Liberals Don’t Know What Patriotism Means
December 1, 2008 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Conservatives, Constitution, Democrats/Leftists, Education, Founders, Government, Corruption, Media Bias, Military, News, Patriotism, Publius Contributor, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments
-By Warner Todd Huston
Some think it a canard that liberals aren’t patriotic. In some ways, it is a canard, but only just. Some liberals really do imagine themselves patriotic. But in what ever way liberals imagine they feel for their country, it doesn’t seem that patriotism is really what they feel. At least not in the way that patriotism is properly defined. There has been a spate of stories in the media since Obama’s election that serve to illustrate why liberals seem incapable of being patriotic.
But, first, what is patriotism?
After the War of 1812 one of our most celebrated sea captains, Stephen Decatur (America’s first post Revolutionary War military hero) once gave a toast at Norfolk to his fellow seamen that is the most perfect illustration of true patriotism. As he lifted his glass, Decatur said,
“Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong.”
Has Media Let Obama’s Reversal Pass Unnoticed?
November 29, 2008 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Government, Corruption, Media Bias, News, President, Publius Contributor, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments
-By Warner Todd Huston
Obama is starting to feel a bit of pressure from members of the far left of his own party who are beginning to raise their eyebrows over the fact that he hasn’t shown any desire to institute any “change” thus far with his staff and cabinet picks even though they had “hope” that he would. Obama went so far as to address the situation today as MSNBC reported on its FirstRead blog.
Obama explains away his lack of “change” and his picking of a plethora of out-of-work Clintonites by saying that who he puts on his staff and cabinet don’t matter. It’s because he is the change we seek, you see? But, wait, you might ask. If the press were paying attention, they might remember that during his acceptance speech he said this whole thing wasn’t about him, it was about us? Wasn’t it that we were the change we were waiting for… right?
Is the press going to let him get away with dropping that hoary rhetoric only to say now it’s suddenly all about him? Would they let such arrogance, such a flip-flop, from a Republican pass so easily?
Has Media Let Obama’s Reversal Pass Unnoticed?
November 26, 2008 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Corruption, Media Bias, News, President, Publius Contributor, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments
-By Warner Todd Huston
Obama is starting to feel a bit of pressure from members of the far left of his own party who are beginning to raise their eyebrows over the fact that he hasn’t shown any desire to institute any “change” thus far with his staff and cabinet picks even though they had “hope” that he would. Obama went so far as to address the situation today as MSNBC reported on its FirstRead blog.
Obama explains away his lack of “change” and his picking of a plethora of out-of-work Clintonites by saying that who he puts on his staff and cabinet don’t matter. It’s because he is the change we seek, you see? But, wait, you might ask. If the press were paying attention, they might remember that during his acceptance speech he said this whole thing wasn’t about him, it was about us? Wasn’t it that we were the change we were waiting for… right?
Is the press going to let him get away with dropping that hoary rhetoric only to say now it’s suddenly all about him? Would they let such arrogance, such a flip-flop, from a Republican pass so easily?
Hillary Pick Reveals Obama’s Lack of Experience
November 25, 2008 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Foreign Policy, Government, Corruption, Media Bias, News, President, Publius Contributor, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments
-By Warner Todd Huston
Time magazine wants so badly to make Obama into the next Abraham Lincoln — so noble that he’s willing to include political enemies in his cabinet — that they are willing to throw away any pretense at observing the candidate himself to make it happen. The latest risible effort by Karen Tumulty and Massimo Calabresi invokes the supposed “team of rivals” comparison as Barack Obama begins to formulate his cabinet. The Time writers base their entire point on the fact that Obama is probably offering the job of Secretary of State to Hillary Clinton, his rival for the Democratic nomination.
But, there are is a glaring error Time makes in its analysis. Obama is not picking Hillary because he is noble or looking to include a wider range of policy proscriptions in his cabinet, nor is he picking Hillary to heal party divisions. For one, he’s picking Hillary because Obama himself doesn’t know anyone that could take the office. In fact, that is the main reason he’s going back to the tarnished Clinton years to fill his staff and cabinet positions in the first place. Obama himself has nether the experience nor the network of knowledgeable associates to take those positions so he has no choice but to rely on the past. Secondly, he mistakenly imagines that he can control her merely because she is supposed to be at his pleasure.
Democrats Hate Privacy Invaders. Unless…
November 25, 2008 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Government, Corruption, Media Bias, News, President, Publius Contributor, Society/Culture, The Law, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments
-By Warner Todd Huston
It is interesting to see how Democrats react to abuse of power and invasion of private personal information. The Democratic Party made President Bush a pariah over his supposed act of “domestic spying” when Bush was attempting to stop terror attacks against citizens of the U.S. They called him all manner of names, tyrant, despot, etc., etc., even though no Americans were being snooped on by the Bush administration. And just recently, Democrats tsked tsked Verizon Wireless when it came to light that Barack Obama’s old cell phone records were snooped into by Verizon employees.
But, did they say a word as agency after agency in Ohio illicitly snooped into Joe the Plumber’s records so that they could find dirt with which to attack him? Did the Democrats find anything wrong with agencies and employees from the government of the state of Ohio illegally prying into the private records of Samuel “Joe the plumber” Wurzelbacher? Not much they didn’t.
Fed. Employee’s Labor Chief’s Demands Presented to Obama
November 25, 2008 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Business, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Elections, Government, Corruption, Jobs, News, President, Publius Contributor, Society/Culture, Taxes, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments
-By Warner Todd Huston
And it begins. President of the National Treasury Employees Union, one of the Federal government’s largest labor unions, has drawn up her demands for president-elect Obama to fulfill as payback for union support for his candidacy.
Colleen M. Kelly has announced her demands and two of them are quite controversial. The first, that the employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) get unionized, shows that unions want to be in a place to impede our national security. The second, the firing of all current members of the Federal Service Impasses Panel, shows that unions want to eliminate any oversight that might hinder union corruption and give them a freer hand to hide their own illegal activities.
Thus far, the Bush administration has succeeded in stopping the unionization of employees of the TSA and for good reason. Should the TSA be unionized, this would eliminate any possibility that the government could fire or even regulate the people that are supposed to be making sure our airlines are safe and free of terrorists. This would not only add another layer of distance between government (and therefore we the people) and its employees, but it would also make it harder to control the security of our airports. In fact, it would make it impossible for government to control the safety of our airports.