Posted on 04/20/2002 11:05:09 AM PDT by scratchgolfer
The article is arrogant, posing by omission that one wouldn't have views unless they fit into a certain defined grouping. Defining seems to be an important project for the NY Times, part of the identity politics infecting American political thought.
A variety of people across the "spectrum" have views on the middle east, and varied as to certain incidents and events.
I support Israel because I am opposed to terrorism
I support Israel because their enemies have the same mindset as our enemeies, a hatred of people for having a different religion.
I support Israel because unlike its foes it is a democracy and western in nature. And democracy and western culture are not the worst parts of this world (as the left would like us to think) they are the best
I support Israel the Marxists support the Palestinains as well as , sadly, a few on the right. Some who come by it honestly, but sadly many others who just plain hate Jewish people and give us a bad name.
I support Israel because they do not target civilians, while their enemies do (no matter what liars say otherwise)
I support Israel because their enemies danced in the streets while our people were savagely murdered.
I support Israel because I don't think that their enemies' poverty is an excuse to act like animals (anymore than I think America's poor are entitled to use such an excuse)
And unlike the Marxists I don't feel that Palestinian poverty is the result of Israel's "oppression" (oh please!) it is the result of their inferior Islamocentric culture.
I support Israel because Israelis want to live in peace but the ragheads won't leave them alone.
Bottom line I support Israel because its the RIGHT thing to do (pun intended) And I can't think of one good reason not to.
Isn't that essentially what we did with Pancho Villa?
FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress;
SECOND, select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
THIRD, cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
FOURTH, limit the terms of all committee chairs; FIFTH, ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
SIXTH, require committee meetings to be open to the public;
SEVENTH, require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
EIGHTH, guarantee an honest accounting of our Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting. Thereafter, within the first 100 days of the 104th Congress, we shall bring to the House Floor the following bills, each to be given full and open debate, each to be given a clear and fair vote and each to be immediately available this day for public inspection and scrutiny.
1. THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: A balanced budget/tax limitation amendment and a legislative line-item veto to restore fiscal responsibility to an out- of-control Congress, requiring them to live under the same budget constraints as families and businesses.
2. THE TAKING BACK OUR STREETS ACT: An anti-crime package including stronger truth-in- sentencing, "good faith" exclusionary rule exemptions, effective death penalty provisions, and cuts in social spending from this summer's "crime" bill to fund prison construction and additional law enforcement to keep people secure in their neighborhoods and kids safe in their schools. (
3. THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: Discourage illegitimacy and teen pregnancy by prohibiting welfare to minor mothers and denying increased AFDC for additional children while on welfare, cut spending for welfare programs, and enact a tough two-years-and-out provision with work requirements to promote individual responsibility.
4. THE FAMILY REINFORCEMENT ACT: Child support enforcement, tax incentives for adoption, strengthening rights of parents in their children's education, stronger child pornography laws, and an elderly dependent care tax credit to reinforce the central role of families in American society.
5. THE AMERICAN DREAM RESTORATION ACT: A S500 per child tax credit, begin repeal of the marriage tax penalty, and creation of American Dream Savings Accounts to provide middle class tax relief.
6. THE NATIONAL SECURITY RESTORATION ACT: No U.S. troops under U.N. command and restoration of the essential parts of our national security funding to strengthen our national defense and maintain our credibility around the world.
7. THE SENIOR CITIZENS FAIRNESS ACT: Raise the Social Security earnings limit which currently forces seniors out of the work force, repeal the 1993 tax hikes on Social Security benefits and provide tax incentives for private long-term care insurance to let Older Americans keep more of what they have earned over the years.
8. THE JOB CREATION AND WAGE ENHANCEMENT ACT: Small business incentives, capital gains cut and indexation, neutral cost recovery, risk assessment/cost-benefit analysis, strengthening the Regulatory Flexibility Act and unfunded mandate reform to create jobs and raise worker wages.
9. THE COMMON SENSE LEGAL REFORM ACT: "Loser pays" laws, reasonable limits on punitive damages and reform of product liability laws to stem the endless tide of litigation.
10. THE CITIZEN LEGISLATURE ACT: A first-ever vote on term limits to replace career politicians with citizen legislators.
2, 3, all but the last bit of 4, the first portion of 5, 6 (except maybe the UN bit), and 9 are central tenants of the Neocon world view.
The first section dealing with the sleeze in congress (except the two thirds vote thing which neocons would be divided on), is not particularly ideological.
The "Right" is such a broad description that it's often hard to tell what it really means. I presume from your screen name, however, that you are a proponent of individual lliberty, which opposes you to the Left.
Speaking for myself, if being a mortal enemy of socialism and the Left places me on the Right, then I am proud to be there.
IC. Why have them at all then?
Except from those so far to the Right that they actually lapse over to the far-Left (at least on this issue).
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