The city of Hamtramck, Michigan, a Detroit area suburb, has set a disturbing precedent. In a landmark decision, the City Council voted unanimously to give final approval to an ordinance that permits area mosques to broadcast calls to prayer over loudspeakers. During a town hall meeting, hundreds of citizens voiced their concern and their disappointment in the decision. According to Bob Golen, a resident of Hamtramck, the protest seemed to fall on deaf ears. “They had made up their mind before any public meeting," he said in referring to the council. (to read the story, click – here)
This is very disturbing on so many levels. There are those who say that it is not any different then church bells or the Sabbath alarm that’s sounded in Brooklyn. If you base your argument on this, then it is easy to see the councils’ point. After all, it is an affront to the people who are of a religion different from the one being accommodated. However, this is like comparing apples to oranges. The Sabbath alarm notifies a community, by way of a siren, that the Sabbath has begun. There is no “call for prayer”. If the notification were instead the playing of the Sabbath prayers in Hebrew, then there would certainly be a similarity. The same goes for the church bells. In fact, many churches have stopped ringing bells as a means of telling the community that church is beginning, for the simple reason that they do not want to upset people of other faiths. Instead, the bells just ring on the hour.
Personally, I agree that both the church bells and the alarm are wrong. On one hand, I loved hearing the alarm on Friday evenings as a reminder that Sabbath is beginning. It is a beautiful sound for many Orthodox Jews. On the other hand, we live in a country whose laws protect its citizens from being treated differently based on their religion. Sounding this alarm could give the impression that the government elevates Judaism over any other religion. But here again there is a difference between these two issues. The alarm is only sounded in specific communities that are predominantly Jewish. In the case of the Muslim call to prayer, it will be sounded throughout the town, regardless of the will of the majority of its citizens.
This prayer call will be broadcast 7 days a week, 5 times a day, sarting at 6am until 10pm. It will be broadcast entirely in Arabic. It is truly a testament to how far people will go towards appeasement. I’m not saying every Moslem is a terrorist and I’m not saying every Moslem wants to destroy our way of life, but to quote Mr. Golen, "One of their religious leaders from the Al-Islah Islamic Center states, 'Hamtramck is going to be a pioneer city for the whole United States.' So apparently there is going to be a movement afoot to get that call to prayer everywhere," You will be hard pressed to find anyone who will disagree with this statement. According to Omar Ahmad, the co-founder of CAIR (Council of American-Islamic Relations), “Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faiths, but to become dominant. The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth."
Ibrahim Cooper, a spokesman for the organization, when asked recently about CAIR’s stance on Hamas and other terror groups in the Middle East, “CAIR does not support these groups publicly." This leads to the very strong insinuation that CAIR supports those organizations privately!
There is a reason that I mention CAIR. This organization is considered the mainstream voice for the Arab-American community. CAIR is one of the groups that met with President Bush following the September 11th terror attacks. The others were American Muslim Alliance, American Muslim Council and the Muslim Public Affairs Council. All of these groups are part of American Muslim Political Coordination Council (AMPCC) and have yet to denounce organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah and have argued against the U.S. for their shutting down institutions that have been proven to be aiding terror groups. None of these groups have openly condemned the terrorist attacks on America.
But that gets away from my point.
My point is this: how far do we have to go before we finally realize that Islam is only a peaceful religion if you are Islamic? Not every Moslem is a terrorist. However, a large majority of terrorists are Moslem. You cannot ignore the threat to World peace posed by Islamifacism. How politically correct do we need to be before we give up our heritage for theirs?
The city council of Hamtramck is imposing the will of one religion over the rest. They are giving into Moslem demands under the guise of “political correctness”. Americans need to stop worrying about “upsetting the sensibilities” of the Arab world. In 1991, President Bush (the former) did not allow Israel to join the coalition in Iraq for this very reason. It was appeasement then and it’s appeasement now. All Israel got for its trouble was 39 scud missile attacks.
It’s time to stop fooling ourselves. Domination of the World is something to fight against. Appeasing those who seek it will not make it go away.
Friday, April 30, 2004
Thursday, April 29, 2004
The Ethnic Cleansing of Common Sense
This week marks the 56th birthday of The State of Israel. More than any year, this may be her most important. Unfortunately, I feel like that every year. Each year brings with it new challenges and concerns, but this year is different. This year is NOW.
Obviously, the main concern is Israel is the issue of the “Palestinians”. Although before 1948, the “Palestinians” were the Jews AND the Arabs who lived in Palestine, since the Arabs refused to recognize the legitimacy of Israel, they continue to consider themselves “Palestinian”. Since it’s inception, Israel has remained the flashpoint of the Middle East.
But, why?
For 56 years, Israel has offered peace to each of her neighbors and has been rejected time after time. Finally in 1967, having learned that an attack was imminent, Israel attacked Egypt and Syria and crippled their armies in 6 days. Before the attack, Jordan was warned to stay out of the conflict, but due to Arab pressure, the Jordanians mounted an offensive that was quickly turned into a sound defeat. In the aftermath of the war presented Israel with the Sinai desert, the Golan Heights and the West Bank. All of these positions had been used by the Arab states in order to more efficiently destroy the tiny country.
Israel offered to return the land if the Arab nations would recognize their right to exist.
Since that time, Israel has tried in vain to be treated equally in the United Nations. As a true precursor to what has now become the norm, the UN sided with the Arab and Soviet block in equating Zionism with Racism. The reason being, according to the UN, because Arabs are not treated fairly in Israel. Forget about how the Jews are treated. The Arabs, the ones who have refused to recognize Israel’s very existence, feel they are treated poorly and charge the Jews with Racism. Moreover, the UN agreed!
Finally, an Arab leader decided he had enough and accepted Israel’s invitation for peace. President Anwar Sadat realized the cost in money and lives was not worth it. At Camp David, Sadat and Prime Minister Menachem Begin agreed to peaceful relations. In return for the Sinai, Egypt would recognize the State of Israel and agree to desist from further warfare.
All it got Sadat was a bullet in the head.
Since then, only Jordan came to their senses. Because of uprisings instigated by the PLO, the King of Jordan exiled all “Palestinian” nationalists from his country (remember, Jordan was to be the homeland for the Arabs) and gave up his “claim” to the West Bank. Furthermore, the United Nations, not wanting to be outdone, declared all Arabs in the West Bank to be “refugees” and set them up as “refugee camps”. Furthermore, the UN allotted millions of dollars to these “refugees” for their basic needs. Israel offered the majority of these people citizenship, but was turned down due to pressure by other Arab nations. The truth is that these people are not “refugees” and they are not in “camps”. The cities developed during this time have been there for centuries. Israel has modernized it with electricity and sewage treatment, and until the last Intifada, had allowed free movement throughout the country. The Arabs of the West Bank have more freedom in Israel than in any Arab country!
Yet, it’s not enough. Is it jealousy? Or is it something else. Why do they really hate us?
According to Walter Russell Mead, who is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, America is hated because of our strong ties to Israel. He opines in the New York Times this week that “The United States simply does not care about the rights or needs of the Palestinian people.” Just like “Zionism is Racism”, the Arabs are crying that we don’t play fair. His argument is that the U.S. is biased against the poor, poor Palestinian people. Aside from the falsehoods in Mr. Meads commentary, and there are many, he believes that the United States is unfairly treating the Palestinian people. Mr. Meads conveniently forgets that the U.S. has bankrolled the corrupt regime of Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority to the tune of over one billion dollars. Furthermore, he fails to mention that President Bush is the first President to accept the idea of a “Palestinian” state on the West Bank and Gaza. Mead then asks the question “Who takes the agency's place when peace comes and the Palestinians aren't refugees anymore?” (to see the entire article, click – here).
Walter Mead is either a moron, or is an anti-Semite (I know what you’re going to say, that he can be anti-Israel but that doesn’t mean he is anti-Semitic. Well I don’t agree and that’s a discussion for another day). How dare he ignore the fact that the U.S. is close to Israel because Israel is a DEMOCRACY! Israel and America share common VALUES. It wasn’t the Jews who were dancing in the street when the Twin Towers came down. It wasn’t the Jews that bombed the embassies in Africa. It wasn’t the Jews who through wheelchair-bound U.S. citizen Leon Klinghoffer off the side of the Achilles Laurel and it sure as hell wasn’t the Jews who murdered 11 athletes in the 1972 Olympic in Munich! Why should we be evenhanded? I am sick of every two-bit “expert” spewing that Israel is continuing the “cycle of violence” when they take out an Arab leader who violates the United Nations charter that defines genocide as intending "to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group." Yeah, I know Hamas has not signed the UN charter, but the members of the UN have sworn “to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace”.
As of 11:51am CST, the UN hasn’t done a damn thing. Yet, people like Herr Mead think that the Arabs hate us because we don’t treat them nicely. Boo, the f**king hoo.
But wait, there’s more. Not only are they not being treated nicely, they are angry over the fact that Israeli’s continue to live in their land. In the PLO Charter, the Arabs consider ALL the land under the Balfour Declaration to be part of the “Arab Nation” and does not accept the notion that Israeli’s are in of themselves a nation. During the past decade, it was believed that the PLO removed all references to the destruction of the “Zionist entity”. That is not true. For one thing, to remove that would require a complete overhaul of their charter. No, the Arab position is that there is no such entity as “Israel” and that when they say they only want “their” land back, they are referring to the entire region that was conceived by the Balfour Declaration. Even their official website shows a map of “Palestine” where Israel should be.
Nope. They want it all. And they’ll stop at nothing to get it. Including arguing that Jews living in the West Bank are illegal. I don’t know about you, but saying Jews can’t live there sounds an awful lot like Nazi Germany. With the exception of the architects of the Oslo Treaty, you would be very hard pressed to find a single Jew who believes the Arabs truly want to live peacefully with the Jews. Yet, the United States of America should be worried that the Arabs hate us because where not fair to them.
In the last 200 plus years, every conflict that American’s have battled in (right or wrong), have been fought for the preservation of democracy. Why would the United States, or even the United Nations support regimes that offer neither freedom nor human rights? Telling someone that he may not live somewhere because of his religion is clearly a violation of his human rights.
The Arabs don’t hate Americans because of Israel. They hate us because of who we are and because of who they are.
This week marks the 56th birthday of The State of Israel. More than any year, this may be her most important. Unfortunately, I feel like that every year. Each year brings with it new challenges and concerns, but this year is different. This year is NOW.
Obviously, the main concern is Israel is the issue of the “Palestinians”. Although before 1948, the “Palestinians” were the Jews AND the Arabs who lived in Palestine, since the Arabs refused to recognize the legitimacy of Israel, they continue to consider themselves “Palestinian”. Since it’s inception, Israel has remained the flashpoint of the Middle East.
But, why?
For 56 years, Israel has offered peace to each of her neighbors and has been rejected time after time. Finally in 1967, having learned that an attack was imminent, Israel attacked Egypt and Syria and crippled their armies in 6 days. Before the attack, Jordan was warned to stay out of the conflict, but due to Arab pressure, the Jordanians mounted an offensive that was quickly turned into a sound defeat. In the aftermath of the war presented Israel with the Sinai desert, the Golan Heights and the West Bank. All of these positions had been used by the Arab states in order to more efficiently destroy the tiny country.
Israel offered to return the land if the Arab nations would recognize their right to exist.
Since that time, Israel has tried in vain to be treated equally in the United Nations. As a true precursor to what has now become the norm, the UN sided with the Arab and Soviet block in equating Zionism with Racism. The reason being, according to the UN, because Arabs are not treated fairly in Israel. Forget about how the Jews are treated. The Arabs, the ones who have refused to recognize Israel’s very existence, feel they are treated poorly and charge the Jews with Racism. Moreover, the UN agreed!
Finally, an Arab leader decided he had enough and accepted Israel’s invitation for peace. President Anwar Sadat realized the cost in money and lives was not worth it. At Camp David, Sadat and Prime Minister Menachem Begin agreed to peaceful relations. In return for the Sinai, Egypt would recognize the State of Israel and agree to desist from further warfare.
All it got Sadat was a bullet in the head.
Since then, only Jordan came to their senses. Because of uprisings instigated by the PLO, the King of Jordan exiled all “Palestinian” nationalists from his country (remember, Jordan was to be the homeland for the Arabs) and gave up his “claim” to the West Bank. Furthermore, the United Nations, not wanting to be outdone, declared all Arabs in the West Bank to be “refugees” and set them up as “refugee camps”. Furthermore, the UN allotted millions of dollars to these “refugees” for their basic needs. Israel offered the majority of these people citizenship, but was turned down due to pressure by other Arab nations. The truth is that these people are not “refugees” and they are not in “camps”. The cities developed during this time have been there for centuries. Israel has modernized it with electricity and sewage treatment, and until the last Intifada, had allowed free movement throughout the country. The Arabs of the West Bank have more freedom in Israel than in any Arab country!
Yet, it’s not enough. Is it jealousy? Or is it something else. Why do they really hate us?
According to Walter Russell Mead, who is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, America is hated because of our strong ties to Israel. He opines in the New York Times this week that “The United States simply does not care about the rights or needs of the Palestinian people.” Just like “Zionism is Racism”, the Arabs are crying that we don’t play fair. His argument is that the U.S. is biased against the poor, poor Palestinian people. Aside from the falsehoods in Mr. Meads commentary, and there are many, he believes that the United States is unfairly treating the Palestinian people. Mr. Meads conveniently forgets that the U.S. has bankrolled the corrupt regime of Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority to the tune of over one billion dollars. Furthermore, he fails to mention that President Bush is the first President to accept the idea of a “Palestinian” state on the West Bank and Gaza. Mead then asks the question “Who takes the agency's place when peace comes and the Palestinians aren't refugees anymore?” (to see the entire article, click – here).
Walter Mead is either a moron, or is an anti-Semite (I know what you’re going to say, that he can be anti-Israel but that doesn’t mean he is anti-Semitic. Well I don’t agree and that’s a discussion for another day). How dare he ignore the fact that the U.S. is close to Israel because Israel is a DEMOCRACY! Israel and America share common VALUES. It wasn’t the Jews who were dancing in the street when the Twin Towers came down. It wasn’t the Jews that bombed the embassies in Africa. It wasn’t the Jews who through wheelchair-bound U.S. citizen Leon Klinghoffer off the side of the Achilles Laurel and it sure as hell wasn’t the Jews who murdered 11 athletes in the 1972 Olympic in Munich! Why should we be evenhanded? I am sick of every two-bit “expert” spewing that Israel is continuing the “cycle of violence” when they take out an Arab leader who violates the United Nations charter that defines genocide as intending "to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group." Yeah, I know Hamas has not signed the UN charter, but the members of the UN have sworn “to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace”.
As of 11:51am CST, the UN hasn’t done a damn thing. Yet, people like Herr Mead think that the Arabs hate us because we don’t treat them nicely. Boo, the f**king hoo.
But wait, there’s more. Not only are they not being treated nicely, they are angry over the fact that Israeli’s continue to live in their land. In the PLO Charter, the Arabs consider ALL the land under the Balfour Declaration to be part of the “Arab Nation” and does not accept the notion that Israeli’s are in of themselves a nation. During the past decade, it was believed that the PLO removed all references to the destruction of the “Zionist entity”. That is not true. For one thing, to remove that would require a complete overhaul of their charter. No, the Arab position is that there is no such entity as “Israel” and that when they say they only want “their” land back, they are referring to the entire region that was conceived by the Balfour Declaration. Even their official website shows a map of “Palestine” where Israel should be.
Nope. They want it all. And they’ll stop at nothing to get it. Including arguing that Jews living in the West Bank are illegal. I don’t know about you, but saying Jews can’t live there sounds an awful lot like Nazi Germany. With the exception of the architects of the Oslo Treaty, you would be very hard pressed to find a single Jew who believes the Arabs truly want to live peacefully with the Jews. Yet, the United States of America should be worried that the Arabs hate us because where not fair to them.
In the last 200 plus years, every conflict that American’s have battled in (right or wrong), have been fought for the preservation of democracy. Why would the United States, or even the United Nations support regimes that offer neither freedom nor human rights? Telling someone that he may not live somewhere because of his religion is clearly a violation of his human rights.
The Arabs don’t hate Americans because of Israel. They hate us because of who we are and because of who they are.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Thomas Sowell has a brilliant editorial in today's JWR called "Will we allow HillaryCare to finally take hold?". (read it -- here)
Also, Elton John needs to shut up. Read this. Has he never heard of Ruben Studdard? Maybe Elton is not as popular as he thinks he is. Just because he didn't agree with voting, he has no right to call the voters racist.
Hey Elton...you're 15 minutes ended a long, long time ago.
Also, Elton John needs to shut up. Read this. Has he never heard of Ruben Studdard? Maybe Elton is not as popular as he thinks he is. Just because he didn't agree with voting, he has no right to call the voters racist.
Hey Elton...you're 15 minutes ended a long, long time ago.
Instead of a commentary, I'm going to post a letter sent from an American Soldier stationed in Iraq. This letter was posted By Charlie Daniels on his Soapbox today.
I think it says it all.
Hi all,
In light of today's death toll in Al Fallujah, I’d like to offer you a different view than you may see on your TV news. First, I’m not one that bashes the media for bias. Yes, they have a bias. Don't we all? But I'm not one that sees conspiracy. But I have noticed that deaths in Iraq get a whole lot more attention than the good things that happen here, a whole lot more attention. So, here's some background on Al Fallujah to keep in mind.
A) Why is it in the news almost every night?
Because it is one of the few places in all of Iraq where trouble exists. Iraq has 25 million people and is the size of California. Fallujah and surrounding towns total 500,000 people. Do the math. That's not a big percentage of Iraq. How many people were murdered last night in L.A.? Did it make headline news? Why not?
B) Saddam could not and did not control Fallujah.
He bought off those he could, killed those he couldn't and played all leaders against one another. It was and is a 'difficult' town. Nothing new about that. What is new is that outside people have come in to stir up unrest. How many are there? That's classified, but let me tell you this. There are more people in the northeast Minneapolis gangs than there are causing havoc in Fallujah ... Surprised?
C) Then why does it get so much coverage?
Because the major news outlets have camera crews permanently posted in Al Fallujah. So, if you are from outside Iraq, and want to get air time for your cause, where would you go to terrorize, bomb, mutilate and destroy? Al Fallujah.
D) Why does it seem to be getting worse?
Two answers.
1) This country became a welfare state under Saddam.
If you cared about your welfare you towed the line or died. The state did your thinking and your bidding. Want a job… Pledge allegiance to the Bath party ... Want an apartment, a car, etc ... Show loyalty...Electricity, water, sewage, etc. ... was paid by the state. Go with the flow... Life is good ... Don't and you're dead. Now, what does that do to initiative? Drive? Industry?
So, we come along and lock up sugar daddy and give these people the toughest
challenge in the world ... Freedom. You want a job ... Earn it! House? Buy it or build it! Security? Build a police force, army and militia and give it to yourself? Risk your lives and earn freedom. The good news is that millions of Iraqis are doing just that, and some pay with their lives. But many, many are struggling with freedom (just like East Germans, Russians, Czechs, etc.) And they want a sugar daddy ... The U.S.A. to do it all. We refuse ... We don't want to be plantation owners ... We make it clear we are here to help, not own or stay... They get mad about that, sometimes.
Nonetheless, in Fallujah, the supposed hotbed of dissent in Iraq...countless Iraqis tell our operatives they want to cooperate with us but are afraid the thugs will slit their throats or kill their kids. A bad gang can do that to a neighborhood and a town ... That's what is happening here.
2) We have a battle hand-off going on here the largest in recent American history. The Army is passing the baton to the Marines in this area. There is uncertainty among the populace and misinformation being given out by the bad guys. As a result there is insecurity and the bad guys are testing the resolve of the Marines and indirectly you; the American people. The bad guys are convinced that Americans have no stomach for a long haul effort here. They want to drive us out of here and then resurrect a dictatorship of one kind our another.
Okay, what do we do? Stay the course. The Marines will get into a battle rhythm and along with other forces and government agencies here, they will knock out the crack houses, drive the thugs across the border and set the conditions for the Fallujans to join the freedom parade or rot in their lack of initiative ... Either way, the choice will be theirs. The alternative? Turn tail, pull out and leave a power vacuum that will suck in all of Iraq’s neighbors and spark a civil war that could make Rwanda look like a misdemeanor.
Hey America, don't go weak kneed on us ... 585 dead, American’s made an investment here ... That's a whole lot less than were killed on American highways last month. Their lives are honored when we stay the course and do the job we came to do; namely set the conditions for a new government and empower these people to be the great nation they are capable of being.
So, when you watch the reports from Al Fallujah..remember...there's more to the story than meets the camera's eye
I think it says it all.
Hi all,
In light of today's death toll in Al Fallujah, I’d like to offer you a different view than you may see on your TV news. First, I’m not one that bashes the media for bias. Yes, they have a bias. Don't we all? But I'm not one that sees conspiracy. But I have noticed that deaths in Iraq get a whole lot more attention than the good things that happen here, a whole lot more attention. So, here's some background on Al Fallujah to keep in mind.
A) Why is it in the news almost every night?
Because it is one of the few places in all of Iraq where trouble exists. Iraq has 25 million people and is the size of California. Fallujah and surrounding towns total 500,000 people. Do the math. That's not a big percentage of Iraq. How many people were murdered last night in L.A.? Did it make headline news? Why not?
B) Saddam could not and did not control Fallujah.
He bought off those he could, killed those he couldn't and played all leaders against one another. It was and is a 'difficult' town. Nothing new about that. What is new is that outside people have come in to stir up unrest. How many are there? That's classified, but let me tell you this. There are more people in the northeast Minneapolis gangs than there are causing havoc in Fallujah ... Surprised?
C) Then why does it get so much coverage?
Because the major news outlets have camera crews permanently posted in Al Fallujah. So, if you are from outside Iraq, and want to get air time for your cause, where would you go to terrorize, bomb, mutilate and destroy? Al Fallujah.
D) Why does it seem to be getting worse?
Two answers.
1) This country became a welfare state under Saddam.
If you cared about your welfare you towed the line or died. The state did your thinking and your bidding. Want a job… Pledge allegiance to the Bath party ... Want an apartment, a car, etc ... Show loyalty...Electricity, water, sewage, etc. ... was paid by the state. Go with the flow... Life is good ... Don't and you're dead. Now, what does that do to initiative? Drive? Industry?
So, we come along and lock up sugar daddy and give these people the toughest
challenge in the world ... Freedom. You want a job ... Earn it! House? Buy it or build it! Security? Build a police force, army and militia and give it to yourself? Risk your lives and earn freedom. The good news is that millions of Iraqis are doing just that, and some pay with their lives. But many, many are struggling with freedom (just like East Germans, Russians, Czechs, etc.) And they want a sugar daddy ... The U.S.A. to do it all. We refuse ... We don't want to be plantation owners ... We make it clear we are here to help, not own or stay... They get mad about that, sometimes.
Nonetheless, in Fallujah, the supposed hotbed of dissent in Iraq...countless Iraqis tell our operatives they want to cooperate with us but are afraid the thugs will slit their throats or kill their kids. A bad gang can do that to a neighborhood and a town ... That's what is happening here.
2) We have a battle hand-off going on here the largest in recent American history. The Army is passing the baton to the Marines in this area. There is uncertainty among the populace and misinformation being given out by the bad guys. As a result there is insecurity and the bad guys are testing the resolve of the Marines and indirectly you; the American people. The bad guys are convinced that Americans have no stomach for a long haul effort here. They want to drive us out of here and then resurrect a dictatorship of one kind our another.
Okay, what do we do? Stay the course. The Marines will get into a battle rhythm and along with other forces and government agencies here, they will knock out the crack houses, drive the thugs across the border and set the conditions for the Fallujans to join the freedom parade or rot in their lack of initiative ... Either way, the choice will be theirs. The alternative? Turn tail, pull out and leave a power vacuum that will suck in all of Iraq’s neighbors and spark a civil war that could make Rwanda look like a misdemeanor.
Hey America, don't go weak kneed on us ... 585 dead, American’s made an investment here ... That's a whole lot less than were killed on American highways last month. Their lives are honored when we stay the course and do the job we came to do; namely set the conditions for a new government and empower these people to be the great nation they are capable of being.
So, when you watch the reports from Al Fallujah..remember...there's more to the story than meets the camera's eye
Monday, April 26, 2004
Random Thoughts on a Monday Afternoon
So John Kerry denied throwing away his medals. He said in an interview on “Good Morning America” that he actually threw away his ribbons. However, he said that he threw away the medals of another soldier at the vet’s request. Well, ABC played a video clip where Kerry clearly states that he did indeed threw away his medals. Charles Gibson asked him which is it, to which Kerry, clearly befuddled, says, "This is a controversy the Republicans are pushing."
While I believe we all need to worry about the future and not dwell too much in what happened 33 years ago, I think it’s important to note that Mr. Kerry is running on his war record. If he’s uncomfortable about questions regarding that record, he shouldn’t call any question of it a “Republican controversy”.
*****
Y’know. When someone has a really bad experience somewhere, he tends not remember it fondly. Yet that is what Senator Kerry did during a boat tour of the lower Delta marshes in Louisiana. While with Senator Landrieu (D, La.), he remarked, “this reminds me of the river banks in Vietnam”. Now I’m not sure what point the candidate was trying to make, but I assume (or hope) he wasn't having flashbacks of the war. But comparing someone’s state to a war zone? It would be like someone visiting a campground remarking how much it looks like Auschwitz!
*****
I’m concerned about something should President Bush win in November. If he does win, who would be next in line after him in the Republican Party. For many reasons, Vice President Cheney would not be a viable candidate. His health concerns alone would give the nation pause. Without someone groomed to be Bush's successor, I wonder what will happen in 2008 (at least in the Republican Party).
My biggest fear is that Hillary takes the Dems nomination. Without a powerful opponent, it would be tough running against a Clinton.. I just feel that perhaps once the election is over (maybe a year after), Cheney should step aside (but continue to be a BIG part of the Bush administration) and perhaps tap Rudy Giuliani to replace him. We know that Colin Powell is stepping down after the election, Maybe Condoleeza Rice takes over as Secretary of State and then replaces Cheney in 2007. Wouldn’t that be cool? Condi vs. Hillary? Geri Ferraro, look out!
*****
Israeli military officials say that they believe Mahmoud Zahar is the new leader of Hamas. I can just see him reading the newspaper and find it out! All of the sudden, everyone gets out of his way. The only one will come near him is mortician. Could you imagine being his driver? “Hey Ahmed, we need to go to the office now!”. “No way, Mahmoud.. Get away way from me! Leave me alone! (as Israeli helicopters approach) Aaaaahhhhhhh!”. I’m guessing someone in the Hamas leadership has decided that Zahar is the Fredo of the organization and want him sleeping with fishes.
*****
Hosni Mubarak, “President” of Egypt, said this past week that there is “unprecedented hatred” of America due to the war in Iraq. Hatred? Of America? Unprecedented? Who is he kidding? There has never been any “love” for America in the Arab world. Hatred of America has been going on for years. Whether it was in Tehran, Mogadishu, Beirut or Cairo, it’s been alive and well for a long, long time. Mubarak should look at his own government for the spread of this hatred. According to the Middle East Media Research Institute, numerous anti-American commentaries have run in the Egyptian controlled press as well as in state run Universities. For a more detailed rant about this, see Jeff Jacoby’s article in today’s JWR (read it -- here).
Aside from Israel, the United States gives more financial aid to Egypt. Perhaps we should be rethinking who our “friends” really are. With friends like these…
*****
Here is a link (requires free registration) to a very somber article written in the Jerusalem Post by Susie Weiss. Many of you know her and her husband, Rabbi Stewart Weiss. They unfortunately lost their son, Ari while serving in the Israeli army in the Nahal Brigade.
Thanks to my good friend, Gregg Goldenberg for the info.
*****
Well, I’ve become a reality TV-aholic. At first it was Average Joe, then Fear Factor, then The Apprentice and now American Idol and Nashville Star. Rumor has it that Jennifer Hudson lost because a number of people from her fan base in the Chicago area lost power due to a tornado and severe thunderstorms. Maybe, but I think it was more likely that most people felt that Jennifer, Fantasia Barrino and LaToya London were safe and decided to vote for John Stevens instead (so he wouldn’t lose too bad). Personally, George Huff is my favorite, but Latoya should win. And of course, I think I could do better then all of them! Hehe.
Nashville Star is also a great show. It airs on the USA Network on Saturday night. The final episode is on this week, where they will choose one of the final 3 contestants. Although it is not as popular as American Idol, it is a better show. For one thing, the performers play their own instruments and perform the entire song (unlike Idol). Also, the way they choose is better (although not for the ratings). Each episode features all but one of the previous contestants. They just know who it is until the end when they are not invited to go on stage.
(Thanks to my Sister for introducing me to Nashville Star)
*****
Speaking of The Apprentice, I heard an interview the radio with Bill Rancic, the winner of The Apprentice. He’s a very popular guy here in Chicago. He sounds like he’s way over his head, but if he can deal with The Donald, he must be something special. There were a number of people who felt that Trump chose Bill over Kwame because of his race. The same people felt that the vote on Idol was racially slanted. I guess they haven't met Ruben Studdard. Anyway, maybe Bill can convince Trump to get a new hairstyle. Rumor has it (I’m beginning to sound like Michael Sneed) that Trump has offered Troy a full scholarship to college if he decides to get a degree.
I have just one thing to say, “HEY DONALD, PLEASE DO THE SAME FOR MEEEEEE!
*****
Beware: Homer Nod! I was impressed with the Dallas Cowboys draft this past weekend. Of course I am easily impressed (especially when it’s the Cowboys we’re talking about). I thought trading down for Buffalo’s number one next year was a stroke of genius. I especially like one of the picks they made in the 7th round. A kid named Patrick Clayton. This guy is a true athlete. He was the starting quarterback for a team that was the runner-up in the NAIA and is an outstanding kick returner. He’s projected to be a wide receiver.
*****
Michael Jackson fired his legal team yesterday. Apparently, the gloved one was not happy with the amount of attention his prior team was paying him. I may be wrong, but the chances that his team is neglecting him are very small indeed. This trial could potentially make or break an attorney’s career, unless he loses.
Hmmm, maybe that’s why they "decided to step down".
*****
Well that’s all I got. Gotta go get the kids from carpool. With gas prices where they are in Chicago (I paid $1.96 a gallon at the cheap place), I should make them walk. Aw, who am I kidding. I don’t walk anywhere. Why should I make them? Oh yeah…’cause I can!
Have a great day, ya'll.
So John Kerry denied throwing away his medals. He said in an interview on “Good Morning America” that he actually threw away his ribbons. However, he said that he threw away the medals of another soldier at the vet’s request. Well, ABC played a video clip where Kerry clearly states that he did indeed threw away his medals. Charles Gibson asked him which is it, to which Kerry, clearly befuddled, says, "This is a controversy the Republicans are pushing."
While I believe we all need to worry about the future and not dwell too much in what happened 33 years ago, I think it’s important to note that Mr. Kerry is running on his war record. If he’s uncomfortable about questions regarding that record, he shouldn’t call any question of it a “Republican controversy”.
*****
Y’know. When someone has a really bad experience somewhere, he tends not remember it fondly. Yet that is what Senator Kerry did during a boat tour of the lower Delta marshes in Louisiana. While with Senator Landrieu (D, La.), he remarked, “this reminds me of the river banks in Vietnam”. Now I’m not sure what point the candidate was trying to make, but I assume (or hope) he wasn't having flashbacks of the war. But comparing someone’s state to a war zone? It would be like someone visiting a campground remarking how much it looks like Auschwitz!
*****
I’m concerned about something should President Bush win in November. If he does win, who would be next in line after him in the Republican Party. For many reasons, Vice President Cheney would not be a viable candidate. His health concerns alone would give the nation pause. Without someone groomed to be Bush's successor, I wonder what will happen in 2008 (at least in the Republican Party).
My biggest fear is that Hillary takes the Dems nomination. Without a powerful opponent, it would be tough running against a Clinton.. I just feel that perhaps once the election is over (maybe a year after), Cheney should step aside (but continue to be a BIG part of the Bush administration) and perhaps tap Rudy Giuliani to replace him. We know that Colin Powell is stepping down after the election, Maybe Condoleeza Rice takes over as Secretary of State and then replaces Cheney in 2007. Wouldn’t that be cool? Condi vs. Hillary? Geri Ferraro, look out!
*****
Israeli military officials say that they believe Mahmoud Zahar is the new leader of Hamas. I can just see him reading the newspaper and find it out! All of the sudden, everyone gets out of his way. The only one will come near him is mortician. Could you imagine being his driver? “Hey Ahmed, we need to go to the office now!”. “No way, Mahmoud.. Get away way from me! Leave me alone! (as Israeli helicopters approach) Aaaaahhhhhhh!”. I’m guessing someone in the Hamas leadership has decided that Zahar is the Fredo of the organization and want him sleeping with fishes.
*****
Hosni Mubarak, “President” of Egypt, said this past week that there is “unprecedented hatred” of America due to the war in Iraq. Hatred? Of America? Unprecedented? Who is he kidding? There has never been any “love” for America in the Arab world. Hatred of America has been going on for years. Whether it was in Tehran, Mogadishu, Beirut or Cairo, it’s been alive and well for a long, long time. Mubarak should look at his own government for the spread of this hatred. According to the Middle East Media Research Institute, numerous anti-American commentaries have run in the Egyptian controlled press as well as in state run Universities. For a more detailed rant about this, see Jeff Jacoby’s article in today’s JWR (read it -- here).
Aside from Israel, the United States gives more financial aid to Egypt. Perhaps we should be rethinking who our “friends” really are. With friends like these…
*****
Here is a link (requires free registration) to a very somber article written in the Jerusalem Post by Susie Weiss. Many of you know her and her husband, Rabbi Stewart Weiss. They unfortunately lost their son, Ari while serving in the Israeli army in the Nahal Brigade.
Thanks to my good friend, Gregg Goldenberg for the info.
*****
Well, I’ve become a reality TV-aholic. At first it was Average Joe, then Fear Factor, then The Apprentice and now American Idol and Nashville Star. Rumor has it that Jennifer Hudson lost because a number of people from her fan base in the Chicago area lost power due to a tornado and severe thunderstorms. Maybe, but I think it was more likely that most people felt that Jennifer, Fantasia Barrino and LaToya London were safe and decided to vote for John Stevens instead (so he wouldn’t lose too bad). Personally, George Huff is my favorite, but Latoya should win. And of course, I think I could do better then all of them! Hehe.
Nashville Star is also a great show. It airs on the USA Network on Saturday night. The final episode is on this week, where they will choose one of the final 3 contestants. Although it is not as popular as American Idol, it is a better show. For one thing, the performers play their own instruments and perform the entire song (unlike Idol). Also, the way they choose is better (although not for the ratings). Each episode features all but one of the previous contestants. They just know who it is until the end when they are not invited to go on stage.
(Thanks to my Sister for introducing me to Nashville Star)
*****
Speaking of The Apprentice, I heard an interview the radio with Bill Rancic, the winner of The Apprentice. He’s a very popular guy here in Chicago. He sounds like he’s way over his head, but if he can deal with The Donald, he must be something special. There were a number of people who felt that Trump chose Bill over Kwame because of his race. The same people felt that the vote on Idol was racially slanted. I guess they haven't met Ruben Studdard. Anyway, maybe Bill can convince Trump to get a new hairstyle. Rumor has it (I’m beginning to sound like Michael Sneed) that Trump has offered Troy a full scholarship to college if he decides to get a degree.
I have just one thing to say, “HEY DONALD, PLEASE DO THE SAME FOR MEEEEEE!
*****
Beware: Homer Nod! I was impressed with the Dallas Cowboys draft this past weekend. Of course I am easily impressed (especially when it’s the Cowboys we’re talking about). I thought trading down for Buffalo’s number one next year was a stroke of genius. I especially like one of the picks they made in the 7th round. A kid named Patrick Clayton. This guy is a true athlete. He was the starting quarterback for a team that was the runner-up in the NAIA and is an outstanding kick returner. He’s projected to be a wide receiver.
*****
Michael Jackson fired his legal team yesterday. Apparently, the gloved one was not happy with the amount of attention his prior team was paying him. I may be wrong, but the chances that his team is neglecting him are very small indeed. This trial could potentially make or break an attorney’s career, unless he loses.
Hmmm, maybe that’s why they "decided to step down".
*****
Well that’s all I got. Gotta go get the kids from carpool. With gas prices where they are in Chicago (I paid $1.96 a gallon at the cheap place), I should make them walk. Aw, who am I kidding. I don’t walk anywhere. Why should I make them? Oh yeah…’cause I can!
Have a great day, ya'll.
Sunday, April 25, 2004
Friday, April 23, 2004
Zero Sanity
I recently read that a 12-year-old seventh grader in Sugar Land, Tex. was charged with a third-degree felony. Apparently, back in February, he wrote some bad words on his desk at school. The school's police decided to make a report and turned it over to the district attorney's office. Once the D.A. took over, he filed the felony for writing “gang graffiti”.
When asked what happened after they found the graffiti, The boy’s mother replied “they wiped it off with cleaning fluid”.
Now I know there are reasons why schools have a policy of “zero tolerance”, but come on. Who among us hasn’t written stuff on our desks?
This led me to find other cases of stupidity that there have been.
I came across a website called zerointelligence.com. In this site, I found a database of these stories. Some are so far-fetched that you’d never believe them. For example, in Rio Rancho, N. Mex., a 13-year-old middle school student was suspended for five days for having heartburn-relief medicine in his possession. (read the article – here)
It was the over-the-counter medicine “Gas-Ex”. Apparently, Rio Rancho is the one with the gas. After reviewing their ruling, the Rio Rancho Board of Education upheld the decision to suspend the boy for “personal substance abuse”.
The only one abused here is the kid.
And then there’s the story that came out in Lawrence, N.J. (read story here – requires registration)
In this idyllic community near Princeton, the school decided to limit bathroom breaks to 15 a month. In order to enforce this policy, they are locking the bathroom doors between classes.
However, under attack from a few parents and the students, the school board has recently revised this rule. It announced that the students can now have 30 potty breaks a month. It’s a good thing, too, being that there are usually 22-23 school days in an average month. But I wonder, can you save them up and roll over the unused passes for the next month? What happens if a kid has a stomach disorder or a urinary track infection and has to go, like every 15 minutes? Or for girls who have that “not so fresh feeling”? Maybe that’s why Rio Rancho won’t let the kid have the Gas-Ex. If he took it, it would make him go to the bathroom!
When did we become inundated with all of these asinine rules of “zero tolerance”? I speculate it probably stemmed from the Columbine tragedy. But the lesson we should have learned from that horrible event was not that kids are abusing potty breaks or writing on their desks or even bringing G.I. Joe toys to school. It’s that we should be more involved in our kids lives and help them deal with the pressures of adolescence.
Unfortunately in our generation, our children are being raised with the false vision of the liberal left. Today’s child is taught by those who rebelled against the “establishment” in the ‘60s. While living in the White House, First Lady Hillary Clinton wrote a book called, “It Takes A Village”. The premise is that a child is raised by a whole community. This is a ‘60s radical thinking. It was the utopian society the “Flower Children” dreamed up. The problem is that utopia is not real. While there were (and are) some good things that came out from that generation, the most we got out of it was that “it takes a village”. It’s the fault of “no one” and “no one” is to blame. If you get a bad grade at school, there is no recrimination. In Nashville, they’ve already done away with the “Dean’s List”. Let’s do away with grades altogether! Just as long as we don’t make him feel bad. It doesn’t take a village. It takes a parent.
Unless he has to go to the bathroom.
I recently read that a 12-year-old seventh grader in Sugar Land, Tex. was charged with a third-degree felony. Apparently, back in February, he wrote some bad words on his desk at school. The school's police decided to make a report and turned it over to the district attorney's office. Once the D.A. took over, he filed the felony for writing “gang graffiti”.
When asked what happened after they found the graffiti, The boy’s mother replied “they wiped it off with cleaning fluid”.
Now I know there are reasons why schools have a policy of “zero tolerance”, but come on. Who among us hasn’t written stuff on our desks?
This led me to find other cases of stupidity that there have been.
I came across a website called zerointelligence.com. In this site, I found a database of these stories. Some are so far-fetched that you’d never believe them. For example, in Rio Rancho, N. Mex., a 13-year-old middle school student was suspended for five days for having heartburn-relief medicine in his possession. (read the article – here)
It was the over-the-counter medicine “Gas-Ex”. Apparently, Rio Rancho is the one with the gas. After reviewing their ruling, the Rio Rancho Board of Education upheld the decision to suspend the boy for “personal substance abuse”.
The only one abused here is the kid.
And then there’s the story that came out in Lawrence, N.J. (read story here – requires registration)
In this idyllic community near Princeton, the school decided to limit bathroom breaks to 15 a month. In order to enforce this policy, they are locking the bathroom doors between classes.
However, under attack from a few parents and the students, the school board has recently revised this rule. It announced that the students can now have 30 potty breaks a month. It’s a good thing, too, being that there are usually 22-23 school days in an average month. But I wonder, can you save them up and roll over the unused passes for the next month? What happens if a kid has a stomach disorder or a urinary track infection and has to go, like every 15 minutes? Or for girls who have that “not so fresh feeling”? Maybe that’s why Rio Rancho won’t let the kid have the Gas-Ex. If he took it, it would make him go to the bathroom!
When did we become inundated with all of these asinine rules of “zero tolerance”? I speculate it probably stemmed from the Columbine tragedy. But the lesson we should have learned from that horrible event was not that kids are abusing potty breaks or writing on their desks or even bringing G.I. Joe toys to school. It’s that we should be more involved in our kids lives and help them deal with the pressures of adolescence.
Unfortunately in our generation, our children are being raised with the false vision of the liberal left. Today’s child is taught by those who rebelled against the “establishment” in the ‘60s. While living in the White House, First Lady Hillary Clinton wrote a book called, “It Takes A Village”. The premise is that a child is raised by a whole community. This is a ‘60s radical thinking. It was the utopian society the “Flower Children” dreamed up. The problem is that utopia is not real. While there were (and are) some good things that came out from that generation, the most we got out of it was that “it takes a village”. It’s the fault of “no one” and “no one” is to blame. If you get a bad grade at school, there is no recrimination. In Nashville, they’ve already done away with the “Dean’s List”. Let’s do away with grades altogether! Just as long as we don’t make him feel bad. It doesn’t take a village. It takes a parent.
Unless he has to go to the bathroom.
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Where Has The Time Gone?
“I don’t know why fortune smiles on some, but lets the rest go free” – Don Henley
Twenty years.
Wow. Two decades. 1,040 weeks. 7,304 days. You get the idea. It was some time ago.
1984. That’s what it was. It was the year Geraldine Ferraro ran for Vice-President. The year Apple computer ran was perhaps the most memorable Super Bowl commercial ever. It was the year George Michael whispered carelessly and Frankie told the world to relax. It was the year everyone was calling the Ghostbusters and listening to Amadeus. It’s the year Marvin Gaye, Richard Burton and “Tarzan” (Johnny Weismuller) died and LeBron James, Prince Harry and Mandy Moore were born.
It was half my lifetime ago. Perhaps that’s why I’ve been thinking about it lately. Throughout my life, I’ve always been cognizant of birthdates and anniversary dates. It was a way to take a look at where I was and where I was going. I’m sure it annoys my wife (a perk!), but I like it.
The problem is I too often get melancholic. This is especially true since I was given a new lease on life with my heart transplant. Alan Jackson has a song out now called, “Remember When” and he makes the point of how he got where he is. It tends to get on the corny side, but it’s a pretty song and it got me thinking about where I was in 1984 and where I am today.
20 years ago, I was going thru the motions in both my educational and personal life. I had a bad breakup that year and made some really good friends. I wasn’t yet feeling the pressure of having to grow up and I guess you could say I took this year to find myself. The only problem was I had no idea where to look. I have always believed that there are three paths in the road of life. One to lead you to extreme happiness, one to lead you to contentment and one to lead you to misery.
For the last 20 years, I was pretty sure I followed the last one. My first mistake was not getting my degree. Had I just finished school, I could have done whatever career I wanted. I could have worked for the betterment of the Jewish community or maybe youth work or even in the stock market.
Ok, that doesn’t help my argument. I did that already.
How about this one – if I’d only had worked on the relationship I had that ended that year, I could be married and have children! It was something I’ve always wanted.
Ummm, no. Can’t use that one either, since I’m already married with children (please insert your Al Bundy joke here!).
Here’s a good one – if I’d just followed the doctor’s warnings about my heart, I’d never have had a heart attack. Yeah. That’s a good one.
Oh yeah, they never had a clue.
So what is it that makes me feel like I chose the wrong path? Many of the decisions I have made in my life have not always worked out. Perhaps I shouldn’t have taken this job or moved to that city. I do believe that sometimes we make our own luck and perhaps I never knew how. But then again, maybe I do. Many people have suffered from “Paralysis by Analysis”. I haven’t. I’ve made decisions that sometimes aren’t the best, but in the meantime, were the right decisions at the time. I can’t say that I don’t regret some of them, but looking back, I can’t think what I would have done differently without the benefit of hindsight.
So what is it that makes me feel so forlorn? Is life so bad that I feel the need to reconnect with 1984? As I sit here and write this, I notice two of my boys playing so nice with each other (nice, but LOUD). My daughter is singing a song in her room (ay-yi-yi, where did she get her taste in music?) and my wife is explaining how to make a milkshake to my youngest. I have survived something that very few people do and being home on disability gives me the time to write and spend with my family. In the many places I’ve lived, I have met many wonderful people (many NOT so wonderful as well) and have seen America in all its glory.
As Don Henley also told us, “these days are gone forever, we should just let them go”.
Maybe I should.
Maybe I picked the right path after all.
“I don’t know why fortune smiles on some, but lets the rest go free” – Don Henley
Twenty years.
Wow. Two decades. 1,040 weeks. 7,304 days. You get the idea. It was some time ago.
1984. That’s what it was. It was the year Geraldine Ferraro ran for Vice-President. The year Apple computer ran was perhaps the most memorable Super Bowl commercial ever. It was the year George Michael whispered carelessly and Frankie told the world to relax. It was the year everyone was calling the Ghostbusters and listening to Amadeus. It’s the year Marvin Gaye, Richard Burton and “Tarzan” (Johnny Weismuller) died and LeBron James, Prince Harry and Mandy Moore were born.
It was half my lifetime ago. Perhaps that’s why I’ve been thinking about it lately. Throughout my life, I’ve always been cognizant of birthdates and anniversary dates. It was a way to take a look at where I was and where I was going. I’m sure it annoys my wife (a perk!), but I like it.
The problem is I too often get melancholic. This is especially true since I was given a new lease on life with my heart transplant. Alan Jackson has a song out now called, “Remember When” and he makes the point of how he got where he is. It tends to get on the corny side, but it’s a pretty song and it got me thinking about where I was in 1984 and where I am today.
20 years ago, I was going thru the motions in both my educational and personal life. I had a bad breakup that year and made some really good friends. I wasn’t yet feeling the pressure of having to grow up and I guess you could say I took this year to find myself. The only problem was I had no idea where to look. I have always believed that there are three paths in the road of life. One to lead you to extreme happiness, one to lead you to contentment and one to lead you to misery.
For the last 20 years, I was pretty sure I followed the last one. My first mistake was not getting my degree. Had I just finished school, I could have done whatever career I wanted. I could have worked for the betterment of the Jewish community or maybe youth work or even in the stock market.
Ok, that doesn’t help my argument. I did that already.
How about this one – if I’d only had worked on the relationship I had that ended that year, I could be married and have children! It was something I’ve always wanted.
Ummm, no. Can’t use that one either, since I’m already married with children (please insert your Al Bundy joke here!).
Here’s a good one – if I’d just followed the doctor’s warnings about my heart, I’d never have had a heart attack. Yeah. That’s a good one.
Oh yeah, they never had a clue.
So what is it that makes me feel like I chose the wrong path? Many of the decisions I have made in my life have not always worked out. Perhaps I shouldn’t have taken this job or moved to that city. I do believe that sometimes we make our own luck and perhaps I never knew how. But then again, maybe I do. Many people have suffered from “Paralysis by Analysis”. I haven’t. I’ve made decisions that sometimes aren’t the best, but in the meantime, were the right decisions at the time. I can’t say that I don’t regret some of them, but looking back, I can’t think what I would have done differently without the benefit of hindsight.
So what is it that makes me feel so forlorn? Is life so bad that I feel the need to reconnect with 1984? As I sit here and write this, I notice two of my boys playing so nice with each other (nice, but LOUD). My daughter is singing a song in her room (ay-yi-yi, where did she get her taste in music?) and my wife is explaining how to make a milkshake to my youngest. I have survived something that very few people do and being home on disability gives me the time to write and spend with my family. In the many places I’ve lived, I have met many wonderful people (many NOT so wonderful as well) and have seen America in all its glory.
As Don Henley also told us, “these days are gone forever, we should just let them go”.
Maybe I should.
Maybe I picked the right path after all.
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
John Kerry, Monday Morning Quarterback
John Kerry is an angry man. John Kerry is a man on a mission. John Kerry knows what has to be done and by golly, he’s going to do it.
At least according to John Kerry.
John Kerry believes he knows why America is despised. He knows why people are out of work. He knows why the President went to war with Iraq.
He knows. He’s said so himself. "Never has the United States of America been held in as low a regard internationally as we are today. We're not trusted, and this administration is not liked." Stressing that failure in Iraq was not an option, Kerry vowed to return multilateralism to U.S. foreign policy because "it is not weakness, it is strength and we need a president who understands how to reach out to other countries."Furthermore, Kerry is quoted in a Washington Post article saying, “And everything [President Bush] did in Iraq, he’s going to try to persuade people it has to do with terror, even though everybody here knows that it has nothing whatsoever to do with al Qaeda and everything to do with an agenda that they had preset, determined. That’s where they're going to go.”
What we have here is a Senator who is not pleased. Here’s more, “Today, the President continued to mislead the public about the war in Iraq when he said that he ‘had a choice to make after Saddam Hussein once again refused to disarm’ during an appearance in North Carolina. … But the president has already admitted that there was nothing to disarm when he was on Meet The Press …”
Get the idea? And that’s just what he says about Iraq! There are other topics Sen. Kerry has issues with as well. According to the Senator, President Bush lied to us, only cares about the very wealthy, has made us the most hated country in the world, put 3 million people out of work and has turned his back on students.
Wow.
I’m amazed that Congress hasn’t tried the President for treason! Lock him up and throw away the key. No wonder America so hated. And what is the cause of all this despair? Yep. President George W. Bush.
And just what does the Senator propose we do about all this? Do not re-elect him. That’s it. Nothing more. Get rid of the root cause, that’s all. Just pull a Donald Trump and fire him, then we’ll be all better.
At least according to John Kerry.
There are, of course two problems with this premise. He’s wrong and he’s dreaming. John Kerry reminds me of a football fan who is upset because his team didn’t win by 40 points. They played well and they beat the team they were expected to beat, but they didn’t win as big as he would have if he were the coach. He is quick to tell everyone what the team did wrong and point out all it’s perceived failings and exclaims, “I’d have beaten ‘em by 50 points if I were the coach”!
Kerry is wrong because the President didn’t lie. He, along with the UN and the Clinton Administration all believed the intelligence that President based his decisions on was accurate. In addition, during his State of the Union address in January 2003, The President said, “Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike? If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words, and all recriminations would come too late. Trusting in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy, and it is not an option”. This was the basis for the war. Furthermore, the U.N. Security Council had threatened to attack Saddam if he continued to flaunt the resolutions they had passed. Of course, the Security Council backed down when push came to shove but we later found out why (private deals between Iraq and “certain allies” that would allow them to profit from Saddam staying in power).
Furthermore, Kerry is wrong about the very wealthy as well. According to the Urban Brookings Tax Policy Center, “the fraction of the total tax burden falling on the richest 5 percent is actually higher - after Bush's tax cuts — than it was before.” And he’s wrong about the 3,000,000 Americans who’ve lost their jobs as well. The U.S. economy is a cyclical cycle. While Kerry laments the jobs lost, he conveniently ignores the jobs created. .
This is very typical of today’s Democratic Party. Instead of “Take Back America”, their motto really should be “Take THAT America”. The objective of the leftist movement is not jobs, not Iraq and not the economy. It’s one simple principle, BUSH IS BAD! It doesn’t matter that we are in a very justified war against very real enemies or that unemployment is at a level lower than in many years. It doesn’t matter that President Bush has done more for spreading democracy around the World than any leader since Ronald Reagan won the Cold War and it doesn’t matter that 33 countries have supported us and are part of a real coalition of allies. But mostly, it doesn’t matter that President George W. Bush is the only candidate who recognizes that the war we are waging requires new understanding of the realities in the world. No, the only thing that matters to John Kerry and his cohorts is “what can I do to get elected”.
Yet this is not the scariest part. If Kerry has his way, this country would be in serious danger. Take for instance the angry football fan. If, say he bought the team and decided to run things his way (known as the Dan Snyder Effect), his team would not only NOT win 40-0, but would more than likely start LOSING by that score. Just because wants to make a change in the Presidency, it doesn’t mean it would be change for the better. That’s why I believe Mr. Kerry is delusional.
I have read Mr. Kerry’s policies and they can be summed up in three ways. #1; George Bush is bad, #2; we should change everything he is doing, even though his policies are working, and #3; Just because certain policies have been proven to be ineffective time and time again, let’s do them again. Want to bring peace to the Middle East, let’s make sure that the U.N. is on board first because we know that they have AMERICA’S best interest in mind. Want to stop the flow of foreign jobs overseas? Reform taxation is the ways to go. And this does not even count the many issues that Mr. Kerry has held conflicting views on (“I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it”).
The war against terror cannot be placed in the hands of people like John Kerry. His policies are flawed and his message is hypocritical. In the last 35 years, America has suffered from a “Vietnam Syndrome” and we have forgotten lessons of the many generations before us. This is not a war fought in a far off place that means little to the average Joe. We were attacked on our own soil by Islamofacists whose intent is to destroy the very freedoms that we hold so dear. This is a new era and a new war. Were the ‘90s great? Sure, in some ways. It’s always great while you’re living in denial of the things that are happening in the real world.
John Kerry wants to return to that world. George Bush knows that world only exists dreams. It looks like the armchair quarterback needs to calm down and let the pros handle the job.
John Kerry is an angry man. John Kerry is a man on a mission. John Kerry knows what has to be done and by golly, he’s going to do it.
At least according to John Kerry.
John Kerry believes he knows why America is despised. He knows why people are out of work. He knows why the President went to war with Iraq.
He knows. He’s said so himself. "Never has the United States of America been held in as low a regard internationally as we are today. We're not trusted, and this administration is not liked." Stressing that failure in Iraq was not an option, Kerry vowed to return multilateralism to U.S. foreign policy because "it is not weakness, it is strength and we need a president who understands how to reach out to other countries."Furthermore, Kerry is quoted in a Washington Post article saying, “And everything [President Bush] did in Iraq, he’s going to try to persuade people it has to do with terror, even though everybody here knows that it has nothing whatsoever to do with al Qaeda and everything to do with an agenda that they had preset, determined. That’s where they're going to go.”
What we have here is a Senator who is not pleased. Here’s more, “Today, the President continued to mislead the public about the war in Iraq when he said that he ‘had a choice to make after Saddam Hussein once again refused to disarm’ during an appearance in North Carolina. … But the president has already admitted that there was nothing to disarm when he was on Meet The Press …”
Get the idea? And that’s just what he says about Iraq! There are other topics Sen. Kerry has issues with as well. According to the Senator, President Bush lied to us, only cares about the very wealthy, has made us the most hated country in the world, put 3 million people out of work and has turned his back on students.
Wow.
I’m amazed that Congress hasn’t tried the President for treason! Lock him up and throw away the key. No wonder America so hated. And what is the cause of all this despair? Yep. President George W. Bush.
And just what does the Senator propose we do about all this? Do not re-elect him. That’s it. Nothing more. Get rid of the root cause, that’s all. Just pull a Donald Trump and fire him, then we’ll be all better.
At least according to John Kerry.
There are, of course two problems with this premise. He’s wrong and he’s dreaming. John Kerry reminds me of a football fan who is upset because his team didn’t win by 40 points. They played well and they beat the team they were expected to beat, but they didn’t win as big as he would have if he were the coach. He is quick to tell everyone what the team did wrong and point out all it’s perceived failings and exclaims, “I’d have beaten ‘em by 50 points if I were the coach”!
Kerry is wrong because the President didn’t lie. He, along with the UN and the Clinton Administration all believed the intelligence that President based his decisions on was accurate. In addition, during his State of the Union address in January 2003, The President said, “Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike? If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words, and all recriminations would come too late. Trusting in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy, and it is not an option”. This was the basis for the war. Furthermore, the U.N. Security Council had threatened to attack Saddam if he continued to flaunt the resolutions they had passed. Of course, the Security Council backed down when push came to shove but we later found out why (private deals between Iraq and “certain allies” that would allow them to profit from Saddam staying in power).
Furthermore, Kerry is wrong about the very wealthy as well. According to the Urban Brookings Tax Policy Center, “the fraction of the total tax burden falling on the richest 5 percent is actually higher - after Bush's tax cuts — than it was before.” And he’s wrong about the 3,000,000 Americans who’ve lost their jobs as well. The U.S. economy is a cyclical cycle. While Kerry laments the jobs lost, he conveniently ignores the jobs created. .
This is very typical of today’s Democratic Party. Instead of “Take Back America”, their motto really should be “Take THAT America”. The objective of the leftist movement is not jobs, not Iraq and not the economy. It’s one simple principle, BUSH IS BAD! It doesn’t matter that we are in a very justified war against very real enemies or that unemployment is at a level lower than in many years. It doesn’t matter that President Bush has done more for spreading democracy around the World than any leader since Ronald Reagan won the Cold War and it doesn’t matter that 33 countries have supported us and are part of a real coalition of allies. But mostly, it doesn’t matter that President George W. Bush is the only candidate who recognizes that the war we are waging requires new understanding of the realities in the world. No, the only thing that matters to John Kerry and his cohorts is “what can I do to get elected”.
Yet this is not the scariest part. If Kerry has his way, this country would be in serious danger. Take for instance the angry football fan. If, say he bought the team and decided to run things his way (known as the Dan Snyder Effect), his team would not only NOT win 40-0, but would more than likely start LOSING by that score. Just because wants to make a change in the Presidency, it doesn’t mean it would be change for the better. That’s why I believe Mr. Kerry is delusional.
I have read Mr. Kerry’s policies and they can be summed up in three ways. #1; George Bush is bad, #2; we should change everything he is doing, even though his policies are working, and #3; Just because certain policies have been proven to be ineffective time and time again, let’s do them again. Want to bring peace to the Middle East, let’s make sure that the U.N. is on board first because we know that they have AMERICA’S best interest in mind. Want to stop the flow of foreign jobs overseas? Reform taxation is the ways to go. And this does not even count the many issues that Mr. Kerry has held conflicting views on (“I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it”).
The war against terror cannot be placed in the hands of people like John Kerry. His policies are flawed and his message is hypocritical. In the last 35 years, America has suffered from a “Vietnam Syndrome” and we have forgotten lessons of the many generations before us. This is not a war fought in a far off place that means little to the average Joe. We were attacked on our own soil by Islamofacists whose intent is to destroy the very freedoms that we hold so dear. This is a new era and a new war. Were the ‘90s great? Sure, in some ways. It’s always great while you’re living in denial of the things that are happening in the real world.
John Kerry wants to return to that world. George Bush knows that world only exists dreams. It looks like the armchair quarterback needs to calm down and let the pros handle the job.
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