"Hold Your Nose" Voting...

At this point it appears certain that John McCain will get the Republican nomination- unless RNC gets the message that nominating him will toss the election. To party-line voters, he certainly appears to be an electable candidate. McCain's prior military service, POW status, etc. get him bonus points with a lot of people- and I respect those things. This family has many members who have served with distinction and pride. Exemplary prior service is a wonderful thing.

It is also not the 'only' thing.

Tim McVeigh was a decorated veteran of the United States Army, having served in the Gulf War, where he was awarded a Bronze Star Medal.

Benedict Arnold served with distinction in many battles, including a dangerous assault against the center of the British line at Saratoga, where he was wounded. In battle he was imaginative, daring, and courageous.

I have also known decorated police officers who later became thieves, drug dealers, kiddie porn producers and child molesters. I have had to take several of them down, myself. You see, my oath of office (as well as my sanity) requires that I separate the good people have done in the past, from whatever evil they are doing in the present.

I apply those same rules to whom I will, or will not, support politically. Beyond that- I flatly refuse to 'hold my nose and vote', ever again. Take a look at the current political landscape for evidence of exactly how well 'hold your nose' voting works.

'Hold your nose' voting lowers not only our own standards, but the standards of those who represent us in government. Those lowered standards translate directly into SCOTUS appointments and confirmations...or not. Senator McCain, BTW, knows all about the 'or not' aspect of that process.

I'm not voting for anyone unless I actually believe they will guard the constitution and the principles I believe in. McCain's well-documented leftist legislative efforts and associations have disqualified him from being a candidate I can support. So put me on the 'Paul list' unless Huckaby pulls a rabbit out of his hat.

You can rest assured that after the general election, RNC and the individual campaigns will invest much effort in determining how many hard-line conservative votes McCain's RINO record has cost him. When they count mine in that column- I assure you that it will not have been 'wasted'.

Sarge www.thesixgunjournal.net
http://sargesrollcall.blogspot.com/

NO Country for Old (Gun)Men...

Election '08 is shaping up rather poorly for folks like us. 'Hillary and/or Hussein' vs 'McCain and/or Romney' is sorta like asking us to choose between Janet Reno or Sarah Brady, to decide the fate of the Second Amendment. No choice at all.

Some new age 'conservatives' have offered John McCain as the only logical choice. A look at the candidate, and the bigger picture, is in order. No conservative would make this statement, from 2004:

"John Kerry is a close friend of mine. We have been friends for years," McCain said Wednesday when pressed to squelch speculation about a Kerry-McCain ticket. "Obviously I would entertain it."

Of course his campaign 'put out the fire' almost immediately, but McCain's own words stand as the stark example of his willingness to switch sides when it suits his agenda. McCain's record is what it is- anything but conservative. The bills he has sponsored tell the rest of the story:

The "McCain-Kennedy Immigration Bill" can be seen as little other than the compounding of a problem which eats at the security of this nation. It seems odd to me that of all the potential co-sponsors for immigration reform, McCain chose the very floor manager of the ridiculously ineffective '1965 Immigration Act'. No doubt he has been 'close friends for years' with Kennedy as well. As usual, McCain's legacy of 'reaching across the aisle' is more important to him than actually effecting positive change. Jimmy Carter- watch your six. You have some serious competition here.

"McCain-Feingold" remains an insult to the intelligence of Americans everywhere and an incremental encroachment on our ability to evaluate any and all information about candidates- without Big Brother telling us when, what, and from whom we can hear it. This bill could have sprang straight from the pages of '1984' by George Orwell.

Finally, there is McCain's willingness to further infringe upon our 2nd Amendment rights. The proposed "McCain-Lieberman Gun Show Bill" is an open invitation to federal registration of gun shows, vendors, and every person who attends. Of course practically no one will submit to such Draconian oversight, so gun shows simply cease to exist. McCain knows this. Should that day ever come, you can rest assured that the "Democrats' Favorite Republican" will be catapulted to sainthood by the enemies of the Second Amendment.

Republicans squandered a 12-year run of winning elections, from 1994 to 2006. The Mark Foley debacle was but one of many that harmed the party immensely. Iraq has come to be seen as 'another Vietnam'. Despite the howling of anti-war Democrats, it is not the fact that we are 'in' Iraq that casts the negative light on it. It is the fact that we have committed ourselves to yet another drawn-out, half-assed 'nation building' exercise where a full-throttle, six-week punitive action would have sufficed. But we don't 'do' punitive actions anymore. They insinuate that we, Evil America, actually has the moral standing to punish those who would harm us. Good Lord- in addition to killing people and breaking things, we might actually OFFEND somebody- and that could cost us votes!!!

The problem with the Republican party is super-moderates like McCain who have, at every opportunity, diluted the GOP core values until it has devolved into little more than 'Democrat Lite'. Both Bushes are guilty of this as well. Principle should drive the party- not popularity polls. Reagan understood this. What a shame that so many so-called 'conservatives' seem to have forgotten that fact.

"But McCain is better than Hillary!" I'm not so sure. If he is all the GOP can offer, then the party has utterly abandoned gun owners, individualists, constitutionalists and freedom-loving Americans- and the party deserves whatever it gets. In that light, 'Hillary winning' may be just the crucible that restores the Republican party as a sanctuary for people like us.

If not, then it is time for a third party. There is no other answer. Being 'married' to a political party is like being married to a hooker. You are going to get cheated on. It's just a matter of whether you can reconcile that betrayal for any benefit, real or imagined, that the marriage provides. When you can't reconcile it any longer- then it's time to move on. I am at precisely that point with the Republican party, and I won't be associated with the Democrats. The platform includes too many things which I find vile and reprehensible.

I will not vote for McCain or his ilk. I can, if necessary, survive one or two terms of the Libs running the show. It is a sacrifice I am willing to make if that's what it takes to find us disenfranchised "gun owners, individualists, constitutionalists and freedom-loving Americans" a new home.

Sarge
www.thesixgunjournal.net
http://sargesrollcall.blogspot.com/