Posted on 02/14/2011 7:51:47 AM PST by Kaslin
CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, has been an annual gig for me for years. But this year I concluded it was not my place and I declined to participate in the various venues at the event for which I was invited.
Yes, the reason I declined was the inclusion of GOProud, a group identifying itself as representing “gay conservatives and their allies,” as a sponsor of the event.
And it’s the reason why some of the nation’s most important conservative organizations – the Heritage Foundation, the American Family Association, Concerned Women of America, Family Research Council, Media Research Center, and the National Organization for Marriage - did not participate.
The founder and chairman of GOProud removed any doubt on my part that not participating was the correct decision by dismissing these groups as “losers,” “clowns,” and “not relevant.”
I, of course, have been accused of being worse than a clown. The barrage regularly comes in from the left. But this is a first that I’ve had to listen to this kind of stuff from a group that postures as “conservative.”
I became a conservative in church. I thought I was doing okay in my previous life - scamming the welfare system, going to the beach, soaking in my welfare subsidized hot tub, treating sex as a hobby, and abortion as birth control.
In our culture today that views material prosperity as the ultimate barometer of success, the truth is becoming unfortunately lost that the evil man can prosper. And if there is nothing more than what is before our eyes in this world, what does it matter?
When I understood how the culture of welfare state materialism was destroying not just my life, but all of black America, there was no dividing line in my mind between “social issues” and “economic issues.” The only dividing line I saw was between right and wrong, good and evil.
The idea of “gay conservative” is an oxymoron.
“Gay” is everything that “conservative” is not.
The foundation of the world view that so-called “gay conservatives” embrace has far more in common with liberalism than with conservatism.
It’s a world view that is man-centered rather than God-centered. It is a world view that rejects eternal truths passed on from the beginning of time. Although the world view that “gay conservatives” choose to invent may diverge from the world view of liberals, their common ground is they make it all up.
And it is here where “gay conservatives” and “liberals” fundamentally depart from conservatives.
Conservatives believe that there are objective and eternal truths, not of the product of any individual human mind, that are transmitted through the generations. Culture is not like HDTV or iPhones where the newest model is the best.
These eternal truths provide the light in the fog that keeps us from crashing on the rocky shores where our base instincts lead us.
“Gay” is liberal, not conservative, regardless of what their stand may be on government spending or taxes.
It’s why, like all liberals, they use language to create reality, rather than appreciate that words have meaning that reflect reality.
So they have re-invented the word “gay,” re-invented the word “marriage”, and now they want to re-invent the word “conservative.”
Finally, we will re-invent the word “freedom” and we’ll put the final stamp on the idea that a free society, rather than being the path to truth, is the path to meaninglessness.
What individuals choose in private, and for which they bear personal responsibility, is separate from what we sanction publicly for which we all must bear responsibility.
A value-neutral government is impossible. The central battle in our country today is about values and how we understand freedom. It is a battle for our very soul. And, as we learned from CPAC, it’s not a struggle that is just between Democrats and Republicans.
Conservatives aren't into group identity politics. They're just plain conservative.
Until we succeed in getting smaller government, those of us who want smaller government had better quit this sniping at each other, or we will have larger government and no freedom. Either we hang together, or we hang separately.
Bravo, Star! CPAC’s acceptance of this group should have drawn fire from all conservatives.
This is absolutely true. You cannot be promoting the homosexual agenda and be a Conservative. They are mutually exclusive.
I generally agree. Here’s my observation about this particular issue:
There are no homosexual conservatives. HOWEVER, there ARE homosexuals with right-leaning tendencies.
What I mean by this is that our operational definition of conservatism is a school of thought that does not support or allow for homosexuality. In practice, though, there are homosexuals who have some ideas that are similar to what conservatives believe and want.
I have homosexual friends who would prefer less government involvement, fiscal responsibility, a reduction in federal mandates, and a host of other concerns that are similar to my own.
That does not make them conservative, though, as they believe in and practice something that is antithetical to one of the bedrock principles of conservatism. I do not and will not approve of their homosexuality, but I am glad they believe in at least some of the things I do. Better they’re on our side on those issues than the side of the progressives. If only they would VOTE.
But they should NEVER be counted as the face of the conservative movement, because when it comes to PRACTICE, they do not perpetuate the conservative movement.
But you can promote Conservatism and be a practicing homesexual.
It’s time we stop worring about who consenting adults are screwing in their bedrooms and worry more about the screwing we are all getting from Obama.
Let us not forget this wisdom from Ronald Reagan:
The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor.
Yep, just another Trojan horse meant to destroy conservatism. I’m surprised at the number of conservatives who are fooled by it. They wouldn’t be if a bunch of prancing fairies came along and announced they were “right-wing communists.” But “gay conservatives?”... no problemo.
Simply put, “conservatives” promote traditional Americanism.
This inherently includes the traditional family, because the family is the basis of any civilized culture.
Social issues are not economic issues. What type of conservative is this article talking about?
At this rate, the Tea Party will become the haven for true Conservatives & the GOP will become a joke beyond what they are displaying today.
The premise is faulty. A person can be “gay” without being part of the gay rights movement, or associated with “gay causes”.
Saying there are no gay conservatives is akin to saying there are no black conservative simply because black organizations are almost all liberal political organizations which fight against conservative causes.
That analogy only extends to the concept of attaching to the name the organizations which carry it, not to the underlying and obvious difference between a person being “gay” and a person being “black”.
It has yet to be proven that being “gay” is not in the end a choice (again, to be clear, being “gay” is not the same as acting “gay” — one always has the choice of action, regardless of one’s “proclivities”).
I have no trouble believing that men who believe they are attracted to other men could also hold to conservative principles, any more than I believe that men who have any attraction to any sin could also have conservative principles.
I don’t think that this principle, as I have narrowly defined it, is a controversal one, even among the conservative activists. I think the problem is that we are using the term “gay conservative” as a placeholder for the more accurate “conservative gay activist”.
I would agree that it is unlikely that a gay activist will also be a conservative, because in my opinion the principles of conservatism would speak against the idea that a person’s sexual characteristics were of interest or concern of the government, or that they should receive special or disparate treatment.
But if we misuse terms, we once again appear to be defining “conservative” membership down to a small minority of the population.We exclude people of certain faiths, we exclude people of certain national origins, we exclude people of certain sexual orientations, we exclude and exclude and exclude, and eventually we have a dozen people in a room, looking at each other, and trying to find some other defining characteristic that 11 of them can use to get rid of the 12th.
I’ve got little use for gay political organizations like Log Cabin or GOProud; but I’m not ready to write off every person who is afflicted with the sin of same-sex attraction, regardless of whether they practice that sin or not.
But, but, you're not allowed to see in black and white, only Green. This is America, where they, (phychologists, teachers, professors, elites), tell us there is no "right" or "wrong" answer to questions of morality, that everything is subjective, and that everyone has their own valid "truth". You need some remedial cultural teaching immediately. I suggust you hook up with a good therapist and tell him you're a sick person, because you actually believe you can determine the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, and that you believe in..... dare I say it......God. Next thing ya know, you'll start thinking that global warming is an Al Gore business venture.
Well said!
I don’t see why “gay conservative” is an oxymoron anymore than “black conservative” or “Catholic conservative” or “atheist conservative.” Conservatism is not defined by Star’s religious views.
So, no thanks, the gay crowd are not willing to go along with all the demands "smaller government" places on them.
Anyone who truly shares the basic tenents of conservatism without qualification is a welcome vote, private lives aside.
You totally miss the point. Star doesn't want conservatism defined by 'her' anything. She's a conservative, no adjective or hyphenation necessary.
However, GOProud is the one attempting to define conservatism and create disunity. It exists solely to put an adjective/hyphenation to conservatism and DEFINE conservatism as "anything goes" from a sexuality standpoint. Nah baby nah.
Objectively looking at that statement in terms of truism, the statement is not true. Socially, of course it is. On economic issues, issues of national security, border control, taxation and size of government, there certainly are gays that hold a conservative view.
The question becomes, is conformity on social issues required to hold other conservative views?
They engage in a one way process ~ and we are on the wrong end of it.
I don’t really care if a conservative is rump-riding in his bedroom. That’s his business.
I *do* care when the aforementioned rump-rider calls himself a conservative but is pushing a liberal gay-friendly agenda of gay “marriage,” gay “education” in our schools, etc.
There is a world of difference between “conservative who happens to be gay” and the GOProud-style “gay conservative.” The former has his conservatism as more important and that’s fine. The latter has his gayness as more important and that’s NOT fine.
}:-)4
When it comes to practice, all they perpetuate is sin, HIV and a host of other STDs, suicides, alcohol and drug abuse, partner abuse, an aggressive agenda to teach their filth to our children as "sex ed", a desire to destroy the institution of marriage by co-habiting and demanding society call them 'married', take our tax dollars to research the disease they created and perpetuate..AIDS, and I could go on and on. Who on earth would want to call these twisted, vile people "friends"? Simply because they want to live in a economically sound country doesn't mean they have 'conservative leanings', it just means they're perverts who want to live in comfort.
Unfortunately, the term "conservative" has bastardized itself into the realm of economics, of which is it has nothing to do with. It's just another sleazy way for liberals and progressives to put up a facade. "I'm a raving sexual deviate, but I want less government and less spending, (just so long as they don't spend less on AIDS), so I'm a conservative". barf
” gay crowd are not willing to go along with all the demands “smaller government” places on them. “
Neither are a lot of people on this board who call themselves conservatives.
You’ve made a generalization about gays in general, and most are for bigger government, or vote for bigger government because of a prejudice against Republicans and conservatives. What about the gays who were at CPAC? And what about the so-called conservatives? Which group believes in smaller government, and which group wants bigger government?
Folks who want the government to provide special protection to gay people necessarily want “bigger government” ~
Special protection from what?
We'll work it from that angle, OK?
The only winning formula for conservatism in the United States is Ronald Maximus Reagan's Three-Legged-Stool. Social issues are just as important as the fiscal and national defense ones. If libertarians try to pogo-stick on only one, it ain't gonna work.
I’m jusr a poor, unsaved, ingnorant Jew. Maybe someone can explain what your Jesus meant when he said, “He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.”
And what about all those Old Testement commandments that are no longer valid? Like eating ham? How come that is OK, but buggery is not?
Amen!
“Why don’t you start by telling us what you don’t like about “straight society”?
We’ll work it from that angle, OK? “
I’m straight, I’m a Jew, and I think buggery is a sin. I’m also an American, and I believe in small Constitutional government and individual freedom. What’s your problem with smaller government?
If you support the homosexual agenda you are anti-Constitution and you'll get the zot from FR!
Communists are the antithesis of capitalists. Conservatives are capitalists, hence they cannot be communist.
Whereas gays are not the best conservatives, for they practice something that is an affront to G-d. They can, however, be conservative in all the other ways that make conservatives conservative. Gays can be capitalists, as it is not mutually exclusive. Gays can also be anti-abortionists. Gays can also want small government and low taxes. Gays can also be pro-economic growth.
Communists, however, can’t be any of the above as G-d is not recognized, the state must be all-encompassing, and all economic growth must come from the state.
Just how many of us have no sins before G-d? Gays sin before G-d, but that does not keep them from his graces... any more than it keeps anyone who has sinned before G-d from his graces.
That said, they do continue to sin nonstop, so it’ll catch up to them... eventually. Well, unless they are Catholic and give a heartfelt deathbed confession.
Then they’re heading to the pearly gates...
:-P
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Well-thought, well-said.
Nicely said...
;-P
In my opinion anyone who is opposed to homosexual marriage and who is opposed to tax dollars being used to advocate homosexuality (especially in the education system) is opposed to that agenda.
Your homosexual buddies want special protection from that government ~ which always means AN EXPANSION OF THE POLICE POWERS and greater use of the courts to beat down private individuals who they believe have violated the provisions of the "special protection".
Expansion of police powers is a growth in government ~ the antithesis of smaller and more limited government.
BTW, what's that got to do with being Jewish? Am I supposed to believe that people who have an ancient tradition of intrusive congregational regulation (really small government BTW) can't be advocates of smaller government?
You make the breathtakingly false assumption that GOProud is a group of conservatives. They are not. Allow infiltration of alleged "fiscal conservatives" like this, and you will have blatant, total Leftism in the end.
"Conservatism" can't be parsed. Either you are conservative in all areas, or the word has no real meaning.
Christopher Barron, GOProud Chairman of the Board: "We are a gay organization, we only work on gay issues, we have never claimed otherwise. My God people." Aug 4, 2010; 4:04pm
They don't. They need it to PUSH THEIR AGENDA.
If it was a good idea libertarians would win national elections, it isn't, and they don't!
Do you revel in your sin, saying that it is not sin, and demand that others do so too? If you are a thief, do you have "thief-pride" parades and try to undo laws against theft? Do you bully and disparage family and friends because they don't agree with your newfound "freedom" to be a thief?
There's all the difference.
People who struggle with same-sex attractions are not politically problematic: we all have our struggles to live justly and decently with our particular temptations. That doesn't mean we start groups like "Adulterers Proud" or "Serial Divorcers Come Out!"
Star Parker isn't asking for a test to determine who is "privately" afflicted with a disordered sex drive, and who is not. She's drawing the line at the advocacy groups.
“gay” means happy, joyous, which these people certainly are not. They are homosexuals, not “gay”. My sister’s name is Gay and she was born in 1949. It’s a shame that her beautiful name is so disparaged.
Because sexual identity politics only serves to push an agenda. Homosexuals can vote anyway they choose. They don’t need a sexually identified group to do so. But they do need it to push their agenda.
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