“We start therefore with a strong presumption that the Second Amendment right is
exercised individually and belongs to all Americans.”
— Justice Antonin Scalia writing for the Supreme Court in 554 U. S. ____ (2008)
I don't like how the Iraq war is being handled.
Published Thu, Feb 15 2007 9:57 AM
Technorati Tags: War on Terror, Liberals, Democrats, Media, Iraq
I'm sick of how the media and our political class are handling the Iraq war. I'm tired of the celebration of the body counts. I'm tired of the constant focus on how bad things are, when the streets in a few American cities are apparently even more dangerous than most of Iraq.
I'm tired of the lack of interest in the successes we've had in Iraq. Washington Senator Patty Murray was tagged with the name "Osama Mama" for a reason. She said all sorts of glowing things about Osama bin Laden's humanitarianism and philanthropy. She talked about the the hospitals, schools, and roads he allegedly built, saying "we haven't done that".
And yet that's exactly what we have been doing in Iraq. Americans have been in Iraq repairing the infrastructure almost since the war began. Yes, the left has been saying that we broke it so we have to fix it, but we didn't break it all. A lot of the problem was due to Saddam's neglect of his people's needs while he padded his bank accounts, and those of a few of his friends in France, Germany, Russia and New York with money from the Oil for Food program.
I'm tired of the endless comparisons made by the political right of what the Democrats are saying and what our enemy is saying. Not because the comparisons don't need to be made, but because they do need to be made. When our enemy seems to be parroting the talking points of the the Democrats, or is it the other way around, it seems pretty clear what side the Democrats are on.
I'm tired of all of the "We support the troops, but not their mission" crap that flows out of the mouths of our elected representatives and the "peace" crowd here at home. The "non-binding" waste of time that the House of Representatives has been going through is exactly that sort of nonsense. It starts with a statement that they support the troops and continues with a statement that they don't support sending enough of them to get the job done.
I'm past tired of the endless, ludicrous comparisons of the war in Iraq to the Vietnam war from people who had their coming of age and their glory days during the Vietnam war. We lost that war because of them, and now they're actively trying to sap the American people's will to win this one. Let's not forget it was liberal Democrats that got us into that war.
I don't like the way the media props up people like Cindy Sheehan who did a one-eighty on how she saw her first meeting with the president when she found she could get fame and notoriety by claiming he rebuffed her. That's not what she said at first. But she became a media darling, while the media pointedly ignores other parents who have lost their children fighting the war -- because those parents support what we're doing.
I don't care for the way the media overlooks the foot-in-mouth antics of "celebrity" politicians like Barak Obama when they say that the 3000+ lives given by American soldiers to bring freedom and prosperity to the people of Iraq were "wasted." Barak Obama wouldn't even be a "celebrity" if it weren't for the fawning leftists in the media.
Let's face it. If Al Gore had been elected President in 2000, Osama bin Laden's thugs would have still attacked us on September 11, 2001. The left might think otherwise, but there's ample evidence. Just look at all of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. and on U.S. interests during the Clinton presidency.
If Al Gore had been president then, there's ample reason to believe that America still would have gone to Afghanistan to root out al Qaeda. There's plenty of room for doubt, but until George W. Bush was elected president, nearly all of the "doves" in the Democratic party were hawks. We would probably have even gone after Iraq.
If that had happened, do you honestly believe that the Democrats would be advocating a cut-and-run strategy like they are today? If that had happened, would Patty Murray have ended up praising the humanitarian efforts of a terrorist butcher? If that had happened, would the war on terror be endlessly compared to the war in Vietnam?
I don't think so.
And that's why I'm tired of the way the left has been handling the war in Iraq. They don't offer solutions, only criticisms. They don't support our efforts, they support our enemies.
Once upon a time that was called treason.
Trackposted to Pirate's Cove, Faultline USA, High Desert Wanderer, basil's blog, Conservative Thoughts, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
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Let the people vote
Published Thu, Feb 15 2007 9:01 AM
Technorati Tags: News and Politics, Annoyances
What is it about professional sports teams that makes their owners want to screw the public? They're businesses that make hundreds of millions of dollars, with some of the highest paid employees in the world, yet they always want to play their games on the public dole. From the Seattle Times:
Sonics owner Clay Bennett doesn't want a public vote on taxes to pay for the team's proposed new $500 million Renton arena because the outcome would probably be the same as most of the team's games this year: a loss.
That's exactly what it would be, and should be. The Sonics tried to extort a few hundred million out of the City of Seattle with the threat that they'd leave if they didn't get it. The people of Seattle voted against them, so they decided to move across the lake and try it there.
In an interview Wednesday with The Seattle Times editorial board, Bennett said he hopes politicians will show "leadership" to keep the Sonics and Storm in the state by approving the taxes without a public referendum.
The type of "leadership" Clay Bennett wants the politicians to show is the same sort of "leadership" they showed several years ago, when the people of the State of Washington said "NO" to funding a new stadium for the Mariners. The "leadership" the legislature showed then was to go into "emergency" session to come up with new taxes against the express will of the people.
Voters have never let politicians forget that episode.
Still, there are some people in the legislature that want the Sonics in their hometown enough that they'll come up with any excuse to try to thwart the will of the people.
"I'm not sure what their motive is," said Prentice, D-Renton. "Why have a public vote on a tax the people are already paying, and paying quite willingly?"
Although the Sonics' plan would not increase taxes being paid by county residents, it would extend the life of some taxes scheduled to expire and divert some taxes that could otherwise pay for general state services.
Isn't that enough of a reason to have a public vote?
Prentice said she believes any political fallout from approving the tax package would be "very positive."
Keep believing that. If you do, maybe we'll see a Republican in that seat after the next election. Somehow in this ultra-leftist state I doubt it, but enough of these outrages and it will eventually happen.
The Sonics proposal, Senate Bill 5986, sponsored by Prentice, would raise $300 million for construction of the Sonics arena and an additional $123 million for arts groups and for future maintenance at Safeco Field.
An additional $200 million needed for the $500 million Sonics arena would be split by Sonics owners and the city of Renton, Bennett said.
Bennett has refused to specify the owners' contribution and said Wednesday some of it could come from selling naming rights to the arena or a ticket tax on premium seats.
Yet another tax? On top of the other taxes funding this? Give me a break. We already have three "major professional sports teams" here in Washington. All of them "can't survive" without public funding. Meanwhile our roads are falling apart and Seattle is closing schools. $423 million won't solve those problems, but it could fix quite a few potholes in our roads or buy a few more computers for classrooms.
At the editorial board interview Wednesday, Bennett appeared dejected at times and said the arena plan needed support soon from top political and business leaders to have a chance.
He said the public needs to think about the arena as a community asset that would have more than 200 events a year, including basketball games, concerts, conventions and possibly a National Hockey League team.
"I'm troubled by the fact that I seem to be the only one who wants it to happen," he said.
If he can't get an arena deal this year, Bennett has said he may move the Sonics to Oklahoma City, his hometown.
"I personally hope we can get the building built, but if we don't, I'm OK, too," he said.
If we don't, I'm OK too. It's long past time that professional sports organizations were forced to make good on their extortionist threats against the people of Washington. Don't let the door hit you on the backside on your way out of town Mr. Bennett.
Cross posted to NWBloggers.com
Trackposted to Pirate's Cove, High Desert Wanderer, basil's blog, Conservative Thoughts, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
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Racecar spelled backwards is racecar
Published Thu, Feb 15 2007 1:12 AM
Technorati Tags: Drag Racing, Open Trackbacks
Remember this car? It's still for sale. Contact me for details.
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