The Purpose of American Conservatism
For my first article on Don’t Tread, I think that it is appropriate to define the purpose of American conservatism because this purpose doubles as the purpose for this site. At its heart, the purpose of the conservative movement in America is to preserve the principles for which the United States was founded. Conservatives deeply [...]
Getting Started With Christian Apologetics
When I first heard the words “Christian Apologetics,” I thought, “why should I be apologizing for Christianity?” This is a common mistake people make when they first encounter this topic. But, in fact, Christian Apologetics means defending Christianity. Or as, Jonathan Morrow puts it in Think Christianly, “learning what Christians believe and why they believe [...]
Rand Paul Speaks at CPAC 2013
I know that many of my traditional conservative brethren will disagree with me, but I think Rand Paul’s libertarian message is what our country needs right now. And, his message at CPAC 2013 was excellent. Here are some of my favorite quotes, “You can’t protect the Second Amendment if you don’t protect the Fourth Amendment. [...]
Rep. Louie Gohmert at CPAC 2013
Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX) gave a rousing speech at CPAC 2013. Most of his speech concerned foreign policy and specifically the use of the American military. My my favorite quote was, “You don’t send American men or women into harm’s way unless you are going to give them the authority they need to win and [...]
Mere Conservatism: Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut
Mere Conservatism is a series highlighting foundational writings that define American conservatism. I hope this series helps the American people to understand the beauty and philosophical essentials of conservatism. I use the term Mere Conservatism because conservatism defines a broad range of beliefs and is not a narrow ideology. Today’s writing is a little different than [...]
Mere Conservatism: George Washington’s Farewell Address
Mere Conservatism is a series highlighting the foundational writings that define American conservatism. I hope this series helps the American people to understand the beauty and philosophical essentials of conservatism. I use the term Mere Conservatism because conservatism defines a broad range of beliefs and is not a narrow ideology. In 1796, George Washington did what [...]
Mere Conservatism: Genesis 1
Mere Conservatism is a series highlighting the foundational writings that define American conservatism. I hope this series helps the American people to understand the beauty and philosophical underpinnings of conservatism. I use the term Mere Conservatism because these writing form the essentials of American conservatism. American conservatism is inextricably tied to the Christian worldview, and the Christian [...]
Conservatism and Defense Spending
This morning on my way to work I was surprised to hear Mike Gallagher attacking Rand Paul for suggesting that Republicans trade off defense spending cuts for cuts to entitlement spending. Since when is military spending sacrosanct to American conservatism? Here is a video of Rand Paul’s interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN. Take a [...]
Defending the Institution of Marriage
Today’s Wall Street Journal has one of the best defenses for marriage that I have read. Girgis, Anderson and George have together penned The Wisdom of Upholding Tradition. I love how they have framed the issue between the conjugal view and the revisionist view. The conjugal and revisionist views are two rival answers; neither is [...]
Free Markets Vs. Big Business
Here is a great video from LearnLiberty.org (thank you CafeHayek for bringing it to my attention). All conservatives need to understand the lesson presented in this video. Being pro business is not the same as being for a free market economy. Politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, tend to be pro business. We need to defend [...]