http://breakingnews.redstate.com/blogs/joe_cor/2006/oct/20/a_historical_pers pective
A Historical Perspective As I think of conservative voters who want to sit out this election because they are disillusioned, or to teach the Republican leadership a lesson, I am reminded of a group of individuals over 140 years ago who had far more reason to have those feelings than we do today. The Union soldiers who had served in the Army of the Potomac had ample reason to feel disillusioned. For years, they had endured appallingly incompetent leadership, with resultant losses of life and limb that stagger the modern imagination. They had endured near routes at the first and second battles at Bull Run. They had endured the pompous general McClellan, who lacked the will to engage Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, and let the badly outnumbered Confederate forces off the hook near Richmond and at Antietam. They had endured the horrible tactics of Burnside, who ordered a senseless and fatal frontal assault against Confederate entrenchments at Vicksburg. They endured the loss of nerve of "Fighting Joe" Hooker, which led to the ignominious defeat at Chancellorsville. And they had endured George Meade's timid pursuit of Lee after Gettysburg, which allowed the shattered Confederate Army to safely slip back into Virginia to fight another day. Surely, these Union soldiers would have been justified to think that the Union leadership, after allowing so many inexcusable defeats, needed to be "taught a lesson." They could have argued that if the war were lost, that Lincoln "had it coming" to him after putting so many incompetent leaders in front of them. Perhaps, they could have argued, a "time in the wilderness" for the Federal government wouldn't have been such a bad thing, suing for peace with the Confederacy, and hoping to restore the Union at another time and place. What might this "time in the wilderness" for the Federal government resulted in? No one can know for sure, but it is quite possible the Federal government might never have been restored. The cause for racial equality in America might have suffered a huge setback. Slavery might have flourished indefinitely, and been spread westward, into Mexico or even the Caribbean by an expansionist Confederate government. The bifurcation of the Union might have repeated multiple times, with the Northwest states seceding, New York City seceding, the New England states seceding, or even other regions seceding. Political anarchy might have ensued, and the whole American experiment in Constitutional Democracy might have ended then and there. There might have been no United States of America to stand athwart the forces of communism and fascism in the 20th century. While some Union soldiers did decide to sit the rest of the war out, some by deserting, others by not re-enlisting, many (enough, as it turned out) did not. Despite the horrible carnage they had endured, they believed that the justice of their cause was greater than the shortcomings of their leaders. They kept the faith, stayed true to the cause, and allowed the Union leadership to right its course. And a true leader did finally emerge when Lincoln appointed Grant as commander of the Union Army. Grant made many mistakes as well, but he did have the will to doggedly pursue the Army of Northern Virginia until Lee, worn down by casualties and desertion, surrendered at Appomattox Court House. Today, except for a thin sliver of the population - the men and women of today's armed forces - none of us is enduring anything remotely as trying as those soldiers who served in the Army of the Potomac. Most of us live a life of luxury beyond the comprehension of those men. But while our decision is simply to vote or not vote, the consequences of our not voting, like the consequences faced by those soldiers 140 years ago, could be dire. Those of us interested in a Culture of Life will see a Congress led by individuals who view the highest priority of scientific research to be the destruction of human embryos. Any chance to obtain a conservative majority on the Supreme Court will be lost, perhaps for many years. An even greater number of Bush's judicial nominees will languish. The booming economy will be jeopardized by the Democrats' desire for higher taxation. Missile defense will be imperiled. The war on terror might be reduced to nothing but an endless parade of Congressional investigations. Forces who threaten those brave men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan will feel emboldened by a Congress whose main interest is finding an exit strategy rather than a path to victory. President Bush might face the specter of impeachment. And who knows what restrictions on free speech, under the guise of "campaign finance reform," might be passed, with a resultant strengthening of the power of the mainstream media? Regaining the Congress might become much more difficult than gaining it initially was in 1994. Despite having two superb new Supreme Court justices, a roaring economy, the Dow at all-time highs, Saddam being deposed, and no domestic terror attacks in 5 years, there are a number of good reasons for feeling disappointment with the President and with Congress. But teaching them a lesson, by giving the keys to the kingdom to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, could have far-reaching and tragic consequences. And to prevent this, we have to do something far easier than those Union soldiers did 143 years ago. They had to endure dysentery, malaria, oppressive cold and heat, long, exhausting marches, constant fear, and the threat of being maimed and killed by lead balls passing through their bodies. All we have to do is vote. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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