16 May 2010
Lieutenant Colonel Allen B West (US Army, Retired)
“What is at Stake?”
Greetings Wheels on the Road (WOTR) readers, fellow South Floridians, and indeed all Americans. It is time for our monthly political assessment, and do we have lots to assess.
I am writing from the home of my dear friend Lt Col Neal Puckett (USMC, Ret) in Alexandria Va who just successfully defended US Navy SEAL Matthew McCabe. I have a week of evening meetings in DC and on station work in nearby Crystal City. After getting settled I took a nice late morning run through Alexandria and along the Potomac. As I raced along, my mind also raced along thinking about all that has recently occured, and the incredible ramifications.
The BP oil rig crisis was first to enter my thoughts, and my condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones. It has truly become what was characterized as a “ridiculous spectacle”. There is no reason why those we elect to oversee our Nation have no clue about deep water oil drilling emergency management procedures. Leadership is about anticipating, analyzing, and executing viable solutions, before the incident occurs; that is what we call vision. Leadership is not about the immature game of pointing fingers and laying blame. As well, leadership is not about saying “mea culpa” and giving up on what is a national security, economic, and jobs, issue for our Nation.
Our dear fearful leader President Obama fashioned himself as a reincarnation of President’s Lincoln and Roosevelt. I must remind him that after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt delivered an address evidencing leadership, and vision. Furthermore, he did not look to blame, but wanted answers to prevent another such event. However, most importantly Roosevelt did not cower away, he thought of how this Nation could respond in kind…..which resulted in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo.
That is leadership, that is American leadership.
Also, did you all realize that there was a catastrophic weather event in Nashville Tennessee? Hmm, funny, the President never visited the city nor publicly offered regards, something that has not gone unnoticed.
Did you all notice that we had a terrorist attack in New York City? Yes, in Times Square, there was a fella who was upset about losing his home to foreclosure and decided to act as a lone wolf and wanted to blow up just a couple of people…..so the media and the Obama Administration would love for us to believe. Another embarrassing moment for Attorney General Holder, Director of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, and the other cast members of “The Gang who cannot Think Straight”.
Just this past week, when queried before a Senate panel on radical Islam being an impetus behind the rash of domestic terrorist activity, Holder stated that “he was not comfortable” with that premise. This of course comes along with his desire to file a lawsuit against the State of Arizona for a law which he admited to not reading.
I will never forgive Holder for referring to our Country as a “nation of cowards”. But when I consider the inept and incompetent person which he is, well, I do have pity on him.
In the last month we have seen Greece explode in riots. This is obviously what happens when you allow people to retire at age 55 with 80% pensions, truly an entitlement class. When they were told that the government of Greece is bankrupt and will finally have to act fiscally responsible, hmmm, see what happens. Now, here we are in the US with debt in the trillions, we decide to lend Greece $1Trillion, which we had to borrow. And do not forget that we have 47% of Americans who do not pay federal income taxes but are being promised free everything….do you see a pattern or worse, a parallel?
Socialist economic theory has never been successful, why do the liberal intellectual elites believe they can make it so in America? Our success in 233 years has been based upon a work ethic and free market principles, how long before what is happening in Europe, and with the Euro, comes to America?
Economics 101, revenues increase when taxation is lightest, will someone please inform the occupants of the White House and Capitol Hill that immutable maxim. Also, get the CBO a new calculator since somehow they miscalculated the Healthcare law costs by some $250 Billion.
Speaking of miscalculation, the latest from Afghanistan is that the leadership has proposed a new medal, an award for “Courageous Restraint”. Yes, you heard me right, the military leadership in Afghanistan is considering awarding combat troops for “NOT FIRING BACK”. There have been some fairly insidious plans proposed in the history of warfare, but never an award for Warriors to not fight. I know, the liberal intellectual elites are going to call me brutish and mean. The leadership proposing this inane action is going to say, “it is about protecting the Afghan civilians”. My retort is simple, and comes from two opposing Civil War Generals; General Wm T Sherman, “War is hell” and Cavalry General N Bedford Forest, “War is about fighting, and fighting means killing”.
If we do not want our Men and Women in combat to fight and kill the enemy, I say we retrograde from Afghanistan. The promotion of hesitation in combat by senior military leaders means that more of our American treasure will lose their lives and be forever maimed. I have been in a firefight, it is about gaining and maintaining the initiative, not restraint.
And speaking of restraint, how many Senators will show restraint and not vote to confirm Elena Kagan? Actually, it is not about restraint, it is about moral courage, ok, I just answered my own question. If I were sitting there in the US Senate I could tell you right now what my vote would be, No. No to anyone who would file an amicus brief challenging the Solomon Amendment which allows ROTC recruiting on college campuses. Ms Kagan made the cowardly decision to not confront the Clinton administration or the Congress, but rather evidenced her anti-military sentiments. She and her compatriots were soundly defeated 8-0 by the Supreme Court, however, if she were to be on the bench of our Nation highest court and same case came before her……..
Soon we will need Justices who make decisions for our Constitutional Republic and its borders, language, and culture, no more activist judges in our federal court systems. How would judges rule in the case of five young Americans who were suspended from school for wearing US flags on their shirts?
Just for clarification, Cinco de Mayo recognizes the victory of the Mexican milita against the French at the Battle of Puebla, 1862. Mexico actually gained its independence on 16 September 1821. Cinco de Mayo is not even a national Mexican celebration, just a regional one, therefore the premise of suspending these young men is false. This incident combined with the support to disregard our borders and laws is very disconcerting.
Lastly, I addressed the true “party of political intimidation” last month, the Democrat party. And it did not take them one month to prove me right, and personally as well. Ron Klein decided to attack one of our campaign volunteers who just happens to work for a local news station. His subversive, immature, and petulant actions resulted in a very professional person to be confronted at her workplace, and publicly humiliated by the Palm Beach Post. As well, there has sprung up a “No West FL-22 Blog” in South Florida along with a “No West FL-22 Twitter” account. There are a couple of interesting twitter comments posted, “November is hunting season and there is no bag limit”, which is followed by this sent out 13 May at 8:30am, “I will skin you personally West”.
Funny, we did submit a police report but do you think it will get any attention. Do you think the mainstream media will report this twitter post? What is at stake is America……how many more months can we take like this past 30 days. America is being led into a “Hurt Locker”.
Steadfast and Loyal,
LTC A B West
Lieutenant Colonel Allen B West has got all the issues right on target and we need his leadership in Washington more than ever! He is truly admirable.
In the next four weeks, the Dow Jones Industrial Average will drop at least 300 points upon growing fears of the ongoing economic crisis looming in the United States and abroad as instability in Greece and other European countries suffer the devaluation of the Euro as it tumbles into “no man’s land.”
BP’s latest attempt to cap the oil pipeline 5,000 feet underwater (a.k.a. “Top Kill”) using robots will fail. They will then come up with a “new plan” out of thin-air in an effort to seal the pipe and to instill confidence in the public. The Obama Administration will finally step in to take control of the operation, adding much needed resources in an effort to assuage the outrage being felt by Americans everywhere over this environmental catastrophe. A team of engineers and scientists will be sent down to the ocean floor, via bathyscaphe, in order to view the damage head-on and to make assessments as to how to repair the damage.
Is this a future foretold, or just simple deductive reasoning?
You decide.