The American Spectator

p>The bottom line is this. The strengths that give Giuliani his leadership bite are the same strengths that could be turned against the conservative movement once this man has power. You’ve been warned. br> — Peter Skurkiss br> Stow, Ohio /p>

Jennifer Rubin’s column that desperately tries to make Rudy “conservative” fails.

Rubin never addresses a major issue with the Mayor, his apparent misunderstanding of the Second Amendment. He said he had to use “gun control” when he took over as mayor. He supported the so-called “assault weapon ban,” yet he understands that hunter’s rights should not be violated. Uh, Rudy as a lifetime member of the NRA, I can assure you “it ain’t about duck huntin.’” I will never vote for a man that has called for each gun owner to take a test and get a license before he can buy a nice light 20 gauge side by side at the gun show. You see I fought a war to keep that sort of crap from happening in this great country.

p>Rest assured that five million members of the NRA will remind folks of where Rudy stands on the issue. br> — Jim Karr br> Blue Springs, Missouri /p>

As a libertarian conservative, I believe the state should refrain from any functions other than protecting citizens against the initiation of force or fraud. However, I am willing to compromise to some extent. I don’t expect a candidate for president to advocate selling the streets and the schools (at least not this election cycle), however beneficial such policies would be. Still, how can conservatives compromise something as basic as protection of innocent life?

Abortion is the initiation of force against a human being. We murder over one million babies each and every year. This issue is right up there with response to the terrorist goons that threaten to take large numbers of American lives, while they disturb the world peace necessary for all of us to flourish. We should not settle for a candidate that does not concern himself about BOTH violations of the most basic human right, the right to peaceful enjoyment of one’s own life. If Rudy is the Republican candidate, he will not receive my vote, regardless of how bad the Democrat demagogue might be. My ability to compromise simply does not stretch that far.

p>Those so-called practical conservatives who seek Republican return to power at any cost should ask themselves: “Power to accomplish what?” If you believe Rudy would actually appoint “strict constructionist” judges in opposition to every social instinct he has ever had, you must be smoking that substance that impairs judgment but should still not be illegal.