a hankering for a paved river crossing?

So...here's the hypocrisy part. If you're a Conservative, you've already got it. If you're a Liberal -- and assuming you've made it this far in the article -- here is a recap. While the Left has long maintained that the "Separation Clause" is concrete evidence that Christmas decorations are banned from the lawn of Town Hall, they will argue vehemently that the government has every right to force Christian pastors to marry homosexuals because "it's discrimination" if they don't.

That bridge is still for sale. Cheap.

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