The War in Iraq

Back in September Lori Ann left a comment stating she'd like some posts about the war. I'm not even sure that she's still reading this blog (I hope you are. Sorry it's taken me so long to do this post!), but I'm going to post about it anyway. It's taken me so long because I really don't know a whole lot about the details or political aspects of the wars. This is what I do know: Everyone I know in the military believes the U.S. should be in Iraq.

I'll admit, I don't know a whole lot of people in the military, but the few I do, I trust. And until I find the time (*and some really good resources) to learn more about our presence in both Iraq and Afghanistan, that's good enough for me. I'll trust those who have been there.

Now I realize that just because what my military friends say is good enough for me, doesn't mean it will cut it for others, but maybe this poll from the Military Times will. The majority of the troops polled in this survey said they'd vote for McCain if the election was held today (68% for McCain vs. 23% for Obama). It also breaks it down into ranks, service, gender, race, duty status, and age. Those results are very interesting to look at, particularly the results of who blacks/African Americans would vote for in contrast to the other races (can someone explain to me why those not voting for Obama are being called racist when in reality, it seems to be the other way around?). There were also other questions asked and McCain won for all of them.

I have a deep respect for those willing to fight for our country. I can't even begin to imagine the horrors they have seen and the pain that will always be with them as a result of their service, but I do believe that what they are doing is important.


*If anyone has some great, unbiased, easy to understand resources on the wars please leave the links in the comments. Also, I invite anyone who would like to post about the wars in Iraq and/or Afghanistan to email me (thefightforconservatism @ gmail.com) for access to write for The Fight for Conservatism (be sure to read the rules for posting first).

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Further viewing for anyone who is interested (and has the time):

These first two are soldiers talking about why we need to be in Iraq:




This is kind of a weird video, not nearly as professional as the others, but I'm including it because it's different from the others and gives a different way to look at things:


Iraq is not a mistake:


This is for all those who blame the war on republicans alone. Obviously democrats thought something needed to be done as well. Why can't they now realize we need to finish what we started?:

Proposition 8 - in plain english

"Free enterprise sounds nice. We should try it sometime."

I just read this quote by John Stossel and I couldn't agree more. It was at the end of this article about the bailout that was part of his "Politically Incorrect Guide to Politics" tonight on 20/20. If anyone has the chance to watch it, do. It was great.

(There are a lot of links to great articles in this post. Don't feel like you need to read all or any of them. I linked them in case you're interested in more info on this subject.)

The words "politically incorrect" made me want to watch this in the first place (I get tired of having to be "politically correct" so as not to offend people). John Stossel basically talked about why big government isn't a good thing and how the American people do a much better job at making this a great country. In fact, the government often gets in the way of their efforts (click here for a great example of this happening in New Orleans).

As a conservative, big government is something I worry about and Obama is for big government. I realize some argue that he's not as hard-core big government as many conservatives believe, but he's still too much for me. The government should be in charge of such things as building roads, running the courts, and defending our nation. Let the American people and free enterprise govern.

Utah Voter Information

This website has a sample copy of what your local voters ballot will look like on November 4th, 2008. Fill in your information and it will bring up info on where to vote and a button to view your sample ballot. (You must already be registered to do this. If you aren't registered or aren't sure if you are, go here.)

Not only can you make sure you know what's on the ballot, you can click on links on the ballot to learn more about each issue. How nice to go in and know how you're going to vote on everything (not just the presidential candidates).

Here are more helpful links:

Utah Voter Information Pamphlet
2008 Election Dates (including early voting information)

Views on Gun Control - From Someone Who Doesn't Own a Gun

Guns have never been a hot issue for me, so it was interesting to read Jay’s views and to figure out for myself what I believe. I have studied it (though I still don’t understand every aspect of each candidate’s views) and if gun control was the only issue I was voting on, I would definitely be voting for McCain (I found more of the candidate's views here). I do not agree with most of Obama's policies (the ones I do agree with, McCain has the same views, so it basically cancels them out). It worries me that he thinks gun bans work. I appreciated the article link in ck rock’s comment about Biden not allowing Obama to mess with his guns. It’s good to know there’s one person on the democratic ticket who realizes a ban would be ridiculous. Too bad the person running for president isn’t smart enough to figure that one out.

Here are some more things that worry me about Obama’s gun control policies

• Does he really think it would work for cities to determine local gun laws? Jay’s comment about that sums up why that’s pretty stupid.
• The fact that he endorsed an Illinois handgun ban.
• I’m interested to learn how Obama thinks we can feasibly “keep guns out of inner cities.” This sounds like his normal “feel good” talk to me. The criminals would be the only ones with guns if something like this was ever put into place.
• He voted no on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. I completely agree with Jay’s opinion, “Frivolous lawsuits in general are part of the downfall of our society.” It’s so true. I’m sick and tired of all the frivolous lawsuits out there. Obama’s saying gun manufacturers can be sued for someone using one of their guns to kill someone else and that’s just stupid. Does that mean knife manufacturers can be sued if someone is killed with their knife? It makes no sense.

I also went through McCain’s views on gun control. I don’t understand everything, but on the ones I do understand and care about I agree with him. Not only is he practical, he’s not going to try to take away anyone’s constitutional right to keep and bear arms. That's the kind of person I want as my president.

About Me (feel free to skip this... it's quite long)

I guess it's time for me to introduce myself now. My name is Bethany. I started this blog because I am loving politics. Well, it's more of a love/hate relationship. I love to follow it and semi-debate it, but it also drives me nuts. This is a brand new thing for me too. Unless you count student counsel in high school (which you really shouldn't), I've never been involved in politics before. I have voted. I'm not sure I knew what I was voting for though. Which is sad. That will no longer be the case for me. Hopefully we can help others know a little more about what they're voting for.

Where to start.... I am married to a wonderful, supportive man who is worried I am going to get too emotional about all of this political stuff. I am doing my best to assure him that though I may get passionate and often frustrated about it (how can I not get frustrated when there are so many dumb people in this world?), I will be okay :). We have a beautiful daughter who is almost 1 and full of personality. (Ready for cheesy?) I really want to do whatever small amount I can to better this world for her. There was crap out there when I was growing up and it's a lot worse now. I don't even like to imagine what high school will be like for her. I haven't figured out what I can do about it, but I think being aware is a good step.

Unlike Jay and the Brown's I do not hunt, nor do I have a desire to (guns are too loud for me). But I do think it is their right to hunt and to own a gun. I am very much a conservative. I do not agree with everything McCain stands for, but I will be voting for him because I would much rather have him for my president than Obama. At one time I considered voting for Ron Paul (his values are more in-line with mine), but I feel that would be essentially giving my vote to Obama and I will not do that. I'm very happy with McCain's choosing of Sara Palin for V.P. I'm excited to see all she has to offer the campaign.

I also really enjoy entertainment. Which is why I decided to make this blog about fighting for conservatism on all levels, not just political. I have been sooooooooooo frustrated with Hollywood lately. It's been bad for a long time and we've all known it would get worse, but for some reason I've still been shocked lately. It's sad to me. Television shows I used to watch (I'm a total sucker for reality tv... don't think less of me) have become completely unwatchable. And I'm not talking about obviously liberal shows. I'm referring to the fun competetive shows that started out (nearly) innocent. Then one day you're watching a season premiere and realize they're promoting (and glorifying) teenage sex, homosexuality, sex changes, and much more in a single episode. Not cool. Not cool at all.

Anyway, that's basically me. I'm not very good at getting my thoughts out, so I may do a lot of article referencing (I figure if someone has already said it way better than I ever could, why even try?). I'm glad to see people are already reading this blog and actively participating. Thanks to those keeping us in check. Please continue to do so. We'll all try to keep speculation out of our posts. Like I mentioned above, I am fairly new to politics. There are still terms I don't know about and topics I haven't studied up on. If I get something wrong, please call me out on it. Also, if there is any topic, website, article, or thought you would especially like us to explore on this blog let us know through a comment or by email (thefightforconservatism @ gmail.com). Thanks!

The Dark Knight

I realize this doesn't have to do with the 2008 Presidential Election, but it does have to do with conservatism. Plus I love it. And I think everyone should read it. So I'm posting it.

The first link is an article in the opinion section of the Wall Street Journal and the second is Rush Limbaugh's comments about the article.

What Bush and Batman Have in Common
Conservatism and the Dark Knight (If you don't want to read all of it, skip to the last 9-10 paragraphs.)



Thanks to my brother-in-law, Spencer, for posting about these articles in the first place.

Rush Babies

This is my new favorite political blog. They're much better at keeping up with what's going on than I can ever hope to be.

Rules for posting

1. Posters must have conservative beliefs.
   
2. No posting untruths (Obama is not Muslim and posts about that sort of thing and other lies will not be allowed). Snopes.com and factcheck.org are perfect places to find out what you can believe or not.
   
3. Be courteous (I'm hoping to get comments from Obama supporters so all views can be thought about, but this means needing to be respectful of everyone even if they don't agree with you).

If anyone feels a change should be made to the rules, let me know.