War On Terror

The Republican Party: Fiscal Discipline And National Security–Foreign Policy Expertise Reputation Replaced By Incompetency And Ignorance!

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The Republican Party used to be the party of Fiscal Discipline, until George W. Bush and the Republican Congress spent wildly on the War on Terror and a Prescription Drug Plan without raising taxes, and in fact, cut them dramatically on the wealthy, causing the economic crisis of the Great Recession as a result!

The Republican Party used to be the party of National Security–Foreign Policy Expertise, the party of Richard Nixon and George H. W. Bush, until Sarah Palin came along as a Vice Presidential choice in 2008, and then Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain came along, all three of them displaying total ignorance of the subject, and Rick Perry not much better!

To believe that the Republican Party could have serious challengers for the Presidency who have no clue on foreign policy or economic matters is something that promotes speechlessness!

Sarah Palin showed plenty enough ignorance, and there was a great sigh of relief when she decided finally not to run for President.

But instead, we have Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain, who seem in many ways, even worse than Sarah Palin.

We also have Rick Perry, who seems even worse than George W. Bush.

What has happened to the party that used to be respectable and knowledgeable, the party of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Bob Dole, George H. W. Bush, John McCain, and yes, even Ronald Reagan?

The Republican Party is in mourning for itself among its Establishment, and the nation should be in mourning as to how far downhill the party has gone!

A major political party with a glorious history in many ways has become an embarrassment to itself, and the nation suffers as a result!

54th Anniversary Of Sputnik: The Need For National Purpose As We Had In 1957!

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Today is the 54th Anniversary of the Space Age, as the Soviet Union shocked the United States and the world by orbiting a space satellite, Sputnik I, in space, taking everyone by surprise!

It was the most shocking moment in America since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which brought us into World War II.

And in both cases, the United States reacted with a massive effort to overcome the disadvantages they faced!

Much like they did in fighting Al Qaeda after the horrific attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001!

This nation MUST look at the economic disaster we are in now as a result of the Great Recession, and stop the politics, and do what is right for America: the creation of jobs, the promotion of fairness in taxation, and the need to invest in education and infrastructure, as well as promote innovation in technology!

The nation cries for the end of the divisiveness which has developed, particularly since the Clinton years, and to stop having the government interfere in our personal lives due to the crusades of religious zealots, and instead call for government intervention economically to stop the stratification of society, which has made us the nation with the most inequities of any democratic society on earth!

John McCain Vs The Bush Administration And Rick Santorum

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Senator John McCain of Arizona, the 2008 GOP Presidential nominee, spent five and a half years in a North Vietnamese prison, and suffered horrible torture.

George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and other figures in the Bush Administration NEVER suffered torture, and neither did former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, who is one of the group of Republicans seeking the Presidency in 2012.

But the Bush loyalists and Senator Santorum continue to assert that waterboarding, a form of torture, helped to bring about the assassination of Osama Bin Laden two weeks ago, despite clearcut evidence from CIA head Leon Panetta that waterboarding had no role in bringing about the demise of Bin Laden.

Senator McCain had the courage last week to condemn those who think torture is an acceptable and useful method to gain information from detainees. McCain has always been against the breaking of international law which the Bush Administration was engaged in by using waterboarding as a method to try to force information from captives in the War on Terror.

If John McCain, who suffered for this country, and CIA head Leon Panetta, both claim that torture did not work, and undermines our values, that should be enough to stop the propaganda endorsing torture, and it is good that Barack Obama has repudiated such a policy in the future, as it diminished the image of the United States as a nation that exists under law and a sense of morality.

May 8: V-E Day And Harry Truman Remembered!

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Sixty six years ago today, in 1945, America celebrated V-E Day, victory in Europe, as Nazi Germany surrendered, one week after announcement of the suicide of Adolf Hitler. Time Magazine commemorated the death of Hitler with a cover portrait of him with a large X through his face!

Today, one week after the killing of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, regarded by most observers as the worst tyrant since Adolf Hitler, we should celebrate the removal of the world wide leader of terrorism, while being aware that the danger of further terrorist threats still exists. And note that Time Magazine has just published an issue with Bin Laden’s portrait on the cover, and an X through his face!

And also note that today is the anniversary of the birth of President Harry Truman, born in 1884, 127 years ago, and celebrating his 61st birthday on V-E Day, less than a month after inheriting the Presidency upon the sudden death of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Great uncertainty about Truman existed at the time, and yet he went ahead and made tough decisions including the use of the atomic bomb on Japan three months later. Truman proved he could fill the shoes of Franklin D. Roosevelt, despite those who were skeptical as to his credentials.

In much the same way, Barack Obama has now proved, despite many skeptics, that he can fill the shoes of the office of the Presidency, can make tough decisions, and has courage and guts much like Harry Truman is always portrayed as having possessed.

So today, let us remember the twin fights against Nazism and terrorism, and the courage, guts and decisiveness of Harry Truman and Barack Obama. Were Truman alive today, he would be very proud of Barack Obama!

Will New Conspiracy Theory Arise Over Death Of Osama Bin Laden?

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In a time when we can rejoice in the killing of Osama Bin Laden, one wonders whether a new conspiracy theory will arise.

That theory would be that Osama Bin Laden is still alive, that Barack Obama has lied to us, and that all he is trying to do is calm the public mood about the War On Terror, and help his own re-election efforts in 2012.

The conspiracy theorists could argue that the body of Osama Bin Laden being buried at sea could be a ruse, and that even if a photo of the dead Osama is released, with his face destroyed by a shot in the left eye, that it will be claimed that it is not Osama. The fact that DNA evidence will be claimed as proof will likely be dismissed as false, as well.

Do not be surprised at the above scenario, but the answer is, as always, to ignore the conspiracy theories, and leave it to the loonies who hate our President and do not care about the damage they do to national unity by spreading such gossip as fact!

Peter Bergen, Expert On Bin Laden And War On Terror, Says War Is Over With Death Of Bin Laden!

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Peter Bergen, an expert on Osama Bin Laden and the War On Terror, who also met Bin Laden years before September 11, has just declared on CNN that the War On Terror is over!

Bergen claims that no one else can lead with the charisma or following of Bin Laden, that others under Bin Laden are “pygmies”, so that the war against terrorism is over!

One wonders what to make of this, but if it is true, that would be a major boon to the American future, and allow us to spend more time on domestic issues that have so sorely been ignored as we went berserk in spending on the War on Terror!

It could also mean less domestic strife and fear of Muslims in America, and could also lead to the rapid decline of the hate mongers who keep on promoting negativism constantly, including the conservative radio talk show hosts who live on hate and prejudice and propaganda to divide America!

Before we accept what Peter Bergen says as factual, however, we must still have a period of waiting and confirm what Bergen believes to be true, which we can certainly hope is the case!

Adolf Hitler And Osama Bin Laden: Two Most Hated Tyrants Die A Day Apart 66 Years Apart!

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Without any question, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was the most hated man in American eyes in the 20th century, and when he died by suicide on April 30, 1945, the nation celebrated!

Now, 66 years and one day later, Osama Bin Laden, the most hated man in America in the 21st century’s short history, has been killed in a joint operation with the assistance of the Pakistani government, and his body was claimed by the Americans as proof through DNA testing that it was, indeed, the mass murderer who was responsible for the September 11 attacks and the ongoing War on Terror, the greatest threat since Nazism on American national security!

Evil exists in the world, but one has to believe that justice will be served, and that good will ultimately wins out against the forces of darkness. This worked both against Hitler and Osama Bin Laden, and the thrill felt on V-E Day in 1945 is now spreading throughout America as we celebrate a great moment in American history, which helps to heal the wounds of our losses.

We must remain united against any other evil terrorists who might wish to attack us! This is not time to let down our guard!

PS.  I  have just learned that the German Government announced the death of Adolf Hitler on May 1, the day after his suicide, so at least the announcement of the death of Hitler and Osama Bin Laden were exactly 66 years apart!

Two Events To Commemorate On May 1: Holocaust Remembrance (Yom HaShoah) And The Death Of Mass Murderer Osama Bin Laden!

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As we come to the end of the first day of May, we have two developments to commemorate–both Holocausts of different sizes!

Today is the day we commemorate the Nazi Holocaust of World War II, which killed 6 million Jews and 7 million other victims! It is called Yom HaShoah, and it is a day to remember the sacrifices of these millions of victims!

Ironic that on Yom HaShoah that we learn that Osama Bin Laden, the most sought man in the world, responsible for 3,000 deaths at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, has been killed by the United States through the CIA, with a statement due soon by President Obama as we near midnight!

Bin Laden also hated the Jews, so this is a double day of remembrance for those people who support Israel and Jewish survival through the thick and thin of world history!

This is a great moment, and it unites Americans like nothing since September 11!

It is thrilling to witness tourists outside the White House singing the National Anthem, and it is a time for all of us to rejoice that justice has been done!

It also makes President Obama look great, that this happened on his watch, and it strengthens him in his re-election contest in the fall of 2012! What can the Republican Party say in opposition to Obama, considering that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were unable to resolve this matter in seven years after September 11?

This will make Obama look strong on defense matters, and overcome the old myth that Democrats are weak on defense!

It will give some solace to the families of the 3,000 victims of September 11, and will make May 1 a special day in the history of the United States, to be commemorated every year as one of the major events of American history for all time!

It, however, also makes us need to be more cautious and on alert, as the odds are that Al Qaeda will want to strike back at the United States in retaliation for Bin Laden’s death!

As John King of CNN just stated, this is an HISTORIC day in capital letters, and we will applaud this as one of the major successes of Barack Obama’s great leadership in the War On Terror!