AUTHORS NOTE: This was originally written as a letter to GOP Headquarters in Washington D.C. It was suggested by someone I admire and trust that I convert it into a commentary as it had info that all should consider. So, by request I present you with the following thoughts.

At the ripe young age of 18 my parents took me to the County Clerks office so I could register to vote. That was in 1976. I registered as a Republican, not because I believed in what they stood for, but because I was young and naive and didn’t know, or care about the differences between the two political parties.

I voted in the elections when they came around. I just went down the list and voted for anyone who was running on the Republican party ticket. If there were more than one candidate, I picked the best sounding name. Bright kid, wasn’t I?

However, as I grew older I gravitated towards conservative thinking. Guns had always been a big part of my life and it seemed the Republicans were more in favor of allowing people to keep their guns. Therefore it seemed logical that the GOP was the party of choice for me. I would still blindly vote for anyone who had an R next to their name because I came to despise what the Democrats stood for. This process went on for years.

Then, for some reason, my brain began to function as it was intended. I began to question things that the government, and “my” party told me. I began to notice a pattern. It seemed that even though the Democrats and the Republicans campaigned on opposing sides of many hot button issues, there were certain things that remained constant, no mater who sat in the White House, or who controlled Congress.

First, government continued to grow, passing more laws that regulated my life, injecting itself into areas that are not within the scope of powers found within the Constitution.

I also noticed, as my government continued to grow that they kept spending more and more money, which I ended up having to pay for in the form of taxes.
I found that more and more of my rights were being infringed upon, and this happened no matter who was in office, Republican, or Democrat.

I found myself taking the time to research the issues, and the stances of the candidates who sought my vote. What I found was that there were NO candidates who stood for what I believe in, i.e. limited government and supporting the Constitution as written.

Knowing what the Constitution said wasn’t something I was taught in school. I had to come by that knowledge for myself. I had a one semester civics class in high school that went over the various sections of the government, but not the historical reasons they were established as they were. For that info I had to do my own research.

While doing that research I found quotes that inspired me, and some that made me downright angry. For instance, John Adams once said that “Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom.” I was not taught these principles in school, and neither has my son.

I feel as though I have been robbed of a part of my nations heritage because of this. George Bush passed No Child Left Behind while he was president, but it certainly appears that his legislation does nothing to ensure that our children are indeed instructed in the principles of freedom.

It also seems that, with increasing frequency, kids are taught to memorize facts as presented to them, without questioning them. More importantly they are not taught how to reason. That is a travesty which we are paying for now with kids who have no sense of patriotism, and no ability to discern when they are being lied to by political candidates.

Fortunately upon graduation I retained some amount of cognitive thought. It may have laid dormant for years, but when it awoke, it came alive with a passion. Now I live by the words of Noah Webster, “In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the particular sect or denomination of the candidate — look to his character….”

I became an independent because I felt that neither the Republicans, nor the Democrats held any regard for my rights and my liberty. The way I now look at it is this. Imagine a coin, on one side you have head, (Republicans), on the other side you have tails, (Democrats). You flip a coin every two years but you still have the same quarter, or dime, you started with.

Both parties are the same under all the propaganda and rhetoric. If you don’t believe me, let me ask you one simple question. How many rights can you name that have been restored to you by your government?

Then Ron Paul came onto the political scene. He was a spark of hope for me, someone who could have brought me back into the fold of the GOP. I wrote letters to the California Republican Party asking how I could obtain material to hand out supporting his run for the Presidency.

The GOP ignored me, just as they ignored Ron Paul. Their actions slammed the door on them ever hoping to get my support for them, or any candidate they proposed. Their actions proved, without any doubt, that both political parties are twin heads of a two headed snake that is intent upon destroying our Constitutional Republic.

More and more Americans are waking up to this fact, and until the Republican National Party, return to true conservative values, begin defending our rights and liberty, they will never regain our support.

In fact, they may wish to do some research of their own. More people are becoming fed up with the government every day. Thomas Jefferson once said, “On every unauthoritative exercise of power by the legislature must the people rise in rebellion or their silence be construed into a surrender of that power to them? If so, how many rebellions should we have had already?”

The GOP, and the Democrats for that matter had best wake up to this. The sooner the better, for them, and for our country.

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says “OH SHIT!!…. HE’S AWAKE!!“

“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?“

~ The Author ~
Neal Ross can be reached for comments at bonsai@syix.com. Visit Neal’s Blog at http://www.zombie-slayer.com/neal