The wayward ways of our leadership have given rise to palpable discouragement and disappointment in the conservative base. So much so that in some quarters the frustration is slowly growing into indifference. And although the frustration is both understandable and justified, apathy is a dangerous path in these momentous times.

Politics is like life. The going is rarely smooth and beset with many setbacks and mishaps. Yet no matter how bitter the frustrations, most of us never seriously think of giving up on life. There is simply too much at stake.

We can be excused for giving up on lesser endeavors when things go badly, but politics is not such an endeavor right now. In fact, it is almost as serious as life itself, since nothing less than our survival is at stake. We can be almost certain that if we grow indifferent and let the other side take over, they will bring about our ruin. They will run before the brutal enemy, keep wide open the gates of illegal immigration, and bankrupt us fiscally.

As in life so in politics we can only be assured of one thing: there are uncertainty and difficulties ahead. It increasingly looks as if we may need to go back to square one and try to bring in a new set of people to fight for what we believe in. This will be a tremendous task entailing internal struggle and we may well lose for a time. But no matter how hard the fight or painful the setbacks we can draw strength from knowing that right is on our side, because defeating the enemy, instituting fiscal responsibility and halting illegal immigration are not only right but also necessary things to do. The way we deal with these challenges will determine not only what kind of nation we become but whether we will continue as a nation at all. There is simply too much at stake to become indifferent now.

Vasko Kohlmayer   7 14 06