Posted on 06/13/2012 6:05:21 PM PDT by Grig
This may be the post that gets me zotted, and if so, so be it, but it would be a nice sign of respect for free speech, and just plain old maturity if that doesn’t happen. I won’t lose sleep either way though.
All through the Clinton years FR played a key role in helping me really come to appreciate the wisdom of the founding fathers as Clinton violated their principles in so many ways. I found here a large community of wise, informed posters from a diverse background that added depth and clarity to the news of the day. It was here on FR that I found out about the WTC attack. Being Canadian, the second amendment always seemed kind of silly to me, but through FR I learned how wrong that view was and now wish my country had such a right for it’s citizens.
That was then, now more and more it has felt like FR has dwindled into an insular, nearly feral, group of political and religious thought police whose mission is to ferret out anybody who doesn’t fit their orthodoxy and get rid of them, while propagandizing against anything the disagree with. At times it feels more energy is spent attacking those who should be seen as allies rather than the true enemies. I used to spend a fair bit of time here each day, now perhaps a quick look once every few weeks because of this change in climate. I know many have left because of it, many have already posted their concerns about it, and their wise observations and suggestions have fallen on deaf ears.
I do feel I have a small measure of responsibility for the change (but no guilt). When FR started to fail to live up to it’s own rules about not bashing religions (when it came to my religion) we Mormon posters decided that instead of being party to the creation of long threads filled with contention that made it hard for the moderators see the difference in our behavior and theirs, we decided instead to simply post articles putting forward our position and leave the critics to show their true colors. (see http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2013341/posts). Not only did the anti-Mormon posters oblige us and demonstrate the level of hate and bigotry in their hearts, but so did the anti-Momons within the leadership of FR. And thus began the decent of FR from a vibrant ad-hoc conservative think tank into an echo chamber of yes men with a loud group of religious bigots leading the way. It is sad to see it come to this, and I hope that the day comes when sanity returns. Something that needs to happen for that day to come is for the majority of people around here to face this reality: If you are not supporting Mitt Romney, you are playing into Obama’s hands. Any hopes of a brokered convention or third party conservative super-candidate are nothing but delusions fueled by a denial of reality. It comes down to either Mitt or Obama, and if you are not supporting Mitt you are helping Obama. Deal with it.
And don’t try to hide behind the idea that Mitt losing will be good in the long term for conservatism. That is putting your partisanship above your patriotism. Obama has done massive damage to the USA, and if you give him another 4 years you may not have a USA left at the end of his term. What good will this theoretical transformation of the GOP then? Truth is that if Mitt loses, no matter how conservative or liberal his campaign and policies are, the media will blame it on him being too right-wing and drive the GOP to the left as much as they can. Also, the good of the country should come first if you want to call yourself a patriot, and having Mitt in the White House will be much better for the USA than having Obama there.
While Mitt is not perfect (nobody is) I find many of the attacks on him so over the top, so full of exaggeration and fear mongering that ignores contrary evidence or any sense of proportion that I can’t help but suspect they hyperbole is just a mask for darker motives. The fact that in many cases these attacks come from those who also display great hostility towards Mormonism says it all. Deny it all you want, it is easy to see. For a satirical look at it, check this video I made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG68yz-mMgE
I am going to make some predictions I would like to make, and I hope this thread stays around so that in years to come you can all look back and see how it turned out:
- every conservative you respect will vote for Mitt, all of them (perhaps a couple excepts, but not many) will even endorse him and perhaps campaign with him
- Mitt will become the next POTUS in a landslide victory,
- President Romney will do very well on the economy and on foreign affairs/national security
- President Romney will conduct himself with honor and integrity both in office and in his personal life
- He will be a better president than either Bush was
- You will hear conservative pundits call him this generation’s Ronald Reagan, or Ronald Reagan’s 3rd term or something along those lines
- President Romney will be re-elected in another big victory
- His Vice President will become POTUS after his second term
- If there is an assassination attempt on him, it will either be by the Chineese, or by some religiously motivated nutjob (Islamic or Evangelical)
And for those of you anti-Mormons out there, I have some prediction for you too. And these apply even if Romney is not elected as POTUS:
- Your grandchildren will call Mormons Christians, and look at Mormonism as the third branch of Christianity alongside Catholicism and Protestantism
- All the attacks against Romney that stem from the anti-Mormon garbage you have bought into will result in the attacker either apologizing, or in their loss of credibility. The more anti-Mormon attacks are made in the mainstream media, the worse the attackers will look.
- Your grandchildren will likewise look at such attacks as being as bigoted and wrong, even when they come from you.
- Some of your grandchildren or great-grandchildren will become Mormons, and after you are dead they will have temple ordinances performed for you, and you will be glad at the time that they do.
I dare you to post your own predictions of what a Romney presidency will result in.
I dare FR to leave this thread open and available for comments and to not delete a single comment from it.
I dare FR to start respecting freedom of religion by not playing favorites towards one religious group as is currently done by disallowing Mormon caucus threads, and if that is too big a challenge for you, the do away with the Religion Forum altogether.
I dare you all to give Mormons and Mormonism the respect it deserves to have as the 4th largest denomination in the USA, stalwart defender of traditional values, glowing example of Christian charity at home and around the world, the most conservative people of all religious groups, and staunch defenders of the principles of the constitution and values that built the country. No matter how much you disagree with us on religious matters, we are and should be treated as valuable conservative allies. Until FR does that, all they do is shoot themselves in the foot.
Active links:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2013341/posts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG68yz-mMgE
Hi Grig,
I tend to agree with most of your points. FR can, at times, become a little insular and it is good to take a peek out into the real world to see what others are thinking. Still, I feel the overwhelming majority of posters here are patriots and want the best for America. Does that mean electing Mitt over Obama? Absolutely.
Well said. I agree with you (and I’m not a Mormon).
>> I dare you all to give Mormons and Mormonism the respect it deserves
I already *do* give the cult all the respect it deserves.
Don’t dare anyone around here. Good post. Quit drinking..
It's the Obama way!
They are laughing at us in the White House basement
IB4TZ?
We don't particularly care how polite you are to each other or even to us when it comes to the welfare of the United States.
Learn to accept your fellow Republicans on their own terms.
*ouch*
We don't particularly care how polite you are to each other or even to us when it comes to the welfare of the United States.
Learn to accept your fellow Republicans on their own terms.
There frequently is some over-the-top vitriol on FR. It’s unfortunate, but people are passionate about politics. I just leave those threads alone or don’t bother responding.
I’m not terribly religious myself, but I’ve worked with some Mormons in our local party. I’ve found them to be upright, hard-working patriots. If they’re at all representative of Mormons at large, then Mormons are a fine group of people.
As for Romney, I will vote for him. Absolutely anyone but Obama, but Obama must be defeated. Romney is our only choice. However, once elected, we conservatives need to state clearly that Romney is no conservative & push him hard to institute conservative policies.
The left has worked for years to over-throw our constitutional republic. We are probably going to be working for years to put things back where they should be.
Grig,
Whatever you’re smoking, I’m willing to bet your religion wouldn’t approve.
If I remember correctly, you are personally responsible for the infamous “hosing the pigs” thread, that spread such love among FReepers.
This current mormonic vanity thread of yours shows that you are [apparently] delusional when it comes to perceiving reality.
Best to you. I consider you a decent enough person, but [apparently] the cult has rendered you unable to be objective.
I try to take individuals by the values that emenate from them, and less by how inwardly they digest their theologies. Though I usually find a decent set of comportment overall. The real exception is islam, which I find very problematical and just don’t trust its practitioners regardless how irenic they may seem.
This thread’s for you... :) (lol)
I hope you are on-track with the rest of your predictions. If Romney recognizes that he's no longer in Massatwoshits, he might govern a lot better (read: More conservatively).
*double ouch*
Romney created doubt about his integrity by throwing in his lot with the GOP-e.
I would add, “Get over yourself.”
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