On this, the final day of 2007, it is good to reflect on the year that has passed. Learn from the mistakes and savor the accomplishments. I think it is better to “lean forward in the foxhole” and project what needs to be done in the coming year. This is a good opportunity to hit the metaphorical reset button, regain ideological foundations and focus on goals and milestones for 2008.
This will be a big year, not only because of the Presidential Elections but because we are at a critical point in our Long War against the Islamic Jihadists. We have seen how not taking this war seriously can create large setbacks. We saw the effects of a less than full effort in Iraq juxtaposed with what happens when determined leadership and adequate force is applied to defeat Islamic Jihadists in Iraq. I hope the same mistakes are not allowed to create setbacks in Afghanistan and now Pakistan before we take appropriate action with appropriate force. As my Brigade Commander used to say, “Hope is not a method.” Only consistent action and force will defeat an enemy.
Let us be clear, this IS a world war. I have said since 2001 that we need to fight this war “World War 2 Style”, which means fighting a total war to defeat Jihadist forces world wide with all the brutal kinetic efficiency the United States can muster. Fighting brutally and aggressively will continue the deterrence that we have enjoyed since World War 2 but are now losing. By fighting from the beginning in a somewhat “half-assed” manner we have put our troops and even our homeland at greater risk.
So called Progressives are fond of looking for “root causes” to social and global problems. In the case of most challenges we face in the world and at home today, the root cause is Collectivism. Collectivism is the ideology that the rights of the group or the state supersede the rights of the Individual. Even though Collectivism should have been relegated to the dustbin of history after its demonstrable historical failure culminating in the collapse of the Soviet Union, it is making a resurgence in countries like the United States which were founded on individual rights.
Islamic Jihadists, Communists, Fascists, Socialists and Progressives are all Collectivists in that they all want to subordinate individual liberty to advance the power and influence of The Group or The State. All of the Collectivists listed above want to limit or eliminate freedom of choice for individuals and replace it by what they bill as freedom from choice. As demonstrated by past performance, Collectivists do not think that individuals can be trusted with their own property. Virtually every case of oppression or corruption can be seen at its root to be groups or governments inflicting Collectivism upon individuals through force or threatened force.
As a resolution for the New Year I will re-double my efforts to advance Individualism by criticizing, cajoling and lampooning Collectivism in all its forms. I don’t think it a stretch to be confident that my fellow Conservabloggers will commit to the same.
Mrs. Clinton was quoted not long ago saying that she has “a million ideas, but America can’t afford them all.” This video illustrates the Collectivist nature of Hillary Clinton and some examples of why we cannot afford to have her as president.
Mrs. Clinton came out with a campaign commercial recently that literally shows Hillary Clinton playing the roll of national parent or nanny dispensing government largess in the form of gifts wrapped in bows. She even has the gall to show that a tax-cut is possible while throwing the $45 Trillion plus dollars down a rabbit hole for “gifts.”
To use government power to force people who produce to provide “gifts” for people who do not produce is immoral.
Warren Buffett has proven to be a smart man in the area of business and predicting which businesses in which to invest earning himself and those close to him billions of dollars in profit. They don’t call Warren Buffett the “Oracle of Omaha” for nothing. Why then is Buffett so wrong when it comes to tax policy?
You know, there is nothing to prevent Warren Buffett from contributing more of his money directly to the Federal and State Government. There is no need for the elitist “super rich” Buffett to advocate forcing the rest of us to pay more taxes. I have no heartburn at all with increadibly wealthy people. In fact I don’t want to live in a country where a Warren Buffett or a Bill Gates cannot exist. I am disturbed when someone in Buffett’s position is advocating tax policy that prevents others from becoming as wealth as he is or passing their already fully taxed wealth on to whomever they choose.
If he feels so strongly about paying more taxes why is he repeatedly on record advocating using government power to force him and others to pay more in taxes?
In his article titled “Here’s more proof that ‘disarmed’ and ‘victim’ are synonymous” subtitle “When violence looms and every second counts, recall that the police are only minutes away.” Sums up with real world events why gun control advocates have it all wrong.
The question one must ask is “Why do homicidal maniacs continually attack in places where victims are unlikely to be armed?” Suicidal crazies who want to kill many anonymous people are not known to choose police stations. Crazies don’t follow rules or laws anyway so what do you think is the main reason that wackos don’t attack police stations or gun shows? The primary target for a criminal event is where law abiding citizens are not allowed or are unlikely to carry guns.
More stories like this should be covered by the Main Stream Media. The United States Military is full of heroes but one seldom hears about it in Big Media. Realize that the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a combat award for valor second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor (CMH). Sergeant Gregory Williams earned the DSC by saving the life of his platoon leader and fellow soldiers.
A lead story in The New York Times with a statement like the one that follows would have been unfathomable just a few months ago. I am surprised to find the following:
“The evidence is now overwhelming that the ‘surge’ of U.S. military forces in Iraq this year has been, in purely military terms, a remarkable success. By every metric used to measure the war—total attacks, U.S. casualties, Iraqi casualties, suicide bombings, roadside bombs—there has been an enormous improvement since January.”
A terrible tragedy where two sisters were killed and others, including the father of the slain sisters were shot, could have been much worse if not for an armed member of the volunteer security staff. The Denver Post reported the following:
The shooter was shot and killed by a volunteer security guard at the church, said Boyd.
Boyd said the security guard, a woman with a law enforcement background, whom he did not identify, encountered the gunman in a hallway at the church and fired on him, saving many lives.
“He had enough ammunition on him to cause a lot of damage,” Boyd said.
Boyd said the gunman has no ties to the church.
“It was just absolutely random,” Boyd said. “A senseless random attack.”
Although apparently random, the attacker seemed to have a thorough plan to kill many more people than he did in that church. In addition to having a lot of ammunition, an NBC television affiliate 9News, reported that “the gunman was dressed with a tactical helmet and body armor.”
Thanks to the courageous armed female volunteer, the attacker was stopped before he could inflict more damage and will never harm others again. There has not been much national news coverage about the armed response to the unprovoked attack. I don’t think the Main Stream Media wants it known that an armed citizen can be effective in fighting back. I think the Main Stream Media prefers the Wussification of America.
A great read as usually found at the American Thinker; posted by Stephen Rittenberg, MD.
I recommend you read the linked article in its entirety over at American Thinker.
If you don’t already know, I think the term Collectivism fits better than Liberalism. There is nothing liberal about modern Liberalism.
Jihadism is an extreme perversion in obvious ways such as using children as human bombs and the sanctioned murder of women who are victims of rape. The perversion of Collectivism is exposed by its failure to recognize that infanticide and the total subjugation of women IS perversion. Collectivism also seeks to normalize perversion in many forms to break down societal norms and familial norms to impose Collectivism’s tyrannical utopia on everyone.
One can see back to its Marxist roots that Collectivism in all its forms seeks to paint perversions as normal to break down institutions such as the Family and Society so that instead of being stable pillars supporting traditional institutions, they become weak and ready to collapse. A huge travesty perpetrated by present day Collectivists is that they are excusing and even defending the savage activities of Jihidists which are the opposite of what could truely be considered liberal.
I am glad to see Major General John R.S. Batiste, U.S. Army (Retired) distance himself from the VoteVets.org organization. As I have written before, I served in then Colonel Batiste’s Brigade for almost a year in Bosnia. I have a lot of respect for MG Batiste, his leadership style and way of thinking. When MG Batiste came out publicly against Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, I had to reevaluate my opinion of the leadership climate and strategy employed by Rumsfeld in prosecuting the war in Iraq.
I was disappointed to see MG Batiste become a member of the Board of Directors of the VoteVets.org organization. VoteVets.org seemed to be doing anything possible to get U.S. Forces in Iraq to essentially surrender and return to the United States no matter the implications for U.S. security. Although MG Batiste was outspoken against Rumsfeld and President Bush on the methods used to prosecute the war in Iraq, Batiste also continually said that the number of troops in Iraq should be increased and victory should be secured even if a military draft were necessary.
Now MG Batiste has recently co-written an Op-Ed with the Executive Director of Vets for Freedom Lieutenant Pete Hegseth. Vets for Freedom is a pro-Victory veterans organization unlike VoteVets.org. I am very glad to see Batiste move publicly to support Gen. David Petraeus in the push toward victory against our Jihadist enemies.
