Apologies Don't Win Wars

I've been harping on the need to pay attention to foreign policy for some time.  It has now come to a head.  Three situations have come together at such a time and in such a state that shivers should be shooting up your spine.

First is the refusal of the President to sit down once again with Netanyahu to discuss the options regarding Iran.  We don't seem to grasp how nervous Israel is over how close the Iranians are to making their first nuclear weapon.  If we sat as close as they do perhaps we would.  After all, they don't like us any better than they like the Israelis. But no.  I just don't think the President has the stomach for anything as complex and difficult as making a decision.

Second is the attack on the embassy in Cairo, the destruction of our flag and the raising of the al Qaeda flag in its place in protest to a video on You Tube supposedly insulting Mohammad.  We've been through this before.  Are we handling it correctly?  Each time a pastor in Florida with a minuscule congregation seems to be at the heart of it.  Our officials plead with him to stop because it puts our people at great risk.

It is his right, by our laws, to say what he wishes.  Perhaps we ought to do as Karzai has so often done.  Demand an apology for their behavior rather than apologizing for ours!  I'm not saying its right or in good taste or anything positive - but we do have free speech.  They want us to respect them, their religion, their prophet.  Should we not expect, no, demand, the same in return?  Freedom has its untidy consequences.  Would you rather be without it?

Third is the attack and murder of consulate personnel in Benghazi.  This was no mob angry over a video.  This was deliberate,  called for and well planned revenge for taking out one of theirs.  This is an act of war.  Not a declaration, an act.  The war has been going on for years and is escalating, not winding down. It's moving beyond the borders within which we've been fighting.  That makes it worse, not better. It is not the time for platitudes.  It is not the time to apologize for some nut's insensitivity to religion. It is the time to admit to exactly what's happening.  We are at war.  When are we going to fight it to win it?

It is time to get some backbone. No more leading from behind or ignoring what's going on under our nose. If we're going to maintain a presence in countries who have shown time and again we're not welcome, then we'd better set some conditions.  One, as a diplomatic guest in said countries it is the responsibility of those governments to protect our people and property.  It happened neither in Egypt nor Libya.

We pour billions of dollars into those countries and their brethren.  Tell them if they don't live up to their responsibilities, the open wallet will close.  Then close it.  They don't believe we will.  Will we?

It is time for this administration to admit sweet talk and extended time lines, or no time lines,  don't work in our favor but in the enemies.

I think you'd find Mr. Netanyahu would agree with that.

It is time to pay attention to what's happening in the middle east.  They've chosen the anniversary of their greatest success against us, 9/11, to ramp up activity.  I don't expect to see a change in how the current administration handles such situations.  Feigned outrage from the Secretary of State then nothing.

Will this be the time it's different?  Will al Qaeda decide to quit toying with us and do some real damage?  Is killing our soldiers getting boring because it's so easy?  Now they'll try for ambassadors and our civilian personnel because it takes some creative planning and coordination?

It's time to quit parsing words.   War is terror.  We've been purposely attacked.  Tsk tsk, we're sorry if we've offended you no longer cuts it.

Let's Not Forget The Others Running For Office

The pollsters are polling, the surrogates are sniping and the candidates striving to hit just the right pitch.  It really isn't going to matter which man wins unless we get the right people in Congress.  If we don't, it will be the usual stalemate complete with name calling and finger pointing and nothing getting done.

I don't mean a Republican majority nor a Democratic majority.  What we need are men and women who are willing to work together and get something concrete done.  What a tired cliche that has become!

It is said we need more taxes.  That's probably true if for no other reason than the cost of doing the country's business is going up.  Just like tending to our own.  Food, gas, all that stuff equates with the cost of building and upgrading infrastructure.  It's getting more expensive.  Understand that taking more from the rich isn't the answer.  Nor is making those who pay nothing pay something going to solve the whole problem.  There needs to be a formula to incorporate both so everyone has a stake in the taxing process.  That's fair.  The Robin Hood method is not.

It is said we're spending more than we bring in.  True.  But understand, even cuts are going to take time to make a dent in the debt.  Plus, we all spend more than we take in.  At least you do if you have a mortgage or a car payment.  You owe.  Period.  How long does it take for you to clear your debt? A while.

We're over regulated.  True, but that doesn't mean every regulation is bad.  There needs to be oversight to keep those with the power to regulate from running amok. No unelected official should be without oversight.  The elected officials have it - us.

I worry about large majorities in either house.  I especially worry about one party holding both houses and the Presidency.  Obama wasted an opportunity when he had both for two years.  I guarantee he won't make that mistake again should that be the outcome this cycle.

I feel just as strongly about the Republicans.  Both sides have too many extreme ideologies that would be far too easy to push through.  Look at how Obama got Obamacare through.  Once is enough.  Do we really want people who have a grasp of rape like Representative Akin writing abortion legislation?  I think not.

I have the feeling things will change dramatically if Romney loses.  I think we will see the demise of the Republican Party as we know it today.  And maybe the Democrats to go along with it. The far left and the far right will go their own way. It just may bring about the third party many of us would like to see.  Somewhere along the line some one, or few, or many, will have the gumption to say, "Enough! I don't agree with this and I'm not going to back it!"

We recently had a very prominent member of our community change her voting registration from Republican to unaffiliated.  She just got tired of being backed into supporting positions with which she disagreed all for the sake of the 'party'.

If  a prominent member of the community, one which is heavily Republican, has the fortitude to do so and make it public, why not a politician?  Surely there must be some who care more about their country than their 'career'.

The country needs such people to step forward, regardless of affiliation, and stand together.  I think they'd be surprised how many of we voters would stand with them!

My Take

Well.  It has been quite a slog hasn't it?  I've spent more time reading Fact Check than anything else for the past couple of weeks and find neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have been exactly pristine with facts.

What I do know is that we have a tremendously important choice to make.  More important than how much we like a particular candidate, but rather how we view government's role.

If we want less government in our lives, fewer regulations,  more opportunity for the little guy to succeed we lean Republican.

If we want government to regulate everything, even to the extent of corporations not being allowed to have profits a la Elizabeth Warren, then we lean toward the Democrats.

Both parties have huge downsides.  The Republicans are being over run by Christian Conservatives whose focus on social issues sticks in my craw. Too many are personal and no business of a political party. The Democrats are dictatorial and too intent on having everything equal.  That means the more ambitious and better equipped are obligated to share their successes with the lazy or those lesser equipped.  There are no allowances for the reasons that may be contributory.  Lazy of course is self explanatory.  Less well equipped can mean anything from IQ to opportunity.  It is not an equal hand.

Both parties have less than inspirational candidates for the top job.  Mr. Romney is probably  quite capable.  The problem is the Republicans haven't yet been able to articulate, at least to my satisfaction, what they are going to do and why they think it will work.  From the economy to jobs to strengthening the military to regaining our status in the world.  Do their policies now differ enough from previous Republican administrations to be effective?  In theory they should but there is certainly no guarantee.

President Obama was ill equipped for the job when he was elected and seems not to have grown into the job as Bill Clinton did.  To say that he 'Peter Principled' as President is pretty accurate.  That is he has reached his level of incompetence.  If anything, he has left legislation to the far left of his party with no guidance from himself nor any controls.  We have chaos.

Choosing between the two parties to me is a no brainer considering what is at stake - the country and how it is governed.  However, no matter which is your preference, the choice of a leader is bleak.  Both parties had to scramble to avert disaster at their conventions.  The Republicans for the way they treated Ron Paul and his delegates plus the abortion issue in their platform that their candidate will ignor.

The Democrats in their platform too with the leaving out God and further irritating the Jews  by not stating that Jerusalem is the capitol of Israel.  It's a pander to be sure, it's really not our business but it's been done for decades as a nicety more than anything because of our bond with the Jewish state.

The tone of the Democratic convention seemed to waver between uncertainty, lackluster performances and nastiness toward their opponants.  The Republicans was more rah rah but lacking in specifics. Why didn't they spell out their policies and demand the Democrats do the same?

We are left with uncertainty no matter which way we vote.  Will the far left or the far right prevail?  Will the moderates from either side have a voice or will they be forever silenced?

The future is bleak.  There is no sense of enthusiasm about the prospects for the future for our children or for ourselves.  Just resignation that little will probably change and we'll keep slogging along as best we can.  What has happened to my America? It's no longer quite as beautiful as it once was.  If the Democrats want us to share, then let us all share the blame.

Eastwood - Because A Friend Asked

I wasn't going to get into the criticisms of Clint Eastwood's comments at the Republican convention, but since a friend asked I will have my say.

I loved it.  What better metaphor for an empty suit than an empty chair.

True, he stumbled over his delivery and you had to listen but if you did, oh did he say things that needed to be said!  No one has taken Obama to task for unkept promises and plain ineptitude quite like it.

Don't forget he ad libbed it.  How well could the talking heads do without their scripts under the same circumstances.  They were well primed to find fault.

Let's consider content over delivery. Risque?  Poor taste?  Only to the holier than thou types.  Obviously they were in the minority in the live audience.  They appeared to love it.

Call him all the disparaging things you can think of.  Tell him how he's embarrassed himself.  Deny anything he said was true.

Then go out and get a life.  It was fun.  It was a nice break from the rubber stamp speeches that came before and after.  At worst he brought to mind Presidential failings and told us it's perfectly okay to fire the guy.  At best, he made my day.

Morsi Gets It!

I have yet to form a strong opinion on the whole of the Arab spring movement.  We have been witness to civilian uprisings, military crackdowns,  dictatorships falling and governments rising.

We've wanted people to have democratic elections and at times we've tried to influence them to no avail.  Sometimes we've seen our choice elected and disappoint.  We've seen others elected and surprise.

I think newly elected Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is one such.  There was much concern when he battled his own military for control.  There is concern that he is a member of the feared Muslim Brotherhood.  There was concern when it became known he was to attend the conference of non-aligned nations in Tehran.

The conference was of course a ploy by Iran to create an illusion of support against the crippling sanctions imposed because of its nuclear program, its support of Syria and its stand against Israel.

All I can say is Hallelujah, it failed.  In front of 120 countries Mr. Morsi condemned Syria's regime as 'oppresive and devoid of legitimacy'.  That is a pretty strong rebuke.  He went on to condemn all of the countries for their lack of intervention to stop it.

To emphasize what one can hope is a growing realization that things must change by their hand, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon joined in the condemnation of Tehran along with their threats to Israel and penchant for denying historical events - namely the Holocaust.

The Iranian media even went so far as to quit translating Mr. Morsi's comments and branded him as 'immature' and new at diplomacy.

Even though Iran has been elected to head the Movement for the next three years, there have been complaints about the cost considering the strain the sanctions have imposed.  Not that Ahmadinejad cares a whit about what the people think.  His hope was to negotiate oil deals with the delegates to ease their problems but success seems unlikely.

 Can it be that even rogue countries who don't like us any better than the Iranians finally recognize the poison in their midst?  Obviously Mr. Morsi does.

That leaves Iran with it's tried and true allies for what they're worth.  Venezuela, if Chavez lives.  Syria, if  al-Assad lives and the untested Kim Jong-un of North Korea. It's not a group I'd want to trust.  I'd expect they'd turn against me in a minute if it suited their purpose.

It will be interesting to watch how this plays out.  It would be the most promising action in decades if Iran's own neighbors brought it to heel.  Peace in the mid-east might then be more than wishful thinking.  If Obama is re-elected it will all be on their shoulders so they are indeed masters of their own fate.

The end of the tunnel may not yet be in sight, but the light from within seems to be coming from Mr. Morsi.  May he be successful in switching on the others.