We have become so damned politically correct in this country that we sit on our thumbs until something horrific happens. On Tuesday two Tampa police officers were killed by a twenty-four year old who had been arrested 18 times. Once for attempted murder. At the age of twenty-four he had been in prison-twice. He was released in April and when arrested late Thursday evening he was charged with THREE deaths. In addition to the deaths of the two police officers he was charged with shooting another man in the back as the victim walked back to his apartment with his laundry. The killer is also suspected in two other murders-that is five murders since his release in April.
The following video, via Don Surber, has nothing to do with the murder of the two officers in Tampa. I simply ask you, don't we owe our officers more? Don't we owe the men and women who put their lives on the line for us something besides lip service? If you don't like the laws then change them. But in the mean time, support the law as written and those charged with enforcing them. Do not disparage the men and women who face death to keep us safe.
Showing posts with label Freedom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Freedom. Show all posts
Monday, July 5, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Why Would a Parent or Grandparent Choose "Progressivism"?
I absolutely believe that there are plenty of "progressive" grandparents out there who love their grandchildren as much as I love mine. Why are we so different? Why are they so willing to mortgage their grandchildren's future? Do they believe that somehow, the deficits won't impact their grandchildren or that the impact won't be negative?
So, I though I miss them dearly, and I won't be getting over it, I'm proud of all those who sacrificed in the past so that my daughter has the choice of how to live her life and raise her children, no matter where it takes them. For my part, I promise to whatever I can to ensure that my grandchildren inherit a country that provides them with the opportunities of their own making. Wherever it takes them.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Busybodyitis
Sometimes it feels as if there is a contest to see who can be the nanniest of nanny states. The latest silliness comes from New York where a salt ban has been proposed. There is no end to the number of things that the government either has or can ban in the name of protecting society. The problem of course is that it is not the government's job to protect us from ourselves.
My son asked me today how this country reached the point where personal liberty is under constant attack. Busybodyitis isn't a new condition. Consider this chart:
In 2008 there were nearly 900,000 marijuana arrests in the United States. I think it is safe to say that the "war on drugs" was primarily the brainchild of Conservatives and that the cost to society to prosecute that war has far outweighed the benefits. I would also argue that an unintended consequence of prohibition is increased demand. Lastly, I will admit that until recently I never put much thought in to Conservative attacks on personal liberty because it didn't affect me.
Now that we have the food police, the tobacco police,etc., the stampede to totalitarianism is primarily being led by the Progressives. They argue, just like the Conservatives before them, that society shoulders the costs of individual's unhealthy behavior and therefore, has a right to regulate individual behavior. If you buy in to that line of reasoning it follows that there is nothing that society shouldn't regulate. In the end the choice is whether people should be regulated based on Conservative values, Progressive values, or allowed to regulate themselves based on their own values.
Functioning societies require some regulation of individual's liberties but less really is more. A good place to start is by eliminating busybodyitis.
My son asked me today how this country reached the point where personal liberty is under constant attack. Busybodyitis isn't a new condition. Consider this chart:
In 2008 there were nearly 900,000 marijuana arrests in the United States. I think it is safe to say that the "war on drugs" was primarily the brainchild of Conservatives and that the cost to society to prosecute that war has far outweighed the benefits. I would also argue that an unintended consequence of prohibition is increased demand. Lastly, I will admit that until recently I never put much thought in to Conservative attacks on personal liberty because it didn't affect me.
Now that we have the food police, the tobacco police,etc., the stampede to totalitarianism is primarily being led by the Progressives. They argue, just like the Conservatives before them, that society shoulders the costs of individual's unhealthy behavior and therefore, has a right to regulate individual behavior. If you buy in to that line of reasoning it follows that there is nothing that society shouldn't regulate. In the end the choice is whether people should be regulated based on Conservative values, Progressive values, or allowed to regulate themselves based on their own values.
Functioning societies require some regulation of individual's liberties but less really is more. A good place to start is by eliminating busybodyitis.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Moral imperatives and freedom
Via Instapundit I came across a very interesting post by John Stossel, Keep Your Laws Off My Body. Mr. Stossel makes a very compelling argument for personal freedom but it was his quote from Albert Camus that caught my eye, "The welfare of humanity is always the alibi of tyrants." That pretty much sums it up, doesn't it?
In my previous post, Paul Krugman is quoted saying, "Today, Democrats and Republicans live in different universes, both intellectually and morally." More plainly put, Krugman believes that Democrats are intellectually and morally superior to Republicans and as such, Democrats know what is good for society. In Krugman's overreaching smugness he is advocating tyranny for our own good.
Health care and Cap & Trade are two examples of the Left trying to impose their world view on the rest of us. If you listen to their arguments it always comes back to we know what is best for you. Everything is a moral imperative. But their advanced thought capabilities aside, the Left has been wrong at every turn. They have been wrong because they wouldn't know a moral imperative if it flew up their fascist tailpipes.
Freedom, self sufficiency and self determination are moral imperatives-dependency on government is not. In fact, when the Left advocates for government interference rather than personal liberty, their position is immoral.
The truth is, those of us of average intelligence have managed to navigate through life quite well. We rise to a level of success commiserate with our own efforts. Our welfare is our own and we neither need nor want the false security of tyranny.
In my previous post, Paul Krugman is quoted saying, "Today, Democrats and Republicans live in different universes, both intellectually and morally." More plainly put, Krugman believes that Democrats are intellectually and morally superior to Republicans and as such, Democrats know what is good for society. In Krugman's overreaching smugness he is advocating tyranny for our own good.
Health care and Cap & Trade are two examples of the Left trying to impose their world view on the rest of us. If you listen to their arguments it always comes back to we know what is best for you. Everything is a moral imperative. But their advanced thought capabilities aside, the Left has been wrong at every turn. They have been wrong because they wouldn't know a moral imperative if it flew up their fascist tailpipes.
Freedom, self sufficiency and self determination are moral imperatives-dependency on government is not. In fact, when the Left advocates for government interference rather than personal liberty, their position is immoral.
The truth is, those of us of average intelligence have managed to navigate through life quite well. We rise to a level of success commiserate with our own efforts. Our welfare is our own and we neither need nor want the false security of tyranny.
Friday, February 19, 2010
I have made my choice
Marco Rubio faced the gathered Conservatives at CPAC yesterday and told them that each of us must make a choice. Our country is extraordinary in an ordinary world. We have opportunities that are not afforded to any other citizen in any other country. But if we do not stand up to our ever encroaching government, the opportunities will be lost to generations who follow us. Marco's speech:
`Rubio is a leader and he could have come at a more opportune time. We have a leadership vacuum in this country right now but I have hope that together we can set this country back on the right path.
h/t The Daley Gator
`Rubio is a leader and he could have come at a more opportune time. We have a leadership vacuum in this country right now but I have hope that together we can set this country back on the right path.
h/t The Daley Gator
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Are We the Next Israel?
Christopher Hitchens writing in Slate:
I agree with every word that Hitchen’s writes but I disagree with the finality with which he writes. There is a certain acceptance, an “it is what it is” about his words. I don’t accept that we are incapable of defeating our enemies. I want Hitchens to write one more paragraph, the happy ending, so to speak. I don’t think he’ll do that nor is it his job. We have an enemy bent on depriving us of our lives and our freedom. We must find the resolve to write our own happy ending.
What nobody in authority thinks us grown-up enough to be told is this: We had better get used to being the civilians who are under a relentless and planned assault from the pledged supporters of a wicked theocratic ideology. These people will kill themselves to attack hotels, weddings, buses, subways, cinemas, and trains. They consider Jews, Christians, Hindus, women, homosexuals, and dissident Muslims (to give only the main instances) to be divinely mandated slaughter victims. Our civil aviation is only the most psychologically frightening symbol of a plethora of potential targets. The future murderers will generally not be from refugee camps or slums (though they are being indoctrinated every day in our prisons); they will frequently be from educated backgrounds, and they will often not be from overseas at all. They are already in our suburbs and even in our military. We can expect to take casualties. The battle will go on for the rest of our lives. Those who plan our destruction know what they want, and they are prepared to kill and die for it. Those who don't get the point prefer to whine about "endless war," accidentally speaking the truth about something of which the attempted Christmas bombing over Michigan was only a foretaste. While we fumble with bureaucracy and euphemism, they are flying high. (emphasis ended)Watching a news show or special or something several months back I remember them showing a schoolyard playground in Israel. Among the slides and swings and jungle gym were brightly colored bomb shelters. Even the youngest of the young children in Israel know that when the siren blows they have mere moments to get in the shelter. Every building, every event, every person is a target. Is that our future?
I agree with every word that Hitchen’s writes but I disagree with the finality with which he writes. There is a certain acceptance, an “it is what it is” about his words. I don’t accept that we are incapable of defeating our enemies. I want Hitchens to write one more paragraph, the happy ending, so to speak. I don’t think he’ll do that nor is it his job. We have an enemy bent on depriving us of our lives and our freedom. We must find the resolve to write our own happy ending.
Ponder This
In Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s own words:
The Left needs to remove their blinders and instead of harping over Conservatives take a moment to consider what their lives would be like under Sharia.
"I imagine how the great jihad will take place, how the muslims will win, inshaSheesh! And the Left worries about the “Religious Right”! What will it take before the Left recognizes the threat that radical Islam poses to freedom? People like the “Underpants Bomber” aren’t interested in living in harmony with the rest of us, they want to dominate us and they are quite willing to use violence to achieve their goals.
Allah and rule the whole world, and establish the greatest empire once again!!!” reads one Feb. 20, 2005, post. The words “insha Allah” are the phonetic translation of the Arabic for “God willing.”
The Left needs to remove their blinders and instead of harping over Conservatives take a moment to consider what their lives would be like under Sharia.
Monday, December 28, 2009
"Terrorists - 1, United States of Fear - 0" My A$$
Let me share with you a comment I received on my earlier post "Lefties: What's the Big Deal About Blowing Up a Plane Full of People?":
First, I admire the simplicity of the commenter’s thought processes. “Anonymous” seems to be saying that if we simply ignored terrorists terrorism would not exist. Poof!
But no, we (read: Bush) declared the “war on terror” and in the thinking of Anonymous, we (read: Bush) created terrorism.
Anonymous opines that terrorists aren’t actually trying to kill us, they just want to scare us. Well it seems to me that the 9/11 crew and Maj. Nidal Hasan caused a great deal of destruction but I doubt that the people who stand on Anonymous’ side of the fence spend much time thinking about the lives of Americans lost or their loved ones left behind.
I think the part of the comment that bothers me, aside from its total inanity, is this: “Terrorists - 1, United States of Fear - 0.” Speak for yourself, puppy. I don’t see my fellow citizens crouching in fear. Just the opposite. Most Americans recognize the threat that radical Islam poses and rather than cowering they are resolute and fearless.
Reading between lines of the comment’s silliness is the typical Lefty assertion that America deserves to be a target. Bull hockey. We are the Land of Opportunity and Freedom. To this day scores flock to our shores to be part of the greatness that cannot be found in any other country on Earth. And it is, to paraphrase Tolkien, by the blood of our people that countless lands are kept free.
No, the terrorists have not won and they never will so long as patriotic Americans fearlessly face them down.
Anonymous said...Where to begin?
Terrorists won the moment the "war on terror" was declared. The goal of terrorism is not to destroy, it is to undermine a society by TERRORIZING it, and that is EXACTLY what they have done.Terrorists - 1, United States of Fear - 0.
First, I admire the simplicity of the commenter’s thought processes. “Anonymous” seems to be saying that if we simply ignored terrorists terrorism would not exist. Poof!
But no, we (read: Bush) declared the “war on terror” and in the thinking of Anonymous, we (read: Bush) created terrorism.
Anonymous opines that terrorists aren’t actually trying to kill us, they just want to scare us. Well it seems to me that the 9/11 crew and Maj. Nidal Hasan caused a great deal of destruction but I doubt that the people who stand on Anonymous’ side of the fence spend much time thinking about the lives of Americans lost or their loved ones left behind.
I think the part of the comment that bothers me, aside from its total inanity, is this: “Terrorists - 1, United States of Fear - 0.” Speak for yourself, puppy. I don’t see my fellow citizens crouching in fear. Just the opposite. Most Americans recognize the threat that radical Islam poses and rather than cowering they are resolute and fearless.
Reading between lines of the comment’s silliness is the typical Lefty assertion that America deserves to be a target. Bull hockey. We are the Land of Opportunity and Freedom. To this day scores flock to our shores to be part of the greatness that cannot be found in any other country on Earth. And it is, to paraphrase Tolkien, by the blood of our people that countless lands are kept free.
No, the terrorists have not won and they never will so long as patriotic Americans fearlessly face them down.
Obama Doesn't "Get" It
Related to yesterday’s post Why is Obama Silent on Iran-Again? is this post from Nile Gardiner writing in the Telegraph (emphasis added):
Now once again huge street protests have flared up on the streets of Tehran and a number of other major cities, with several protesters shot dead this weekend by the security forces and Revolutionary Guards, reportedly including the nephew of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, and dozens seriously injured. And again there is deafening silence from the Commander-in-Chief as well as his Secretary of State. And where is the president? On vacation in Hawaii, no doubt recuperating from his exertions driving forward the monstrous health care reform bill against the overwhelming will of the American public and without a shred of bipartisan support.It seems to me that the only person who doesn’t get that the leader of the United States is expected to step up when freedom is threatened is Barack Obama. It is embarrassing and frustrating and disheartening that we are being led my a man who rushes to defend tyrants but remains silent when freedom is being crushed in the streets of Iran. It calls in to question Pres. Obama’s priorities and his loyalty to freedom and democracy.
This is not however a time for fence-sitting by the leader of the free world. The president should be leading international condemnation of the suppression of pro-democracy protesters, and calling on the Iranian dictatorship to free the thousands of political dissidents held in its torture chambers. Just as Ronald Reagan confronted the evils of Soviet Communism, Barack Obama should support the aspirations of the Iranian people to be free. The United States has a major role to play in inspiring and advancing freedom in Iran, and the president should make it clear that the American people are on the side of those brave Iranians who are laying down their lives for liberty in the face of tyranny.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Why is Obama Silent on Iran-Again?
Prof. Jacobson asks, Will Obama Remain Silent About Iran Protests Again? So far it appears that the answer is, "Yep."
It seems an obvious assumption that the President has been briefed on the protests. Surely he has seen the pictures, or at least has been told, about the protesters risking the their own lives to save their countrymen from the gallows.
As the professor notes, the White House did release a statement earlier today, but White House statements are not what the freedom fighters in Iran need. They need the President of the United States, the leader of the free world, to take ten minutes from his vacation to make a personal statement. The man is be no means camera shy and if ever there was a good time for him to take to the air this would be it.
By not making a personal statement strongly condemning the actions of the Iranian government, Obama is projecting weakness. It debases the United States in front of the Middle East and emboldens not only Ahmadineja but his imitators as well.
Obama needs to show leadership now.
It seems an obvious assumption that the President has been briefed on the protests. Surely he has seen the pictures, or at least has been told, about the protesters risking the their own lives to save their countrymen from the gallows.
As the professor notes, the White House did release a statement earlier today, but White House statements are not what the freedom fighters in Iran need. They need the President of the United States, the leader of the free world, to take ten minutes from his vacation to make a personal statement. The man is be no means camera shy and if ever there was a good time for him to take to the air this would be it.
By not making a personal statement strongly condemning the actions of the Iranian government, Obama is projecting weakness. It debases the United States in front of the Middle East and emboldens not only Ahmadineja but his imitators as well.
Obama needs to show leadership now.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Incredible Act of Bravery in Iran
Doug Ross is reporting that protesters in Iran rushed the scaffolding where two men were being hanged, saving their lives. The protesters have shown incredible bravery in the face of overwhelming force and without so much as a word of encouragement from President Obama. It is past time for this Administration to stand up on the side of freedom.
Read more here.
Video here.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Civil Disobedience
Writes Pat at And So it Goes in Shreveport:
What kind of Senate does business like this? Voting in the dead of night, conducting business behind closed doors, totally and completely corrupting and hijacking the legislative process, buying votes and trading favors...it smacks of corruption, lies, and dirt. One feels used, ignored and belittled as an observer in this whole process.Cheap. Tawdry.
Amen. As I wrote yesterday, McConnell rightly points out that were this not an attempt to deceive the American people, they would not be holding the vote at 1 A.M. on Monday morning. Thieves do their business under the cover of darkness. Is that what our government has become? The Dems ARE a bunch of thieves stealing our very liberty.
The question becomes what are we going to do about it? I can sit here and bang on this keyboard until Hell freezes over but what would does accomplish? The Tea Party movement has had an effect. Cap & Trade is being delayed. The Senate is sneaking in to the chamber to vote in the middle of the night. Congressmen in "safe districts" are announcing their retirement.
As I said in the comments at Legal Insurrection, defeated does not mean deflated. This battle has not gone well but the war is not lost. The Left is fighting for power. We are fighting for freedom and liberty. Momentum and history are on our side.
This is a comment that was left on an earlier post:
NATIONAL STRIKE JAN 20, 2010 to coincide w/ STATE OF UNION SPEECH NATIONWIDE STRIKE over Obamacare...Call into work sick. Buy nothing. Find a union hall, congress creature office, State or Federal building and form picket lines. Come ready to party...
NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE! Put that right back in their face!
NATIONAL STRIKE JAN 20, 2010 to coincide w/ STATE OF UNION SPEECH NATIONWIDE STRIKE over Obamacare...TAKE BACK AMERICA
I don't know if this will catch on or not but I've put some thought in to it and I've decided that I will be spending January 20th sitting in front of Rep. Kathy Castor's office. I am aware that going on strike is not exactly number one with a bullet on the average Conservative's to do list but maybe it should be.
Any thoughts?
Sunday, October 18, 2009
What Will We Leave Our Children?
In No Sheeples Here: America Is Me Carol writes: We should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls and me must not allow this administration or any other to dismantle the Constitution. It is our turn to defeat the enemy within. Will ours be the first generation to not leave our country better off than we found it for our children?
For me, the answer is easy; I will not leave my grandchildren a country that is worse off then I one have enjoyed. This administration has given my grandchildren a country that is 1.4 TRILLION dollars in debt. Yet, instead cutting back, like millions of American families have been forced to do, our government wants to throw more money in to the wind.
For my grandchildren I pledge to oppose the socialization of our health care. I will oppose Cap and Trade. I will oppose any more "bailouts" and "stimulous." I will oppose the expansion of government (further) beyond it Constitutional mandate. I will oppose any politician who talks about "compromise." This is my grandchildren's future-there is no compromise.
Carol has posted the video American is Me. Watch the video and then ask yourself, Will ours be the first generation to not leave our country better off than we found it for our children?
More at:
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Did You Ever Think You Would See
college students protesting against Che Guevara?
From Babalu:
University of Florida students did something you rarely see on college campuses: They told the truth about the Butcher of La Cabaña. Holding up signs and passing out fliers, the students at UF were exposed to the reality behind the murderous Che, which few professors have the courage and integrity to teach.
Nice to see that the students at UF, unlike so many of their counterparts on other campuses, have the ability to think. We can only hope that "No More Che Day" catches on and spreads.
A Case for Selfishness
"There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."-- James Madison, speech to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 16, 1788
The slow erosion of freedom in 'advanced' countries takes place in the comfortable halls of legislatures. There are no tanks in the square or government "hit squads" in the middle of the night. The rights and freedoms of the people aren't taken, they are given.
Freedom is diminished by the acceptance of less. We have entered the "less period" in our national history. We are told we must except less health care so that others might have more. We must use fewer resources so that some might have more. We are told that by improving our own lives that we negatively impact the lives of others. Nothing could be further from the truth.
This country was built and became the most prosperous nation on Earth due to selfishness. People who wanted more for themselves and their children distinguished this country from all others. It is the selfish desire for more that leads people to create, innovate, strive and improve their lives and by extension, the lives of others.
Rather than encouraging selfishness, our government encourages jealousy. The government would have some believe that there is a relationship between what any two people have but no relationship between those same two people's efforts. This results in the false belief that those who achieve do so to the detriment of others. This false belief is typified by the government's line that "fairness" dictates that segments of society should give more. Yet, giving more in the form of taxes has never lifted as many people out of poverty that selfishness has.
We need more selfishness in this country. We need more people who are unwilling to settle. We need to stop giving up our freedom.
The slow erosion of freedom in 'advanced' countries takes place in the comfortable halls of legislatures. There are no tanks in the square or government "hit squads" in the middle of the night. The rights and freedoms of the people aren't taken, they are given.
Freedom is diminished by the acceptance of less. We have entered the "less period" in our national history. We are told we must except less health care so that others might have more. We must use fewer resources so that some might have more. We are told that by improving our own lives that we negatively impact the lives of others. Nothing could be further from the truth.
This country was built and became the most prosperous nation on Earth due to selfishness. People who wanted more for themselves and their children distinguished this country from all others. It is the selfish desire for more that leads people to create, innovate, strive and improve their lives and by extension, the lives of others.
Rather than encouraging selfishness, our government encourages jealousy. The government would have some believe that there is a relationship between what any two people have but no relationship between those same two people's efforts. This results in the false belief that those who achieve do so to the detriment of others. This false belief is typified by the government's line that "fairness" dictates that segments of society should give more. Yet, giving more in the form of taxes has never lifted as many people out of poverty that selfishness has.
We need more selfishness in this country. We need more people who are unwilling to settle. We need to stop giving up our freedom.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
On The Edge Of Fascism
Via Memeorandum:
Mark Tapscott warns us that we should Beware the Stalin in liberal hearts. What we're talking about here is the real "F" word-fascism.
It starts so simply and with the best of intentions. We can list forever the things that society would be better off without: tobacco, sugar, meat, alcohol, riding a motorcycle without a helmet. On the right, we believe that each of us has the right to decide for ourselves if we want to do things that might have a negative impact on us. On the Left, the belief is that the government has the right to make those for the individual and use the penalty of law to enforce those decisions.
The choice is between living free or living decision free. Once you buy in to living decision free there is no "do over." If you accept that government, not the individual, should regulate behavior then there is no "picking and choosing." The person who engages in risky sexual behavior is equal to the smoker is equal to the person who eats two deserts.
Do we really want government making our most basic decisions for us? If the answer is yes then where does it end? If the answer is no, then why would we submit to government for our health care?
Janis Joplin said that freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose. She was wrong. Being free means having everything to lose. Or everything to give away.
Mark Tapscott warns us that we should Beware the Stalin in liberal hearts. What we're talking about here is the real "F" word-fascism.
It starts so simply and with the best of intentions. We can list forever the things that society would be better off without: tobacco, sugar, meat, alcohol, riding a motorcycle without a helmet. On the right, we believe that each of us has the right to decide for ourselves if we want to do things that might have a negative impact on us. On the Left, the belief is that the government has the right to make those for the individual and use the penalty of law to enforce those decisions.
The choice is between living free or living decision free. Once you buy in to living decision free there is no "do over." If you accept that government, not the individual, should regulate behavior then there is no "picking and choosing." The person who engages in risky sexual behavior is equal to the smoker is equal to the person who eats two deserts.
Do we really want government making our most basic decisions for us? If the answer is yes then where does it end? If the answer is no, then why would we submit to government for our health care?
Janis Joplin said that freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose. She was wrong. Being free means having everything to lose. Or everything to give away.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
The Deaths of Marines in Afghanistan are Inexcusable
Doug Ross is reporting on the deaths of four brave United States Marines in Afghanistan:
McClatchy's Jonathan S. Landay posts a first-person account of a deadly ambush in Afghanistan.
This is beyond outrageous. If we are going to fight this war than we must fight it. We can not send our precious troops in to Afghanistan or any other country to be slaughtered because WE have tied their hands behind their backs. What kind of commander leaves his own men to be slaughtered? Is this Commander and Chief intentionally put our soldiers in harm's way?
William Jacobson says that we should support President Obama on the war in Afghanistan. I want to Professor, but not if this is how he intends to prosecute this war. It is unconscionable for a Commander and Chief to send our troops in to a war zone and then refuse to provide them with the backup and fire power that they need.
If we are going to fight, then we must fight to win.
McClatchy's Jonathan S. Landay posts a first-person account of a deadly ambush in Afghanistan.
We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket
barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition."We will do to you what we did to the Russians," the insurgent's leader boasted over the radio, referring to the failure of Soviet troops to capture Ganjgal during the 1979-89 Soviet
occupation...(emphasis mine)**************************************************************************
U.S. commanders, citing new rules to avoid civilian casualties, rejected
repeated calls to unleash artillery rounds at attackers dug into the slopes and
tree lines — despite being told repeatedly that they weren't near the
village. (Emphasis mine)
"We are pinned down. We are running low on ammo. We have no air. We've lost
today," Marine Maj. Kevin Williams, 37, said through his translator to his
Afghan counterpart, responding to the latter's repeated demands for
helicopters.
Four U.S. Marines were killed Tuesday, the most U.S. service members
assigned as trainers to the Afghan National Army to be lost in a single incident
since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion... Three Americans and 19 Afghans were
wounded...
This is beyond outrageous. If we are going to fight this war than we must fight it. We can not send our precious troops in to Afghanistan or any other country to be slaughtered because WE have tied their hands behind their backs. What kind of commander leaves his own men to be slaughtered? Is this Commander and Chief intentionally put our soldiers in harm's way?
William Jacobson says that we should support President Obama on the war in Afghanistan. I want to Professor, but not if this is how he intends to prosecute this war. It is unconscionable for a Commander and Chief to send our troops in to a war zone and then refuse to provide them with the backup and fire power that they need.
If we are going to fight, then we must fight to win.
United We Stand
Over the course of the last few months I have had an awakening. I have always followed politics in my state of Florida, but to be honest, prior to the Stimulus Bill and Cap and Trade and the bailouts and now ObamaCare, I never spent one moment thinking about S. Dakota or Washington or any other state. I suddenly realized how important it is that I get informed and support candidates who share my values because no matter what state they represent, every single member of the United States Congress affects my life.
Yesterday I had the privledge of listenning to a speaker who has the opportunity to affect not only my life but the lives of every citizen in this country in a positive way. Every member of Congress has taken an oath to defend and be faithful to the US Constitution but once the swearing in is over, they forget their oath and defend nothing more or less than their own re-election. We can not continue to elect officials who serve only themselves. The stakes have grown too high.
Please view the following videos of Marco Rubio speaking at the Lakeland Republican Club on September 2, 2009. We need this man, and more like him, in the US Senate. I am not only asking you to support Marco, but also to find the Marco in your state and get me the information so that I may support him or her as well.
We showed yesterday that we can come together as a united voice for freedom. We can turn this country around by remaining unified in forwarding our message in one very loud voice.
At the end of the second video it refers to "part three" but I couldn't find it anywhere. If anyone does, please email me the link.
Yesterday I had the privledge of listenning to a speaker who has the opportunity to affect not only my life but the lives of every citizen in this country in a positive way. Every member of Congress has taken an oath to defend and be faithful to the US Constitution but once the swearing in is over, they forget their oath and defend nothing more or less than their own re-election. We can not continue to elect officials who serve only themselves. The stakes have grown too high.
Please view the following videos of Marco Rubio speaking at the Lakeland Republican Club on September 2, 2009. We need this man, and more like him, in the US Senate. I am not only asking you to support Marco, but also to find the Marco in your state and get me the information so that I may support him or her as well.
We showed yesterday that we can come together as a united voice for freedom. We can turn this country around by remaining unified in forwarding our message in one very loud voice.
At the end of the second video it refers to "part three" but I couldn't find it anywhere. If anyone does, please email me the link.
The Day After
Yesterday was an exciting day for people who believe that this country has headed in the wrong direction and are determined to put us back on the right track. The reports that come out from the March on Washington DC are just phenomenal and when I see pictures like the following from Michelle Malkin I am so proud of my fellow citizens that I don’t know how to adequately put my emotions in to words.
Lost in all the excitement is that people came out all over the country to protest ObamaCare. Even my local Tampa Tribune didn’t think it was significant to cover the event I attended where 700 hundred people spent hours in the rain in Lakeland to protest the government takeover of every facet of our lives. (“Mother Trib” did manage to cover a small rally in by ObamaCare supporters) On that note I would like to send a special and deeply felt “thank you” to Paco, Doug Ross, Smitty and Jimmie Bise who linked my post.
Donald Douglas attended a Tea Party at the Wilshire Federal Building and has some terrific pictures of the event:
Donald also has this video via Richard McEnroe:
Go over to American Power and enjoy all the pictures.
Thank you to everyone who participated!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
We Must Refound This Nation!
Thank you to Carol at No Sheeples Here who has provided me with this graphic:
Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer."-- Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776
"They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."--Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
"He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself."-- Thomas Paine, Dissertation on First Principles of Government, December 23, 1791
Quotes are from a compilation by Walter Williams.
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