Tuesday, September 4, 2012

The Long Goodbye

                                               
To some, sixty days is an eon.  To others, just a blip in time.  No matter, in 60 days or so this blog will likely end.  The date just happens to coincide with the next Presidential election, and, if Barack Obama wins, this blog will end also.  Should the American people decide that they want to go in the direction our President is taking them I'll accept it and understand that our country's adherence to moral law, contract law and Constitutional law is no longer something our country's citizens value any longer.  Maybe the majority of Americans truly believe that laws are no longer necessary, or that we can pick and choose those which we want to enforce, or obey.

With an Obama win I will also be convinced that Americans no longer care about a "national morality" nor the belief that those who work hard, play by the rules, and give something back are to be admired, but instead, are to be considered silly chumps.  An Obama win will mean Americans no longer consider the integrity of our borders is meaningful; that those who violate our immigration laws are more highly valued than the 5 million immigration applicants waiting patiently in line.  An Obama triumph will signify to me that a $16 trillion dollar national debt (and annual trillion dollar deficits) are of little concern.

I guess what will most break my heart will be that Americans chose the soaring but meaningless oratory of a community organizer weighs larger than those families who testified to the life long love and kindness Mitt Romney extended to so many in his church and in his community.  While someone in Chicago organizes efforts to funnel more federal money to a violent ghetto, Mitt Romney was drawing up wills and pronouncing the eulogy for a 14 year old boy, or he and Ann were taking in kids while their parents sat with their loved ones in a hospital ward.  While Barack Obama was seeking a "new reality" on pot and cocaine Mitt Romney was working with families who were suffering the ills of a drug-addicted child.

But my reason for ending this blog goes deeper than that.  Each morning I wrote an essay on a variety of topics that I thought might stimulate you to think,  or words and thoughts that might touch your heart.   I have now written over 500 of these essays over the past 20 months with the heartfelt hope that you might read my words, pass them on to ten other folks, thus exponentially growing my readership to a level that might be meaningful.  I believed that my words would, like a stone tossed into the water, ripple out to greater distances and to an ever-increasing world of readers who might rally strongly to the crusade to restore an America where hard work and moral responsibility are rewarded, to an America where her citizens recognized their responsibilities as citizens and spoke up strongly for right...and against what is wrong.

My goal, when I started this blog, was to achieve a readership of at least 1,000 readers a day.  I have failed.  There are simply too few who read my blog, or take the time to stop and leave a comment, or to have recommended it to others.  To the few who have done so, I thank you.

Perhaps there are too many blogs and too few readers.  Perhaps there are too few left to care about the path we are on now.  Maybe my ideas are just too old-fashioned and no longer relevant to the America of today.

To those who dropped by for a visit I say, "folks, I tried".  I think my favorite quote of all time was the one Thomas Paine wrote in Common Sense some two hundred and thirty years ago.  Paine was speaking of tyranny; the tyranny of a British monarchial tyrant who presumed to know what is good for us; leaving us to obey...or die.  Now the tyranny is even more perilous for it is the tyranny of those who take, those who refuse to give something back to their country, but choose instead, to take what one can, before it's all gone.

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated

So...I'm not ready to leave just yet.  I've mounted my humpbacked steed, stood in the stirrups, sounded the trumpet, and am now looking back over my shoulder, back toward the shelter of tree line, hoping to see Americans who still care emerge and join me for the charge up the hill.  So far, all I've seen are a few stragglers who show up to see the aging Don Quixote flailing at windmills, his ear cocked in hopes that reinforcements are on the way.

Alas, I hear no rumblings nor the thunder of oncoming chargers and am left to contemplate my own abandonment of the battlefield.  My joints ache and these old eyes dim a little more each day.

But I'll tighten my hold on the reins, unsheaf my rusty sword, and wait just a bit longer...it's the honorable thing to do.  Until my blog ends on November 6th,  I'll call this time of waiting "the long goodbye".

Note:  After I cease to write any new blog articles, the 500 plus articles will still be available for viewing.  Also, beginning today I will no longer be posting links to my blog essays on Facebook or Twitter or Craig's List.  Those who want to continue reading will have to sign up by email if they wish to continue reading any new blog essays.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I will be sorry to see you go if the current occupant of the white house remains. I can understand your reasons. The apathy of Americans is sad to say the least. I am not sure if enoughpeople will vote who are not takers to effect the outcome, especially when some people who would be considered intellegent voted for the mistake in the whitehouse. Good luck and keep up the good fight for as long as possible

David said...

Hi,

I started reading this blog less than a month ago and subscribe to your posts through email. You have a great style and it'll be sad to see you go. The only other political site I read is Breitbart. Yes, I hold your writing in that high regard. You ought to be syndicated. I hope you keep speaking out no matter what, sending in samples to papers or talk radio - I know I'd just love that.

Sad. Damned sad.

David said...

P.S. I'm twenty and by God do I not like Obama. I live in a blue state to. There is hope in my generation. I got a letter from my college saying they tripled the cost of their health insurance because of the "Affordable" Care Act. Looks like 1984 was just too decades off.

A Modest Scribler said...

Anon, thanks for the kind words. Sadly, you succinctly nailed it; tyranny can only exist when citizens are apathetic to the world around them.

Yes, I'll keep posting for now, I'll keep fighting and hoping for a miracle come November.

David, thanks so much for following me via email. And, yes, I am heartened that a 20 something is smart enough to see through the liberal lies. All we need to overcome liberal tyranny is a small spark like you to ignite a comeback! Let's hope it happens!

TartanMarine said...

I understand. If Romney wins, the situation of our Republic will be desperate. If Obama wins, I fear it will be hopeless, though I’m unlikely to give up. Not in the Marine DNA. I will link to this from my Old Jarhead blog. (www.tartanmarine.blogspot.com)

Robert A. Hall
Massachusetts Senate, 1973-83
Author: The Coming Collapse of the American Republic
All royalties go to help wounded veterans
For a free PDF of my 80-page book, write tartanmarine(at)gmail.com

A Modest Scribler said...

Thanks, Bob. I agree with your "sitrep" of the leadership situation; that's why i'll still be blogging and fighting as hard as I can right up to November 6th. But my take on this is, if Obama wins, it will signal that the "takers" now outnumber the "makers" and our Constitution, already being attacked, will come under a massive assault by our socialist masters. They've proven again and again that nothing matters except the realization of a Socialist state.

Bob, yesterday I received a personal email from a lady in Michigan. She had just attended a Romney/Ryan campaign rally where 14,000 voters were voicing their support for the Republican platform. She says she believes the polls are skewed and that Romney will wax the floor with Obama come November. From her lips to God's ears!

As always Bob, you have my greatest admiration.

Ken "the Verbose" said...

I really don't know how to take this here. Of course it is yours to do with what you wish but could it be your are just looking for a reason to quit and need it to come from outside. If not consider this:

What about David the Twenty Something? The sad thing that happened to our country was that my generation, 50-60 somethings, were spending too much time trying to be their kid's best friends rather than their parents and the adult in their life. That has been an observation of mine for many years now and I think I'm right. So the offspring have no mature adults to look to for guidance and a mature outlook and opinion on things. I see this everywhere. It is not that there is no wanting of the adult, there just aren't too many of us around. This is Sad, damn Sad.
This nation is begging for leadership in every corner, nook and cranny and has been for many, many years. I am, like many of my generation, to blame for the mess we are in. We let it get here, we just didn't grow up.
The fact that a piece of s**t like this president might win is evidence enough of what I am saying. Children needing someone to show them what to do next, a government to take care of them. The problem is, those children have no idea what price they will pay for such an arrangement, the teachers didn't teach them. No idea what it was like to live in Cold War USSR, or maybe North Korea. I know they fantasize about a land where they can burn another fatty and ride their skateboard into the sunset and never worry about their next meal or where they will lay their head tonight, the government has their back. We know better than that though. The actual picture of starvation in the street, the violence, murder, we are right around the corner from Greece right now and you know that.
So if a wise man such as yourself should cede control of the helm to the children what should become of all of us. Your decision to leave at this moment in time is nothing less than illogical. The time when you and those like you are most needed you would choose to leave?? This fight would be just beginning if Romney should win and will need to be fought for the balance of our lives, I am certain. A great deal of damage has been done and an even greater deal of repair is going to need to take place and I know for sure I do not know how to do such things. My children and their children are coming. Many who don't read, can't balance a checkbook, read a tape measure, etc. etc., but by God they have been taught for years that they are the greatest thing since sliced bread and mexicans were made to do all that other stuff. It is going to be a huge battle just to get past all that self esteem and nothing short of monumental, the task to right all these wrongs and it will need people who know what RIGHT IS! Ya know what I mean!

You are most needed at this time. There needs to exist a force that counters the forces of the likes of obama and there are many on his side.

If we should lose this election it is all the more reason to fight even harder and if it comes to guns and blood, so be it.
Our country; as our founders saw it, is SO worth it!! Many gave their lives so that I could live in this Blessed Nation. I will not let their lives be spent in vain. My nephew and many in his age group joined the Marines to protect our country with their lives, should I lay down in defeat because we lost an election to some clown. Again, no, I don't think so. I will give my life so his isn't spent in vain.

I haven't spent so many words on someone in quite a spell. I hope you'll give it some thought. I do really believe it is a battle for our great country now and she needs all her best at this time!

Now if it really is because you want to just retire and go traveling and fishing a bit, well I wish you well and have enjoyed reading your writing, Thank you very much for that!

A Modest Scribler said...

Thanks, Ken. All that you say is true. And even if Obama is re-elected there will always be strong voices of conservatism around; Rush, Thomas Sowell, George Will, Victor Davis Hanson, and my good friend Mr. Robert Hall, who compiles of digest of excellent conservative writers. He's been nice enough to include me.
Ken, I don't wish to quit writing, even in the face of a nation that would again embrace someone like Obama. But, until three weeks ago when I wrote the Ryan piece (which went viral and yielded over 8,000 page views to date) my average page views has been three or four hundred readers. I had expected my blog to grow to at least 1,000 readers per day. I had hoped that readers like you would have signed up to my blog by email and referred me to ten others, all so that my efforts would influence an audience large enough to have even a minimal influence in the discussion of our national issues. That's how blogs become successful. That has not happened; instead I've had to pimp myself on Facebook and Twitter and Craig's List every day of my blog, nearly as much effort as conceiving, researching and writing of the blg itself. If I have to pimp that hard to get 300 or 400 page views then my blog is probably not as good as I thought it was; either that, or what I am writing about is not touching the heart and soul, or even capturing the interest of a large group of people.
So, I believe I'm approaching this in a realistic way. If Romney wins I'll have hope that our country wants restoration and that, while largely unread, at least the principles I'm promoting are in keeping with a large number of Americans. Should that occur I'll keep fighting for something, knowing my hope is not in vain. By contrast, I see an Obama victory as a huge rejection of what I advocate.
When I go and look at my stats I see my blog has 3 followers. Another nine or so actually subscribe by
email. I think it's pretty clear that I've failed.
As I mentioned in an earlier comment, one of the folks who read my blog said she attended an enthusiastic rally for Romney and she believes the polls are skewed by liberals, and that Romney will wipe the floor with Obama come November. If that still happens my blog continues. But that victory seems unlikely to happen as long as so few care enough to read my blog and an even greater 50% of all eligible voters sit on their ass on election day.

Believe it or not, I've always been successful in my public speaking and writing efforts. To me, failure is not an option...but I believe I've probably failed on this one and am smart enough to know when to leave the field to others.

I'll still be pounding them out until November..then who knows? Again, thanks.

A Colonel of Truth said...

Just found your blog today - through Tartan Marine. Great work! Regret not knowing about you sooner for your approach and objectives ring familiar - I started for same reasons several years ago www.acoloneloftruth.blogspot.com
Keep the faith!

A Modest Scribler said...

Thanks much, Colonel. Good luck; I'm gong to visit your blog soon.

Anonymous said...

My honest concern, since the people who vote for a living outnumber those who work for a living, is that all of the former will vote and not all of the latter will vote.

Therefore, Obama will win a second term. Worse still, if that be possible, Obama will somehow accomplish a Constitutional change so that he can get reelected again... and again...

We have already seen the beginning of the end... and the end may soon be in sight...

I hope and pray that I'm wrong.

A Modest Scribler said...

Anon, you're right. We're at the tipping point now where those who are professional "takers" are overtaking those who "make". It was Jefferson who predicted when that happens the Republic is lost.

Lest someone reading your last, regarding Obama getting the Constitution amended to allow him terms beyond a second, think the idea impossible, I would remind them that an impressive number of liberals suggested that very same amendment to allow Bill Clinton a third term.

Heavens!

Anonymous said...

Look at the history of Abraham Linclon......who failed dozens of times......only to eventually get back up, to fight the good fight, one more time.....and become President of the United States.

We cannot quit.....none of us.....for any reason whatsoever.

We, each of us, has a task, as players on a team. If a team player quite, it effects the effectiveness of the entire team.

You are a vital part of just such a team. You look too closely at the present, and, yes, it's easy to get discouraged. But you, we all, must do whatever we've been called to do....and never quit !

A Modest Scribler said...

Well, anon, if all that's true i have to ask "did you hit my "share" button and send my blog today to people you know?". Did you sign up on the left had side of the page as one of my "followers?". If teamwork is important then I need more people joining my team...and I'm not seeing it. I just see folks reading my blog and moving on to something else.