20 Aug 2014
To: Reince
Priebus, Tony Parker, and other RNC leaders
Dear RNC
Leaders,
In 2012 I donated to the RNC two
times. My purpose was to help Mitt Romney win the presidential election. I had
no interest in long-term support for the RNC, but only to support Mitt Romney. However,
for the two years since then, the RNC has hounded me routinely for additional
donations, through mail and phone contact. On more than one occasion, during a
phone conversation, I have told the RNC representative that I don’t want to
donate and to please take my name off the RNC’s contact list, but apparently
the RNC doesn’t understand the word “no.” So as the founding fathers did in
their declaration of independence, I shall now explain my reasons for remaining
a non-supporter of the RNC.
When I first donated to the RNC
hoping to enhance Mitt Romney’s chances for the presidency, I didn’t know
anything about the RNC. I had no plans for long-term support of the RNC because
of my lack of knowledge about the organization. Now I choose not to support the
RNC financially because of my experience with the RNC, as well as the weakness
I see in the Republican Party’s inappropriate positions and attitudes on some
issues.
One RNC practice that turns me away
is the use of gimmicks and guilt tactics to stir people to donate. For example,
I originally responded to a request for a donation to help Mitt Romney become
president. I gave money for a specific campaign. Now the RNC expects me to
“renew my membership.” I never chose to be a member—there’s nothing to renew.
The latest disgusting tactic was to print “past due” on the outside of the
envelope that you sent requesting I send money to renew this imaginary
membership. Throughout most of the letters, I read line after line of biased
statements aimed at making one feel guilty for not throwing out more money to
stop the Obamacrats. Just give me facts and information; don’t attempt to make
me feel guilty.
Also, in many of the letters I have
received, you talk of preserving our freedom. The liberals believe in freedom
too. They believe in freedom in sexual matters, freedom of all kinds of
expression, freedom from religion, freedom from environmental harm, freedom
from control by parents, and so on. You need to clearly express what sort of
freedom you are fighting for.
Another unpleasant practice is that
every communication that I have received from the RNC involves asking for
money. I have yet to read any reference
to other ways I can help candidates get elected, such as through social media.
The communications are always centered on requesting more money from me, except
for the few times that you asked me to fill out surveys.
That leads to another problem: your
surveys are biased and unprofessional. They seem aimed at leading the
respondent to the sorts of answers you expect to receive. If you really want to
collect valid data, hire a real research agency to create a survey that meets
professional guidelines.
For me, the worst practice that the
RNC has been guilty of is harassment—sending me a constant stream of mail
begging for my money, along with numerous phone calls for the same purpose.
STOP!
My final complaint for the RNC and
the Republican Party (and perhaps all politicians) is that no one seems to
speak up about the moral pollution destroying our nation. We talk of the
economy, illegal aliens, and other such “issues,” but what we really need to
focus on is the moral laxness and corruption of our citizens. We are swimming
in sex everywhere, from suggestive entertainment to a major pornography
industry; deception, cheating, and cruelty are found at all levels, from
schools to all-too-blatant business corruption; and an entitlement mentality
pervades our culture from children to government officials. That’s just a few
facets of our moral deficit. This moral deficit is our biggest problem, the one
that really needs everyone’s attention. As the founding fathers recognized, our
republic and Constitution cannot survive unless the masses of our people are
virtuous and morally upright. (Let’s replace political correctness with moral
correctness.)
Our nation, and I believe the
Republican Party, were founded on Christian principles. But it seems the party
has held on to part of these principles, while forgetting others—or at least
subordinating them. The Republican Party has been good at talking about
accountability, punishment for crime, defending our nation, responsibility to
provide for ourselves, etc. But in each of these situations, we seem to subordinate
the fact that each of these situations involves people. Conservatives talk a
lot about justice; liberals talk more about mercy. Both are essential Christian
principles. We can’t forget the two greatest commandments were to love God and
love people.
To elaborate: in talking of punishing
someone for a crime, conservatives seem to give lesser value to the criminal,
forgetting that often his circumstances made crime a more attractive option
than obeying the laws. Sure, when we come from a cultural norm that teaches us
the proper path for success, it’s hard to empathize with the person who grew up
in a gang- and drug-infested neighborhood and starts turning to crime. Often we have societal problems we need to
fix in order to reduce crime—it’s not merely a matter of a bunch of “bad
people.”
When conservatives talk of Latin
American illegal aliens, they could just as well be referring to cattle that
crossed into the wrong field and need to be driven back with whips or whatever
works. But these are people who are searching for a better life and are
following a course that has worked for others. They aren’t all criminals; they
aren’t disobeying their law, but the law of a foreign land in which they see
something far better than where they are now, and are even willing to take a
risk to gain it. We need to control our borders, but in a compassionate way. I
would really like to see us import more products from Latin America and fewer
from China. This could improve Latin America’s conditions, which would reduce
the desire to escape to America. We must remember, also, that each of us has
ancestors who escaped to America, through various means, at various times.
On the topic of marriage,
conservatives felt they had to produce a new law to define marriage. I was
supportive of that law until its recent repeal. But it really isn’t the place
of government to create or define marriages. Marriage is from God and therefore
belongs in the churches. I believe the best avenue now is for the government to
put marriage back in the hands of the churches and other religious
institutions. Let them define and perform marriages how they will, and the
courts can merely record each marriage performed legitimately by a recognized denomination.
Divorces would also have to be handled by the churches. The government would
then be free of this controversy and would cease to give legitimacy to gay
marriage.
Along with that, conservatives often
seem to be hostile toward people known to have same-sex attractions. Again,
these are people who deserve at least human dignity. They have now grown up in
a culture telling them homosexuality is okay and even normal. Should we be
surprised that some would follow that path? It is the role of parents and the
churches to lead people to the right and true path. Schools should help too.
Instead, for many, their values come from entertainment media, advertisers, and
other sources that often promote questionable values that become part of our
culture and our people.
Regarding religion: let the
Republican Party strive to inspire people to seek and return to their religious
and spiritual roots or find them in the first place. It doesn’t need to be a Christian
message, but one of Christian principles that are shared by other faiths.
Promote faith; promote love of people; and promote self-control, wholesomeness,
and decency. Let’s strive to more fully teach good and right moral values to
the children of our nation, which in turn will reduce the need to punish them later
as adults because they didn’t learn them.
I believe the party needs to be more
focused on both sides of God’s laws. We need to expect responsibility and
accountability from people (the current conservative view) and also show clear
evidence of compassion, acceptance, even love for people (more or less the
liberal view). We need to more fully embrace a cultural foundation based on
morals and values established by God rather than by transient popularity.
I believe the party could appeal to
Christians, Jews, and Muslims if we could stand up in support of the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, seeking to balance both sides of His will (justice
and mercy), while also inspiring the best in human achievement. Instead of
shunning anything of a religious nature, we should encourage the people of our
nation to turn back to the holy books and search them for guidance. I believe
we need to encourage an increase in the spirituality of our nation, rather than
tolerating the process of sweeping out all aspects of God or godliness from our
government. The government mustn’t establish a religion, but it surely can and
should encourage the people to seek out and choose a religion, and to turn to
our Creator. We should also attempt to reconcile faith and science, rather than
choosing one over the other.
If we could do these things, I
believe we could win a lot of support from groups that are currently hard for
conservatives to win. Many minorities would likely turn to the party if we
showed clearly that we support those who are downtrodden, weak, or
disadvantaged. The religious faithful of the major religions would likely lend
their support if they could hear clearly that the party strives to follow God
in all it does. And the greatest result would be blessings from God, likely
leading to greater prosperity and peace.
While I can’t stomach being identified as a liberal, I have
been questioning the direction of the Republican Party and hope to see some
positive changes.
Sincerely,
Emil M. Therianos
