In the interest of full disclosure, I must first say that I hate Kerry like I’ve never hated another person in all of my life. I am a Viet Nam vet. I served almost two tours in Viet Nam as Navy nurse. I also lost my first husband in that war.
I say “almost two tours” because I was sent back to the states to be medically discharged during the last half of my second tour. I got back to the states in April of 1971 – just in time to see Mr. Kerry pretend to toss his medals and offer his “testimony” to the American people. That he lied is a fact. That he gave aid and comfort to the enemy is a fact. That he gave the enemy a propaganda coup that won them the war (though he didn’t do this alone, of course), is a fact. That he caused untold misery to his “band of brothers” (including me) is a fact. After spending almost two years helping to put young men back together both physically and mentally, I came home to hear those same young men accused of atrocities and war crimes. I watched as they were spat upon and called baby killers and worse. (This is already happening again, by the way.) John Kerry and his fellow traitors did what no one else was able to do in the history of this country – lose a war.
He did it all for political expediency.
Now he uses the war once again for political expediency, having his cake while eating it.
There is nothing in this man’s career that tells me that he’s changed. If we have a weak intelligence community, it is because he and others like him did everything in their power (which, as a Senator is considerable) to weaken it. If we don’t have as strong a military as we need, and must therefore use our reserves as front line troops, it is because he and those like him decimated it. If we have half of our population standing up making ridiculous anti-American protests, we have John Kerry and those like him to thank for their philosophy and their example and their nostalgia. If we have a large portion of our population so uneducated that they cannot understand the issues, we have John Kerry and those like him to thank.
Now I see people here seriously proposing to put John Kerry and those like him into the White House while we are at war. It is the half of the population that KNOWS we are at war who are for Bush. Look at the other half, those who favor Kerry, those who deny that this is even a war and equate Bush to Hitler. These are the people whose voice you would have in the office of President of the United States. Those who spit on America and damn us for defending ourselves because we are too evil to defend. They blame the victims, you and I, for the murder of our fellow citizens.
I have always had a problem when discussing the ethics of Christianity and socialism because the only difference between the two is the stated beneficiary of all the sacrifice demanded. Both are altruistic and both are, thus equally evil philosophically. The one thing that has always definded American Christianity, however, is how fundamentally unserious most American Christians are about it. They go to church on Sunday and give lip service to it the rest of the week. They are vulnerable to the siren call of socialist policies because they are Christians, but this has always been dampened by the basic American virtues of self-reliance and personal freedom. Both of these virtues have been eroded considerably since the 1930’s. During times of national emergency, Americans have voiced their religion louder than usual. (It’s always easier if God is on your side. (Heh)) I know that there is a more concentrated effort these days to change, but I see it the same way that I see the socialists, as a power grab. The movement has arisen in the face of increased socialist policies, with the money and power each involves, we have endured since the 1930s. They would do nothing fundamentally different than the left has done, but they see the left as “godless” and prefer the money to be in their own “godly” hands, to be dispenced as they see fit. They are dangerous, but no more so than the other varying schools of socialism that rule thought in this country right now. The only thing that will kill all of them dead in their tracks is Objectvism.
The best way to give the fundamentalists (both Christian and Islamic) a boost they could never get otherwise is to put John Kerry, and those like him, in charge of this war. Which direction do you think the country will take after Kerry allows the level of carnage to rise as he takes the terrorists to court?
Bush has made very many mistakes. I disagree with the way in which he has handled the war, both aboard and (even more importantly) here at home. I do see the overall strategy that is being used, however. You can too, just by looking at a map. But I constantly hear people speak as though all George Bush has to do is breath an edict and his minions would scurry to do his bidding. The POTUS is not a dictator. He is the leader of a contentious, irresolute, divided people, everyone of whom thinks they have the answer to this problem. His administration is as divided as the rest of the country and he hasn’t cleaned house so that we have a consistent policy.
As an aside to those who insist that we ought to nuke the enemy and be done with it: Aside from the fact that the economy of the world would tank if we destroyed the countries of the Middle East, this country would not stand for the destruction of all those people. You can talk about the ethics of collateral damage all you want, the people of this country would not allow it, or allow anyone who did it to remain in office. At this point. You may come to the (correct, as far as I’m concerned) ethical determination that this is the proper thing to do, but without the citizenry behind you, you would murder this country for all time by such an act. We may not have to ask for permission to protect outselves, but we do live in this world and the world would condemn us completely if we used nuclear weapons, and they would have most of the American people with them. If you think that the anti-Americanism and America hatred within this country is bad now, what do you think it would be after the destruction of Iran, for instance, whose government is as corrupt as it gets, but whose people are actively seeking freedom. Personally, I think it will take more than we have suffered for the country to get behind a more aggressive war. We may have been able to do so in the beginning, but the government and its bureaucracy was (and still is) unprepared to commit to the proper level of aggression. Bush is only part of the government, remember. He works within a certain framework. Even now the greatest part of that framework is more concerned with doing the politically correct thing, as opposed to fighting and winning a war. (Giving just one example: the farce now being enacted at Gitmo, on orders from the Court.)
To close, I would like to ask you all a question (which is, unfortunately, not merely rhetorical): If this country is attacked before the election, a la Spain, would it effect your vote? In what way?
(I’m sorry if this has been incoherent. I haven’t been well lately so I haven’t been posting. The idea that anyone could even think of voting for that bastard prompted me to do so now. I have the greatest respect for Dr. Peikoff, but that respect will never override my memories of John Kerry calling my husband and “my boys” rapists, torturers and war criminals. If he had apologized and admitted he lied, I might feel differently. But, when confronted with a video of his allegations from 1972 (?), he said only that they were a little over the top – after commenting about the fact that he had more hair back then.)
