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This looks like the ship that Lord Jim abandoned. I think that the things we read through out our lives affect us more than we can know. As I look back on my work in Iraq, I spent long days working with the Iraqis. I was always trying to show them how the real world worked. Tried to let them know what true freedom was and how they could get there. I saw there was only a small window for them to succeed. If they failed to act during that time, I thought they would have only traded one life for a similar one. I felt driven!
I may have been the only person in Iraq who was having these conversations with Iraqis. I must have succeeded somewhat, because I became a topic of conversation with the people north of Baghdad and some of their relatives in the South. It was not uncommon for an Iraqi to walk up to me while I was out in a community and want to shake my hand. My interpreter smiled sometimes and said, “he wants to meet the Colonel”.
I had an Iraqi cell phone. Often during the night, I had calls telling me where some terrorist was or asking for military help when my friends defended their village. I always had to respond, because they and I expected it of me. No matter how tired I was, I knew I couldn’t sleep then or ever if I didn’t try. Some people understood and made a small difference in a very complex society. Others became enticed by the easy money they could get through bribes.
I think I feared failure, While others in the military spent time with the Iraqis, I do not think they challenged them. One day I spent all afternoon with a local sheikh outlining the things he needed to do in his community if he wanted his family and the people he knew to experience the type of life we Americans experience. He put a hand on my shoulder and said, “I am only one man!” I replied, “Gandhi was only one man”. His reply, “I have heard of this man Gandhi.”
I remembered that last scene from the movie “lord Jim” where Peter O’Toole with his vivid blue eyes walked through the village waiting for someone to kill him because he had failed in his efforts. After I returned and held discussions with fellow veterans of Iraq, I found I was not alone. Most of us put a major part of our lives into helping the Iraqi people to achieve freedom. I expect one of the reasons I do not sleep tonight is that I am still not sure I did not put unachievable expectations in the head of intelligent but simple men.
Liberty Tree
13 years ago
Clearly this ship was piloted by Dems and RINO’s…..the give away of course being the condition and location! I bet they’re all in the wheel house arguing over why Americans now want a Tea Party member to drive!
Jarhead68
13 years ago
That’s post-Obumble America.
Tallgrass
13 years ago
Randy;
I would like to thank you for the compassion and understanding that you personnally showed to a people that are lost in some moribund form of reality that is unique to that part of earth. I to have offered my support and inept counselling to people in the third world, from the Philippines to Saudi Arabia. The one commonality to the human is that of seeking happiness through prosperity and security. Some do understand the concepts that are a natural part of our lives here in the land of bread and honey, others are lost souls stranded on the shore. As illustrated by the wreck in the photo, a broken and disregarded hulk of little value, a finished life time of service.
Please rest assured that your efforts were worthwhile. That even if such efforts produce nothing other than a new perspective that you accomplished something that few in this world ever have the opportunity to do. Do not evaluate you success upon the immediate result for it takes a lifetime to build a life.
Thank you for your service to our country for you most certainly demonstrated its most basic goodness.
No road is to long
No byway to rough
That compassion and tenderness
Aren’t seen as the goodness in us.
Old Trooper 2
13 years ago
EDITORIAL: Honor the Constitution’s limits
Obama-Pelosi liberals threaten American liberty
Today’s 223rd anniversary of the promulgation of the U.S. Constitution occurs as Americans increasingly insist the federal government honor constitutional limits on federal power. The backlash against overweening government is boiling over in the Tea Party movement, town-hall meetings, demonstrations on the National Mall and in polling data.
The terms of the Constitution originally were clear. Section 8 of Article I enumerates the exact powers the federal government, through Congress, can exercise – and, by doing so, excludes all other powers. As James Madison, the chief conceptualizer of the Constitution, wrote in Federalist 39, “the proposed government cannot be deemed a national one; since its jurisdiction extends to certain enumerated objects only, and leaves to the several states a residuary and inviolable sovereignty over all other objects.” Madison wrote this before adoption of the 10th Amendment, which restates, “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution … are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.” This restriction of powers was intended to be the single greatest bulwark of American liberty.
President Obama and the Democratic Congress have blown through constitutional restraints in myriad ways. In seizing banks and car companies, taking equity ownership in formerly private enterprises, arbitrarily trampling the obligation of contracts by reassigning stock and bond holdings from the original owners to corrupt union bosses, and especially in mandating that private citizens purchase particular products against their will, these leftists violated their oaths to uphold the Constitution.
Hence we see Fortney H. Stark, a Democratic California congressman for 38 years, insist at a July 24 town-hall meeting that, “The federal government, yes, can do most anything in this country.” He claimed, “There are very few constitutional limits that would prevent the federal government from rules that could affect your private life.” This tirade was to counter a woman who dared say the “Constitution specifically enumerates certain powers to the fed, and leaves all other authority to the states or to the people.” On Oct. 23, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also a California Democrat, expressed similar incredulity at the notion that the Constitution could possibly limit Congress’ power to mandate the purchase of health insurance. “Are you serious?” she asked repeatedly.
Yes, Madame Speaker, the American people are serious about protecting their liberty against dangerously unlimited federal power. This Constitution Day is a fitting time for Americans to rededicate themselves to limiting such unilateral assumptions of power so freedom may survive.
Nan G
13 years ago
That ship reminded me how often our commercial ships are attacked by pirates nowadays.
Sure, some of the attacks are fought off.
But too often businesses and countries pay a ransom to get their crews back.
And, here at home, our ”tip of the spear,” the police, seem to be more interested in their own security than our safety:
Our police unions are getting so powerful that they don’t even want to do police work to get to retirement.
We saw a family ruined the other day, while police sat outside the home.
The man of the house was beaten with a bat.
One woman was forced to go to her bank and withdraw then give them $15,000.
Then, as police sat outside her home, two women were raped, beaten, the home set on fire.
Three women died, only the man escaped.
The police were still dithering.
That was NOT local to me.
But in my area it is just as bad.
Drug dealers are looked at by police here as simply unlicensed businessmen.
Break time and talking about retirement seems to be the main job of every cop your meet.
Old Trooper 2
13 years ago
@ Liberty Tree, that could be the “Ship of State” in another year or so. Adrift with no clear course or safe harbor to go for refitting or repairs. A tramp freighter without pride, purpose or a worthy destination besides a scrapyard.
That is what happens to Nations that abandon the Founding Principles and Values. The history books are full of examples of failed States and Regimes. America is being destroyed from within and eventually, if nothing is done to restore those Principles and Values, the rust will take her.
Today is Constitution Day. Curt aptly selected a great graphic for that theme. Let it serve as a warning of days to come if we stay on our present course. If we do not replace the failed Leadership in DC and in Statehouses, we will rust out and rot from within.
Old Trooper 2
13 years ago
@ Nan G, in today’s Obama speak parlance, those dope dealers are “undocumented pharmacists”, just like folks that are in the Country illegally are “undocumented workers” whether they work and pay taxes or not. Just ask Harry Reid.
😉
UpChuck.Liberals
13 years ago
Looks like the poster for the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia. A forlorn rusting hull of a once proud vessel.
Old Trooper 2
13 years ago
@ Randy, were you in a Civil Affairs crew in Iraq? I was there in a different capacity at “B” Team level “weeding the garden” so to speak. The Sheikhs were not willing to deal with me much as they were very cautious in the early days. Anyone consorting with Americans in any fashion were singled out for some pretty grim outcomes.
I was not in the business of passing out the “milk and cookies”. We were hunting down Saddam, his Sons and others that were in the way of a stable post Saddam Iraq. There was plenty of hunting to go around in those days and not much cooperation from anyone that did not have an axe to grind or vengeance to play in the business at hand.
Dealing with Tribal Folk in the Stans was difficult too but I had a great Civil Affairs bunch there.
Thanks for sharing your experiences here. Take Care Pardner!
Old Trooper 2
13 years ago
The World from Berlin ‘Obama Has Underestimated the Frustration in the Country’
The dramatic ascent of the Tea Party continued in America this week, with the conservative movement scoring another surprise victory in the Republican primary in Delaware. German editorialists digested the news on Thursday and warned that both Republicans and Democrats were right to feel uneasy.
Even a few weeks ago, it was considered impossible that the Tea Party favorite Christine O’Donnell would win the primary in Delaware. She was long seen as being too far to the right to woo enough votes. On Tuesday, such predictions were consigned to the trash when O’Donnell beat a veteran congressman to secure the Republican nomination in the Delaware race for the US Senate.
The Tea Party movement has won a succession of Republican primaries, with its conservative, anti-establishment candidates. O’Donnell is known for her pro-gun, anti-abortion stance, as well as her belief that masturbation is a sin.
In the Delaware primary, O’Donnell got 53 percent of the vote, ousting Mike Castle, a long-standing politician who has represented his party as a state governor and in Congress.
Palin-Backed
“The people of Delaware have spoken. No more politics as usual,” O’Donnell told enthusiastic fans after results came out. “The cause is restoring America.”
In the weeks running up to her victory, O’Donnell gained publicity with endorsements from Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice presidential candidate, and the National Rifle Association.
Recent weeks have brought a string of successes for the Tea Party. In another boost to the grassroots movement, Carl Paladino, its candidate in New York, surprised pundits by wining the Republican nomination to run for governor in November.
The Tea Party movement has enjoyed a comet-like rise since last year. It provides a haven for voters for whom the mainstream Republican Party is not conservative enough, and its popularity is widely attributed to dissatisfaction with US President Barack Obama and frustration with the lackluster US economy. Many observers expect its rise will force the Repubican Party to move further to the right.
On Thursday, German editorialists look at what the latest victory means for US politics.
The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:
“The spectacular successes of the grassroots conservative movement could turn out to be a political boomerang for the opposition Republicans, whose chances for the midterm elections were looking good or even very good. The Republicans will now be drawn further and further towards the right, meaning that they will no longer be an option for non-ideological voters who are disillusioned with the Democrats. In this way the Republicans could jeopardize their own future success. The Democrats’ best campaigner isn’t Obama, but rather the anti-establishment front of its opponent.”
The conservative daily Die Welt writes:
“This sort of nomination is intended as a putsch against the Republican establishment, but it doesn’t solve the Democrats’ problems. They are threatened by a massive loss of support in the midterm elections, where the whole House of Representatives and a third of the Senate and a large chunk of the governor posts are up for grabs. But the Republicans’ goal is to regain the majority in both houses of Congress. If they fail to accomplish this double whammy, the Democrats can breathe a sigh of relief.”
The business daily Handelsblatt writes:
“Glen Beck, Sarah Palin and the Tea Party are part of an opposition movement outside of Congress which is moving mountains. This is a revolt against ‘Obamaism,’ which is seen as representing big government, more taxes, a higher deficit and not enough ‘Americanism.’ Day by day, it puts more and more pressure onto those at the top.”
“In the US, people … spend time and money supporting the Republicans. Unlike in Germany, in America, which never had a Hitler, being ‘right-wing’ is not taboo. ‘Right-wing’ represents Reagan, religion, the free market, individualism, patriotism and small government. In reality, it is an impossible mixture: National pride, God and tradition are conservative ‘us’ values. The profit motive, competition and a weak state are ‘me-first’ sentiments … . But this mixture of conservative values and neoliberalism works well in America, where it transcends social class — that’s the difference to Germany.”
The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:
“The success of the Tea Party candidate Christine O’Donnell does not bode well for the Republicans, nor for the Democrats (even if they see it differently at the moment), nor for the whole American political machine.”
“Obama has underestimated the frustration in the country and the power of the Tea Party movement, which gives the prevailing disillusionment a platform and a voice. It is by far the most vibrant political force in America. Obama’s left-of-center coalition, which got young people and intellectuals involved and which appealed to a majority of women, blacks and Latinos, has evaporated into nothing.”
“The new right, though, is on the rise. It sets the agenda. America is facing a shift to the right. The Republicans have already marched in this direction of their own accord, regardless how many Tea Party reactionaries get a seat and a voice in Congress in November. The Democrats and the president have been put totally on the defensive. From now on they will only be able to react, rather than act.”
— Jess Smee
********************************************************
An interesting point of view from the Media that is outside the US looking in…
Hard Right
13 years ago
Caption:
This is your economy on Obamanomics.
Randy
13 years ago
While some demographic groups are more likely than others to say it’s okay to walk away — among them, Hispanics, adults younger than age 65 and those living in the West — these differences are mostly modest.
For example, nearly a quarter (24%) of all Hispanics say it’s acceptable to abandon a mortgage, compared with 17% of whites and 21% of blacks. However, roughly similar majorities of Hispanics (58%), blacks (56%) and whites (61%) say it’s wrong to do so
So which group is most out of step on shirking life’s largest financial commitment? You guessed it — Democrats.
There are sharp differences by partisanship. Democrats are about twice as likely as Republicans to say it is acceptable to walk away (23% vs. 11%)
@Nan G: What an asinine and retarded comment. So what your saying is those cops stood by while all this happened? Prove it. Give me a link to any story confirming that they just sat around and waiting as the women were raped and robbed (not to mention if any cop did what you are alleging they would most certainly be ruined by lawsuits and fired). My partners and I risk our life’s every day doing this work, ask for no gratitude (mostly because we wouldn’t get any from cophating yahoo’s like yourself) and DO NOT just sit around doing nothing.
Hard Right
13 years ago
Curt, I agree that what she posted should not paint all police officers as worthless, but keep in mind not all police departments are professionsal, maintain high standards for hiring, or even give a damn.
I do not see the actions of one bad apple being proof that that the whole bushel is bad.
Back when I was all of 21 I tested for a few PDs and found I was too green, but had the potential to be a good LEO. I eventually decided against a law enforcement career due to the insane restrictions being placed upon officers. It was clear that people up above the average beat cop (politicians and police chiefs) would rather have an officer maimed or killed than endure a lawsuit. Get this, in Phoenix, police officers responding to an emergency can get cited for being 15mph over the speed limit!
Some of us appreciate what you do and don’t give you a ration of sh*t when you rightfully pull us over.
Tallgrass
13 years ago
Police, Deputies, Highway Patrol, even Game Wardens are only human beings. At the same time as we are weak we are also strong. I have personally experienced the weakness when having had the honor of being handcuffed . . . wee doggies was that a scarey thing to have happen to me . . . and it has only happened once in my life. The story would take a long time to tell, and I am sure that in the end the results would be the same, so I will tell only the moral of the story.
I was pissed by the actions that were perpetrated on me. I was not a youngman and I was roughed up and my arms twisted up behing my back and was somewhat injured by the ordeal. I did not in anyway resist the officers that were in a heightened state of agressiveness to me. (Yes there was a loss of professionalism). After they had me cuffed I talked to them as Adults in a very respectful manner and after a few minutes they did take the cuffs off . . . but I will tell you I was very, very scared . . . Here in Oklahoma the deputies can pretty much beat the whazzoo out of you if you get a little crossways with them.
Now for the moral I guess. Later that day, I went down to the Sheriff’s office and complained to the Sheriff himself. He took the time to tell me about what the same two officers had been through that same day, before my altercation with them.
There had been a family violence event and a small child had lost her life. The entire department was super wrought up and the grief that permeates a small county department was still palpable.
I appologized for having interupted the Sheriff’s day and asked him to extended to his deputies my recognition of the job they were doing.
It is not possible for US the huddled masses to know what happens before, during or after each officers workday. All I can say is they all have my uttermost, heartfelt, respect. I can not imagine the horror that they have to endure to keep us, the law abiding, safe and secure.
This case was discussed on the radio the other day, it was explained that the situation was being treated as a hostage incident and the officers were doing exactly what they were supposed to do, they had no way of knowing what the animals were doing inside the home.
I’m sure they don’t have a noose, firing squad or “old sparkey” up and running in the area where the crime occurred, these freaks will eventually get to just go to sleep after years and years. I know we are supposed to be civilized, but these animals deserve the harshest treatment allowable. Maybe they will get it in prison.
Bless you!
Old Trooper 2
13 years ago
@ Missy, hostage situations need some delicate handling. In both Iraq and AFPAK the Tangos, terrorists, hide amongst the folks in the villages and used human shields frequently. Breaking down doors and going in in 5 man stacks always results in civilian casualties and innocent folks either dodging or catching “lead”. It takes discipline and pretty keen judgment to decide when to kick in doors.
The toughest job in the civilian world is being a Cop in my opinion but sometimes bad things happen to good people and the Rights of the Perpetrators seem to be of a huge concern for the Courts. We do not want to violate anyone’s Civil Rights regardless of how brutally their victims were treated. 😈
OLD TROOPER 2: hi, you said some important facts here, and IT got me thinking how
THE COURT will condem the military or police as a first move to protect the criminal’s rights,
IT’s another of many rules that went UPSIDE down,always giving the public the wrong message to lead them in thinking that our militarys and police are abusing their power even as they rightly protect us.
OLD TROOPER 2: IT’S obvious to see how THE TEA PARTY work so hard to achieve those RESULTS, THEY continue from the BEGINNING to beleive IN AMERICA’s supporting the hard work they where showing, against being smeared, attacked, and get such negative PRESS from the MEDIA, IT did not change their ATTITUDE and went on to get bigger, and SMARTER to connect
WiTH the AMERICANS. THEY work hard and they are being rewarded,by the one who where admiring their COLLECTIVE EFFORT against all OODS according to the MEDIA.
@Missy: Missy, thanks for the info. As OT said, with hostage situations its a delicate situation and there are protocols for handling them that we must follow. But if they knew what was happening our swat would of been in there within seconds. Hell, my partner and I would of been if swat hadn’t arrived yet.
I recall a call about 7-8 years ago where my partner and I go to the door (forgot what the call was for, something insignificant) and we hear a lady screaming “help, he’s hurting me” We didn’t hesitate in kicking that door down and rushing in. But if the guy had just said “she ain’t coming out, I’m holding her hostage” and we hadn’t heard the lady screaming for her life we would of had to back off and call in negotiators and the whole shebang. The situation dictates how we are going to deal with the situation and I’m sure this is what happened with the incident Nan and Missy are talking about.
It’s the same for school shootings. Before Columbine the brass always told us we must surround the place and wait for swat to arrive, after Columbine the first responders are trained to enter the school in stacks of four to attack the threat and neutralize it. If four aren’t there we go in with two….either way, we don’t wait.
@Tallgrass: Yeah, there have been incidents, especially in my younger days, that I regret. We all have bad days and 99.9% of the time officers are professional enough to hide it. I remember the first time I ever saw a child die in the field. The mom had been holding the 2 year old in her left arm, walking to school, and was going to cross the street but didn’t wait to get to the corner, instead she started walking on the left side of the cars parked on the curb with all the school traffic flowing beside her. She was waiting for a opening to cross the street. A nurse who had just worked the night shift, and driving a SUV, didn’t see the mother and her passenger side mirror struck the kid and knocked him to the ground in front of the rear passenger side tire which then rolled over the kid and actually caught on something because the kid went around with the tire into the wheel well and out again before the screaming stopped the nurse who didn’t know anything was going on and she stopped the vehicle.
I get there first, code 3, and see the child a bloody mess with a purple barney doll a few feet away and felt like falling apart myself because I knew the child was dead (there was brain matter on the childs face). But we can’t do that…we are there to help not become part of the problem. And the mom was screaming for me to do something so I gave CPR till fire arrived.
I don’t remember the rest of the day but if I encountered you I’m sure I may had been asshole. I wouldn’t of beaten anyone but I’m sure I was not myself. It wasn’t till later that night that I felt it, got drunk, punched a bag for an hour and fell apart. I was young and this was a first for me. I’ve seen much worse than that since but have learned to push that stuff aside, its maybe why we have a sick twisted sense of humor. Its a way of dealing with things.
But I digress….there are bad cops, bad doctors, bad judges, bad politicians, bad dmv workers, bad nurses, bad everything. But the majority of people are good folks and to paint a whole occupation as bad because of a few bad apples is just plain wrong.
As for Nan, I apologize for going a bit off. Being called lazy cowards set me off but probably still shouldn’t of laid in like that.
CURT: SUCH respect I have for you and the militarys,who have to see hell in this world constantly trying to eliminate it for US ALL.IT’s more than time THAT we all recongise the values
you all have, way over any other carreers, from GOVERNMENT DOWN to the humblest.
and THANK you all for your bravery and ACCOMPLISHMENTS, bye SR.
Nan G
13 years ago
Don’t worry about it, Curt.
I got busy and hadn’t even been back to see your comment until now.
But I probably misheard what the police were actually doing, too.
I was listening to an accounting of it on the radio.
When I meet a police officer who cares strongly about his work in our neighborhood, I make him feel right at home.
And then, if I need him, I can call his personal cell.
I have always been good friends with at least one officer at a time since adulthood.
And (even when the leadership is poor) there are always some really great officers on every force.
Trotsky wrote that “The masses go into a revolution not with a prepared plan of social reconstruction, but with a sharp feeling that they cannot endure the old regime.”(The Russian Revolution by Leon Trotsky) The Tea Party is the people of this country telling the Socialist/Marxist regime of Obama that they will not endure the regime of ‘Hope and Change’! Furthermore, the Tea Party Revolution has a very clear and prepared plan to re-build this nation under the Constitution.
Old Trooper 2
13 years ago
Town Hall Questioner To Obama: “I’m Exhausted Of Defending You”
“I’m one of your middle class Americans. And quite frankly, I’m exhausted. Exhausted of defending you, defending your administration, defending the mantle of change that I voted for,” a woman told President Obama at a town hall.
“My husband and I have joked for years that we thought we were well beyond the hot dogs and beans era of our lives, but, quite frankly, it’s starting to knock on our door and ring true that that might be where we’re headed again, and, quite frankly, Mr. President, I need you to answer this honestly. Is this my new reality?,” she added.
She doesn’t have a credit card but he spends much time telling her how great his CC reform is.
It was odd hearing a ”hot dogs and beans” era as a phrase representing hard times.
Here in So Cal we called it our ”beans and rice,” time (under Jimmy Carter).
Tallgrass
13 years ago
First impression . . . Obama is thinking . . . Ok, ok, just my kind of people . . . wow, am I something setting here looking at MY PEOPLE . . . The the second thought as soon as the lady said “CFO” . . . Was oh, crap . . . they set me up . . . give me a WHITE person!!!!
Missy
13 years ago
😉
52% of Voters Say Their Views Are More Like Palin’s Than Obama’s
Same article notes only 26% of voters believe Palin Qualified to be Pres.
Not this article, you followed a link to a three month old poll. 🙄
Old Trooper 2
13 years ago
@ rich wheeler, is Palin running? I have heard no announcement. Hillary just might run so 2012 could be a real circus for Democrats. Hillary is a very ambitious gal and she would love another 4 year lease on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
@ rich wheeler…As you can probably understand, I despise Career Politicians because they are generally out of touch with working folks and the Founding Fathers never envisioned a Class of Professional Office holders. It is not likely that Palin will run for the Presidency but very likely that Hillary will.
Folks that have had very limited exposure to the Private Sector make very poor Lawmakers and worse members of the Executive Branch. They are generally Economic Illiterates as they have no practical knowledge of how over regulation of business affects the vanishing American Middle Class or the true mainstay of the US Economy, Small Business. They do not understand Banking either.
You can look for Hillary to run for the Presidency but I don’t think that Palin will. Hillary will be a challenge in 2012. Lets see how the Mid Terms affect the balance of Power in the Dem Party. I see some changes on the wind.
OLD TROOPER 2: hi, IT would be good to get military discipline back in the GOVERNMENT,which would help to reshape the AMERICA back on track as she would find happiness again.
bye
Missy
13 years ago
Krista Branch, mother of three, former American Idol contestant sings ‘I Am America’ a song written by her husband. Very nice, enjoy:
Missy
13 years ago
Protesters were out to end the hate at an event outside of Chicago headlined by Glenn Beck and Andrew Breitbart. Breitbart confronted them, asked them to explain their signs, they couldn’t. It took less than 8 minutes for them to back off hurling hateful remarks as they went off to board the buses that brought them there.
The astro-turfer in chief and his goons…..busted doing what they accuse others of doing.
President Obama’s Organizing for America (A Project of the National Democratic Committee) helped coordinate the protest with at least an email blast to its local members.
~~~~~
Andrew Breitbart Forces President Obama’s Protesters to Fold Up Shop
by Andrew Marcus
On Saturday, September 18th, Glenn Beck and Andrew Breitbart headlined an event entitled “Right Nation 2010,” held just outside of Chicago, Illinois.
As you will see in our video report from the scene, when Andrew Breitbart arrived at the Sears Centre, he was met with an angry mob of protesters who were calling for an ‘end to hate’ while also hurling expletives and homophobic slurs toward the targets of their enmity.
In the following dramatic video, Breitbart brings the protest to a complete halt by cleverly asking sign holders to do the impossible: explain the placards they were carrying. In the end, the frustrated organizers abruptly end their protest and leave.
Palin has taken away the machinery from the national party. She has replaced steele already. Getting rid of the good ol boy network of RINOs and leftists is a good thing.
Nan G
13 years ago
Missy, #39, that was an interesting video.
I noticed it looked as though all the signs had been made by one person and just handed out.
No wonder the sign holders couldn’t back them up with even one fact.
“This country has become so polarized that its almost astonishing…. Not only with the red and blue states… President Obama suffers from the most polarized situation in Washington that we have ever seen – even maybe than the time of Abraham Lincoln and the initiation of the war between the states.”
A noteworthy statement from this Dim Bulb that was the 2nd Worst President in history but he realizes that there is a problem with the way the Current Regime, to include Congress, does business. Now whose fault is that? Has the Current Regime and Congress lived up to any expectations other than their own?
Would there even be a Tea Party Movement if the Peoples Business was being handled competently?
In day where Jimmy Carter stole headlines for referring to his own tenure post-presidency as “superior” to that of other presidents, I thought it was somewhat disappointing that his real mind-bender was seemingly overlooked – even though it came in the very same interview as his other absolutely ridiculous comments. Remarking on the “state” of the United States, after being asked by Brian Williams if he views it as “glass half-full or half-empty”, Carter said he thought President Obama suffers from a Washington that has become more polarized than it was during the time of Abraham Lincoln and the “initiation of the ‘war between the states.’”
That is up to the Voters.
When Agendas and Idealism has a head on collision with the “Will of the People”, folks like Carter found out what happens. Having One Term Presidents is a godsend.
TODAY APRIL 28 2012
IT MAKE ME SWALLOW MY TEARS, BECAUSE OF SOME HERE ARE MISSING TODAY,
where are they? anyone can tell?
they left without leaving a clue
Now I know how we got Pinky and the Brain…….
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/37203_ODonnell-_Evil_Scientists_Are_Creating_Mouse-Human_Hybrids
This looks like the ship that Lord Jim abandoned. I think that the things we read through out our lives affect us more than we can know. As I look back on my work in Iraq, I spent long days working with the Iraqis. I was always trying to show them how the real world worked. Tried to let them know what true freedom was and how they could get there. I saw there was only a small window for them to succeed. If they failed to act during that time, I thought they would have only traded one life for a similar one. I felt driven!
I may have been the only person in Iraq who was having these conversations with Iraqis. I must have succeeded somewhat, because I became a topic of conversation with the people north of Baghdad and some of their relatives in the South. It was not uncommon for an Iraqi to walk up to me while I was out in a community and want to shake my hand. My interpreter smiled sometimes and said, “he wants to meet the Colonel”.
I had an Iraqi cell phone. Often during the night, I had calls telling me where some terrorist was or asking for military help when my friends defended their village. I always had to respond, because they and I expected it of me. No matter how tired I was, I knew I couldn’t sleep then or ever if I didn’t try. Some people understood and made a small difference in a very complex society. Others became enticed by the easy money they could get through bribes.
I think I feared failure, While others in the military spent time with the Iraqis, I do not think they challenged them. One day I spent all afternoon with a local sheikh outlining the things he needed to do in his community if he wanted his family and the people he knew to experience the type of life we Americans experience. He put a hand on my shoulder and said, “I am only one man!” I replied, “Gandhi was only one man”. His reply, “I have heard of this man Gandhi.”
I remembered that last scene from the movie “lord Jim” where Peter O’Toole with his vivid blue eyes walked through the village waiting for someone to kill him because he had failed in his efforts. After I returned and held discussions with fellow veterans of Iraq, I found I was not alone. Most of us put a major part of our lives into helping the Iraqi people to achieve freedom. I expect one of the reasons I do not sleep tonight is that I am still not sure I did not put unachievable expectations in the head of intelligent but simple men.
Clearly this ship was piloted by Dems and RINO’s…..the give away of course being the condition and location! I bet they’re all in the wheel house arguing over why Americans now want a Tea Party member to drive!
That’s post-Obumble America.
Randy;
I would like to thank you for the compassion and understanding that you personnally showed to a people that are lost in some moribund form of reality that is unique to that part of earth. I to have offered my support and inept counselling to people in the third world, from the Philippines to Saudi Arabia. The one commonality to the human is that of seeking happiness through prosperity and security. Some do understand the concepts that are a natural part of our lives here in the land of bread and honey, others are lost souls stranded on the shore. As illustrated by the wreck in the photo, a broken and disregarded hulk of little value, a finished life time of service.
Please rest assured that your efforts were worthwhile. That even if such efforts produce nothing other than a new perspective that you accomplished something that few in this world ever have the opportunity to do. Do not evaluate you success upon the immediate result for it takes a lifetime to build a life.
Thank you for your service to our country for you most certainly demonstrated its most basic goodness.
No road is to long
No byway to rough
That compassion and tenderness
Aren’t seen as the goodness in us.
EDITORIAL: Honor the Constitution’s limits
Obama-Pelosi liberals threaten American liberty
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/sep/16/honor-the-constitutions-limits/
That ship reminded me how often our commercial ships are attacked by pirates nowadays.
Sure, some of the attacks are fought off.
But too often businesses and countries pay a ransom to get their crews back.
And, here at home, our ”tip of the spear,” the police, seem to be more interested in their own security than our safety:
Our police unions are getting so powerful that they don’t even want to do police work to get to retirement.
We saw a family ruined the other day, while police sat outside the home.
The man of the house was beaten with a bat.
One woman was forced to go to her bank and withdraw then give them $15,000.
Then, as police sat outside her home, two women were raped, beaten, the home set on fire.
Three women died, only the man escaped.
The police were still dithering.
That was NOT local to me.
But in my area it is just as bad.
Drug dealers are looked at by police here as simply unlicensed businessmen.
Break time and talking about retirement seems to be the main job of every cop your meet.
@ Liberty Tree, that could be the “Ship of State” in another year or so. Adrift with no clear course or safe harbor to go for refitting or repairs. A tramp freighter without pride, purpose or a worthy destination besides a scrapyard.
That is what happens to Nations that abandon the Founding Principles and Values. The history books are full of examples of failed States and Regimes. America is being destroyed from within and eventually, if nothing is done to restore those Principles and Values, the rust will take her.
Today is Constitution Day. Curt aptly selected a great graphic for that theme. Let it serve as a warning of days to come if we stay on our present course. If we do not replace the failed Leadership in DC and in Statehouses, we will rust out and rot from within.
@ Nan G, in today’s Obama speak parlance, those dope dealers are “undocumented pharmacists”, just like folks that are in the Country illegally are “undocumented workers” whether they work and pay taxes or not. Just ask Harry Reid.
😉
Looks like the poster for the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia. A forlorn rusting hull of a once proud vessel.
@ Randy, were you in a Civil Affairs crew in Iraq? I was there in a different capacity at “B” Team level “weeding the garden” so to speak. The Sheikhs were not willing to deal with me much as they were very cautious in the early days. Anyone consorting with Americans in any fashion were singled out for some pretty grim outcomes.
I was not in the business of passing out the “milk and cookies”. We were hunting down Saddam, his Sons and others that were in the way of a stable post Saddam Iraq. There was plenty of hunting to go around in those days and not much cooperation from anyone that did not have an axe to grind or vengeance to play in the business at hand.
Dealing with Tribal Folk in the Stans was difficult too but I had a great Civil Affairs bunch there.
Thanks for sharing your experiences here. Take Care Pardner!
The World from Berlin ‘Obama Has Underestimated the Frustration in the Country’
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,717845,00.html
********************************************************
An interesting point of view from the Media that is outside the US looking in…
Caption:
This is your economy on Obamanomics.
While some demographic groups are more likely than others to say it’s okay to walk away — among them, Hispanics, adults younger than age 65 and those living in the West — these differences are mostly modest.
For example, nearly a quarter (24%) of all Hispanics say it’s acceptable to abandon a mortgage, compared with 17% of whites and 21% of blacks. However, roughly similar majorities of Hispanics (58%), blacks (56%) and whites (61%) say it’s wrong to do so
So which group is most out of step on shirking life’s largest financial commitment? You guessed it — Democrats.
There are sharp differences by partisanship. Democrats are about twice as likely as Republicans to say it is acceptable to walk away (23% vs. 11%)
Pew Research Center
American Thinker (Thomas Lifson)
Says a lot about character!
@Nan G: What an asinine and retarded comment. So what your saying is those cops stood by while all this happened? Prove it. Give me a link to any story confirming that they just sat around and waiting as the women were raped and robbed (not to mention if any cop did what you are alleging they would most certainly be ruined by lawsuits and fired). My partners and I risk our life’s every day doing this work, ask for no gratitude (mostly because we wouldn’t get any from cophating yahoo’s like yourself) and DO NOT just sit around doing nothing.
Curt, I agree that what she posted should not paint all police officers as worthless, but keep in mind not all police departments are professionsal, maintain high standards for hiring, or even give a damn.
I do not see the actions of one bad apple being proof that that the whole bushel is bad.
Back when I was all of 21 I tested for a few PDs and found I was too green, but had the potential to be a good LEO. I eventually decided against a law enforcement career due to the insane restrictions being placed upon officers. It was clear that people up above the average beat cop (politicians and police chiefs) would rather have an officer maimed or killed than endure a lawsuit. Get this, in Phoenix, police officers responding to an emergency can get cited for being 15mph over the speed limit!
Some of us appreciate what you do and don’t give you a ration of sh*t when you rightfully pull us over.
Police, Deputies, Highway Patrol, even Game Wardens are only human beings. At the same time as we are weak we are also strong. I have personally experienced the weakness when having had the honor of being handcuffed . . . wee doggies was that a scarey thing to have happen to me . . . and it has only happened once in my life. The story would take a long time to tell, and I am sure that in the end the results would be the same, so I will tell only the moral of the story.
I was pissed by the actions that were perpetrated on me. I was not a youngman and I was roughed up and my arms twisted up behing my back and was somewhat injured by the ordeal. I did not in anyway resist the officers that were in a heightened state of agressiveness to me. (Yes there was a loss of professionalism). After they had me cuffed I talked to them as Adults in a very respectful manner and after a few minutes they did take the cuffs off . . . but I will tell you I was very, very scared . . . Here in Oklahoma the deputies can pretty much beat the whazzoo out of you if you get a little crossways with them.
Now for the moral I guess. Later that day, I went down to the Sheriff’s office and complained to the Sheriff himself. He took the time to tell me about what the same two officers had been through that same day, before my altercation with them.
There had been a family violence event and a small child had lost her life. The entire department was super wrought up and the grief that permeates a small county department was still palpable.
I appologized for having interupted the Sheriff’s day and asked him to extended to his deputies my recognition of the job they were doing.
It is not possible for US the huddled masses to know what happens before, during or after each officers workday. All I can say is they all have my uttermost, heartfelt, respect. I can not imagine the horror that they have to endure to keep us, the law abiding, safe and secure.
Thank YOU Curt, and also your Family.
@Curt:
This case was discussed on the radio the other day, it was explained that the situation was being treated as a hostage incident and the officers were doing exactly what they were supposed to do, they had no way of knowing what the animals were doing inside the home.
I’m sure they don’t have a noose, firing squad or “old sparkey” up and running in the area where the crime occurred, these freaks will eventually get to just go to sleep after years and years. I know we are supposed to be civilized, but these animals deserve the harshest treatment allowable. Maybe they will get it in prison.
Bless you!
@ Missy, hostage situations need some delicate handling. In both Iraq and AFPAK the Tangos, terrorists, hide amongst the folks in the villages and used human shields frequently. Breaking down doors and going in in 5 man stacks always results in civilian casualties and innocent folks either dodging or catching “lead”. It takes discipline and pretty keen judgment to decide when to kick in doors.
The toughest job in the civilian world is being a Cop in my opinion but sometimes bad things happen to good people and the Rights of the Perpetrators seem to be of a huge concern for the Courts. We do not want to violate anyone’s Civil Rights regardless of how brutally their victims were treated. 😈
OLD TROOPER 2: hi, you said some important facts here, and IT got me thinking how
THE COURT will condem the military or police as a first move to protect the criminal’s rights,
IT’s another of many rules that went UPSIDE down,always giving the public the wrong message to lead them in thinking that our militarys and police are abusing their power even as they rightly protect us.
OLD TROOPER 2: IT’S obvious to see how THE TEA PARTY work so hard to achieve those RESULTS, THEY continue from the BEGINNING to beleive IN AMERICA’s supporting the hard work they where showing, against being smeared, attacked, and get such negative PRESS from the MEDIA, IT did not change their ATTITUDE and went on to get bigger, and SMARTER to connect
WiTH the AMERICANS. THEY work hard and they are being rewarded,by the one who where admiring their COLLECTIVE EFFORT against all OODS according to the MEDIA.
@Missy: Missy, thanks for the info. As OT said, with hostage situations its a delicate situation and there are protocols for handling them that we must follow. But if they knew what was happening our swat would of been in there within seconds. Hell, my partner and I would of been if swat hadn’t arrived yet.
I recall a call about 7-8 years ago where my partner and I go to the door (forgot what the call was for, something insignificant) and we hear a lady screaming “help, he’s hurting me” We didn’t hesitate in kicking that door down and rushing in. But if the guy had just said “she ain’t coming out, I’m holding her hostage” and we hadn’t heard the lady screaming for her life we would of had to back off and call in negotiators and the whole shebang. The situation dictates how we are going to deal with the situation and I’m sure this is what happened with the incident Nan and Missy are talking about.
It’s the same for school shootings. Before Columbine the brass always told us we must surround the place and wait for swat to arrive, after Columbine the first responders are trained to enter the school in stacks of four to attack the threat and neutralize it. If four aren’t there we go in with two….either way, we don’t wait.
@Tallgrass: Yeah, there have been incidents, especially in my younger days, that I regret. We all have bad days and 99.9% of the time officers are professional enough to hide it. I remember the first time I ever saw a child die in the field. The mom had been holding the 2 year old in her left arm, walking to school, and was going to cross the street but didn’t wait to get to the corner, instead she started walking on the left side of the cars parked on the curb with all the school traffic flowing beside her. She was waiting for a opening to cross the street. A nurse who had just worked the night shift, and driving a SUV, didn’t see the mother and her passenger side mirror struck the kid and knocked him to the ground in front of the rear passenger side tire which then rolled over the kid and actually caught on something because the kid went around with the tire into the wheel well and out again before the screaming stopped the nurse who didn’t know anything was going on and she stopped the vehicle.
I get there first, code 3, and see the child a bloody mess with a purple barney doll a few feet away and felt like falling apart myself because I knew the child was dead (there was brain matter on the childs face). But we can’t do that…we are there to help not become part of the problem. And the mom was screaming for me to do something so I gave CPR till fire arrived.
I don’t remember the rest of the day but if I encountered you I’m sure I may had been asshole. I wouldn’t of beaten anyone but I’m sure I was not myself. It wasn’t till later that night that I felt it, got drunk, punched a bag for an hour and fell apart. I was young and this was a first for me. I’ve seen much worse than that since but have learned to push that stuff aside, its maybe why we have a sick twisted sense of humor. Its a way of dealing with things.
But I digress….there are bad cops, bad doctors, bad judges, bad politicians, bad dmv workers, bad nurses, bad everything. But the majority of people are good folks and to paint a whole occupation as bad because of a few bad apples is just plain wrong.
As for Nan, I apologize for going a bit off. Being called lazy cowards set me off but probably still shouldn’t of laid in like that.
CURT: SUCH respect I have for you and the militarys,who have to see hell in this world constantly trying to eliminate it for US ALL.IT’s more than time THAT we all recongise the values
you all have, way over any other carreers, from GOVERNMENT DOWN to the humblest.
and THANK you all for your bravery and ACCOMPLISHMENTS, bye SR.
Don’t worry about it, Curt.
I got busy and hadn’t even been back to see your comment until now.
But I probably misheard what the police were actually doing, too.
I was listening to an accounting of it on the radio.
When I meet a police officer who cares strongly about his work in our neighborhood, I make him feel right at home.
And then, if I need him, I can call his personal cell.
I have always been good friends with at least one officer at a time since adulthood.
And (even when the leadership is poor) there are always some really great officers on every force.
One of the best descriptions of the Tea Party is provided by a UK source. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8010919/Tea-Party-insurgents-prepare-to-seize-power-in-2012.html
Trotsky wrote that “The masses go into a revolution not with a prepared plan of social reconstruction, but with a sharp feeling that they cannot endure the old regime.”(The Russian Revolution by Leon Trotsky) The Tea Party is the people of this country telling the Socialist/Marxist regime of Obama that they will not endure the regime of ‘Hope and Change’! Furthermore, the Tea Party Revolution has a very clear and prepared plan to re-build this nation under the Constitution.
Town Hall Questioner To Obama: “I’m Exhausted Of Defending You”
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/09/20/cnbc_town_hall_questioner_to_obama_im_exhausted_of_defending_you.html
Old Trooper, he really stutters until he hits on an answer……not a good one.
She doesn’t have a credit card but he spends much time telling her how great his CC reform is.
It was odd hearing a ”hot dogs and beans” era as a phrase representing hard times.
Here in So Cal we called it our ”beans and rice,” time (under Jimmy Carter).
First impression . . . Obama is thinking . . . Ok, ok, just my kind of people . . . wow, am I something setting here looking at MY PEOPLE . . . The the second thought as soon as the lady said “CFO” . . . Was oh, crap . . . they set me up . . . give me a WHITE person!!!!
😉
52% of Voters Say Their Views Are More Like Palin’s Than Obama’s
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/september_2010/52_of_voters_say_their_views_are_more_like_palin_s_than_obama_s
Missy Same article notes only 26% of voters believe Palin Qualified to be Pres.
Hillary 54% Obama 51%. Romney top Repub. at 49%
@rich wheeler:
Not this article, you followed a link to a three month old poll. 🙄
@ rich wheeler, is Palin running? I have heard no announcement. Hillary just might run so 2012 could be a real circus for Democrats. Hillary is a very ambitious gal and she would love another 4 year lease on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
OT Think you’d agree professional pols are always at least thinking about running for Higher office.
Don’t think Clinton would challenge Obama in 2012 but would love to see her go against Palin in 2016.
rich wheeler, YES I would like it too. bye
@ rich wheeler…As you can probably understand, I despise Career Politicians because they are generally out of touch with working folks and the Founding Fathers never envisioned a Class of Professional Office holders. It is not likely that Palin will run for the Presidency but very likely that Hillary will.
Folks that have had very limited exposure to the Private Sector make very poor Lawmakers and worse members of the Executive Branch. They are generally Economic Illiterates as they have no practical knowledge of how over regulation of business affects the vanishing American Middle Class or the true mainstay of the US Economy, Small Business. They do not understand Banking either.
You can look for Hillary to run for the Presidency but I don’t think that Palin will. Hillary will be a challenge in 2012. Lets see how the Mid Terms affect the balance of Power in the Dem Party. I see some changes on the wind.
OLD TROOPER 2: hi, IT would be good to get military discipline back in the GOVERNMENT,which would help to reshape the AMERICA back on track as she would find happiness again.
bye
Krista Branch, mother of three, former American Idol contestant sings ‘I Am America’ a song written by her husband. Very nice, enjoy:
Protesters were out to end the hate at an event outside of Chicago headlined by Glenn Beck and Andrew Breitbart. Breitbart confronted them, asked them to explain their signs, they couldn’t. It took less than 8 minutes for them to back off hurling hateful remarks as they went off to board the buses that brought them there.
The astro-turfer in chief and his goons…..busted doing what they accuse others of doing.
http://biggovernment.com/amarcus/2010/09/20/andrew-breitbart-forces-president-obamas-protesters-to-fold-up-shop/
Palin has taken away the machinery from the national party. She has replaced steele already. Getting rid of the good ol boy network of RINOs and leftists is a good thing.
Missy, #39, that was an interesting video.
I noticed it looked as though all the signs had been made by one person and just handed out.
No wonder the sign holders couldn’t back them up with even one fact.
Missy #30-32 Poll you ref. taken 6/22/2010 shows Palin 26%,Obama 51%,Clinton 54%.
Jimmy Carter Says US More Polarized Than During Civil War
http://republicanredefined.com/2010/09/21/jimmy-carter-says-us-more-polarized-than-during-civil-war/
A noteworthy statement from this Dim Bulb that was the 2nd Worst President in history but he realizes that there is a problem with the way the Current Regime, to include Congress, does business. Now whose fault is that? Has the Current Regime and Congress lived up to any expectations other than their own?
Would there even be a Tea Party Movement if the Peoples Business was being handled competently?
That is up to the Voters.
When Agendas and Idealism has a head on collision with the “Will of the People”, folks like Carter found out what happens. Having One Term Presidents is a godsend.
Any one see this story about Bell Calif?
The city counsel was arrested for fraud.
Guess the name of the party???
here is a link.
I am betting dollars to donuts that this isnt getting covered in the main stream press, other then fox.
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/09/22/if-democrats-get-arrested-in-a-megalopolis-will-the-media-make-a-sound/
TODAY APRIL 28 2012
IT MAKE ME SWALLOW MY TEARS, BECAUSE OF SOME HERE ARE MISSING TODAY,
where are they? anyone can tell?
they left without leaving a clue