“It’s one thing to have a sizable minority like the Democrats stand in your way, but it is just unacceptable when a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of Republicans in Congress also rear up in opposition and join the liberal Democrats to derail an agenda. At some point that has to be faced. It has to be faced because these RINOs, these moderates, are undermining our agenda on taxes; they are undermining our agenda on spending; they are undermining our agenda on oil drilling, and they are undermining the war on terror…â€
—Rush Limbaugh, November 11, 2005
Excuse the long quote, but Rush has wrapped up the problem with RINOs and how we the Republican Party are going to get the heart beating again and stop the bleeding. Too many disgruntled conservatives have left the Party or are voting for “conservative†Democrats. The Republican Party’s heart is barely beating and it is bleeding profusely and immediate first aid is required.
How do we restore the Republican Party’s heartbeat? We need to pump new life into it and that means new, healthy candidates. We need to remove the RINOs—Senators Arlen Specter (PA), George Voinovich (Ohio), Chuck Hagel (Neb), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), John Warner (VA), Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins (this will be hard to do in Maine). And that’s just the Senate; I’m keeping my eye on the House too!
We also need to be concerned with stopping the bleeding. In what I consider that greatest betrayal by Republicans to a Republican President, the Commander-in-Chief, and also to the new commander in Iraq, and the troops in Iraq, the Senate is considering a resolution denouncing the plan to send more troops to Baghdad. This blood-letting must stop! Republicans are scared that they may not get reelected if they support the President in his efforts TO WIN THE WAR! Sorry for shouting, but I’m absolutely fed up.
I need everyone to email and call their Senators and the National Republican Senatorial Committee and let them know that if Republicans, all of them, do not get behind the President on this, the money and support stops. Not a penny!
Senator Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman and 2008 Democratic Presidential hopeful, said that this is not to embarrass the President or to tell him he’s wrong, but to rebuke him. HELLO! (sorry) Senator Biden, it is not only an embarrassment to the President, it is an embarrassment to our country and the troops. And guess what gentlemen? Al-Jazeera thinks what you’re doing is very newsworthy! (Just hit the link and read)
General Petraeus, the new commander in Iraq, believes the surge will work because security to Baghdad is vital. At least one Senator gets it; Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said the following to the general: “I want to urge my colleagues to consider your testimony this morning and to put the brakes on’ such resolutions. ‘You, in my opinion, will receive unanimous or near-unanimous support… [for the nomination] from this committee and from the [full] Senate. But I fear that a resolution of disapproval will send you [Petraeus] over there” to Iraq with mixed signals to the Iraqis.â€
Obviously I could on at great length writing about the examples of the RINO effect in Congress and how it is weakening our country, but space and time will not allow. Suffice to say, that if we can at least take the immediate first-aid steps to keep our patient alive, we can then administer the antidote to cure the sickness that is within the Republican Party. More on that in Part 5.
Let me be perfectly clear…our “patient” is most definitely hurt, bleeding and in need of some immediate attention. Dave is doing an excellent job of pointing out that the bleeding must stop. As an old (as Dave likes to point….out even though he’s MUCH older than me) combat lifesaver, one of the first things we did was stop the bleeding. We will do that by supporting candidates that honestly support true (Reagan) conservative ideals. This will stop the bleeding. You also need to clean a wound to begin the healing process. As Dave has pointed out, the RINOs are not much more than an infection that needs to be cleaned from our wounded patient.
As the title of this blog suggests, “Salt & Light” has an even deeper meaning than mere political agendas. This is where our patient is going to truly be “healed”. You can stop the bleeding and clean the wound but if you fail to address the cause of the wound, the patient will continue to suffer. I am a born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. So is Dave and so are many that would be drawn to a “Salt & Light” blog. As such, it is my strong belief that our patient is not just the conservative, republican party but rather our nation and our world. As a society, we have abandoned God. This is the ultimate cause of the patient’s wounds. You can speak freely in public school about any religious figure…just as long as it’s not Jesus Christ. There are riots if you mock any religious figure…except Christ of course. It has become fashionable in America to make Jesus Christ and those who believe in Him the objects of humor. We no longer have any regard for the God who has so richly blessed this great land of ours. We have no regard for the founders of this country who worked so hard to ensure that our land was built on Christian principles but also with the freedom to worship whomever and however we pleased. It is little wonder that our patient is suffering. As a people, we have reached a point where we no longer value the gift of life. We have allowed the murder of our unborn simply for convenience. We tell our elderly, by our actions, that they bring nothing to the table and we judge their quality of life based on it’s relevance to us….not God. I am not surprised by any of this. Anyone who has studied the Word of God should not be surprised. All of this, and much more, was written down for us long ago. America just doesn’t want to listen any more because it’s inconvenient. To acknowledge God, His Son Jesus Christ, and His Word would require change. Sadly, America has become ungrateful and unwilling to admit that the only reason we have the greatest nation on earth is that God has made it so. How long can we expect to bask in the blessings God provides if we persist is expelling him from our lives? How long can our patient survive if the very giver of life is only allowed to exist or be recognized in our churches…and nowhere else?
Our patient is hurt…and bleeding. The problem is that the patient may temporarily recover if the bleeding is stopped and the wound cleaned (i.e. we elect true conservatives). For the patient to be well and truly healed, I believe that it is absolutely paramount for the patient to regain the gratitude and reverence for the God who made him. I believe that for a Christian, our patient isn’t really just the republican party but rather the heart of every living soul. One man changed the whole world. The small group who sacrificed all to teach others about Him reached thousands upon thousands. Here is the real point (finally…I know)…if we can somehow manage to restore a respect for our religious heritage, if we can somehow stifle the continuous erosion of religious liberty, if we can manage to stop trying to play God by deciding which lives have worth, then we will find that there won’t really be a problem with RINOs. If we can change the heart of America…our patient will not only be healed…he’ll be free from worry about being wounded in the first place. Political majorities and minorities are just a reflection of the people they represent. That’s why they’re called representatives. If we truly desire to have a conservative majority to govern our land, we have only one hope.
2 Chronicles 7:14 – if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Sadly…it’s not our politicians who’re at the root of the problem. They are a result of the problem. Our current political struggles are simply the result of a nation that refuses to humble itself, a nation that has all but banned prayer, a nation who not only doesn’t seek God’s face but considers mocking Him “entertainment”, a nation that refuses to turn from it’s wicked ways (and now even argues that “wicked” is “good”). Our nation has become Sodom…and we wonder why our politicians don’t govern responsibly.
None of this is written to counter or contradict Dave. He’d be the first to stand up for his faith…no matter the cost. This forum is about being Salt & Light…and I applaud Dave for creating it. Our nation is getting darker and darker and believers need to stand up and BE that salt and light. Dave is doing a grand job (check out his book) and I’m happy to be able to (hopefully) add to the discussion.
Amen!
Bill,
What an outstanding post! Those are the type of comments we’re looking for. Of course I echo everything you said and second Steve Marusich’s comment, “Amen!” I will be writing more on this spiritual need for revival in our country, but I wanted to get everyone’s attention first in the first 100 hours of the new Congress. There are some conservatives who still believe they did the right thing by not voting. We’ll see how they feel when Bush’s next Supreme Court nominee goes before the Democratic-controlled Senate.