This is your chance to show your devotion to the men and women serving in our all volunteer military. Exercise your First Amendment right to Free Speech by joining us on the sidewalk of 7th Street in Saint Paul tomorrow, Labor Day, September 1st. Bring a small American flag and pick up one of our "Victory Over Terrorism" signs and greet the anti-war protesters with a warm "Minnesota Nice" smile.
I'm elated that Senator John McCain has selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate. His selection clearly shows that McCain has the judgment and foresight to reach outside the Washington DC establishment and pick a partner who resonates with middle America. Sarah Palin will be a fighter and a reformer, just what the Republican Party needs.
I pity Joe Biden when he debates her. We know what their tactics will be from Team Obama. The Obama campaign's statement today tries in a blatantly sexist way to marginalize and demean her and her political experience. They must figure that since it worked against Hillary Clinton it will work against Sarah Palin. They will be sadly mistaken. McCain has effectively broken the glass ceiling that Barack Obama reinforced against Hillary Clinton.
At three o'clock in the morning, when the telephone in the White House rings to tell the President of a major crisis in the world, I don't want him to have to put the call on hold while he calls the Vice President to ask him what to do. That is why I'm voting for John McCain!
UPDATE: Today's Letter of the Day in the Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/opinion/letters/27337589.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:_Du3LE:QDUHDaaDyiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU
If Hillary Clinton wanted to steal the DNC convention next week in Denver, it has just been handed to her on a silver platter.
In a election cycle that by all indications was to be a Democratic cake walk, Barack Obama goes out and picks Joe Biden as his Vice Presidential running mate. His selection drives a stake threw the heart of all his impressionable left wing "We Want Change" followers. Joe Biden has been in the Washington DC establishment since the 1970's. Biden's son is a lobbyist on K Street for crying out loud. Some "real change" here! Can you hear the jingle jangle of PAC and ear mark money?
Joe Biden dropped out of the Democratic Presidential race after three contests where he gathered a whopping following of less then 10,000 votes. Compare that to Hillary who was destroyed by a very sexist and race baiting Obama/Axelrod attack team and still managed to win 18 million votes. If Democrat delegates really want to win the White House, they need to change their pledged votes and give Hillary the nomination.
Joe Biden will be the gift that will keep on giving to the McCain campaign. Biden's own words about Obama's lack of experience and needing on the job training will sink any chance Obama had of winning. As I have repeatedly said, Obama is a fraud and a rank amateur. He is a "old style" Chicago politician wrapped up in a slick Madison Avenue ad campaign. As the real Obama has been outed, his numbers in the polls have taken a nose dive. Good luck Barack in Denver! "You go Hillary - You go girl!"
I regret that the Victory Sign campaign and my very sick Labrador Retriever "Bear" has kept me to busy to write on world events. America was told after the fall of the Soviet Union that we no longer faced nuclear or military danger. The "Peace Dividend" resulted in more government spending on social programs to enslave voters to government handouts while cutting our military forces by nearly two thirds to pay for those programs.
Along comes 9-11 and our world changed because of global and state sponsored terrorism. Although we still have a 2 million man military (Active, Guard & Reserve) we find we only have 10 Active Army divisions. Fighting a two front war in Iraq and Afghanistan has left us with virtually the same combat troops revolving into and out of these theaters with only a year back home before redeploying somewhere.
To prove what a turbulent and violent world we still live in we have seen a political leader assassinated in Pakistan and its President resignation, Iran attempting to develop nuclear weapons while unleashing surrogate armies like Hezbolla against free nations, and Russia attacking its neighbor Georgia while bulling Eastern Europe and the Ukraine over oil and natural gas.
Now America is deciding on who will be our next President and leader of the "Free World." This is not the time to choose a naive and untested politician who speaks in sound bites that have no substance or true understanding of the evil that confronts this world. For the sake of our national security we better go with an experience candidate, John McCain!
Tom Hauser from KSTP - TV 5 will run a story on this evenings (Monday) news about the Victory Over Terrorism sign effort.
MINNESOTA SUPPORT OUR TROOPS COALITION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 7, 2008
EAGAN, MINNESOTA - The Minnesota Support Our Troops Coalition, that brought you the 30,000 "LIBERATE IRAQ - SUPPORT OUR TROOPS lawn sign campaign in 2003, is at it again. This time the Coalition, with the help of Minnesota’s American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and Veterans of Foreign Wars, are printing thousands of signs that read “VICTORY OVER TERRORISM – LET OUR SOLDIERS WIN!”
At noon on September 1, the anti-war crowd claims they’ll have upwards of 50,000 marching from the Minnesota Capitol Building to the Excel Energy Center where the Republican National Convention, at the Excel Energy Center in Saint Paul.
We are asking everyone who supports our men and women in uniform defending America in the War on Terror to line the streets from the Excel Center with our signs. It is our way of being "Minnesota Nice" and wishing these protesters a "nice day in Minnesota." We encourage no discussion or verbal exchange with the demonstrators - only a pleasant “smile!
You can pick up a sign as long as the initial order lasts on Saturday, August 16th, in the parking lot of STEPHANO'S Restaurant, the corner of Highway 13 and Cliff Road (across from Walgreen's) from 12:00 Noon to 3:00 PM. Please arrive early since we are printing a limited number. Your donations will be greatly appreciated and will allow us to print more signs.
Is time running out to peaceably deal with Iran on their nuclear program? I've written before that many in the intelligence business openly feel that Israel is preparing to strike Iran's nuclear and long range missile sites. That possibility was confirmed by Barack Obama after his meeting in Israel two weeks ago when he reported back to Democrats in the Senate that Israel will strike Iran if sanctions don't work.
The New York Times reports the latest chest thumping by Iran (here), where they continue to threaten to close the Strait of Hormuz and attack shipping in the Persian Gulf. Time does appear to be running out since Iran last Saturday rejected the latest offer of incentives to end their nuclear enrichment program by the United States, China, Russia, France, Germany and Great Britain.
When dealing with religious and political fanatics, sanctions don't always work. They didn't work with Iraq or with North Korea. Unlike the situation leading to North Korea developing a nuclear bomb, there is another suspected nuclear armed country (Israel) who will take action on their own if the civilized world doesn't have the backbone to do it. As I have stated before, the Jewish nation will not risk the near annihilation it experienced in the 1930's & 40's at the hand of Hitler's Germany. They will strike first to eliminate this threat liked they did against Iraq's nuclear plant in the 1980's.
Again, this puts the US is in a no win situation. We will get blamed and our interests will be attack regardless of our involvement once the attack takes place. Iran will unleash Hezbollah and Shia extremists throughout the Middle East and the world. Many Persian Gulf nations will denounce Israel publicly, but applaud their actions privately because they also fear a nuclear armed Iran. Once again, I predict that Israel will take action shortly after their September elections and before the US elections in November. Unfortunately, I don't see this being resolved diplomatically.
If this isn't reason to hold on to our petroleum reserves and not to release part of it as Barack Obama has asked for, I don't know what is!
Buried deep in many newspapers today is the revelation that leaders of Al-Qaeda in Iraq have decided to flee to Afghanistan while the getting was good. Intelligence gathered from captured Al-Qaeda leaders indicate that there is a potential shift in priority as to where the main Al-Qaeda effort will be fought, Iraq vs Afghanistan. Seems too many of their terrorist buddies have been meeting untimely deaths or have been captured by the new Iraqi Army and our Coalition Forces. So some have fled into Iran on their way to Afghanistan.
Now surprise here, our soldiers in Iraq have been saying it for months now. The main stream media finally has been forced to report that the "surge" has worked. Iraqi's have more security, far less sectarian violence, their economy is beginning to flourish and Iraqi security forces have proven their ability to protect their people. Too bad that Barack Obama just can't bring himself to admitting it, but he's afraid of the spanking he would get from MoveOn.org, Code Pink and the Daily Kos folks. Now that's "change & leadership" for you!
Iraq became the major focus of Al-Qaeda's efforts to confront the United States when in 2003, Al-Qaeda's leader Osama bin-Ladin declared he would defeat the US in Iraq. Since then Al-Qaeda in Iraq, a Sunni based insurgency, has met with set back after set back as the Iraqi Government and Army has grown. The Iraqi Army has nearly 200 battalions in the fight and has greatly increased local security through the Sons of Iraq (SOI) program. The SOI program has grown to over 100,000 strong. It was only after the increase in US troops with the commitment of "the surge" that Sunni Sheiks came forward to commit to fighting Al-Qaeda. Now, US casualties are at their lowest point since the start of the war in March 2003.
We are winning. Now let our soldiers finish the job!
A good friend of mine and a fellow member of Minnesota Vets for Freedom, Jason Meszaros has a great Opinion piece in todays Saint Paul Pioneer Press (here) on the importance of winning in Iraq. Jason served in OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) in Afghanistan in 2004.
Jason is right on when he says our mission in Iraq is not about partisan politics. I agree with Jason when he says must establish free, democratic, secure and stable nations in both Iraq and Afghanistan to defeat Al-Qaeda and win the global war on terror.
Our change in tactics "the Surge" is working and the main stream media has acknowledge that fact. For any politician to say differently is wrong and blatantly partisan.
