Middle East Imperative by: James Cash, Brig. Gen., USAF, (Retire)
The Bear on Apr 17 2008 at 8:30 am | Filed under: Energy Policy
I wrote recently about the war in Iraq and the larger war against radical Islam, eliciting a number of responses. Let me try and put this conflict in proper perspective.
Understand; the current battle we are engaged in is much bigger than just Iraq. What happens in the next year will affect this country and how our kids and grand kids live throughout their lifetime, and beyond. Radical Islam has been attacking the West since the seventh century. They have been defeated in the past and decimated to the point of taking hundreds of years to recover. But they can never be totally defeated. Their birth rates are so far beyond civilized world rates, that in time they recover and attempt to dominate again.
There are eight terror-sponsoring countries that make up the grand threat to the West. Two, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan just need firm pressure from the West to make major reforms. They need to decide who they are really going to support and commit to that support.
That answer is simple. They both will support who they think will hang in there until the end, and win.
We are not sending very good signals in that direction right now, thanks to the Democrats
The other six, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, North Korea and Libya will require regime change or a major policy shift. Now, let’s look more closely.
Afghanistan and Iraq have both had regime changes, but are being fueled by outsiders from Syria and Iran . We have scared Gaddafi’s pants off, and he has given up his quest for nuclear weapons, so I don’t think Libya is now a threat
North Korea (the non-Islamic threat) can be handled diplomatically by buying them off. They are starving. That leaves Syria and Iran. Syria is like a frightened puppy. Without the support of Iran they will join the stronger side. So where does that leave us? Sooner, or later, we are going to be forced to confront Iran, and it better be before they gain nuclear capability.
In 1989 I served as a Command Director inside the Cheyenne Mountain complex located in Colorado Springs, Colorado for almost three years. My job there was to observe (through classified means) every missile shot anywhere in the world and assess if it was a threat to the US or Canada. If any shot was threatening to either nation I had only minutes to advise the President, as he had only minutes to respond.
I watched Iran and Iraq shoot missiles at each other every day, and all day long, for months. They killed hundreds of thousands of their people. Know why? They were fighting for control of the Middle East and that enormous oil supply.
At that time, they were preoccupied with their internal problems and could care less about toppling the west. Oil prices were fairly stable and we could not see an immediate threat.
Well, the worst part of what we have done as a nation in Iraq is to do away with the military capability of one of those nations. Now, Iran has a clear field to dominate the Middle East, since Iraq is no longer a threat to them.
They have turned their attention to the only other threat to their dominance, they are convinced they will win, because the US is so divided, and the Democrats (who now control Congress and may control the Presidency in 2008) have openly said we are pulling out.
Do you have any idea what will happen if the entire Middle East turns their support to Iran, which they will obviously do if we pull out? It is not the price of oil we will have to worry about. Oil WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE to this country at any price. I personally would vote for any presidential candidate who did what JFK did with the space program—declare a goal to bring this country to total energy independence in a decade.
Yes, it is about oil. The economy in this country will totally die if that Middle East supply is cut off right now. It will not be a recession. It will be a depression that will make 1929 look like the ‘good-old-days’. The bottom line here is simple. If Iran is forced to fall in line, the fighting in Iraq will end over night, and the nightmare will be over.
One way or another, Iran must be forced to join modern times and the global community. It may mean a real war—if so, now is the time, before we face a nuclear Iran with the capacity to destroy Israel and begin a new ice age.
I urge you to read the book ‘END GAME’ by two of our best Middle East experts, true American patriots and retired military generals, Paul Vallely and Tom McInerney . They are our finest, and totally honest in their assessment of why victory in the Middle East is so important, and how it can be won Proceeds for the book go directly to memorial fund for our fallen soldiers who served the country during the war on terror. You can find that book by going to the Internet through Stand-up America at Right Talk.com
On the other hand, we have several very angry retired generals today, who evidently have not achieved their lofty goals, and insist on ranting and raving about the war. They are wrong, and doing the country great harm by giving a certain political party reason to use them as experts to back their anti-war claims.
You may be one of those who believe nothing could ever be terrible enough to support our going to war. I f that is the case I should stop here, as that level of thinking approaches mental disability in this day and age. It is right up there with alien abductions and high altitude seeding through government aircraft contrails. I helped produced those contrails for almost 30 years, and I can assure you we were not seeding the atmosphere. The human race is a war-like population, and if a country is not willing to protect itself, it deserves the consequences.
‘Enough - said!’
Now, my last comments will get to the nerve. They will be on politics.
I am not a Republican. And, George Bush has made enough mistakes as President to insure my feelings about that for the rest of my life. However, the Democratic Party has moved so far left, they have made me support those farther to the right.
I am a conservative who totally supports the Constitution of this country. The only difference between the United States and the South American, third world, dictator infested and ever-changing South American governments, is our US Constitution.
This Republic (note I did not say Democracy) is the longest standing the world has ever known, but it is vulnerable. It would take so little to change it through economic upheaval. There was a time when politicians could disagree, but still work together. We are past that time, and that is the initial step toward the downfall of our form of government.
I think that many view Bush-hating as payback time. The Republicans hated the Clinton’s and now the Democrats hate Bush.
So, both parties are putting their hate toward willingness to do anything for political dominance to include lying and always taking the opposite stand just for the sake of being opposed. JUST HOW GOOD IS THAT FOR OUR COUNTRY?
In my lifetime, after serving in uniform for President’s Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan , and Bush I have a pretty good feel for which party supported our military, and what military life was like under each of their terms. And, let me assure you that times were best under the Republicans.
Service under Jimmy Carter was devastating for all branches of the military. And, Ronald Regan was truly a salvation.
You can choose to listen to enriched newscasters, and foolish people like John Murtha (he is no war hero), Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, Michael Moore, Jane Fonda, Harry Reid, Russ Feingold, Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, and on-and-on to include the true fools in Hollywood if you like. If you do, your conclusions will be totally wrong.
The reason that I write, appear on radio talk shows, and do everything I can to denounce those people is simple. THEY ARE PUTTING THEIR THIRST FOR POLITICAL POWER AND QUEST FOR VICTORY IN 2008 ABOVE WHAT IS BEST FOR THIS COUNTRY. I cannot abide that.
Pelosi clearly defied the Logan Act by going to Syria , which should have lead to imprisonment of three years and a heavy fine.
Jane Fonda did more to prolong the Vietnam War longer than any other human being (as acknowledged by Ho Chi Minh in his writing before he died). She truly should have been indicted for treason, along with her radical husband, Tom Hayden, and forced to pay the consequences.
This country has started to soften by not enforcing its laws, which is another indication of a Republic about to fall.
All Democrats, along with the Hollywood elite, are sending us headlong into a total defeat in the Middle East, which will finally give Iran total dominance in the region. A lack of oil in the near future will be the final straw that dooms this Republic.
However, if we refuse to let this happen and really get serious about an energy self-sufficiency program, this can be avoided. I am afraid, however, that we are going in the opposite direction.
If we elect Hillary Clinton and a Democrat controlled congress, and they carry through with allowing Iran to take control of the Middle East, continue to refuse development of nuclear energy, refuse to allow drilling for new oil, and continue to do nothing but oppose everything Bush, it will be over in terms of what we view as the good life in the USA.
Now, do I think that all who do not support the war are un-American— of course not.. They just do not understand the importance of total victory in that region.
Another failure of George Bush is his inability to explain to the American people why we are there, and why we MUST win.
By the way, it is not a war. The war was won four years ago. It is martial law that is under attack by Iranian and Syrian outside influences, and there is a difference.
So, what do I believe? What is the bottom line? I will simply say that the Democratic Party has fielded the foulest, power hungry, anti-country, self absorbed group of individuals that I have observed in my lifetime. Our educational system is partially to blame for allowing the mass of America to be taken in by this group. George Bush has done the best he can with the disabilities that he possesses.
A President must communicate with the people. And, I would tell you that Desert Storm spoiled the people. Bush Senior’s 100-hour war convinced the people that technology has progressed to the point that wars could be fought with no casualties and won in very short periods of time.
I remember feeling at the time, that this was a tragedy for the US military. To win wars, you must put boots on the ground. When you put boots on the ground, soldiers are going to die. A President must make the war decision wisely, and insure that the cause is right before using his last political option.
HOWEVER, CONTROLLING IRAN AND DEMOCRATIZING THE MIDDLE EAST IS THE ONLY CHOICE IF WE ARE HELL-BENT ON DEPENDING ON THEM FOR OUR FUTURE ENERGY NEEDS.
Jimmy L. Cash, Brig. Gen., USAF, Ret.
Lakeside, Montana 59922
‘I’ll tell you what war is all about; you’ve got to kill people, and when you’ve killed enough they stop fighting.’ Gen. Curtis LeMay
radical Islam, Iraq, Iraq, Syria, Middle East, oil supply, George Bush, US Constitution, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Vietnam War
2 Responses to “Middle East Imperative by: James Cash, Brig. Gen., USAF, (Retire)”
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Radical Islam has been attacking the West since the seventh century.
I Think Not. What history are you reading, Jim?
They have been defeated in the past and decimated to the point of taking hundreds of years to recover. But they can never be totally defeated. Their birth rates are so far beyond civilized world rates that in time they recover and attempt to dominate again.
While muslim birthrates have been historically higher, that difference is diminishing.
There are eight terror-sponsoring countries that make up the grand threat to the West. Two , Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, just need firm pressure from the West to make major reforms.
Our Allies! How sweet! and where did the 9-11 hijackers originate again? Oh Yeah, Saudi Arabia… and they were holed up in Afghanistan, right? That’s why we attacked Iraq???
They need to decide who they are really going to support and commit to that support. That answer is simple.
No, it’s FAR from that simple.
The other six, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, N. Korea and Libya will require regime change or a major policy shift. Now, let’s look more closely. Afghanistan and Iraq have both had regime changes, but are being fueled by outsiders from Syria and Iran.
It’s laughable to say that Afghanistan had a regime, the Taliban. It had chaos and warlordism. That’s what it has today, after the (temporary) defeat of the Taliban. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other, pre- and post-NATO.
And it’s a gross oversimplification to imply that Syria and Iran are keeping the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq “hot.” If Syria and Iran butted out tomorrow, we would see little difference on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Do you have any idea what will happen if the entire Middle East turns their support to Iran , which they will obviously do if we pull out? It is not the price of oil we will have to worry about. Oil WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE to this country at any price. I personally would vote for any presidential candidate who did what JFK did with the space program—declare a goal to bring this country to total energy independence in a decade.
Carter did in 1977!
Many Mideast states, like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt, are extremely worried about Iran’s rise (thanks to our removal of Iran’s neighbor and military rival, Saddam Hussein). It is certainly NOT “obvious” that they will support Iran once we pull out of Iraq. And for the record, America gets most of its oil from Canada and Venezuela, not the Mideast. The world price of oil will certainly go up if we attack Iran, but America’s sources of oil will not dry up overnight.
Yes, it is about oil. The economy in this country will totally die if that Middle East supply is cut off right now. It will not be a recession. It will be a depression that will make 1929 look like the ‘good-old-days’. The bottom line here is simple. If Iran is forced to fall in line, the fighting in Iraq will end over night, and the nightmare will be over.
Moronic. Iran is not the source of conflict in Iraq. This is a conflict among Iraqis to control Iraq’s territory and oil resources.
I am not a Republican.
This guy and Bill O’Reilly think there’s some credibility to be gained by lambasting Democrats and liberals at every possible turn, but then declaring, “Oh, but I’m an independent, I’m not a Republican.” Who do they think they’re kidding? If they can’t even be honest about their political affiliations, why should I trust anything else they have to say? Let’s just be clear: this guy, and Bill O’Reilly, are both Republicans. Maybe he voted for his Democratic cousin for local school board; but that doesn’t make him an Independent. You know what they say: If it swims like a duck and quacks like a duck….
This Republic (note I did not say Democracy) is the longest standing the world has ever known, but it is vulnerable. It would take so little to change it through economic upheaval.. There was a time when politicians could disagree, but still work together. We are past that time, and that is the initial step toward the downfall of our form of government.
This just goes to show that at least one retired Brig. Gen. is a morn when it comes to foreign affairs. Any eighth grader, who has done their homework knows that it’s not Republic or Democracy. One can be both. We are both a Representative Democracy and a Republic.
Service under Jimmy Carter was devastating for all branches of the military. And, Ronald Regan was truly a salvation. You can choose to listen to enriched newscasters, and foolish people like John Murtha (he is no war hero)
Murtha left Washington and Jefferson College in 1952 to join the Marine Corps and was awarded the American Spirit Honor Medal for displaying outstanding leadership qualities during training. Murtha rose through the ranks to become a drill instructor at Parris Island and was selected for Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia. Murtha was then assigned to the Second Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Murtha remained in the Marine Corps Reserves, and ran a small business, Johnstown Minute Car Wash. He also attended the University of Pittsburgh on the G.I. Bill, and received a degree in economics. Murtha later took graduate courses from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Murtha married his wife Joyce on 10 June 1955. They have three children and live in Johnstown.
In 1959, Murtha, then a captain, took command of the 34th Special Infantry Company, Marine Corps Reserves, in Johnstown. He remained in the Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered for service in the Vietnam War, serving from 1966 to 1967, serving as a battalion staff officer (S-2 Intelligence Section), receiving the Bronze Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the Reserves as a colonel in 1990, receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, Michael Moore, Jane Fonda , Harry Reid, Russ Feingold, Hillary Clinton,Ted Kennedy, and on-and-on to include the true fools in Hollywood if you like. If you do, your conclusions will be totally wrong.
No, just different than yours…
Pelosi clearly defied the Logan Act by going to Syria, which should have lead to imprisonment of three years and a heavy fine.
He accuses Pelosi of violating the Logan Act,when it clearly doesn’t apply and has never been used in a prosecution and is widely believed to be unconstitutional.
Jane Fonda did more to prolong the Vietnam war longer than any other human being
How on earth did yo come to that conclusion? I’d really like to see some actual proof of that…
Afghanistan and Iraq are ugly, modern conflicts. Vietnam was preparation for low-scale guerrilla fighting, but these conflicts are much uglier because there’s no organized enemy to fight: there is no VietCong, only rag-tag local militias and guerrillas. We are fighting against everyone and no one at the same time. Brig. Gen. Cash military “vocabulary” is stunted because these conflicts have no historical antecedent in his, or America’s, military experience. Men like him search in vain for some war to compare these very complicated conflicts to, in order to shore up shrinking domestic support.
This country has started to soften by not enforcing its laws,
like holding it’s elected leaders to the constitution.
A lack of oil in the near future will be the final straw that dooms this Republic. Maybe we should have followed Jimmy Carters plan back in the ’70’s to get off oil?
However, if we refuse to let this happen and really get serious about an energy self-sufficiency program, this can be avoided. I am afraid, however, that we are going in the opposite direction.
Now, do I think that all who do not support the war are un-American — of course not.
They just do not under stand the importance of total victory in that region.
Oh, we understand all right, we just disagree on the method with which to achieive that end and what “Total Victory” means.
Another failure of George Bush is his inability to explain to the American people why we are there, and why we MUST win.
To get me reelected and make Daddy’s friends an Cheney and his buddies wealthy beyond belief would have been a bit to obvious, I guess.
By the way, it is not a war. The war was won four years ago. It is martial law that is under attack by Iranian and Syrian outside influences, and there is a difference.Well, I agree Afghanistan and Iraq are not “wars.” These are foreign occupations of hostile populations who want to control their own destiny. Then why treat it like a war? Why insist exclusively, or at least mainly, on military means to “win” it? Why does Brig. Gen. Jim Cash include the final quote from Gen. Curtis LeMay: “I’ll tell you what war is all about, you’ve got to kill people, and when you’ve killed enough they stop fighting”?
Our educational system is partially to blame for allowing the mass of America to be taken in by this group.
George Bush has done the best he can with the disabilities that he possesses. Yes, dry drunk, spoiled rich, under-achiever.
A President must communicate with the people! It would help if he could put a coherent sentence together….
And, I would tell you that Desert Storm spoiled the people. Bush Senior’s 100-hour war convinced the people that technology has progressed to the point that wars could be fought with no casualties and won in very short periods of time.
I remember feeling at the time, that this was a tragedy for the US military. On this point, I agree.
To win wars, you must put boots on the ground. When you put boots on the ground, soldiers are going to die. A President must make the war decision wisely, and insure that the cause is right before using his last political option.
For Bush, war was his first option. He tried to do it on the cheap. That’s why we’re in this mess.
However, CONTROLLING IRAN AND DEMOCRATIZING
Why would you want to Democratize the middle East when you don’t even understand what a Democracy is?
THE MIDDLE EAST IS THE ONLY CHOICE IF WE ARE HELL-BENT ON DEPENDING ON THEM FOR OUR FUTURE ENERGY NEEDS.
We need to develop alternative sources of energy or we will perish. Simple as that.
Please allow me to defend the author against this idiotic attack…..
“I Think Not. What history are you reading, Jim?”
Well, the history I read says that Abu Bakr, immediately upon succeeding the prophet Mohammed, attacked the Byzantine empire. This was in 632, otherwise known as the seventh century.
“While muslim birthrates have been historically higher, that difference is diminishing.”
This statement actually agrees with the author, so nothing to refute, except that a slight lowering of THEIR birthrate, in actual numbers, is irrelevant when you consider that the West’s birthrate is ALSO declining, but at a much higher rate. So, again, relatively, they are gaining ground, which was the author’s point.
“Our Allies! How sweet! and where did the 9-11 hijackers originate again? Oh Yeah, Saudi Arabia… and they were holed up in Afghanistan, right? That’s why we attacked Iraq???”
So, if someone from Sweden comes here and murders your child, it was the Swedish government’s fault? And, we also attacked Afghanistan, controlled by the Taliban, whom we assumed did the attack. We attacked Iraq because the first Gulf War was never over, and Saddam attacked us numerous times in the no fly zones, gassed his own people, while telling us he had no chemical weapons (which we found, by the way, exactly the old chemical weapons left over that we said he had). Stop reading Bushlied.com and start reading the truth.
“They need to decide who they are really going to support and commit to that support. That answer is simple.
No, it’s FAR from that simple. ”
Well, depending upon which situation, possibly, it COULD be more complex, but in this situation, with the Middle East in general, the answer is simple, coming up with it is hard. Once we can decide who to support, everything else falls into place. But when all sides backstab and lie, you can’t figure out which snake is less evil than the rest, and THAT is NOT simple.
“It’s laughable to say that Afghanistan had a regime, the Taliban. It had chaos and warlordism. That’s what it has today, after the (temporary) defeat of the Taliban. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other, pre- and post-NATO.”
re·gime Audio Help /rəˈʒim, reɪ-, or, sometimes, -ˈdʒim/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ruh-zheem, rey-, or, sometimes, -jeem] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. a mode or system of rule or government: a dictatorial regime.
2. a ruling or prevailing system.
3. a government in power.
4. the period during which a particular government or ruling system is in power.
What part of the word “Regime” don’t you understand?
“And it’s a gross oversimplification to imply that Syria and Iran are keeping the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq “hot.” If Syria and Iran butted out tomorrow, we would see little difference on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
That depends. If Syria and Iran simply routed their aid through another conduit, then yes, little change. The money comes from Iran and Saudi, the fighters come from all over the middle east, but it’s the militant Islamic countries that are supporting it, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, etc. Stop that, and Iraq becomes very peaceful.
“Carter did in 1977!”
Carter did nothing but cause an oil shortage, driving up prices. All at the behest of the Trilateral Commission/CFR, of which he was a member, and all of which was done to make money.
“Moronic. Iran is not the source of conflict in Iraq. This is a conflict among Iraqis to control Iraq’s territory and oil resources.”
Iraqi’s aren’t doing most of the fighting, it’s mostly Iranians, Syrians, SA’s, etc. that we’re catching on the battlegrounds.
“This guy and Bill O’Reilly think there’s some credibility to be gained by lambasting Democrats and liberals at every possible turn, but then declaring, “Oh, but I’m an independent, I’m not a Republican.” Who do they think they’re kidding? If they can’t even be honest about their political affiliations, why should I trust anything else they have to say? Let’s just be clear: this guy, and Bill O’Reilly, are both Republicans. Maybe he voted for his Democratic cousin for local school board; but that doesn’t make him an Independent. You know what they say: If it swims like a duck and quacks like a duck…. ”
So, does that mean we get to call you a Marxist Leninist stooge? Lots of people aren’t Republicans, but still vote for them, since they always vote the MOST conservative candidate. On the contrary, it’s YOUR oversimplistic view of political belief that tells me how naive you are, and explains how you could believe the crap you’re told in your college classes by your communist professors.
“This just goes to show that at least one retired Brig. Gen. is a morn when it comes to foreign affairs. Any eighth grader, who has done their homework knows that it’s not Republic or Democracy. One can be both. We are both a Representative Democracy and a Republic. ”
This just goes to show the depths of your ignorance. A representative Democracy IS a Republic, the difference (and there IS a difference, if you’d bother to go educate yourself) is all the difference in the world. It’s why we have a Bicameral Legislature (no, I’m going to make you go look up Bicameral yourself), why we had the War of Northern Agression, and why we can’t vote on highway or bond issues now. Direct voting of the people is Democracy, representative voting (like with congressmen, etc.) is a Republic.
“Murtha left Washington and Jefferson College in 1952 to join the Marine Corps and was awarded the American Spirit Honor Medal for displaying outstanding leadership qualities during training.”
He got a medal during basic training…wow…a real hero…what a sap. This was some bullshit award like a merit badge. Maybe he did some little something good, but geez, louise, give us a break.
” Murtha rose through the ranks to become a drill instructor at Parris Island and was selected for Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia. Murtha was then assigned to the Second Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Murtha remained in the Marine Corps Reserves, and ran a small business, Johnstown Minute Car Wash. He also attended the University of Pittsburgh on the G.I. Bill, and received a degree in economics. Murtha later took graduate courses from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Murtha married his wife Joyce on 10 June 1955. They have three children and live in Johnstown.”
And, your point is? What part of any that makes Murtha a war hero?
“In 1959, Murtha, then a captain, took command of the 34th Special Infantry Company, Marine Corps Reserves, in Johnstown. He remained in the Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered for service in the Vietnam War, serving from 1966 to 1967, serving as a battalion staff officer (S-2 Intelligence Section), receiving the Bronze Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the Reserves as a colonel in 1990, receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.”
Okay, great, some honorable service at last, but nothing real special here. It was standard fair for officers to get bronze stars for doing their duty, nothing more, though it’s hard in battle to NOT be heroic, since your choices are heroics are death a lot of the time. We won’t mention purple hearts, since we saw John Kerry’s and how cheaply they can be gotten. So, without the real story on how the medals were won, I’m not sure how much credit I can give a man who’s already a proven liar, and someone who turns his back on FELLOW MARINES. Not honorable at all.
“No, just different than yours…”
Yes, I realize that you’re totally unaware of this, since you obviously have never been wrong (or think you haven’t), but the first clue to you being wrong is when your opinion doesn’t jibe with the facts. He listed people who had trouble reporting facts, in fact, people who outright fabricate, and said that if you believe their lies, you will come up with the wrong conclusions, which is simply logical. Next time, rather than defend your heros just because they’re in your camp, try explaining to us how their lies are really truth, so we can dissect them for you, and show you the falsehoods.
“He accuses Pelosi of violating the Logan Act,”
which she did, no matter how you interpret it…
“when it clearly doesn’t apply”
§ 953. Private correspondence with foreign governments.
Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply himself, or his agent, to any foreign government, or the agents thereof, for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects.
She was not “applying for redress of any injury”. She was told specifically, before she went, as well as Dennis Kucinich, that they were “not authorized” by the White House. Exactly HOW do you think this act doesn’t apply, when Pelosi went and did almost exactly what Dr. George Logan, the namesake of the act, did?
“and has never been used in a prosecution and is widely believed to be unconstitutional.”
Just because a law hasn’t been used, it shouldn’t be? Then how would we ever get ANY laws? Widely believed? By whom, exactly? Can you name, say, five respected lawyers (not all of them from the communist left, please) who think that it might be?
“”Jane Fonda did more to prolong the Vietnam war longer than any other human being”"
“How on earth did yo come to that conclusion? I’d really like to see some actual proof of that… ”
Uh, that would be according to dozens of North Vietnamese Generals who’s statements after the war were quite praiseworthy of Ms. Fonda, Mr. Hayden, and Mr. Kerry’s assistance, in fact, saying that they were about to give up, had it not been for those three, the Winter Soldier debacle, and Fonda’s visit.
“”This country has started to soften by not enforcing its laws, “”
“like holding it’s elected leaders to the constitution.”
Yeah, you say this now, but you can’t show a single constitutional violation from GW, yet when we tried to impeach the president who LIED UNDER OATH (and yes, lying about a blow job is relevant when he’s the one being sued for sexual advances to interns and employees), you wanted to let him off. Grow a set and have the same standards for all, and we’ll begin to listen to your opinion. Maybe.
“”A lack of oil in the near future will be the final straw that dooms this Republic. “”
Maybe we should have followed Jimmy Carters plan back in the ’70’s to get off oil?
I’m sorry, Jimmy Carter had a plan? Perhaps you could enlighten me as to what it was, exactly, since all he did was raise oil to thirty five dollars a barrel. Come on, give me specifics, tell me what you think should have been done, don’t just toss a sap to Carter, your socialist hero.
“”However, if we …of total victory in that region.”"
“Oh, we understand all right, we just disagree on the method with which to achieive that end and what “Total Victory” means.”
No, YOU disagree, most of the rest of the world understands. Total Victory means winning, no insurgency, peace, the presence of justice and not just the absence of conflict. As to methods, well, it’s the government’s job to decide that, not you, and I hardly think YOUR opinion could stack up against theirs.
“”Another failure of George Bush is his inability to explain to the American people why we are there, and why we MUST win. “”
“To get me reelected and make Daddy’s friends an Cheney and his buddies wealthy beyond belief would have been a bit to obvious, I guess.”
Of course, no Democrat wanted to get wealthy or get reelected, did they? What evil men those Republicans are for wanting money and power, oooooohhh…..get real. Yes, Bush hasn’t made the case obvious, because the MSM fails to cover anything good they put out. It’s not the fault of Bush what you see on the TV every night, it’s the media who’ve been caught hundreds of times lying and outright fabricating news to make him look bad, ending up in court many times. Dan Rather, anyone? The failure is on the part of the MSM to protect America by giving us unvarnished facts instead of the lies and manipulation they regularly put out.
“”By the way, it is not a war. The war was won four years ago. It is martial law that is under attack by Iranian and Syrian outside influences, and there is a difference.”"
“Well, I agree Afghanistan and Iraq are not “wars.””
Sorry, but they are officially declared Wars. Congress voted on them. They don’t like to admit that, but they did. The General’s point is that they are both OVER. The conflict with the COUNTRY is done, now, it’s simply a matter of eradicating the insurgency. You really should learn something about status before you speak. The man has people vetting every word he writes to make sure it is deadly accurate.
“These are foreign occupations of hostile populations”
Wow, you just described every war in my book of Military Conflict, some three thousand years of wars.
“who want to control their own destiny.”
Which is why we freed them from the dictatorial regimes that were controlling them, so they could “control their own destiny”. Now that they are, they are voting for democracy, and that just kills you, doesn’t it?
“Then why treat it like a war? Why insist exclusively, or at least mainly, on military means to “win” it?”
Because, as any idiot could tell you (except maybe you, apparently), you fight the battles the enemy brings you, you defeat him on the battlefield upon which he lives. When he fights militarily, you fight him militarily, when he fights with lies, you respond with truth, when he fights with ignorance, you respond with education. Nobody said that it is either exclusively OR mainly military except you.
“Why does Brig. Gen. Jim Cash include the final quote from Gen. Curtis LeMay: “I’ll tell you what war is all about, you’ve got to kill people, and when you’ve killed enough they stop fighting”?”
A truism to illustrate his point? You act like we can just vote and stop fighting and everyone will lay down their weapons and go home. You follow the lies that say WE started this, when we didn’t. THEY attacked US, and have sworn to continue to attack us until we convert to Islam. Unless you’re ready to convert (and it sounds like you already have), then you better fight back too, cause they will kill you FIRST.
“”Our educational system is partially to blame for allowing the mass of America to be taken in by this group. George Bush has done the best he can with the disabilities that he possesses.”"
” Yes, dry drunk, spoiled rich, under-achiever.”
An alcoholic who had the strength to quit drinking, and you ridicule him for that? What a putz you are. Spoiled rich? So, when was the last POOR Democrat elected to office, that then didn’t turn around and GET rich? Better to be rich and get elected than to get elected and then get rich. Under-achiever? According to who? Have you achieved half as much as GW? I’m betting not.
“”A President must communicate with the people!”"
” It would help if he could put a coherent sentence together….”
As I can see by your writing, you have the same trouble. In thousands OF thousands of words, President Bush will misspeak, but that’s because he is constantly speaking in public. Let’s see you do that, with as few mistakes as he makes, since we can already see you have both a vocabulary problem and a spelling problem, and this is with you able to go back and edit before you print. You see, we ALL make mistakes from time to time. To call someone an idiot, or to say something like you did, says that you are perfect, and everyone should be expected to be perfect as well. Which just shows us what kind of ass you really are.
“”And, I would tell you that Desert Storm spoiled the people. Bush Senior’s 100-hour war convinced the people that technology has progressed to the point that wars could be fought with no casualties and won in very short periods of time. “”
“I remember feeling at the time, that this was a tragedy for the US military. On this point, I agree.”
You agree, yet you then fall for it by expecting the same again? Please, pull your head out. You can’t see that “wars could be fought with no casualties and won in very short periods of time” is a tragedy, and then compound the tragedy by falling for the lie again. You either don’t realize it, or you realize you’re holding GW to an unreasonable standard.
“For Bush, war was his first option. He tried to do it on the cheap. That’s why we’re in this mess.”
Right. How many years of disobeying the UN sanctions, how many years of shooting at us in the No Fly Zone, how many times did Saddam thumb his nose at us and the rest of the world, threaten us with annihilation? But GW gets in office, and immediately launches a war….two years later, after fierce negotiations at the UN, Baghdad, and everywhere in between. And doing it on the cheap was following the recommendations of his generals and advisors, who had their hands tied by Bill Clinton’s garage sale of military assets. We are undermanned, you cry now, but not when Clinton was cutting the military left, right, and center.
“”However, CONTROLLING IRAN AND DEMOCRATIZING”"
“Why would you want to Democratize the middle East when you don’t even understand what a Democracy is?”
Uh, we already decided that it’s YOU who doesn’t understand what democracy is. On the one level, Democracy simply means electing your own leaders, that the people are in power, but to have a Democratic government, requires direct control by the people. Never mind, if you couldn’t be bothered to listen in class, why would you listen now.
“”THE MIDDLE EAST IS THE ONLY CHOICE IF WE ARE HELL-BENT ON DEPENDING ON THEM FOR OUR FUTURE ENERGY NEEDS.”"
“We need to develop alternative sources of energy or we will perish. Simple as that.”
You’re right. We only have about three hundred years worth of oil left, so we better get cracking. And tell your Democrat reps what you just said, so we can get to drilling off the gulf, off of Florida (after all, the laws were there to stop the ugly site of oil wells, not just American ones, and the Chinese can drill there, why not us?). Tell them to allow refineries to be built, to allow drilling in ANWR, and to stop the bogus environmental regulations the even William Ruckleshouse admits he got passed simply to stop nuclear plants and refineries from being built, not because they were necessary. Stop them from adding the Polar Bear to the endangered species list when the population is up two and a half times, since the only reason to do so is to stop more drilling, declaring more and more land off limits to protect something we’re SHOOTING WHEN THEY INVADE POPULATED AREAS. What a maroon, in the infamous words of Bugs Bunny.