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!"
Yesterday was a very sad day at our home. Our 14 year old Labrador Retriever "Bear" lost his battle with cancer and died. He was an excellent hunting dog but more importantly, he was a loyal and dear friend. For those of you who have lost a family pet you know the sadness we feel today. I want to thank all my readers who have expressed their heartfelt condolences.
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!
Yesterday we gave away 1,875 of the initial order of 2,000 "Victory Over Terrorism" signs. Again, I want to thank the Minnesota American Legion, the Minnesota Disabled American Veterans, and all those who volunteered their time and their support in making this initial printing and distribution possible. I would also like to thank Stephano's Restaurant, and the many members of Families United, Minnesota Vets for Freedom and the Minnesota Blue Star Mom's who stopped yesterday to get a sign or two.
The donations by those who picked up signs were extremely generous. We are going back to the printer to purchase an additional 3,000 signs for distribution before and on September 1, 2008 in Saint Paul.
Your support has guaranteed that when the anti-war, anti-military, anti-capitalism & anti-America crowd marches on the Excel Energy Center during the Republican National Convention, they will face thousands of patriotic American's holding the "Victory" signs and showing their support for our brave men and women in service to our nation.
Deb and I thank you all for standing up and being counted.
Victory signs will be printed this week. Sadly, I have been forced to take the sponsorship of the Minnesota VFW off our sign. Late Friday I was notified by the Minnesota State VFW Commander Stan Kowalski and his staff, Don Nix - Senior Vice Commander, Donald Dallman - Junior Vice Commander and Raymond Trebus - Judge Advocate, that they had reversed their support for the Victory Over Terrorism signs. Their reason was they do not support the Iraq War. His statement counters the National VFW whose position is clear that the Iraq War is a battlefield of the War on Terror.
I have long experienced the Democratic Party leanings on the Minnesota VFW. Shamefully, partisan politics has no place when the nation is at war. National veteran's organizations like the VFW have long ago been de-politicized over war. They believe that once war starts, you can't choose sides, debate stops at the waters edge once the shoots are fired. This is especially important today with an all volunteer military. Veteran's organizations can't choose which wars they will support the troops over and have any credibility. A lesson that the Minnesota Department of the VFW has not embraced.
As a veteran of Viet Nam, the Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), I'm insulted with the position Commander Kowalski has taken. How can the Minnesota VFW ask any OIF veteran to become a member of their organization. If you agree, please call the State VFW Headquarters at 651-291-1757 and tell Commander Kowalski he should be ashamed of himself for playing politics over supporting our brave troops!
UPDATE #1, I want to thank my readers who have contacted me in support of our sign efforts. I wish to point out that the actions and statements by the Minnesota VFW Leadership in no way reflects the position of the National VFW. I'm informed that the Minnesota VFW phones are ringing off the hook and their leadership has gone into hiding from the media at a out of town convention site. They have left a secretary at their office to read a prepared statement. Their statement is another sad attempt to spin their way out of the political hole they have dug for themselves.
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!
