Elective Decisions

Below is an essay I wrote on January 30, 2006, and published in the National Ledger.  At Elective Decisions, we are continuing our week long salute to Rush Limbaugh.  Those in the mainstream media, and some in the Republican Party, feel it is necessary to dump on him for his comments on Sonia Sotomayor and Obama.  So, we’re reposting this fantastic essay while flipping the bird to those that want to criticize him.  We also give a hat tip to Mark Levin for defending him so staunchly! We hope you enjoy it!

It has been two long years since I wrote the essay; Rush Limbaugh is “The Passion.”  Since, conservatives have reelected President Bush, retained both houses of Congress, and are threatening to reform the out of control Supreme Court of the United States.  These labors have shown that Americans support the conservative ideology, largely because of its guiding principles, not the vehicle behind that ideology.

It is the same with Rush Limbaugh.  A little over two years ago, Rush Limbaugh announced his addiction to prescription drugs.  The media, the Palm Beach prosecuting attorney, and some conservatives were ready to walk Limbaugh down the gang plank to the feasting sharks below.  This isn’t all that common in today’s America.  Charges are made and it is automatically assumed that the person is to be burned at the stake.  The prosecutor has to be right.  This is not a partisan vehicle for agendas.  Rather than throw myself on my sword, I waited until Roy Black’s appearance on Hannity & Colmes, January 27, 2004.

The facts of the story emerged—emerging with passion—and it soon began to appear that the only thing Rush Limbaugh was guilty of was having a prescription drug addiction.  Being addicted to prescription drugs was hardly a crime.  If anything, it only proved to make Limbaugh all the more human, and even more American.  Those torturous days between Roy Black’s appearance and his victories in court have shown a man that will stop at nothing to advance the conservative agenda.  Limbaugh’s radio show—”The Passion”—hands down daily lessons for conservatives, rebuking liberalism and the mainstream media.  He continues to be steadfast in his approach, remaining on top of the radio world.  Never has he been so popular.  Never has he been as strong as he is today.  Never has he been so steadfast in his conservative zeal.  He is supported by Americans, conservative Americans that share those same guiding lessons he handed down.  I am just one American, echoing those sentiments of these lessons taught by Rush Limbaugh.  These lessons are:

(1) America is guided by moral laws, having an origin in God.  Conservative Americans are guided by the principles handed down by the Founding Fathers.  These principles are rooted in the Judeo-Christian ethic, and our laws our governed by a morality that could only come from God.  It is our sworn duty as conservatives to continue this tradition.  It is this America that the Founding Fathers envisioned and it is this America that Limbaugh advocates.

(2) Variety is the sole characteristic of the American civilization.  Conservative Americans fight tyranny and the uniformity that it creates.  Liberalism, in its warped philosophy, wishes to make all Americans the same.  Conservative Americans know that America can only be great if individuals are allowed to prosper in their unique differences.

(3) Americans have a right to their personal property, rewards achieved through their abilities. Conservatives, including Rush Limbaugh, know that for America to be great, Americans must be rewarded for their achievements.  Different achievements require different rewards.  America can never prosper if achievements are taken away by tyranny or an out of control judiciary.

(4) American freedom and economic gain are forever connected.  There can be no vitality rooted in liberalism.  At the root of economic leveling is liberalism.  Americans must be able to gain economically to achieve true freedom.

(5) Courts and prosecutors are full of danger.  Courts and prosecutors can spread tyranny through irrational and unconstitutional rulings.  Conservatives know that power unchecked is corrupt, and that courts must exhibit the limited power that the Constitution gives them.  They know that a partisan court or prosecutor can be as dangerous to Americans as an invading force.

(6) American history is replete with wisdom.  The conservative American believes that we must govern ourselves by the traditions handed down by our Founding Fathers.  It is through their wisdom, writings and Constitutional teachings that we will prosper.  It is their moral relativism and divine truth that separates liberals from the great minds of American history.

(7) America needs true community. The conservative knows that through its community, its churches and volunteer organization that it can breed a healthy, thriving community.  A community that will set examples for the world.  Conservatives at their essence are not selfish, but rather are beacons of spirit in their communities.

(8) America should set an example in the 21st Century.  It is inalienable rights granted by God that set men and women free.  Therefore, the American conservative knows that it should not dominate the world, yet set an example of liberty that all should long to cherish.

(9) Men and women are not perfect.  Political institutions are made of imperfect men and women.  Law cannot solve all the problems in America; instead, it tends to complicate uncomplicated matters. Solutions—known by conservatives—can be presented through community far greater than through government.  Because imperfection is scene everywhere, it is the conservative that knows Americans are better off left alone.

(10) Men and women are completely and irrevocably different.  Conservatives know that the gap between sexes cannot be attained through legislation.  The traditions of the American family have been handed down for over 200 years, separating these differences between men and women through society.  It is not the role of government to act in trying to eliminate those differences; rather it is economics and the community that will continue to demonstrate the roles between the sexes.  At the end of the day, conservatives know that a man is a man and woman is a woman, and that women should be celebrated for being women, not men.

(11) Political reform can be disastrous.  Conservatives know that sudden and swift political reform in government—whether it is a courtroom or in a legislative body—can be disastrous.  Reform must be made slowly to conserve a society and its moral traditions.  It must be welcomed before it is accepted by America.  Conservatives know that in such sweeping change as Roe vs. Wade that Americans are no better off than before the judicial activism that forced Americans to change.  It is this kind of policy that is inherently dangerous to the American citizen and should, in itself, be struck down so that it can be determined by the American people.

Conservatism is not just the concern of the rich.  Rather it is more representative of the modest American.  All Americans derive benefits from this great Republic.  It is therefore fitting and proper that all Americans should determine their role within this community. 

Conservatives know that for liberty to flourish it is best to limit the growth of the federal government, keeping its power checked to prevent absolute corruption. These eleven lessons have been handed down to me.  I cherish each and every one of them.  I gladly celebrate Rush Limbaugh’s success.  For if it was not for Rush Limbaugh, I may never have discovered conservatism.  I would still be dwelling in that miserable purgatory called liberalism.

It is hard for some conservatives—those that have always been conservatives—to appreciate the true impacts of the accomplishments of Rush Limbaugh.  Many can remember his first broadcasts.  Many celebrate him, thanking him when they call on his show.  There are those that still wish to throw him to the wolves because of imperfection. Those individuals have obviously never been locked within the suffocating grasp of liberalism.

So, today, June 2, 2009, I celebrate those eleven principles handed to me by Rush Limbaugh, and congratulate him on two great years of broadcast excellence since the invasion of his civil liberties.  

I, one conservative American, then ask this question: What does Rush Limbaugh mean to you?