Politics: Thanks

Thanks

Written by John W. Sammon

I'd like to personally thank a number of people for repparttar

screwed up mess repparttar 126027

country is in today. First of all, I'd like to thank President Bush, who pursued a war while ignoring intelligence that contradicted his beliefs, resulting in repparttar 126028

very quagmire I predicted months ago. Next, I'd like to thank his lunatic defense secretary, who continues to downplay repparttar 126029

insurgent attacks against American troops as merely repparttar 126030

handiwork of bandits and supporters of Saddam. His ability to deny truth that's as plain as repparttar 126031

nose on my face is truly remarkable. Next, I'd like to thank repparttar 126032

Democrat Party, most of who meekly went along with Bush, failed in their responsibility to repparttar 126033

American people to debate an issue as important as this, and even today don't have repparttar 126034

guts to admit maybe they were wrong. I'd like to thank repparttar 126035

gutless newspaper editors and directors of major media for their yellow streak in refusing to ask tough questions lest they be called "unpatriotic," and who were swayed in their handling of this mess merely by money, ratings and repparttar 126036

corporate status quo. I'd like to thank repparttar 126037

head Dixie Chick, who as her name implies, like newspaper editors did, turned chicken when her career (and money) were threatened, and instead of having repparttar 126038

gumption to stand up for her rights to repparttar 126039

flag waving zealots and becoming a heroic figure (like actor John Garfield during repparttar 126040

McCarthy witch hunts), succumbed to black list pressure. I'd like to thank Vice President Dick Cheney, whose former company took repparttar 126041

rebuilding job for Iraq with no competing bids from other companies, who's never served in repparttar 126042

military, and who's never failed once to profit from repparttar 126043

misfortune of others.

A Strategic Fifth Column

Written by Gerald L. Campbell

A Strategic Fifth Column by Gerald L. Campbell Senior Advisor to repparttar

Director United States Information Agency, 1985-1990 Washington Times (July 7, 2003)

John Quincy Adams wrote that America's destiny was to be repparttar 126026 "beacon on repparttar 126027 summit of repparttar 126028 mountain, to which all repparttar 126029 inhabitants of repparttar 126030 earth may turn their eyes for a genial and saving light - a light of admonition to repparttar 126031 rulers of men, and a light of salvation and redemption to repparttar 126032 oppressed."

New significance has been given those words by repparttar 126033 splendid military tactics that obliterated repparttar 126034 Taliban, seriously degraded al Quaeda, and decapitated Saddam's regime. To repparttar 126035 oppressor, an ultimate warning has been issued. To repparttar 126036 oppressed, history has given birth to a new springtime of hope.

Unlike anything that has gone before, America's military power has demonstrated a remarkable ability to discriminate between repparttar 126037 tyrant and repparttar 126038 innocent. The Goddess of Justice smiles more favorably upon repparttar 126039 oppressed. The long-suffering dream emblazoned in repparttar 126040 hearts of our common humanity - a dream for individual dignity, human solidarity, and freedom - stands poised to blossom anew as repparttar 126041 age-old sanctuary for despots stands more naked and vulnerable than ever.

But, to fully seize repparttar 126042 moment, we must do more than fight a tactical war against terrorists, and their networks and state sponsors. We must also take repparttar 126043 strategic offensive. We must summon with renewed vigor our moral resources and reaffirm our unique position in world history. America must reach out to repparttar 126044 'hearts and minds' of people around repparttar 126045 world and transform this latest phase of repparttar 126046 war against terrorism into a struggle for repparttar 126047 freedom and dignity of man. Why is this so?

The tactics of repparttar 126048 terrorists are clear. They want to damage our economic infrastructure and threaten repparttar 126049 lives of innocent people with weapons of mass destruction. Overseas, they seek to fracture alliances and turn cultures and religions against us by marketing their ruthless nihilism as an inevitable 'clash of civilizations.'

But strategically their aim runs much deeper. It is to spread fear and destroy freedom. They know that fear will subvert our freedoms and force us to disengage from repparttar 126050 rest of repparttar 126051 world. And so, this contest is essentially about repparttar 126052 future of freedom.

But therein lies our enemy's Achilles heel. For repparttar 126053 best antidote to fear is freedom itself. And while terrorists must fight skulking in repparttar 126054 shadows, America can struggle openly with words and deeds that truly resonate with repparttar 126055 freedom and dignity of man, regardless of nationality, culture, or religion.

America has an intrinsic bond with all humanity and repparttar 126056 transcendent cornerstone of that bond is freedom. Freedom, so regarded, is not a mere ideal or option contingent upon political consensus. It is not a commodity selfishly deduced from an utilitarian or hedonistic urge. Nor is it repparttar 126057 product of certain cultures or religions. Freedom is existentially rooted in repparttar 126058 human person and from that source emanates a purposeful dynamism that strives to give substance to history itself. And this common birthright has particular significance today.

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