I've just concluded a long Thanksgiving weekend with my family. As we move into the Advent and Christmas season, it's a good time to reflect upon the many gifts and blessings that Americans enjoy in life.
We are so fortunate in this country. No matter what circumstances Americans are born under, we have it better than most of the world's population. Not only are we born in a country of abundance, but we are born free. The overwhelming majority of us have solid roofs over our heads and plenty of food in our stomachs. Our education is provided for us at an undergraduate level, and a wide array of funding, both public and private, is available for our higher education.
As we mature, we get to choose a career. If we're reasonably smart and very hardworking, we can enjoy lives of great comfort. The opportunities for Americans to achieve are endless.
We're in a war today, and I'm thankful that we have such a superb military force dedicated to our protection from those who mean us harm. Our American service men and women are a national treasure. They are our modern heroes, and I'm so grateful to have their example to hold up as a standard for future Americans.
I think every American should add an "attitude of gratitude" to their holiday wish list. Let's face it: nobody has it better than we do.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Monday, November 22, 2004
A Simple Question
There is an unrelenting quality to the post-election protestations from the left. In the face of all proof, they seem to remain incredulous that things turned out as they did. I'm reading analyses by the score insisting that the right is too single-minded to be able to see things clearly. We must be a bunch of wild-eyed fanatics, dangerous "our country, right or wrong" types.
It's not so. We merely understand that the world has changed, and it changed long before 9/11. That grim anniversary simply marks the day we could no longer pull the covers over our heads and ignore reality. Not if we wanted to survive, we couldn't.
No sane person wants war. All sane people want a safe home in which to raise their children and live their lives. Americans who support the war, some very reluctantly, are clear-thinking, logical pragmatists. Sometimes, we understand, war is the only way to secure that safety for our future generations. No amount of post-election pontificating can change that fact.
Why is this rational fact of life so difficult for the lefties to assimilate?
It's not so. We merely understand that the world has changed, and it changed long before 9/11. That grim anniversary simply marks the day we could no longer pull the covers over our heads and ignore reality. Not if we wanted to survive, we couldn't.
No sane person wants war. All sane people want a safe home in which to raise their children and live their lives. Americans who support the war, some very reluctantly, are clear-thinking, logical pragmatists. Sometimes, we understand, war is the only way to secure that safety for our future generations. No amount of post-election pontificating can change that fact.
Why is this rational fact of life so difficult for the lefties to assimilate?
Friday, November 19, 2004
Disconnected From Reality
Still reeling from a decisive defeat in the November 2 elections, liberals are casting about for convenient justifications to hang their tattered hats upon.
A poll by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland makes much of the lack of WMDs discovered in Iraq. It suggests that the misguided American majority chose to stand with President Bush because somehow, Bush supporters are afflicted with "cognitive dissonance." Even in light of the Duelfer Report, the liberals lament, Bush supporters persist in their delusions about WMDs.
Voters' personal faith is also raised as an incentive to support President Bush--faith over reason, of course. The faith issue serves as a handy rationalization to assist liberals in believing themselves intellectually superior to the mindless and ignorant conservative masses.
Well, libbers, here are some hard facts:
1. The Dems got nationally spanked in this election.
2. The majority of Americans prefer Bush over Kerry.
3. The War on Terror is a huge concern to most Americans.
These realities are not based on faith but rather on a logical understanding of the clear and present danger to our nation from Islamic radicals, as demonstrated on 9/11. The Madrid and Beslan massacres only underscored our need for strong leadership in the face of a brutal and merciless enemy.
Speaking only for myself as a Bush supporter, the WMDs were never the reason I supported the Iraqi war. In fact, they were an inconsequential red herring. The war was logically necessary for a number of reasons outside of WMDs, the most compelling of which was Saddam Hussein’s proven track record of atrocities. Other reasons, among them his funding of suicide bombers and support of terrorist training camps, buttressed my conclusion beyond all doubt.
I think American voters forgave Bush his error on WMDs because they understand what is at stake. To ensure America’s safety in a post 9/11 world, Saddam simply had to go. After the election, a British publication bemoaned the stupidity of 59+ million Americans in reelecting Bush. How’s that for twisting the data to fit the mindset!
Personal faith had nothing to do with my Republican vote, although I understand it’s within the liberal comfort zone to accept such a simplistic interpretation of the popular mandate (more CD there, perhaps?). No, my faith is not orthodox by any standard. But I do believe in right and wrong, good and evil. I believe in killing those who are determined to murder us and our loved ones, killing them first, quickly, without hesitation and in the largest numbers possible. That belief meant voting for President Bush, because Kerry was not to be trusted with such vital decisions. I’m relieved for all of us that Bush won.
Liberals may call my position cognitive dissonance if they like. I call it common sense in its most clear-eyed and righteous form. And I’m proud to be only one of 59+ million.
A poll by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland makes much of the lack of WMDs discovered in Iraq. It suggests that the misguided American majority chose to stand with President Bush because somehow, Bush supporters are afflicted with "cognitive dissonance." Even in light of the Duelfer Report, the liberals lament, Bush supporters persist in their delusions about WMDs.
Voters' personal faith is also raised as an incentive to support President Bush--faith over reason, of course. The faith issue serves as a handy rationalization to assist liberals in believing themselves intellectually superior to the mindless and ignorant conservative masses.
Well, libbers, here are some hard facts:
1. The Dems got nationally spanked in this election.
2. The majority of Americans prefer Bush over Kerry.
3. The War on Terror is a huge concern to most Americans.
These realities are not based on faith but rather on a logical understanding of the clear and present danger to our nation from Islamic radicals, as demonstrated on 9/11. The Madrid and Beslan massacres only underscored our need for strong leadership in the face of a brutal and merciless enemy.
Speaking only for myself as a Bush supporter, the WMDs were never the reason I supported the Iraqi war. In fact, they were an inconsequential red herring. The war was logically necessary for a number of reasons outside of WMDs, the most compelling of which was Saddam Hussein’s proven track record of atrocities. Other reasons, among them his funding of suicide bombers and support of terrorist training camps, buttressed my conclusion beyond all doubt.
I think American voters forgave Bush his error on WMDs because they understand what is at stake. To ensure America’s safety in a post 9/11 world, Saddam simply had to go. After the election, a British publication bemoaned the stupidity of 59+ million Americans in reelecting Bush. How’s that for twisting the data to fit the mindset!
Personal faith had nothing to do with my Republican vote, although I understand it’s within the liberal comfort zone to accept such a simplistic interpretation of the popular mandate (more CD there, perhaps?). No, my faith is not orthodox by any standard. But I do believe in right and wrong, good and evil. I believe in killing those who are determined to murder us and our loved ones, killing them first, quickly, without hesitation and in the largest numbers possible. That belief meant voting for President Bush, because Kerry was not to be trusted with such vital decisions. I’m relieved for all of us that Bush won.
Liberals may call my position cognitive dissonance if they like. I call it common sense in its most clear-eyed and righteous form. And I’m proud to be only one of 59+ million.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Thank You, Marines
To Our Fighting Marines:
First and foremost, thank you all so much for the hard work you are doing to keep us safe at home in the U.S.A. I’m sorry, and I’m angry, that many of our spoiled, pampered, ignorant, often stupid Old Media representatives are criticizing some of the actions you have had to take in the course of your battles. I hope you won’t pay any attention to them. There are none so blind as they who refuse to see the truth, even when it’s caught on videotape.
I suppose some idiots really do think it would have been more appropriate for you risk your lives, and the lives of your buddies, to wait and see if there was a suicide bomb or some other hidden weapon on a wounded terrorist. As for me, I agree with every word Matthew Heidt posted on Nov. 15.
In the 1860s, Gen. William T. Sherman once said that “War is all hell.” The oft-quoted adaptation of his statement unfortunately omits the key word, “all.” War is indeed all suffering, all pain, all danger, all fears, and all split seconds suspended between life and death. The decisions you make on the fields of battle within those instants weave the difference between survival and extinction, victory and defeat, and the triumph of good over the domination of evil.
You certainly don’t need me to tell you, but I’ll say it anyway. You are doing the right thing. Despite the hateful stupidity of Old Media, the overwhelming majority of your countrymen are very proud of you. We support your every effort, we respect your sacrifices and your decisions, and we pray for your safety and success.
Semper Fi, brave friends, sons, and brothers.
First and foremost, thank you all so much for the hard work you are doing to keep us safe at home in the U.S.A. I’m sorry, and I’m angry, that many of our spoiled, pampered, ignorant, often stupid Old Media representatives are criticizing some of the actions you have had to take in the course of your battles. I hope you won’t pay any attention to them. There are none so blind as they who refuse to see the truth, even when it’s caught on videotape.
I suppose some idiots really do think it would have been more appropriate for you risk your lives, and the lives of your buddies, to wait and see if there was a suicide bomb or some other hidden weapon on a wounded terrorist. As for me, I agree with every word Matthew Heidt posted on Nov. 15.
In the 1860s, Gen. William T. Sherman once said that “War is all hell.” The oft-quoted adaptation of his statement unfortunately omits the key word, “all.” War is indeed all suffering, all pain, all danger, all fears, and all split seconds suspended between life and death. The decisions you make on the fields of battle within those instants weave the difference between survival and extinction, victory and defeat, and the triumph of good over the domination of evil.
You certainly don’t need me to tell you, but I’ll say it anyway. You are doing the right thing. Despite the hateful stupidity of Old Media, the overwhelming majority of your countrymen are very proud of you. We support your every effort, we respect your sacrifices and your decisions, and we pray for your safety and success.
Semper Fi, brave friends, sons, and brothers.
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Honor and Remembrance
When you take a week's vacation in today's world, you have to be prepared for fast and dramatic changes to the status quo. Since I signed off last Saturday, John Ashcroft has resigned, Yasser Arafat has died, and the battle of Fallujah has raged and subsided into an occupation.
Also this past week, as I enjoyed a cruise with my mother, the U.S. Marines (USMC) celebrated the anniversary of the Corps on November 10, and the United States observed our nation’s annual Veterans Day on November 11. On November 11, I was browsing in one of the shipboard shops and noticed one of my fellow passengers wearing a Pearl Harbor Survivor baseball cap. I greeted him and thanked him for his service; this is a new habit I am proud to have acquired since becoming a Soldier’s Angel. We chatted for a couple of minutes, and this hero of yesterday proudly pointed out his USMC tie clip and belt buckle to my mother and me. Then, he pulled from his shirt pocket a pen with the Marine Corps emblem on it, opened it, and it played the Marine Corps hymn. “Yesterday was my birthday,” he smiled, referring to the USMC anniversary.
Sixty-three years after Pearl Harbor, this man still identified that strongly with “the Corps.” Now an elderly leisure traveler with white hair and a relaxed smile, he was once a young GI who survived the hell of Pearl Harbor and went on to fight as a warrior in the brotherhood known as the U.S. Marines. Our soldiers fighting in Fallujah today are as blood family to him.
My mother and I spent some time talking about war on this trip, both World War II and Iraq. She believes that our country needs more information about our troops in order to feel more connected to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Mom suggested a revival of the service flags that WWII families would hang in their windows as one way to recognize the service of our military today. She said that in World War II, the service flags were a message to all that a member of this home was serving in the military. Blue star flags signified a star for each family member in military service. Gold stars told the sad story of those lost in battle. My mother said that she and her friends would stand in awe before the windows that displayed two or three gold stars. The weight of this crushing sacrifice gave pause to every passerby. The terrible human cost of war was clearly understood and deeply respected. We could use more reminders of our military’s sacrifices to help unite us as a nation in support of our troops today.
I agree with her. As most of us know, mother is always right.
Also this past week, as I enjoyed a cruise with my mother, the U.S. Marines (USMC) celebrated the anniversary of the Corps on November 10, and the United States observed our nation’s annual Veterans Day on November 11. On November 11, I was browsing in one of the shipboard shops and noticed one of my fellow passengers wearing a Pearl Harbor Survivor baseball cap. I greeted him and thanked him for his service; this is a new habit I am proud to have acquired since becoming a Soldier’s Angel. We chatted for a couple of minutes, and this hero of yesterday proudly pointed out his USMC tie clip and belt buckle to my mother and me. Then, he pulled from his shirt pocket a pen with the Marine Corps emblem on it, opened it, and it played the Marine Corps hymn. “Yesterday was my birthday,” he smiled, referring to the USMC anniversary.
Sixty-three years after Pearl Harbor, this man still identified that strongly with “the Corps.” Now an elderly leisure traveler with white hair and a relaxed smile, he was once a young GI who survived the hell of Pearl Harbor and went on to fight as a warrior in the brotherhood known as the U.S. Marines. Our soldiers fighting in Fallujah today are as blood family to him.
My mother and I spent some time talking about war on this trip, both World War II and Iraq. She believes that our country needs more information about our troops in order to feel more connected to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Mom suggested a revival of the service flags that WWII families would hang in their windows as one way to recognize the service of our military today. She said that in World War II, the service flags were a message to all that a member of this home was serving in the military. Blue star flags signified a star for each family member in military service. Gold stars told the sad story of those lost in battle. My mother said that she and her friends would stand in awe before the windows that displayed two or three gold stars. The weight of this crushing sacrifice gave pause to every passerby. The terrible human cost of war was clearly understood and deeply respected. We could use more reminders of our military’s sacrifices to help unite us as a nation in support of our troops today.
I agree with her. As most of us know, mother is always right.
Friday, November 05, 2004
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Ten New Rules For Old Media
Attention, please, ladies and gentlemen of old mainstream media. America has sent you a resounding message in this year’s election. Here’s a list of things you’ll need to keep in mind for future elections, if you’d ever like to see “your candidate” win again:
1. You can’t force Americans’ hands on what to do, how to think, or especially how to vote. We’re not going to take orders from your elitist playbook. Stop trying to control the news, and start reporting it. Treat our majority opinions with respect, and we might listen to your side of the story.
2. Stop talking down to us. We’re not half as stupid as you think we are. In fact, we’re smarter than many of you, which is why you all look so surprised and baffled at John Kerry’s defeat. We knew he wasn’t the man for the job. You refused to listen. Pay more attention to average America, and you’ll have better luck achieving your goals in four years.
3. People know when you’re keeping a double standard, so make an effort to measure all candidates with the same yardstick. You kicked up an endless dust storm over Bush’s National Guard records but remained disinterested and silent on the inconsistencies of John Kerry’s Vietnam stories and the validated criticisms from Vietnam veterans and POWs. That got noticed by a lot of voters. Americans despise unfairness, so play by the rules and you’ll do better.
4. In view of the sweeping defeat of the gay marriage proposals on the ballots of eleven states, wake up to the fact that the vast majority of Americans don’t want to legitimize gay marriage in the United States. Get over it and move on to a less radical issue that might be more successful in reaching Mr. & Mrs. America.
5. Keep in mind that all this talk about “reaching across the aisle” applies to Democrats, too. In fact, it applies to them especially since they lost. It wouldn’t hurt you to try to view things through a Republican looking glass once in a while.
6. The blogosphere is here to stay. Deal with it. It’s not the evil “blog machine” that Dan Rather whined about during his election night coverage. It’s a valid, alternative news and opinion source for millions of Americans, and it is the new media. It wouldn’t exist if the demand for it was not there. You can’t beat it, so maybe think about joining, or at least learning from, the blogs. Pay extra heed to the conservative blogs and you’ll have better insight into the thinking of the 52% of Americans who elected President Bush to a second term.
7. Recognize that we are at war, that the majority of Americans understand we are at war, and also that we must win it. Consider throwing a positive story on the progress of the war into your coverage once in a while, instead of a steady diet of casualty counts and “failures.” Our military families deserve at least that much recognition for their sacrifices.
8. Review the media coverage of World War II for some helpful hints on supporting the Commander-in-Chief of our nation in a time of war. Observe how celebrities of that era campaigned for war bonds, entertained the troops, and sometimes even joined the service (e.g., actor Jimmy Stewart, baseball legend Ted Williams).
9. On the subject of show biz, consider a new roster of celebrity mouthpieces. To be specific, Michael Moore and Co. should probably take a seat well out of the media spotlight for a while.
10. Most importantly, support our troops. They are in harm’s way, fighting and dying to protect all of us, Old Media included. Show them the honor and respect they’ve earned with their bravery and their blood. Do that and you’ll certainly get more of my attention.
1. You can’t force Americans’ hands on what to do, how to think, or especially how to vote. We’re not going to take orders from your elitist playbook. Stop trying to control the news, and start reporting it. Treat our majority opinions with respect, and we might listen to your side of the story.
2. Stop talking down to us. We’re not half as stupid as you think we are. In fact, we’re smarter than many of you, which is why you all look so surprised and baffled at John Kerry’s defeat. We knew he wasn’t the man for the job. You refused to listen. Pay more attention to average America, and you’ll have better luck achieving your goals in four years.
3. People know when you’re keeping a double standard, so make an effort to measure all candidates with the same yardstick. You kicked up an endless dust storm over Bush’s National Guard records but remained disinterested and silent on the inconsistencies of John Kerry’s Vietnam stories and the validated criticisms from Vietnam veterans and POWs. That got noticed by a lot of voters. Americans despise unfairness, so play by the rules and you’ll do better.
4. In view of the sweeping defeat of the gay marriage proposals on the ballots of eleven states, wake up to the fact that the vast majority of Americans don’t want to legitimize gay marriage in the United States. Get over it and move on to a less radical issue that might be more successful in reaching Mr. & Mrs. America.
5. Keep in mind that all this talk about “reaching across the aisle” applies to Democrats, too. In fact, it applies to them especially since they lost. It wouldn’t hurt you to try to view things through a Republican looking glass once in a while.
6. The blogosphere is here to stay. Deal with it. It’s not the evil “blog machine” that Dan Rather whined about during his election night coverage. It’s a valid, alternative news and opinion source for millions of Americans, and it is the new media. It wouldn’t exist if the demand for it was not there. You can’t beat it, so maybe think about joining, or at least learning from, the blogs. Pay extra heed to the conservative blogs and you’ll have better insight into the thinking of the 52% of Americans who elected President Bush to a second term.
7. Recognize that we are at war, that the majority of Americans understand we are at war, and also that we must win it. Consider throwing a positive story on the progress of the war into your coverage once in a while, instead of a steady diet of casualty counts and “failures.” Our military families deserve at least that much recognition for their sacrifices.
8. Review the media coverage of World War II for some helpful hints on supporting the Commander-in-Chief of our nation in a time of war. Observe how celebrities of that era campaigned for war bonds, entertained the troops, and sometimes even joined the service (e.g., actor Jimmy Stewart, baseball legend Ted Williams).
9. On the subject of show biz, consider a new roster of celebrity mouthpieces. To be specific, Michael Moore and Co. should probably take a seat well out of the media spotlight for a while.
10. Most importantly, support our troops. They are in harm’s way, fighting and dying to protect all of us, Old Media included. Show them the honor and respect they’ve earned with their bravery and their blood. Do that and you’ll certainly get more of my attention.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Election Evening
I'm catching the Old Media TV coverage in bits and pieces tonight. It is highly amusing to watch Old Man Dan on CBS trying to contort the outstanding states into a configuration favorable to John Kerry. On ABC, "PJ" confided that he didn't want to "take a shot at the President," then he promptly did just that by inferring that the nation didn't feel it was at war because President Bush hasn't "involved" us adequately.
Excuse me, PJ, but I think I get it. I don't need further explanation of the War on Terror. And, as an active Soldiers' Angel, I feel sufficiently involved, thank you. You might want to try involving yourself, PJ, instead of waiting for the President to lead you by your condescending nose.
It's still too early to tell what will happen at the end of this Election night, but I suspect that things are looking far better for the President than Old Media thought they would. As my mother would say, "let this be a lesson to them."
Excuse me, PJ, but I think I get it. I don't need further explanation of the War on Terror. And, as an active Soldiers' Angel, I feel sufficiently involved, thank you. You might want to try involving yourself, PJ, instead of waiting for the President to lead you by your condescending nose.
It's still too early to tell what will happen at the end of this Election night, but I suspect that things are looking far better for the President than Old Media thought they would. As my mother would say, "let this be a lesson to them."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)