Wednesday, May 27, 2009

"Dissent is Patriotic"

So we were told for much of the previous eight years. Dissent for the sake of dissent is not "patriotic." Dissent based on reasons and rationale is a responsibility. Our Government is out of control, but we have elected it.

No, the people of the 6th District did not vote for Obama, nor Pelosi, nor Murtha, nor Reid, but we did vote for Bart Gordon who is supporting their every whim, like a whipped dog. When I first considered running for his seat, I expected there would be little to differentiate my positions, our positions from his.

I had hope that the Blue Dog Democrats would provide the rational resistance to many of the things promised on the campaign trail last year. Instead, I have found nothing but disappointment in his voting record. I'm sure if I searched thoroughly enough, I could find something, and I should. I'm told he's a nice guy and he certainly seems to be.

I've been quiet lately, mainly because there is little positive to say. I'm truly concerned for the direction this government is headed. Our Congress, at the behest of the President has quadrupled the deficit, with the full support of Our Elected Congressman.

They are cutting the Defense Budget at the same time that we're paying $328,000 for an Air Force photo op that struck fear in the people of New York. And the President laughed about it.

While more is being asked of Our Troops, their numbers and pay raises and bonuses are being cut with the backing of Our Elected Politician, at the behest of Obama, Pelosi, Frank, and Murtha. In the upcoming year, more of our Troops will be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan than at any time in the last 8 years. Troops are being deployed straight to Afghanistan from Baghdad.

Within hours of North Korean Missile tests, Weapon Systems were cut from the Army, Air Force and Navy, including the Marines. North Korea even now threatens war if even the weak measures suggested are taken against them. 28,500 US Troops in South Korea are now potentially in harm's way against a Million Man Nuclear armed Army of North Korea.

General McKiernan's career has been ended with an excuse of "we needed a new face." It appears to be a purely political decision.

Partisan slogans are resulting in stubbornly shutting down a piece of ground that has done nothing wrong. The Terrorists detained at Guantanamo are the worst of the worst. No torture ever occurred there. It is and has been run in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. The terrorists are not Americans. They have no Constitutional Rights.

The terrorists at Gitmo are combatants, not just common criminals. They are war criminals, but the Geneva Conventions allows them to be held until the end of hostilities, without trial. They may be tried for war crimes and if found guilty held beyond the end of hostilities. But if found "not guilty," they can be returned to Gitmo, as per the Geneva Conventions.

Moreover, in this time of economic hardship, in these times of record deficits, it is fiscally irresponsible to close Gitmo and build a new one somewhere else, costing billions of dollars more, when it done for nothing more than political sloganeering.

Tennessee Taylor©2009, TNT, all rights reserved

Racist Shame

We were told we were "racist" for opposing Obama. Now we are being told we are "racist" for opposing his nominee for the Supreme Court. NO, we are NOT. No person should be hired or fired or promoted or elected or selected based on their skin color or sex.

Justice Sotomayor is the wrong person for the job, period. She is on the record as saying the Judicial Branch "Makes policy" in complete contradiction to the US Constitution. In the same video, she recognizes that she should not admit that publically.

In the same week, that the Supreme Court of California decided that the Constitution of California is Constitutional (Proposition 8), the President of the United States has nominated for Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States a person that believes that feelings rather than law should be the basis of rulings and evidently has no concept of the very Constitution she is supposed to be basing her rulings on.

Every candidate should be judged based on their merits. Every candidate should be selected based on their merits and record. Every candidate should be elected based on their positions.

There should be no special rules based on skin color nor sex. It should not be easier or harder because one has darker or lighter skin. An applicant should not be denied for someone less qualified because of such standards. And yet, that was precisely how she decided the case of St.Louis Firefighter promotions.

I would urge the Senate to be colorblind in voting against this nominee. I would urge them to have the intestinal fortitude to clearly state that they will not be shamed into blindly accepting every candidate based on the argument that it's "racist" to oppose a minority.

It is a disservice and racist to continually tell whole segments of our population that they can't learn, that they can't compete, that they need special rules and laws to attain the same standings as their neighbors.