I'm remembering a film I saw but once. Robert Downey Jr. and Sam Neill in the 1995 film Restoration. Young Merivel, a promising medical student is suddenly swept into favor at the king's court, and enjoys and becomes accustomed to the king's dainties. The king, seeing how Mericel's elevation has changed him, thrusts him out, forcing him to fend for himself. To find himself. I know that sounds trite... to find one's self, but that is where the Republican party, if it is smart, will find itself; on the outside reexamining what made it the answer to Democratic slavery. It must find itself. If ever the Party hopes to see its own restoration, it must find itself. And it must look back to what made it brilliantly promising, not forward.

The Republican party has become indistinguishable from the Democratic Party in terms of Spending and governmental bloat. Naturally, 9/11 didn't help, but the Republican party needs to think on those things that made it the party of Freedom. Because right now it looks remarkably like a Jack Murtha democrat. The Republican party has forsaken principle for a seat at the Democratic table. It needs to push the chair back and step away from the table. It needs to roll up its sleeves and make some very hard decisions. It has to choose whether or not it wants to call itself "Republican," and represent those people who identify themselves as holding traditional Republican values. Or does it want to be what Democrats across this nation have mockingly called it... Neo-Con. If that's what the Republican wants to be... and faithfully morph into a label crafted by the opposition, the party can forget about any further support from its constituents.

The Republican party has not listened, and is not now listening to the people it represents... we don't want the party to lie back and let Democrats lie about the issues. We want the Republican party to take off the apron, step out of the kitchen, and step into the arena. We want to see bloodied knuckles and blackened eyes; not for the sake of sport but for truth's sake. We want to see the Republican party defend itself, its time-honored principles, the truth (even if it hurts), the people it represents, Godly values, the Constitution, and the sovereignty and safety of this nation and ALL its people. What we absolutely will not tolerate is a party that refuses to fight for what it believes. And while, morally speaking, it is much better to stand above the tactics of the enemy, there is nothing wrong with using the enemy's tactics against him.

If I could recommend one book to the Republican party... one piece of mandatory study, it would be Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings, the classic guide to strategy.

There is timing in everything. Timing in strategy cannot be mastered without a great deal of practice.

"Timing is important in dancing and pipe or string music, for they are in rhythm only if timing is good. Timing and rhythm are also involved in the military arts, shooting bows and guns, and riding horses. In all skills and abilities there is timing.

"There is also timing in the Void.

"There is timing in the whole life of the warrior, in his thriving and declining, in his harmony and discord. Similarly, there is timing in the Way of the merchant, in the rise and fall of capital. All things entail rising and falling timing. You must be able to discern this. In strategy there are various timing considerations. From the outset you must know the applicable timing and the inapplicable timing, and from among the large and small things and the fast and slow timings find the relevant timing, first seeing the distance timing and the background timing. This is the main thing in strategy. It is especially important to know the background timing, otherwise your strategy will become uncertain.

"You win in battles with the timing in the Void born of the timing of cunning by knowing the enemies' timing, and this using a timing which the enemy does not expect.

"All the five books are chiefly concerned with timing. You must train sufficiently to appreciate all this.

"If you practice day and night in the above Ichi school strategy, your spirit will naturally broaden. Thus is large scale strategy and the strategy of hand to hand combat propagated in the world. This is recorded for the first time in the five books of Ground, Water, Fire, Tradition (Wind), and Void. This is the Way for men who want to learn my strategy:

• Do not think dishonestly.
• The Way is in training.
• Become acquainted with every art.
• Know the Ways of all professions.
• Distinguish between gain and loss in worldly matters.
• Develop intuitive judgment and understanding for everything.
• Perceive those things which cannot be seen.
• Pay attention even to trifles.
• Do nothing which is of no use.

"It is important to start by setting these broad principles in your heart, and train in the Way of strategy. If you do not look at things on a large scale it will be difficult for you to master strategy. If you learn and attain this strategy you will never lose even to twenty or thirty enemies. More than anything to start with you must set your heart on strategy and earnestly stick to the Way. You will come to be able to actually beat men in fights, and to be able to win with your eye. Also by training you will be able to freely control your own body, conquer men with your body, and with sufficient training you will be able to beat ten men with your spirit. When you have reached this point, will it not mean that you are invincible?

"Moreover, in large scale strategy the superior man will manage many subordinates dexterously, bear himself correctly, govern the country and foster the people, thus preserving the ruler's discipline. If there is a Way involving the spirit of not being defeated, to help oneself and gain honor, it is the Way of strategy."