Friday, January 27, 2006

Democracy Does Not Insure Sanity

One of the things I learned in school, I think it was 6th grade "civics", was that a democracy could be one and the same as "a tyranny of the majority." Palestines' recent democratic election points out that we need to be careful what we wish for. If we ignorantly wish for nations to become democracies so that they will miraculously become our allies, we are sorely mistaken.

Deomcratic Palestine is now run by Hamas, one of the most notorious Islamofacist terrorist organizations in the world. We are congratulating ourselves for achieving the beginnings of democracy in Iraq. What form of terrorist-loving government will that democracy create?

Don't you think we're missing something when we narrow mindedly promote democracy as the cure all to our problem of international relations? What are we missing?

Here are some thoughts:

  • Belief in a higher power and authority (beyond government) that defines and rewards universally accepted "good behavior" (yes, religion matters)
  • Love of personal freedom balanced by a strong sense of personal responsibility
  • Freedom of expression/press
  • Respect for law
  • Respect for the freedom of choice of others
  • Common vision and purpose among the people
There are infinite combinations and varieties of these "basics" of a civil nation. A "democracy" ain't one of them. I was reminded recently that Hitler rose and thrived in a democracy. That democracy certainly did not ensure sanity, either.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

If We're At War Why Isn't It Treason?

Here is a little used provision of US law that needs to be dusted off and put to work:

"Whoever, OWING ALLEGIANCE TO THE UNITED STATES, levies war against them or ADHERES TO THEIR ENEMIES, GIVING THEM AID AND COMFORT WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OR ELSEWHERE, is guilty of TREASON and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States."

Many anti-American radical dissenters, in Congress and in the media, are costing our soldiers their lives and emboldening our enemies. The following article by Jack Kinsella from the Hal Lindsey website, linked above, explains why we cannot afford to continue to tolerate treason by our America-hating leaders and media:
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In his first message in more than a year, Osama bin Laden made a return appearance on al-Jazeera to dictate what were, in effect, terms of surrender to the United States. Not Osama's surrender. AMERICA's surrender.

The CIA has since authenticated the voice on the tape as Osama bin Laden's and time references contained within the body of the message confirm that Osama was alive in mid-December when the tape was made and is probably still alive today. Intelligence authorities were examining why bin Laden would be speaking out after more than a year of letting his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, serve as al-Qaeda's public face in statements and other communications.

But it might not be a coincidence that the tape's release came days after a U.S. air strike in Pakistan that was targeting al-Zawahri, and reportedly killed four leading al-Qaeda figures, including al-Zawahri's son-in-law, and possibly, al-Zawahiri himself. There was no mention of the attack on the segments that were broadcast.

Osama refers to a comment by President Bush about bombing the Qatar headquarters of Al-Jazeera, which was first reported in the British press Nov. 22. He also refers indirectly to the July 7 bombings in London that killed 56 people and to poll numbers that showed a fall in Bush's popularity, as occurred in late 2005.

Last week, before the tape was released, experts were already pointing to warning signs of a coming attack, signs that terrorism expert Christopher Brown said fit a pattern that indicated an impending attack within the next thirty days. After bin-Laden's latest release hit the charts, former White House counter terrorism chief Richard Clarke noted; "The only new element in his statement is that they are planning an attack soon on the United States. Would he say that and risk being proved wrong, if he can't pull it off in a month or so?"

Osama opened his latest tirade by saying, "This message is about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and how to end those wars." He went on, saying, "It was not my intention to talk to you about this, because those wars are definitely going our way."

Let's stop there for a second. Osama lives in a cave somewhere. His top deputies were just annihilated by Hellfire missiles while they sat at dinner in the home of a Pakistani supporter.
It takes him a month to smuggle an audiotape from his cave to al-Jazeera.

If he were foolish enough to use a cellphone to communicate, he would be dead before he hung up. He is the subject of the world's largest manhunt. Both Afghanistan and Iraq are now secular representative democracies and Osama thinks "those wars are definitely going [his] way?" Has he been hiding in a poppy field?

According to Osama, however, "what triggered my desire to talk to you is the continuous deliberate misinformation given by your President Bush, when it comes to polls made in your home country which reveal that the majority of your people are willing to withdraw US forces from Iraq."

Hmmm. Sounds like the New York Times has picked up a new home subscriber. "We know that the majority of your people want this war to end and opinion polls show the Americans don't want to fight the Muslims on Muslim land, nor do they want Muslims to fight them on their (US) land."

I wonder who told him that? Nancy Pelosi recently endorsed Rep. John Murtha's call for an immediate redeployment of US forces out of Iraq. Murtha, invariably identified in every report as a 'decorated war hero' was introduced by Pelosi as "one of the most recognized experts on defense in the country," just before he gave his speech declaring the war 'unwinnable'.

To read the New York Times, the LA Times, or any of the mainstream news media, for that matter, bin-Laden is right. America has lost the war, indeed, it was 'unwinnable' from the start. Moreover, says the leftist political/media machine, it was based on the lies of the American government.

In case we'd forgotten, (not that there is any danger of the mainstream media ALLOWING us to forget) bin-Laden crowed; "We are a nation that Allah banned from lying and stabbing others in the back, hence both parties of the truce will enjoy stability and security to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, which were destroyed by war."

It was nice of Osama to reassure his allies in the media and the political left that, while America might be run by back-stabbing liars, they can trust Osama -- he's above such tactics.
Seemingly quoting directly from the Democrats' 'talking points' memos, Osama told his audience, "I would like to tell you that everything is going to our advantage and the number of your dead is increasing, according to Pentagon figures."

Nothing like having the enemy quoting the Pentagon, American political leaders, and the American media as evidence that America is losing. And, unlike the White House, Osama has the real goods -- he has irrefutable evidence that he obtained from inside his cave; "Your president is misinterpreting public opinion polls which show that the vast majority of you support the withdrawal of your forces from Iraq." So clearly, America's only alternative is to surrender.

Noted the terrorist leader, from his cave somewhere in the mountains, "If your desire for peace, stability and reconciliation was true, here we have given you the answer to your call." The answer, of course, is for the US to pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan and turn them both over to al-Qaeda. If America surrenders, then we can enjoy peace and safety.

Osama's speech didn't sound like it was crafted by a ragged, dirty terrorist living in a cave while searching the sky for CIA drones carrying Hellfire missiles with his name on them. He sounded more like he was giving a speech to the US antiwar movement from the well of the US Senate.
We've heard identical sentiments expressed by Dick "Americans are Nazis" Durbin, Ted "Bush is a Liar" Kennedy, Nancy "Its all about Halliburton Profits" Pelosi, not to mention every editorial page in the mainstream media since 2003.

No wonder bin-Laden thinks the time has come to dictate terms of surrender to America.
One final note on bin-Laden's screed. We've been pointing out for several years just how effectively the antiwar movement has been aiding al-Qaeda recruiting efforts. The liberals deny it, saying THEY are the real American patriots working FOR America's best interests. "Reality shows that the war against the US and its allies is not just restricted to Iraq as he claims, but Iraq has become a gravitational point and a recruiting ground for qualified (Mujahadeed)."

Osama bin Laden is sick, in hiding, unable to show his face anywhere on earth, his forces decimated, his organization in tatters, but he is confident enough of his allies on the American political left to dictate surrender terms to the United States of America. How can this be?
This is an excellent time to revisit Title 18, USC, Part 1, Chapter 115, para 2381, and to look at it in the light of Osama's latest ultimatum.

"Whoever, OWING ALLEGIANCE TO THE UNITED STATES, levies war against them or ADHERES TO THEIR ENEMIES, GIVING THEM AID AND COMFORT WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OR ELSEWHERE, is guilty of TREASON and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States."

Read Comments on this Article (on the Hal Lindsey web site)
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The words and actions of Ted Kennedy, John Murtha, NancyPelosi, Ramsey Clark, and other radical anti-American dissenters who are giving aid and comfort to the enemy: I would most certainly dare call it treason! Their irresponsible comments are killing our soldiers. What are we waiting for to enforce this law? If invoking this law requires us to declare war on an "organization" (al Qaeda or other radical terrorist organizations) because there is no nation to declare it on, then let's do it!