Given the disturbing events in Tucson, it is not surprising that the President and others are calling for a more civil political dialogue. I agree with their call, but before we get too far down the road, we should make sure that we are talking about the same “civility.”

I believe much of the civility backlash stems from a lack of understanding of what true civility really is. Civility is not feigned attempts at niceness. Civility does not require that we compromise our position. And true civility does not even ask that we like each other. What genuine civility does require is that we listen; that we remain respectful; and that we act upon the ideal that gave birth to this nation – all men are created equal. This requires the maturity to extend civility though it may not be returned.

However as a conservative, I bothers me to see that too many on the right are choosing the path of least resistance here, namely to scream louder, point fingers at those “hypocrites, and throw broad-brush insults. This may get them noticed in the short run, but over the long haul this type of behavior undermines and marginalizes the very cause for which they seem to be fighting for.

The author of the post “On Civility” is correct in that today we face a monumental task. Our debt is unsustainable; our economy is shaky at best; and our ideological divide has never been greater. But calls to “shove civility up their ass” will do little to improve the situation. Instead we should look to examples of the past where impossible odds were overcome.

There is a reason Washington’s presence at the Convention was critical to its success. Others, like Sam and John Adams, Patrick Henry, and even Thomas Jefferson simply did not have the reputation of civility, which engendered the trust of all sides and could give a constitutional convention the weight it needed for the monumental task at hand. The life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr. is another testament to the power of civility. These men were passionate. They did not compromise. But they understood the power of civility and cultivated it.

The question for us remains: do we have the courage to follow in the footsteps of a Washington or a Dr. King? For the sake of future generations, I hope we do.

One of the benefits of being a GOP delegate is that I get to see a lot more material from the candidates than the average voter. Over time, the mass amounts of emails, mailers, etc. invariably lead to little nuggets of insight about the “real” candidate.

Today I found one of those nuggets in an email communication from Senator Bob Bennett:

“Obama’s proposal to cancel NASA’s Constellation program and the Ares I rocket booster will not only devastate the economy of northern Utah; it will also weaken our missile defense and our national security.”

So what’s the nugget?

Bennett’s first priority is bringing home the bacon for Utah.  Coming in second is national defense/national security.

Frankly, I agree with Bennett that the Constellation program needs to continue, because it is of prime importance to our national security.

However, the fact that it brings jobs to Utah should not matter, because while it’s nice that Utah has some job benefits, we may find that the most cost efficient model puts those jobs in Texas or Florida, where we currently have launch sites.

Bottom line, “job creation” through congressional deal making is not a conservative leadership, but the prime modus operandi of the DC deal maker.

By John F. Pilmer

Applause was generous before, and deafening after, Ted Cruz spoke to the Heritage Foundation Resource Bank 2010 audience in Miami.  No doubt was left as to which side of the aisle the former Solicitor General of Texas comes down on.  He spoke encouraging words to tea partiers, republicans, and other conservatives about the future of the movement–in spite of recent liberal victories such as nationally controlled healthcare.

Among my favorite parts of his speech was his description of “What We Need From a Conservative  Candidate” in order to win back the White House and Congress.

1) He/She must stand for principles – Cruz gave examples of victories in Texas defending the 10 Commandments monument at the state capitol, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the 2nd Ammendment (to keep & bare arms).

2) The right candidate stands for sound principles; has backbone for the fight; and motivate, inspire and connect with the people.

3) The right candidate must understand the opposition. He pointed to the current president as a “committed ideologue” in a long line of smooth talkers like FDR, JFK, and Bill Clinton. (Obama’s Actual Platform Ted Cruz 4 23 10 audio)

4) The right candidate must be prepared to demand change and settle for nothing less.

My take is that many in the audience will be doing more research on Ted Cruz. We will see him again.

www.juntocommunications.com

By John F. Pilmer

The “law of the farm”, “reap what you sow”, “what goes around, comes around”–whatever you want to call it, the ripple effects of a tsunami of greed, corruption, toxic debt and governmental mismanagement are starting to show up in very painful ways.  In the U.S., we “ain’t seen nothin’ yet” as we brace for the long term consequences of short-term feel-good spending by Congress.

A trillion dollars in new debt in the first year of the Obama administration. Breathtaking! Now, the CBO estimates the liberal spendthrifts are ready to borrow another trillion, give a take a few billion, to fund Nationalized Healthcare. This is BAD, BAD news for our economic health in the long run–to the extreme.

Consider the little country of Greece, in the middle of their own debt crisis. Their relatively small economy is having negative effects on world markets.

Oil Plunges on Greek debt News: story

US Stock Market down on news of Greek debt problems: Hong Kong story; Canada story; US story

Now, what if that were the U.S. debt crisis, instead of Greece. What would be the effect–a tidal wave compared to the ripple caused by Greece!

China, our 2nd largest creditor (Japan just reclaimed #1 spot),  is concerned about the United States ability to pay it’s debt (story).  The world is questioning us for the first time in history because we are spending like teenagers!

Printing money we don’t have to create another iefficient government run program (ObamaCare) will surely draw fire from our country creditors.

Watch my healthcare survivor story:

Healthcare Survivor Story