Common Ground

I find myself at odds sometimes with both factions of the liberty movement and the traditional movement in the GOP. I am part of the 'stuck in the middle' generation. Living through part of the Cold War to its ending and the aftermath, I tend to still cling to some ideals that the liberty movement won't embrace. I also try to learn lessons from what has happened during and since to learn where we have made mistakes that traditionalist will not embrace.  

My favorite part of being involved is when you can become part of a very intimate discussion with a few people that are involved and hear openly all views, from all age ranges, no judgment, just discussion. After a meeting the other night something someone said stuck with me. He mentioned that people my age have to remember that not only do the new generations of conservatives not remember the Cold War, but they hardly remember the world Prior 9/11. Ah, yes, the reminder of age is a funny thing. From my viewpoint, I tend to forget how much they don't know or understand of the past, AND how much I or even my elders will never understand their worldview. It is dramatically different than ours.

I'd argue the Cold War was a little simpler. We had a well defined enemy. We had a well defined goal. The communists were bad, and stopping the spread of it was a worthy goal. Today, the enemy is muddy. It is bands of people, groups and ideological nuts that are the enemy. Also, today, the new generation likely has no memory of living in a time of less freedom, government, security, NSA, NDAA, TSA, on and on. They understand this is not correct or in line with constitutional regulations. They see the grave mistake made to achieve security over personal liberty. I agree with this. We have become a nation of fear and fear mongers. This was not the nation I remember. We lived with the very real threat of human elimination daily via a nuclear threat. Yet, we retained our personal liberties. The rush to secure us in any situation, any place, any time has left us more like the old guys we used to fight. We have forgotten, or are now too scared to remember, the stance of : The price of a free society is that sometimes bad things will happen. Yet, we take these risks, freely, gladly even, to continue to be able to be free.

I can very much agree with the new guys in the spirit of we have become far too entangled in foreign affairs. First and foremost, we can no longer afford it. We are in a state of astronomical debt that we were not back then. I tend to believe we have far surpassed the limit of debt that can ever be considered sustainable or any hope of repayment of it. I tend to agree it is time to repair our own home before we try repairing others. Some call that isolationism, I call it common sense. If we are to have any chance of a future, we have got to correct this issue.  This perpetual state of war must be curtailed. We simply cannot afford it any longer.

Now I fully am aware, if we are going to truly do a compare/contrast as I opened with, that just as there are many factions of traditionalists, the same applies to the liberty movement. Isolationism does exist in some. And to be honest, always has as long as I can remember, even before this new generation. Once, someone made the argument that if Canada were invaded the US has no obligation to be involved if we were left alone. Sadly, I wish human obsession worked this way, but it does not. If one thing history should have taught us, it is that once someone hungers for power, no matter how much we appease it, it's thirst cannot be quenched and usually has to be forcibly stopped.  Also, many liberty people fancy open borders. I personally cannot agree in our current state. The theory of open borders is indeed something to think of, but so is world peace. I don't think either is coming soon. In our current state of a nation, in the magnet that pulls them here, it is impossible. Yes, if we had no welfare system, if we had no education or healthcare for illegals, the argument of open borders holds some weight as there would be absolutely no services offered, less would come but for those that will truly work for a better life. One should also understand an open border does not mean an unsecured border either. Sometimes there is a misunderstanding there. However, personally, I prefer to work in realities.  I want a real-time solution for the current issue in the current state of reality, not one of a dreamland if everything were perfect.

What I am saying here is, I think we all have much to learn from each other. We should neither dismiss the new generation due to age, nor should they dismiss the old guard as simply out of touch. Party unity is a big issue for me. Parties naturally change as they slip from one generation to another. The issue we have currently is we must allow the transition to take place with respect and a common goal of our principles of limited government, free markets and personal liberties. Fighting and trying to keep any thought from entering the discussion from the new generation coming in is you run the risk of them finally busting in and removing anyone of your thought left at all. Or, in the worse case, simply abandoning you completely. Neither ends well.