Lincoln & me, experiencing DC

By Melanie Harmon (harmon.melanie@gmail.com)

Editor’s Note: Melanie Harmon, a new contributor, submitted this piece Monday on Lincoln’s birthday. I met her as a DU undergrad when she testified in the Senate about radical faculty infringing academic freedom at Metro State, her former school. She later founded DU’s conservative student paper, Common Sense, and worked on the Holtzman for Governor campaign, before graduating in spring 2006. Welcome, Melanie – JA

Like most recent college graduates, I busted out of my cap and gown ready to conquer my next life experience: the real world. Four days after graduation, I moved to Washington, D.C. with two suitcases and lofty visions of what my life would be, post-University of Denver.

I chose our nation’s capital because I wanted to continue the conservative activism of my previous four years. I would be serving my country and the state of Colorado while sticking to the principles I knew to be good and right: personal and fiscal responsibility, little government interference, faith in God and faith in the American people.

Five months into my cross-country, real world experience, those lofty visions were promptly pulled back down to earth. The November elections taught me Lesson No. 1 of living in the real world: that life is chock-full of disappointments.

The Republican losses equaled personal disappointment. Many of the friends I had made were quickly gone, for they had lost their jobs due to election events. Lesson No. 2: working in politics is never a secure gig. Duly noted: we work in the conservative movement for the passion and the principle, certainly not for the security and definitely not for the money.

My job hunt in Washington can only be described as one of a conservative vagabond. Like many other young conservatives in Washington, I frequent the free events at The Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute, just hoping that my name will catch on somewhere. Although I have a wealth of job experience, compared to all those conservatives who just lost their jobs, I simply don’t match up. Post-elections, the conservative work force became a whole lot more competitive.

Despite the tumultuous job market, I managed to land a job at a libertarian-minded firm as a writer. But working there made me realize that my goals could turn out to be impenetrable. The vast difference between libertarians and conservatives is worthy of a separate discussion altogether. But what I learned is valuable Lesson No. 3: there is no job worth having if one must sacrifice one’s principles.

Thus, I left my job at the libertarian “wonk house,” as we say in Washington, but with my conservative beliefs intact and my dignity not sacrificed for anything, not even for a paycheck. My conservatism is as much a part of me as my brain and my heart.

Since arriving in Washington, I have often asked myself harsh questions and wondered if I had made the right choice in taking such a leap of faith on my ideology—and myself.

Which brings me to important Lesson No. 4: keep looking up to those who give you inspiration. I am blessed to have the National Mall just minutes from my front doorstep, and any time I feel like giving up on my lofty visions, I must remind myself of why I am here in the first place.

As President Lincoln sits tall and proud in his chair, looking over the city, those lofty visions all start coming back to me. Lincoln was the first Republican leader and stood up for what he believed to be good and right when it was highly unpopular and dangerous to do so. His sentiment echoes almost 150 years later, back to Republicans who may not be popular, but do what they know to be good and right. Lincoln’s bravery is something every young conservative should aspire to emulate.

As a young conservative in these arduous times of Washington, I am faced with many challenges. But with those challenges comes many lessons of which I am happy to learn. Things will not be getting easier any time soon, but what I do have are my principles to guide me through those times, and the leaders who inspired me to do it in the first place.

Remembering Reagan on his birthday

Today is the birthday of Ronald Reagan, 1911-2004. Two of my recent tributes to the 40th president are posted below. Reagan was a great statesman, not just a great communicator. To honor our hero's memory, I offer a few gems from the countless sparkling words he left us. May we prove worthy of his legacy - JA------------------------------------------------------------------------- REAGAN IN HIS OWN WORDS

** "You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done." (National TV appeal for Goldwater, 1964)

** "Man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: as government expands, liberty contracts."

** "The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas - a trial of spiritual resolve; the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideas to which we are dedicated."

** "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes." (Joking on a radio microphone test, 1984)

** "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

** "I have seen the rise and fall of Nazi tyranny, the subsequent cold war and the nuclear nightmare that for fifty years haunted the dreams of children everywhere. During that time my generation defeated totalitarianism. As a result, your world is poised for better tomorrows. What will you do on your journey?"

** "The taxpayer - that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take a civil-service exam."

** "Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

** "The American dream is not that every man must be level with every other man. The American dream is that every man must be free to become whatever God intends he should become."

** "I've spoken of the shining city all my political life... a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.... After 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home." (Farewell address, 1989)

** "They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong. There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right. Winston Churchill said that 'the destiny of man is not measured by material computation. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we are spirits -- not animals.' And he said, 'There is something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty.'"

** "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his." (Campaigning in 1980)

** "I hope you're all Republicans." (To surgeons after his assassination attempt,1981)

** "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

[Thanks to John Hawkins of rightwingnews.com, where these and many other Reaganisms are posted.]

Truman's daily prayer

The First Cold Warrior, Elizabeth Spalding's new book on Harry Truman, quotes this little prayer that the Missourian used daily during his presidency:

Oh Almighty and Everlasting God, Creator of heaven and earth and the universe: Help me to be, to think, to act what is right, because it is right: Make me truthful, honest, and honorable in all things: Make me intellectually honest for sake of right and honor and without thought of reward to me. Give me the ability to be charitable, forgiving, and patient with my fellow men -- Help me to understand their motives and shortcomings -- even as thou understandest mine: Amen.

I used this to open and close today's edition of Backbone Radio, remarking how different our political and media discourse would be if more us made this our standard of conduct and truly sought God's aid in living up to it. If only--

Let's help ICE agent Cory Vorhis

As noted tonight on Backbone Radio, there is a fundraiser on Thursday, Feb. 1 for the legal defense of immigration whistleblower Cory Vorhis. He's the heroic ICE agent who revealed those lenient plea bargains for illegal alien felons, during last year's Ritter-Beauprez campaign. It will be an evening event in the DTC area - donation optional. If you want to come and show your support, email me at andrewsjk@aol.com for the details.

Ritter's pro-life pose unmasked

By Krista Kafer (krista555@msn.com) Governor Ritter announced in his state-of-the-state speech that he intends to return funding to Planned Parenthood for “pregnancy prevention and family planning programs.” Nationwide, Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion providers, receives some $272 million in tax payer funds annual under Title X of the Public Health Service Act for “family planning and reproductive health.” The program, enacted in 1970, funnels state and federal taxpayer funds to public and private agencies for birth control, STD testing and other activities. Such entities can even provide “neutral” information on abortion which seems like an opportunity for some to expand business.

In 1999, the Owens administration blocked funding for Planned Parenthood when an audit revealed that the organization was subsidizing abortion with tax payer funds, a clear violation of the Colorado Constitution. This year, Ritter intends to return the subsidies. While taxpayer funding for abortion is the big issue, no one seems to be asking why tax payers are paying for contraception. I’m more than willing to buy someone food or emergency housing, but if a guy can’t afford the $5 for a box of condoms maybe he shouldn’t be having sex. Maybe he should be out looking for a job instead. If I have to pay for somebody to have sex, maybe others should pay for my hobbies. I could use a new pair of skis. But I digress…

Ritter’s support for Planned Parenthood casts doubt on his commitment to the sanctity of human life. He isn’t the only Democrat to fail the first test of authenticity. Several self-identified pro-life Democrat congressmen fresh from election victories failed to vote pro-life when the first opportunity arose earlier this year.

Talking pro-life isn’t the same as actually standing up for the civil rights of unborn children. Regardless of moderate talk, both top Democrat presidential contenders – Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama – support the taxpayer funding for abortion and the barbaric partial-birth abortion procedure. Each received a 100% rating from NARAL, the powerful abortion lobby. Warm smiles and conciliatory language won’t change that.

As the American public grows increasingly squeamish about abortion-on-demand, harsh feminist rhetoric doesn’t resonate as well. Even the most ardent abortion supporter wants to seem a little sensitive. In the end, though, actions speak louder than words.