Posted on 09/13/2001 11:54:38 PM PDT by kristinn
Recently, some well known posters on FR have stated that criticism of the Bush administration is treasonous and cause for those critics to be arrested under martial law. Those comments have been cheered by dozens of other active FReepers.
I am watching Free Republic turn into a totalitarian groupthink of the kind that the left used to unjustly smear us with when we criticized the Clinton administration.
Good people like Alan Keyes and Larry Klayman who stood tall and faithful with FR for years, and posters who supported them, have been crucified as heretics and run out of the FR family for daring to criticize the Bush administration.
The forum is now dominated by vicious Bush supporters with an 'Us versus Them' mentality against fellow conservatives. The desire to root out government corruption and advance conservative causes has been replaced with a bloodlust and blacklisting for those who don't worship the Bush administration like they do. This situation has been going on for awhile, but it has gotten out of hand with this week's terrorist attacks.
Now, with regards to the present situation, I'd like to pose some questions: Why were all passenger flights grounded for almost three days since the attacks so that new security procedures could be put in place? If our air traffic safety was so secure before, why is there a perceived problem now ? Could it be that it wasn't really that safe ?
Where were our intelligence services ? Why did we have Clinton holdover DCI, George Tenent, doing the work of the Secretary of State in the Middle East instead of cleaning up the wreckage of the past eight years ?
How is it that foreign terrorists can go to flight school in the U.S., plot and carry out a complicated, coordinated massive assault involving several dozen conspirators against two vital American facilities without being detected ?
How is it that four hijacked planes flew unmolested and unchallenged by neither our air traffic control system or our military ?
We have experienced a massive failure of our almighty-two-trillion-dollar-peacekeeper-of-everywhere-but-home-bipartisan-protection-racket-federal government.
Thousands upon thousands of our fellow citizens are dead because of this failure to detect or intercept these heinous terrorist acts during either the months before or the hours of their execution.
The federal government lulled us into thinking that those silly questions (is this your luggage ?) and an ID check at the gate made flying safe. All the while there were gaping holes in our defenses.
They let us down.
The purpose; the job; the responsibility of the federal government is set forth in the preamble to the Constitution:
WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
The eight corrupt years of President Clinton accompanied by four corrupt, compromised Congresses followed by nine months of a Bush administration that chose to sweep the rot of those years under the rug rather than clean it up has cost us dearly.
For those who say nine months is too short to change things in the government, remember this was the return of the grown-ups to Washington; this was the return of wise, experienced old hands such as Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, John Ashcroft and former President Bush; this was the era of the rising stars like Condi Rice, Karl Rove, and Karen Hughes. They chose to 'move on', not clean up.
In the aftermath of the attacks, it appears that the Executive and Legislative branches of our constitutional republic are finally bearing their responsibilties as they should. Except that while they call this attack an act of war, they are refusing to actually declare war.
The terrorists and those who aided and abetted them bear full responsibilty for the deaths and destruction and should pay with their lives and their cities.
But the federal government bears responsibility for leaving this nation and its citizens so vulnerable. Saying that is not treasonous--it is said out of patriotism and borne of a love of this Great Nation and a desire to see it survive.
One of Free Republic's greatest strengths has been the freedom to ask the hard questions of our government. It would be a crime to lose this freedom to any mob of posters, especially in this time of crisis.
I support President Bush, but I reserve the right to criticize him without my patriotism being called into doubt.
Save it for another time.
Thanks for singling that out; I'd missed it. I'll wipe my eyes now.
Dan
I wish I had not read it. It made me sick.
No. There could be other hijack teams out here in the USA, waiting.
If our air traffic safety was so secure before, why is there a perceived problem now ? Could it be that it wasn't really that safe ?
This has never ever been a safe world. All safety and control is an illusion.
Where were our intelligence services ?
The FBI raided several Arab webboards' participants last week.
Why did we have Clinton holdover DCI, George Tenent, doing the work of the Secretary of State in the Middle East instead of cleaning up the wreckage of the past eight years ?
Because either Bush hasn't gotten around to nominating a replacement, or the Congresscritters have stalled the process.
How is it that foreign terrorists can go to flight school in the U.S., plot and carry out a complicated, coordinated massive assault involving several dozen conspirators against two vital American facilities without being detected ?
Because America trains them. Its called Security Assistance. Its part of our foreign policy. Much of "foreign aid" manifests itself in the form of grants for armaments and training.
How is it that four hijacked planes flew unmolested and unchallenged by neither our air traffic control system or our military ?
Good question.
As far as the rest, I've found that those more interested in placing blame than finding a solution are usually harboring an agenda...supporting/denigrating the GOP, Libertarians, Buchanan, Keyes, Klayman, etc. The hysteria is the same, all that changes is the hat. Generally, I have no use for them.
Right now, IMO, there will be no return to reasoned discourse until the immediate shock and anger has been vented. This is understandable.
A tremendous number of people are learning that they have a real enemy. This idea, 'a real enemy', is absolutely foriegn to them. They have to learn to think in terms of someone actively wanting to kill them. Most people have never concieved of this idea, much less had to live with it.
Their worlds are changing in ways they cannot imagine....much like so many people had their worlds end in a flash of light, pain, thoughts of "Why G-d?".
Regards,
The same reason that forty years ago you didn't have to lock your doors when you left for a two week vacation. You could trust anyone who might pass in. No gated communities needed.
But sometime since a burglary, a robbery happens. People start locking their doors. They stop expecting people to behave and retreat to things -- deadbolts, security doors, alarm systems, bars on the windows. With each security thing added actually security goes down, not up. Why? Because each purchase, each installation, each rumor of a break-in, expectations of the behaviour of others goes down.
Adoption of a security procedure or security thing takes away from the only way that really insures security. That way is personal responsibility, social expectations of that high level of responsibility, enforced social expectations of that responsibility.
In this horrible circumstance, the domestic flight hijacking and the WTC suicide bombing, the only way to insure that security is to pursue a war of annihilation of the men, women and children in the families and cultures that teach such evil acts.
Help me out here. Is that Bush bashing or not? :-)
I've been called immoral because I support Bush. Where do we go from here?
Oh, please, I can beat that. I was told by one of these "principled" people that not only was I an immoral conservative because I support Bush, but that I had manipuated the entire forum to feel sorry for me because of my son's death.
You're going to have to go some to beat that.
Hmmmmmm...........I guess "immoral" covers everything these folks want to place in that category. It is sickening that their expression of hatred knows no discretion.
One would think that they could hold their tongues for just a little while. But no, if there is a way to extract something from anything and turn it into a Bush assault, they'll find it. It says a great deal about their judgment. I find this behavior even worse than that of the liberals; at least the libs don't pretend to be our friends. If these constant critics must tear down Bush at this time, they have proven that their ego-driven agenda is a world unto itself. Very sad !!!!!!!!!
Ya think???????? LOL !!!!!
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