The Fourth and More

It is my hope that all had a safe and happy Fourth of July. My wife and I watched a great firework display in Wickliffe, Ohio. Major props to the mayor and festival organizers, it was a quality show. It was great to see over 1200 troops sign up for longer tours in Iraq. How can our media paint such a dreadful picture when there are consistent reports coming out of Iraq that are positive? I know the answer, it's election year. In speaking with a co-worker today, I realized that much of our problem advancing a real conservative movement comes from fellow conservatives. Many do not understand what being a conservative is all about. The think it has to do with money, or traditions. Well in some cases sure, profit is good, if not at the expense or abuse of others, and traditions are great, once again if not at the abuse of others. But it is so much more than that. Its about protecting our Constitution, empowering individual people, reducing government intrusion and abuse. My co-worker attended a very well funded private school, and her limited interaction with conservatives wasn't very positive. The students that claimed to be conservative were very wealthy (not a bad thing) and promoted that as the reason for being such. As if conservative means to conserve your own wealth. I can understand her issue, when I was a lib the same picture was painted to me. Some conservatives I knew were much of the same, selfish, unable to communicate the beauty of conservatism, indignant and basically uneducated on social issues. What's up with that? Are conservative parents not teaching their kids what it means to be conservative? Do they themselves not know? I'd assume the don't expect the schools to teach conservatism.