Following Zell’s Lead
By Charles Cole (09/21/04)
It took a disillusioned Democrat senator, Zell Miller of Georgia, to say some of the things that Republicans should have been saying for the past several years! The Democrat Party has indeed been hijacked by a cabal of elitist leftists who are determined to turn this country into France-lite. As Zell so eloquently put it, enough! Given the level of threat to this country and to civilization represented by the insanely nihilistic Islamo-fascists, it is time to stand up and be counted. It is also long since time to tell the truth about a number of “issues” the Democrats continue harping about ad nauseam. And there are two truths which are worthy of emphasis this election year.
Fact #1: No amount of negotiation or diplomacy will appease the barbarians who have declared war on humanity. Ask Russian President Vlamidir Putin whether he now regrets having abetted the French and Germans in their obstruction of our efforts to deal with Saddam Hussein. Ask him also if he now believes that there is indeed a worldwide network of miscreant thugs working together in a determined effort at destroying civilization as we know it. “Negotiating” today with people who murder innocent children will be as futile as Jimmy Carter’s pathetic efforts at negotiating the release of our hostages taken in Iran in 1979, or as Neville Chamberlain’s fruitless attempts to appease Hitler in 1938. Only the application of force will suffice in defending our country and our way of life against this terrible threat to our very existence.
Truth #2: Character in a leader matters! America should have learned this lesson by now! In 1992 and 1996, the voters elected a “president” (quotations intentional) who time and again put juvenile peccadilloes above his sworn constitutional duties. This slick, but puerile snake oil salesman was chosen over two men of irrefutable character. It should have come as no surprise when those choices subsequently resulted in the type of dereliction of duty we saw throughout the 90-s vis-à -vis dealing with the threat of international terrorism. Thus, 9/11 was not only predictable, it was inevitable, given the slipshod, negligent fashion in which “President” Clinton chose to deal with (or, more accurately, not deal with) global terrorism: talk tough about the “issue”, treat it as a criminal justice issue, and do nothing!
It goes without saying that there are many important matters to be debated in this election year. But the American people must now, as did the Greatest Generation of WWII, place at the very top of the priority list the defense of this country against those who will never stop their vicious assault on civilization unless forced to do so. This often involves the use of military force, as it has countless times in ages past. To fail to meet this threat head on would be to risk subjecting our children and grandchildren to a life in constant fear with little enjoyment of the present and less hope for the future.
A friend recently shared with me a quote by a Korean War veteran which sums it up quite well: “If you are unwilling to defend your right to your own lives, then you are merely like mice trying to argue with owls. You think their ways are wrong. They think you are dinner”. Before casting our ballots in this year’s presidential election, we all should reflect on these words and ask ourselves some very basic questions. Which candidate will resolutely defend our nation, regardless of poll results, and which one is likely, given his record, to veer off course and pursue the futile, oft discredited path of appeasement? To paraphrase a remark by Gen. Tommy Franks, to which candidate will you entrust the lives of your children and grandchildren?
Moreover, which candidate has a proven track record of courageous leadership and which one has a record of waffling in whichever direction the prevailing wind is blowing? Which candidate truly respects the sacrifices of our soldiers in the field and which one has demonstrated his willingness to shamelessly use his own military background for political purposes, even at the risk of harming the morale of American troops in the field?
If mainstream America focuses carefully on the clear choice in this election, the result should be assured. Sadly, there are many in our society who, motivated by visceral hatred for President Bush, are willing to vote for ANYONE, as long as his name isn’t George W. Bush! All the more reason for objective, patriotic Americans to turn out in large numbers to ensure that common sense will prevail over blind, partisan hatred.
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