HOW I BECAME A CONSERVATIVE

I became a reasoned conservative at some point during my sixteenth year. This occurred only after four years of intense absorption of history, political theory, the Constitution of the United States, the Federalists Papers, the Declaration of Independence, and human nature. My motivation for this virtual warpath of study was of course, my father. Quite atypically, by the time I entered kindergarten, I was already aware of my father's extraordinary intellect, and would sit for hours listening to him discuss politics with family and friends. While everything he said made perfect sense, he spoke in absolutes and termed anyone that did not see his obvious correctness a moron, repeatedly employing the phrase, 'Wake up and die right'. As a result I became increasingly troubled by his presentation and reluctantly concluded his intolerance and inflexibility were evidence of flaws in his reasoning, so I set out to discover those flaws.

I first read the Declaration of Independence. Words can not describe how moving I found the document to be, and I tried to implant myself into the hearts of the men who wrote it. Could such words be just colorful fluff? Could such a noble outcry be insincere? I concluded that such words were upwellings from deep within the soul itself and almost instantly, I felt pity for those who will go to their graves never having experienced the power, dignity, and peace that only comes from having done right for rights sake.

Next was the Constitution. I must have read it twenty times before I felt its theme slowly seeping into my conscience. Sure, it was a bureaucratic structure, but it was much more than an organizational chart. Each component was a direct address of that which was proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence. While I understood it was a legal document, I found the Constitution literally marinated in the theme that right must always be supported in it's battle against unethical forces. Our Founding Fathers knew that no document would inspire loyalty and have the strength of a living spirit unless every line, and any subsequently added, was sired by a pure desire to assist right in its battle against wrong.

After having read a couple installments of the Federalist Papers, I wished I had read them before the Constitution. While I had been told that the Federalist Papers were largely an explanation of the Constitution, I had no idea that the explanation was so detailed and clear, if not succinct, and I realized I would have appreciated the Constitution even more had I read the Federalist Papers first. I found the collection of letters incredibly compelling and detailed in their explanation and defense of every component of the Constitution, but most important was the thorough, cautious analysis that went into all of the elements to safeguard against the bastardization of the documents' intentions.

As a teen my conclusions were basic. Government should be small, virtually unseen, and barely felt. Any study of the Constitution must include the Federalist Papers or appreciation for the framers' intentions can not be realized. Government's sole reason to exist is to keep stated freedoms from becoming extinct. A conservative literal interpretation of the Constitution is mandatory to keep established structures therein from being irreversibly perverted. The biggest threat to the Constitution comes from those who would put a 'modern reasonable man' twist, or assault on the clarity of the Constitution's language. The Constitution need not be altered, for it already lays the foundation to right all wrongs, conceivable or unforeseen. The liberal agenda is to eliminate concepts of right and wrong and good and evil from public consideration, thus rendering our Founding Fathers and their words mute, and furthering their efforts to redesign America. A thinking, rational, involved, public is the only barrier to government corruption. Those that would dismantle the Constitution, view elections as merely government sponsored, national IQ tests, fully recognizing that ignorance is their main ally in fulfilling their goals. Socialism is a gateway drug to Communism, and I found no historical instance where a people revolted for political change, and the ideals they fought for coincided with the communism they ended up with. In every revolution throughout human history, the people fought for the same reasons. However, our Founding Fathers refused to defile the meaning of freedom. And curiously, every committed communist I had ever encountered, arrogantly saw themselves as ultimately occupying the upper echelon of control in a new order, ignorant of the bottom societal station they would be required to occupy. And finally, the only possible delinquency of the Constitution I would consider worthy of debate, is that the Constitution might be too good for people. As for my father, he was not conservative enough. He was fundamentally a disciple of William F. Buckley, Jr., and I emerged from my studies capable of making Mr. Buckley look almost like Barbara Streisand by comparison. However, I now see my father's manner understandable, for he foresaw today fifty years ago, and the resulting frustration from so many not seeing the so obvious was a source of great agony.

My concerns today are that I have doubts that America can weather the damage from President Obama's first month, much less a four year siege. The dumbing down of America has reached critical mass, and I can find no historical corollary that demonstrated how to stop a societies retardation, once begum, and so actively sponsored by those in charge. And that, independent thought has been so devalued, that hardly no one is capable of grasping that you learn to read and write so you do not sound stupid, you study math so you do not appear stupid, and you study history so you are not stupid, and of course, you study history to break up the monopoly hindsight has on 20/20 vision. And finally, without the ability to think clearly and independently, one has no choice but to remain blind to the fact that liberals were once content to merely keeping blacks enslaved, but now, it appears they seek to enslave us all.

After reading my tirade, you might be surprised that I do support a single case of censorship. I believe using the expression, 'the great experiment', should be outlawed, for virtually all experiments, regardless of outcome, lead to additional experimentation, and I like to think our Founding Fathers got it right the first time.