Conservative Culture

Rolling Stone recently published an interesting profile of Sam Brownback. His political transformation over the years has been especially interesting.

The Constitution Party is the party of committed conservatives who have become fed up with Republican compromises. As I was recently visiting the national Constitution Party site, I noted with interest that they listed no Ohio contact information.

I thought this was odd. I ran a search and found the website of the Ohio Constitution Party.

On the website was an announcement that on May 13, the State Executive Committee of the Ohio Constitution Party adopted a resolution of secession from the national party.

The OCP withdrew from active precipitation due to the fact that the party had voted to keep Nevada’s state party as a part of the national party, despite the fact that Nevada’s state party had “knowingly retained a chairman who advocates the killing of preborn children (abortion) in cases of rape, incest, life and/or health of the mother and fetal deformity.” (This is a violation of the national party’s principle of being pro-life without exception.)

It will be interesting to see what transpires.

Romney is unacceptable. McCain is unacceptable. Allen is unacceptable. Who, then, should conservatives support?

Sam Brownback is a viable alternative, should he run. If he does not, who can conservatives choose?

Mike Huckabee is a viable alternative. He is considering running for President. He opposes abortion except when the life of the mother is endangered. All indications are that he makes the issue a priority. He supports marriage and opposes gay civil unions.

Like any Presidential candidate, he has a few political skeletons in his closet. He has irritated Club for Growth conservatives by signing a minimum wage increase bill. Yet he looks like superb alternative to Romney, Allen, and McCain.

Mike Huckabee hails from Hope, Arkansas. He is chairman of the national association of Governors. He has been a successful and popular Governor of the state. He is viewed as a promising dark-horse candidate for the Presidency.

And as a Washington outsider who gets the social conservative base fired up, he appears to be our best option to defeat Hillary in 2008 and undo the liberal Clinton legacy of the ’90s.

His campaign will be one to watch.

Some have touted George Allen as the conservative alternative to Romney and McCain. Is he?

Allen on Abortion: Allen supports limiting abortion in cases of partial birth abortion and minors being transported across state lines. He has supported parental notification. However, on his website, he expresses his position and his accomplishments on other issues but (while listing accomplishments) expresses no position here. In a 2000 Vote Smart questionnaire response, Allen stated that abortions should be illegal after viability, thus indicating that they should be legal until that point. This would leave 98% of abortions legal. He also indicated in his response to the survey that he opposed public funding of abortions. But he also said that he believes abortions should be legal in cases of rape, incest, when the life of the mother is endangered, and in cases of ???gross fetal abnormality.???

On embryonic stem cell research, he stated that he falls somewhere between the Bush exception and an all-out embryo harvest. On Sunday Morning Talk with George Stephanopoulos on May 22, 2005, he stated: ???I do not want to be creating embryos simply for harvesting, nor do I want to allow cloning.??? When George S. replied, ???But if they were left over from fertility treatments, it???s OK to do the research on them,??? Allen said, ???Yes.???

In 2002, he voted against a Sam Brownback amendment to ban human cloning.

Allen on Traditional Marriage: I must confess, I don’t know much about where Allen In the Senate, he voted in favor of a bill that added sexual orientation to the Hate Crimes act.

My take on Allen: Allen is an unacceptable choice for conservatives.

The investigative report continues. Mitt Romney is sometimes touted as a pro-life conservative. Given the right forum, he will even claim to be pro-life. But like other chamelons previously covered in this blog, Romney’s record deserves closer scrutiny.

Romney on Marriage. Romney’s positions here are clear-cut. He refused to support Massachuetts’ 2003 Protection of Marriage act. He has been backed by Log Cabin Republicans and other gay groups; he even met with them before the Massachusetts Gubernatorial election. He brought gay activists onto his camp and into his team early on in the process.

In his 1994 race challenging Ted Kennedy for U.S. Senate, Mitt Romney told the Massachusetts Log Cabin Republicans that “as we seek to establish full equality for America???s gay and lesbian citizens, I will provide more effective leadership than my opponent.” When competing with Ted Kennedy for the endorsement of the Massachusetts Log Cabin Republicans, Romney received the endorsement.

Don’t let Romney’s recent attempts to soften his image (saying that he thinks marriage is one man and one woman) full you. Romney actively supports gay rights.

Romney on Abortion. Romney has stated in various sources that he is ???personally pro-life??? and personally things abortion is impermissible except in cases of the life of the mother, rape, and incest. But when we look beyond the rhetoric, we see an entirely different story.

Let’s say it directly. Mitt Romney defends a woman’s so-called “right to choose.”

In his 1994 Senate campaign, he told Joe Battenfield of the Boston Herald that he became firmly committed to legalized abortion after a relative died in an illegal abortion. He stated that this made him see ???that regardless of one’s beliefs about choice, you would hope it would be safe and legal.???

He spoke about the incident in a 1994 debate with Ted Kennedy when he was challenging Kennedy for the Senate. He said: ???’Many years ago, I had a dear, close family relative that was very close to me who passed away from an illegal abortion. It is since that time my mother and my family have been committed to the belief that we can believe as we want, but we will not force our beliefs on others on that matter. And you will not see me wavering on that.???

In his 2003 race for Governor of Massachusetts, he stated: ???Let me make this very clear: I will preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose.???

When he ran for Governor of Massachusetts, he promised that he would not change abortion laws either to restrict or to facilitate abortion.

In his response to a NARAL questionnaire during the campaign, he said: ???I respect and will protect a woman’s right to choose. This choice is a deeply personal one. ‘Women should be free to choose based on their own beliefs, not mine and not the government’s.???

And though Romney opposed federal funding of Abortion in 1994, he supported it in 2002-2003.

My take on Romney: This Massachusetts Mormon is a completely unacceptable option for conservatives.

While many are in outrage against Madonna’s new show featuring her on the cross. It hasn’t be a secret that the cross and Jesus Christ has become just another icon in the culture. People were crosses (in various forms), tell others that they believe in God and search for spiritual moments in their lives. Creating an icon of God’s son should remind those familiar with the Bible of another event similar to this one.

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up… - John 3:14

The snake in the desert being lifted up enabled the people to be healed. But what once was a means of healing became a means of idolatry.

He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan. ) - 2Kgs. 18:4

The Israelites were also prone to practicing immorality in its various forms while people made him a icon of convenience and a license to practice what came ‘natural’ to them. This explains well the current condition of the ‘churches’ around the world. Since some are finding it difficult to get complete agreement from all ‘churches’ the gay movement has begun their own gay churches where freedom of their human nature can be expressed without guilt or shame. While the newest sprouts of new churches is in England it will not be long before such openings get more attention and exposure (should I use that word?) across the heartland of America. Already they have attuned their fine spiritual senses to pray for gay marriages. Who will speak up when the once disdained practice becomes such a ’spiritual’ event.

In the meantime some ministers seem content to get the latest odds from the Lord when it comes to placing their bets on the governor’s race in Florida. Does all this seem odd only to me? Perhaps… but I think more than one has noticed the dramatic changes over the last decade.

One after thought… did anyone wonder if Maddonna would do this while standing on the Koran while wearing a turban?