Reader Mail
The Conservative Comeback
Readers eye 2010 comeback, World War I, Inspector General scandal, life under the Sun, and much more -- including barbs from Barb. And limp-wristed Obama's opening pitch.
(Page 2 of 3)
THE PEACE TREATY TO BEGIN ALL WARS
Re: Paul Beston's The
Suicide of the West:
Paul Beston points out that the consequences of World War I have been like a virus in history's immune system. That's because the peacemaking negotiations in Paris were designed to punish the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). This included war reparations, loss of colonies and, in the case of Hungary, nearly total dismemberment. New nations were established in Europe: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Lines redrawn in the Balkans created Yugoslavia. In the Middle East, Iraq was formed from remnants of the Ottoman Empire and the idea of a Jewish state, Israel, was conceived.
In The Economic Consequences of Peace, published in 1920, British economist John Maynard Keynes stated:
The Treaty includes no provision for the economic rehabilitation of Europe-nothing to make the defeated Central Powers into good neighbors, nothing to stabilize the new States of Europe, nothing to reclaim Russia; nor does it promote in any way a compact of economic solidarity amongst the allies themselves; no arrangement was reached at Paris for restoring the disordered finances of France and Italy, or to adjust the systems of the Old World and the New.
World War I bore a tragic misnomer, "The war to end all wars." By
the end of the 1930s the world was on the brink of an even
greater conflict due largely to mistakes at the peace conference.
Perhaps those mistakes were predictable, given the political and
military state of mind in 1918. The armistice was to begin at the
eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. In spite
of that general order, shortly before 11:00 A.M. the artillery on
the Western Front once again opened fire. Each battery hoped to
achieve the distinction of firing the last shot of the Great War.
Clearly, being tired of fighting wasn't synonymous with ready to
make peace.
-- Stan Welli
Aurora, Illinois
INSPECT THE PRESIDENT
Re: Robert Stacy McCain's The
Little Scandal That Could :
Mr. R.S. McCain, along with others at TAS, continues to hold Obama, The One's Administration and Congress's feet to the fire. Such a lonely vigil. The majority of the moronic, mainstream media mob continues to downplay, minimize or outright ignore questionable and unethical behaviors of our elected officials. Bush beat Gore and the media offered up unending and unstoppable coverage on the "controversy." The risibly unfunny Franken steals one from the incumbent Coleman and nary a peep. AG Gonzales dismissed, as was within his legal purview, nine Justice Department employees. The call for his firing was led by Senator Schumer but the echo of the accusations sounded like a 24-hour cycle hurricane on an endless loop until the press hounded the man into resigning. Even their darling Clintons had their controversies played out in the news. The One seems to be immune. The current IG imbroglio is buried deep beneath the fold or half way through the news telecasts, when it is even mentioned at all.
The Founding Fathers laid down the freedom of the press in the First Amendment. They fully understood that without a press that was willing to inform the people of the doings of government, the government would grow from a servant of the people to the tyrant overlord of the masses. It is a principle, a primary good. If the press continues to ignore the corresponding responsibility of the right of free and unfettered coverage, they will find themselves dangling at the end of the puppet master's strings. Only a few leftists wish to see our precious press and magnificent media turned into an American version of Pravda, but the media services themselves are forging the very chains from which they may eventually dangle.
And that's the truth.
-- I.M. Kessel
LET'S FIGHT DIRTY
Re: Matthew Vadum's
Trumping the Race Card:
The Republican Party is the early 1960s New York Mets, of whom Casey Stengel remarked in frustration, "Don't nobody here know how to play this game?" Senator Graham is Marvelous Marv Throneberry -- routinely demonstrating a talent for the inept. And we think this cast of characters is going to make a comeback in 2010? Keep dreaming!
Democrats know how to frame debate. Senator Kennedy set the stage for the original "borking" of a judicial nominee, and Democrats have followed the script ever since. Yet, Republicans are unwilling to respond in kind, even with a nominee that is far more leftwing than Bork ever was rightwing. Here's what I would have liked to hear from Senator Sessions:
"Once again a Democratic President has run as a moderate and selected a loony leftist for an important judicial appointment. The Democratic Party has always been the racist party: supporting slavery, segregation, and now race quotas. Sonia Sotomayor is a quota queen, wedded to the race-mongering of her friends at La Raza, 'the race.' Her nutty decisions have been frequently overturned by the Supreme Court, most recently in the Ricci case, where even the liberal dissenters in that decision acknowledged that Sotomayor's casual dismissal of Constitutional issues was dead wrong. Elections have consequences and I am willing to accept a liberal who accepts the individual protections of our Constitution, and rules based on that Constitution, and not so-called 'group rights' and foreign law. Sotomayor finds no 'fundamental right' of gun ownership, despite the Second Amendment, and believes that our Constitution must, in her view, be 'perfected' by the Supreme Court overruling our laws and our Constitution based on what some less successful foreign state considers to be good policy. Sonia Sotomayor is a mediocre judge with a mission to make law through the judiciary. Let her run for public office under the banner of her racialist, loony left party, but keep her far, far away from our Supreme Court! The Democrats may have the votes to confirm her, but we Republicans need to be clear that such a vote exposes every one of them who votes to confirm her as loony left racialists with no regard for the Constitution of the United States."
Yeah, I know, not likely to ever happen.
Every time the Democrats as the minority talked about the majority party, they referred to them as "mean-spirited Republicans." I began to think you couldn't use the word "Republican" without the modifier of "mean-spirited." What did the Republican politicians do about this? Either they ignored it, or essentially apologized for it. The modifier has burned its way into the minds of nearly everyone following politics. And what have we done in return? It's time to not ever mention "Democrat" without the modifier of "loony left." Not that I expect the praise seeking Republicans to ever do such an obvious thing.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (31) | Leave a comment
Leave a Comment
More Articles From Reader Mail
http://spectator.org/archives/2009/07/16/the-conservative-comeback
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
Current Issue
- The Collapse of Jon Corzine
- Uncle Sam and the Chinese Dragon
- Madison vs. Obamacare
- Digital Subscription (Save 78%)
- Buy a single issue (Save 50%)
- Send Spectator as a gift
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Rocco| 7.16.09 @ 7:32AM
Mr. Zierak, well said. I have long recognized over the years that if someone brings a gun, I bring a bazooka.... and use it. I really don't know what goes through the minds of these Repubs in Congress. Everytime I hear this BS about Republicans taking "the high road," I feel like puking. It's the high road to oblivion. It reminds me of the BS I used to hear from an old girlfriend who didn't like me giving her younger brother boxing lessons to defend himself from bullies at school - "he's too mature to fight." My answer was, then he'll go through life getting the crap knocked out of him. Where in the hell do these idiots come from?!?
We need another Lee Atwater to recruit a crop of street-fighting conservatives to rout these cowards once and for all.
Mike Dooley| 7.16.09 @ 9:07AM
Dear Barb:
1.) There are times I wish there actually was something like a "right wing conspiracy". Unlike the left wing fantasy that conservatives had been trained in Argentina by former members of the Nazi S.S., Conservatives are much like herding cats.
2.) We are long accustomed to having what we say mean nothing to you.
3.) On the other hand, apparently it is you who gives a flying*&^% what any of us think.
4.) Conservatives happen to like cowboys. As with most heroes, we wish we were more like them. As the story goes, an English royal was visiting America and asked a mounted cowboy where his master was. The cowboy replied that the SOB ain't been born yet.
5.) Being free and self-governing men and women has nothing to do with shutting up and enjoying the ride.
6.) In case it passed you by, Conservatives find there was a whole bunch of things Bush did that were absolutely deplorable. Last fall's "first stimulus" package was about as anti-conservative as you can get.
7.) As Obama is slowly learning, getting the rest of the world to like us is a fool's errand. The only times Europe "likes" us is when we do the heavy lifting for them or when we save them from their foreign policy mistakes.
8.) Unlike “you” during the Reagan and Bush years, we do not take these “Obama years” as a personal insult. Doesn’t it strike you as a little bit odd that you now have the Congress and the Presidency and are pretty much getting your way—and yet you are still so angry?
Geoff| 7.16.09 @ 10:17AM
Bravo (as usual) Mr. Kessel. You too, Rocco.
But, Mike, your "poetry" will never match Mimi's.
We're in a World'o'Hurt, gang.....
Big J| 7.16.09 @ 10:20AM
"I sit back and laugh as I watch you all squirm. I'm lovin' it!! I wish you could, too."
Wasn't Nero fiddling, even as Rome burned?
"Your party screwed up this country so bad over the last 28 years, it's time for you to sit down, shut up and enjoy the ride"
Is that also your recommendation to a rape victim? "It's your fault for looking so pretty, so just sit back, relax and try to enjoy it."
I ask, because rape is exactly what is occurring at the moment. The destruction of the pursuit of happiness, liberty and American Exceptional ism. All at an extremely alarming rate.
You and your ilk disgust me. You will not be happy until the rest of the world is just as miserable and self-loathing as you. No, not even then. Because after you have dragged the rest of us down to the level of your miserable existence, you will find that you don't feel any better. You are not one bit more successful than you were before. The only difference will be that you won't have the backs of others to carry your burdens anymore.
"Go out and try to make the world a better place instead of clogging up the system with useless opinions and stories."
That is precisely what we are trying to do, no thanks to people like you who foolishly fall for the "Hope and Change" scam.
My advice to you, Barb: Get a life.
Who knows, you might find happiness one day.
IMKessel| 7.16.09 @ 11:03AM
Rocco ,
I like your steel. Atwater is certainly missed.
Mr. Dooley, well said.
Respectly,
IMK
Daddy| 7.16.09 @ 11:03AM
Barb needs blood pressure meds....or a cold beer.
JerseyJ| 7.16.09 @ 11:17AM
Mr. Shepler ... extremely well said Sir.
Mr. Sour asks (regarding the largely duped public) ... "Is someone going to give them an injection of wisdom between now and then? "
That job is up to all of us Mr. Sour. I can tell you from the first-hand perspective of someone who was formerly attentive yet inactive in the political debate, that there are many, many people getting quickly "up to speed" on the issues. Those who until recently trusted in their Representative Republic and did not feel the need to become active. There are many more out there who are suffering buyer's remorse and are being educated by those of us who understand the slide into Marxism and the perils inherent in the trashing of our Constitution.
People are starting to get it, of that I can assure you. I just hope it's enough.
Barb ... your incoherent and factually devoid post does a fine job illustrating the failings of the party of "I won". You would be well served to investigate Lenin's definition of "useful idiot". Thanks for dropping by though.
IMKessel| 7.16.09 @ 11:18AM
Ms. Rogers,
You painted with rather large brush strokes. Please, can you eludicate on just three policies you found deficient during the time the GOP ruled over all the Congress and held the White House? Please be specific and include how a liberal policy would have been preferable.
Thank you.
IMKessel| 7.16.09 @ 11:37AM
Mr. Welli,
Well written piece, but, not to play "gotcha, I respectfully point out you are mistaken when you write, "In the Middle East...and the idea of a Jewish state, Israel, was conceived."
Israel was concieved by God over 5,000 years ago. It was founded with blood, sweat and tears, much like our proud nations. If fact, our nation was deliberately designed to reflect the ethos and majesty of Israel.
From a historical perspective, the Zionist movement predates WWI as well. The term "Zionism" was coined 1891 and can be traced to the Austrian publicist Nathan Birnbaum. From humble roots of a displaced people yearning to return to their sacred land came Israel, the return of Israel, the fruition of a people's hope and dream.
Mattled| 7.16.09 @ 1:42PM
Picture Barb as Janeane Garafolo---without the looks. [[[[shudder]]]]]
Michael L. Hauschild| 7.16.09 @ 3:01PM
I marvel at the lead lined vacuum chamber someone like Barb lives in. I am not a soothsayer but indulge me when I say that her sales tax, grocery bill, and vehicular fuel cost will not be any different than my own.
Patriot| 7.16.09 @ 6:29PM
The last 28 years? Geez, Barbie, I thought Clinton was one of your perverts.
DaveS| 7.16.09 @ 7:12PM
That was by far the most effeminate first pitch of all time. No teleprompter help?
Conservative Chick| 7.16.09 @ 7:48PM
I tell my young son to steer very clear of angry liberal women like Barb: 'Barbs' are usually afflicted with PMS 24/7 and sleep around a lot. Trouble!
Tootsie| 7.16.09 @ 10:14PM
The pitch was bad but the 'mom' jeans were the real laugher. What a geek.
jordan 6 rings| 7.17.09 @ 4:45AM
We need another Lee Atwater to recruit a crop of street-fighting conservatives to rout these cowards once and for all.
E-Bikes| 7.17.09 @ 4:47AM
I like your steel. Atwater is certainly missed.
Mr. Dooley, well said.
Respectly,
IMK
Ben Frusher| 7.18.09 @ 3:17PM
We the Republicans have screwed the country the last twenty years, come on. Actually it has been Us Republicans that have keep you liberals in check. The problem is Republicans have been washintonized and they end up spènding more like you Democtats the more they stay in Washinton. We as the American people just need to vote out the entire Congress, and elect a completly new congress with term limits.
And quite frankly We as the American people should demand that the Politicians quite limiting the voice of the people and churches. Churches should not be able to comment on the moral rot in this country, give me a break. And and the Bible says, in Proverbes, a nation with moral decay falls easily. And you are so blinded to what is going on you can´t see it, quite a pitty.