Posted on 05/08/2008 7:51:34 AM PDT by tlb
Minor correction -
John McCain has one son who is in the Marines, and recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan.
John McCain has another son who is a Midshipman, Class of 2009, at the US Naval Academy. (This son will be trying for some service selection next Fall ....so right now, no telling where the needs of the Navy are and where he might be assigned.)
I admire his willingness to not try to benefit from his son’s service; he doens’t need to because he has a better record than most of honorable service to this country.
Why? I'm doing damage control, and you're calling me pro-socialist and pro-slavery.
If a crew's ship is hit, and they stand at their stations doing nothing about it, they're pretty much full of crap if they say "I'm a good sailor because I think the officer on watch did a bad job and I'm refusing to compound his mistake."
Starting on January 20, this country will have her forces commanded and her Supreme Court justices appointed by a guy who is more liberal than he should be but is otherwise qualified for the job, or a guy who couldn't be more liberal or more unqualified. I intend to deal with that reality in the way that will leave America with a qualified commander-in-chief and sane judges. When you hear that and call me pro-slavery, you might as well be calling me a ham sandwich.
I heard from someone who knows that McCain’s POW enemies have decided to keep their grievances to them self this year.
Sadly, I think we’re going to see Sampley’s crowd in full cry this fall, and the media will suddenly decide that there’s nothing more credible than a bunch of Vietnam vets criticizing a major candidate. The word “swiftboating” will suddenly leave the liberal lexicon and stay buried for months, and no one will care if any of these guys have credibility problems, or weren’t actually there, or any of the other reasons the MSM said we should ignore Kerry’s detractors.
There is no such animal. The medal is only awarded for meritorious achievement/service. Also, the only authorized attachments are oak leafs denoting subsequent awards.
While I agree that the appropriate award should have been a Bronze Star, Senator McCain was awarded his first Legion of Merit for "exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service as a Prisoner of War...." The citation specifically authorizes the Combat Distinguishing Device (Combat V).
Unlike the Air Force and Army which use the oak leaf cluster to signify additional awards, the Naval Service uses gold stars for additional awards.
Based upon his record and the award citations contained within it he is indeed entitled to wear the Legion of Merit with Combat V and one gold star.
Hold up there a minute, cowboy. How is one "wrecking a jet" if it's hit by a Zuni rocket on a carrier deck when he's doing preflight? How is one "wrecking a jet" when an SA-2 blows the wing off while egressing from the target?
I think an accurate and full accounting would show that McCain had five mishaps prior to his combat tour in Viet Nam. He was not exactly known as a paragon of airmanship. Had his father and grandfather not been Admirals, it is likely that a Fleet Naval Aviator Evaluation Board (FENAB) would have ended his career prior to getting shot down.
I am only aware of three.
1. Too low approach on a training flight leading to ditching.
2. Flameout in a T-33
3. Clippng a wire over Spain.
What are the other two?
I've seen a couple of screeds about the guy that accused him of "losing five Navy jets" and both accused him of "losing" the two A-4s that were lost during his combat tour.
Lets expand on your analogy a little...
1. The crews ship is hit: First of all. The crews ship has changed changed sides and is now part of the socialist fleet. Is the crew expected to have loyalty to the ship or to the principles that the ship was originally built to defend? Is the crew right to save the ship? Or is it better to let it slip beneath the waves?
2. Good sailor and supporting leadership: Again... It really all depends on whats important to you. The leadership has changed sides and is now part of the socialist navy. They have commandeered your ship and are actively engaging the principles that the nation was originally founded on. What does a good sailor do? Where is the sailors loyalty? To the traitorous leadership or to the constitution?
Starting on January 20th: First of all lets ask ourselves if this government is worth defending any longer. Being that most have already determined that the constitution isnt worth defending all your left to defend is the socialist government that took over this nation. Is it worth defending? How is the blood of our boys best spent? In support of a bastard government that works every day to make slaves of us all? Or against that government?
The founders of this nation gave us a constitution and ideals to defend, but people like you have mutated that duty into defending a political party and the government it infests. The ONLY thing that made this nation great were the principles it was built upon and without those, its nothing more than another despotic regime.
So there you have it. Ill work to defend the constitution but never will I support those who work to undermine and replace the constitution.
Sometimes you just gotta ask yourself what your fighting for.
In regards to who is the bigger threat to my freedom... Is it the government that controls and regulates every aspect of my life, every day of my life? Or is it the blood drunk muslims who still follow their ancient cult of death? Both wish to subjugate me to their whim. Both feel they are right to do so. Both will either lock me up or kill me if I refuse to bend to their “good will”. heh... They are both equally deadly to my freedom.
This is where your arrogance shows.
I am not supporting McCain because he has an R after his name. I am not doing this for a party. I am supporting the man who will lead the United States armed forces to victory in this war and will act to keep the nation safe instead of prattling on about how people wear lapel pins because they aren't real patriots. I am supporting a man who has supported conservative judges over a guy who will appoint 2 or 3 Supremes that are Ginsberg clones. If McCain was a Democrat and Obama was a Republican, I would be supporting a Dem for the first time in almost two decades. It's about the troops and the courts. I think those who refuse to vote for McCain and think they're taking the conservative option are unwise. You apparently think we're traitors. Unless you're willing to withdraw that characterization, I can only suggest that you kiss my frozen white butt, which froze on Air Force flightlines (you know, back when I wore the uniform of the Republican Party Air Force) and then froze again in the last five years on streetcorners doing troop support demos. Oh, and if you're going to push for an overthrow of the government, make sure you're out front taking fire. No keyboard revolutionaries may apply. I'm struck by how many McCain haters on this board are people who will certainly never have to serve in battle under Barack Obama.
heh..
=/
Ill kiss your frozen butt when you kiss my salty nuts.
Tell me big boy... When? WHEN do we back away from socialism? HOW do we back away from socialism? When this war is over?
My position is that the retreat from socialism in this country is no longer possible while working within the system.
What the hell would McCain be keeping safe? What the hell would any of these socialist bastards be protecting? Ill tell you what, they would be defending the socialist institutions of the US government and their monetary resource AKA the citizens of this plantation. They sure as hell are not defending the constitution and the principles outlined by the Deceleration.
Revolutionary... hehe nahh.. not really possible. Not in the “old school” sense anyway. In the modern world we change systems by rebooting them after they crash.
You say you would vote for mccain if he was the democrat and obama was the republican. Thats good, you understand the concept Im about to throw at you.
Lets pick a nation... lets say China decided to throw away its collectivist system and fully embrace the US constitution and the principles that this nation was founded on. Now lets say that the current socialist USA and the new free China went to war. Who would you support? Its an easy choice for me. I support an ideology / philosophy not geography and men. I would fight against the socialist US and all those who “defended” its socialist institutions. Ideas are worth defending but political institutions are not, geography is not. I dont care WHERE in the world REAL freedom exists, it is worth defending. Conversely, it dosnt matter to me where in the world oppressive government exists, it is worth fighting against.
Oh.. by the way. In the unlikely (impossible) event that revolution (as you say) “breaks out” in an old school way. Ill be there sporting whatever weapons I own at the time. even if I have to pack a bag of ensure and a box of depends. Count on it.
This is where you crossed over from unwise to moronic.
Were the Trade Centers a symbol of socialism? Were there a lot of socialist politicians at Cantor Fitzgerald that morning?
The first and foremost responsibility of government is to protect the citizenry with its military. That is, in fact, the primary reason that we have governments, so that an organized group of humans can secure their property with force if necessary. Yet you're saying the conservative position is to reject that absolutely undisputed, unquestioned and profoundly unsocialist responsibility. That's not any more reasonable than saying it's government's job to promote gay sex or sell crack.
People say that conservatism is in a muddle because of an unclear message, or because we've had too many people call themselves conservatives while embracing liberal positions. I agree, but I also think the reason we're in a muddle is because we have people like you actually acting like the worst thing we can do is expect government to do it's bleedin' job.
Well, at least we are off the subject of puckering up to questionable areas of the anatomy.
Reading comprehension isn’t really your strong point is it? Its ok, the public school system will do that to ya.
“Conservatism” is in a muddle because “conservatives” continue to support socialist institutions, parties, policies, etc. Maybe support is a strong word and the appropriate terminology would be “put up with”, But the result is the same. “Conservatives” (whatever that word really means) as a whole, have allowed themselves to be used by a political party.
I would agree that primary role of the federal government is defending the states and the constitution. I remember the oath I took when I joined the Navy to defend the constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. What job do you want the federal government to do? The people who currently infest the institutions are hard at work nullifying the constitution. In my mind this makes them UNQUALIFIED to protect and defend ANYTHING.
lets go slow here at this crucial point in the argument so that your sure to pick up on it...
The same people destroying the constitution are also destroying any legitimate reason to defend this nation.
Are you following along?
The further this nation gets from the founding principles the less worthy it is of defending. And its pretty damn far right now. I mean come on, at some point the chains of the “protector” become more unbearable than attacks of the hostile enemy.
But sure.. I get your point, your interested in protecting everyones material well being at the expense of the existential freedom. Communism is the ultimate materialism, existential ideas such as freedom and liberty are spurned and ridiculed. Makes sense that the these concepts, once valued by Americans, would be made irrelevant or less important than the material well being. Hell, you cant even grasp the concept.
Come on, you're just being a clown now. I put my body on the line for this nation at the age of 17. Don't presume to lecture me about valuing material well-being over liberty.
If you really believe that you're following in the steps of the Founders (and still bound by your oath to protect and defend the Constitution) while the rest of us accept our chains, you should be doing what the Founders and their comrades did when most of the population disagreed with them: Grab a rifle and form a militia. Yes, yes, I know, you're going to tell me about rebooting the system after it crashes, which sure is convenient. It doesn't require one to make any hard choices or take a stand anywhere but on internet forums. Same thing if one chooses a non-combat way of rejecting the system, like starting your own personal Galt's Gulch.
What I hear from you doesn't sound like Ethan Allen. It sounds like the whining of DUers.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.