My Coming Out

Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
~Richard Armour~

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to those who know me but I am a conservative republican.  There. I said it. Even more, I'm going to elaborate on WHY I'm a conservative (bet you saw that coming a mile away, huh?).

I believe in God and religious freedom - as did our forefathers. Nowhere have I ever seen or heard of anything that indicated they were offended by someone else's spiritual or religious beliefs. Even those who supported separation of church and state still believed in God.  Thomas Jefferson, for example, was one of those supporters of separation of church and state. When we wrote the 'Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom", he begins with the line "Whereas, Almighty God hath created the mind free".

Freedom of religion is one of the basic principles on which this great country was founded.  Somewhere along the line some yahoo decided that also meant freedom FROM religion.  I challenge anyone to find something - anything - that substantiates that claim.  Freedom OF religion simply grants everyone the right to practice whichever religion they so choose.  It doesn't force anyone to practice a religion.

I believe in the Second Amendment.  I just don't get the idea that gun control is the answer to decreasing the number of violent crimes.  Seriously?  Criminals don't obey laws anyway and, truthfully, what's the percentage of criminals who are armed with legal weapons?  Are there even statistics on that?

I believe parents have the right to discipline their children without interference from the government.  Spanking your children is NOT abuse.  Exactly WHEN did it happen that children have more rights than their parents? Yes, abuse happens and that should be dealt with accordingly but to tell every parent they can't discipline their children because some children are abused is just wrong.  No wonder we have so much disrespect and crime in our country.  Children aren't taught that actions have consequences.  Without that, how can they learn right from wrong?

I believe anyone from any country should be able to come to America but through LEGAL channels.  I believe anyone wishing to make my country their home should have to learn our language - not the other way around.  America has always been known as the Great Melting Pot - and I'm proud of that heritage - but when our ancestors came here (and unless you're 100% American Indian, you're here because someone immigrated) they came legally and adapted to OUR customs and ways of doing things.  My husband's grandparents were immigrants from Italy.  The first thing they did was learn our language.  They still spoke Italian at home and honored their cultures BUT they practiced American cultures in public.  They became citizens and worked hard to make a living.  With good reason and my support, my husband is very proud of his Italian ancestry.

I believe in supporting our country and honoring those who fought and died for all of our freedoms.  We don't have to believe in a cause or support the reasons for a war in order to respect and support our troops.

I believe in the right to life.  I can't imagine any circumstance under which I would kill my unborn baby.  Having said that, abortion is a legal right and I would never deny someone else their right to obtain one.  However, I absolutely, positively do NOT believe that my tax dollars should pay for what I believe to be murder.  It kind of goes back to another line Thomas Jefferson wrote in his "Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom": "That to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical".  That could apply to a lot of things, couldn't it?

I also believe in love and the rights of everyone to marry the person they love.  I believe in the Bible and the teachings of Jesus but I also recognize that not everyone believes as I do.  I support those who believe differently in their right to their beliefs and would never judge or condemn someone for choosing a path different than mine.  Love is too rare a commodity today for me to attempt to tell anyone who they can or can't love.

So, there you go.  I'm a conservative republican who is tolerant of all beliefs, who supports the rights of everyone to their own beliefs and opinions and who thinks maybe she might have been born in the wrong decade.