On the Iraq War…

Why are we talking about pulling out before the job is done? What did the American people think was going to happen? Did they expect a Grenada? I suppose the politicians and public are so deluded to think that democracy can brought to Iraq in the span of a reality show. I am tired of the negativity and more importantly I am tired of America’s short attention span. I maintain that if we had this kind of attitude during World War II we would have called it quits before the first troops hit the beaches on D-day. Thank god that that generation had the spine and balls to see that ugly war through and defeat the fascists before they had a strangle hold on the world. The Americans in charge of our political system today are weak, spineless, lazy, and decadent. They are more concerned about which way the political wind is blowing than doing what is right. It’s a wonder we have held it together for this long.

Did I support the war initially? NO. I did not think Saddam was a threat. I thought it would be best to concentrate on Afghanistan. Do I think that the Bush administration deliberately lied to America to go to war? NO. If you are so deluded to think that a president of the United States of America would intentionally lie to America and sacrifice the lives of men and women of this country for oil or some other far fetched idea you need some serious psychological help. Please seek help immediately. Please spare me the evidence Mr. Wilson supposedly brought back from his “trip”. Consider for a minute that Mr. Wilson could have been told what he wanted to hear. Do you really think that a bureaucrat could get real intelligence? Consider that many other countries had intelligence that Saddam had WMDs. Consider for a minute that Saddam was in violation of a number of United Nations resolutions. Consider for a minute that he had to appear as though he had WMDs to look credible in a region where power is everything. Fine, the intelligence today looks suspect, but would we have found that out if we had not gone into Iraq? I postulate that we would not have.

Well here we are. Iraq is not stable yet and we have all these factions going at each other. Killing each other in mosques, nonetheless (and we Americans get yelled at if we bomb the mosques when our enemies hide in them – yet Moslems are free to kill other Moslems in them – even during worship). DO I SUPPORT A PULL OUT? NO. WE STARTED IT AND WE MUST SHOW THAT WE ARE WILLING TO SEE IT THROUGH. What the majority of the spineless Americans calling for a pull out do not understand is that power talks. Being spineless wins no one over in the Mid East. I just do not understand what America was expecting. I was under no delusions when America went in that it would be easy. Before you enter such a situation, you damn well better know the history of the region and factions involved. I guess that kind of knowledge was not very sought out by the Bush administration or more likely ignored before deciding to get into nation building.

That said, we must see this through. We must support the fledgling democracy in Iraq to our fullest capability. To bow out now because we have lost too many soldiers and spent too much money is showing the real enemy (Islamic extremism) that America is weak and will bow if enough pressure is applied.

Are we helping the Iraqis? YES. I recently had reason to speak to a person who has been going to Iraq to help the Iraqis rebuild the agriculture machine that Saddam had run into the ground. She presented a picture of hope. She told me that a group had traveled from southern Iraq to be part of a training she was helping facilitate. Along the way they encountered a checkpoint at which point they were told they could not proceed any further because of danger. They waited and then finally got through and made the training late. But they were so excited at the opportunity of this training that they immediately engaged and did not want it to stop. She has seen hope. Yes, there are problems. The main stream media does its best by telling us morning, noon, and night of the death toll. What they do not tell us is that schools are being built and kids are going to school; people are learning about opportunities and trying to make a difference; progress is being made. I have heard firsthand accounts of engineers returning from Iraq and stating that yes, they are getting there. Will it be accomplished by the time the last person is voted off that ridiculous reality show? Probably not, but what did you really expect?

“There are two kinds of people in this world - those who are always getting ready to do something, and those who go ahead and do it.” ~ Roycrofters: Epigrams of the Day

On the French problem…

What do you expect will happen when hooligans this age have nothing to do? What do you expect will happen when none of these scum bags have any respect for authority? What do you expect in a socialist society where the hand outs are never enough?

Twelve days. It took the French government 12 days to get off their asses, admit there was a problem and implement a solution. And we thought FEMA was bad? The French solution is even half-assed. A curfew? Give me a break. How about implementing martial law? How about letting your police officers shoot to kill when shot at. Hama rules; that is all the Muslims understand.

I think what these Muslim hooligans are doing is downright despicable. Do these idiots really think that mayhem and destruction will make the authorities respect them?

More than 5,000 cars have been set on fire during the 12 days of unrest (http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/). I guess that news will at least make the environmentalist fringe happy. I think I will throw a party when say, 6,000 cars have been torched. Maybe I will protest at the United Nations at the injustice of this massive squandering of resources. I will propose that automobile manufacturers in France start a phased pull-out because 6,000 cars have been lost.

The French claim that these Arabs and North Africans are not assimilating into French culture. These ethnic groups are forming their own cohesive areas, a la Little Italy or German Town. News flash to the French: They have a lot in common so of course they group together. Maybe if France had given the youth better educational opportunities the French would not have such a quagmire on their hands. The French should spend their outrageous tax revenue on education and expanding business opportunities instead of these socialist programs that encourage laziness. Spend it on programs that help all French to get ahead not stay behind, and they may be surprised at the outcome. Other developed countries take note: We are all in the same boat. Unless we recognize that the world is changing and we need to change with it, we will be in for a long hard slog.

"Don't tell what you would do if you were someone else - just show what you can do yourself." ~ Roycrofters: Epigrams of the Day

On the Federal deficit…

In case you have not heard, the Federal deficit has recently exceeded $8 trillion. Okay, not the most exciting topic. Most of you would probably rather hear the latest celebrity gossip, but it does affect you. I am disturbed by the tax cut and spend Republicans just as much as I am worried about the tax increase and spend Democrats. I think that politicians have lost touch with what is important and why we elect them to office in the first place, which is why I have decided to start writing my representatives. I want to show them that I am watching and I want my view to heard. Below is a letter I wrote to Senator Kit Bond (R) of Missouri the other day.


Dear Senator Bond:

The Federal deficit has recently gone over $8 trillion. I am outraged that the Republican majorities of the Senate and the House have not shown any fiscal restraint, but have supported tax cuts. Tax cuts have helped our economy, but spending cuts go hand-in-hand with tax cuts.

Please spare me the excuses of 9/11, a war in Iraq, and the multiple hurricanes making deficit spending necessary. Please do not come back with the argument that deficit spending is okay. I have heard it before and those are two lines that I will not accept as excuses. If I have an unexpected expense I cut back my spending in other areas. If I spend beyond my limit I incur expenses in the form of interest on the money I borrowed which also reduces my future spending power. The Federal government should show more responsibility towards the budget and fiscal restraint. I had hoped with President Bush winning re-election that a message had been sent by the American people. My hope was finally squashed and spit on when the Senate refused a simple request to eliminate unnecessary spending in the recent transportation bill. Obviously, those in Congress were not listening to the American people as usual.

I find it difficult to support anyone in Congress that wantonly spends America's future. It is high-time that the Federal government learns to tighten its belt. If I had the same cavalier attitude towards my money that you politicians seem to have with America’s money, I would be bankrupt ten times over.

Need I remind you of the trillions in unfunded Medicare and Social Security liabilities? Spare me the argument that all will be okay until 2018 or some other far flung year based on projections. Not committing to a reasonable plan of action now will have unintended consequences far into the future.

Please support bills that encourage spending cuts and fiscal restraint. If we can’t afford it, we need get by without it.

I encourage every citizen of every persuasion to lift themselves off the couch, turn off the “reality” TV, and get involved. Unless you speak up your voice will not be heard. Please look at the links on this blog to find out how you can get in touch with your congress people.