American at heart

This draft thing got me thinking... And with my incredible ingenuity, I tied an assignment from one of my political science classes into an outlet for my blog... sorta. I wrote a letter to one of my Senators, telling him that: The draft is wrong, Why it's wrong, and What we should do about it. As I look back on the finished masterpiece, I realize just how glorious it is. Well, at least to me. Feel free to critique if you'd like. If the critique is good, I may change it before I send it off. Well, in all it's glory, here it is:

The Honorable U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

RE: Reinstatement of the draft

Dear Senator Dorgan:

I am writing to you today because I am concerned about New York Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel’s policy suggestion of reinstating the military draft. As an American soldier and Political Science major at the University of North Dakota, this issue affects me greatly. I am a member of the US military because I want to serve my country. Much like you serve the country in the political spectrum, I am a patriot and want to serve my country by fighting for the freedoms we enjoy on a daily basis. For the most part, citizens who oppose the draft are avoiding military service. I oppose the draft for an entirely different reason: We, as military servicemen, don’t need draftees to fight the war on terrorism. I am not comfortable with the idea of putting my life in the hands of someone who was unwilling to volunteer and had to be forced into the fight. I would not want to be the head of the Democratic Policy Committee if some of my members were unmotivated citizens with no knowledge of politics forced into the position. It would make the job a lot more difficult. The only difference is, my life would not be on the line.

The idea that a military draft will shatter class distinctions is demonstrably wrong. Not because it won’t work, but because there is no class distinction in the military. There already is unity. The idea that the military is made up of the poor and uneducated is ridiculous. In fact, more than 90 percent of recruits last year had high school diplomas, compared to 75 percent of the U.S. youth population. The military population is almost perfectly represented geographically, and recruits mirror the class levels of the U.S. population as well. As a matter of fact, the majority of recruits come from middle class families. Patterns in recent years reinforce this trend, showing a slight dip in recruits from lower socioeconomic groups and a slight increase from upper-class groups. As you can see, the need for a draft to shatter class distinctions in the military is unjustified.

I understand that troops are stretched thin. Instead of creating more troops for future conflicts, I think we should finish the fights we are in now. During my year in Iraq, I learned that the troops are not able to fully do their duty. The war has become political and we cannot fight a political war. Using war to gain political power hurts our mission. The troops are what are important because they are citizens of our great country. Decisions should be made on behalf of what the citizens want, not what is going to win the most votes. Using troops in mass to force policy issues and create democracy out of thin air is preposterous. Limiting a soldier’s freedom at war is detrimental to his ability to complete his mission. I was trained to fight. I was not trained to police an insurgency, especially with my hands tied behind my back in regards to rules of engagement and rights of self defense. The soldiers on the ground, patrolling every day, are wishing to make it back to the base without a firefight. That saddens me. We are a superior military force. When young men and women are scared to defend their lives because they are in fear of making a wrong decision, I begin to wonder why these rules of war exist. If the enemy does not have to obey the rules, why do we? Are we really better than the enemy? Is it worth the cost of American lives to be better than the enemy? Is it worth the cost of my life? I believe we should let our mighty military do what they do and crush the enemy. We could add troops until the world ends, but if they have to fight with their hands tied, the stalemate will continue. The draft will only add bodies to the problem at hand. There are more than enough troops in our vast military to take on any insurgency presented to us, so long as we hit the enemy head on. We should end this war the only way wars end, and that is with violence and speed of action. I urge you to finish the war on terrorism in Iraq by allowing us volunteer, motivated soldiers to do as we are trained and crush the insurgency. As you know, we as Americans can and will make a difference. It’s time to stand up and take care of business.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.


Sincerely,

Smitty :-)

Labels: Politics

I don't want a draft. Our military is fine as is. Take it from a soldier. Take it from a soldier who has been there. We don't need more troops. We need a better plan. You can execute a shitty plan perfectly and it'll work. Hence the success we see on a daily basis. But to be truly successful, you need a well executed good plan. And to win this war, we need a better plan. You want my plan? Well, maybe I'll give it sometime. It's alot to write.
But take it from me. DRAFT = NO GOOD
I'll go back again if that's what they need. Hell, I'd rather live there with guys who want to be there, than serve with people who don't.

So... No Draft. Period.

Labels: Veterans Speak

John Scalzi has done it again. Last year he made a special electronic edition of Old Man's War available for free to people serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Well, he's done it again this year with his book The Ghost Brigades. If you haven't read either of these, then you should. They are both wonderful military science fiction books and each of them are stand alone reads. I would recommend reading Old Man's War before The Ghost Brigades. but it doesn't really matter, since it's only a follow up. And if you are currently serving, then go HERE to learn how to get your free copy.

God Bless America...

Labels: Veterans Speak

One small step for man... One giant foot preparing to squash Illegal Immigration?

If you follow the link and notice the picture of "Arturo Peralta" holding a sign that reads... "Why can't our families stay?"
Okay, I'll answer it for you "Atruro"... Because they are here illegally! Now leave.

My views on illegal immigration are simple. It's ILLEGAL!!! Holy christ people. Why don't we debate illegal murder? Or illegal theft? For F**CKs sake! I get waaaay too worked up. So I froth at the mouth, spout obscenities at the general public, and I come up with a solution. Here it is in all it's glory...

My solution:

Pull our 35,000 or so troops from Korea and bolster the Mexico/US border. I'm not a military genius and I only pretend to be when I've been drinking, so in my sober glory, here are the logistics:
The situation in N.Korea is not as hostile as CNN wants you to believe.
"While it would be foolish not to be gravely concerned about North Korea's purported development of an offensive nuclear capability, the actual threat for the foreseeable future is, arguably, minimal."
Defense Tech had a nice little piece about that Popular Mechanics article telling us that we should be more worried about chemical weapons. I'm getting off track though.
Here's the deal. North Korea isn't a huge problem. Take our troops from N. Korea and emplace them along the Mexican border. Pass more Welfare Reform, and use the savings to build some Army/Air Force bases along the border. Build State of the Art outposts at 10 mile intervels equipped with our best surveillance equipment. Employ Long Range Surveillance teams. Patrol 24/7. Enforce strict border laws. For example: Have strict curfews. Have 100% on the spot ID checking. Loosen ROE. (Rules of Engagement). Someone runs... Shoot 'em. Forget Jailing - Law breakers should be shot and buried on the spot (okay, i'm stretching here). Think about it, not only would the troops love the job, but it would climatize them for the inevitable trips back to the middle east. We would be a lean mean fighting machine. Coupled with the stretched thin Border Patrol, we would have COMPLETE control of OUR OWN BORDER! Sounds too good to be true doesn't it?

Now, I'm not stupid. Politically most of my ideas would never work, but hell something has to change. I'm sure most people would agree with me there. And really, my idea is not too far fetched. You want far fetched?

Here's the second part: The President makes a public anouncement. Broadcast nationwide on TV, radio, flyers, etc. "Illegal Immigrants have 3 weeks to leave. Pack up your shit and get the hell out of our country. Too hard? Don't know how? Easy. Leave the same way you came. Tunnels, swimming, pick-up trucks, I don't care. Get out. When the three week window is up, if you are caught in our country illegally, you will be executed on the spot by whoever finds you. Tell your friends... the countdown starts today."
Hmmmm.... This could be good. Where do I sign up?

Happy Veterans Day Everyone.


"Whoever does not have the stomach for this fight, let him depart.
Give him money to speed his departure since we wish not to die in
that man's company. Whoever lives past today and comes home safely
will rouse himself every year on this day, show his neighbor his
scars, and tell embellished stories of all their great feats of
battle. These stories will teach his son and from this day until
the end of the world we shall be remembered. We few, we happy few,
we band of brothers; for whoever has shed his blood with me shall
be my brother. And those men afraid to go will think themselves
lesser men as they hear of how we fought and died together."

-Shakespeare's Henry V




Remember the Fighting, Remember the Fallen, and Thank God that such Americans exist.

Labels: Veterans Speak

Here is an interesting spin on the loss of the House and Senate by a pretty smart guy. David Post a professor of law at Temple who writes at The Volokh Conspiracy, had this to say:

"Happiness Is . . .

. . . divided government. I must say that I'm pretty happy about Tuesday's results, because it returns us to the state in which I think we function best: with Congress and the Presidency in the hands of different parties. It's more common than one might suppose; in 34 of the 54 years since Eisenhower was elected for his first term ('52), at least one branch of Congress was in hands different than the executive branch, and for my money the years in which that has not been the case (60-68, 76-80, 93-94, and 2001-06) have not been distinguished by great statesmanship or great policy-making. It's something of a cliche, I know, but it's also true -- when the government's divided, everybody is fighting for the Center, and the Center is the place, in my book, where solutions are most likely to be found to most problems (if they can be found at all).
[Welfare reform is probably the best illustration of the phenomenon; Clinton never gets that through a Democratic Congress, because it pisses off too many of the Democrats' core constituents. But they need the Center -- and now, 10 years on, it looks like they've got it -- temporarily, at least].
It is weird -- to me, anyway -- to contemplate that this result is precisely the one that parliamentary systems cannot ever reach (because by definition the executive and legislative branches must all be in the same hands)."

Interesting to say the least... I think I'd rather my party still have control, but that is an optimistic spin on a bad situation.

Labels: Politics

Thank you Jim Huber...



His prediction has become a reality according to Yahoo news.

"The president joked that he had given House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, in line to become the first female speaker of the House, the name of a Republican interior decorator to help her pick out drapes for her new office. The comment was poke at the California Democrat's pre-election remark about having her pick of Capitol suites."


I'm spiraling downward into a deep depression as I wait for our Country to implode. Thank Goodness our Republican President still has Veto power.

Labels: Politics

I'm not sure how I missed this, but Austin Bay had a couple exerpts on Monday from James Q. Wilson's wonderful essay about media coverage of the war. Read the entire thing here. Grab a cup of coffee though, it's a long one.

Labels: Media

"I, for one, welcome our new Democratic overlords"

Kidding...
I'm actually sulking a bit right now. It's not official and for the most part we're in for weeks of squabbling, but it appears as if the Dems have gained control of the House, and possibly the Senate. Do I think we're in for worlds of change? No. I really don't. The country is running efficiently and effectively, and I don't foresee any way that Democrat control in the House and Senate can change that. There will be alot of talking, whining and finger pointing, I'm sure.

I still don't get it though... What issues did the Democrats run on this year? Well, besides opposing everything the Republican party does.... That's right, nothing. In the long run, that's not good for the parties future. But it also makes me feel as if the Republicans lost this election as much as the Democrats won it.
Will this "loss" make it easier for Republicans to prevail in the "real" election in 2008? Hopefully Conservatives can spin their unhappiness over the next two years into a "need for change" and put up a good fight in the next elections.
I guess we'll wait and see. And so starts the 2008 race. Go.

Here is a roundup of what everyone else is saying:

This from Michelle Malkin about how Conservatism did not lose...

The GOP lost. Conservatism prevailed. "San Francisco values" may control the gavels in Congress, but they do not control America.

Property rights initiatives limiting eminent domain won big. MCRI, the anti-racial preference measure, passed resoundingly.

Congressman Tom Tancredo, the GOP's leading warrior against illegal immigration-- opposed by both the open-borders Left and the open- borders White House-- won a fifth term handily.

Gay marriage bans won approval in 3 states. And as of this writing, the oil tax initiative, Prop. 87-- backed by deep-pocketed Hollywood libs, is trailing badly in California.

John Kerry's late-campaign troop smear galvanized bloggers and talk radio hosts, but it was not strong enough to overcome wider bipartisan voter doubts about Iraq.

And here is a GREAT roundup from Pajamas Media: Links galore that will have you stuck at your desk all day.

... And with all that said I head back to class. Back to Liberal professors and how horrible Hitler Bush is. Sometimes I really hate college.


---UPDATE---

I just came across this wonderful piece by Bill Whittle at Eject! Eject! Eject!

He hasn't had much to say as of late, but today he has decided that:
"As for me, I pledge to re-enter the fight with more energy, not less, and to continue to try to make the case I think needs to be made. I'll start on that tomorrow."

And he ends with:
"Welcome to the process of exhausting all other possibilities. This is where we separate the men from the boys. Pick a line and stand in it."

Amen.

Labels: Politics

You can find a collection of the dirty deeds at Gateway Pundit.

What really bothers me about the Democratic party right now is that they don't STAND FOR ANYTHING. There is a glaring lack of policy issues on the Left at this point in time. I'm not very religious and I am not necessarily against abortion, but I am a republican. The Democratic party has nothing to offer me besides whining, crying, and control of the media. It seems that they spend an inordinate amount of time and money attempting to make the Republican party look bad. I don't get it. And now they have resorted to cheating?!?! I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that this is a good thing for the Conservative party. The Dems are losing their grip. Whether it's locking doors, preselecting democrats on the voting machines, or the babbling John Kerry stirring up some new atrocity. The left wishes to see America’s destruction, by unraveling everything that our ancestors fought and died for. It reminds me of a death wish, which is why the famed Michael Savage calls Liberalism a mental disease, and I couldn't agree more. The "liberal elites" are going to learn a hard lesson in politics soon. There are more and more people like myself participating and voicing our opinions.

That's why I am trying to educate anyone I can. Sooner or later the idiots will realize how wrong they are and will come running to the Right side. (pun intended)

And for me... The sooner the better.

I'm gonna try to start blogging more. I've got things to say, and you all should listen. Well, I guess you don't have to... but I would appreciate it. I make good points, and I do good research. So... enjoy the ride.

Here is something I found at The Fast Squirrel: I'm not sure how this trackback system works, but here is the LINK.

Couple more things:

One is a quote that I find humorous:

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."
- Sir Stephen Henry Roberts (1901-1971)

The other is something my Father sent me today about the Liberal Media Bias:


Two Papers in One!

"The labor market for American workers is continuing to improve, the latest government statistics showed yesterday, with job growth advancing in recent months and the unemployment rate falling last month to the lowest level since May 2001. In a report that eased concerns that economic growth might be faltering, the Labor Department reported yesterday that the jobless rate, seasonally adjusted, dropped in October to 4.4 percent, from 4.6 percent in September."--NEWS STORY, New York Times, Nov. 4

"The latest information about the economy leaves no question that it has slowed down by just about every measure--housing and manufacturing, retail sales and job growth, and others. Even the recent increase in compensation is generally believed to be a sign of coming layoffs, not a harbinger of wage inflation. When business dries up at firms and factories, employers don't cut back immediately. So for a time, pay and benefits hang in there. As for the recent improvement in the unemployment rate, sorry to say, it's an aberration. The job market won't turn up in any meaningful way when the overall direction of the economy is down."--EDITORIAL, New York Times, Nov. 4


Published the same day... That's just sick.

Oh, and I hope you all voted!