Do YOU Want America to Win?
Cartoon from Cox & Forkum.
It is the "silly season" - the time when our politicians INSIST on making sure we know what vacuous excuses for humanity they are, and the time when we jump on the the bandwagon of the insipid and voice our opinions - not bothering to find out if we have any facts to back them up or not. We hear a lot of "I feel" when engaged in any form of political discourse.
We also don't often bother to vote at all. Guess we insist on being vacuous, too.
Anyone who reads my blog will know a few things about me... I am first, and foremost, an American. An American who loves this country. I am inspired by our history - the good and the bad. The Founding Fathers form the pantheon of my heroes, surrounded by all of those who have acted heroically to maintain and sustain the nation. I am humbled by and inspired by our military men and women - I honor them, always - and believe they are the BEST of America. I am traditional in my belief and value system, as it applies to me, but tolerant of others, as long as they respect me, too. I believe that "the government that governs best, governs least." I am not a partisan. I hate political parties and believe that they are controlled by the Peter Principle - everyone rises one level higher than they should be placed. I believe that most politicians are idiots, immoral, dishonest, condescending, and I wouldn't allow them in my home. I am not, however, an Independent on any ballot - since in my state you can not vote in any primary if you register that way. When I cast any ballot, I give my vote to the person most likely to uphold the foundations of this country and to do the least harm. Isn't that sad?
Since May, The Media has been telling us that the Democrats will soon be running the country and that the Republicans can't win. I believe it is all free political advertising to get you to not bother to research your own candidates and vote like they want you to, or not vote at all. And, just in case the Democrats snatch defeat from the jaws of victory once again, they will have a basis to shout, "Fraud."
The only question that will sway my vote is, "Do you want America to win?"
Unfortunately, anything that is more complicated than the voting system on Survivor, American Idol, or Dancing with the Stars, seems to be beyond the American interest level. While we are faced with an enemy who wants to eradicate our very survival, people can't be bothered to learn about what is going on. They want simple solutions to complicated problems. I don't believe that our government has done us any favors by not giving enough information to the public, either.
Recently, I heard Walid Phares, author of Future Jihad, Terrorist Strategies Against America and The War of Ideas, Jihad Against Democracy (to be released Feb 2007), speaking about the upcoming elections. He believes that the insurgents want to divide America and to influence our elections and also believes that they are having some success at doing so.
"It seems that the US is having a hard time winning the hearts and minds of Arabs and Muslims, but an equally serious problem can be observed in the intellectual circles of America where some have had a difficulty coming to terms with the terminology of the War of Ideas. If the educated elite of the United States is incapable of identifying the ideology and the strategy of the Jihadists five years after 9/11, we not only have a problem with handling the War in Iraq, but also with this future of American national security as a whole." -Walid Phares
Read the entire essay here.
"One could go on at length, but the bottom line is that the radical Islamists, especially those engaged in warfare with the United States, are not politically blind. They know our system, and have figured out its weaknesses. In short, they have sought to discover our Achilles heel, and our efforts have been to counter them first through intelligence and followed by preemption.
It is simple. Al Quaida kills US soldiers in Iraq, al Jazeera films the scene, mainstream media relays the events to the West and critics of the war bring it home to the debate. The Administration is accused of failure, and its leaders are blasted for choosing the path of war in Iraq." - Walid Phares
Read the entire essay here. See Walid Phares on video here.
Bernard Lewis, the Cleveland E Dodge professor emeritus of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University, recently said, "If Churchill had faced the opposition that President Bush faces today, Hilter might well have won."
Regardless of your feelings about the War in Iraq, if you believe that leaving there before the job is finished will accomplish anything positive, you have chosen not to educate yourself on the threat that has come to finish this country off.
When I vote, the question in my mind as I mark my ballot will be, "Do you want American to win?"
