| AP | 0 | |
| LV Now | 0 | |
| Seattle Times | 0 | |
| Fresno Bee | [CA] Field Poll: Campbell leads GOP Senate field; Boxer fades |
0 |
| WSJ | 0 |
Audacity of Truth
Rahmbo:
"Rahm Emanuel is son of the devil's spawn. He is an individual who would sell his mother to get a vote. He would strap his children to the front end of a steam locomotive."
-Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) on Obama's COS, 3/7/10
Velvet Lair- Legends March 18, 2010
- Some things are just not cute March 18, 2010
- The adventures of the lady spider killer continue March 11, 2010
- Intermission February 19, 2010
- People who allow their dogs to poop in other people’s yards February 16, 2010
- Big Government
- Hot Air
- Michelle Malkin
- GOP fights again: Cantor introduces privileged resolution challenging Slaughter Solution; Dems move to table the motion, 232-181
- Video: Democrat Rep. Perriello admits, “If you don’t tie our hands, we will keep stealing”
- Speed-readers unite! House Rules Committee finally releases Wreckonciliation bill; Hoyer announces weekend schedule
- Jake Tapper
- Legal Insurrection
- Lynn Sweet
They know
I have battled for years with liberals who have claimed in so many words that our enemy does not have the time nor are they interested in monitoring via the media what we say and do here in America. I have shown them the words of PAVN Colonel Bui Tin from an interview he did with the WSJ back in August 1995, where he cited the anti-war movement here at home as being critical to Hanoi’s victory. That doesn’t seem to compute, either. I think liberals like to claim that what we say here doesn’t have much, if any, impact on how the enemy conducts itself because if they admitted that the enemy paid attention to what we said and did here carefully, then they’d be admitting that the harsh statemetns coming from the mouths of top Dems like Ted Kennedy and John Kerry actually did impact the war negatively. Very negatively.
Wonder what they’ll think of this?:
DUBAI, Nov 10 (Reuters) – A purported audio recording by the leader of Iraq’s al Qaeda wing said outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld quit to flee the Iraqi battlefield.
Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, said in the recording posted on the Internet that the group has 12,000 armed fighters and 10,000 others waiting to be equipped to fight U.S. troops in Iraq.
“I swear by God we shall not rest from jihad until we … blow up the filthiest house known as the White House,” he said.
The Democrats’ victory at Tuesday’s Congressional elections were a step in the right direction, the speaker said.
“I tell the lame duck (U.S. administration) do not rush to escape as did your defence minister … stay on the battleground,” the speaker said. “The American people have taken a step in the right path to come out of their predicament … they voted for a level of reason.”
The authenticity of the tape could not be verified.
“The (U.S.) enemy if now wobbly. Today they are loading their gear to flee,” the speaker said.
Khamenei has called the Democrats’ victory on Monday a victory for Iran:
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday called U.S. President George W. Bush’s defeat in congressional elections a victory for Iran.
Bush has accused Iran of trying to make a nuclear bomb, being a state sponsor of terrorism and stoking sectarian conflict in Iraq, all charges Tehran denies.
“This issue (the elections) is not a purely domestic issue for America, but it is the defeat of Bush’s hawkish policies in the world,” Khamenei said in remarks reported by Iran’s student news agency ISNA on Friday.
“Since Washington’s hostile and hawkish policies have always been against the Iranian nation, this defeat is actually an obvious victory for the Iranian nation.”
The Democrats wrested control of both houses of Congress from the Republicans in this week’s mid-term elections, partly because of voter concern over the war in Iraq.
Khamenei, a senior cleric in power since 1989, has the last word on matters of state in Iran’s complex system of Islamic rule, while the government, under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in charge of day-to-day decision making.
“The result of this election indicates that the majority of American people are dissatisfied and are fed up with the policies of the American administration,” the IRNA state news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
Yes, the American people thankfully have the right to vote, and they made their voices heard on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the wrong message has been sent. Our actions here at home have consequences abroad. Those who will suffer the most will be our troops, who will face an enemy who has been emboldened now more than ever. Afterall, when you’ve got the House Speaker claiming that the Iraq war is “not war to be won but a situation to be solved”, why wouldn’t you be emboldened if you were a terrorist?
The enemy has been listening to the Democrats’ defeatist comments on Iraq the whole time we’ve been there. And you can be assured that enemy hasn’t forgotten what those Dems, who weren’t in the majority then but are now, have repeatedly said about how the war was a “mistake” and how we “shouldn’t be there” and how we need to get out as soon as possible. They know what we are saying and doing here in America. The question is: is the new majority in Congress listening?
Hat tip: Stop The ACLU
Read more via Allah, Iowa Voice, bRight and Early, Jeff Goldstein
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Trackbacks
45 Responses to “They know”
Comments
Blogads
Disclaimer: The views expressed on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of ST's advertisers, nor do their opinions necessarily reflect ST's. Stats
How does anyone know what the future will bring? Who is to say that a democratic congress and house will bring doom and destruction across the world? Of course these organizations will spin things to their favor, but that does not mean they are right. I’d be of the opinion that all of the organizations cited here have proven the fact that they all have a rather perverted view on the world, and that their logic is inherently flawed.
As far as the ACLU, yes Rumsfeld resigning is a step in the right direction. The one thing we have to do is keep our identity as a country, without that what is the point? With the constant erosion of our civil liberties by this administration (MCA/Patriot Acts) we have lost something. We used to be the beacon in the dark, the poster child for a free and democratic society. Now we are despised throughout the world, and are seen as the darkness that plagues the land.
America is finally seeing through the fog of fear that has been laid down by the GOP. Even though the Democrats want out of Iraq, everyone is in agreement that it has to be done correctly. We messed it up, we have to fix it.
- I think the Dems are really painted into a corner on Iraq.
- Time is quickly running out for them to come up with this “invisable” plan they’ve been claiming for 2+ years. I don’t think they have a clue as to what to do.
- If they really do pull out in a rush, this bull about how we’re the reason for the bloodshed will show how wrong they are. Iraq will turn into an all out bloodbath within a few days, and you can bet the winners will be just another tin pot dictator like Hussein, and the whole thing will have been for nothing, and we’ll get to do it all over again someday, under even worse conditions.
- The Dems know that anything that even looks like a total collapse in Iraq, which can be layed at their doorstep as a direct result of abandoning Iraq, will be the kiss of death for their party. It will, once and for all prove, that Bush was right, and they can’t be trusted with the WOT.
- Personally I think the Dems are going to get exactly what they deserve, after working so hard against America’s interests, and safety, all based on the morons in the hard Left gaggle, who want to play “multi-culturalism” experiments with out future, ala the Euro block Socialist states that are, even now as we speak, being overrun by Celiphate minded immigrents. Wonderful.
- Bang
To add to that, BBH, if the Dems don’t pull out then then the nutroots will have a fit. That’s been the mantra through the whole elecion–get out of Iraq, it was a mistake.
Also, if the Iraqi leaders do not want the US to pull out and the Dems manage to make this happen (they have control of the purse strings, after all), that will make Dems look bad.
This could be a lose-lose scenario for the Democrats (assuming Republicans have learned anything from their loss, of course).
- Apparently the British government hasn’t gotten the “peace loving” memo’s, or the one’s applauding the fruits of “multiculturalism”.
- They must be too pre-occupied with those -30- different terrorist plots, involving 1600 Jihadists, but as soon as they wrap that little bit of nastiness up, we’ll all be able to join our Muslim brothers in a round of Kumbayah.
- Bang
Yes, Tony Blair’s government is still rock-solid in the WOT. Let’s hope his successor is as steadfast.
But Bang’s central point is right on target. Almost immediately since 9/11, the Dems have thrown one criticism after another at both the administration and the troops. It wasn’t at all constructive, but that was never their goal. The goal was to blast the WOT as a way of regaining power. And if that meant that they sounded exactly like al Qaeda, well, so what – the enemy is really Bushitler anyway.
That works as long as you’re out of power. Once you get that power, you have to use it, and empty rhetoric is no substitute for a real plan of action.
The Democrats are about to learn the hard way that the word “NO” is not a politicial program.
Unfortunately, while Bush/Rumsfeld having been engaged in waging a military war against Militant Islam, IN MY OPINION; they have also had to fight on a second front, against the MSM, the Democrat Party and people like the ACLU. It should not be thought strange that the terrorists applaud the Democrats election victories; and, while not having any official alliance, certainly IN MY OPINION, these various factions are political soul mates in many ways.
While not in this piece above, surely France, Germany and Russia are likewise fellow travelers with the ACLU and the Democrats in their hatred of Bush and their opposition to any war against terrorism.
The hostess claims that Dems say the “war was a “mistake” and how we “shouldn’t be there” and how we need to get out as soon as possible.”
The war wasn’t a “mistake”. It was a deliberate move by President Bush to mislead and lie us into a disastrous affair. We definitely SHOULDN’T be there and we do need to get out as soon as possible. Out is the only possible direction. That country is not an extension of the United States. Getting out is inevitible. The only issue is when. I am personally of the opinion that now is good, and six months is ok, but a year is a waste of American lives and taxpayer funds.
And your claims that the whole world is against you, the ONLY ones who know what is good for the country and the world, sound like tinfoil-hat conspiracy theories to me. But don’t worry fellas, you can still have your precious war, Bush is still dragging the country and your party down the toilet.
Solitaire: I don’t want to risk devaluing your incredible self worth or say anything that might in any way offend you; but I must take issue with your statement that “[Iraq]. . . was a deliberate move by President Bush to mislead and lie us into a disastrous war.”
1. Forgive me for asking, as I am a mental defective with serioous anger management problems; but why would any President choose to lie us into a “disastrous war?” That doesn’t make any sense to me! Not even a Hitler wanted a disastrous war.
2. As for your charge of lying by President Bush to be true, wouldn’t such an absolute charge require? a. Proof that he had persuasive evidence to the contrary and deliberately stated something wholly or partially contrary to that evidence? Please indicate when and where evidence that Bush had ‘persuasive” evidence that what he said was wrong and said it anyway. Remember, the operate word is “persuasive. Considering most of the world’s intelligence agencies reported Saddam had stockpiles of WMD’s, he used WMD’s on the Kurds and Iranians, his financial support of Palestianian terrorism, and his invasion of Kuwaiit along with other factors, wouldn’t persuasive evidence to the contrary have to be quite massive? b. When and where did President Bush go to a court of law or before an Impeachment court in the Congress and was proven by overwhelming evidence that he lied about any substantial fact leading up to the war or since? Forgive me, I may have missed it.
Lastly, no matter how you may make the case to the contrary, may I ask these ignorant questions: 1. Wouldn’t any reposition of our troops outside Iraq mean we lost the war! Wouldn’t that mean our troops died for nothing? Wouldn’t that mean all our living military were part of an illegal war and are war criminals? 2. If we get out of of Iraq short of victory, why wouldn’t the Islamic terrorist groups consider that they are victorious over the United States and that we will no longer defend the Middle East and especially Israel.
Remember, I stand as one accused of having serious mental problems so you need not reply, these are simply questions that came to my deficient mind!
The self-depricating humor is actually funny….
Yes, but you believe it is an incredibly accurate description of my diseased mental state, don’t you?
What are the Democrats going to do now? If they don’t pull out of Iraq before 2008, they will be voted out of office as liars.
Al Qaeda in Iraq just called the Democrats a bunch of cowardly pansies and threatened to blow up the White House. Pulling out in the next year could cause a very rapid collapse of the government in Iraq and they would surely be held accountable for that too.
As I said recently in my own blog, how did we lose to these guys?
Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, Charlie Rangel, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Kerry, John Edwards, Ted Kennedy, Barney Frank, Barak Obama, etc
That’s great leadership right there. I’m sure they can handle it. No problem.
To Baklava: I just wanted to mention, without any desire or intent of devaluating your incredible self worth or negate anything concerning your superior intellect and wisdom anything you have said about me, but soley FYI:
I am semi-retired and I work for the local school district with special needs children, those suffering from varying degrees of autism, Downs Syndrome and other emotional/mental disorders; and I have often been lauded by parents, teachers and district officials for my contributions in caring for these incredible children. That is not said to praise myself or speak well of myself in any way; but only to point out that despite my severe mental deficiencies, like most people of my ilk, I do have my lucid moments.
That’s great. I hope when you are in their spaces that you didn’t behave as you have here calling people cockroaches and girly men (not that that bothers me – but it does reflect poorly on your behavior).
You don’t know me or what I’ve gone through either or whether I’ve served. To me ALL of that is irrelevant. What matters is the words used here and the logic and common sense put forth and the facts. You will not be persuasive doing what you did at the top of this thread.
Thanks for changing. You’ve done wonderful as of late. I have my moments where I need intervention too I’m sure.
Off to take my daughters and a friend bowling. Good day!
I just wanted to mention, without any desire or intent of devaluating your incredible self worth or negate anything concerning your superior intellect and wisdom anything you have said about me;
If by ‘thread’ you mean this topic, I stand by everything I said in my initial post @ 2:07 PM under this subject.
I have not changed my mind one iota!
All of the tone discussion aside, I’d like to focus on IM’s questions to solitaire, because they’re good questions. I doubt solitaire will stick around to respond – few trolls do – but they’re worth reiterating:
First, solitaire delivers a well-rehearsed line:
It was a deliberate move by President Bush to mislead and lie us into a disastrous affair.
OK…let’s assume you’re right for the moment. Then tell us why. And that means clear, logical proof, not the latest tinfoil-hat theory floating around on DU.
Can’t provide some sort of evidence? Hmm…then Dr. Rat will enter a diagnosis of BDS for you. The prescription will be to spend two hours listening to returned Iraq veterans, or to NC Cop, talk about the good they’ve done there. Then call us in the morning.
Doing his best Murtha impression, solitaire starts setting timelines:
The only issue is when. I am personally of the opinion that now is good, and six months is ok, but a year is a waste of American lives and taxpayer funds.
For the moment, let’s leave aside any discussion of the preposterous idea that liberals give a damn about the lives of the fighting men, much less taxpayer funds. That’s a whole ‘nother ballgame we could play for hours.
But to the main point. Now, Iraq is a central front in the war on terrorism. By the way, that particular opinion didn’t come from Bush, or Cheney, or Rumsfeld, or ST, or Baklava, or IM, or me. Most of us may happen to agree with it, but who openly says it? Al Qaeda, that’s who.
So you’re saying that yielding the initiative to al Qaeda on the central front in this battle right now is ‘good’, in 6 months is ‘OK’, but to keep up the battle beyond that is a waste. Well, now that we have that established, it’s pretty clear why AQ is doing cartwheels over the Dems’ performance on Tuesday.
From IM: If we get out of of Iraq short of victory, why wouldn’t the Islamic terrorist groups consider that they are victorious over the United States and that we will no longer defend the Middle East and especially Israel.
Another good question. The answer is that they will conclude exactly that, and they’ll be right. What country in their right mind would trust the US, knowing that the second things got a little bit difficulty, the solitaires would turn tail?
Here’s one big difference, and one that goes completely over solitaire’s head: he thinks if we stop fighting, the terrorists will stop fighting. Most of us here recognize that we don’t have that choice. The question is to fight them there, as we do today, or fight them here, with another 9/11 or worse.
“I just wanted to mention, without any desire or intent of devaluating anyones incredible self worth or negate anything concerning their superior intellect and wisdom.”
Great White Rat: Thank for your reply to Solitaire via me, although he probably won’t come back to read it, I liked it!
The biggest problem for me right now is what pulling out (strategic withdrawal to bases oustide Iraq with a very small force) will mean for our troops. I guess because I served in the military and Vietnam, I am extra sensitive about the subject; but I must ask, wouldn’t that mean those heroic men and women having died there died for nothing? Doesn’t it mean those having lost limbs or suffered other terrible injuries were wounded for nothing? Doesn’t it mean we lost the war?
I hope this is not to far off subject; but I have had many friends who died in Vietnam and according to the Left they died for nothing, and all of us that survived have been treated as outcasts; so pardon me if I am worried about the fate of our fallen and wounded soldiers in Iraq.
It was a deliberate move by President Bush to mislead and lie us into a disastrous affair.
And what of all the dems who voted in favor of giving Bush the authority to invade Iraq? Do they get a pass?
What am I saying, of course they do!!!
America is finally seeing through the fog of fear that has been laid down by the GOP.
Well, you’ve figured it out Tony. There’s no use keeping up the charade now. N. Korea really didn’t test a nuclear weapon and doesn’t possess the missle technology to reach U.S. soil.
Tehran is not trying to pursue a nuclear weapon, they really do want nuclear technology for “domestic” purposes.
There never was any Taliban, we made that up at our meeting in July 2001. There really aren’t thousands of jihadists planning to attack U.S. interests at home or abroad. We’ve also got England in on it too. There really was no terrorist plot blow up planes over the Atlantic ocean and their intelligence estimates of hundreds of cells in their country was completely made up by us.
I told everyone here that they wouldn’t buy it forever!!! Tony figured it out, we can all go home now.
NC Cop, don’t you know the facts! There are no “enemies” just “friends” we haven’t met yet! That’s the liberal ideology. Of course, you and I may think someone who wants to saw our heads off doesn’t qualify as a “friend” but that’s just because we are bigoted right wingers who hate everyone. Kumbaya everyone, kumbaya…gargle, choke, plop…head falls into bucket.
That’s right, I keep forgetting that it’s all OUR fault that people hate us and are trying to blow us up. I apologize!!
And I’ll tell you something else folks. I can speak from experience when I say the Iraqi troops and police were watching this election very closely. It took years to gain the trust of the Iraqi military and police. It’s not something you can do in a couple of months. One of the biggest fears they had was a premature pullout of U.S. troops, leaving them to a brutal enemy who would remember those who “collaborated” with the U.S. They were concerned a year ago when there was so much anti-war sentiment going on in the U.S. You can bet that now that the defeatist party has won, they will start distancing themselves from working with U.S. forces.
NC COP: My grandson and nephew are Marines serving in Iraq and they support your assertions that even today the Iraqi people are terrified that when we cut-and-run from there, and they have always feared that comfortable Americans could not stand up to a prolonged fight, they will suffer for ever having anything to do with U.S. Forces and a blood bath against all these people will be beyond imagination.
Please tell me, how can we ever hope to win the hearts and minds of Iraqi or Afganistani people or encourage Iranian dissidents to overthrow their government when they know in their hearts that we cannot be trusted to ever keep our word? Impossible!
Please tell me why did so many fine, courageous people give their lives to defend America and to bring liberty to Iraq? Never mind, I have served in war and on the streets in my early years after Vietnam and as one of the first EMT’s in this country; and I know the answer – it is because we chose to serve out of love of country and we risked our lives because of devotion to our duty and our comrades!
Now that the Democrats have won the day in America, maybe you, Severian and I can hold hands and sing Kumbaya with Nancy and Harry! That will make things so much better!
The only dream I have for Pelosi and Harry involves them, liver loaf underwear, and a pack of starving rotweilers.
How can we hope to win hearts and minds, you hit the nail on the head, the fact is we can’t. And we won’t be able to until we demonstrate that we have the guts to stick it out in more than one war, it’ll take several to reverse the reputation, well deserved, that we are wimps who will turn tail and run at the first sight of adversity, leaving the locals to fend for themselves.
But to liberals, that doesn’t matter. They whine and wring their hands about the poor poor Iraqi people, how we evil Americans are killing them, but it’s all crocodile tears, they care nothing for others in other countries, it’s just their excuse for not wanting the US to do anything or succeed at anything, weakening us in the process.
If liberals really cared about people, they’d realize that pulling out will result in untold death and suffering. But they don’t care. They don’t care that the idiotic ban on DDT, which is based on junk science, causes the death of millions of Africans, mostly children, due to malaria. It’s something they can pat themselves on the back at the Starbucks for, for being so enlightened and superior and “protecting” the environment. They didn’t give too hoots for the 3-4 million, that’s million with an M, dead in Vietnam and Cambodia and Laos after we pulled out.
Unfortunately, what do we do? We live in a democracy, which has always been a double edged sword. The current administration has not done a good job at selling this and explaining it to the American people. Granted this is a tough job considering the staggering bias the MSM has, but it could have been done much better. In a, well, we aren’t a democracy but a constitutional republic, which explains why we manage to get anything done at all, but still, enough of democracy we have our share of problems with staying the course and finishing what we start.
The Roman Republic had a system whereby a person could be named dictator for a 6 month period, said person having absolute power but having to give it up. Cinncinatus is the example, he was made dictator during an invasion, raised an army and defeated the enemy in 2 months, and then surprised everyone by resigning his dictatorship with 4 months to go and returning to his plow. George Washington was our closest example of such, and in fact the Founding Fathers all held Cinncinatus in very high regard and viewed him as a model. Two problems with this approach today, though it would solve this cut and run problem, is that a) 6 months wouldn’t do it by a long shot, this will be a multigenerational war; and b) we are damned short of Cinncinatus’s these days. Can you imagine any of our current politicians walking away from absolute power?
Great post BTW IM.
There aint no holding hands with the rabid Democrat leaders and singing Kumbaya. Unless we submit to their will.
There is no peace in submitting. That is losing.
That is our women wearing burkas and socialism and lack of freedom as our unemployment rates mirror European and Middle Eastern countries….
That won’t be so much better. We need to begin to persuade people why a strong defense matters, why capitalism matters (definition of capitalism is – the people choosing who gets what resources) and why less government matters.
NC, that’s a sobering, chilling thought, but it rings true. Like IM, I served in Nam and saw the same scenario play out, and it seems like on some level we’ve never recovered from that. It will be up to those of us who see the danger, as you do, to speak up constantly and speak up forcefully.
Vietnam wasn’t lost by the military. It was lost in the left-wing newsrooms and in the halls of the DNC. If Iraq is lost, it will not be because you and IM’s grandson and nephew failed. Once again the failure will be political.
At least in Nam, when our political courage failed, the enemy contented itself with butchering and enslaving their own people. This time, if our government again goes weak-kneed, we won’t be as lucky. That’s why it’s so important to keep this danger in front of those we elect, and in front of the American people. This may be the final phase of the battle for Iraq. It’s no time to stand down on the home front.
IM, two things. First, thanks for your nephew’s and grandson’s service. I’m sure you’re rightfully proud of them and I’m sure all our regulars here salute them. Second, there’s no way, even in jest, you’ll ever catch me holding hands with Searchlight’s Dim Bulb and the Wicked Witch of the West and singing. I’d rather slide naked down a razor-blade bannister into a vat of alcohol.
“I say the following without any desire or intent of devaluating anyones incredible self worth or negate anything concerning their superior intellect and wisdom over mine.”
Severian: It seems to me there was a great deal of merit in the citizen legislators of our early days, when holding office was not a career choice. Then the politicians had to be close to the people and compete in the real world to make their way. Now, once a Congressman or Senator, with redistricting, most of them have lifetime jobs, a great retirement plan, and they don’t have to live on social security or have their health care held hostage to Medicare. Plus, most of them make tons of money they would never have made during their retirments, even if they served relatively short terms in office.
Quite frankly, most of us don’t trust our government, why should people in foreign lands? Yes, under Bush the unemployment figures are at all time lows, at a level many consider full employment. The deficit is going down fast, the economy is booming, and then with the Democrats in power and raising taxes and funding a welfare state, trust me, they will screw up the economy big time – so what’s to trust?
We are an instant gratification generation, one that wants no sacrifice, no pain, very little personal responsibility, and if keeping our word interferes with any of these goals, then to hell with our word. While I hate the French government, maybe some of their irritation with us is because we cannot be trusted to keep our word.
Anyway, I agree with virtually everything you said.
More evidence to back up NC Cop’s remarks at 8:14pm:
Democrats’ victory unnerves Baghdad
Here’s the money quote:
Right away, you can tell this young woman doesn’t go to one of our loony-left colleges…that kind of talk wouldn’t be tolerated.
But there’s no doubt that she GETS IT. You have to wonder what the hell we need to do to have the American people comprehend the situation as well.
We are an instant gratification generation, one that wants no sacrifice, no pain, very little personal responsibility, and if keeping our word interferes with any of these goals, then to hell with our word.
You once again have nailed the problem IM. Another excellent post, I agree with you completely. Not many people these days think of honor or keep their word if it becomes inconvenient, and that is going to be the death of our society. Most people and the liberals in particular have the ethics and mentality of children. It’s hard they whine, I don’t wanna, and with the case of Iraq, are we there yet, are we there yet? Look at our educational system, coddle people, don’t mark papers in red, that’s scary, use blue or purple, A’s mean F’s and F’s mean A’s, don’t use letter grades, that will just discourage them and hurt their self esteem (hint, you don’t grow and learn what’s right without getting your precious self esteem hurt when you do wrong). It’s the same thing socialism pushes, no responsibility for yourself, no need to stand on your own feet, no downside to being a bum.
With respect to Rumsfeld, Rummy cost me a job. I was working on a project he canceled, and because of that I was laid off from a great company and a high paying job, and it took me over two years to get employed at that level of pay again. And know what? I applauded Rummy for doing it. The project was a bloated, faulty, FUBAR’d up POS. It’d already cost tens to hundreds of millions, and would have cost far more to fix. To me, keeping my job was not worth having Rumsfeld and the DOD keep a project that was so useless around. Unfortunately, that’s not a common attitude these days.
The congress should not be allowed to escape the Social Insecurity mess with their own pampered retirement plans. If it’s good enough for us, it’s good enough for them. But you’re right, gerrymandered districts and the “employment for life” mentality that seems to go with congress means you have “leaders” and I use that term loosely that have little in common with the people and even less accountability. The original Founders were far more a part of the people, which is why the emphasis on state’s rights, government works better the closer it is to the people.
But how to unravel this Gordian knot now that it’s tied? Without resorting to revolution (the modern equivalent of Alexander’s sword), I can’t really see a way.
but I have had many friends who died in Vietnam and according to the Left they died for nothing
They did not die for nothing. Ask one of the hundreds of thousands of people who were executed by the communists after the fall of Saigon what they were fighting for. There are too many people who want to judge the outcome of a war by land, money, or power. I guess saving the lives of thousands is not a good enough reason anymore. Our fighting spirit from the WW II days are long gone.
We are an instant gratification generation, one that wants no sacrifice, no pain, very little personal responsibility, and if keeping our word interferes with any of these goals, then to hell with our word.
Precisely!!! Not only will people be afraid to trust us they will no longer work with us if they fear that we will tuck tail and run when things get tough. We have also given any enemy from this point forward a perfect blueprint on how to defeat the U.S. You cannot do it on the battlefield, but if you can draw it out long enough the American people will wear down and demand a withdrawal, with the help of our one party media, of course.
I.M., thank you for your service as well as the service of your nephew and grandson. GWR thank you as well. I think the Vietnam vets got the worst deal in history. My uncle was in the Marines in Vietnam, he doesn’t talk about it much, and he is one of my heroes as you all are.
Let’s see: a timeline for troop drawdown is announced, and the non-existent al-Qaeda forces in secular Iraq cheer a Democrat victory in Congress, brand us as retreating cowards, and announce plans to bring back the Caliphate while blowing up the White House.
Nope. A timeline won’t embolden the terrorists or be seen as a date for surrender. It’ll be viewed as an opportunity for diplomacy, and a chance for the “international community” to join hands and buoy the fledgling Iraqi democracy!
RUN,
CAMBODIANS!KERDS, RUN!- Bang
I fully expected the back-biting, and carping to begin in earnest, once the Dems realized just what a potential train wreck they’ve jumped in front of, but the speed with which it’s happening is surprising. The Reps need to recognize the “message” this election/electorate was sending them, and get back to their root principles. They also need the right candidate, with a wide appeal, for both the Pres., and VP, slots, to really grab the brass ring in ‘08.
- Recover their root principles – A little at least. They’ve been given a shot across the bow by a fed up electorate, but just enough of one to limit any real effectiveness on the Dem side of the aisle. The nutroots are already in meltdown because Carver is citing the shortfall in the “mandate”, opining on how much better they could have done with a real winner like Ford in the driver seat instead of Dean. Kos and Hampsher are declaring open war on the Clintonesta’s, and bad-mouthing Hilldebeast as fast as their fingers can type. But really if/when the Dems can’t overcome the gridlock they now own, the Reps can just play off that, and next time with it fresh in thier minds, they’ll have the incentive, and therefore the initiative and momentum.
- The right candidate – Nobody on the National scene, with the exception of the first term Clinton, when no one knew how much of a diddler/empty suit he really was, has a thimble full of the massive widespreaad likability, and proven leadership that Guiliani exudes from every pore. The Left is so scared witless about his natural, country wide, bipartisan popularity, they won’t even bring up his name. Mate him with a well liked black American running mate, like Condi or Steele, (the Reps/Rove just made sure Steele was appointed RNC chair for a reason), and I’d spectulate on a modern record landslide. the party in power the next time around needs a mandate in both the White House, and the congress in this atmosphere of conflict partisan politics. Of course a great deal rides on what the Dems do with the
VietNamIraq “problem”.- I’ve felt all along, leading up to the elections, that the best possible outcome, given it was enevitable that the Reps would lose something, would be for the Dems to get just enough rope. It’s a no-brainer now, that that’s exactly what’s happened. The Dems aren’t faking their new found friendliness toward the Right. They, better than anybody, once the initial Yeehaws wore off, have looked at the situation, and realize it’s a DOH’ moment.
- Rove you evil genius!
- Bang
I would like to think the Republicans learned their lesson this year; but on other blogs and via the media I have been hearing that Republicans think they lost because they were too conservative, had they been more moderate and even liberal they would not have lost the Congress. That is nonsense! They lost because they could not be trusted to stick to our conservative principles!
Then I read that many of the Democrat election victories were due to conservative Democrats running against milk-toast Republicans; which means if the Republicans decide being more liberal is a winning strategy and enough Democrats believe being Blue-Dog (Conservative) Democrats is a winning strategy, then why should we expect the Republicans to regain control?
There were many good posts under this thread (
For some reason most of my comments were not accepted in the post above, so I’ll try here to finish:
There were many good posts under this thread (
“and via the media I have been hearing that Republicans think they lost because they were too conservative”
That would be hard to understand. They Republicans have governed to the left of center except for the fact that they lowered taxes and have treated the GWOT more seriously. How is to the left of center “too conservative”. Drive-by legacy media is so irrelevant.
I’m with you. There appears to be a mini-rift in the center-right blogosphere over this issue (e.g., the Captain), but:
– decimating the Patriot Act
– pillorying the NSA terrorist surveillance program
– eradicating SWIFT terrorist banking surveillance
– etc.
makes us inarguably _less_ safe. Until the Democrats decide that bare-bones, common-sense steps such as these make sense, they deserve all the epithets they’re getting.