Dems Stay Home

10/30/2010


It’s getting close to the election. If I can believe all the polls, the Republicans will have a major party the evening of November 3. I hope so.

The main thing to remember is to VOTE. I have never been a member of the Be sure everyone get out to vote group. If you don’t know what you are voting for, stay home. But for this election, I will put it another way. If you are not voting Republican, stay home.

This country is as close to changing from a Representative Republic to a Socialist Democracy as it has ever been. This election is a referendum on what type of country this is. Are we a country that believes that the individual is responsible for his own life or are we a country that believes that the government can fix anything (See Greece!).

If you believe in capitalism and individual responsibility, if you believe in the right to select your own health care and you own lender then go vote. If you think that we should be told that only the government can decide who can provide student loans or what kind of car that GM can build, then stay home.

I am already concerned about what will happen in the lame duck Congress. Whoever wins on November 3, the Democrats in Congress know that they can do almost anything they want because it will be 2 years before they are held responsible for their actions.

If the Republicans sweep as thoroughly as I hope, it will be their last chance to do the things they want (Card Check, Cap and Trade, etc.). The defeated congresscritters will have no reason to restrain themselves and the victorious ones will see 2 years as an eternity for the public to forget.

Republicans, please hold firm and do everything you can to stop any of this. Beyond that I only want to tell you to remember what is happening this year. You were out of power because you forgot who you were. REMEMBER who writes your check. The Tea Party is a loose association of like-minded people who got fed up. If you take office and slip back, it can just as easily work against you.

Reply to editorilist Reg Henry

12/13/2009

Well Mr. Henry, did you happen to notice the job President Obama has been doing to this county?

It is not an evil genius that has pressed for the government to take over 16% of the economy of this country.

I know you try to think at least once a day but I think you may have failed when you wrote your last article. You try to paint all of the opposition as birthers or those who think the president is a Muslim but that is a well-known rhetorical trick used by may liberal apologists.

The TelePrompTer flap is simply a humorous aside to the argument about this president. He does seem to perform much better when using one but so what? Just funny!

When you disparage the tea party movement, you have to use the left wing vulgar terminology. Can’t you even discus a movement of a large group of the grass roots people of this country with some form of intelligent words?

In your mind, it seems, you want to blame all of the president’s problems on evil geniuses and give no right of fair argument to those who don’t agree with you or him.

When most conservative commentators have a discussion with liberals on the issues, they try to argue the merits of the issue. Liberals, on the other hand sometimes make an attempt to argue but almost immediately start calling names.
Tea-Baggers, homophobes, holocaust deniers (If you don’t subscribe to the man caused global warming theory) and so many others examples abound.

Rather, Mr Henry can we discuss the deficit your president and congress has run up? Can we discuss the EPA saying it will regulate in a “Command and Control” manner the economy of the United States.

No, I guess not. Let us just assume that a few evil geniuses have change the poll numbers of this president to have him one of the lowest approval rating at this time in his presidency of any president in history.

Good Luck with that one!

Harry Flair
Marietta, GA.

Time's UP

2/8/2009

Ok, long enough. Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States had had enough of a honeymoon. He is putting all of his abundant oratorical prowess behind the unbelievably poor Senate “Stimulus Bill” or Pork Special. The last poll I heard showed only about 35% of the people wanted this bill. That helps restore my faith in the people of this country.

Mr. Obama argues, it seems to me, that we should all be scared to death that if our big daddy federal government does not throw a Trillion Dollars at every thing the left wants, we will have an economy that collapses worse than the Great Depression.

His basic argument is: We have to do something! If we don’t do something, it is the end of our way of life and although this bill is not the best, it is far better than not doing anything. Is that really a logical argument for intelligent people? Not really. It is an attempt to use his popularity to sell something most people would not buy otherwise.

Perhaps he should be told that the campaign is over. He has to govern now. Just because he won the hearts and minds of a large voting bloc does not mean that he can have whatever he wants.

Most people think that there are things the government can do. Unfortunately, this bill is mostly pork that will do no stimulus at all or for some parts not for 10 years. Emergency Act? Not likely. Not likely to help. I fully hope our Senators both vote against it.

Congratulations President Obama

1/20/2009
Well, we have a new president. Congratulations to Barack Obama. I saw joy and hope in the faces of many of my coworkers today. To the blacks of this country, this is a momentous occasion.

I note that he is my president. I will support him until and unless he actually does something I cannot support. So far, so good.

I hear people talk about change and hope. If you ask what change, a lot of them are stumped. There is a kind of nebulous feeling out there that our new president will make all things good. I have heard some idiots saying that now they don’t have to worry about their mortgage or the gas in their car. Nuts everywhere.

Reasonable people are open to new ideas and I hope sincerely that we hear some new ideas that are going to work to help this country maintain and improve its place in history.

Looking at the new cabinet, I see some good and some bad things. What I heard of his inauguration speech sounded fine but as usual, not big on specifics but it shouldn’t be. This was a time for patting on the back and smiling.

The media has spent the time since the election building up the man and the expectations of him. It wasn’t quite a coronation but it was approaching it. We have, once again, transitioned from one party to its bitter enemy in a peaceful manner befitting our Constitution. Hurrah!

Now comes the hard part. After the build-up that has been reaching a crescendo over the last week that no mere mortal can possibly meet, the new president must find a way to make it all work. Governing is not the same as campaigning. Now you must find a way for everything to work. If he does and if it seems to most Americans to be a reasonable way for government to function, he will be a very successful President. I truly hope so.

If not, however, I hope the media gets over its love affair with the new President and provides facts that actually reflect reality. We will need to know honestly and quickly if major problems occur.

Unless and until that happens I wish Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America the best of luck and a wonderful term of office.

Harry Flair
Marietta, GA.

Drill Now!

This is in response to a letter in the Marietta Daily Journal on 7/16/2008. Ms. Susan Binns suggested that drilling offshore was not necessairly a good idea.

7/16/2008

Response to Ms. Susan Binns

I think the American public is getting just a little tired of the “Offshore Drilling Won’t Help” line.

Ms. Binns suggests that the only way offshore drilling would directly help is if America nationalizes the oil companies. The only person I have heard suggest that was a Democratic congressperson during the congressional grilling of the oil companies. Not a good idea.

Ms Binns, oil production and gas prices are complicated issues. Please tell me, however, how not drilling or taking any other action because it might not help for 10 years helps. If we sit around bemoaning the price of gas and waiting for some magic wand solution to the problem, it will never get fixed.

It would be wonderful if some terrific technology breakthrough occurs and the solar energy or wind energy or some other alternative technology suddenly is able to take care of all of out needs. It will do no one any good to sit around waiting for that to happen. Until then, we have to do something to improve the situation. Not necessarily fix it completely, but any step in that direction is a good idea.

If drilling will not add to our energy supply, why not? If none of the oil companies want the offshore leases then maybe the Democrats are right. I think that we cannot lose by increasing the worldwide supply. If you understand the law of supply and demand, increasing the supply cannot but help to lower the price. Maybe drilling offshore will not get us back to $2.00 gas but maybe it will improve our situation somewhat. No one is suggesting offshore drilling will fix all of our problems. It is a START!

Pursue conservation if you want. Most of us are learning to do that anyway. Waiting around for everyone to “carefully review the facts as presented by independent economists” is a receipt for another 10 years of no action. You are right. There is no simple solution in the offing. At $4.00+ for gas, a tipping point might have been reached that is causing most of us to change our driving habits. Not drilling or not improving the supply of oil is forcing major changes in this country and is severely injuring the “American way of life”. The public is getting increasingly vocal about making some attempt to help the situation where we can. Drill here. Drill now. Pay less.

It’s getting so depressing.

6/22/2008



John McCain has found an issue but so far has not been able to exploit it. He now says he wants to drill on the outer coasts of the country to try to find some of our own oil.

I get so sick of hearing the liberals (and quite a few non liberals) saying that the ANWAR will not solve our problems if we drill there. Drilling off shore will not solve our problems. Nuclear energy will not solve our problems, blah, blah,….

If we didn’t do something until we had a complete solution to it, we would probably still be living in caves. There may be some one solution to the high price of oil but so far no one has found it. We cannot afford to sit back and wait for that to happen.

There are a lot of solutions to the oil problem. Insist on better mileage in the vehicles we buy. It is not a good idea to do that by law but we all know how well SUV’s are selling since the price went up. The pits!

Build Wind turbines and do not let small groups of people get away with “not where I can see them!” Work on Solar energy. Bio-fuel works but is too expensive with today’s technology. Hydrogen could be good but there is a long way between current technology and perfecting it. We can’t wait. We need to drill now. ANWAR and offshore are both viable if allowed to proceed. There have been NO major oil spills in the Gulf in 30+ years. Even with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, there were no big leaks. Oil Shale in the west has the possibility of making a huge impact. Just let us do it. Get out of the way.

Build some refineries. None have been built here since the 1970’s. There does not need to be any government research grants. Just get out of the way. Let supply and demand work.

John McCain has taken a small step in saying we should be drilling offshore. It would be a winning strategy to push for this now. He doesn’t want to drill in ANWAR but if he were to really look into current technology in the oil industry, he might notice it is a lot more environmentally friendly than it used to be.

The choice seems to be to do all of this or get ready to start giving up the American way of life. If you are ready to do that, I’m happy to let you do it. I am not ready to give up our mobile way of life yet and I don’t think most people are ready to give up things like their summer vacations either.

Happy Motoring!

It's Over for Now

02/06/08

Well, It’s over.

What does the election mean? I think everyone has their own opinion. The news media says it is the end of “conservatisms”.
I have heard some of the talk show hosts say it means that conservatives stayed home and that means that they have all the power in the upcoming election.

Who knows? Clinton and Obama both claim victory on the Democrat side. McClain rightfully claims victory for the Republicans. Huckabee claims a huge victory in the south and Romney says “I am in it until the end.”

It did not come out the way I wanted but that is what the vote is for. Hopefully the conservatives will find a way to support whoever the Republicans select, otherwise the Democrats will have a field day.

Who knows? Maybe the Democrats will get nasty with each other and have and independent run by whichever looses. Maybe the conservatives will run an independent candidate and maybe Bloomberg will actually run.
Whatever happens, it ought to be fun!

Time to get serious about the vote!

1/30/08

Is the election going to be Clinton and Clinton against Clinton-Lite?

It is starting to look that way. Most people know that if you get one Clinton you get them both. Is that a good thing? Bill again?

It has looked all along as though the Clinton machine would be sure to have Hillary as the candidate. I haven’t seen anything to change my mind but at least it is somewhat interesting. Barack Obama is every bit as liberal as Hillary but we don’t have much of a history on him.

On the Republican side, I am a bit surprised to find John McCain as one of the two frontrunners. I expected Romney and Rudy. McCain has too much baggage at this time for conservatives to support him. He is winning independents and Democrats voting in the Republican primaries. He has a lot of credibility in the defense sector, one of the most important issues. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much in the illegal immigration sector. To a lot of conservatives, that is a very important issue. He says he learned from the immigration fight earlier this year and now supports the fence.

He says he is conservative but on too many issues he has voted in a somewhat Clintonesque manner. He seems to be a version of Clinton-Lite. He didn’t support the tax cuts, he sponsored McCain-Feingold, and the McCain-Kennedy. He might be better than the Bill/Hill group but only marginally on a lot of issues. I don’t trust him to appoint conservative judges.

I think the media and the Democrats would love to run against him. He will probably cause the large conservative base of the Republican Party to stay home on Election Day. That would not be an optimal situation for the country. I hope someone else wins the nomination but I will vote for him if he gets the nomination but I will have to hold my nose. At least, he is Clinton-Lite, but not Clinton (or Obama).

I was asked about the hint of impropriety in Arkansas for Mike Huckabee. Some of the things I have heard are from http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/11/13/huckabee/. I wouldn't base my opinion on Salon but it is like some talk show hosts say, don't believe it unless you verify it for other sources or if it fits with what you already know. I am still checking. In some instances, the actions in question can be observed as either good or bad. Unfortunately, I just don't know.

I don't have independent sources except for unsubstantiated stories. I think that he mainly seems to be willing to say whatever he needs to for election--possibly no more than other politicians but I just don't trust him.

I have a great deal of admiration for anyone that can lose 110 pounds but that does not make him presidential. I don't know that there were improprieties but the suspicion is there.

I know he supported in-state tuition for illegal aliens and I know he supported drivers licenses for them as well. He seems to want to be an isolationist internationally and I think that is a serious error. I think in general he is a serious populists. Not a man that inspires me.

A New Election

1/16/08

It seems that the state is going to be mostly ignored in the upcoming primary. Since we are one of many in “Super Tuesday” any attention we get will be badly diluted. Nonetheless, I want to get my two cents in.

I was a founding supporter of one candidate, ABH—Anyone But Hillary (thanks for the title to Herman Cain). I am starting to think that Barack Obama would be as bad as Hillary.

The common wisdom is that Republicans are going to have a bad year. I certainly hope not. I am a Libertarian at heart but Ron Paul (former Libertarian) is too much. The overriding issue has to be the protection of the country from militant Islamofascists and the protection of our borders. The two are closely related but different issues. Ron Paul has the notion that if we bring all of our troops back and tell the world “we’re sorry about whatever we did” that everyone will love us again and we won’t have any more problems. (Dennis Kucinich are us!)

Rudy is one I could vote for but his campaign is floundering now and may not recover. He is not a conservative but I think he would be strong on my two issues. It would be hard for anyone to challenge his record in New York.

Mitt Romney seems to be a fully acceptable conservative. Unfortunately, he has been branded as a flip-flopper. Not true but some people think it is so. (Note: flip-flop is when you go back and forth on an issue, not when you change your mind and stay there.) He is probably the best with respect to the economy.

John McCain would be strong on the defense of the country except for the border issue. Unfortunately, we have McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy and the vote against the tax breaks. No chance, no matter how much he is admired for his Vietnamese heroism. So, sorry John.

Oh yes, I almost forgot Thompson. I like him and could easily support him. I like the idea of him having to be dragged, kicking and screaming into the election. I don’t know how true that is but a fun thought! The only problem is that he still supports McCain-Feingold but I can let one problem slide.
That brings us to Huckabee. The best thing I can say about him is that he supports the Fair Tax proposal. I think that would be a great thing if it passed but it is not enough to support Huckabee. It is a death knell to me that he endorsed the in-state tuition for illegal aliens. He seems to be a populist that is extremely good in saying the right things to the right crowd. He is the candidate that the press loves (along with McCain) but that is a strike against him. There are hints of impropriety in Arkansas and I just don’t trust him. One of the things I have always worried about is a theocracy taking hold in the nation. I don’t think Mike Huckabee is the start of that but….
I could support Giuliani or Thompson. I prefer Romney. I will support any Republican. Remember, ABH or maybe ABH or O. After all, it is only the country at stake. Vote. Vote smartly.

Another Try on Immigration

6/20/07

Senator Isakson and Senator Chambliss

I was hoping I wouldn’t have to write this. I hoped the Immigration Bill was dead. It seems that this is not the case. I am hearing about all sorts of “tricks” that will be used. I keep hearing that this is the only chance we have to get a comprehensive solution to the immigration problem. Why? Why do we need to have a comprehensive solution?

If a good solution is not available, isn’t NO solution better than a bad solution? No new law needs to be passed. The president simply needs to enforce the current “comprehensive solution” from the 80’s. The fence has been approved. Allow it to be constructed and then, after the flood is stopped, come back for more. If the border were secured, most Americans would support other steps such as guest worker and eventual citizenship. If the employer penalties were actually enforced (or even strengthened) the problem would slowly start to reverse.

Just because a solution is a compromise is not a reason to accept it. The people of this country and in particular the people that I talk to are all saying the same thing. Build the fence. I think the Senate could start different legislation promoting increased penalties for employers and providing tamper proof ID cards for immigrants. There is no need to complicate an already complicated issue. Instead of putting all our immigrations into one flawed basket, why not address the problem piecemeal? It couldn’t be worse.

Please do not vote for this bill. If necessary, support a filibuster against it. It is a poison pill for the Republican Party and can destroy all possibility of majority in the near future.


Harry Flair,
Marietta, GA.

Reply from Johnny Isakson

6/12/07

Dear Friend :
Thank you for contacting me regarding the Senate debate on comprehensive immigration reform. I appreciate hearing from you and appreciate the opportunity to respond.
Many have asked why I became involved in a process to work towards a comprehensive reform bill in the Senate. I did it for two reasons. First, in my travels throughout the State of Georgia in the past three years, I had heard loudly and clearly from Georgians that they wanted us to end illegal immigration in America right now, plain and simple. We cannot leave it for future generations to solve. And second, quite frankly, the 2006 elections changed the landscape in Washington and put Democrats in charge of the legislative process. Had I not sat at the table and fought for conservative principles, Democratic Leader Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi would have had the votes to pass last year's horrendous Senate bill and send it on to the President. I could not let that happen. Therefore, I stood strong with other conservative colleagues in the Senate and worked towards a process by which we could to start the immigration debate in the Congress.
I started this process seeking to accomplish three main goals in this debate - to truly secure our borders, to prohibit a new pathway to citizenship and to stop the current climate of amnesty whereby millions of illegal immigrants are breaking our laws and facing no punishment for doing so. As a result of a severely flawed immigration law passed in 1986, some 12 million to 20 million immigrants have been allowed to enter this country illegally and remain indefinitely. They work tax-free, get free health care in our emergency rooms and educate their children for free in our schools. Our nation's policy today is amnesty, and it must end.
The immigration bill we debated for the past two weeks differed dramatically from the one signed into law in 1986 and it is also very different from last year's Senate bill. The 1986 law granted amnesty but failed to secure the border, and our country has been paying the price ever since. Last year, the Republican-led Senate repeated the same mistake of 1986 by passing a bill to grant legal status to illegal immigrants without securing our nation's borders and without imposing any punishment for those here illegally. I voted against that bill last year because it was amnesty and because it failed to secure the border.
This year, I led an effort to ensure that any proposal contain the essential foundation for successfully reforming our immigration system - a requirement to truly secure our borders first before any reform of our temporary worker system takes place. This became known as the "Isakson trigger," and it mandated that Congress must fund, put in place and make operational true border security before any temporary work program could begin. As it currently stands, the bill states that border security must include at least 20,000 border agents, 31,000 detention beds, four unmanned aerial vehicles, 105 radar towers, and 300 miles of vehicles barriers. In addition, a minimum of 370 miles of the fencing mandated in last year's Secure Fence Act must be constructed. I firmly believe that these security measures would finally provide comprehensive border security and would ensure that we have operational control of our southern border.
The final, key piece of my trigger was a biometrically secure identification card that will allow employers for the first time to instantly verify whether an immigrant is legal. Employers today must guess whether documentation provided by immigrants is fraudulent or not. A biometrically secure ID would replace this guessing game with certainty and would hold employers accountable with much stricter fines for hiring illegal workers.
Although opponents of the bill have suggested that there was nothing worthwhile in this bill, I would suggest that it contained several critical and necessary changes to fix our broken immigration system. It would have secured our borders first. It would have ended our current system of amnesty. It contained no new pathway to citizenship and would have forced illegal immigrants to go home before they could be eligible for a green card or for citizenship. It would have ended chain migration. It would have given employers a fraud-proof system to verify whether workers are legal. It would have forced immigrants to learn English. These are the kind of conservative Georgia principles that I brought to the table and fought for and was able to include. Even though these principles were included, I recognized it was still an imperfect product and that is why I worked through the amendment process to make it even stronger.
I voted for an amendment offered by Sen. Bingaman to limit the temporary worker visa quota for the proposed Y-1 visa to a "hard cap" of 200,000 per year. The bill as originally drafted provided for 400,000 Y-1 visas for the first year, and that number could have risen to 600,000 in following years. This amendment passed and that number was instead capped at 200,000.
I voted for an amendment offered by Sen. Graham to impose mandatory jail sentences for those who crossed the border illegally after being deported - at least 60 days in jail for the first offense and no less than two years for the second offense. Everyone needs to know that America is changing its immigration laws, and that if you break our laws, you will lose your freedom. This amendment passed.
I voted for an amendment offered by Sen. McCain to require illegal immigrants to pay back taxes on their earnings for the time they had been in the United States . This amendment passed.
I cosponsored and voted for an amendment offered by Sen. Coleman to close a loophole in existing immigration law to allow local law enforcement to acquire information about the immigration status of a person they have probable cause to believe is not lawfully in the U.S. There are several "sanctuary cities" around the United States that have prohibited their law enforcement to inquire about a person's immigration status. In certain cities, a person can be charged and even tried without the local authorities ever inquiring about whether the person is in the United States legally. The amendment would make it clear that state and local governments may not prohibit their law enforcement from checking a person's immigration status when they have probable cause to believe that the person is in the United States illegally. Unfortunately, this amendment failed.
I voted for an amendment offered by Sen. Hutchison to prohibit anyone who worked here illegally from obtaining social security benefits based on earnings obtained while here illegally. This amendment passed.
I cosponsored and voted for an amendment offered by Sen. Inhofe to require that English be declared the national language of the United States . It also provided that the English language is the default language for government communication, and that no person has a right to have the government communicate in any language other than English, unless "specifically stated in applicable law." If an exception is made, then only the English language version of any government form can have legal weight.
I voted for an amendment offered by Sen. Demint to require that temporary workers maintain a minimum level of private health insurance to keep them off public assistance such as Medicare and Medicaid. Unfortunately, this amendment failed.
I voted for an amendment offered by Sen. Sessions to prohibit anyone who is not a green card holder in the United States from being able to take advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit. This amendment passed.
I voted for an amendment offered by Sen. Cornyn to permanently bar about 635,000 "alien absconders," or immigrants who have received deportation notices, from obtaining visas. Unfortunately, this amendment failed.
I also voted to defeat all cloture motions designed to cut off debate on the immigration bill. The Democratic leadership in the Senate refused to allow up or down votes on additional Republican amendments that would further strengthen this bill. Among these critical initiatives that I supported but was not allowed an up or down vote on was an amendment mandating spending for border security as well as an amendment to require illegal immigrants to return home in order to participate in the Z visa program. The Democratic leader's refusal to allow votes on these additional amendments was unacceptable.
As I have said throughout the debate, I would reserve judgment on the final bill until deliberations were complete on the bill. At the time the Democratic leadership moved to end debate on the bill, it was my view that this bill was not good enough yet for the people of Georgia .
I recognize the lack of trust that a majority of Georgians have in the federal government's ability to follow through on its promise to secure the border. For that reason, I recently sent a letter to the President calling on him to use his emergency funding powers to fully fund the border security measures in this legislation as well as all outstanding border security measures that have previously been passed but not yet funded .
I have been working hard to address the number one domestic issue in the United States . I will continue my efforts because I believe it is absolutely critical to our state and to this nation that we secure the borders and restore credibility to our immigration system.
Thank you again for contacting me. Please visit my webpage at http://isakson.senate.gov for more information on the issues important to you and to sign up for my e-newsletter.

Sincerely,
Johnny Isakson
United States Senator

Response from Saxby Chambliss

6/7/07

Subject: Responding to your message
Dear Mr. Flair : Thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts about immigration reform. I appreciate knowing your thoughts on this important and emotional issue. Our current immigration system is broken and needs reform. Any reform Congress enacts must meet our national security needs and our economic interests; it must also manage the number of people we admit into the U.S. to ensure American workers and families are not negatively impacted by our immigration system. Moreover, all individuals living in the United States must respect and obey our nation's laws. There are times when old and current laws must be reviewed, revised and ultimately strengthened. The time is now to appropriately reform our immigration laws. The recently announced bipartisan agreement on immigration reform is a step in the right direction toward reaching a final and comprehensive immigration bill. This legislation is a significant improvement over last year's bill, which I opposed, but this is not a perfect bill. For me to support any final bill, it must contain the following principles that are important to Georgians: Guaranteed border security first . No amnesty and no new path to citizenship Temporary means temporary - guest workers must go home at the end of their authorized temporary work period End chain migration - replace family-based immigration system with a merit-based system. Eliminate the job magnet for illegal immigrants by implementing a simple, secure employment verification system. English should be the official language of the United States and everyone should speak it. Our nation's immigration problem has been in the making for many years and there is no easy fix. I have chosen to be proactive and engaged during the negotiations because my involvement is the right thing for Georgia and the right thing for America 's future. As the debate progresses, I will continue the fight to ensure that our nation is secure and our economy continues to thrive. If you would like to receive timely email alerts regarding the latest congressional actions and my weekly e-newsletter, please sign up via my web site at: www.chambliss.senate.gov . Please do not hesitate to be in touch if I may ever be of assistance to you.

Open Letter to Saxby Chanbliss and Johnny Isakson

Note, this letter sent to the Marietta Daily Journal and published on Thursday, 6/7
6/4/07

Mr. Chambliss and Mr. Isakson
I have read in the news today that Senators have returned with the message that the opposition to the immigration legislation is fading quickly. I think what is happening is that people, like myself, have said all we can say and are getting very tired of the political class ignoring us. You can only write so many letters to the editor.
I am not a joiner. I generally do not write to you gentlemen but in this case I am hearing that I am no longer opposed to the bill. I am. I am very oppressed to it. If this law passes with your support, I will do whatever I can to oppose you.
There is no reason to attempt to reach a compromise on this issue. If we simply enforce the current laws and add the fence we can take a deep breath and make a decision in a reasoned and all inclusive manner. Stop the flow.
There are too many unanswered questions with this legislation. As a quick example, do you really expect 24 hours enough time to investigate for the Z Visa? We don’t even know for sure how many illegals are here. It is not a reasonable expectation that the government can do an adequate job investigating these applications.
I understand you think that this is a good bill because you think that it is the best you can get out of a Democratic Senate. Sometimes compromise is not a good thing. Sometimes it is better to be careful, or even better, right!

5/30/07

One of the best articles I have seen on the situation in Iran. A really good read.

From:
Opinion Journal, Wall Streen Journal editorial page.


The Case for Bombing Iran I hope and pray that President Bush will do it.
BY NORMAN PODHORETZ Wednesday, May 30, 2007 12:01 a.m. EDT

http://www.opinionjournal.com/federation/feature/?id=110010139

Reply to Letters Published 5-22-07.

5-22-07
Mr. Martin,
A few questions. If you think we should change our strategy in Iraq, do you now support the new commander in Iraq and his new policies with respect to the increase in troop levels and changed troop assignments?
I know you think people are calling you names and refusing to allow you to speak but exactly how did I find your information? It was printed, the same as many others of different ideologies. I have seen no one try to deny you the right to dissent. We simply think you are wrong.
If you decide to do exactly what your enemy wants you to do by withdrawing your troops, what would you call it except surrender. Redeployment? This is what the Al-Quaida terrorist have been working toward ever since we defeated them in Afghanistan.
No one that I know of has said that Hussain was operationally involved with 9-11 except for those that keep denying it in view of almost every informed person’s acceptance of that fact. Iraq was invaded for many reasons. As I recall, 28 different reasons. WMD was 1. We know Iraq was providing aid to Al-Quaida operatives.
It is clear that you and I will never agree on the increased or decreased danger caused by the Iraq invasion. I think we have been able to fight them there instead of here but you will not agree. Your freedom to do so. Just don't tell me what not to think of your ideas.
In the same edition, Ms Gall seems to imply that the President and his whole cabinet should be jailed for some imagined illegalities. If she is so tired of "Rush, Hannity and Boortz" then she should stop listening. That is what the "Off Button" on the radio is for. Good riddance. If you cannot come up with some better reason for sending our president to jail other than the fact that she precieves a lack of honest debate, I dread her ever having any kind of power over anyone.

letters I am responding to.

Bush, Cheney criminals, should be in jail
Tuesday, May 22, 2007 9:59 AM EDTE-mail this story to a friend Printable version
DEAR EDITOR:Re: Steve Crowley letter, "Democrats' propaganda helps enemy, hurts us," Tuesday's Marietta Daily JournalYes, Mr. Crowley, we are standing up and telling our politicians we've had enough! We've had enough of the Bush/Cheney lies - starting a war with a country that did not attack us and invading a country that had nothing to do with the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. We're tired of Bush not protecting our borders, Osama and Al-Qaida could have come across our borders on a daily basis. We're tired of Bush trying to sell our country to Mexico and Canada with his infamous North American Union.Crowley talks about the Democratic Party using every opportunity to discredit Bush as a leader - what a joke! This man is not a leader and has done nothing but try to continually divide this country. He is the one who has used propaganda and continues to do so. Remember "Mission Accomplished," Jessica Lynch and Patrick Tillman? Don't you notice that when times get a little rough for him, he once again goes to his 9/11 speech, but he forgets to tell you that Saddam had nothing to do with it - it was Osama Bid Laden and Al-Qaida who are in Afghanistan where the fight should be. But no, we had to go to Iraq where more than 3,000 of our bravest have been killed and more than 15,000 seriously injured and Afghanistan is more dangerous than ever. And then, of course, we take such good care of our troops when they get home - remember Walter Reed Hospital - but, of course, when Bush says he supports the troops, we never look any further than that do we?
This so-called leader has surrounded himself with incompetence and we are all paying the price. You too, Mr. Crowley, but I guess you just can't see it yet!This country was founded on honest debate. The problem with this president is he can't take the honest debate without name-calling. I am so tired of Rush, Hannity and Boortz that I could puke. They sure preach honest debate, don't they -- they do nothing but call names and if you disagree with them, they hang up on you or cut you off or start yelling, because they can't debate and hold ground.We had eight long years of the Republicans going after Clinton. No honest debate there, but if someone goes after Bush, then they should be tried for treason, right? Bush and Cheney are the ones that have violated our Constitution and should be in jail. They are certainly criminals.Jeanette GallSmyrna
Those who criticize war dissenters are ignorant
Tuesday, May 22, 2007 9:59 AM EDTE-mail this story to a friend Printable version
DEAR EDITOR:In recent days MDJ columnist Laura Armstrong and letter-writer Steven Crowley attacked those who voice disagreement with our policy in Iraq as somewhere between the aging "peace" crowd and traitors. They take the stupefying ignorant approach that anyone who doesn't agree with them and our current policies are somehow against America and for terrorism.These arguments are both fundamentally wrong and cowardly. Both writers have forgotten, or chosen to ignore, that much of America's glorious history was shaped by those who disagreed and dissented. Our founding fathers, the women's movement, civil rights reform, all required Americans to seek and speak about aspects of America that required change. I think Ed Morrow said, "We are not descendants of fearful men." The fact is that dissent is the most quintessentially American of activities.Let me make clear that I am conservative by nature and favor an aggressive worldwide anti-terrorist foreign policy. I understand that in some cases that policy must be enforced by our military. Let me also make clear that I fully support our armed services, and I am humbled and proud that our forces continue to make the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. That does not mean that I will support policies based on falsehoods and failed strategies. I am stunned by the cavalier way both writers insist that we mindlessly extend our existing plans, continuing the sacrifice of our troops, without debate or discourse.
We know now that Iraq did not have WMDs. We know through the 911 Commission that Iraq had no role in the 9/11 massacre. We know from our own intelligence organizations that terrorists have been galvanized by our Iraq strategy and we are less safe from terror now then before the invasion. We know from centuries of world history that occupying a foreign country - regardless of the nobility of the effort - is a brutally difficult task.Already we have lost 3,800 of our best and brightest, somewhere between 75,000 and 250,000 Iraqis, and spent billions of dollars with no end in sight. More of the same is a recipe for disaster (please see the definition of insanity).Consider where the war on terror might be had we made that investment in rebuilding Afghanistan, in new technology, and in controlling our own borders. We have to be smart enough to learn from our mistakes and adapt to the realities of today.Please do not accuse those who desire to change our strategies in Iraq with surrender to terrorists. Do not confuse efforts in Congress to expedite an end to our presence in Iraq - a platform on which many were elected - as anything less than executing their sworn responsibility to constituents.Finally, do not engage in the most un-American of all activities, the suppression of free debate in an open democracy.Not only is it the right of Americans to vigorously debate these issues, it's our duty to do so.Bill Martin
Marietta

Open Letter to Congressional Delegation

Open letter to Georgia Congressional Delegation

5/18/07

I read today that our two Senators, Isakson and Chambliss are members of the commission that negotiated the new bill on immigration reform. Both of them indicated they were concerned about the border security issue but supported the bill. The statements I have seen indicate Sen. Chambless perhaps more than Sen. Isakson.
I have heard the Democrats repeat ad nauseam that they got the majority in Congress in order to send a message that the war should end. Not so. Most of the people I have spoken to support the idea that the message to Republicans was and is to act like Republicans. Stop being Democrat Lite. Border Security should be the number one issue in ANY discussion about immigration. As far as I can see, this bill treats security as an afterthought. This is not acceptable. Where is it written that bipartisanship is always a good thing? Sometimes (and lately, frequently) partisanship is what is needed. The Democrats have the majority. The Republicans should fight any Bill that relegates security to a side issue. It may be that they lose but at least put up a token resistance. This bill doesn’t seem to address the next 20 million illegals to come into the country. We must stop the bleeding.
We don’t, of course, know what will actually come out of the Senate. It may be that the triggers mentioned by Sen. Isakson, including employer verification and biometric id cards will be in the bill. If so, then and only then is it an acceptable bill.
I try to have an open mind on this but I don’t see this bill as helpful to the country in the long run. The most important issue in the country is the National Security. I have and will continue to support the War because anything else is just wrong. We have a wonderful and unique country and we need to do whatever we can to protect it. I think that the fine young men and women in the military generally understand the importance of their work and ask only for support for those they are protecting. God Bless Them! They are doing a wonderful job in difficult conditions. We must also have an eye to security at the border. It is too easy for illegals to come in--either well meaning people looking for work or evil meaning people looking for death and destruction.
Immigration is a difficult problem. Very few people want to go around deporting mass numbers of illegals. Most people do want the flood to be turned off. Then we can talk about "path to citizenship" and "guest worker programs".
In addition to the security end of the argument, there is a cultural argument. There is a distinct American Culture. It is being diluted by the hoard of illegals that come in without end. Legal immigrants come in an generally tend to assimilate to that culture. Illegals tend to group themselves together and try to maintain the old country cultures. We are in dire need for that to stop. We do not need to become Balkanized.
I don’t know yet where the delegates to the House stand on this, I simply hope that they will understand the importance of standing firm on principle. I have heard that my congressman, Tom Price is strongly opposed. Thanks Tom! There is no need to make decisions simply on the basis of compromise. There is a time for that and a time for not giving up your ideals. It is sometimes better to lose than to surrender. Even better, let’s WIN!

response to editorial letter

5/7/07

Re: Jim Stillman--Marietta Daily Journal, Sunday, May 6, 2007.
The sane and informed majority of Americans know that in fact the war is not over. If you think that, please explain the media’s favorite subject, the body count. Any war can be stopped, including civil wars. One just needs to apply enough force. The decision to do that is a political decision and is not necessarily the right approach. Please note that six months ago, the Democrats were screaming (along with some Republicans) that we needed more troops over there. The Democratic Senate approved David Petraeus to take charge. They then proceeded to refuse to allow him time to do what he was going over there to do--increase troop levels in Baghdad and win the war.
Mr. Stillman, if you think our military is under trained, under equipped and undermanned, ask a soldier. You say no jobs, water or electrify. How much did they have before we invaded? I suppose you think the pre war Iraqi’s were better off? I suppose so if they were Bathist Otherwise, they had to worry about rape rooms, torture chambers and mass executions.
I suppose you think that if we had not invaded Iraq, for the 23 reasons the Democrats approved as well as the Republicans, the world would love us and all these terrorist would be throwing flowers instead.
They HATE the US. They hate our way of life and want it to change. One of the problems is that whatever we do, it is not enough. They do not like the religious freedom we enjoy. They do not like the right of women we endorse. They do not like anything about us and unless we submit to the Caliphate, it will not be enough. Are you ready to do that?
If you think pulling out of Iraq will end the war, you are being very foolish. Which Iraq were we in on September 11, 2001? Bush is right in his veto. Please read the constitution. The President is charged with being the Commander in Chief. The Congress approves (as it did) the war and then funds it. If they want to cut off funds, do so. Playing games with our troops is not the way to support them. Saying you do is simply words. Remember, none of these troops were drafted, a fact that many of the so-called advocates of "Peace at any Price" seem to forget. These marvelous young men and women embody the ideal of peace through strength.
And finally, Mr Stillman, please note the Lie that these jackals who absolutely, irrefutably used to start this war. You cannot because there was no lie. That is simply another case of: Say it often enough and loud enough and some people will believe it.

Propaganda?

3/23/07

Once again someone has written in complaining about the war being built on "a foundation of lies". Again, we hear that we have lost the war. An implied "we cannot win the war" is always there and again the cry that "Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11" as a proof that the president lied.
The resolution authorizing the war was almost unanimous. The stated caused for the war included but was not limited to a worldwide belief that Saddam was recreating his WMD capability, his constant violations of UN resolutions (note, UN, not US), attempted assassination of a US president, his support of terrorism (not of 9/11) and others. It you were to go to Wikipedia and search on Iraq Resolution, you will see the full list. Oddly enough, it does NOT include participation of Saddam in 9/11.
As for losing the war, consider where we are with respect to the objectives. Saddam is taking a desert dirt nap now and I cannot think of many people that deserve that fate more. Iraq has an elected democratic style government. Most of the provinces in Iraq are peaceful. A recent poll of the citizens of Iraq indicated that very few think things were better under Saddam. Less than a quarter of Iraqi citizens believe they are in a civil war whereas almost 100% of democrats and media outlets believe that. The rape rooms are closed. Despite the outrage of the panty wearing prisoners in Abu Ghraib, the torture rooms are closed. Lately, the deaths are down substantially, both of US Troops and civilians.
Now the Democrats are attempting to put a limit on war. They are tying the funding of the war to a date certain withdrawal. The president cannot and has vowed that he will not sign that bill. If he does, it sets limits on what he can do and takes the authority away from the president for controlling the war. In case you are not familiar with it, the Constitution provides the President with that power. I do not want 435 presidents to run a war. Note: It just passed with 218 votes. A powerful (bare) majority.
I understand that some of you do not like the war. I want it to end as soon as possible but putting a date of withdrawal on it simply tells our enemies how long to hide out. If I were the president, if this abomination passes, I would veto it and if no replacement comes along, he will have no choice but to withdraw. Our troops that the Democrats claim to respect and their families will be without the materials they need. And may the Democrats reap the whirlwind.

Left, Right---Who is RIGHT?

2/24/07

I was listening to a radio show the other night, I think it was Dennis Prager. He said something that rang a bell with me. He noted that to the people on the right, liberals are often wrong, misguided, ignorant of some facts or even in some cases, nieve. Liberals on the other hand, always seem to see the people on the conservative side as evil. It is barely possible in some cases to have a political discussion with a "progressive" without being called a NAZI or being accused of wanting to go find an old person and beat them up and take their Social Security check and mail it to Haliburton.
We on the right see the war as something to protect western civilization. We see a threat from radical Islam that is intended to bring all the joys of Sheria Law to our shores. We see a continual progression from Ayatollah Khomeini to Osama Bin Laden and to Iran and Hesbolla. On the left, they see this as a mistaken effort to impose our will on the peaceful religion of Islam and in particular a distraction from the only true battle in the war on terror, Afghanistan.
We see the effort in Iraq as a noble deed. We are trying, against awful odds to allow a people who were trapped in tyranny to live as a free people. We may not succeed, but we are the only country in the world that would even try. As I understand the other side, they do not understand we are in a global war that is still raging and will continue to do so for many years if not decades. They want to use the criminal courts to punish terrorists after the fact of an attack. After all, they say, it is largely our fault that we are the target of attacks.
The answer to the question of who is right will come from history. I am afraid that in the short term that history will be written by mostly supporters of the left in the press and academia. The long term will tell. Will we have chaos reigning due to a major conflict raging that could possibly have been stopped in its infancy or will our peaceful offspring's look back in horror? I know what I think and there are times when I am afraid, very afraid.

Reply To Mr. Tom Poteete, Letter 2/1/07.

2/5/07


Tom,
I have a few notes in response to your letter. You mentioned that William Buckley, Charles Krauthammer and Newt Gingrich have expressed concern about how the war has been run.
So what is new? Can you name a war in which everything went as planned? NO. One of the axioms of war is that no plan ever survives contact with the enemy.
People ARE allowed to disagree with the President and his plan. Even you. Even me. The difference is that while disagreeing with the tactics they agree with the strategy. Gen Petraeus is the commander on site and the President is giving him, as he has done with previous commanders, what he requests. George Bush is the Commander-in-Chief. He gets advice from his onsite commanders. He has agreed with most of us, the old plan was not working. What would you have him do? Should he simply pull all troops out or keep doing things that fail? NO.
I don’t know you but I suspect that you do not believe we are in a long hard global war against Islamic militants. That is, I think, one of the major reason that the people of this country are more and more against the war. They do not understand the implications of losing this war. When asked what the consequences of leaving without winning would be, a frequent response is "it couldn’t be much worse than it is now". Please people, remember what is at stake. If we leave Iraq without some stabilization of the situation there are many consequences. The short term, local, consequence is that there will be a bloodbath that would be difficult to imagine. If you don’t believe that, you are naive. One of the long term consequences is that the world will see that the US cannot be trusted to keep it’s commitments.
Unlike Vietnam there would be an additional price to pay. We would leave a county that cannot maintain itself and would provide a haven for terrorists with resources from Iraqi oil to plan and execute worldwide terror against the western world.
Brownback and Hagel have abandoned the President on what large numbers of Republicans believe is the single most important issue that exists. Some of them will show up in the polls as against the current policy but I haven’t heard any alternative idea except surrender under many different names. If you have a way to resolve this issue, provide it.
Name calling is not productive. The fact of the matter is that I have not been provided with any examples of name calling by responsible conservatives. No one is happy about how things are going but name calling by either side is not productive. We need to pull together and find a way to solve this sticky problem Otherwise we will be still trying to solve it when bombs go off here in the US.

Global Warming

1/7/07

I thing the people in Colorado would be concerned about the idea that global warming might not be a fact. New York, on the other hand is sure that it is a reality. New York had temps in the upper 60’s and low 70’s this past week. Oh horror! That hasn’t happened since the 30’s. It must therefore be true. The question I ask is: Was it global warming in the 30’s? Of course not. I don’t know what is causing the temperature to increase now but it is NOT an isolated incident.
I have heard that the sun’s output has increased and that man is causing the increase. Who is right? I don’t know. I do know that the man made global warming advocates want us to give up the trappings of our lifestyle. The most enlightened and prosperous lifestyle ever. Most of these people are the same ones that see man as the most serious threat to the environment ever. (If you doubt that, see Al Gore’s book. Earth in the Balance. in which he makes that exact statement.)
I have a serious problem believing that a SUV could be killing the poor polar bears.
It is obvious that we need to lower our usage of foreign supplied oil. I would agree with even the kooks on that. My reasoning is much different, though. I think this country will sooner or later be placed in serious jeopardy because of that dependence. As we fight the poorly named War on Terror, the sorry fact is that most of the oil is in the hands of our enemies and their supporters.
We must take steps to lower that dependency. I do not agree with the concept of the government mandating that car makers increase gas mileage. I think that will happen on it’s own as the price of gas goes up. I think there should be drilling in all domestic locations that have significant deposits. By significant deposits, I do not mean Saudi Arabia volumes. I think we should be looking at alternatives. Ethanol is not THE solution but is a part of the whole. We need more refineries. We need more windmills. We need more of lots of different solutions. Fuel cells? I don’t know. We need to start now. I could be convinced that incentives from the government will help but not completely solve the problem.
Some people want only this way and other want that way. Let’s get together and find a lot of little solutions. Global Warming? If you believe mankind is causing global warming then this ought to at least be a start to you. If you believe mankind has little or no affect on global warming then this should at least be a start to you as well.
I have enjoyed the warmer temperatures but I know that a month or even a winter does not global warming make. Just remember, the temperatures have only been accurately taken for the last 100 or so years. The earth has been here a long time. Just have good sense when you examine the history of climate change.

Happy New Year!

1/1/07

It is 2007. Now what? The Democrats are in charge in the Congress. The Iraq war is still going on and President Bush is talking about how he will cooperate with the Congress on minimum wage and immigration. John McCain is considered to be the front runner for the Republicans and Hillary Clinton for the Democrats. Did you ever feel like you have no choices?
John McCain is a strong supported of the national defense and will, I think, keep us on the road to safety. McCain-Fingold is enough in and of itself to vote against him. Add in the defeated McCain-Kennedy immigration bill and you basically have more of the same. The other Republican candidates all seem to have problems. Rudy may be the best of the bunch but he has his own baggage.
Hillary Clinton is mostly unknown on national defense. So far, her votes seem to be more to satisfy the possible thought that a woman would be too soft to handle national defense. If her votes are truly her beliefs, that is a good thing. Unfortunately, we don’t really know. The Obama silliness will hopefully go away. He is perhaps the most liberal of the current bunch of candidates.
Saddam is thankfully a little longer in his coffin after having been stretched by the neck. If the mainstream media would show something other than bombings in Iraq, people might have a better idea about what is really going on.
Some changes need to be made in Iraq. I am not a general but it seems like the Ethiopians have learned from us the things to do when attempting to quash an insurgency. They said some of the fighters in the earlier hostilities might be pardoned but the leaders will be hunted down and killed. They will find and confiscate all weapons. None will be allowed weapons except for the official military and police.
No nation in the world has ever tried to do what we are so painfully trying. We are attempting to fight a politically correct war in which there are no collateral damage (accidental civilian deaths). As Mr. Sherman once so eloquently put it, "War is hell!" We tried to mitigate that but by so doing, we left a lot of combatants around to be problems over and over again.
If you look critically at any war, mistakes are always made. Remember, the enemy is also trying to win. In this case, they have had a tremendous assist in our media. They play the media extremely well.
I don’t know if a surge in troops will help or not but it is at least a new try that probably will not hurt. If they remove the arms from the militias, that would be a great first step. It should have happened 2 years ago but better late then never. I am sorry to see Rumsfield go but maybe that was needed to shake this dog of a war onto a new footing. If it does that, good.
I hope everyone has a safe and prosperous new year and that all of our troops in harms way return safely.

He's BAAAAAACKKKKK

Billy's last message from the Middle East--


Well, I'm officially out of Iraq! I'm hanging out in Kuwait for a couple of days and if I can smuggle everything through customs without getting arrested I'll be heading to Germany, Ireland, New York and finally to Colorado. Should be a fun trip. Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm safe and doing good. Take care and I'll see you all soon. Should be arriving in Colorado early morning on the 3rd.
Billy


At last word, He was en route from Colorado to Hawaii.

Way to go, Billy. Happy 30th Birthday. What a present. Give that wife and daughter a hug from me!

Here Come the Dems

The Election is Getting Close
It is getting close to the election. I hear Democrats hopefully trying to convince the Republican voters that either they have no chance to win so they might as well stay home or trying to convince them that no one else is going to vote so there is no reason to bother.
I certainly hope it doesn’t work. The Democrats are trying every trick in the book. (Yes, I know--so are the Republicans!) The entertaining part is listening to the Dems telling the Republicans that they shouldn’t vote for their party because it acted like Democrats on the budget. They tell you how bad the economy is--Didn’t I see DOW 12,000 this morning? Unemployment is historically low, the unemployment claims are the lowest in months, gas prices are 33-40% lower than this time 6 months ago.
The painfully point out that they are sure all Republicans are not Mark Foley but since they are in the same party, they surely don’t care about children. Never mind we are talking about bad e-mail that was available to people for years and truly awful text messages available to Republicans for a week or so before action was taken. When Republicans point to worse behavior by others and show the double standard, the Democrats say that they are playing politics.
They tell you the war in Iraq is a disaster. What do they want to do? Leave. Variously, they says run out as fast as we can, leave at the end of the year and some even say (those in Red States) that we need a new plan. Fine. What is it? No one knows.
Immigration is another favorite. They point out that the Republicans don’t want a comprehensive policy because those evil Republicans want a fence. Lets just blame those terrible businessmen who hire them. Shades of Berlin. Oh, I forgot. The Berlin wall kept people in. Ours is to keep people out. Most people believe we stop the flood before we address other issues. Almost the only people talking about doing door to door to throw people out are Democrats implying that the Republicans want to.
So if you want a Speaker Pelosi, a Majority leader Reid, impeachment hearing, attempts to defund defense as well as the Fence at the border, stay home on election day. You’ll teach those Republicans. Meanwhile if you don’t vote, you vote Democratic.

Can you support the troops and not the war?

Re: Mark Denney, support for war’s false premise not same support for troops. Mariette Daily Journal, 8/17/06

Mr Denney,
You are not giving aid and comfort to the enemy. Any individual has the right to disagree with anything he wants to in this country. The problem is when persons in the leadership of the country make statements like: (Dick Durban) "... Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime—Pol Pot or others—that had no concern for human beings." Or
(John Kerry) "And there is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women,.." And others.
When and individual disagrees with a policy or action, he is merely exercising his constitutional right to free speech. When a party leader makes statements like "Bush Lied and thousands died" it is no longer simply free speech. And before anyone screams, they DO have that right. The problem is that in the rest of the world, including the enemy locations, it is seen as disunity. Any disunity seen by the enemy emboldens them. Clearly, that has been shown to have been true in the liberal war of wars, Vietnam. General Giap has so stated in his memoirs.
Is it treason? Of course not. Is it something that helps the troops? NO. Does it harm the troops? I would say so, but if you ask the troops they strongly say it does. You don't have to be silent. You do have an obligation to chastise the national leaders that appear to speak for you when they make over the top statement.
Yes, Mr. Lanzotti is probably arrogant. I am and you are. We all have opinions. I like to think mine are right and obvious. Possibly not always. In this case, we can debate but I like to think that my opponents in the debate understand the fact that although you can support troops and not support the war, you must not damage their efforts. That is NOT support.
I appreciate the fact that you didn’t use the "Bush Lied" line. You say that most soldiers think they are avenging 9/11. I don’t necessarily think that polling is accurate but to some extent it is in fact, true that this war is revenge. Not against Saddam but against our enemies. 9/11 was a battle. Afghanistan was a battle. Iraq is a battle. The war continues.
No, Saddam did not plot 9/11. No, he didn’t, to our knowledge, fund that attack or train the terrorists. He did fund terrorism(ask the Israelis killed by suicide bombers). Newer documents even indicate he might have been involved is some peripheral way. The more important fact is that Iraq is a battle in the current world war against Islamic Fascists. If you think we are at war in a major way you understand that. If not, you have not yet been convinced. In my opinion, I think that most people will eventually be so convinced. The recent airline plot has shown some that the enemy is still out there.

Letter 25

8/14/06

Hi,
Just wanted to let everyone know what has been going on over here for the last couple of weeks. We just finished up a huge combined operation where the US and Iraqi National Police (INP) swept through several neighborhoods looking for weapons and wanted people. Well, not to say they didn't know we were coming, but there was a note in one house that said " To US forces, this house is clear, please don't break anything". I didn't participate in the house clearing ops, we established security around the neighborhood. We spent at least 12 hours a day patrolling and checking positions and telling Iraqis to put their helmets on. We received machine gun fire one day while we were out and one of our teams was actually attacked by one of the Iraqi checkpoints. The Iraqis thought the Marines were civilians approaching them in the dark of night. One Marine was lightly wounded in the attack, before the Marines were able t o regain control of the Iraqis. The guys responsible were thrown in jail by the Iraqi General. Now we are in recovery ops, basically resting for a couple of days from all of the fun we had and sending up reports and doing all kinds of paperwork, okay, not really resting. Here is a picture of me as we were getting ready to do one of our patrols. It was taken by a Combat Camera crew member who was with us documenting the experience. I have lots of photos of the time they were out with us and a couple of videos that I will have to share with you all. Just wanted to say hello and let everyone know what's going on in Iraq, I'm off to go eat chow, its the first time we haven't had to wear all of our protective gear to eat in 2 months.
84 days left,

Letter 24

8/6/06

Hey everybody,
Just wanted to say hello and hope everyone is doing well. Amy and Kayla are doing good, they are currently in Kentucky visiting with my parents for a couple of weeks, so hopefully most of you will get a chance to see them. I'm doing good, staying busy as always. We should be working on getting out of here and getting everything ready for our replacements, but with the ever changing situation here in Baghdad, we are going to know just about as much as our replacements do. We can let them know how these guys operate and which criminal organization or militia they work for but they are talking about moving us outside of Baghdad and even possibly further down south to Basra, near Kuwait. If that is the case, we will have to pack up and move again with just a few months left in country. There is another rumor that our replacements will be in Iraq at the end of September. Don't get too excited, it doesn't mean we leave at the end of Se ptember. They will have to go to Taji for a week for training before they link up with us, and then the RIP/TOA (relief in place / transfer of authority) is supposed to take about 10 days. So the current rumor is mid October. Of course everything is still subject to change, just letting you all know what I know. Things are going to be really crazy for the next few days to few weeks with a bunch of operations planned, so I will try to write when I can and reply to emails as the opportunity allows. Here is a picture of FOB Falcon (Forward Operating Base) taken from outside of the FOB, something that most people inside Falcon have never seen and a picture of our Team Chief directing traffic. Take care and I hope to hear from you all soon.

Oh! Woe is US!

8/1/06

So many people in the world complaining about the poor civilians being killed in Lebanon. I hate to see innocent people being killed as much as anyone but the questions is how to stop this killing. Per the UN and others of its ilk, we need a cease fire now. In fact, we should be negotiating with Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria and Iran about how to make the middle east better-read: how to get rid of Israel.
Israel is a democratically elected friend of the US. I am very proud that our president is allowing the Israelis time to clear some of the terrorist in the world. The question is not how to stop Israel from killing innocents but rather who’s fault it is. I heard reports in the last 2 weeks that Israel was dropping leaflets telling the civilians to leave that they would be bombing. I heard that Hezbollah was preventing that exodus to the point of turning all the people fleeing back to their dangerous homes. I have also heard stories about Hezbollah actually blowing them up to get the exact reaction they got. If these terrorist are not concerned about blowing up themselves they don’t have any qualms about killing 50 or so civilians. They certainly are trying to do that with the unguided rockets they send into Israel on a regular basis.
Remember how this started. Israel was invaded, a group of it’s soldiers killed and some kidnapped. That is an act of war in any country anywhere, anytime. If Mexico started sending random missiles into Texas and then invaded and killed and kidnapped, I would hope the president would retaliate.
This will never end as long as there are those out there that are willing to not only kill but die in order to advance their goals of completely eliminating Israel and once that is done spreading their 12th century culture around the world. As Newt Gingrich stated, we are in World War III. Western culture is in danger. So far few people understand the danger in the world. Not enough! It is not too late. The game is in the early innings. It has been going on with slowly increasing ferocity since the 1980’s. The violence will increase. Unfortunately, it will take another 9-11 or worse to have enough people wake up. At least, I hope that whenever that happens people will wake up.