ArkansasWatch on Vacation: Will Be Back on the 4th of July
I would like to thank those of you who view this site regularly. As much as I love it, "feeding the beast" (coming up with fresh material that might be worth reading every day) is quite a strain on my creative energies. I find myself getting crankier, and I don't like that. I find myself making mistakes too often and I don't like that. It is clear to me that I need to step back for a while and dedicate myself to my new position matching the right group health plans with businesses in NWA.
For all the negative things I have said, I still believe that this is the best country on earth, and Arkansas is the best state in the Union. It is my love of state, country, and the people therein that drives even my rants. I see the storm coming, and for the love of all those things I try to warn its coming. I need a break from the frustration of looking too hard at what our "leaders" are doing to us.
Debbie has said that she might post some on occasion, and our archives are full of stories that have current application, so it is not like we will be going "off the air". Perhaps check back monthly instead of daily. And by all means mark us in your calendars for July 4th as a day to come back.
Still, I need to step away from the negative energy of figting the bad guys for a while- and sometimes crossing swords with those who are usually good guys. I need to remember who I really (I hope) am. I need to find time and ways to praise and not rebuke, to feel success and not frustration and alarm. I can't do that in the current apathetic landscape.
It is the Easter Season. I wish you all a Good Friday. He is risen. And He will rule, in this world or the next. Even if we don't get it fixed in this life, it is gonna get fixed. I just wish that inbetween then and now we would not have to go through all the pain that stupidity and disobedience can bring. There I go again! I gotta let go now!
See you on the 4th.
posted by Mark Moore (Moderator) at Friday, April 06, 2007
10 Comments:
Dear Mr. Moore:
Thank you for all of the creative energy you have expended. I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting your site daily, and I will miss you while you are gone.
One of the difficulties with being conservative is that the conservative often is forced into being reactive by the bad guys. Two recent examples are the attempted resurrection of the ERA and the hideous foster-parent problem. When the bad guys attack, a conservative must defend. And you have done that well.
I will look forward to your return,
Thanks again, Ashley Higgins
Well said, Ashley. It is hard for conservatives to be the lone voices of reason and common sense with so many liberals in the world.
.. .. .. .. ...
The Oklahoma Republican Assembly conducted a Presidential Straw Poll at the OK GOP state convenion on Saturday. Over half of the Delegates participated. The results are as follows:
Winner - Fred Thompson. The popular actor, former Senator from Tennessee, and Republican counsel in the Watergate hearings has not formally announced his candidacy but lurched far to the front of the field among Oklahoma activits looking for "the Next Reagan" as writer Bruce Walker refers to him. Read Walkers article at www. GOPwing.com.
Second - Newt Gingrich. While the clear hero among heroes for Oklahoma Republicans is Dr. Tom Coburn who was instrumental in removing Gingrich as Speaker, Coburn is also known for saying that the former Speaker from Georgia would make a better President than Speaker. A man of intense ideas, Newt is quite popular garnering nearly half the number of votes as Fred Thompson. Interesting that the top two candidates for President among Oklahoma Republicans are not yet announced!
Third - Rudy Guiliani. The former Mayor of New York is the only known moderate/liberal candidate to garner significant support among Sooner state GOP'ers. His law and order stand, leadership ideas, and strong media presence assured him some consideration among the 13 options on the straw ballot.
Fourth - Tom Tancredo. Only a handful of votes behind the Mayor the lesser known Congressman from Colorado has a contingent of strong supporters who support his unbending support for national security and his consistent conservative beliefs across the spectrum of issues.
Among the 13 options only former Governor of Virginia, Jim Gilmore, failed to garner any support. Even keynote "no show" Mitt Romney got a few votes. Overall less than 25% of votes went to candidates who are known as moderate of liberal despite the fact that the national media consistently push candidates to the top of polls for popularity. Many polls don't even allow for conservative candidates to be mentioned.
Interesting! Good showing by Tancredo. He's an all around impressive man, despite being known mainly for his desire to seal the borders.
The rest of them fail to inspire me. They would only maintain business-as-usual there in D.C. if elected.
You are happy about the good showing my Tancredo... I wouldn't be. This is a poll taken by the supposedly *very* conservative Oklahoma Republican Assembly. In my book, Rudy Guiliani should have been BEHIND Tancredo in the poll. Just for the record, I am a die-hard Republican who would never consider joining a third party because of groups like the Republican Assembly.
This strong showing by "The Mayor" among the conservative wing of the Republican Party only confirms the need for Constitution Party folks to become more involved in the Republican Assembly. If we lose that influence, it will be none but our own fault due to lack of participation in the centers of power in our society. We don't always have to agree 100% to understand that it is imperative to at least participate in the areas where we are at least welcome.... at least for now.
This is a plea of all Constitution Party folks to at least participate and influence the Republican Assembly as much as possible. For all I care, you can continue the futile work to build the already disintegrating Constitution Party...but please please please make your opinion known and PARTICIPATE in the Republican Assembly!
Give it up man, the bad guys are already in the GOP fort, firmly entrenched and savage in their opposition to people like you. It would be easier to build a new fort than go through the viscious house-to-house fighting it would take to capture the GOP. And the bad guys would not hesitate to use scorched-earth tactics. By the time you "won" you would be in charge of nothing but charred ruins- with everyone of them doing everything they can to destroy the crediblity of the brand- which is none too good right now anyway.
No, it is you guys (and I feel for you) who need to get past this emotional obsession with "saving" the GOP. Time to build a new brand. Building a new fort would be easier than capturing the old one, which you would then have to build again from the ground-up anyway.
To: Give it up...
If your theory is true, that we should not be participants in the centers of power, but rather bit players at the peripheries of power... then all is lost. The whole nation should be given up on and we should start over. It is time for revolution. Because if you think that a third party is a vehicle for restoration, dream on.
So, you're telling us that not only do we have a two party monopoly, but-- should it become necessary to swap out one of those two parties with a new party (as some already believe it is time to do)-- we should consider opting for a revolution instead?
What kind of nonsensical political system do we have? Why are the GOP and Democrat parties seemingly entitled to power no matter how pathetically they 'represent' the people?
"that we should not be participants in the centers of power, but rather bit players at the peripheries of power."
Seems like if enough of us went to the "periphery" of power, then it would be the new center of power. Thus the problem is that too many want to stay at "the center of power" long after it has quit standing up for truth and right.
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