I'm just really busy. I'll find time for my blog eventually.

            Traveling to Washington D.C. is like paying respects to your Grandpa’s gravestone. He along with the men behind those marbled steps and pillars of the monuments and buildings of government are long gone from this world. Yet, their voices carry on the wind along with history. They whisper to you while you are there, and tell you stories of deeds before your reckoning. The whispers are filled with valor, pride and sacrifice. They are of glory and heartache.

 

            It is in these whispers of D.C. that going to CPAC is a Wake. For thirty years the Conservative Political Action Conference has celebrated the naturally conservative history of our great nation and of our fore fathers. And what a celebration it is! CPAC is not just a gathering of conservatives, it is a living monument. We do not mourn the men and women who built this land of freedom; we gather and remember their spirit, their idealism and their romanticism. We continue the journey started with “We the People” and carry it onward; second star to the right and straight on till morning with every passing generation.

 

            Yet why do thousands descend upon the shining beacon of the free world every year? Why do the thousands, who represent and spread the grassroots effort in their local communities, many of which do so for little or no money come here? Faith. It can be argued by few or by many that it is faith in this country, faith in the power of the people and faith in the powers endowed by the Creator that has caused our enduring perseverance against the forces of immorality, destruction and evil. It is in this faith that CPAC grows each year.

 

            Since the birth of this nation, within the ink of a defiant quill, America has had a destiny. Our destiny is that of freedom, and with each realization of that destiny has come a grander understanding of it. With the expanse of our nation from sea to shining sea came the defeat of fascism. From the defeat of fascism came the defeat of communism. Today however we face a true two front campaign toward destiny and freedom. We face extremist ideology from without and within our own borders. One wishes death to freedom by means of religion while the other endangers freedom with extremist secularism and government control.

 

            It is at CPAC that we channel our faith in freedom in defense of our country in light of these dangers. Many in recent months (and at CPAC) have uttered the words of Ronald Reagan and some have called this cliché. Yet, cliché at its basest definition is the result of the reoccurrence of truth. It was Ronald Reagan that stood fast toward destiny and so we look to his legacy for guidance. Reagan’s legacy however is not our only pillar. It was at the end of CPAC that we heard a renewed battle cry of freedom in the words “NEWT! NEWT! NEWT!”

 

            It is through Newt Gingrich that many look for a new pillar of strength. It is through Newt Gingrich that many look for a rebirth of grassroots. They look to him because grassroots is the epitome of ideas and issues. Grassroots is not the core of negative campaigning to which it has been falsely accredited. Newt’s Nine Nineties in Nine program, will be a new revolution to movement conservatism, much like the Contract with America was a revolution to Republicanism. While the Media look to other candidates for sound bytes it is the grassroots movement that looks to Newt Gingrich for real American solutions. It is through a campaign of solutions and not problems that can revitalize those outside the grassroots to gain interest in the grassroots. It is the attitude of yes/if and not no/because that will drive the American spirit once more. The American people hunger for change. They long for it like sailors out to sea singing about dry land and Shenandoah. It is because Newt Gingrich’s hopes and dreams are our hopes and dreams that we love him so. He is us; he does not appear to us from behind a curtain but travels through the crowd, through our embrace. It is through this embrace we wish to elevate him to President of the United States. It is through this cause, this pure form of grassroots we hope you join us.

-Matthew Brian Keller

 

           

I'll have a full report on CPAC when I return.

This is less of a direct response to Jed Babbin, but more in response of his letter at VictoryCaucus.com found here.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. – Theodore Roosevelt

 

            I open this monologue with the above text. It is a reflective text that causes one to wonder about the times before us. About the men before us, who led us, steered us toward the nation we are today. Men don’t talk like this anymore. Our language, having endured countless assaults by multiculturalists, is more of a rabid slang. Doomsayers often say it is history that does repeat itself. But what if history repeating is the natural and good way of the universe?

 

            In bringing up Roosevelt’s quote I mean to look at the end and means of Bush’s cause through a specific lens. It is true as Mr. Babbin states that victory has never clearly been defined, and why is this? The Left would have us believe President Bush incompetent. However, for as many different “definitions of victory” that have appeared on our TV screens, we all miss an important viewpoint. The war against Saddam and the war for democracy are mutually exclusive.

 

            It is my honest belief the Bush Administration acted on their sincere understanding that Saddam was a threat. Was this a form of Group Think? Perhaps, though it is irrelevant. The importance is in looking at the transition from Gulf War 2a to Gulf War 2b. Upon crushing Saddam’s regime, and not finding the significant WMD’s believed to be there, (mind you I’m not saying they weren’t there) how did we transition from neo-rational self interest to nation building? Vision.

 

            I believe George W. Bush is a visionary. He has dared to dream. Yet this dream is unimaginably expensive. Mr. Babbin is correct in his tally of thousands of soldiers, the way of the forlorn British Empire. Regardless of which way the future holds, we are imperialists of a sort. I dare say this in an attempt to shatter the traditional stigma of negative connotation. America has been the Empire of Freedom, the Empire of those men who dared to dream. Yet not all dreams succeed, or succeed as planned. But in between a total war and stalemate is No Mans Land. This is where we are currently. Like in Roosevelt’s quote, we are on the path of failing while daring greatly, but in a twist we are also, not knowing victory or defeat.

 

            So what of Civil War? Not long ago a nation whose rebellious intent was not secession, but to at first declare their patriotism to Mother England backfired. The rest is history. Revolution at its basest definition involves blood.  The current Iraqi “government” is much like a continental congress, it was formed and has made decisions on its own, but the key to sovereignty is by means of force alone. In our Civil War with England it was not the French who defeated the redcoats; it was by our own will the deed was done.

           

But Mr. Babbin raises the question, “Is it folly to think democracy will work in the Arab world?” Perhaps, but we don’t know, not yet at least. Our key arguments against leaving Iraq are being our own impediment toward victory. We declare that once we leave, the vultures of terror will sweep in on Iraq like carrion. Herein lay the true folly, we are declaring Schroedinger’s cat dead before opening the box. We forget that as civilized as we are, humans are still animals. Because of our “civilized” nature we have instinct but we also have social instinct. Birds push their young out of the nest, for the chicks to fly. They fly or they die, and Iraq as a society and Iraqi’s as humans must do one or the other.

 

            Where then is the victory for us? Generation-Y’s “Now! Now! Now!” permeates our knowledge and our mindset of victory like rancid meat. Did we fail in Vietnam? Or did we slow the spread of the disease by slowly freezing it long enough to treat it? We did defeat Communism after all. True Victory in Iraq comes through our faith in freedom, that through the ashes of strife, the Iraqi’s will have earned Democracy. As we believe in freedom, we must believe in the success of freedom. And if we are to falter in this regard, we should give great cause to re-examine faith as a whole.

 

            But that is the definition of victory for nation building, and only nation building; a nation builds itself. What of our war on terror? To leave Iraq, to fight terror and not nation build, is the path to victory. The “fight them there so as to not fight them here” principle is sound. But instead of fighting in place B so as to not have to fight in place A, we are fighting in place C. The terror sponsoring regimes of Syria and Iran must be the locales of place B. As with any international game there is however a tipping point. If we do not go to the true place B, then we will have to fight them here in place A, with nuclear weapons entered into the equation.

 

Fighting (and winning) in place B also helps in a secondary fashion as well. It should be understood; that the only reason doubt and disdain for democracy in Arab states exists is because oppressive terror states threaten to destroy them. Our nation’s own natural geography protected it from backlash from non democratic nations. This is not a luxury the Arab world has. Valuable resources lay next to one another separated by man-made borders. These boundaries were set unnaturally by those outside the respective countries own sovereignty. It is only by removal of threats to democracy as a whole, can it flourish. We feared a domino effect of Communism and put up blockades, let us have faith in a domino effect of Freedom, and remove blockades.

 

In this American lives will be spent on nation building, but not by nation building. Our means needs adjusting, while our end is just.

 

-Matthew Brian Keller

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVFF98kNg8Q

It hasn't been more than probably 5 or 6 years since the internet started to mature. With the birth pains of the start-up dot com bubble "placenta" bursting, the modern internet was born. With that birth came such drastic and revolutionary change that our world can never really be the same.

What do I mean by this? How has the world changed so? It has changed in the way we see it. Ten years ago the internet was relatively new. Dial-up was still somewhat the norm. People used the internet for shopping, email, chat rooms, and pornography. People still do. But look at what else we do now. Look at how we observe things from places we will never see. People we will (probably) never meet in person.

The above embedded video is the record holder of video views on YouTube. It is of a six year old daughter, singing a song about her brother who is serving in Iraq. The entire world has the ability to see this. Every single person who has access to the internet. Sit back and think about that for a moment. Think about the other things we can see, that we can know about.

An old hermit living in the wilds of the Yukon can, with a generator and a satillite dish (and satillite internet subscription) become the world's greatest philosopher with an epiphany and a blogpost. A religious leader can address his followers. A madman can sow hatred. A terrorist can behead an innocent and show the world.

Look at the Iraq war and how its' infinately changed America. Not in the amount of American deaths but in the sheer brutal humanity of it. By humanity I mean we see quite simply the nature of war. This is a nature that has happened for centuries. The only difference is that the men and women whom we train and ask to do the service of war are not the only ones experiencing it. Not anymore.

Some ask if this is a bad thing, while others can simply state this is wonderful and that the exposure will cause war to become obsolete because people will realize its horrors. This is partly true. Humanity on the whole cannot handle war. It is why we are not having full civilization on civilization battles. It takes a select man or woman to fight. to be able to fight and it takes training on top of that innate ability.

The true strengths of this new world is the fact that it allows us to see the men and women serving us in the best way possible. The inner romanticism of what soldiers do for our country is dead, replaced by an actual seeing of what they do. The good that they do, the evil that they face and the hardships that they endure.

It is through this new media that we truely see the sacrifice made by those who give their lives, limbs and souls for our cause. This scares some, gives them guilt, causes them to lash out. To others it gives resigned silence not knowing how to react. As for me, I grieve in immense gratitude. Jesus said that there is no greater love than to sacrifice your life for your brother. It is nowhere else more true than in this case, and it is nowhere else more true than in this new world in which we live.

            

State of the Battleground State: Michigan

 

            The state of the Michigan Republican Party is strong! Coming back from MRP Convention, I have witnessed just how electric and committed the members of our Grand Ol’ Party are. A party that Austin Blair would be proud of despite the party hardships we’ve endured nationally. I say this because out of all the state GOP parties nationwide, we have faced and continue to face rock bottom. We have become scrappers in the alleyways of politics, the trenches of grassroots. Through the battles of the 2006 election cycle we have become carved out of wood as tough as the great Michigan forests that came before us.

            This strength lay in the victories achieved that other states did not. We kept all of our Congressional seats in Washington, including a seat which was incumbent in party orientation but not of candidate, that of Tim Walberg’s. We kept our State Senate by a count of around 400 votes, which went to Dr. Roger Kahn in a district that is over 50% registered Democrat. Lastly, in a campaign system where it is much harder than before to raise money due to McCain-Feingold, our state party came out of the election with absolutely no debt.

            I mentioned earlier that Austin Blair – our Civil War Governor, a staunch abolitionist and a founding father of our Republican Party – would be proud of us if he saw us today. He would be proud because while other elements nationally have lost the Republican brand, we have never forgotten who we are and where we come from. It is this sense of history and the victories we have achieved that will cause us to be a beachhead in the coming Presidential War.

            The 2008 election cycle will indeed be just that, a war. This is because in politics as in war, it is the policies and decisions of leaders which can irrevocably affect the lives of the people. It can be said that some politicians lose sight of this in the morass of campaign vote-getting politics. There is one politician nay, statesman who has not forgotten this: Newt Gingrich. Many have raised the question of whether or not Speaker Gingrich will run for President. This however is not the issue. The Speaker has something that will endure beyond a 4 or 8 year Presidency. He has ideology.

            Sufficed to say, a President Gingrich would be in the best position to fully cultivate his ideology; if he did not run he would not simply go gently into the night. But one must ask, is it a candidate that convinces us to vote for him, or is it we the people who convince a candidate to run for us, on our behalf? What is it about Newt Gingrich that would be cause for such a response from the people, especially the people of Michigan?

            In a recent speech Speaker Gingrich spoke of three key developmental points to the ideology he is trying to foster from now until he decides whether or not to run for President. The first is to re-examine how we approach politics in that of putting the personal first, the historic second and the political last concerning aspects of a problem. We are to also meet that problem with a solution in the same manner. The greatest problem facing Michigan right now is it’s failing economy and epic job loss. This is a problem which must be treated in Newtonian manner. Every single job lost affects us personally, because that job is that of a friend’s, a family member’s or our own. It is historic because for a long time Michigan has been the backbone of manufacturing culture in America. It has also been one of the core places of the American Dream. Our state was where an American regardless of class, possessed of little education and hope could get a job on the line, earn a sustainable wage, raise their family in comfort and pride and give their children the opportunities they never had. This is an intrinsic part of our state identity and for it to stop is historic and it is personal. The political comes down to the root of Ronald Reagan’s words, “are you better off now than you were four years ago?” These words define the cornerstone of what democracy stands for; the ability to remove those in government whom we lend power to.

            The second point to Newt Gingrich’s ideology is to prepare America for the future. This includes absorbing four to seven times as much science and technology than we do now. The important fact is that we are not alone in this endeavor, as China and India are competing with us. Where does Michigan stand concerning this ideological point? Despite the darkness of job loss in manufacturing, Michigan does possess a shining beacon which lay in Grand Rapids. Medical industry has been flourishing there, not only in health care but in research. It is finding these new industries for Michigan – in Grand Rapids and statewide – that can nourish the American Dream that all Michiganders strive for. Michiganders are hard working people and can deal with the changes the future demands. It is in this that Newt’s second principle finds its roots.

            The last theme to Newt’s ideology is something Michiganders know well. It is the core of Midwest values and the heart of America. This last point is for Republicans to be with the majority of America. The conservative culture is the natural culture of our country. America is right-leaning, its people are people of faith, and they speak English. This culture is based in better life for the people and not better life for the government and its programs. This is not social conservatism but the natural society of our country. It is what Newt wants to bring the Republican Party back to.

            These three principles demand change from the current system and no fight for change is ever easy. But some of the framework is already there. It lay in the people, the people whose ideals and romanticism demand change. This is not only change to reassert our Americanism, but also of healing and self-discovery. To bring us back to One Nation under God Indivisible. It is in this that the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness becomes meaningful again. This meaning is why we the people of Michigan should demand Newt Gingrich as our 44^th President of the United States of America, and I hope you join me in this struggle for faith, family and country. Goodnight and God Bless.

 

-Matthew Brian Keller

If the Palestinians can do it...


Why Can't the Iraqi Shiite and Sunni?

So we all want to "secure" Iraq, and we want the troops to go home in Victory, right?

Democrats want to redeploy/retreat but give no alternate solution except to say "diplomacy diplomacy!" But they also dont even say what that would entail. Nevermind the fact that diplomacy is backed up by force. It will be until the sun burns out.

So what to do?

How about a hybrid solution?

We maintain the surge, eliminating primarily foreign (to Iraq) insurgents, and if Mahdi Army gets in the way too bad.

However at the same time we call for Sunni and Shiite peace talks to be held........where else? MECCA!

Mecca is the holiest city in all of Islam, be they Sunni of Shiite. Any Imam or Cleric would be hard pressed not to make an fool of themselves there (or committ any acts of violence). This could provide a serious sitdown between the leaders of the primary warring groups along with the offical govt. of Iraq. Now granted any diplomatic solution may not allow a significant American hand in the matter. This is because Mecca only allows Muslims within its borders. And I'm not sure we have too many Muslims in the State Dept. (though logic should dictate that we should have some if we dont) Kurds from Kurdistan would also not be allowed a voice in the diplomatic negotiations.

If a peacable solution can be reached, and the two factions declare a resolved effort to fight any foreign threat to the peace (and we observe that they do), then and only then would we remove troops. Granted if things heat up again we move back in (nobody mentions the fact that if things get bad once we leave we can go back and stomp people. Its not like Saddam's army was any kind of challenge.)

I leave the fine details of the negotiations to the more experienced diplomats.

I apologize folks for not having blogged in a while, been busy with my blogging over at DraftNewt as well as gearing up for the Michigan State Republican Convention, in which I'm acting as a delegate and a rep. for DraftNewt. I'll copy over my State of the Battleground State report that I'll be composing for DN here, as it's important outside of any specific campaign arena to know how important the Great Lakes State will be in the 08 election cycle.

Only a matter of time before he has his third strike.....and we know what happens then....a special forces team goes off the reservation. *grin*

Arkin Strikes again

I was born 12:08 AM on February 1st 1983. Happy Birthday Me.

This man is sad and pathetic. That is if I can even call him a man.

Just stunned.

This is a link to a blogpost at blackfive.net. While its easy for me to say that its a good read being in safety and not fully knowing just how exactly things are over there. There was definately a power within the words of the Staff Sgt who wrote it.

A Soldier's Manifesto

Oh, wrap me in my country’s flag, and lay me in the cold blue sea
Let the roaring of the waves, my solemn requiem be
And I shall sleep a pleasant sleep, while storms above their vigils keep

My Captain brave shall read for me, the service of the silent dead
And yay shall lower me in the waves, when all the prayers are said
And I will find my long, long home, among the billows and the foam
Farewell my friends for many a league, we’ve sailed together on the deep
Come let us shake our hands, I’ll sail no more, but shipmates wear for weep

I’m bound above, my course is run
I near the port, my voyage is done

The above is a traditional sea song, It is one of my favorites. When I hear it I think of several family vacations involving the coast line of Michigan. Michigan, while not having a "sea" has possibly one of the greatest maritime histories in the Union. Not long ago a bill was passed in the house and the senate to help preserve this rich and invaluable aspect of my great state. Originally proposed by Dave Camp, my congressman the bill gained the support of Debbie Stabenow (Democrat) in the Senate.

H.R. 3532

Michigan has fallen on troubled times. Industry is leaving due to globalization (and over regulation) but there are two  things that can be never taken away or leave. That being the beautiful landscapes and history of my state. The warmer months provide a wide array of tourist activities that are overlooked by many. Our lighthouses are some of the most beautiful in all the world, and they sit as silent sentinels to the watery graves of shipwrecks like the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The sailing, beaches, lighthouses, shipwreck diving and sand dunes alone could entertain many a tourist, provided they know about it. And it is this industry that could be a supporting shoulder this grieving state in a horrible recession can rest its weary head.

Quite possibly one of the greatest gifts the Founding Fathers gave America is the lack of an official state sponsored Religion. The reasoning behind it is inherent to our society and its deep roots with capitalism.

With no reliance on the state (and therefore the majority of the populace) for worshippers, each denomination in America, old and new, has to vie for worshippers. The church that preaches the word harder, spreads the good word clearer, will net the most worshippers. This is faith capital. This doesnt mean that the number one denomination is "better," as the number one position reflects the wants and needs of the society at a given moment.

With regards to the Episcopal Church, I see a similiar experiment having been wrought from its seperation from the Church of England. There is a basic framework for worship, a macro-faith. Then there is an individual worship, the micro-faith. The Micro-faith can take on different layers, on each and every dogmatic issue, there could be different responses among a sample of Episcopalians. To us, our church is the melting pot of Christian Faith. Someone with a hardline evangelist outlook with Southern Baptist flavor is truly more than welcome, as long as they act inclusive toward others and not exclusive. This I see as very similiar to the United States' religious non-exclusion ideology. Another valuable aspect is the election of the leaders of our Diocese. As the person elected can easily reflect the collective micro-faith of its constituents. However,  those who we put in power are not in a static position. The person in power changes if our collective micro-faith changes.

That being said, my voice is still heard within my church, though it may differ from others. It is a battle of ideology, but it is a peaceable one. One of love and respect but of different viewpoints.

The fact that someone can leave any faith for another and be happier with a different denomination is fantastic and proves the system instilled by our Founders works.

For those not familiar with Michael Yon, he is quite possibly one of the most important figures of the Iraq war. He did not ask for such a role nor do I think that he perhaps realizes that he is possessed of such a title. But in my mind he is. He is an embedded blogger and photographer who went to Iraq in 2005 came back to the safety of the world outside Iraq for a year and has returned to the desolate breach of the desert once more. He does not do this for glory, nor does he do it for money. He does it because the story of what happens there is important. He does it I feel for the telling and for the memory of those who risk life and limb.

His "Dispatches" as he calls them portray the reality of the war. He does not over dramatize things. He does not focus on the bad. He splays forth what he sees equally, the good, the bad, the tedious. While Tim O'Brien in the fictional "The Things They Carried" tried to emulate the experience of war, Michael Yon actually achieves this. He encompasses the compassion, horror, honor, brevity, successes, failures, rage and sorrow that our men in uniform, our Iraqi allies in uniform, and the Iraqi civilians experience. He is the caretaker of their tale, a story otherwise never to be told in detail.

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/desolate-roads-part-one.htm
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/desolate-roads-part-2-of-2.htm

These two above links are only but recent accounts of the tremendous humanity of the war being fought. Its darknesses and its light. It is the story surrounding the before and after events surrounding the death of 2Lt. Mark Daily, SSG John Cooper, Sgt Ian Anderson, Spec. Matt Grimm and their translator Jacob. This story like many others has touched my soul in a way that is truely undescribable, much like how every individual's personal relationship with God is hard to convey. It effects something deep within you. It is so deeply rooted to your core.

In a sense parts of my spirit die and are reborn. Changed. With different outlooks upon the world. Such is the power in much of the written word throughout history. But also such is the power of humanity and life itself, channeled through one Michael Yon.