Posted on 12/29/2001 9:27:49 AM PST by Demidog
I am not an America hater by any stretch of the imagination. Nor are the plethora of folks calling for a re-examination of our foreign policies. But that's what we're called.
I wish I knew why.
I really don't want to be against any American. I don't like being on the butt end of insults. So if there were a way to somehow explain what it is that bothers me about our foreign policy without the resultant cries of "traitor! treason! Islam firster!" I would.
One of the main problems apears to be that any "agreement" with bin Laden and his band of murdering thugs is seen to be support. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is probably true that bin Laden knows that water is tantamount to life in the desert. If I agree with this, I am no more supporting bin Laden than you are by agreeing.
When we decry any actions taken by Israel, we are "anti-semites." When Israel admitted that they had set a booby trap near an area where children played and 5 Palestinian boys died when it went off, you couldn't get near the topic without being ridiculed.
This is puzzling to me. There is nothing wrong per se with Israel and certainly not Jews, but for certain they are not perfect. For some, Israel is perfection and any criticism is tantamount to racism. Those who disagree are shouted down with such fervor it makes one pause.
American policies aren't perfect either. It is arguable for instance that John Wayne's death from cancer could be attributed to nuclear tests performed back in the 40's. Movie locations happened to be in the area where tests occurred. Many film industry professionals who worked on movies filmed in Nevada died from cancer including that great American we called "the Duke."
Many soldiers who were in the vicinity of those tests also died from cancer.
Why is it an indictment on all of America to bring such mistakes to light? In general, the American population has no say so in the slightest regarding these sorts of activities nor do they have much say in our foreign policy.
But as usual, it is the American population that has to accept the consequences of Policy mistakes made by the government. To say that those who object to this "hate America" is completely absurd.
The truth is quite the opposite.
I love America. And those who decry our foreign policy blunders and the theft of our hard earned money that is necessary in order to carry out these blunders also love America. We're simply tired of having to pay the price for those mistakes, while those who carry them out never have to suffer the consequences.
One of the most bizarre claims by those who are calling us "America haters" and "Islam firsters" is that terorrists are simply angry that we are so democratic as a nation and love freedom. These terrorists "hate freedom" and thus hate America and Americans. They're "jealous," in other words, of our prosperity.
This is about as brilliant an analysis as claiming that Timothy McVeigh was upset that he was no longer an employee of the federal government and thus took out his jealosy and rage on that same federal government.
It is the analysis of the simpleton.
The fact is, we only know what the terrorists claim. Not that it matters much. The opinions of mass murderers are not that important. Clearly however, this is not what any of the terrorists are saying. What they are saying is that they believe themselves to be oppressed by our foreign intervention.
When students took Iranian embassy employees hostage, their reason given for such extraordinary measures was American meddling in Iranian internal affairs.
The Shah of Iran was our personally hand-picked leader for their country. The CIA had, in the time period between the time we basically annexed Iran during WWII, purposefully destroyed opposition to the Shah by using tactics they had learned in South America.
None of those tactics were even remotely related to "freedom" or the principles upon which this nation was founded. They were the actions of a government that believed the Iranian people were chattle and were not worthy of chosing their own leadership.
So what happened? A number of Americans paid the price for our meddling. When we allowed the Shah to enter America to receive medical treatment, the last straw was put upon the back of that proverbial camel.
And that is not to mention the American lives that were sacrificed in a botched rescue attempt. For some, these lives are expendable. They are the price a nation pays for being a "super power." I agree with that assesment. But I don't think we need to be a superpower. I don't think we need to meddle in the affairs of other nations in order to protect our borders.
As is proven time and time again, such meddling has a high price.
And therein lies the rub. Dying in order to defend this nation from an attacking force is national defense and is noble. Sending young men and women across the globe to secure oil fields and preserve the "American way of life" is a sick project. I for one, am not willing to lose a single American for the cynical goal of sub-dollar-a-gallon fuel for my SUV.
If that is the measure of value for an American life then you can call me an America hater all day long and I will be proud to wear that badge.
I criticize our foreign policies because they result in the deaths of American soldiers and citizens at home and abroad. In no way do I criticize Americans. In the aftermath of the Trade Center attacks, it wasn't the government that responded with such ferocity and bravery. It was the average American.
The Beaurocrats were busy playing CYA and letting us know that none of this was their fault. In the meantime, Americans came up with over 60 million dollars in cash and even more in valuable resources in spite of the fact that they are taxed to the extreme in order to pay for the very policies that helped to incubate the attacks of 9/11.
America proved it's greatness in the response to the attacks. The government proved it's complete disregard for human liberty by passing laws which violate the spirit and letter of the Supreme law of the land. Even while the fires were still burning.
America is a great nation and is full of great people. Unfortunately its leaders have no respect for its people or its laws. Pointing this out is not showing hate for anything but the lawbreakers who do so.
Do you personally ever wonder how such a fedgov, with access to every dime the country has, can be so screwed up in accounting? Its just amazing to me that the IRS is charged with confiscating taxpayer monies, yet they can't account for billions and billions.
They hire an IRS head to clean it up and they order something like $4 billion in new computers and technology....and found that it is all worthless.....guess $4 billion wasn't enough....wonder if $1 trillion would work! Little John Jones and his wife out in the suburbs of Eutopia are supposed to retain a sales slip for something they deducted on their tax forms (for instance, a safety deposit box receipt) or ELSE; and yet the IRS can't find its arse with both hands! This is truly incredible....seriously, they can't find billions of dollars.
That's as stupid as the Forest Service Chief having to be chewed out by Senator Larry Craig because they can't account for thousands upon thousands of acres of land!!
Which is again as stupid as a Department of Interior who can't account for over $3 billion (+/- because no one truly knows how much this mess is gonna cost at the end) in Indian trust funds!!
And then we have a Congress who is relunctant to give back some of the taxpayers a little (and I mean little) daub of their very own money! The sonsabeeches want to screw around and lose it, too.
And landalucy, if they don't have the gonads to give themselves another nice little honey of a raise!!!
As I see things, you are an enemy of our Constitution through your attempts to liberally bastardize it; therefore, and it is with sadness I say this, but this makes you an enemy of mine.
Hello, Roscoe....the first portion--'laws which shall be necessary and property for carrying into execution the foregoing powers' relates to the powers given in the previous 17 clauses; the 'and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States or any Dept or Officer' covers the powers that are sprinkled throughout the Constitution--it does not give them the power and authority over every aspect of our lives.
Is that a diagnosis or an accusation?
I hope one day Anti-Semitism and Zionism/Judaism will see something in the story of Frankensteins monster.
When?
Sources please.
In a nation as free and prosperous as ours, that comes across as petulant whining.
An observation.
One thing about it, though, with every stupid comment, the article gets pinged so more readers can see it. :)
Well, at least they don't TERRORIZE the unborn babies in China before they whack 'em -- that must be why its OK to trade with China and enrich their communist regime.
Well, if we accept the argument you've advanced, the government must hold all such properties for eternity, because you contend that the Constitution doesn't give them them an express power to ever sell what it has acquired.
How did the Government aquire it?
When did it happen that that OUR Government could own anything?
It doesn't compute.
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