If you are tired of the politics, I promise to start writing more about military type things in the near future. Let me take one more moment of your time to talk politics. I won't promise "no new political posts", but I will promise a little more balance.
It seems like an eternity ago that I wrote the post "Gates of Thermopylae"
I am really beginning to believe that America cannot afford Barak Obama, even as some temporary fit or pique. Some conservatives are willing to send the Republican party to the wilderness to learn some lessons about true conservatism in order to force the party to return to its base. I think that is the craziest thing I've heard right at this moment.
Let me return to the beginning of this post. I liken these Conservatives to the Senators in Sparta who debated endlessly while Leonidas marched out of the gate with 300 men. All the while Xerxes has already landed his million man army and is marching on the Gate.
You see, I've figured out that there are worse things than not having a perfect conservative candidate. There is being absorbed into Xerxes' Empire.
So, while you all continue to debate and demand, I've decided to pick up my spear, sling my hoplon over my shoulder and march down to the Gate. I'll be voting for McCain come November. I'll be double damned if I'm going to be subsumed into Xerxes Socialist Empire.
Some folks here declared they would pick up the spear and shield and march with me. Like me, you probably thought that it was a suicidal mission for principles that were nearly unrecognizable in the two decades that have passed since Reagan talked about the "shining city on the hill".
What were we fighting for and who would lead the fight?
McCain felt like the hoary old warrior who talked of battles past, but seemed incapable of leading the charge. We had no Leonidas. I felt what the Spartans must have felt when they first looked down into the valley and saw Xerxes' one million man army: the resignation to the inevitability of death. At least, politically speaking. But, we had a duty to try to hold the line.
When I caught Palin's speech Wednesday night, I was re-energized. I was ready to put my first political bumper sticker on any vehicle I have ever owned. I didn't even do that for Bush in 2004. Palin did not convince me because she is a woman. She convinced me when I read what she had done in Alaska in that "half term" of governor. She literally had imbibed Reagonomics and had implemented them to great success. In twenty months.
Sarah Palin, first Republican woman nominee for Vice President, made me sit up and take notice (raging feminist that I am). However, I don't vote like that. It was Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, that sold me. I felt then what the Spartans must have felt as they began to form in battle lines at the gate: a building excitement to join the battle.
Still, she's no Leonidas. An Amazon ready to do battle, but not Leonidas. She made me take a second look at McCain. I heard Leonidas Thursday night. He said:
"Fight with me! Fight with me! Stand up! Stand up! Stand up and fight!"
McCain still has a lot of fight left in him. So do we. To quote, "There is nothing inevitable here. We're Americans. We don't hide from history. We make history."
Now I know how the Spartan's felt as they locked shields and readied spears. It was not fear of death nor dread of duty. It was joy. We might lose this battle, but we will go down fighting for what we believe.
Leonidas: "Here we hold! Here we fight! Here they die!"
Spartan: "On our shields, brothers!"
Persian: "Spartans! Lay down your weapons!"
(locking shields, readying spears)
Leonidas: "Persian! Come and get them!"
Got tell the Spartans...
See you in the trenches.
It is the ideals espoused by the castle denizens that keep me coming back to this site, (the 'toons too, BillT,) and remind me daily that America is a nation of soldiers who fight for their ideals - not a mercenary nation. Shoulder to shoulder with my friends, my brothers and sisters; doing movement to contact knowing that John, Kat, Boston Maggie and others are providing diligent overwatch; and fighting hand-to-hand with the enemy while BillT kills armor and provides danger close air support, this is the nature of the castle. If I did not name you, it is only because I don't have the room, or the memory to remember each individual in the Army of Freedom. But I know you by your words, your actions, and that which is in your heart.
We will return with our shields, or on them! Bless the Castle and its denizens!
I remember a throw away line from some comedian during the Edwards scandal. He was discussing the reporters stalking Edwards & staking out the Beverly Hills Hilton. It went something like this "If John Edwards wanted to hide from reporters, he should have used John McCain's hotel ........ no reporters there!"
It was funny, but it was really sad too.
Many say that the primary role of the Vice-Presidential nominee is to get the Presidential nominee elected. To accomplish that, you need to get his message out to Americans. Well, by that criteria, Palin is certainly a boom so far. The numbers from Thursday night's speech speak loud and clear on that. There can be no doubt that without Palin the only people watching Thursday night would have been crazy McCain fans (like me) and political junkies (like most of us here).
And, hey! Which Kevin is that? Old Crusty Libertarian Kevin? Or somebody else? Cause if it's Crusty, I think I just died of a heart attack.
Hope doesn't require as much effort as the action that McCain's "lead, follow, or get out of the way" ideals do. It's easier to "hope" than it is to "lead, follow, or get out of the way". And America is lazy.
And I, too, have joined the fight, For the first time in my life, I am in the trenches on this one.
While I will not vote for Obama, because that is certain to cause no good, on a personal, military or fiscal front (read his positions on all and you show me different), and in many ways I find McCain's policies and actions contrary to my own, my vote will not be wasted on a 3rd (or other) party candidate in this election. I am not one to vote "present" on issues that are hard, nor do I leave my fate in the hands of others when I have an option to make a difference.
Obama is an empty suit. A hollow shell who has never been tested. His minions have managed to force his opposition in elections to withdraw by sliming them and avoiding any discussion of the facts.
McCain has the heart of a warrior and will not hesitate to make his position known and defend it. He does not take the easy way out and has "manned up" to his errors and lapses. Barry does not. It is always someone else's fault, not "The One's." How could it be? (sarcasm on) Or are you racist too? (sarcasm off).
Think about it. Do you want us to return with the shield held high in victory, or upon our sheld in death? Option three is without our shield, as it will be taken from us by the ones who defeat us, and for me personally, that is worse than death.
Read history and understand the implications before you "no vote" and waste the choice that so many have died to give you.....Breeds Hill, Yorktown, New Orleans, Gettysburg, Shiloh, Santiago de Cuba, Ardennes, Marne, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Battaan, North Africa, Sicily, Iwo Jima, Omaha, Ste. Mere Eglise, Bastogne, Berlin, Korea, VietNam, Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm, Bosnia, Somalia, OEF, OIF.....those people went in harms' way knowing they could die, but did it because they knew that there was something greater than their own life and their own wants and needs. Suck it up, cupcake. Vote for the United States of America, not some socialist, pandering apologist amalgam of diversity that can be split up by dividing us into our "pride groups."
WE ARE AMERICANS and as long as we are that first, we cannot be defeated and will not be stared down, shouted down or bullied by any country or group of countries who mean us harm and ill will.
Your remarks are in the 10 ring.
My votes have never been determined by party lines, but rather by the candidate him or herself. Frankly, I believe that is as it should be. Loyalty to the Constitution and the Republic, not a particular party should be paramount.
I don’t disagree with your assessment of Obama, hence he is unworthy of my vote.
I do however disagree with your assessment of McCain. Blather aside, what in the long run, will be the result? Both candidates campaign promises will result in the continued expansion of the Federal government, continued reliance upon foreign energy sources, more restrictions of our personal liberties, higher taxes, continued unsustainable wars of empire and exhibit a complete and utter disregard and contempt of their Constitutional responsibilities.
Both Obama and McCain advocate socialist, un-American policies, it just matters to what degree you want your frog boiled and how quickly. Neither advocate the type of policies that this nation was founded upon, much less promise in any way, shape, matter or form to adhere to their oath of office and live within the Constitutional restraints placed upon that high office.
Your shield options are false choices. Define ‘victory’. For that matter, define ‘defeat’. The ones who would take away our shields are Obama and McCain (along with their willing and corrupt accomplices in the House and Senate). Our collapse, when, not if, it comes, will be as a result of the un-American policies pursued by the majority of both major parties.
Whether our republics demise arrives via an economic collapse caused by unsustainable government spending (foreign and domestic) or the continued trampling of our Constitutional rights and liberties here at home by all levels of government is debatable. I sadly suspect that the causes of collapse will arrive simultaneously.
The bottom line is this, neither candidate will change the business as usual policies that are destroying our quality of life and the guarantees written into the fabric of the Constitution that should be the rule of law that governs our republic.
I am quite well versed in history thank you. Of all the examples of conflicts you listed, only Breeds Hill and Yorktown were not wars of Empire, with an unique exemption being given for WW2. As Marine General Smedley Butler stated, “War is a racket” (look it up on the net and read his words) and the republic would have survived with out all the needless loss of lives, treasure and liberty expended for those conflicts of empire.
As for voting for American, that is precisely the point I’ve been attempting to make. A vote for either McCain or Obama is NOT a vote for America, much less the republican ideals and principles we were founded upon.
You state that McCain is not a socialist. Oh really?
What are McCains claims to fame? What bills and policies has he/does he advocate?
Among his most prominent ‘accomplishments’ are his support for the; McCain-Lieberman bill (global warming/anti-drilling claptrap), McCain-Feingold (crushing the 1st Amendment), McCain-Kennedy (Amnesty bill for illegals), and worked with Democratic Senators Ted Kennedy, John Edwards and Charles Schumer to try and pass a so-called ‘patients bill of rights’ which would have the basic effect of nationalizing our healthcare industry. These are all socialist policies written in collaboration with some of the most liberal/socialist members of the Democratic Party.
If you will recall, it was not all that long ago that McCain was openly considering changing his party affiliation to the Democrats. In 2004 he even contemplated joining the John Kerry ticket! In this election cycle, he was even considering choosing one of the most socialist members of the Senate, Joe Lieberman as his running mate.
Furthermore;
McCain voted against President Bushes tax cuts in 2001 & 2003.
He’s also voted for higher taxes at least 50 times.
McCain is NO friend of the 2nd Amendment as evidenced by his votes.
McCain voted for the confirmation of Ginsburg, Breyer, Souter and Stevens to the Supreme Court. He also was a member of the so-called ”Gang of 14” which included some of the most socialistic minded members of the Democratic Party to block President Bushes nomination of supposedly conservative Supreme Court Justices.
Given his history, I wouldn’t look to McCain for Constitutional relief from his Supreme Court nominees.
Furthermore, McCain also not only defends our unsustainable foreign policies of empire, he actually advocates expanding our military operations and obligations. Which includes the possibility of launching yet another un-American ‘pre-emptive’ war and/or offering hollow promises (ala Chamberlain to the Poles) to defend with US military force, such nations such as Georgia, the Ukraine, Poland and other formerly Eastern Bloc countries by offering them membership in NATO.
McCain is not a ‘socialist’? Evidence by word, deed and association shows otherwise. Obama may be a Marxist, but McCain certainly evidences that he supports and promotes the policies of big government socialism and empire.
Q: What is a communist?
A: A socialist in a hurry.
Indeed we are Americans and that makes it incumbent upon us as good citizens to be the watchdogs of our liberty, our Constitution and our republic. By not remaining vigilant and by not holding our elected representatives accountable for their actions with our votes, then who truly bears the blame for our continuing slide into socialism, militarism and economic malaise?
The collapse of our republic will not be as a result of foreign bayonets landing upon our beaches. It will come from within as we as a people have dithered and dallied over the politics of division and envy, instead of paying attention to what truly matters and sending in the long overdue whip crackers to chase out the prostitutes and harlots who infest our public temples of liberty.
By ‘wasting your vote’ on either Obama or McCain, you are merely continuing the policies of same-o-same-o. One is just in a bit more of a hurry than the other. But, sadly, in the long run, the end result will be the same.
“If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got.” And that is precisely what a vote for either Obama or McCain will result in.
McCain is an old time, inside the beltway party hack who is part what’s wrong with America. Obama is an animal of the same ilk, albeit a younger creation of the Chicago Democratic party machine.
Both candidates are part of the problems that plague our republic, neither candidate is a solution.
So, no thank you as regards to voting for either McCain or Obama. My vote is more precious to me than continuing to support candidates who are not true… republicans.
“Suck it up cupcake?” Well, if I’m a ‘cupcake’, does that make you a Ho-Ho or a Ding-dong? Read what you will into that statement. 8).
Me, I want to go s-l-o-w-l-y into decline.
Just sayin.
BTW: I am not a "Republican", I am a Goldwater [by God] Conservative.
Will the old guy be flexible enough to make some changes? Well, he picked Palin--who by appearance and deed is to the right of Goldwater himself [God bless him.]
In view of the alternatives; I say give the man a chance.