We did have a completely different class of people in
1776. When this country was formed you couldn't find 10 people on the continent who
thought that it was the responsibility of the federal government to provide them with a
job or health care. Know this...transport today's average American back to 1776 and the
Revolutionary War would never have happened. --Neal Boortz ********************************* Right Direction, Wrong Direction While I appreciate Neal Boortz's quotation above,
I would add the assertion that if "today's average American" that he discusses
measured up to our fighting men and women now in Afghanistan and Iraq, not only would the
Revolution have taken place, but it would probably have been over in little more time than
it took for coalition forces to take Baghdad in 2003. This is clearly illustrated in a
letter written by an Army Captain in Iraq, and eventually forwarded to me by my son. Which brings me to my main point. The Kerry campaign has often complained that America is headed in the wrong direction, and certain polls indicate that a large percentage of Americans agree with this assertion. As expected, this claim has remained a broad generalization and has never been clearly defined by Kerry or Edwards. But as we approach the election, its meaning is becoming, by default more than design, increasingly clear. On one hand, you have the Kerry defined "right direction" which is often referred to by the Bush Campaign and its supporters as the "pre-9/11" or the "9/10" world. These are not totally inclusive terms, since they refer only to The War on Terror and its subsidiary, the War in Iraq. The opposing "direction", that which Kerry and others refer to as the "wrong direction", primarily promotes the belief that the nation's highest priority must be the defeat and total elimination of the Islamic jihadists who threaten the comtinued existence of America and the entire western world. There are more to these opposing views than just war issues, however. The issues also encompass domestic policy and, to some extent, the differences in cultural values that exist in our country. A recent survey (The PIPA/Knowledge Network Poll, August 2004) indicated that approximately 24% of Americans want to bring the troops home from Iraq now, regardless of the results of such an action. Another 33% indicated that they wanted a reduction in the number of troops there. Taken together, this constitutes a majority of voters. John Kerry himself reflected this view when he said that he wants to return to the days when terrorism was no longer considered to be a serious threat but rather a mere "nuisance". He has also described our confrontation with terrorism to be more of a law enforcement and intelligence issue than a military one. He frequently refers to earlier years when America was closely tied to its traditional allies in dealing with international issues and only worked in consort with them. Although at times Kerry says that he has a plan to achieve victory in the War in Iraq and the War on Terror (his "direction" clearly separates the two), many of his other comments reflect a totally opposite position. Accompanying this approach to terrorism is an apparent desire to shuffle our priorities to place far more importance and higher priority on domestic issues such as health care, jobs and the economy, and social security. This is very appealing to many impatient Americans who are either now weary of the War in Iraq or those who initially opposed to it for whatever reason. To this melting pot you can add perhaps the majority of entertainment and pop culture icons who, according to John Kerry, "...reflect the true values of America". Taken together, this combination reflects the "right" direction in America according to Kerry-Edwards.. Those who reflect the "wrong" direction in America according to Kerry-Edwards include those who tend to hold more traditional social and economic values, to include most conservative Christians, most military veterans, more than two out of three active military personnel, small business owners, most suburban and rural voters and, most professionals (lawyers and educators excluded, of course). In general, these people recognize that to ignore the threat facing this country will not allow us to return to some idyllic recent time of yore which didn't really exist, as Kerry would prefer. That mythical time, of course, was the 1990's when we had a Democratic Administration which did indeed look at terrorism as a criminal nuisance rather than as a military threat. It is the "wrong" direction for our country to take to reject the concepts of victimization and class warfare, according to Kerry-Edwards. It is the wrong direction to take when our government's policies promote individual opportunity and self-reliance. It is wrong to place high expectations on people because this cannot guarantee equal outcomes for all, even though our Constitution itself does not guarantee equal outcomes. No, John Kerry, it is you who are wrong. It is the majority of the American voters who will prove on November 2nd that you, along with the former Democratic Administration, are the ones who do not have a concept of right and wrong. It is we, who you believe to be wrong, that will send you back to your Senate seat, and hope that the good people of Massachusetts will themselves eventually recognize that you are but an empty shell, all style and no substance, and help you retire from the Senate. Perhaps you could retire to France, a country whose culture and values are more closely aligned with what you believe to right. Bon Voyage.
|