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Wednesday, October 20th 2004
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You’re a
Republican???
In today’s America, ask a growing number of high school and
college students; their teachers and professors; the self-anointed media
elite and/or hard working men and women of all ethnicities, the
question, “What is a Republican?”, and you’ll be told “… a rich, greedy,
egotistical individual, motivated only by money and the desire to
accumulate more and more of it, at the expense of the environment … the
working poor ….and all whom they exploit…”
I am a Republican … I am none of those things… and I don’t
know any Republicans who are.
WHAT I AM … first and foremost, is a loving husband of some
52 plus years, the father of four and an American who’s proud of his
country… and his country’s heritage.
WHAT I AM … is the grandson of immigrants who risked
everything, including their lives and those of their children, to escape
tyranny in search of freedom.
WHAT I AM … is a man who grew up during the Depression and
witnessed, first hand, the effects of the Stock Market crash and the
soup lines that followed. I watched as both my parents and grand
parents, who had very little themselves, share what food they had with a
half dozen other families, who had even less.
WHAT I AM … is someone who worked his way through college by
holding down three and four jobs at a time and then used that education
to build a better life.
WHAT I AM … is a husband who, at age 24, started his own
business for the “privilege” of working 60, 70 and 80 hours a week,
risking everything I had, including my health, in search of a better
life for myself and my loved ones.
WHAT I AM … is a businessman whose blood, sweat and tears….
and plenty of them…, made it possible for me to provide a secure living,
not only for my family and myself, but also for literally hundreds of my
employees throughout the years. Employees, who in turn, were able to buy
their own homes, raise their own families and give back to their
communities and their country.
WHAT I AM … is a man who believes in God; a God who has
blessed this country… and all for which it stands.
WHAT I AM … is someone who knows, if you doubt miracles exist
in today’s world, you need only to look into the face of those who
received them … and the eyes of those who give them.
WHAT I AM … is an American who’s proud that his President
embraces a belief in God; proud of a President who understands, as
“politically incorrect” as it may be, there is evil in this world and
for the security and safety of all freedom loving people everywhere, it
must be confronted… and it must be defeated.
WHAT I AM … is an American who takes comfort in the knowledge
that our President refuses to allow decisions concerning the very safety
and security of this nation, to be governed by the political whims of
foreign governments.
WHAT I AM … is tired of hearing from leading Democrats who
see only negativity in America; racism in her people; class warfare in
her society and “political incorrectness” in her character.
WHAT I AM … is a former democrat who now understands that it
is the soldier and not the reporter that guarantees us our freedoms of
press, speech and dissent.
WHAT I AM … is a man who believes in the sanctity of life. A
man who is repulsed by the pandering of the political left for votes, at
the expense of the unborn.
WHAT I AM … is a husband and father who believes in the
sanctity of marriage and the preservation of the family unit.
WHAT I AM … is a movie go-er who is repulsed by those
insecure, socially inept, elementary thinking, ego-inflated
“entertainers” who have appointed themselves “experts” in the fields of
national security and geo-politics and then use their forum to attack
this nation, its leaders and its actions…. much to the delight and
encouragement of our enemies.
WHAT I AM … is an American who understands the difference
between “censorship” and “choice”. Evidently, these individuals do not,
because when these same “celebrities” receive public ridicule for their
offensive actions, the first thing they yell is “Censorship!”. What they
seem incapable of understanding is… the right of free speech and dissent
is shared equally by those offended… as well as those who offend. I
support and will continue to support those films and performers whom I
choose to … and refuse to support those I don’t. It is my right as an
American … a right I will continue to enthusiastically exercise.
WHAT I AM … is a voter, tired of politicians, who, every time
their voting records are subjected to public scrutiny, try to divert
attention from their political and legislative failures by accusing
their opponents of “attack ads” and “negative campaigning”…. and the
news media who allow them to get away with it.
WHAT I AM … is a Catholic who loves his God and his Faith… and
who’s been taught to respect all religions whose teachings are based in
love, peace and charity. As such, I am embarrassed and ashamed of those
individuals, in both private and public life, whose decisions and
actions are devoid of any sense of character or morals; individuals who
are only driven by what’s best for them … rather than what’s right …
often times at the expense of many …. including our national security.
WHAT I AM … is a realist who understands that the terrorist
attack that murdered hundreds of innocent Russian children could have
occurred here, in our heartland. That’s why I sincerely believe America
needs now, more than ever, a President who sees with a clear and focused
vision and who speaks with a voice when heard by both friend and foe
alike, is understood, respected and believed.
WHAT I AM … is eternally grateful to Ronald Reagan for having
the bravery to speak out against Communism and the courage of his
convictions in leading the fight to defeat it; and George W. Bush for
the vision, courage, conviction and leadership he has shown in America’s
war on terrorism amidst both the constant and vicious, personal and
political attacks both he and his family are made to endure.
WHAT I AM … is a human being, full of numerous faults and
failures, but a man nonetheless, who, though not always successful, has
continually strived to do “what’s right” instead of “what’s easy”. A man
who is challenging the religious leaders of all faiths, to not only
preach to their congregations the fundamentals of “what’s right” and
“what’s wrong”, but to also then hold them accountable for their actions
in both the public and private sectors.
WHAT I AM … is disgusted with the Courts who, on one hand,
call the murder of a pregnant woman a “double homicide” but then refer
to the abortion of her baby as, “pro-choice”.
WHAT I AM … is someone deeply troubled by a political party
which embraces a candidate whose primary “leadership” qualities center
around his protesting of the Vietnam war and his labeling the honorable
men and women who fought in it, (50,000 of whom gave their lives in that
action), as rapists, and war criminals. That same political party then
stepped forward this year to block the appearance of a true Vietnam war
hero, retired Admiral and former United States Senator, Jeremiah Denton,
(a man who spent seven years and seven torturous months in a North
Vietnam prison), from speaking before an open session of the California
legislature as part of that state’s 4th of July celebration. The reason
Democrats gave for refusing to allow this American hero to speak before
their state legislature was because of the “conservative” nature of his
views. As an American, that troubles me deeply ….as well it should you.
WHAT I AM … is a man who feels the need to spend, $104,
655.60,(tax paid) of his own money, to purchase this advertisement, in
order to set the story straight. Some may say this money would have been
better spent feeding the world’s poor. At the risk of sounding
self-serving, as an American and as a Republican, for the last six
decades of my life, I have done exactly that… and more. Following the
examples of my parents and grand parents, I have used my earnings to
feed the poor, shelter the homeless, provide housing for the elderly and
medical care for the sick….. and continue to do so… and I’m not alone in
that work.
WHAT I AM … is someone who is paying for this announcement,
at my sole expense, in hopes of opening the eyes of those led blindly by
ill-informed elements of our great nation, who, through either
ignorance, or malicious intent, repeatedly attack and belittle those of
us who belong to a political party that holds true to the belief, “… the
rights of the governed, exceed the power of the government”. For those
interested, I am speaking only as a tax-paying individual who is in no
way associated with The Republican National Committee, nor with any of
its directors, or delegates.
WHAT I AM … is a man who understands, “the American way of
life” is a message of self-empowerment for all.
WHAT I AM … is an American who is grateful that our nation
gives each of us the opportunity of self-determination and the right to
benefit from the fruits of self achievement.
WHAT I AM … is an American who wants to preserve that way of
life for all who seek it.
WHAT I AM … is blessed to be an American…. and proud to be
Republican.
George J. Esseff, Sr.
george@esseff-foundation.org
For a free reprint of this “Open Letter,” go to www.whatiam.net
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