Content by 76trojan
Posted at 8:44pm on Mar. 13, 2008 The Audacity of it all!
By 76trojan
Not sure what the rules are about citing other blogs, but this is so incredible that I could not resist. It is also a little dated so it may be a repeat of something already posted. Compliments to Ms. Murphy of Tucson, Arizona.
http://whatnowmurphy.blogspot.com/2008/01/politics-and-mexico.html
Comments were in regard to Arizona laws that are causing some illegal invaders to “self-deport.”
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Posted at 11:47am on Aug. 31, 2005 BRAC Back Pedaling
By 76trojan
"Not in my back yard" and "I've got mine" sums up the latest exercise over the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) recommendations. It has always been about turf and constituencies. The ink had barely dried and local politicians were fighting for their "bases." They quickly proved that they cannot look at the bigger picture and put country first before their own special interests. They cannot accept the greater good as long as it has a potentially negative impact on their own district economies. Representatives have always been willing to save money and make the DOD more efficient - as long as the impact is felt somewhere else.
Nevada (and Sen. Reid) jumped into the fray to save Hawthorne Army Depot among other installations located in the Silver State. It wasn't about making "the most efficient and effective use of Department of Defense resources" per the BRAC charter, but how to do so without making a sacrifice of your own. Let someone else pay the price. San Francisco refused to have the USS Iowa port there, but the Naval Post Graduate School, DLA, and Navy Broadway Complex are vital installations according to Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein plans to "do everything I can to make sure that California does not bear an undue burden in this upcoming round of base closures. In my view, California has done its fair share, and I will continue to work with members of the California delegation to prevent additional closures." What is critical saving tax payer dollars and being more efficient or the "undue" burden on California?
On the other coast, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is struggling to save Walter Reed Army Hospital. The "District leaders face a "heavy burden" in overturning a Pentagon plan to relocate Walter Reed Army Medical Center" and would lose "6,000 jobs under the Pentagon's base closings proposal -- one of the country's hardest-hit cities." So much for team work and looking out for the common good.
So far, our friends in the Northeast have fared extremely well. The Sub base at Groton Connecticut has been dropped from the list. Congressman Shays cited the "the economic impact this closing could have on our state" as a valid reason for keeping it open, joined by former President Carter in support of the installation. Meanwhile, Maine was able to save Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, but sacrificed Brunswick Naval Air Station. "According to the latest federal figures, closing down the Naval Air Station will mean a loss of 2,880 military personnel and 395 civilians....If the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard had been closed it would have packed an even stronger economic wallop, largely because of the number of high-paying civilian jobs that would have been lost" according to Victoria Wallack of the
Statehouse News Service. What about the strategic values versus cost to maintain?
When I attended USC many years ago, we had a bitter "hatred" for UCLA, the Bruins being our cross town rival. But when UCLA played in a bowl game, we would root for them as representative of the PAC 10. To follow this line of thinking, we would cheer on any US team playing against foreign teams (as in Olympics), despite school of origin. Loyalty rolls upward. And that is how our elected representatives should treat this matter.
Will the politicians do what is expected of them as caretakers of the national treasury and US security, or will they do what politicians do? Per the BRAC mission, will they allow the government to "maximize both war-fighting capability and efficiency?" They are rapidly demonstrating where their ultimate loyalty lies.
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Posted at 11:24am on Aug. 31, 2005 Destined to Fail
By 76trojan
Destined to Fail
Fair enough, I concede. The naysayers are right. We can't win this war. We should not have even started. What were we thinking? It must have been all those lies about WMD, Sadaam's brutality, and harboring terrorists. The US government was really trying to steal their oil, enrich Haliburton, and do Israel's bidding. We can't win in Iraq, just like we couldn't win in Viet Nam. Winning in Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm, and even the battle taking Baghdad, were just flukes. The greatest, most powerful and professional fighting force on the planet shouldn't be deluded into believing that it can overpower two bit monarchies or a bunch of desperate terrorists bent on killing everyone who does not see the world from their warped optic.
Wiser heads are comparing this to the Viet Nam war, depicting it as a hopeless quagmire. The answer is in our history. George Santayana said that "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Yes we must remember the past and not make the same mistakes. Of course this situation is just like Viet Nam; the same jungles, the same generals and politicians, and the same clash of superpowers over a local revolution. Soon the political left will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and just as before, returning warriors will be spat upon for engaging in flagrant colonialism and being part of the evil US war machine. And like Viet Nam this war will also be remembered "as the greatest military, political, economic, and moral blunder in our national history." (George McGovern). Regardless of the military strategies, it is up to the left, the media, and children of the love generation dusted off and brought out of hibernation to ensure there is not ultimate victory - just like Viet Nam. "The camera, the typewriter, the tape recorder are very effective weapons in this war--weapons too often directed not against the enemy but against the American people. Those weapons have a far greater potential for defeating us than the rockets or artillery used against our men in Vietnam. In a free society, in which the right of dissent is a sacred principle, an enemy has boundless opportunity to manipulate our emotions." (Gen. Lewis Walt; Strange War, Strange Strategy; 1970.)
Yes we won in WWII and we finished with a draw in Korea (although the South Koreans may consider it a victory to have repelled the tide of communism from the north), but those were the days when the American people had backbone. We were willing to crush the enemy and bring the battle to them without restraint using our unfettered military and industrial might. But more importantly, the American people could withstand a little bit of sacrifice and mourned but understood why they had to see their sons coming home in flag draped coffins (at least the ones not buried in some foreign cemetery). Of course, the impact of losing fewer than two thousand loyal Americans now, far surpasses the 300,000 killed fighting the Second World War, or even the 6,800 in one battle (Iwo Jima). Nimitz summed up the bravery at this one engagement: "Uncommon valor was a common virtue." No need for valor or virtue in this brave new world. And, what about "Rosie the riveter"? Hah! Ask some soft American to put in a few extra hours on the job to support the war effort, and you'll get a cup of Starbucks latte in your face. The sense of "Duty, honor, country" is wallowing in the rust bucket of history. Now we have a wired world where we can exchange whining about how difficult life is, and no one is expected to make a real sacrifice for any cause other than their own creature comforts.
We are blessed with freedom of speech and no one can tell you that you cannot spew lies about the war, the administration, or the soldiers giving themselves to a cause they believe in. These chorus's are protected and any voices of support for the war effort should be suppressed. Everyone's opinion matters, and is readily broadcast far and wide, regardless of the shallowness of the intellect.
We must listen to the experts on world affairs. The soccer moms who took time out from their busy schedule to raise kids who suddenly felt a commitment to something other than their own selfish needs and went forth to make the supreme sacrifice. They know the truth. They have access to all the military plans, the intelligence, and the wealth of experience of dealing in the brutal world outside the day care centers and trips to the gym. Joining them are the other "real pros." Numerous Hollywood luminaries have sprung forth to contribute their brilliance, obviously derived from carefully reading scripts of political thrillers, replete with evil, shadowy government figures and sinister plots that violate and defile all innocent Americans and helpless third -worlders. Bring me my cabinet of Penn, Fonda, Baldwin, and Baez. Add to that Soros and Moore. They'll have the answers we need to get us out of this fix.
No, it really is time to throw in the towel. War is not the answer (not sure what the question was). All we are asking is give peace a chance. It has worked so well up until now (Right Mr. Neville Chamberlain?). The best way to assure victory is to outline your exit strategy before the first amphibious landing. I think the exit strategy for Normandy had something to do with blasting Germany, especially Berlin back into the Stone Age and putting Hitler in leg irons. No, we must be able to fight a kinder, gentler war. Also, make sure that you accord all the savages you encounter sufficient respect, care and feeding to assure that the enemy will love us and reciprocate in kind. It's always worked before. Recall how the Vietnamese were gentle prison guards and the Japanese were particularly kind to prisoners in WWII. After all, it is impossible to torture or mistreat prisoners when you have removed their heads.
Don't ask this country to step up to any challenge. Don't ask for the sacrifices of total war. No, this country is not worth dying for. Don't even expect inconvenience. No we can't do this thing. We can't beat back the world-wide plague of terrorism. We must huddle together in our malls, enjoying our tread mills, cosmetic surgery, MTV concert specials, while celebrating diversity and ensuring our fellow traveler does not have his self esteem diminished. The strength of character that created this country is lacking. Enjoy what so many before us have died for and accept that we should no longer harbor illusions of being able to determine our own fate.
Accept and perish.