Who is really for protecting America?

The Weekly Standard did an excellent article on how the Democrats are the ones in denial on the battle we face against terrorism. They fail to understand that victory in Iraq is vital and that diplomacy which is not backed up by action is idle threats that only embolden the enemy who can see us for the fearful cowards we are. Diplomacy without action is like the mother who tells her screaming brat to obey and begins counting her fingers again and again the kid know the game and realized they can get what they want, after all mom’s threats are harmless talk. The Iraq war was necessary, after all how long to you threaten a tyrant with do this or else unless you back it up. Otherwise the enemy laughs at our threats and is emboldened because they reason- after all their too scared to fight me equaling I won.

In the elections this year Americans will have the choice they saw what democrat denial brought during the Clinton years on September 11^th, and now we have a choice will we follow the lead of President Bush and those in Congress who are willing to defend America with tough action or will they follow the cowardly hit and run strategy of the Democrats.

I enjoyed the President’s radio address on the information the intelligence agency reported highlighting the serious threat of terrorism has against us. In ABC’s “Path to 9-11” we saw what happened when we ignored the warnings of the intelligence agencies and we cannot do it again.

I thought I would post most of President Bush’s radio address, as I think it is well said.

"The National Intelligence Estimate confirms that we are up against a determined and capable enemy. The NIE lists four underlying factors that are fueling the extremist movement: first, long-standing grievances such as corruption, injustice, and a fear of Western domination; second, the jihad in Iraq; third, the slow pace of reform in Muslim nations; and fourth, pervasive anti-Americanism. It concludes that terrorists are exploiting all these factors to further their movement.

Some in Washington have selectively quoted from this document to make the case that by fighting the terrorists in Iraq, we are making our people less secure here at home. This argument buys into the enemy's propaganda that the terrorists attack us because we are provoking them. Here is what Prime Minister Tony Blair said this week about that argument: "This terrorism isn't our fault. We didn't cause it. It's not the consequence of foreign policy." Prime Minister Blair is right. We do not create terrorism by fighting terrorism. The terrorists are at war against us because they hate everything America stands for, and because they know we stand in the way of their ambitions to take over the Middle East. We are fighting to stop them from taking over Iraq and turning that country into a safe haven that would be even more valuable than the one they lost in Afghanistan.

Iraq is not the reason the terrorists are at war against us. Our troops were not in Iraq when terrorists first attacked the World Trade Center in 1993, or when terrorists blew up our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, or when they bombed the USS Cole, or when they killed nearly 3,000 people on September the 11th, 2001. Five years after the 9/11 attacks, some people in Washington still do not understand the nature of the enemy. The only way to protect our citizens at home is to go on the offense against the enemy across the world. When terrorists spend their days working to avoid capture, they are less able to plot, plan, and execute new attacks on our people. So we will remain on the offense until the terrorists are defeated and this fight is won.

In my recent speeches, I've said we are in the early hours of a long struggle for civilization, and that our safety depends on the outcome of the battle in Iraq. The National Intelligence Estimate declares "perceived jihadist success there would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere." It also says that "Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight."

Withdrawing from Iraq before the enemy is defeated would embolden the terrorists. It would help them find new recruits to carry out even more destructive attacks on our Nation, and it would give the terrorists a new sanctuary in the heart of the Middle East, with huge oil riches to fund their ambitions. America must not allow this to happen. We are a Nation that keeps its commitments to those who long for liberty and want to live in peace. We will stand with the nearly 12 million Iraqis who voted for their freedom, and we will help them fight and defeat the terrorists there, so we do not have to face them here at home."

ABC's Path to 9-11

Tonight I watched the first part of ABC's Path to 9-11. This film was highly criticized by the Clintons. I wondered why and was even more curious to watch it. After I watched, I thought the film did a good job portraying the enemy we are up against and their determination to defeat us and bring civilization under the bondage of their ways and the fear it brings.

The Clintons made a bad move to criticize publicizing what happened under their watch, which led to 9-11. Perhaps they would like it better had President Bush shouldered the blame for what their negligence had allowed to happen. I am glad for the film because it shows that we were in this war before 9-11, though as in World War II we did not recognize it until Pearl Harbor. Thankfully we have President Bush as our leader who recognizes the threat and is determined against all odds to defeat our enemy and protect us.

The film left a haunting impression of the hatred of our enemies and the oppressive atmosphere in which terrorism grows. A new ideology needs to grow in the Middle East, one of freedom and democracy. It is nice to see it beginning to grow in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A Common sense approach to a Good Work Ethic

The Senate is proposing a bill that would pay union workers for their performance which is a common sense approach to a good work force. So instead of the across the board pay raise workers would get a raise based on their work. The Washington Post reports that “Jacqueline Simon , public policy director at the American Federation of Government Employees, said the Senate bill ‘is all on the negative, the threat of punishment for poor performance." She added, "This is all stick and no carrot.’”

I would disagree; this is a much needed bill that would give workers an incentive to do a better job and profit both the individual and employer (and your taxes). The old system does not perform well because if you are going to get a pay raise and what you do does not matter, why work hard, and why try? I hope this bill passes because it is good for all Americans.

Freedom abused in Saudi Arabia

This article brings to light a sad history of tyranny going on in Saudi Arabia. While we want China and Saudi Arabia to be our allies and trade partners, it is important we do not overlook their terrible abuse of human rights. The very rights our founding fathers sacrificed to obtain.

Consider a few facts the article points out;

“* Religious freedom does not exist in Saudi Arabia…. Islam is Saudi Arabia's official religion, and all citizens are required by law to be Muslims. ...

* Academic freedom is restricted in Saudi Arabia, and informers monitor classrooms for compliance with limits on curricula, such as a ban on teaching Western philosophy and religions other than Islam...

*Saudi citizens do not enjoy freedom of association and assembly...

* The judiciary lacks independence from the monarchy. The king appoints all judges on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council, and the monarchy serves as the highest court of appeal. The rule of law is regularly flouted by the Saudi regime…. Secret trials are common, and political opponents of the regime are often detained without charge and held for indefinite periods of time. Allegations of torture by police and prison officials are frequent, though access to prisoners by independent human rights and legal organizations is strictly limited.

*In 2004, a number of democracy advocates in the kingdom mounted a petition campaign in favor of reforms. In March, the government arrested 13 reformers who had called for establishing a constitutional monarchy and holding parliamentary elections. Three - Ali al-Doumani, Dr. Matrouk al-Faleh, and Dr. Abdullah al-Hamed - were tried for creating political instability after refusing to sign a document renouncing their reform efforts. The trial got off to a rocky start in August, when the judge suspended initial hearings after hundreds of supporters of the defendants rallied outside the courtroom.

*Saudi Arabia formally abolished slavery in 1962 – a tad late, we think -- but Saudi citizens, with government help, continue hold people to forcible and indefinite service. In 2003, reports the Little Green Footballs blog, a Saudi man published a want ad offering to trade his 1991 Dodge for a female slave from Sri-Lanka. Here is an excerpt from a detailed piece by Joel Mowbray in the Feb. 24, 2003 issue of National Review:

"As part of its massive PR offensive, the House of Saud is trying to convince the world that its treatment of women is improving. But a first-hand witness would see a far different reality: women who are literally locked inside homes, paid little or nothing as domestic servants, worked up to 20 hours per day, and verbally and physically abused. This sad state of affairs exists not just in Saudi Arabia, but in Saudi homes right here in the United States. But there are people who know all about it, and even allow the practice to continue unabated on American soil: the U.S. State Department. Saudi abuse of domestics occasionally makes news in the Western press—but only when it happens outside of the kingdom.”

What would or should we do different? This is a hard question, because we both want and need these countries on our side, but perhaps some tough love would help. But then again religion is a powerful force and when it and government are one (for example Saudi- Wahhabi-Muslim and China-Communism/Atheism) it is hard nigh impossible to shake; only the people who want freedom in that country could obtain it (with perhaps some outside support).

Happy Fourth of July and Independence Day!

There is no holiday that stirs such pride in our country as does the Fourth of July. I am so grateful for the fifty-six men who “pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor” that we as a nation may enjoy our God given liberties. What dedication! What sacrificial commitment to the cause of liberty! The founders also clearly defined the source of liberty as “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God” and that since these self-evident truths of freedom were derived from the Ruler of the Universe it is our job as citizens to protect and defend these liberties. This is what drove these men to put their lives and livelihood on the line so that future generations could enjoy their heritage of freedom.

I love Lincoln’s defense of the principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence in his debate with Douglas. At this time Douglas and the Supreme Court were saying instead of being universal principals of freedom the Declaration was only for that generation of Englishmen to declare why they were separating from Great Britain. Lincoln argues basically that the declaration was meant to declare all men equal not in possessions but equal in “unalienable rights” among which are “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;” not that they had these rights or were they to be given by the Declaration but that the Declaration was to be a standard of freedom for generations to come. Otherwise he argues if the Declarations only intention was to dissolve connections with Great Britain, “why, that object having been effected some eighty years ago, the Declaration is of no practical use now—mere rubbish—old wadding left to rot on the battle-field after the victory is won” (The Language of Liberty, 205). But it is more than that, it is the banner or freedom to Americans and all peoples who desire to enjoy their “unalienable Rights”

Our country and flag stand for these principles. In Oliver Wendall Holmes poem “God Save the Flag” he paints a clear picture for the price our country has paid for the defense of liberty so now it is a beacon of hope to the world.

God Save the Flag

By Oliver Wendall Holmes

Washed in the blood of the brave and the blooming,
Snatched from the alters of insolent foes,
Burning with star-fires, but never consuming,
Flash its broad ribbons of lily and rose.

Vainly the prophets of Baal would rend it,
Vainly his worshipers pray for its fall;
Thousands have died for it, millions defend it,
Emblem of justice and mercy to all:

Justice that reddens the sky with her terrors,
Mercy that comes with her white-handed train,
Soothing all passions, redeeming all errors,
Sheathing the saber and breaking the chain.

Borne on the deluge of old usurpations,
Drifted our Ark o’er the desolate seas,
Bearing the rainbow of hope to the nations,
Torn from the storm-cloud and flung to the breeze!

God bless the Flag and its loyal defenders,
While its broad folds o’er the battle-field wave,
Till the dim star-wreath rekindle its splendors,
Washed from its stains in the blood of the brave!

I am so thankful for the generations of men and women who have defended the freedoms our forefathers won for us. Enjoy and defend your freedom by self-control and love for your neighbor and country. Happy Independence Day!

A Continued Defender of Freedom

President Bush understands freedom as our founders penned it in the Declaration of Independence. His speeches on freedom, liberty, and democracy are inspiring to me. I am proud we have such a president in office that holds the true spirit of America.

In his recent speech commemorating 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolt, he praised the Hungarian people for standing against oppression and sacrificing to obtain the freedom they now enjoy.

“The lesson of the Hungarian experience is clear: Liberty can be delayed, but it cannot be denied. The desire for liberty is universal, because it is written by our Creator into the hearts of every man, woman, and child on this Earth. And as people across the world step forward to claim their own freedom, they will take inspiration from your example, and draw hope from your success.”

True freedom takes time to establish because in lives in the hearts of individuals. So when these individuals band together and are willing to stand and sacrifice for their liberty- freedom triumphs in that nation and opposition is swept away by the flame of freedom. I believe this is happening in Iraq as the Iraqi people stand against those who would rob them of their freedoms. We need to continue to stand by their side and allow the fledgling democracy to strengthen itself against tyranny so that the germ of freedom does not die.

Accuracy in the Media also published and article on President Bush and Freedom which highlights his recent visit to Hungary and another speech he gave in Latvia last year.

It is an excellent article.

Back Again

After a long absence and break from politics I am back. I was getting discouraged with all the “bad” news and gave myself a break following Christmas which turned out to be an extended absence from my blog. During this time I read a lot of encouraging news of good things happening all around the globe and under the current administration that were not being reported by the mainstream news. So again I have the urge to write about the positive developments to the cause of liberty around the world but especially in America.