Now nine years past, the pain of September 11, 2001, seems like such a distant memory. But as always, the anniversary ought to be honored and observed — in compassion for those most directly affected, in humble gratitude for noble sacrifices, in righteous resolve for peace through strength, in eternal vigilance for God’s great gift of liberty. Take a moment today to pause and remember.
A few weeks ago, Bill Ritter-appointed Secretary of State Bernie Buescher brought his own campaign into the news limelight by requesting a waiver from the law requiring ballots be sent out to military personnel no later than 45 days before the general election. By doing so, Buescher opened the door to accusations that he was trying “to shaft military voters.”
Last week Brad Jones from Face The State reported on Buescher’s national television appearance on Fox News where he sought to justify the waivers, noting:
…it’s hard to understand why Buescher is allowing himself to become the national poster boy for military voting snafus when innovative solutions are well within reach.
No political blogging this morning. Instead, a great video tribute to Michigan soldiers who served in the Civil War, with historical music provided by actor and native Michigander Jeff Daniels:
It’s hard for me not to be moved by this tribute, having studied the U.S. Civil War so extensively, having traveled to so many of its battlefield sites, having four ancestors who served in the War (including three who died in the service — one in the 9th Michigan Volunteer Infantry), and having my alma mater Hillsdale College so prominently represented in the 4th Michigan and other regiments:
A higher percentage of Hillsdale students enlisted during the Civil War than from any other western college. Of the more than 400 who fought for the Union, four won the Congressional Medal of Honor, three became generals and many more served as regimental commanders. Sixty gave their lives.
Furthermore, yes, “Michigan, My Michigan” is the official song of my native state.
The 1860s were such a different time in so many ways, and yet there must be some similar sentiments shared by our military personnel on active duty today. Lend a thought or prayer to our troops serving overseas and to their families.
A memorial to honor soldiers that have sacrificed their lives fighting the War on Terror could be derailed following objections from one Democrat lawmaker.
“It is disrespectful to the families of fallen soldiers to drag this memorial into the political mud,” said Sen. Mike Kopp, R-Littleton.
Kopp sponsored the 2007 legislation that created the War on Terror Fallen Heroes Memorial. Rep. Paul Weissmann, D-Louisville, was the only lawmaker to oppose the proposal. Now Weissmann is saying the memorial should be renamed since President Barack Obama declared an end to the War on Terror last March….
So today we have the sad story of a frustrated nutcase named Joseph Stack who committed suicide by flying his plane into an Austin, TX, building that houses some IRS offices — after leaving behind a rambling manifesto. Hopefully a singular outlier, and not an inspiration or the start of a trend in these trying economic times.
Hot Air’s Allahpundit deconstructsWashington Post contributor Jonathan Capehart’s column, which insinuates some sort of connection with the Tea Party movement and omits key passages and phrases that show the suicide attacker was anything but a lockstep Right-winger.
Closer to home, we have John Tomasic at the Colorado Independent. To his credit, Tomasic notes that Stack “was not right or left.” But then he somehow feels impelled to add that he “may or may not have been a Tea Partier.” (What if I also observed that he may or may not have been a supporter of MoveOn.org?) (more…)
Everybody knows about the devastating earthquake in Haiti, so I don’t need to recount If you can find it in your heart and the means to provide, will you please join me and thousands of other generous Americans in giving to one of the worthy organizations out there that provide urgent relief? Two of the causes I recommend:
World Vision provides “life-saving relief supplies – including food, clean water, blankets, and tents — to children and families devastated by the earthquake and aftershocks in Haiti.”
ARVADA–Add one more to the list of Republican candidates for Colorado’s 7th Congressional District. This morning at DiCicco’s Restaurant in Old Town Arvada, U.S. Navy veteran and former McCain presidential senior staff member Lang Sias told a crowd of about 20 supporters that he was officially throwing his hat into the ring to challenge incumbent Congressman Ed Perlmutter.
Sias — an Arvada resident and father of two (soon to be three) — touted the need for “mature, commonsense, fiscally conservative principles” in Washington, D.C., as well as for bringing down the federal debt and reforming tax and trade policies. Calling on his national security credentials, he observed: “There is evil in the world, and we can’t ignore it or charm it away.”
Acknowledging his status as a formerly registered Democrat, Sias said his goal is to run an inclusive campaign, “to reach out to the great forgotten middle.” (more…)
I listened carefully to Barack Obama’s West Point speech yesterday evening — at least as best I could while indulging the important concerns of the two Little Virtuses and ultimately having to turn off the radio to sit down for dinner. By that point I could tell the speech had dragged on too long for the relatively small amount of substance it contained.
I don’t need to go into great depth: Powerline’s Paul Mirengoff and Red State’s Erick Erickson offer excellent analyses of the politics, policies and rhetoric. (And Don Johnson asks where Colorado Republican Senatorial hopefuls Jane Norton, Ken Buck and Tom Wiens come down on Afghanistan.)
Meanwhile, if you want to find the depth of substance on the military challenges we face, and in Afghanistan in particular, the clarity and substance that was lacking in Obama’s speech — presented more pointedly and concisely — I recommend you read Victor Davis Hanson’s October address “The Future of Western War” in the latest (November 2009) edition of Hillsdale’s Imprimis.
(H/T Gene Kinsey) It appears President Obama could have used some world leader greeting etiquette refreshers before giving a deep, subservient bow to the emperor of Japan: (more…)
Ninety-one years ago today “the war to end all wars” officially ended. Among the millions of dead were more than 100,000 brave American military servicemen out of hundreds of thousands who honorably served (including two of my great uncles: Bill DeGrow and John E. “Ed” DeGrow). In 1954 the commemoration, originally called Armistice Day, expanded to celebrate the service of all American veterans and became known as Veterans Day.
Today I join with the millions of other Americans who honor the men and women who have worn the uniform for their sacrificial service on behalf of our nation. I am especially grateful this year to see so many businesses offering promotions that benefit our active duty personnel and veterans.
It almost goes without saying that the United States is besieged these days by dangers without and dangers within. In that light, may God keep our Republic strong, and may God enfold all our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines — and their families — with firm guidance and loving protection.
Twenty years ago today the Berlin Wall came down. Not exactly breaking news for my well-informed readers, but the significance of the event is hard to overstate. For five minutes of valuable reflection on the power of freedom with a stirring Beethoven soundtrack, check out this terrific video from the Competitive Enterprise Institute: (more…)
You can almost hear Democratic Senator Max Baucus pouting in a high-pitched, whiny voice: “It’s too ha-ard….” What, you ask, is too hard for one of the 100 most powerful people in Washington DC, who supposedly represents the people of the great state of Montana, and nearly all of his Democratic colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee?
A proposal by Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., that would have required the Senate Finance Committee to post the final language of the $900 billion health care reform bill, as well as a Congressional Budget Office cost analysis, on the committee’s website for 72 hours prior to a vote was rejected 12-11….
Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., himself admitted that “This probably sounds a little crazy to some people that we are voting on something before we have seen legislative language.” Indeed.
Baucus’ excuse – that it would take his committee staff two weeks to post the bill online – sounds a little crazy too. Finance Committee members are the only ones who vote based on the “plain English” version of a bill, not the legally-binding language.
I spend very little time on this page analyzing foreign affairs, but I just want to take the chance to go on the record now before returning to my regularly scheduled blogging on state and national domestic policy and politics….
It’s hard to find any rationale for yesterday’s pathetic U.N. speech, other than Obama might be trying to build up former president Jimmy Carter’s self-esteem or that possibly he’s trying to rewrite history to make Woodrow Wilson look like a foreign policy realist. If Obama believes what he said, it’s scary about where he wants to take our nation. If he doesn’t believe it, it’s scary that he would project such weakness just so some tinhorn dictators can slap his back.
But have no fear, children. We shall continue to praise The One in song, er, rap.
Dangerous on domestic policy, weak on foreign policy. How long ’til 2012? (Now back to your regularly scheduled blogging….)
Iran has perfected the technology to create and detonate a nuclear warhead and is merely awaiting the word from its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to produce its first bomb, Western intelligence sources have told The Times.
The sources said that Iran completed a research programme to create weaponised uranium in the summer of 2003 and that it could feasibly make a bomb within a year of an order from its Supreme Leader.
The clock is ticking. It’s time for strong leadership. In the midst of serious debates about health care, energy, taxes, government spending, and Supreme Court nominees, the world remains a very dangerous place.
The Obama administration’s operational strategy is to appeal to peer pressure. We are embarrassed to be the only nation besides Somalia that hasn’t ratified the treaty, aren’t we? No.
The mistaken focus is on the means, rather than the end. If there are facts about how American and Somalian children are poorly treated due to the countries not ratifying this treaty, please come out with them. Otherwise, this argument doesn’t explain why we should ratify this treaty. (And by the way, ParentalRights.org explains that Somalia doesn’t really have a formal government that can ratify the treaty anyway).
Why should we ratify? Has the treaty made a difference elsewhere? (more…)
Now nine years past, the pain of September 11, 2001, seems like such a distant memory. But as always, the anniversary ought to be honored and observed — in compassion for those most directly affected, in humble gratitude for noble sacrifices, in righteous resolve for peace through strength, in eternal vigilance for God’s great gift of liberty. Take a moment today to pause and remember.
Sias — an Arvada resident and father of two (soon to be three) — touted the need for “mature, commonsense, fiscally conservative principles” in Washington, D.C., as well as for bringing down the federal debt and reforming tax and trade policies. Calling on his national security credentials, he observed: “There is evil in the world, and we can’t ignore it or charm it away.”
