Hello Everyone, from a former leftie

[SkiGuy]

I hope I don't get bashed over the head for this, but here's my story. I'm a 45 year old guy, never had much interest in politics..until Katina. Well, I jumped right on the bash Bush bandwagon (because I lacked any political knowledge) and started participating on discussion forums. Of course I joined all the Liberal ones (because I lacked knowledge) and "learned" all about things the Democrats were fighting, like the war and how "bad" Bush is being, etc. And since I always classified myself as a Liberal, I was right there to cheer em on. But then came the God removal and bible bashing (I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God and that you are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ-whether or not I am saved is another story), and the issues over the "illegal" spying and how you are losing all your civil rights (they gotta be kidding), and rights for gays, and making infanticide legal, etc, etc, etc.
Well, I learned that there is no way in hell I am a Liberal nor do I want to support any Liberal causes or the Democratic party. I may not agree with everything the Bush administration does and I will admit I have problems with Cheney (nothing I can pinpoint, just this gut feeling) and Rumsfeld (lets just say I agree with what Bill Kristol has to say about him) but here I am, a conservative Republican. And it feels right because it is.
You guys sure complain a a lot less too, and seem much more happy.

[Republican_Legion]

I was a Liberal once also.
I was a Liberal before 911, after I started to drift rightward. When the Dems started attacking the president and I started to question the Dems loyality to this country and read up on what Dems stand for. I too was disgusted with their social agenda of baby killing, gun grabbing, bible banning and that made me step away from the Rats for good.

[Teenager]

Hey SkiGuy! I hope you decide to stick around! Welcome to the Forum, and be sure to read the FAQ's and rules.

:wave:

Anyways, I was grown up a conservative, and so it's always cool to see a convert :D

I'm also a Bible-thumper, from the Proud South.

[DoctorDoom]

Welcome aboard, SkiGuy. A good many of us are recovering liberals. I spent the better part of three decades as one of those ... critters.

It's never too late to be saved, from liberalism and/or from damnation.

[True Grace]

Former liberal here as well. :wave:

I actually (and I can't believe I am admitting this) voted for Bill Clinton in 1992. :thud:

When I came to faith in Jesus Christ, my whole worldview changed.....and I ran for the right as fast as my legs could carry me.

I still get a little skeeved out to think I was ever a lib....liber....heck I can't say it again. :uhh:

(By the way....why are you not sure of your salvation? :question: )

[UnkHiram]

Well if we are going to be completely honest, OK, I campaigned for Jimmy Carter in 1976. Thankfully I was too young to vote. His pardoning of the Draft Dodgers Convinced me that an INcompetant Republican (Ford) was always a better choice than a Moderate Democrat.

[SkiGuy]

(By the way....why are you not sure of your salvation? :question: )
Because of this: "faith without works is dead" . I have the biblical knowledge, but I'm not living a Christian life. I know I have to give 100% to God, but I give in to the sinful nature too much. That's why I'm not sure. Plus you will see me most likely swear here occasionally or call someone a freaking moron (like if some Liberal comes here spewing that PNAC crap...READ THE REST OF IT besides that one little sentence!!)

By the way, thank you all for the welcome. :)

[DesertFox]

I think I was a liberal until I turned 11. No, it was after the hair started growing under my arms. Old enough to grasp that manliness is a desirable trait and that there's nothing manly about chickenshit.

That's all it ever came down to, for me. Liberals are chickenshits. Their chickenshitness shows in the way they run in crowds, heckle from the safety of anonymity, attack the unsuspecting with childish weapons such as pies, pick on the defenseless, and so on.

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

Welcome, SkiGuy,
To the best discussion forum on the net. As Teenager suggested, don't forget to read the FAQ's and board policy, just so you are familiar with the place.

I cannot say that I have even a passing familiarity with being a liberal, as I grew up in a staunchly political household -- which sounds weird, but if you knew my parents you'd know why. My parents never discussed THEIR politics in front of me, but we most CERTAINLY talked politics -- all the time. My parents were highly involved in the political process, but were good at keeping their personal politics out of the realm of discussion. Mine was always the house my friends dreaded coming to for dinner ... at our table, we ALWAYS had discussions, and you better have a position and come down on one side or the other and be ready to defend it. My Father was the best "d-vil's advocate" I know of, and many times I lost my case to him, :smirky: .

My only advice would be to seek out your core convictions, strive to hold them strong and fast, know how to defend them, and always be looking for the truth in any issue. Go further and past the rhetoric, to what's REALLY at the center.

Anyway, again, welcome to FC. Hope you make us your home away from home ...
Happy Posting, and
Many Blessings,
Hms

[Elgalad]

Greetings to you, Skiguy! :thumb:


I think most folks go through different phases during their lifetime where they view themselves as one 'ideology' or another. It's been said elsewhere, and I can confirm it from my own experience, that young adults have a tendency to think with their 'hearts' (emotions) more than with their heads. For this reason, many call themselves liberals because they believe the Left to be more concerned with change and progress, and more compassionate and 'caring' than the Right. This is a faulty impression, but it is a persistent one. Maturity and experience are usually what bring these wayward souls back to the light. Unfortunately some people are just unable to advance beyond their naivete or unwilling to try to find the truth.

That is not to say that the Left is Always wrong, and before I get into trouble for saying that from my fellow Free Conservatives.. my reasoning is this: When we become so accustomed to being 'right' on issue after issue, the danger exists that we will become complacent and in our smug self-congratulation, fail to carefully weigh each issue on its own merits, but rather begin to 'toe the party line' and give up our ability to think independently. There have been a number of recent issues that have deeply divided Conservatives and canNot be easily reduced to a left/right argument (though some have certainly tried. :rolleyes:)

The bottom line is, when you possess the intellectual honesty to question everything from a position of logic and reason, when you are willing to ignore the temptation to embrace your first emotional or 'gut' response to an issue or to blindly agree with (or Oppose) any other person without knowing the facts, when you can listen to others' arguments and weigh their points aginst your own fairly, and when you can trust your conscience (and Faith) and use them to help you discern truth from spin, then you will Always make the right decision on any issue before you. Labels are not important, Truth is. And Truth is never subjective, it exists independent from politics, philosophies, and ideologies and while those may provide road signs on the path to Truth, they do Not define it.

So Don't feel that you aren't a true Conservative if you do not agree with everything your fellow posters here say. None of us agree with each other 100% of the time! If we did, why would any of us post? We'd only need one person to speak for us all, heh. :licky:

But on those subjects where the majority here does appear to hold a different view than yours, please don't be afraid to add your thoughts to the conversation. Your opinions are just as valid as anyone else's. And even when we debate with others and neither we nor our opponents end up changing our minds, we can Help each other understand our own respective positions better as well as build personal bridges of understanding that strengthen us all.

Homes hit the most important stuff in her post, about the FAQ and policies. :grin: She's Great at welcoming people, she greeted me a few months back myself! I'm still a newbie, more or less, but if you don't mind a Wee bit more advice (after all that preaching, ha ha ha!), please remember that this is a pretty friendly board. There are often wide differences in opinions and sometimes things can get a bit hairy in the flame wars forums especially, but if you treat others with respect and courtesy, you can expect the same in return.

Once again, welcome! I look forward to reading your contributions.


-Elgalad

[SkiGuy]

I'm just glad no one jumped all over my case saying "WHY DO YOU NOT LIKE CHENEY, YOU TRAITOR"? I was going to say, when I get the nerve, I'll post something, but now is as good a time as any. I don't like him mainly because of his personality, BUT, I am interested in and am following the leak investigation. I have no further comments on that because it is an ongoing investigation (not ready to make any predictions yet in other words)
I think the left has Fitzgerald wrong. They basically think of him is the savior and hero of the left cause. I beleive many of them do not realize that Fitzgerald suports the war on terror and 100% supports the Patriot Act. (can provide a link to his statement to Congress if anyone's interested-after I read that was when I started to move to the Right)

My opinion/warning about Hillary...Do not take her lightly. I never could stand her, but I watched a speech she made on TV a while back and she sure knows how to command a podium and work the audience. She definitely has the "star" quality thing going. (isn't it amazing that even a whack job like her has that capability?) I hope Rove keeps riding her ass...BIG time.

Question: What is your guys opinion of FreeRepublic? (that is a question for the Conservatives, Lefties stay out of it..I already know what you're gonna say) This forum is far better.

[Beowulf]

Welcome aboard, Skiguy!
I think that people who are young and/or ignorant to politics always seem to jump on the Liberal bandwagon. I don't know why but they do!
While I'm not committed to either party (I'm a registered Independent), I do think of myself as a Conservative and proudly so.
No, I don't care for alot of what Bush does and I'm not ashamed to speak on it. Unfortunately, their are many who come here spreading hate and lies instead of some honest debate. Those are the same that often get banned and wonder why!

Cya round, Ski!

[Pendragon_6]

Skiguy:

Welcome to the forum. As much as I hate to admit it, I was liberal in my politics unitl Ronald Reagan was elected. That's when I noticed that I was disagreeing with the left more and more and I realized I was changing into a conservative. Now I look on my youth as wasted on liberalism. Thank the Good Lord I woke up.

[jAk]

Many young people who support liberals typically support socialism, not knowing the full ramifications of being led by a socialist government. Not saying it is bad, but socialism and America are not compatible.

I was once too a liberal, and in some of my beliefs I still am, and I supported socialism. I am from Poland, born and raised in Poland. We had a welfare state there. It worked fine and all, but Americans simply cannot mix with socialism.

Now I support liberal policies like abortion and anti-death penalty. I was just raised supporting these two key issues. But I refuse to support my tax money going into the pockets of people who refuse to try to make a living for themselves.

[Jim Sentry]

DD, once was a Liberal! I'm floored.

[Eagle1]

i too was a liberal, until 5th grade, then i had a teacher who put liberal policies into practice. and i thought, what the hell? this is crap!!

i saw the pandering and the inequal treatment, got fed up with it, and then had 2 years to torture the hell out of the guy (he taught social studies, so i never had a shortage of ammunition, and most of the time i didnt even know what i was talking about [remember i was only 11 at the time] and i still won all the arguments)

libs cant even get around the facts when an elementary kid throws them at them

i saw what my faith dictated, and i chose a political side that had the most in common with it on the most important issues

i vote republican, but i am a conservative


welcome to the board and many happy postings to you

[bannerman]

I hope I don't get bashed over the head for this, but here's my story. I'm a 45 year old guy, never had much interest in politics..until Katina. Well, I jumped right on the bash Bush bandwagon (because I lacked any political knowledge) and started participating on discussion forums. Of course I joined all the Liberal ones (because I lacked knowledge) and "learned" all about things the Democrats were fighting, like the war and how "bad" Bush is being, etc. And since I always classified myself as a Liberal, I was right there to cheer em on. But then came the God removal and bible bashing (I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God and that you are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ-whether or not I am saved is another story), and the issues over the "illegal" spying and how you are losing all your civil rights (they gotta be kidding), and rights for gays, and making infanticide legal, etc, etc, etc.
Well, I learned that there is no way in hell I am a Liberal nor do I want to support any Liberal causes or the Democratic party. I may not agree with everything the Bush administration does and I will admit I have problems with Cheney (nothing I can pinpoint, just this gut feeling) and Rumsfeld (lets just say I agree with what Bill Kristol has to say about him) but here I am, a conservative Republican. And it feels right because it is.
You guys sure complain a a lot less too, and seem much more happy.


Im a born again common sense capitalist AMERICAN

i marched in the first "moratorium" to end the vietnam war.

i was a mindless follower back in 1969.

i didnt pay much attention to socio politcal stuff until Ronald Reagan showed up in the White House.

[SkiGuy]

That proves it! To be a Liberal means to be an uneducated fool. Everyone converted after developing common sense and knowledge.

[Large_Al]

I was a Liberal .....But I got better.
I love Cheney also, you traitor you. No But really. I have no problem if somebody doesn't like who I like. I for the life of me can't see why anyone wouldn't like Cheney. But I know people who don't... I do have a Problem when somebody comes out with "I hate Cheney because he is a Nazi!" Or stupid shyt like that. I think you'll like it here. Welcome to the party!!

[Biff]

Hi SkiGuy,

Glad you finally came to the light! I'm pretty new here too.

I was never a leftie, actually. Born and raised in a God-fearing household, I learned early on how imbecilic liberals and Democrats could be.

Anyhow, on being saved... all of us sin and fall short of the glory of God, and so will you! But if you believe on Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are saved. Don't let the devil take that faith away from you, because you are saved by faith and not by good works. God bless,

Biff

[Melz]

Welcome SkiGuy (my ex-license plates used to say "Ski It")..So far your posts are moderate, good to read, well received, an outstanding start!

I have never been a liberal, I learned in like 2nd grade based on the policies of recess that I was not of that thinking and then by the time Carter was up for election, realized those policies were liberal ones! I had liberal parents though. One has moved to the "other side" based on moral/social views alone.

As far as Free Republic goes, I have never posted there, although I agree with most views presented. I prefer this "homey" atmosphere much better, and I thank TBL, where ever she is, for linking me up from a local newspaper forum full of hateful vulgar liberals ..

Welcome dear !

[630111]

Question: What is your guys opinion of FreeRepublic? (that is a question for the Conservatives, Lefties stay out of it..I already know what you're gonna say) This forum is far better.

I like FreeRepublic, although I don't see it as a place that is conducive to socializing. I dunno, maybe it's the layout. I do see it as a good news source and view it as sort of a Drudge Report (like it was before they got wierd).

[MikeNite]

Ski....glad your here......and now everyone........let's get down to business!!! How can we, as American citizens, stop the delaying tactics of the Democratic party in the Senate??? There is so much to do and time is a wastin'.............suggestions????............... ....

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

let's get down to business!!! How can we, as American citizens, stop the delaying tactics of the Democratic party in the Senate??? There is so much to do and time is a wastin'.............suggestions????............... ....

Considering this is a "Hello" thread started by SkiGuy, might I suggest you start a different thread to "get down to business", :smirky: , let's leave this one for freecers to welcome our new member http://www.freeconservatives.com/vb/images/icons/icon7.gif

And btw, seems as if you're pretty new here too. Welcome to FC. Please take some time to view the FAQ's and Board Policy, and I hope you enjoy our wonderful topics and threads.
Welcome again,
Happy Posting, and
Blessings,
Hms

[UnkHiram]

Ski

I never felt comfortable over at Free Republic. Here it feels like family, yes even to include cousins I cant stand and crazy old Uncles.

[sunsettommy]

Welcome Skiguy.

I am a former democrat who was saved by Ronald Reagan in 1984.

While I am not a Registered Republican,I do have some conservative ideals.

I have been on a number of forums before over the years and will say positively that I like this one the best.

Why?

The Administrators and Moderators as a team for this forum is the best one I have seen.Honestly!

I could say a lot more but this is not the place to say it since this is for a swell guy.

Enjoy the ride Ski!

The Skys the limit ya know.