A Letter to President Obama

    August 12, 2009
    Mr. Barack Hussein Obama
    The White House
    1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
    Washington, DC 20500

    Dear Mr. Obama,

    The news of late regarding your push to have citizens report directly to the White House anything they see as “fishy” regarding what is being said about you and your healthcare bill is extremely disturbing. However, this is only the latest of the outrages we have seen coming out of your administration in the short time you have been in office.

    For a presidential candidate who promised a better life for all Americans, to bring the races and all Americans together, to do what is “fair”, and to have a transparent administration, you thus far appear to have gone entirely in the opposite direction on all these promises. You can’t promise a better life for all Americans by raising taxes, spending us into bankruptcy, silencing dissenters, over-taxing, over-regulating, and penalizing the very businesses that create jobs, or nationalizing our banks, corporations, and healthcare – this is socialism, sir. You cannot bring people together by pitting citizens and groups of citizens against one another and encouraging neighbors to inform on each other. This smacks of Nazism and Communism. You can’t promote fairness by muzzling those who disagree with you, or giving one class of citizens priority over another as in your healthcare bill. You cannot have a transparent administration by stifling opposing views on the healthcare bill, trying to rush it through before all viewpoints are heard and discussed in an open forum, or labeling those who dare question its provisions as organized right wing mobs and refusing to clearly address their legitimate concerns. This shows me the truly sinister nature of your approach to “governing”. It is ill-suited for a constitutional democracy such as ours, sir. I dread the day you find a way to marginalize or suspend our Constitution in its entirety, as it seems to be a constant impediment to you and your ilk quickly implementing your socialist agenda before we even know what has hit us.

    In case you are wondering where I am coming from, I will tell you that I generally vote for Republican candidates but have voted democratic in the past. However, I see the current crop of Republicans as being less and less supportive of my views, including former President George W. Bush. However, and more ominous, I see the current crop of Democratic “leaders”, including yourself, as far less responsible, and substantially less supportive of historic American values than they were as recently as 50 years ago. Most Democrats have been totally hijacked by the extreme radical left within our society and can be considered for all intents and purposes as socialists. I am, by contrast, a principled conservative in the mold of Ronald Reagan. What I believe is as follows and you can judge any “threat” I may pose to this country accordingly.

    As a conservative, I firmly and, without apology, proudly believe the following:

    1) That, in general, the best government is one that governs the least, i.e., that big government means less freedom for everyone. Excessive governmental control is bad for America and Americans.

    2) That individual freedoms are God given, not man given

    3) That most Americans are inherently competent and should therefore be responsible, and held accountable, for their own actions and choices in life.

    4) That government and political corruption and crime, like all other crime, must be exposed and punished regardless of who the perpetrator is.

    5) That the rule of law is supreme and that no one, not even the President, is above the law. We have seen far too much of lawlessness and corruption in our political leaders and a reluctance by them to accept the blame for their own failings and misdeeds. Their first instinct, like that of a child, is to blame someone else. This bad example being set for future generations is appalling.

    6) That the Constitution of the United States should be the basis of all law and not subject to being rewritten by judicial decree. Conservatives believe in a strict interpretation of the Constitution and zealously support and protect it and all its amendments. For example, I will not own a gun, but I support the 2nd Amendment which grants that right to those who choose to do so. I believe the Constitution does NOT grant the right to abortion on demand, although at one time I was pro-choice. I now realize this was a prime example of judges changing the intent and scope of the U.S. Constitution by judicial decree to suit their own agenda, and this is a very dangerous precedent. Also, the issue of abortion, along with many others, should be handled on the state level in accordance with the U.S. Constitution.

    7) That our system of government and democracy itself were established under Judeo-Christian religious principles that acknowledge the existence of God and that are crucial to our continuing success as a free nation. Liberals and socialists have tried countless times to disavow such a heritage and to implement a secular society.

    8) That God and religion should be allowed into our lives, not systematically and totally removed from our society based on the extremist views of the anti-God or anti-Christian minority.

    9) That parents should make the decisions regarding the raising and educating of their children, NOT the government. Liberal or socialist views, such as yours, as a goal for America’s school children and the way we should all lead our lives would be a disaster in a free society. The programming of children to believe in a government sponsored political ideology brings back the specter of the Nazi youth and their irrational, blind allegiance to a brutal, murderous, and Godless tyrant. This approach has no business being used in any American school system with impressionable school children. People need to be free to make up their own minds on the issues and not to be unduly influenced, coerced, or bullied by those with politically motivated agendas. We must keep the ACLU out of our schools and out of our lives.

    10) That traditional moral and family values are important to the success of a free society and need to be protected and preserved, not mocked and suppressed.

    11) In free market principles with minimal government interference, control, and regulation. Wealth is created in the private sector, not by government. Far too often government interference and over-control limits job creation and prosperity. Only in a socialist or communist state is individual achievement, success, and prosperity to be condemned and penalized. Spreading the wealth, as you propose, is a socialist concept which inhibits economic growth and promotes individual dependency on others.

    12) In the sanctity and value of innocent human life. All human beings should be considered of equal value and deserving of life regardless of their sex, age, race, religious beliefs, national origin, state of health or mental capacity, or political beliefs. We are all God’s children.

    13) In peace based on strength, not appeasement, i.e., we must have a strong national defense based on a strong, well equipped, and well trained military coupled with a defensive ABM shield, if technically feasible. War is never desirable but reality and common sense should tell any reasonable person that sometimes it is necessary to preserve our freedom and way of life. We should never give in to tyrants and terrorists. This approach has kept us free for over 230 years, so why change it?

    14) That problems and societal ills are best resolved by the people in the private community and not by government. Government involvement is overly expensive, grossly inefficient, and far too often subject to corrupting political influences. This is undeniable reality.

    15) That our economy is best served when money and resources are invested, controlled, and spent by individuals and businesses in the private sector, and not by the government through bailouts, excessive taxation, burdensome regulations, or other controls.

    16) That we must maintain our national sovereignty and suppress all efforts by those entities, such as the UN, which would impose international regulations, standards, laws, taxes, etc., on the American people in contravention of our Constitution and representative system of government.

    17) We believe in patriotism and love of our country with an appreciation of the sacrifices of our founding fathers and our fighting military and other heroes to ensure our freedoms. We honor such people – not degrade them or label them as radicals or potential terrorists. Conservatives consider it an honor to be an American and will defend our country and way of life at all costs, and without apology or deference to anyone.

    18) Conservatives are against discrimination of any kind, whether it be based on race, sex, religion. national origin, age, condition of ones health or mental capacity, or political beliefs. Every citizen of this great country has the Constitutional God-given right to free speech and to practice their religion anytime and anywhere they choose regardless of who it may “offend”. No one shall be silenced, persecuted, threatened, or inhibited in any way solely because of their beliefs. The so-called “hate crimes” law is an attempt at thought control and would result in some crimes that could be charged only against one class of people and not another. This is a clear violation of equal protection under the law. It is a typical over-reaction to previous inequities, but rather than resolve any inequities, it creates others.

    Mr. Obama, you may not agree with most of my beliefs. However, sir, you have no right – in this country – to inhibit in any way my exercising my freedom to speak out and to disagree with you. It is free political discourse that is specifically protected by the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Such is the beauty of our country and political system. But as a Constitutional scholar yourself, you sir should know this. There is nothing sinister, radical, dangerous, or extremist about our beliefs. On the contrary, sir, you and those that support your agenda for “change”, as we have seen it so far, constitute a far greater threat to America and to the freedoms all Americans cherish. It is unbelievable that you are so completely out of touch with the vast majority of the American people that you have deceived yourself into thinking that they really want or need all this socialist nonsense forcefully crammed down their throats. However, it does seem that you and your socialist supporters are trying very hard to hide the truth by suppressing any and all discussion, particularly on the healthcare fiasco. I must therefore resist you and your agenda in every legal way possible.

    While you may think the above beliefs and my comments make me a “right wing extremist” or a “potential terrorist” that bears watching, in my mind, such beliefs indicate a patriot and one who respects the concept of freedom as a unique and rare blessing to be preserved at all costs. I promise you that I will never commit violence in order to support my beliefs, however, that does not mean that I will not strongly resist others attempting to use violence or other illegal means to suppress my freedoms. Unlike you, sir, I respect the viewpoints of others, even if they oppose mine. I also promise, sir, to do everything legal that is within my power to see that you and your fellow socialists are voted out of office. This is the American way. Unlike you, sir, we will not resort to misinformation, threats, suppression, intimidation, bullying, or surveillance in responding to those with whom we disagree. The truth is the best weapon available to freedom loving people and it will ultimately prevail.

    I question your motives Mr. Obama on wanting to be the “leader” of this wonderful country, a country that has withstood the test of time as a democracy. I say this because it seems to me that your primary goal so far has been attempting to destroy everything that has made America the destination of choice for the oppressed and the envy of the free world. Fortunately, two hundred million other Americans, the so-called silent majority, largely agree with me and are now starting to speak up. Although you may try, you cannot silence all of us, or put us all under surveillance or in jail. Free people are not going to give up their freedoms and rights so easily.

    You may have noticed that I have not addressed you with the title that customarily accompanies the person who is the primary occupant of the White House. Unlike me and the huge majority of other Americans that are proud to be born in America, I do not believe you are a natural born American citizen according to the Constitution, and therefore are not qualified for the office you are holding. It appears that you have perpetrated, and have so far gotten away with, the biggest hoax ever carried out in the history of our country. I believe this because of your blatant refusal to provide proper proof of your birth, assuming it is available. Why would you not provide it and end the controversy and doubt? Either you have no such proof or you are so arrogant and filled with the idea of your own self importance that you think you are above the law and do not need to comply with it. Either way sir, in my opinion, you are not entitled to the office you hold and therefore not entitled to the respect that normally goes with it.

    In accordance with your directive and request, I have reported myself directly to you as, according to your description, a “right wing extremist”. I have fully elaborated on my “fishy” viewpoints and have hidden nothing. This letter is necessarily long and detailed so as to avoid any misunderstanding by you. I am proud to have the conservative viewpoints I have described above and to be whatever you think that makes me. I will apologize to no one for my conservative views and beliefs – and I will never disavow them.

    Sincerely,

    Gerald R. Vanderbilt, American
    Home: 512-502-8667
    E-mail: GRVAustin@cs.com

    CC: U.S. Senator John Cornyn
    U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
    U.S. Representative Lamar Smith

    Comments are closed.