Military Leadership...

Posted 7/1/2008 1:07 PM CDT on shreveporttimes.com
"As an officer serving in America’s uniformed services, I maintain a strict personal code of nonpartisan politics. Of course I have my opinions about politics and favorite local, state and national candidates, but only my immediate family knows my thoughts and opinions on politics. I do not openly or publically endorse nor campaign for any particular politician or political party, nor will I ever do so for as long as I wear the uniform. I firmly believe officers serving the nation must remain apolitical in all that we say, write and do. But I feel compelled to share with you gentle readers the simultaneous reaction of hundreds of military personnel yesterday when retired General Wes Clark—Senator Barak Obama’s military advisor—publically questioned Senator John McCain’s ability to make decisions and serve as Commander-in-Chief.
First, I will be upfront and candidly inform you I am equally indifferent toward the two candidates. This post isn't to compare or contrast either in a more or less favorable light; but I absolutely detest retired General Wes Clark. I have loathed him (as I suspect do most of his former subordinates) since I had the unfortunate experience of serving under his command in the Balkans in the 1990s. That being frankly disclosed, allow me to paint a picture for you. Imagine several hundred hungry men and women representing all the armed services, from new privates to crusty old Colonels, sitting in a dining facility about the size of a school gymnasium in hot, dusty Afghanistan. The big screen televisions in the corners are all tuned to CNN and retired General Wesley Clark appears on the screen.The text underneath read in bold red letters “Clark questions McCain’s ability to lead the military” The gist of Clark’s interview was that McCain is a war hero, but "hasn't held executive responsibility, and has no experience making tough military decisions". Surely retired General Clark can’t really expect the American people to buy the load of manure he’s shoveling, but he’s well-known throughout the military as one extremely accomplished and gifted manure-shoveling S.O.B. The only other time I’ve heard a military dining facility suddenly become so eerily quiet was at Camp Comanche, Bosnia on September 11, 2001 when we all watched the live CNN feed of the second airliner crashing into the WTC.
Within seconds the “He really didn’t just say what we all heard him just say, did he?” chuckles of disbelief became a roar of laughter. Even die hard Obama fans in the room were shaking their heads in disbelief someone would be foolish enough to compare John McCain’s military abilities or experience on any level with the first term Senator from Illinois.
McCain and Obama—the first name belongs to a decorated combat veteran with Silver Stars, Distinguished Fl ying Crosses, Purple Hearts, Bronze Stars…a War College graduate with a masters Degree in National Security Strategy…the guy who served 22 years in the military and declined promotion to Rear Admiral to retire as a disabled Navy Captain (Colonel), and who has since served over a quarter century in the U.S. Congress and Senate—including 21 years as a member on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The second name is a man with a sound education, an accomplished lawyer, a community leader and state legislator, and someone who has never served a single day in the U.S. military, and who has absolutely no working concept about how the military or national strategic policy works, and hasn’t even finished his first term as a U.S. Senator. I’m not saying either candidate is “better” than the other based just on those facts. I am merely pointing out that retired General Clark obviously thinks we Americans are either too stupid, or too lazy to bother thinking for ourselves. His vanity and pom posity remains just the same as a civilian as when he wore a uniform.
For retired General Clark to compare these two men using the words “military”, “leadership” and “experience” indicates one of two things: he’s suffering from a traumatic brain embolism and should seek immediate emergency attention by skilled doctors; or he feels toward the American people the same condescension and narcissistic intellectual superiority he did toward his subordinates and peers while he served on active duty. He sure looks healthy—it must be the latter."

Al Gore... Green off the cliff...

Lovely isn't it? Big too! I personally just love Al Gore's house. It's in perfect taste... well except for the miles high lies, hypocrisy and manure that his lovely lifestyle is built upon. Now, before you go judging him as harshly as I do... remember that his spokesperson said that you can't judge a man by his power bill alone.. even if it is an Inconvenient Truth.

"... think tank report cited figures from the Nashville Electric Service that showed Gore burned through 22,619 kilowatt-hours of electricity at his house last August, a rate that is twice the level used by an average U.S. household in an entire year."

Of course Al hates the bad publicity, but he's not going to be moving into a modest "Green" home. He's going to try and make this monster "Green". And, he's buying thousands of dollars worth of carbon offsets, which in my opinion is stupid in many ways. 1. Al expects you to drive an economy car that gets good mileage while he flies around in private jets and is transported via Escalade. If he uses a lot of power, it's OK because he's paying for it twice! 2. Al expects you to live in a small HoVEL with solar panels for the roof and wind mill to the side while he lives in this place paying in one month for power what what most American households paid in an entire year. This is just the sort of thing that starts the kind of class warfare we don't need in this country. The attitude that says, "I make the rules... and you have to live by them.. Oh, but I don't because I'm super rich."

Do you think that any of our nations liberal celebrities are going to move out of their giant homes because they BELIEVE in saving the planet? I know of only one that has... and I wish I could remember his name, because he is a crazy nut, but atleast his life has integrity to it. (He has a cool picket fence made out of recycled milk cartons.)

Don't get me wrong. I hate super consumption (I loathe Walmart) and waste and I do drive an economy car (36 MPG Freeway.. if there isn't gridlock). However, sneaking weasels of questionable parentage (SWQP's) like Al bother me most of all. He gets rich on the gullibility of the public, by taking advantage of fear tactics while no one holds him accountable. %40 of the "science" in his film has been called into serious question, but he's signed up so many Americans on his band wagon that the stories setting things straight (like: polar bears aren't really drowning because of ice melt you know).. get buried on that last page.

And, this "green" craze is really expensive. It's the reason you are paying $4.15 at the pump right now. Did you know that? Green liberals won't allow us to explore and drill and process oil on our own turf... and so we pay the Saudi royal family, the Iranians, and people like the lovely Hugo Chavez billions to turn around and hate us with. Last I heard we are almost %80 dependant on foreign oil. And we are sure dependent on the wrong foreigners if you ask me. Energy should be the biggest issue of this election, but isn't because even many conservatives don't have the courage to fight the green wave. But, ENERGY is the biggest issue to our economy and our national security.

It's the perfect time for the Iranians to pick a fight. They could send us into skyrocketing inflation and a serious depression. And, it will be our own fault for being so stupid. We need to get a clue. Stop the ethanol fiasco, which is costing us two gallons to make one and drill for OIL people. Drill offshore, drill in Alaska and do it fast. If congress would lift it's ban on off-shore drilling, it would lower the price of oil per barrel atleast $20 dollars, mark my words. If we did some actual drilling... you'd see real relief at the pump!

And, by the way, carbon offsets are pretty much considered crap even by the greenest of the green.. the kemits you might say "...More broadly, the proliferation of suspect RECs and offsets may persuade consumers and businesses that preventing climate change comes cheap, says Anja S. Kollmuss, outreach coordinator of the Tufts Climate Initiative, an advocacy group affiliated with Tufts University. "We cannot solve the climate crisis by buying offsets and claiming to be climate-neutral," she adds. "Nature does not fall for accounting schemes." (See the full Business Week article here.)

It would be fun to live like Al, but when we are picking leaders here. Let's not be lemmings and pick the biggest hypocrite in America to lead us off a cliff.

Tony Snow...

Tony Snow was my favorite news commentator when I used to have cable and used to be addicted to Fox News (I cured my addiction by no longer having cable otherwise I'd still be glued). He died Saturday after a long struggle with colon cancer. He was a great man; good and kind and wise. He will be sorely missed. He is not replaceable. I wanted to post a piece of his best writing. I had this piece saved in a scrapbook since 9/11. His words here are words of wisdom, hope and comfort. These are the words I will remember him by. Goodbye to a great American.

Good and evil almost never express themselves as harshly and clearly as they did Tuesday morning. People we don't know slaughtered people we do, and they did it with contemptuous glee.

Yet, even as clouds of dust and smoke rose from the from the rubble, even as family members tortured by hope and doubt took to the streets with pictures and pleas; even as mobs celebrated in Gaza, Cairo and Bagdad something shook itself to life.

That something was a sense of ourselves. Kindness flourished amid the flames. A couple carried a disabled man down 68 flights of stairs. A priest crouched to give last rites as a mighty tower collapsed and the hand of God closed about him. A man and woman, their hope gone, held each other and leaped. A solitary candle, a flag, a tear. These are the tokens of our renewal.

The United States had a spirit even before it had a name-- one of faith and freedom; of ambition tempered by public piety. We once were a nation of neighbors and friends. We are again today. We were once a nation of hardship-tested dreamers. We are again today. We once were a nation under God. We are again today. Our enemies attacked one nation,. They will encounter another for they underestimated us.

Today, in our grief and rage; our determination and hope, we have summoned what is best and noblest in us; The kinship that awes our enemies and friends alike. We are again -- Americans.

Sunday, September 16, 2001 Tony Snow