It seems that the United States’ military is again drunk with power, this time bombing a village in northwestern Pakistan, stopping 17 innocent hearts, and damaging relations with yet another country in a vital part of the world. The reason for the bombing: the possibility of al-Qaida member Ayman al-Zawahri in the village. Needless to say, he was not there. Seventeen innocent people unfortunately were, though. Among those suddenly to lose their life are the three children of Shah Zaman. He is shown below walking through the rubble where he lost all his children at the hands of the United States of America.
Undoubtedly, this mistake will be justified by the “increased threat to national security since 9/11″ and as a necessary step in the War on Terror. That justification, however, raises some serious questions. Is bombing Pakistan really a smart decision? When did they become a target in the War on Terror? Can we really bomb any country we want to if we merely “suspect” an al-Qaida presence? What if a suspected al-Qaida operative is thought to be in Canada? Do we bomb Toronto? Can we bomb Toronto? Or do we not bomb Toronto because they are predominantly white, christians? What about Quebec? They speak French. Would the United States rather bomb them?
Just how much terror can the War on Terror justify and for how long is that justification valid? Time will tell, but for now, 17 more innocent people have lost their lives on yet another mistake made by the United States in their War on Terror.
I think this brings up an important point about ethics. Even when there is a situation with the ends justifying the means, which this certainly was not, was it the right thing to do? Also, the use of fear of terrorism to commit unethical acts. The US simply did not act ethically in this random bombing, and it certainly wasn’t justified.
I hear that members of Congress from Nebraska may be visiting UNO classrooms in the near future. If you are a blog reader and any of these elected officials come to your class, a fair question is one which asks about the continued failure of our U.S. intelligence agencies. They got us into a war based on a mixture of bad information and apparent lunacy. They keep making mistakes which have deadly consequences. Is Congress going to take charge and clean up a mess that Bush and Cheney are either too stupid, too lazy or too evil to address? Fair question for any member of Congress who sets foot on the UNO campus.
Why, of course, the people don’t want war. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship, Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.
- Hermann Goering, Nazi Leader, at the Nuremburg trials after WWII
When is the war on terror over?
The answer is never…
The enemy will always be there…
They will always be poised to strike…
So, we must bend to the will of the government…
After all we serve the government…not the other way around…
The single person is not important… only the will of the nation…
The will of the nation must only be one will… lest enemies see the weakness…
Follow the leader… ask no questions… be placated by your televisions… your 24 hour “news”… your sitcoms… pay no attention to the man behind the curtain… after all a radical Christian would never want to move the world towards the Apocolypse.
The truth of the matter is this….
Do you remember when you were a kid how much you loved puppet shows… Well our country is just a bunch of children, Ignorant of the world. We enjoy this puppet show glued in front of our Fox News, our NBC, and our CNN… Instead of educating ourselves with the facts we let the conservative (and yes liberal too) propaganda overflow our minds. And no we wouldn’t bomb Quebec… WE’D NUKE THEM!!! It’s just more entertaining… and after all the stuff the French has done to use… like um…. um…. well yeh all that stuff they deserve it
The sky is falling!!!
So tell me guys, what does the DNC have to offer other than hate and criticism?
Still see no reason to vote for Democrats, especially everytime I see the DNC’s poster boy, Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Chappaquiddick) flappin’ his jaws. What a clown.
Timmy,
Thanks for your comments, and rest assured, your all powerful one vote will be missed. However, I frankly don’t care whether your closed mind comes around by the November elections. I know that many Americans are waking up to the hope and optimism that the Democratic Party offers. The fact that you stand here and criticize Sen. Kennedy without any justification or factual backing merely tells the readers of this blog the level of intelligence that you bring to the table. Congratulations on your views. I applaud you. May we all continue to have the freedoms to dissent. However, I invite you to next time dissent with some substace rather than ill founded personal attacks, all the while preaching that Democrats only bring hate and criticism. I give you credit for single handedly discrediting your argument in the three sentences that you have offered us. How enlightened we should all be to open our minds to the teachings of you, Timmy.
Tow the line, Timmy. After all, without blind obedience a great nation isn’t possible. What does the DNC have to offer? What does the GOP have to offer.
All I point to is the leader. Without a strong leader that all must appease a nation can never really acheive its true potential. Checks and Balances are a thing of the Past. The Court, The Congress, they are all taking their place at the foot of The Executive. Soon everyone will see their place, or perish as traitors.
When will the blue states run red with the blood of the innocent?
The day is closer than we think…
After reading these comments I have been sitting here thinking. I have been thinking about how sad the state of our country is right now. We are in the middle of a corrupt war with a corrupt gov’t yet no one seems to be doing much. What is it going to take for us all to stand up together and say enough is enough! We want answers! Stop feeding us lies! I wish more people would be willing to accept the fact that they were wrong about this president. And it’s okay to be wrong, but it is time to try to mend the strained relationships we have with other countries.
Reports: Airstrike Killed Top Militant By RIAZ KHAN, Associated Press Writer
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Pakistani intelligence agents hunted Wednesday for the graves of four al-Qaida militants believed killed in an airstrike near the Afghan border — including at least one suspected high-ranking al-Qaida figure.
ABC News and The New York Times reported that Pakistani officials believe a master bomb maker and chemical weapons expert for al-Qaida was killed in the attack on the village of Damadola last week. He was identified as Midhat Mursi, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, who ran an al-Qaida training camp and has a $5 million reward on his head.
Also killed, Pakistani officials believe, was Khalid Habib, the al-Qaida operations chief for Pakistan and Afghanistan, ABC said. The Times, however, said officials were uncertain about whether he was killed.
The Times also reported that Pakistani officials believe Moroccan Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi, the son-in-law of al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri, and the man who ran the group’s propaganda in the region, was killed in the strike. ABC described al-Maghrebi as a senior operations commander.
The newspaper said an Egyptian chief of insurgent operations in a region near the airstrikes also was believed killed and an Egyptian associate of al-Zawahiri’s was possibly slain.
Pentagon officials said they had no information on the reported identities of the dead and CIA spokesman Tom Crispell said the agency could not comment. A Pakistani intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he’s not authorized to speak to journalists, said authorities still did not know the names of the dead foreign militants but suspect one was a ranking al-Qaida figure.
“We have no names. We know one of them had value in al-Qaida. He had intelligence value in the network, but we are still checking his name,” said the official.
Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao told The Associated Press the government does not know the identities of the foreigners believed killed in the missile strike Friday, which officials have said targeted Osama bin Laden’s top aide, Ayman al-Zawahri.
“We are still investigating. There’s a possibility that some foreigners were there, but we still do not know,” said Sherpao, who was in New York with visiting Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.
Sherpao said the government had not retrieved the bodies of any of the four foreign militants reported killed in the raid. He said the bodies may have been taken by a local pro-Taliban cleric, Maulana Faqir Mohammed, who also is being hunted by authorities.
The U.S. government refuses to discuss the airstrike, which has been condemned by Pakistan.
Provincial authorities say the attack killed 18 residents of the Pashtun village, and they also say they believe sympathizers took the bodies of four or five foreign militants to bury them in the mountains, thereby preventing their identification.
“Efforts are under way to investigate further,” said Shah Zaman Khan, director-general of media relations for Pakistan’s tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
He said authorities were also looking for two prominent pro-Taliban clerics accused of harboring militants, Maulana Faqir Mohammed and Liaqat Ali, who were allegedly in Damadola and survived the assault.
Intelligence officials say the dead foreigners could be aides of al-Zawahri, who is thought to have sent them in his place to an Islamic holiday dinner to which he’d been invited in Damadola on the night of the attack.
Hours after the attack, an Associated Press reporter visited the village, which consists of a half-dozen widely scattered houses on a hillside about four miles from the Afghan border.
Residents said then that all the dead were local people and no one had taken any bodies away. However, it appeared feasible bodies or wounded could have been spirited away in the darkness after the attack, which took place about 3 a.m.
Islamic custom dictates that bodies be buried as soon as possible, and the reporter saw 13 freshly filled graves with simple headstones and five empty graves alongside them — apparently prepared for more dead. When the reporter returned the next day, the five empty graves were filled in, apparently because no more bodies had been found in the rubble.
The only tidbits of official information that have surfaced since then have come from provincial authorities, and they have yet to give a list of the dead. But Pakistani intelligence officials have said they believe some of those killed were Pakistani militants and that their bodies were also removed from the scene.
A Pakistani army official has told the AP that some bodies were taken away for DNA tests — information at odds with reports from provincial authorities. The federal government has not confirmed the report about DNA tests.
Pakistan maintains it was not given advance word of the airstrike, which was reportedly carried out by unmanned Predator drones flying from Afghanistan.
Thousands have taken to the streets in protest over the attack, denouncing the U.S. and Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who ended Pakistan’s support of the Taliban regime in late 2001 and has himself been targeted by al-Qaida attacks.
Nevertheless, allegations persist that Pakistan harbors dangerous Islamic militants.
On Wednesday, more than 5,000 people marched through the Afghan border town of Spinboldak, chanting “Death to Pakistan” and “Death to al-Qaida” to protest a suicide attack at a fair this week that killed 21 people.
Afghan officials claim the bomber — the latest in about 25 suicide attackers to strike in Afghanistan in the past four months — trained in Pakistan. Islamabad denies giving sanctuary to terrorists.
The problem with the airstrike isn’t that it killed terrorists. In fact this makes the bombing bittersweet. The problem is the fact that the United States held operations on the soil of an ally in the War on Terror without first alerting the government of said nation. Pakistan probably would have said go for it; however, because the United States decided to strike unilaterally again the nation further alienates itself from the Muslim world and seems like an oppressing force in the region, ready to strike without the consent of any sovereign nation.
Woohoo!! I can sum up Ted Kennedy in one word, “Chappaquiddick.” If the average Joe had done what good ol’ Ted did there, they’d still be in jail. But no, good ol’ Ted sits in judgement of who and who is not qualified to be Federal judges. He disgusts me.
And I’m serious here kids, what does the Democratic Party offer? Why should I vote for them? Taxes are too high already. I believe US security trumps UN policy. I believe the UN is thoroughly corrupt and the US should not be subject to their whims. I do not want to be disarmed. I believe that if the Constitution truly contains language that a woman has a right to choose what she does with her body, then prostitution cannot be prohibited. I believe in the individual and not group politics. I am a devout Capitalist.
For these and a variety of other reasons, I cannot support the Democratic Party in its present form. I see no hope and no vision for the future from the DNC, only anger and hate. And Ted Kennedy is their poster boy.
Besides, I’ve read far too much Rand to ever support socialism.
Sargeant, the laws of borders and boundries no longer exist…
The New Order is all that matters…
The Will of the One Oligarchy…
Oppression is the New Freedom, Sargeant…
Freedom from Fear?
Freedom from Choice?
The Freedom to do our master’s bidding, without question, without remorse?
Whose side will you be on, Sargeant, when the battle begins?
When the Power threatens to take everything who will be willing to risk it all?
No man is free, we are all bound together by that common thread called humanity. Perhaps borders and boundaries should no longer exist and we can forget the trivial aspects of life and nationality that separate us, and learn to accept everyone for their humanity. This war, like many before it, has done nothing but continue to prove that men will stop at nothing for power and to defend what they believe is “right.” So perhaps we shouldn’t focus on an epic “battle” that approaches, but in reality, has been fought for centuries by many men and without resolution; instead we should focus on eliminating the need for this battle and the further loss of any life by embracing our differences.
Bravo, Leigh, Bravo. I think you hit the nail right on the head. I can’t say anything else because I believe you have summed it up perfectly.
Can I ask for one optimisitc positive plan the democrats have. One plan is all I ask to see. Im sick of the partisan whining on both aisles.
Criticism is easy. Solutions are hard. Alternatives are scarce. Wanking is plentiful.
Yep, quite a platform.
Solutions aren’t as hard as you think there Timmy. Just don’t bomb random villages with innocent people in friendly countries. Doesn’t sound too complicated to me.
War is hell. Bad things happen despite the best of planning. Besides, the strike took out two top Al Quida types and it’s highly doubtful the people hosting them were America’s buddies. And no one can tell that the American military intentionally targeted innocents.
The Left doesn’t have a clue how to fight the WOT and defend America, if indeed they are interested in defending America.
Feel free to criticise, but it would carry more weight if the Democratic Leadership had some realistic and workable alternatives to go along with their constant carping.
The DNC’s present platform has no substance. I see no reason to vote for them.
Hey, it’s alright we killed 20 innocent civilians and citizens of a friendly nation because we killed 2 terrorists with them! I guarantee you wouldn’t be saying that if the people killed were your family members. But they weren’t, they’re just arabs after all. Eat shit you racist bastard.
By the way Timmy, no one knows how to fight the “war on terror” because it’s a bullshit concept in the first place. You can’t fight a war against a noun, asshole.
Also, who made up the rule that you must have a solution prepared in order to complain? That’s crap; if I go to a restaurant and the food tastes like shit, I don’t have to have a new recipe for them in order to bitch.
I take offense, Tim. I am interested in defending America but this is chess man, not checkers. Targets like this give terrorists cells more propaganda, more willing human sacrifices on the altar of religious zealotry. War is hell, Tim. Bad things do happen but ask any soldier, none of them want innocents to get hurt, and most are willing to hold back a shot if it means killing the innocent. I doubt that any person at that meeting was truly blameless; however, it is better to err with caution than to rush ahead and make mistakes.
Tim, I will substitute my carping and finger wagging today for some solutions. Please tell me what you think, I’m sure you will…
1. The United States is the world’s only remaining Post-Cold War Superpower; therefore great responsibility falls on its shoulders. The United States won the Cold War because of the unwillingness to submit to an evil, Soviet system that systematically spied on its citizens, imprisioned dissenters, and manipulated the media. The United States must continue to steadfastly represent the Values that have brought her thus far, liberty, justice, and courage.
2. Liberty is not just a hollow word. Liberty means the ability to shape ones own destiny. This American Value is, indeed, a human value. Every person on this planet should be allowed to follow their dreams, to shape their own destiny. How can the United States promote liberty? First, the United States must remember the liberty of its own citizens must be paramount. The Bill of Rights (yes, including the 2nd Ammendment, Tim) is a document of the utmost importance. This document must be respected as it is a sacred trust between a government and a people. The United States must remember this trust, lest The Declaration of Independance be referenced. Second, the United States must promote liberty in foreign nations. This includes nations that are unfriendly to the U.S., close allies, or just plain apathetic. Everyone knows, and has experienced how liberty takes a nose dive during military excercises, whether wartime or peacetime (I don’t know if you served, Tim, but if you did or are you know exactly how precious what little liberty is given is recieved). Perhaps military action is not necessarily the best tool for promoting liberty. Defending a Free Nation Yes, promoting liberty in operational theatres, No.
An uneducated population that is hit by bombs will not feel the liberty to move about their community without fear, and as has been said before fear is dangerous.
3. The United States is a nation governed by laws, not men. I think everyone can agree with that statement. The laws of the land must be respected and obeyed. A single person, or group of people is not above the law, no matter what the stature in society. Justice; therefore, is a pillar of America. In order to promote the American Ideal of Justice, all must be treated justly. This means no one should be held indefinately, without trial or without charge. This means that no one should be submitted to cruel and unusual punishment, torture. You see, the Constitution of the United States is a standard. If the United States falls below that standard in any way, We have failed. The United States plays by a different set of rules, the rules that the terrorist does not have to play by. But I believe the United States has honor, and I believe you do too, Tim. That’s why I know you would never lower yourself, dishonor yourself and your nation by giving excuses for conduct that is unbecoming. We must not sink to a lower level. That’s not what our forefathers did. That’s not what the brave men and women of this country did during WWII. We will stand upright, chin-up, commanding respect not throught our overwhelming strength (which we have, Tim), but by our unwavering dignity and our pride.
4. Courage, Tim. This is something that Americans have had since the birth of the Nation. Who in their right mind would challenge the most powerful nation on the planet? Americans! Hooah! We don’t admit defeat, but we must learn from our errors. Learning from the mistakes we make is much more courageous than simply plodding along on the same tired course. Tim, I know you have courage, otherwise you wouldn’t put yourself out there to be booed or jeered at a democratic website. Tim, I ask for the courage to stand up for what American is and what it can be. Liberty and Justice are values I know you hold dear. That’s why I know you have the courage to defend them. Not by towing a party line or buying into what the media says, but by looking inside yourself and asking if what America is doing is what America stands for. Defending our nation, our values, our freedoms, is so important, but we can’t forget what we’re fighting for. What so many have died for. I ask for courage to do what is right for America, not just from you Tim, but from every American who values this great nation. We are a beacon in the world. We cannot let our light be covered or dimmed. We must be bright and pure to guide those who thirst for freedom to the well.
Sarge (and others),
We’re on the same page for the most part here Sarge. I expect this great country to aspire to great things and accomplish great things. And I thank you for your role in those things.
I forget, how many civilians were killed when the Chinese embassy was bombed by US planes under a previous admin? I’m sure you all are as outraged about that as this most recent incident.
Mistakes happen. The US is not waging deliberate war on civilians. And those who suggest we are should be ashamed of themselves. Unfortunately the cowards we are at war with choose to hide behind women and children. They place their arsenals in civilian buildings. They target civilians. They have no honor. And they want to kill us, regardless of our political leanings.
The US military has a long and glorious history. Their many sacrifices are what makes words of dissent possible. But they are not perfect, just like everything else man made. To expect otherwise is unrealistic and immature.
I’m not sure what the best course of action is against those who mean us harm. I just have to have faith that we’re on the right course. I don’t trust the UN to do the job as their only true talent lies in raiding the US Treasury. The WOT is real and cannot be wished away by words or feelings. Unfortunately, it seems that’s all the Left has to offer.
This debate largely falls along political lines. Those inclined to distrust Conservatism seem to feel that Bush can do no right. Those who distrust Liberalism seem to feel that government can do no right. Both of these statements are extreme and demonstrate a certain blindness. But that’s where a lot of us are. Partisan rhetoric aplenty.
Hard decisions lie ahead for this country. The threat of a nuclear Iran threatens world stability. Can we reason with madmen? World history suggests it’s a losing proposition at best.
I shouldn’t have to ask this question, but I’m sure all of you opposed to war, US intervention, violence etc etc, are making your views known to the North Koreans, the Iranians and the Syrians among others? Are you all demonstrating in the streets against their aggressive and dangerous foreign policy? Are you all asking them to back down? Are you all asking them to lay down their weapons? Or are you merely content to protest a President you don’t like?
Thanks for the reasoned response Sarge. I suspect you and I would agree on a great number of issues and at least have the civility to disagree in an agreeable manner.
If you’re ever out Columbus way, let me know. I’ll buy ya a beer.
Tim
Tyler,
Dude, you rock! College hasn’t been wasted on you. I can see that much. What a vocabulary!
You see, the way it’s been explained to me is like this. It’s perfectly alright to complain and make your displeasure known, whether it be the menu at McDonald’s or Republican foreign policy. But if you hope to garner respect and climb in stature in adult life, it always looks better if you can offer a solution to what you see as a problem. Sometimes it’s not possible to have alternatives, particularly when it’s out of your realm, but to do it consistently you run the risk of becoming known as a wanker of some kind. Just a word of advice.
Now the leaders of the Democratic Party, these supposed great “statesmen”, never seem to miss a chance to critisize but their alternatives seem to be scarce as hen’s teeth. And what’s worse, many of them voted twice to give Bush the authority to use force against Saddam Hussein. Many of them actually stated publicly that they believed Iraq had WMD’s long before Bush, Rove and Halliburton had a chance to work their sinister, conspitorial magic. Now they want to play it both ways. Do you really think I should respect such “leaders?”
Certainly the DNC can continue their present tactics. They’re welcome to it. But understand this, voters such as myself are expecting to hear two rational sides to every debate. We want to hear other possible solutions.
What I hear most out of the DNC is “Bushate.” Not sure what kind of domestic or foreign policy that leads to but it does help to illustrate a certain disrepect for the voting public.
“Vote for us! We hate Bush!” What a vision!
That’s all for now Tyler. You make a wonderful spokesman for your cause.
Tim
I wish the Democrats were as irate as you make them out to be, then maybe they’d stop trying to be Republican-lites. That’s the big difference between the two parties, and why the Republicans have won the last 2 elections - they’re much more pissed off. In the last 10 or so years the Republicans have gained control of the House, the Senate, the courts, the White House, and what’s left of Zell Miller’s mind. And it’s only made they madder. Of course, spending all your time engaging in wars against terror, drugs, sex, and countries that never attacked you would make anyone pissed. The point is that both the Republicans and the terrorists need to get laid. Just look at yourself Tim, you spend all of your time writing out long-winded replies to comments on a website that no one will ever read. I can pretty much guarantee you don’t have a girlfriend. You might be married, and I know you Republicans are all rah-rah for the marriage thing, but if I wanted to get into a binding relationship that’ll quickly turn sour and is tough to get out of I’d look into a timeshare. What does that have to do with the military bombing civilians? Hell if I know.
Tyler,
I gotta admit you don’t sound as mad on this most recent post as you have on the others. I think even Senator Ted has chilled out some since his attempted crucifixation of Judge Alito is over.
I’m in Cleveland for a month learning a new cat scan system at the factory school. A month in Cleveland will make anyone mad.
I’ve got plenty of time on my hands when I’m out of the class here in the motel room. Plenty of time for me to write long winded essays on the evils of Modern Liberalism on a site that no one reads. It would be nice to be able to post my views on sites like Democratic Underground but the famed Liberal tolerance is so rampant there they won’t allow different viewpoints to be posted.
In a few weeks I’ll be back home in Nebraska to my wife of 20 years and I’ll be happy again. Life will get back to normal then and you won’t see so much of me.
Hopefully LB454 will be passed and signed into law by then. Then my mission here will be over.
And now, it’s time to get back to Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged.”
Good night all!
Just curious, how exactly is “the political theory favoring civil and political liberties, government by law with the consent of the governed, and protection from arbitrary authority” evil?
If the results matched the intent then I’d be all for it, but they don’t. Somehow Modern Liberalism has managed to convince a great number of people that somehow life can be made “fair” if only we create enough government programs and throw enough of other people’s money at it.
How people can be suckered into believing there’s such a thing as a “free lunch” I’ll never know. It’s sold with the old “tax the rich” spiel and people actually believe it! What they don’t tell you is that the retail consumer ultimately pays all the taxes. No corporation or investor is going to absorb the loss. It’s going to be passed on.
And since you can’t accept government money without government control, ultimately there is a loss of personal freedom.
Now before I get attacked with the standard accusations of being cruel and heartless, I believe that we are morally obligated to help our fellow man whenver it is possible. How we each approach it is between us and our maker. I have no use for those who won’t lend a helping hand personally, but I don’t think the government should be in the business of putting a gun to people’s head in a grand wealth redistribution scheme. Would you knock on someone’s front door and demand the product of their blood, sweat and tears just because they have more than you? Why then is alright to have your government act as the transfer agent? (And there’s always the inherent graft, greed and incompetence of federal bureaucracy to pay for as well.)
Left to our own devices, most of us would help our fellow man in some way. Like others though, I want to pick and choose who I help and how much I help. That’s called “freedom.”
How about if you worked hard and earned an “A” in an economics class while some slacker in the back of the room screwed around and earned an “F”. Your professor comes to you and explains that to make things “fair” he’s going to give the “F” student some of your grade points so that he too can get a “C”. Naturally since you had to give up some of your grade points, you now only earn a “C”. Tell me, is this fair?
The average American family works until sometime in April to pay off their total tax burden. That’s disgraceful in my opinion. But according to the Liberal establishment, tax cuts and reduced government spending are a bad thing.
Someone once told me that everything an American is entitled to is printed on the back of their birth certificate.
So your definition of Liberalism is antiquated, lost long ago. JFK, perhaps the Dem’s greatest President ever once stated, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather, ask what you can do for it!”
My how times have changed.
I know I’m not going to change your mind just as you’re not going to change mine. I’ve seen too much and read too much Rand. I enjoy my independence and relish self reliance. Modern Left offers me neither. There’s no need to get in a long protracted debate over this. Both sides have their scumbags, but that doesn’t diminish my faith in Conservative principles.
Oh yeah, before I forget. The Left has long led the charge against private gun ownership in this country. This demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding of our Constitution and a dismaying display of their lack of faith in their fellow man. When a politician tells me that he or she believes that gun control is an effective means of crime control, I know right off that they are either a liar or a fool or both. I won’t vote for either. I find it’s a good litmus test to see if the candidate has their head screwed on straight.
“It is inevitable, that eventually the people will demand absolute security from the state… And absolute security is absolute slavery.” — Taylor Caldwell
I agree there should be less government spending; let’s start by drastically cutting all of the bloated military programs that are completely worthless to anyone and anything. If we were to cut total military spending by one half, we would still be spending more than the next 10 most powerful nations combined. It is supposed to “defense” spending after all, so why do we need to pump hundreds of billions of dollars into offensive weapons systems? If indeed terrorism is the real threat, all the aircraft carriers and cruise missles in the world won’t protect us against a terrorist bringing a bomb onto a city bus. The US’s current defense strategy is as absurd as wearing a condom around all day to protect against the flu.
Now onto taxation. You claim “No corporation or investor is going to absorb the loss. It’s going to be passed on.” If that’s the case, why then are there so many right-libertarians with a major hard-on for a flat tax? Simple, it’s because the more you make, the more you pay, period. And that’s the way it should be - you should have to pay more to support the system you profit from. I also see you made the “I have to work until April to pay my taxes” appeal. When I saw this figure the first time I was so shocked I almost spilled my $6 latte. Please. How many months would the average family have to work to pay for private school, healthcare for aging relatives, and the like? You claim to abhor the “free lunch myth,” then imply that very thing.
And as far as fiscal responsibility is concerned, Republicans are anything but fiscally responsible. There hasn’t been a Republican president since Eisenhower who has reduced government spending.
I know I haven’t addressed all of your points, but I’m leaving work now, so that’s all I’ve got at the moment.
Cutting the fat in military spending would be a great idea. Not commiting to things without considering the consequences in lives and money is an even better idea. However, I can’t really agree with cutting funding for a person who is already in-country, money to provide armor, weapons, and intelligence. Now, if the defense contracts are on the up and up then I don’t have a gripe, but if there is corruption, which I feel there might be, then I have a definite problem. I would never work to take money away from the dog-faces in the fields, now the civilian leadership I have a problem with their lack of responsibility. Some people say if you are anti-war then you don’t support the troops. I have to say that those of us who have seen combat are NOT pro-war but still fufill our duties. I believe that in order to be the best war fighter you must do everything in your power to prevent war and then strike overwhelmingly. Neither of which is occuring in Iraq and unfortunately is not being done in the War on Terror. Some might disagree, thats ok, but believe me. The U.S. outsourced the job in Afghanistan (which is not a fun place to visit, try not to go if you can help it), tied the hands of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan and basically tried to win without casualties, a noble thought but disasterous. The Northern Alliance was a bunch of opium selling criminals that I am ashamed to have worked with. In summation, Money should be spent to protect the serviceman on the ground; however, perhaps the job should be done right or not at all. Just a dog-face’s opinion.
I still haven’t got any plans that democrats have for the future of this country. Where is the vision? Where is the plan for the war on terror? Do they have one?
I am a proud democrat. And I dont even think we need a military. I hate the military I also hate the president. I think we should join european union. We are just killing innocent people everywhere in the world. The terrorist were just patriots doing there job. Iraq would be better off with Saddam in place we are torturing everyone who lives in Iraq anyways. This country makes me sick!!!
Steven, I don’t think you can be a proud Democrat without being a proud American. America has made mistakes but the response is working to fix them, not filling the world with more hate. The terrorists were not patriots, Steve. They had no intention of killing combatants, only civilians in the WTC. It’s ok to be upset, Steven, but if we want to bitch we have to be willing to get up to our necks in the shit working to make America better.
Sarge we are not doing any good as a nation. We are ruining all these countries around the world. Bush supposedly freed Afghanistan and Iraq right. Wrong both those countries were better off untill Bush comes in and ruins both those countries rich in there history, not to mention that the people of these countries were probably more happy. I think Bush is the worst president we have ever had. He is certainly the most terroristic one we have ever had. Bush is worst than Hitler and Saddam could ever be.
I agree with Steve at least Europe is not getting attacked by terrorist. The main terrorist in the world today is George W. Bush.
Steve,
American’s not perfect and never will be. Get over it or move! Your ignorance is disgusting.
I don’t visit this site much, but I believe Steven was joking when he made his comment. It looks like he was making fun of democrats.
While some may wrongly disagree, killing Ayman al-Zawahri is extremely important for the US. The decision to bomb this place was entirely right considering he was believed to be there. People forget that we are in a war. This is a war different from those of the past, and we must act in accordance with the changes. Al-Qaeda is not just a bunch of ragtag psychos throwing rocks and shooting AKs. Do your research and you’ll find that Osama’s intent is clearly to create a nuclear hell storm in the United States. They operate under the belief that they need to kill millions in the US and Israel due to the number of muslim deaths hold us both responsible for. In war, civilians die. It’s a given. I don’t like it either, but the job needs to get done. If al-Zawahri had in fact been there and was killed, I believe your angry responses might be a little different. If not, then you’re really out of touch with reality.
Leigh, that was one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. I don’t know about you, but I love this country and the opportunities here that allow me to have a great life. The fact does remain that a very large chunk of the world believes that the whole planet should bow to Islam. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really feel like thats something I’d really enjoy. Assuming you’re a girl because of your name, I don’t know if you’d really like that either. Living under Sharia for you would be like going from the all-you-can-eat buffet to eating bread and water the rest of your life. Point is: Islam doesn’t exactly respect women. I’d love to work out differences with those who disagree, I really would, but the fact remains that many out there want us to bow down to what they think is the truth. They are the enemy, and this is an enemy that believes the only common thread that should unite us is Islam.
The Senator,
It’s entirely plausible to believe that the dems have no plan. On Meet the Press back in November (I believe that was the month off the top of my head), DNC Chair Howard Dean pretty much said the only agenda the Dems have is to attack this administration. I don’t know about you, but I feel thats kind of lame. The fact is they don’t have any valid response on how we should manage our war on terror. I’d love to listen to what they have to say, I really would, but there has to actually be something there before I can listen.
Thomas Paine, I do believe Leigh stated that we should be working toward uniting the world with the common thread of our humanity. Leigh did not state a willingness to bow to Islam, in fact the terrorist organization Al Qaeda never said they wanted to convert the US to Islam, just destroy its ability to wage war in the middle east. Now I don’t believe in giving in to terrorists but there is a way to fight a terrorist organization without becoming terrorists yourselves. No, I don’t believe the Islamic states in the middle east treat women as they should; the irony is the Koran doesn’t think these Islamic states treat women as they should. The Koran states that women are to be treated as equals with men. It also states that violence may not be used against other Muslims or God-fearing people, only Infidels. In the Koran, the relationship between Jesus, who Christians believe to be the Christ and Muslims believe to be a prophet, and God/Allah is recognized. Thus, Christians and Muslims(as well as Jews but the Koran is pretty rough on them) are religious cousins and neither can really call the other infidels. So the perverted Islam often practiced in the middle east is just that, perverted. Trust me, I had plenty of time to read the Koran and the Bible on my 14 month business trip. Anyway, I do beleive Leigh meant a common ground must be met. Not surrender to insane people, either in America or around the world.
Oh, and Tom, You might want to read my earlier post addressed to Tim. I’m a democrat, a patriot, and I’m ready to start making some noise in my party and my country.
After reading all the previous comments, I almost forgot what the issue was. I think is was about killing innocent civilians in an effort to kill top level terrorist leaders. Then something about liberal/Democrats do not have a plan on how to handle the terrorist. I guess, being pragmatic means realizing all is fair in love and war. Unfortunately, civilians got in the way of a bautched plan to kill some terrorist leaders. Well, that is war, which is hate to the tenth level or insanity. We are talking about human being killing other human beings. I can find very little sense it that. Before nine eleven the United States security systems were not as they are now. Anyone who has taken an airplane before and after nine eleven can contest to that. I think we have learned by our mistakes and acted reactively instead of proactively. Okay, we made a mistake by letting the terrorist blow up the Trade Center, but hopefully we learned from that. We should have been better prepared. After all, they tried to blow up the Towers in 1993 too. We should have been checking airports after that not to mention the laundry list of things we have done to piss the world off. That is another subject. Hindsight is twenty-twenty. Anyway, some radical religious fanatics felt it was there duty to attack and kill themselves to attack the United States. They all died too since they were suicide attacks so I guess you can say they paid the ultimate price for their actions. Okay, the Kamacazees got it too. We don’t have to worry about them anymore. Now, Bush figured it was time to get their leaders. We know that recent history. Weapon of mass destruction, Saddam is bad, excetra, attack. He (not just him - his advisors, cabinet, so on and so forth) decided to retaliate. In an economical sense, it made sense. We have plenty of weapons we have to dispose of. If we can blow up some bombs, tanks, ships, planes, helicopters we need to replace them. People got jobs, Haliburton stock went up, price of oil went up for more profits for the oil companies, and hospitals and morturaries got busy. Well, if he is going to kill the number two terrorist he should make sure he is on target. When I say him, I mean his military complex. He is the Commander and Chief. Unfortunately, the number two guy he was going to get came on T.V. the next week saying what an idiot Bush is and that the United States will be getting attacked again. I think he was the fifth or sixth number two terrorist that Bush said he has killed or captured. I amagine there are hundreds of number two terrorist. I am not part of the Democratic leadership, but I would hope that they would have taken another approach to the situation. Such as realizing we are fighting an enemy that does not fight in conventional ways. I thought we learned about that in Viet Nam. We do things to secure our country such as tighter airport security. Infiltrate the terrorist organizations with counter intelligence, diplomatic negotiations and gain alliances with countries in those regions to combat the isolated radical terrorist groups. By attacking them and killing innocent civilians we are doing the same thing they did to us. We pissed them off, helped them recruit others, alienated ourselves and kicked the bee hive over. What can we do? First realize, we put our ass in a sling and get out of the middle east as fast as we can. Who cares about honor, respect, showing of power. It is time to save some lives. We can not win this war and we should admit that and count our loses. Damage control should be first and foremost on our mind. If 150,000 muslims came here to change our system like we are trying to do, you better believe there is going to be road side bombs to start, not to mention the hate, resentment and retribution. I might even strap on some dynamite and throw myself at them to get them out of here. The Super Bowl is starting so I’ll leave it at that.
The Super Bowl is over. I thought I better make a correction. I do not mean muslims. I mean any “invaders” who would come here to force their way of government on us.