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REQUIEM

Below are the two final essays to be posted on Allegiance and Duty Betrayed. The first one is written by a friend -- screen name 'Euro-American Scum' -- who, over the past four years, has been the most faithful essayist here. He has written about everything from his pilgrimage to Normandy in 2004 to take part in the 60th–year commemoration of the invasion, to his memories of his tour in Vietnam. His dedication to America’s founding principles ... and those who have sacrificed to preserve them over the past 200+ years ... is unequaled. Thank you, E-A-S. It has been a privilege to include your writing here, and it is a privilege to call you my friend.

The second essay is my own farewell. And with it I thank all of the many regular visitors, and those who may have only dropped in occasionally, for coming here. I hope you learned something. I hope a seed or two was planted. But, even if not, I thank you for stopping by ... 25 March, 2010

11/03/2009

The Greatest and Most Spontaneous
Outpouring of American Political
Activism Since the Vietnam War ...


Below is a copy of a letter that a good friend of Rick’s and mine wrote today to his congressional representative in North Carolina. I am posting it here on AADB in the hopes that John’s activism will spur others to do the same.

It’s easy to claim that writing to our ‘leadership’ in D.C. won’t make a difference (and I suspect that that claim is correct more often than not). But if we sit back and do nothing more than complain, then, after the fall of America as we once knew it, we may ask ourselves ‘What if I had voiced my opinion more loudly and forcefully and often? Could I have made a difference?’

Regret is one of the most painful, and useless, emotions. Get up off your couches. Turn off your television sets. And do what you can, before the opportunity to do so evaporates before your very eyes.

Here is (one of) John’s valiant attempt(s) to make a difference:
___________________________

Dear Rep. Shuler --

Are you crazy?

On just about every issue of our time, you are working AGAINST the wishes of the people who elected you, and FOR the far left agenda of Nancy Pelosi from San Francisco.

We want jobs, and you give us tax increases and more regulation.

We want common-sense health care reform, and you intend to curse us with a Soviet-style medical bureaucracy loaded with massive taxes, free care for illegal aliens, death panels, and taxpayer-funded abortions. (Don’t tell me all that stuff isn’t in the bill because, unlike you, I’ve actually read it.) And then you have the gall to send us the tab for $1.3 trillion and tell us it’s "deficit neutral".

We want America to become energy independent and yet you and Pelosi block drilling for oil and natural gas here at home. You block the construction of nuclear power plants and hydroelectric projects. Your only instinct is to slap massive taxes on gasoline and electricity via the foolish Cap and Trade bill that YOU voted for. (Your vote and one other were responsible for the passage of Cap and Trade.)

In these tough times, we want the government to spend less and budget more like the rest of us have to do in our own lives. But instead you vote for more wasteful spending and massive deficits at every opportunity - debts that can never be repaid. And you have the nerve to put a “National Debt Clock” on your website.

We want tort reform but YOU want to tax states that enact tort reform. (That’s in Pelosi’s health care bill, too.)

We want less government intrusion into our lives, and you’re using your office to increase the power and influence of the federal government at every level.

You don’t even read the bills before you vote on them. (Apparently you just vote the way Ms. Pelosi tells you, which must make your job a lot simpler.)

You took an oath to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution, but your leader Nancy Pelosi says, “Are you serious?” when asked where in the Constitution is Congress granted the power to force citizens to buy health insurance.

You’ve seen the greatest and most spontaneous outpouring of American political activism since the Vietnam War, and your response is to run and hide from your constituents - you won’t even meet with us or listen to what we have to say.

All I can say is keep walking that plank. You’ll be reaching the end of it come next November.

-- John Cooper

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cooper, I don't know Schuler but from the tone of your letter he's not "one of us." Your letter will wind up in the circular file after he reads "Are you crazy?" That doesn't mean that you shouldn't have written that, just that the truth will hurt. ;)

I may just follow suit and write a couple of my own soon. Thanks for the push.

John Cooper said...

Some say one should be respectful when writing one's Congressman, but I say, "Respect must be earned". Shuler hasn't earned a dimes worth.

None of our so-called 'representatives' read letters from or listen to *anything* their constituents say, so why pretend that they do? I've been writing polite letters to my Senators and Congressmen since the sixties, and *never once* have I gotten a reply that hinted that they might have actually considered my ideas. So no more mister nice guy for me.

Shuler claims to be a "Blue Dog" Democrat, but that's just a smoke screen to fool the people in his mostly-conservative district. With the exception of the TARP bill, he's voted with Pelosi on every bill that's come up.

He voted to lose the war in Iraq. He voted for the Porkulus bill. He voted for Cap and Tax. He voted for the recent hate-crime bill. He adamantly refused to hold a town hall meeting with his constituents in August, and refuses to state his position on Pelosicare or any other issue.

I'll be carrying my "Heath Shuler [D-San Francisco]" sign outside his office in Asheville this Thursday with the rest of the Tea Partiers. That may not do any good either, but at least I'll be able to tell my grandchildren that at least I tried to stop the destruction of America.

I read where last week, Organizing for America got 350,000 of their drones to call Congress in support of socialized medicine. Joanie, you know that last month I sent out a letter to about fifty of my friends, neighbors - and even acquaintances - urging them to call or write their Senators and Representatives regarding the health care bill. *NOT ONE* person ever made that call, not even my own brother or my best friend.

I have to say that if we conservatives have gotten too jaded to make a simple phone call, then we deserve everything that Obama shoves down our throats.

robmaroni said...

Cooper, you forgot the "xoxoxo" at the end of the letter. :>)

Good job! I still write to my Senators and Congressmen too, when something really gets me riled up. But like you I know full well they probably don't even read it. Even so, I guess it's time to sit down at my desk again.

Cal Brindisi said...

I read where last week, Organizing for America got 350,000 of their drones to call Congress in support of socialized medicine. Joanie, you know that last month I sent out a letter to about fifty of my friends, neighbors - and even acquaintances - urging them to call or write their Senators and Representatives regarding the health care bill. *NOT ONE* person ever made that call, not even my own brother or my best friend.

I've had the same thing happen. When the "immigration reform bill" was being considered, I sent an e-mail to everyone I know or ever did know urging them to call, e-mail, fax and let their representatives in Washington know where they stood.

I think I got a response from maybe 20% of the people, and most of them said it wasn't worth the effort.

Thank God the rest of the country didn't feel that way.

John Cooper said...

Cal--

I was reading an article yesterday that proposed that the current generation has come up during times of mostly peace and prosperity and has no idea that "bad things can happen to good people"...or a good country.

I think there may be something to that theory.

Who was it that said liberty must be fought for every generation?

Lou Barakos said...

Thank you, Cooper. Lots of common sense in your letter and your comments under it.

joanie said...

John, all your points are very well taken, as usual.

I am just hoping that independent conservatives, like you and I, do not read too much into the republican victories in VA and NJ yesterday. They were indeed heartening, but that is it.

The left is obsessively focused on stealing our freedoms and setting themselves up as our ‘benefactors’, and they work 24/7 to that end. The right has other ‘interests’ – like earning a living, taking care of their families, and seeing to it that they have something left over at the end of the day. We fight our battles as they occur, hoping to win a few of them. But the left is constantly battling, with the ferocity of a hungry lion.

For that reason alone, we cannot win this war. Not anymore. Their foothold is too strong, and their determination will not be denied.

Who was it that said liberty must be fought for every generation?

Jefferson said something like that: Every generation needs a new revolution.

Some of his other worthy (especially now) comments:

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.

Experience has shown that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rotteness begins in his conduct.


I’ll be writing a few of my own letters to my ‘leadership’ over the next twenty-four hours, thanks to your example.

~ joanie

John Cooper said...

Joanie--

I think you're correct that the right has historically been too busy with their jobs and families to worry much about politics. I see some signs that that's changing, though.

What do you think about the theory that many conservatives are entering retirement now, and have more time to devote to politics?

All I know is that the Tea Party protests I've attended are mostly (75%?) composed of retired people, many of them (if not most) veterans.

Aside: A few days ago I put a notice on our community bulletin board advertising the Tea Party tomorrow and offered to give anyone wanting to attend a ride.

Nobody called.

John Galt said...

CBO Confirms GOP Plan Will Lower Health Care Premiums, Lower Deficit Without Tax Hikes on Families & Small Businesses

Cooper, I wonder how long it will take for Pelosi to fire Elmendorf (Director of the CBO).

Alexi B. said...

I give all the people who are going to be at all the Tea Parties tomorrow a lot of credit. I think some of those who've been attending tea parties up until now might have been just a novel idea, flash in the pan type. From now on, it'll mostly be just dedicated Americans who aren't going to lose interest.

What's the alternative? Do nothing while socialists run roughshod over the Constitution? I know for a fact there'll be many busloads travelling to D.C.

Anonymous said...

You've seen the greatest and most spontaneous outpouring of American political activism since the Vietnam War, and your response is to run and hide from your constituents - you won�t even meet with us or listen to what we have to say.

Shuler represents the mind set of most of our leaders in Washington. For the first time in our history, they think they have free rein to do whatever they like, all the while ignoring the Consitution.

Conservatives have won a battle with the postponement of the heath care debacle. But the war ain't over until the last liberal has yelled "uncle!" because as long as one of them still has his agenda intact they'll recruit more soldiers.

Arnie Ballard

Anonymous said...

I heard that, after he was informed about what happened at Ft. Hood yesterday, but before he took the podium at whatever speaking engagement he was involved in at the time, Obama was high-fiving and whooping it up with all the people there. Then when he took the podium and the cameras were rolling he was all somber and sad about the death of all those soldiers.

That's kind of like Clinton telling jokes when he was leaving Ron Brown's funeral, and then instantaneously wiping a tear from his eye when he saw that the cameras were on him.

I am really looking forward to Glenn Beck's take on the Ft. Hood massacre tonight.

Brian Spear said...

That's the kind of letter we all have to write. Take the gloves off!

Congress- especially the House- is giving us all the finger, obviously going against the strong will of the people, and ramming through the worst legislation in the history of the country, just because doing it slowly might mean derailing it.

Even if this letter accomplishes nothing, at least you did what you could to let him know where you (and most of the rest of us) stand!

Carol Wingenroth said...

Thanks for doing what most of your neighbors and countrymen are too lazy to do. It's too bad you and they will be sharing the same fate.

Barry up the road said...

I feel your pain. I too, have written many letters to my Senators and Congressman and invariably I receive a reply that is mostly horse dung. Like you, I don't intend to stop writing. They will at least know that I am out here and what I think of their ability to represent me.

Fight on!