[the invisib1e hand]

I am beside myself at the volume of cynical, even paranoid defeatist rants that an editorial like this can attract.

How is it that a site that is dedicated to conservatism draws so many defeatists? Defeatism is not conservatism -- in fact, it is the biggest hammer in the toolbox of the left, of statists, of dictators.

[Sal]

We have been flooded (but NOT over run) with Vlad trolls, many of whom were apparently put in place some years ago. (That is known because some FReepers traced some of the trolls and found almost no postings over years until now...)

OTOH some of the cynicism is due to the uneveness of response from many of our elected leaders. Sometimes good, occasionally very good, and too often weak.

So far on this incident I'd put us at weak start (too long to respond) with a pretty good verbal response and physical response too. We're in there, the ports and airports have to remain open, Eastern Europe is solidifying with Georgia and USA instead of being intimidated...