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Not sure if you guys caught my response to the last right wing forward I received. I guess one of the people on the list decided to write back, and boy, is it a doozy! I'm going to write back, but would love some pointers!
What was almost as interesting was your response…Let’s peruse a few facts, based on your little trip down memory lane.
The Constitution gives the President specific authorization to commit this nations armed forces in defense of the republic. The Constitution does not mandate that the Commander in Chief have military experience. Throughout our history, we have had great presidents who had no prior service (Reagan, Jefferson, Lincoln), we’ve had great presidents that had served (Washington, Eisenhower, and to a lesser degree, Kennedy), we’ve had buffoons that have not served (Pierce, Wilson, Harding), and buffoons that have served (Johnson, Carter). I (as a former Naval Officer) have less concern for the President’s military background, than I do for his attention to strengthening this republic, leading the way with fiscally responsible energy and economic policy, demonstrating friendship with our allies, and dealing swiftly and violently when necessary with our enemies. The current president gets mixed marks on this scorecard, but let’s make sure we’re comparing apples and apples.
The Left complains bitterly about the human cost of this war. They get lots of support from the media in this effort; too bad they didn’t make the same argument for the casualties suffered during “peacetime” from Jan 1993-Jan 2001. Take a look at the casualty lists from WW II, Korea and Vietnam, and compare with DS I and OIF/OEF, and you get 2 pictures (1) our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines are the most compassionate, deadly killing force in the history of the world. We go out of our way (often to tactical disadvantage) to make sure non-combatant casualties are minimized…too bad the peaceful religion we are fighting chooses to hide in religious sanctuaries, and uses the weakest and most vulnerable among them to do their bidding. (2) We have tried to the best of our ability to minimize the loss of life. In this comparison, GWB compares favorably with other warfighting presidents in the last 100 years (Wilson, FDR, Truman or Johnson).
In point of fact, this nation was attacked by Islamic militants who have been waging war with us since 1979. You could argue that it’s gone on longer than that (i.e. Barbary Pirate states) but we’ll stick to recent history. Your argument stating we have no business in Iraq is sophistry, if you use FDR’s action in WWII as “justified”. We were not attacked by Germany, yet we declared war on them first. I (as both a student, and teacher of military history) believe that both courses of action were justified. Both Hitler and Saddam Hussein were cancers on humanity that needed to be excised, and destroyed. The other part of the tumor are the folks that want to force us to live under Sharia Law in their Caliphate. I’d rather just kick their ass now, once and for all, with complete, violent finality, and be done with it.
If you go back and review the President’s comments after 9/11, he did talk about sacrifice, and how this war would be neither quick nor easy. The only dipshit Republican to vote against WWII was Jeannette Rankin (Montana). How many dipshit Democrats have been on TV, bad-mouthing the President on his handling of hostilities. On 9/11, as a screaming LCDR, I was teaching TLAM employment to DESRON Commanders. 2 weeks later, with 3 days notice, I was at the CENTCOM HQ planning offensive action against the Taliban, and we got to see it daily (and nightly) from the CNN and MSNBC info-babes. People that wouldn’t know dog-crap from apple butter felt like they could do a better job…this from the same crowd that currently has LOWER approval ratings than the President, and from the same collection of mentally deficient miscreants, that can’t seem to get authorization and appropriations bills passed and signed into law in a timely fashion, despite getting paid about $150000 a year to do just that. Its not about having reasonable disagreements…its about lending aid and comfort to the enemy. Last time I checked, Treason in time of war is a capital offense, and if I had my way, a bunch of those elitist SOBs would be explaining facts to the judge.
Back to the constitution. You seem to like FDR…bet you would be surprised to know that most of his New Deal is unconstitutional (as is the Great Society). The Constitution is a document that explicitly lists the powers of government. If it’s not in there, the government does not have the power to write it in. That means that if you want to change the constitution, there is a mechanism to do it (the amendment process). It does not address every doggone give away program (most of which were started as wealth redistribution programs by Democratic presidents). David Crockett, as a member of Congress, had a humbling encounter with one of his constituents (Mr. Horatio Bunce if I remember correctly), discussing a vote Crockett had made to give federal money to a family in Georgetown who lost their house to fire. In fact, Mr. Crockett’s vote was unconstitutional, Mr. Bunce called him on it, and Crockett had to go before his constituents contritely, and explain why his vote was in error. Now, everytime something happens, there’s a crowd standing around bitching about FEMA, and when they’re going to get their check. I lived through Hugo in 1989…I had insurance on my house, I worked with the claims adjusters for an equitable settlement, and went about fixing my stuff without FEMA. Galveston TX got obliterated by a hurricane in 1900 (far worse than Katrina), and somehow managed to rebuild. Same for SF after the earthquake (not Loma Prieta, the early on in the 20th century). You discussed plasma TVs and subprime mortgages…here is a question for you…do you understand compound interest? Do you know whether the interest rate you’ve been quoted for a car loan or a house is fair? There is an old saying “Caveat Emptor”…Let the Buyer Beware. INDIVIDUALS have the RESPONSIBILITY to look out for themselves. It is not the government’s role to look out for my best interest…that’s my job. I have to try to teach that to my children so they understand what it means to be productive citizens of the republic. The massive debt (in the macro sense for the US economy) is based on the fact that entitlement programs consume over 50 % of the budget. Defense spending, as a portion of the GDP, is at levels corresponding to the start of WWII. If you have a problem with the debt, better start telling folks to stop looking for the government to take care of them. If nationalized healthcare comes to pass, it will get a lot worse. When Social Security was passed into law, there was about 6-7 workers paying in, for every beneficiary. Now the rate is about 2 ½ for every beneficiary, and it will get worse, not better. The money you pay under FICA is not set aside in an account for you, it goes into a trust fund (that started being raided by Pres Clinton). What’s in there now is a collection of IOUs…figure that I’ll ever collect SS…that’s why I’m taking responsibility for my retirement.
You seem reasonably intelligent…don’t be so quick to spout James Carville’s talking points, and drink the left’s Kool-Aid. Do independent research and think for yourself. I’ve got some serious bitches with this President; his energy policy sucks, they’ve been spending like drunken sailors (I’m allowed to say that as a former squid), he was (and is) wrong on immigration, but he’s right to say we have to defeat them there. This enemy is in it for the long haul, and we have to get the mindset that we have to destroy them…its not very pretty, but it is survival. I always liked the movie “The Outlaw Josey Wales”. There’s a scene where Clint Eastwood (as Wales) says “When things look bad, and you think you’re not going to make it, then you’ve gotta get mean. I’m talkin’ plumb, mad-dog mean. Cause if you give up, and lose your head, you neither live, nor win. That’s just the way it is. Use pistols at short range…more firepower, less reloading.”
Finally, remember the words of Sir Winston Churchill…”When you’re in your 20s, if you’re not a Liberal, you have no conscience…When you’re in your 30s, if you’re not a conservative, you have no brain”
What do you guys think?
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