Change Conservatives Must Believe In: Part One

As is obvious from my last post, I attended and even spoke at my local Tea Party in Rochester, New York. At the protest I got to witness first hand what I had known for quite awhile: the Conservative movement is impotent and not worth saving.
As I expected that day, there were many bromides tossed about during speeches about responsibility, about independence, ending government spending. What I did not hear from anyone was a moral defense of capitalism, because as Ayn Rand and other Objectivists since have pointed out so amply, the Conservative movement doesn't believe in a moral defense of capitalism.

My Tea Party Awakening.
As I entered the protest, along with two of my friends, I was handed what I thought was a political pamphlet. One would expect such a thing when sojourning into a protest of any kind. The outside had a proud American eagle, and in the background there was a proud American eagle staring boldly out at you. However, when you opened it no mention of America or pride or independent spirit evoked from the front was in there. It was in fact a Christian tract, and not even a Christian tract related to the day's events, but a real tract talking of accepting Jesus Christ into your life or facing eternal damnation. It had Pilgrim's Progress-style drawings, with men carrying heavy burdens up a hillside. My friends and I had a good laugh about it, but it was immediately disheartening that the first thing at a rally about oppressive taxation, hosted by Rochester Conservatives that the first thing you receive is a tract about your natural guilty state as a human being. It only got worse. Before we reached the mass of people, we passed by signs that stated "One Nation Under God". It only got worse, as one of the first speakers turned out to be a local Reverend. He did not give any kind of religious speech (Or at least it wasn't some revivalist hoopla.), but why a Reverend? And why one talking about how people should be independent? I am actually glad a man handed me a Tract, because it helped me stay in reality. I am around what I can only assume is a religious group of people. They cheer and boo at the right times, but do they understand what they are cheering and booing? Do they truly understand why redistribution of wealth is an immoral concept? I don't believe so.
If you go back to the speech of my video, nearer to the end a woman raises her voice and says "Share our work ethic, not our money.". That perturbed me, and it shook my concentration. I wanted to grab her and say "You are NOT your brother's keeper. You are your own keeper.". I realize, however, that I was not there to preach against religion as much as they were not there to preach for their religion. So I did not. I went on, but I went on discouraged that someone who had cheered me denouncing sacrifice as immoral would say such a thing. They do not understand the fundamental ideas of capitalism, because their fundamental ideas run contrary to it.

The Problems of Conservatism in America.
The fundamental contradiction that all of those who claim to be conservatives make is that altruism is the ethical ideal of their system. This idea, fueled by the modern philosophy of Immanuel Kant and others, is totally incompatible with a rational laissez-faire society. Conservatives consistently cling to the idea that it is honorable, glorious and righteous for one man to give up his own will and his own values in return for what? For nothing. It is his duty to give things up. It is his duty to give something to others, whether or not that other earned it or deserves it.

Why do conservatives continually put up with this contradiction? Why do they not choose one or the other, capitalism or socialism-Rand or Kant? It is because of another idea that conservatives must believe in to hold the name: the elevation of tradition. Conservatives regularly bash the Left for being members of a "Progressive" movement. They admit here that they are inherently afraid of change, and while it is right to resist the change offered by those goons on the Left, it is suicidal to refuse to ever accept progress. We can thank the abolitionists and those radical enough to say that all men, truly all men, are created equal and not just white property owners. These people were not seeking to destroy America, but to be consistent with the ideal of equality. It is certainly good that our own Founding Fathers were not conservative in their actions against a tyrannical government that would reduce their colony to that of just another resource. Their actions were radical, unheard of. No decent white man would ever do such a thing as rebel just because of some measly taxes! But they did, and in their radical and liberal view of government, they founded the first truly moral nation on Earth. Had they respected tradition, they would have gone on as things had gone. We would have stagnated and the world we now know would probably still be horse-driven.
Does it make sense, therefore, to preserve things as they are? Conservatives become very unpopular in hard times because they often offer the same old lines, while giving the Democrats carte-blanche on the platform of radical change. That is what Obama promised, and it seems he may be delivering on that. During the campaign, the best McCain could do was to Me-Too the economic ideas of Obama while decrying the underlying ideas that he himself did not seem to understand. He complained of Obama's redistributionist streak, while promising to bailout every American's mortgage. McCain's struggle was a microcosm of the conservative condition during a time of crisis, while trying to rest on his old ideas and still trying to appear like the new guy, still trying to seem altruistic. But in the end, America decided that Obama was simply more consistent than McCain. McCain tried to make the case of capitalism, but that is impossible on a platform of altruism and "Country First". The contradictions abounded, as the Republicans focused on slim pickings of "pork spending" while ignoring the enormous debt garnered by their own policies over the last 8 years. Such a thing can only be referred to, as blogger Gus Van Horn put it, focusing on petty theft and turning a blind eye to grand larceny. This reveals that conservatives aren't that worried about redistribution, but that they don't believe in earmarks which take away from nation prosperity. How can such an absolutely, excuse the term, retarded position continue to hold water? It cannot. A political philosophy divided against itself cannot stand, and we are now witnessing it's struggle to unite under one of it's ideas, individualism or collectivism?

Part Two to come mid-week.

My Speech At The Rochester Tea Party.

I give myself a C+. I was really bad visually, I think. Perhaps that is just my vanity at my awkward appearance, but I can't stand even watching it myself.
I think the way I spoke was good, but I forgot a little bit of what I had wanted to say at the beginning and end. Hell, I forgot an entire colum. But next time I'll try a lot harder, and hopefully will not be as nervous.

(Oh, and a hat tip to Dan Edge for my greeting line there. That was probably what I was sweating more than anything else, and it seemed to get people pumped!)

Pees In a Nut Pod.

The Wiper of the Week: Rick Perry

For my first real post, I'd like to introduce a series that will be called "Wiper of The Week". Now you'd think this would be a weekly occurence, but I may forget to do it! So, "Wiper of The Week" may only be posted up every couple of weeks at times, but no two wipers will be declared within a week, this much of my laziness I promise you!
Wiper of the week will be dedicated to a person who exemplifies a person who wants to wipe out reality in exchange for their own version of the truth.

This week we've got a particularly abrasive and shocking wiper: Governor of Texas, Rick Perry. Governor Perry gave a speech on the same day as the national Tax Day protests were taking place, voicing his own regret at the federal government's current policies, and specifically their economic policies of spending without any limit or regulation on themselves. To criticize the Obama administration and the Congress is certainly justified, and I have some positive feelings when it comes to the outrage expressed on April 15th, but what Rick Perry said was far beyond the pale of valid criticism. The governor, perhaps in a different mental state, talked of the independent feeling of the Texas people and how if Obama's policies continue, he would consider secession as an option to be on the table. There is no greater reason than this to vote out this radical (I hope I am right in calling him a radical, whose opinion is not echoed by many in Texas).
Texas secessionism is no matter to talk of in passing obscurities and hints, because when one speaks of "secession", they are really talking about rebellion against America and its Constitution.
The original states that seceded after Lincoln's ascendency to president in 1861 were not obeying any law, but were in direct rebellion to America. In a sense, "seceding from the Union" can be seen as an act of aggression against our constitution which binds America together through it's people, not the states. This is a very interesting argument I've always thought of, but was recently enforced by a pretty lengthy journal article on the matter authored by Timothy Sandefur.
The governor's words are not treasonous, not yet, but there is a danger in talking of such things and Mr. Perry is evading the consequences of his words and public statements. He must first ask the question, which I'm sure he did, "What are the conditions in which a rebellion against the central government is justified". My answer to this question is, when the federal government is in rebellion against the Constitution already. Such a condition has not adequately been met, and while Obama's economic plans may run against some of our founding principles, they don't violate any specific part of the Constitution. A state has no option except to perhaps reject the stimulus money, but then would run the risk of not being re-elected. The governor of South Carolina has done this and ought to be commended for it. This is an action by an individual state that can be congratulated and is completely legal.
Rick Perry needs to either completely retract his statement, or explain to the American and Texan people why he believes a secession could ever be justified. I know he is not saying they are now discussion rebellion in the Texas legislature, but to talk of secession itself may turn out to be a grave mistake for governor Rick Perry, and I would support whatever Republican or Democrat is running against him in the next state election. Wiping out reality in your mind has consequences, and perhaps he will feel those consequences when he is ejected from his mansion.

First post for my new blog.

Hi, my name's Ryan Calhoun. I used to (Technically still do have) a blog right here on this very site called The Dirty Kuffar. I let it idle away for awhile during my break and new school semester, though, and wanted to start out anew.

This blog will focus on whatever I am interested in, which is usually politics, philosophy and science. I'm a passionate advocate of Objectivism for those who don't know, and that will reflect in probably all of my posts. If you come here expecting to pigeonhole me as anything else, whether it be a "Secular Leftist Progressive" or "Right wing nut job", you'll probably be wrong. My opinions are my own. I don't look at my blog posts and contemplate "What would Ayn Rand think?". I judge my posts on their objective merits. I'd suggest you do the same, and share your comments either positive or negative.

This will not be a stream-of-consciousness blog. I like to put a bit of thought into my blog posts, and I find when I post every day of the week the quality is lower and I get burnt out. Expect larger posts a couple times throughout the week, and interesting links splattered thereabouts.
This is mostly just a test post. Most who come here will know who I am to some extent. I'd request all interested add me on their blogrolls, and I will recipricate.

Science, Logic and Reason be with you, always.
-That one guy named Ryan.