Posted on 05/11/2009 7:45:13 AM PDT by Iron Munro
Dear friends, family, loved ones, conservatives, Republicans, libertarians, my brother in law, Sam, and my cousin Joe: I am sorry and you were right.
These are not easy words for anyone to utter, much less a leftist from Berkeley, or a recovering leftist, that is. Even though I've been in recovery for 14 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days, leftists are always right in your face, in an I-hate-you-if-you-disagree sort of way. Hence, this letter of amends to all the people I've lectured, scolded, ranted and raved at, and otherwise annoyed during my 30 plus years of "progressive" politics.
My recovery program urges a fierce moral inventory, a cleansing of heart and mind (kind of like a "forgiveness tour" but without the scary dictators), so here goes:
To my brother in law, Sam, for blasting you in that Chinese restaurant for voting for Reagan, mea culpa.
To my cousin Joe for calling you a traitor when you became an MBA, started holding a real job (as opposed to most of us Berkeley types who are psychotherapists, massage therapists and aromatherapists), and became a conservative, my bad.
To my goddaughter whom I told when she was l0 years old that Republicans were bad, Democrats were good (yes I really did say this), and who got confused and tearful because she lives in a suburb where most people are Republicans, kid, what in the world was I thinking?
To my leftist friends, with whom I agreed that 9/ll was the US's fault, you and I were all such jerks.
To those potential friends whom I dumped when I found out you were conservative, your gain is my loss.
To all those columnists and editors whom I harangued with angry letters and e mails, sorry, sorry, sorry.
And finally to me, Robin, for installing you for the last 27 years in the far left cult of the People's Republic of Berkeley, where Patty Hearst was kidnapped by the SLA, where the Black Panthers had their violent beginnings and the heads of the Black Muslims are jailed for murder and rape, my apologies, girl.
I didn't know any better. I thought the whole world lived in areas where the streets are filthy, aggressive street behavior is allowed because the perps are victims of capitalism, and where you can easily get mugged walking down a street or eating in a restaurant at noon. (By the way, with the Left in charge, expect gangs, crime, indoctrination of 5 year olds and general anarchy to be coming soon to a neighborhood near you.)
Given that the media is pretty much censored (good luck finding a conservative book in your local "independent" book store or hearing a Republican speak anywhere), you didn't know that a party of grown ups even existed that didn't advocate screaming at others as the preferred mode of communication. So to my dear Robin, apologies for what I put you through, what I deprived you of, and my pledge to do better.
Cousin Joe, Sam, et al, you may be wondering how I did a l80 in 1 1/2 years. How did I go from a rabid, sanctimonious liberal whom you steadfastly avoided at family gatherings to a fan of Limbaugh, Hannity, and Savage? Recovery encourages us to share our story, so here's mine:
In February of 2008, I saw a new client, a bright and sensitive young woman who came in looking like she just escaped a war zone. In some ways she had; she had innocently shared with others at her job that she voted for Hillary rather than Obama. Immediately she was being targeted for abuse that put her in fear for not only her job, but her life.
We both suddenly became aware that something had grown really dark in the Democratic Party. I started hearing about many other incidents where loyal Democrats were being physically and emotionally threatened for supporting Hillary. A woman in Berkeley had her front window broken because it displayed a poster of Hillary. Randi Rhodes, an Air America talk show leftist, called Hillary a f______ witch. (Rhodes was recently promoted to a national talk radio show, illustrating another disturbing trend: the deafening silence about what Rush Limbaugh has dubbed the new "thug-ocracy.)
An acquaintance had her car broken into, and the only item stolen was a NoObama bumper sticker. A South Park episode featured an episode where a nuclear weapon was being aimed at Hillary's genitals. My local greeting card store sold very flattering cards about Obama, insulting ones about Hillary, and a Hillary "nutcracker." When I complained, the young male manager literally laughed in my face.
Things went from bad to worse when Sarah Palin entered the scene. When Geraldine Ferraro ran for Vice President, there was no debasement of her character, no sexual threats. But with Palin, a full scale "wilding" ensued that chillingly reminded me of the random sexual attacks on women by gangs of men in New York. She was called every vile name in the book by both male and female liberals.
Actress Sarah Bernhardt hoped a gang of black males would rape her. When Palin's church was torched with children inside, the press was missing in action (somehow I imagine the press would have been all over this if Obama's church were torched). Not only was the misogyny disgusting, but the classism was abhorrent. The Democrats, by ridiculing Palin's voice and her education, were acting like arrogant snobs. The party had changed, I had changed, and the differences looked irreconcilable.
The final straw for me was when a close friend flew into a rage at me when she learned I wasn't supporting Obama. The political became personal when she began impugning my character. Worse yet, she tried to intimidate me into changing my mind by threatening to dump me.
Suddenly a light went on. The peace and love and flower power of the old left was dead and gone (if it even existed to begin with except in my imagination). The Democrats had morphed into a power hungry Thought Police, and I was done with them. My new motto in life: don't PC on me.
So this is my letter of amends, and I hope that I can be forgiven by all whom I've offended. I knew not what the heck I was doing. But now the problem is: how in the world does one be a conservative these days? How to stay brave and committed when conservatives are being targeted, punished, and shunned on a daily basis? How to sleep at night knowing that the country I have finally come to love may be destroyed from within by a massive Big Brother government?
I guess I'll just have to do a step one, as we 12 stepper's call it, and turn it all over to my Higher Power.
Love,
Robin
I saw this on Amer Thker too. Great but too little, too late. Grew up in the Bay Area and any chg toward conservatism should be rewarded and encouraged but all in all, they’re still screwed...the answer is SECESSION!
I suspect there are lots more “Robins” out there who won’t publicly admit it for fear of those in-your-face, always-right spoiled liberal brats
Welcome home.
It's been this way for 40 years (the seeds were planted in the radical left's street movements of the 1960s).
They are now the heads of the Party and the anchors of the nightly news and editors of the newspapers.
Several of the 60s radicals (including John Kerry and Tom Hayden) became elected politicians. Bill Ayers became Obama's political mentor.
He does acknowledge that many things he was led to support (including the Black Panthers and Patty Hearst and the SLA) stretch back to the 1960s and 1970s.
He also acknowledges that he was wrong to condemn President Bush over the 9-11 attacks.
So while they woke up to the reality of the New Democrat party in the last 2 years, they'd been pulling the wool over their own eyes for a long time.
I became a conservative in 1995. It is scary at first.
As Winston Churchill said (I paraphrase):
A man (or woman) who is not Liberal at age 20 has no heart.
If that same man is not Conservative by age 40, he has no head.
I started my reformation from leftist to conservative sometime during the Carter Administration (whom I had voted for) and realized the change sometime during the first Reagan Administration. (In my late 20’s).
I did not vote for Reagan in 1980 because I believed the media hype that he was a dangerous cowboy who would destroy the world. Now, I am forever grateful to Ronnie Reagan for teaching me about American Exceptionalism.
We will survive the Barack Chavez administration. We are proud Americans who make the world jealous because we are truly exceptional.
Let’s not be ugly and pile on this woman ... she’s made an excellent start. Even Thomas Sowell was a leftist before he found wisdom.
I’ve seen this from a number of people on the left (especially in online apolitical forums):
“I think he is doing a great job considering what he had to start with”
Really? What policies do they support? Which of his executive orders are “great”? Which of his political appointments? What of the culture of corruption among those who committed tax faud in his administration? What about the taxpayer handouts to his political supporters?
Looks like no one here is condemning her for past political alliances. Apology accepted.
Especially since the author has made specific acknowledgements of specific people that she said hurtful things to.
Is there a way to know if this is legit or is it just another fog brained conservative with their “Gee, my life would be complete if this were true” daydream?
It’s easier to be a liberal when the Republicans have power. Now there is no one left to blame. Remember, these people have spent much of their life opposing the government. It’s very hard to turn that off.
Our local newspaper is a Democrat mouthpiece and they have literally run out of material for the op-ed page. Then they wonder why people are canceling the paper.
“Nothing to see here folks but give us a dollar anyway”
Now, have you also realized global warming is also a giant hoax? Devised for controlling people in new ways? New taxes, confiscation of freedoms in yet to be revealed ways, regarding global warming issues. Abortion? Which is killing innocent life? and numerous other issues ??? You have quite a growth to develop and learn new ways of thinking. Happy journey.
God is the answer. Read the Holy Bible.
I lived in the Bay area for about 4 years. I escaped to Texas after that in 2000. Our reasons for leaving were many. But the politics was one near the top of the list. The CA state government had just forced a logging company to sell its redwood acreage. Along with about $400 Million from the Fed, CA paid a total of $900 Million (forcibly) to turn their land into a redwood park. The company had been harvesting redwood from the same land for 3 generations. Later that year,1999, a ballot initiative came out to raise taxes to add $800 million to the budget for CA state schools.
MTBE debacle, 2nd Amendment treachery, Ebonics, Gross Polluter Tax on vehicles, Blue Angels/Military Protests during Fleet Week, etc.....We asked and were granted permission to relocate with my company.
I could go on, but you get the point. The Bay area just brainwashes generation after generation of ignorance.
Being the gentleman that he is, he took it and didn't complain. He was speeding. Now if that had have been me I would have argued the point that I was keeping up with the flow of traffic. Not him. He didn't argue, only admitted his guilt and slowed way down. Everyone and their dog ended up passing us!
I couldn't help but believe that it was the sticker on our rear window that singled us out. Of course, I don't have any proof of this, but it was and still is my belief.
Welcome home Robin. It’s going to be hard for you, but we manage to make it anyway.
PING
God will judge those that turned their backs on our country and Israel. Judgment day for them will not be kind.
Thank you Robin now go act and act like a conservative and the first step is to convert as many other liberals to conservatism as you can. You can do it if you really mean every word you have said.
Thank you Robin now go act and act like a conservative and the first step is to convert as many other liberals to conservatism as you can. You can do it if you really mean every word you have said.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.