Posted by
J. Drane on Friday, October 27, 2006 7:43:15 PM
George W. Bush was elected in the fall of 2000, which just happened to be my first semester of college and the first election I was eligible to vote in (having turned 18 in the preceding September). I must admit that I was one of the millions of “un-informed voters” who cast their vote in a similar manner as they choose their lottery numbers (quite a sad admission for a citizen of this great democracy, I must admit). My mother cast her Republican vote for Al Gore as she advised me that GWB was a war monger and she would not have me go to war, being the only child of a single mother I cannot blame her for her choice.
She, I, nor anyone could have foreseen the incredible events to befall America the following September; I do not believe that my mother’s assessment of GWB was correct but she was, nonetheless, correct about America’s future. During this period a lot of young American’s took up arms for our country and I am eternally grateful for their sacrifice because as I see it is one’s greatest honor to serve their country, especially in this time of great need. Over the next several years I became incredibly interested in history all while keeping a close eye on world events and America’s role in the two post 9/11 wars (Afghanistan and Iraq) along with the growing tensions between Radical Islam, Iran, North Korea & America.
During this period the liberal Democratic party has become increasingly disgruntled and seemingly taken the philosophy of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” one step too far in their criticism of Republicans and GWB in particular. In saying that they have taken that philosophy too far I mean that it seems as if they oppose anything that GWB does, whether it is ultimately good for America or not. It seems as if they would go to any length to route President Bush, even opposing programs that clearly have America’s best interest in mind and severely hinder the Terrorists ability to conduct war. They are unintentionally on the side of the terrorists on most issues because of their pure partisan hatred of the President; they would cut off their nose to spite their face. My point is that there is a War in Washington, not the war against terror, Afghanistan, or Iraq; it’s the war between the Democrats and Republicans, and the fog of war has clouded Washington’s reason & logic.
This fog seems to be greatly clouding the minds of Democrats, as it appears that most of the President’s policies conform to a reaction that I would agree with during a time of war. In previous times of war our government has infringed upon its citizens most basic civil liberties by enforcing drafts, monitoring inbound and outbound correspondence, creating concentration camps etc… all in the name of self-preservation. All of which were instrumental in the continuance of this Great Democracy, yet the Democratic Party refuses to admit that we are in a state of war that calls for extreme measures. Even as our enemies kill, maim & torture our soldiers and threaten our very way of life the liberals seem more concerned with the rights and liberties of our enemies than the lives of our own citizens. They have forced the Republicans to drag them through this war kicking and screaming and I cannot recall one single productive idea the Democratic Party has proposed for this war. In the contrary they opposed every effort the Republicans have made to make this world safer for Americans and I can guarantee that when the next 9/11 happens they will most definitely point the finger at the only party making an effort, all in the name of partisanship. I must note that I have no intention of picking on the Democrats, but the system in Washington that consumes their politics. I have no doubt that if the roles were switched the Republicans would be guilty of the same illogical partisan hatred.
If our politicians were to step back from the partisan hatred and look at the situation I believe that they would see the clear truths about the world today:
o This is a new and extreme war that requires new and extreme measures. We cannot allow the terrorists to get a foothold in American culture. If known terrorists are contacting people within the U.S. (citizens or not) we should know when, where, why, how often etc… this is not a game of civil liberties but a time of war. Domestic monitoring of foreign calls is critical in identifying and capturing terrorist cells within our boarders. Secrete monitoring programs that track terrorists bank accounts and money transfers are critical. Aggressive interrogations of known terrorists to extract information are critical. These terrorists have declared war on America;, speak daily about the death of America and, most importantly, THEY HAVE ATTACKED US. Please make no mistake that this is war and our very way of life is in question.
o Israel is our biggest ally in the war on Terror, and inversely Iran is the world’s largest supporter of Terror. The Iranian leader has made his intentions of destroying Israel crystal clear and most disturbing is that Iran is actively trying to obtain nuclear technology. It is reasonable to believe that if Iran were to succeed that those weapons would surely find their way into the hands of Terrorists and eventually find its way into Israel and ultimately onto American soil. Iran’s nuclear ambitions must be stopped at any cost.
o Iran also has a stranglehold on the worlds oil supply through its own oil reserves and those of Venezuela (whom supplies a great deal of oil to America). The time has come to begin creating the infrastructure to draw oil from America’s vast oil reserves in Alaska, California, and the Gulf; so as to stifle Iran’s stranglehold on America’s oil supply meanwhile paying a great deal of attention to alternative energy sources. In today’s world, energy policy is foreign policy.
o Citizens make governments; we must abandon this idea that governments do not represent the ideals of its peoples. If a government is unjust it is the responsibility of its citizens to keep that government in check, all peoples not living with freedom are soldiers fighting for it.
o We are at war and the enemy’s life and rights are not more important then our own. The Constitution protects the rights and liberties of American’s, not our enemies.
o We must protect our boarders. You can give whatever reason you want but it boils down to this: The states have relinquished the right to defend their own boarders, subordinating to the Federal Government, and if the Federal Government will not fulfill its end of the bargain then we have a fundamental breach of the contract known as the “Constitution.”
o No nation has a sound logical reason for nuclear proliferation. It seems as if the most prevalent argument is that “Who are we (Americans) to say that they cannot have what we have? What gives us that right?” My response is this: as a lover of history it is easy to see that humanity has been plagued with evil men and is it so hard to believe that such men are still born today? Four our own safety we cannot allow nuclear weapons to spread because they will inevitably find their way into the hands of a madman willing to use them. The second most prevalent reason I hear for country’s to want/need nuclear weapons is for protection (i.e. Mutual Destruction). To that I say: Since the initial use in WWII the U.S. has not used a nuclear weapon against another country and we have sworn not to. My question is that if all of humanity has universally condemned nuclear weapons, why do we try to justify the acts of evil men trying to obtain this scourge of humanity?
I believe anyone who has taken the time to concern themselves with recent world events and human history must come to the same (or similar) conclusions; it’s simply common sense.