The Right State

Fox News has an open forum where people can tell what is driving them to the polls this midterm election.  There are many voters who tell about their obligation to vote and many discuss disgust of politics of politics altogether.  There are a wide variety of views from noncommittal votes for Republican and Democrats alike.  There are some who will hold their nose at still vote for the Republicans.  But there are a few which stand out because they cut to the chase.

The first three are from people who seem to have a firm grasp on the issues this election.

“I plan on voting tomorrow. This year my vote means so much more to me than in years past. This year my son is in the heart of Iraq, and I don’t want any one who doesn’t support my son and his fellow soldiers, both mentally, as well as financially. In our senate race in Ohio, one candidate has consistently voted against my son, while the other has supported him. I don’t want my son to come home with his tail between his legs in defeat, as our poor soldiers had to in Vietnam. My son and his fellow soldiers have risked to much to be shamed like that.” — Deb (Toledo, OH)

“As a Vietnam War vet, I saw what happened in South Vietnam when we pulled out; to do the same in Iraq would lessen our nation in the eyes of the world and cheapen the sacrifice of all those who served. I truly hope that other vets get out and vote, too.” — John (Pennsylvania)

“I want to continue the fight for Iraq, and I want a conservative judiciary. I also want our economy to continue to grow as it is now, and I couldn’t care less about what France, Germany, Russia, Iran, or North Korea think about the U.S. We don’t need moral authority from them!” — Sue

Then there are the moonbats.  What can you say?

“I am tired of the Bush administration stealing form the poor to give to the rich, and I hope to see a change for the millions who have lost their jobs because work is being sent out of our country.” — Kay

“I’m voting because I’m tired of seeing our young people’s lives wasted on a police action, record deficits, and sky-high gas prices. I pray for the day George Bush is impeached, and his White House oil connections are exposed.” — John (Indiana)

Oh-boy!?  These moonbats are so totally lost in LaLa Land that they could not find their way back to reality with a rope and a flashlight.

Then there is the voter who neatly cuts the issue down into what this election is all about.

“There are really only two major issues: taxes and defense. There are clear and unmistakable differences between the Republicans and the Democrats. If you want lower taxes and strong defense, vote Republican. If you want higher taxes and weak defense, vote Democrat.” — Fred (Murrells Inlet, SC)

Yeah!  What Fred said!  In a nutshell, these are the two major issues on this election cycle—taxes and defense.  Thanks Fred.

Tags: National Elections by Chuck
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President Bush has figured it out. Dick Cheney has figured it out. Donald Rumsfeld has figured it out. And even our troops have figured it out. So why haven’t the majority of the American people figured it out?

For the U.S. troops fighting in Iraq, the war is alternately violent and hopeful, sometimes very hot and sometimes very cold. It is dusty and muddy, calm and chaotic, deafeningly loud and eerily quiet.

The one thing the war is not, however, is finished, dozens of soldiers across the country said in interviews. And leaving Iraq now would have devastating consequences, they said.

With a potentially historic U.S. midterm election on Tuesday and the war in Iraq a major issue at the polls, many soldiers said the United States should not abandon its effort here. Such a move, enlisted soldiers and officers said, would set Iraq on a path to civil war, give new life to the insurgency and create the possibility of a failed state after nearly four years of fighting to implant democracy.

“Take us out of that vacuum — and it’s on the edge now — and boom, it would become a free-for-all,” said Lt. Col. Mark Suich, who commands the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment just south of Baghdad. “It would be a raw contention for power. That would be the bloodiest piece of this war.”

The soldiers declined to discuss the political jousting back home, but they expressed support for the Bush administration’s approach to the war, which they described as sticking with a tumultuous situation to give Iraq a chance to stand on its own.

Leading Democrats have argued for a timeline to bring U.S. troops home, because obvious progress has been elusive, especially in Baghdad, and even some Republican lawmakers have recently called for a change in strategy. But soldiers criticized the idea of a precipitate withdrawal, largely because they believe their hard work would go for naught.

Capt. Jim Modlin, 26, of Oceanport, N.J., said he thought the situation in Iraq had improved between his deployment in 2003 and his return this year as a liaison officer to Iraqi security forces with the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, based here on FOB Sykes outside Tall Afar. Modlin described himself as more liberal than conservative and said he had already cast his absentee ballot in Texas. He said he believed that U.S. elected officials would lead the military in the right direction, regardless of what happens Tuesday.

“Pulling out now would be as bad or worse than going forward with no changes,” Modlin said. “Sectarian violence would be rampant, democracy would cease to exist, and the rule of law would be decimated. It’s not ’stay the course,’ and it’s not ‘cut and run’ or other political catchphrases. There are people’s lives here. There are so many different dynamics that go on here that a simple solution just isn’t possible.”

I know why the Democrats are saying we need to pull out of Iraq, its all about power. There are some Dems who want to leave immediately there are some who want stay and ‘fix’ the problems caused by the Bush administration, and others want…who know, they don’t exactly say. Elizabeth Dole was probably right when she said, “It’s almost like the Democrats are content with losing.” Ask any Democrat and they say they want ‘change,’ whatever that means. But change is not a solution.

Maybe its time we listen to what our troops on the ground have to say. If our own troops say we need to remain in Iraq until the job is done, then maybe that is what we should do. Unless of course our soldiers are too stupid to understand what is really going on.

The Democrats say they are trying to protect the troops, but what if the troops want to stay? For our soldiers serving in Iraq, this debate is much larger than the political contests here at home. This has to do with real people wanting America to do the right thing and continue protecting the people of Iraq until they can stand on their own. Otherwise, over 2800 American troops have died in vain.

I just hope the American people figure out before the midterm election tomorrow what our troops have known for some time, it is too early to be talking about leaving Iraq.

Hat tip: Captain’s Quarters

Tags: Politics, War by Chuck
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I am keeping this post near the top of the blog until after the election.

For 230 years America has struggled with this experiment called democracy. Right now we are standing at the cross-roads of two competing ideas of what is best for America. The 2006 midterm election is almost upon us and we have a choice between turning left and turning right. Turn left and we usher in a new era of tax increases, a slowing economy, withdrawing from the Middle East, a return to big government and the growth of terrorism around the world. Turn right and the country continues down the path of economic growth, family values and perhaps an end to terrorism.

What bothers me are the views of everyday Americans heading into this election. They are so distracted by everyday event and life that they do not have time for politics. People wake up in the morning, go to work, and then vote if they have time and if it allows them to get home in time to watch their favorite television program. By-in-large most Americans do not even know for whom they are voting for or why. Name recognition becomes the key to winning an election. We as a country have lost our roots. In the last presidential election, only 55% of the voting age population even bothered to vote. What a disgrace! Voting is how we as the electorate hold our politicians accountable. Voting is one way we maintain our democracy—our freedom.

David Gerrold offered what I believe is the best definition of freedom I have ever heard. In his book, A Matter for Men, he defined freedom as ‘being allowed the opportunity to be responsible for your own actions.’ This country was founded on the idea of liberty. But liberty comes at a price. It must be maintained or else it fades into oblivion. Wendell Phillips wrote that the ‘eternal vigilance is price of liberty.’ The people of this country have the right to vote and they have an obligation to vote. But voting requires that people have a responsibility to know for whom and why they are voting. Most people do not know the candidates or the issues. People no longer have time to investigate the candidates. Many people learn about a candidate from thirty minutes of news and so knowledge of the candidates takes the form of sound-bites and slogans. Candidates will often besmear each other in order to win the sound-bite war. But sound-bites tell very little if anything of the views of each candidate.

The MSM has entered into the fray. They are no longer content with just telling the news, they now see themselves as the final arbiters—choosing the winners and loser of each election. They see themselves as the protectors of liberty, but only those provisions given in the constitution with which they agree. Therefore, for the MSM, their coverage is neither objective nor balanced.

Institutions once seen as vital to the survival of America have come under attack. Religious freedoms are no longer protected at work, or school, and particularly not at city hall. Even celebrating Christmas has come under fire. Our military as the protectors of this great country has become a bargaining chip for some of our Machiavellian politicians. Our heroes are called murderers and terrorists by politicians willing to use them for some perceived political advantage against their opponents. Our troops are often demeaned and called stupid and thugs by these same self-absorbed politicians.

The very foundations of the United States are under attack and yet people either stay home rather than vote or they cast uninformed vote. With information the American people could replace these renegade politicians and replace them with good people who see themselves as citizens first and politicians second. When it comes to voting, Americans are lazy. Voting requires action. Being informed takes initiative. These are two things when taken together add up to something many Americans have not had in many years—an informed vote.

We used to be a strong vibrant country based on God, on freedom, on individualism. People rallied to a cause and fought to the end. Wars were fought and won because the safety of America was at stake. Taxes were raised only during national emergencies. Politicians placed the benefit of America ahead of their own political ambitions. Today that has all changed. Wars and our soldiers have become political fodder in a battle for political supremacy. Reasons for going to war are being shortchanged for political convenience. Politicians use class warfare to raise taxes on the rich. And impeachment is being discussed not for high crimes, but to weaken a sitting President in time of war for political reasons. What ever happened to politicians who placed America first?

When Iraq became free of their brutal dictator, the Iraqi people flocked to the polls in numbers never seen in the US. They tasted freedom for the first time and liked it. They faced death in order to cast their vote in their very first election. If the roles were reversed, how many Americans would voluntarily face such dangers in order to vote?

Americans have lost their way. They have been led to believe that being a nobody is better than being a somebody, that easy is better than hard, that weak is better than strong, that poor is better than rich. We have been led to believe that all of the world’s problems stem from failures in US policy. There was an empire which thought this same thing, who thought than being entertained was better than doing something yourself, who became lazy because of her strength, and that empire was Rome. The Roman Empire rose and then fell not with a bang but a whimper. The United States is heading towards that same direction-towards disaster.

All hope is not lost. The Iraqi people flocked to the polls because they tasted freedom for the first time. For the first time they had the opportunity to be responsible for their own actions. What we need to do is to remember. Remember when this country was strong and we were proud of it. Remember when our military was an honored institution all across America. Remember when hard work was encouraged and rewarded. Remember when this country valued freedom. Remember when family values were the foundation of life. Remember when this country placed a high value on the character of their politicians. But if we do not start now, we may well run the risk of going from this city upon a hill as envisioned by Cotton Matther John Winthrop in 1630, to becoming a curse word among all the nations. If this country were to return to God, return to its values, return to its roots, we may not only survive, but become an inspiration again to the world. People immigrate to the country for a reason. It is still a beacon for the entire world to see, but for how much longer?

Irving Dillard once wrote: “

I often wonder whether we do no rest our hopes too much upon constitutions, upon laws and upon courts. These are false hopes; believe me, these are false hopes. Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it.

Liberty…its so hard to define and yet it is what everyone wants. Liberty begins and ends with responsibility. Knowing the candidates and knowing the political parties is paramount. Some people say there is no difference between the two parties, but this is the excuse of the uninformed. The difference between the two sides could not be more stark. One stands for freedom while the other stands for more government, one stands for the individual while the other stands for the group, one stands for strength while the other stands for weakness, one stands for God while the other stands for self, one stands for life while the other stands for ‘reproductive choice,’ one stands for strength while the other stands for weakness. In each case, the former is the Republican Party while the latter is the Democratic Party. This is of course a generalization. There are some in each party I like and don’t like. I would vote for Democrat Zell Miller in almost any election and over most Republicans. At the same time I would vote for Mickey Mouse before I would Democrat Nancy Pelosi. I would not vote for Republican Lincoln Chaffee even if he was running unopposed. That is where knowing the candidates come in.

This country has gotten lazy. We have had democracy for 230 years, we have fought and won two world wars, we have fought and won against the spread of communism, and we have the most powerful military and economy the world has ever seen. We think that just because the US is so rich and powerful, we will always remain powerful. And because we have gotten lazy, there are some devious politicians who would take advantage of that fact. They are counting on the electorate being uniformed.

America is standing at the crossroads. We have two distinct choices in the midterm election—left or right. The Democrats have already told us which direction they would take this country. They would raise taxes, they would raise the minimum wage, they would pull out of Iraq leaving the US defenseless against terrorism, and they would start proceedings against George W. Bush because of our involvement in Iraq. The Democrats will do anything to win this election including using our troops as pawns in their struggle for political power, including generating class warfare and including harming America’s war effort against terrorism. The Republicans want to keep taxes low, they would raise the minimum wage only if it is tied to a tax relief for small business, they want to protect life, they want to protect family values and they want to keep America safe and strong. The differences between these two parties are as different as left is from right.

Tuesday will mark decision time for many in the US. People can either choose to go left or to go right. But in either case, the decision must be backed with knowledge. In this case an uninformed vote is actually worse than not voting at all. Now is the time for Americans to be responsible for our own actions. Now is time for Americans to exercise their freedom to vote. Just be sure to vote wisely.

Tags: Democracy, National Elections, Politics by Chuck
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