Before I get in to it – if anyone is interested – The BoBo Carnival of Politics will be featured on the front page at Blog Carnival on Tuesday, April 21, 2009. Make sure you get your articles submitted for the April 19th edition by this Saturday evening 10:00pm EST. Click that link up there to go to the submission page.
Now – on to the good stuff. So – a couple days ago – I put up this – Obama finally got something right which was a response to Obama finally growing a pair and authorizing force against those somali pirates terrorists that hijacked an American ship and kidnapped its Captain. In that post – I also pointed out despite this one moment of strength – all of his previous actions in the face of other threats from around the world – he has backed down and shown weakness. Well – one blogger decided to put together an entire post to tell me just how wrong I am! Bwahahaha! You can read his full post here. So – let’s get down to this response:
As to why Obama did not choose to blow North Korea’s lauchpad up; Our President, unlike his predecessor, has shown great restraint, choosing to act in concert with our allies, and other countries, in condemning Kim and his hostile actions. To escalate any conflict in our present state is pure foolishness. Even the clowns on the right know this kind of talk is absurd, and have silenced those within their own party with such radical agressiveness. Bobo, you have been “left out” on your own on this one.
Um – really? Could you please cite your sources regarding “have silenced those within their own party…”? All I have heard coming from D.C. and the rest of us on the right is that he should have reacted. You can see those reactions here, here, here, and here – just to point out a few. When you are talking about allies – do you mean the U.N.? The U.N. is absolutely useless. Are you talking about allies like China and Russia? That’s laughable. In case you weren’t aware of it – there were 17 Iranian officials on hand there to witness the launch. Hmmm…do you think that perhaps Iran has an ulterior motive as well? Since when should America EVER have to rely on our allies to take care of the security of this country? You are very naive to think that the likes of the U.N., Russia, China, France, or Germany will ever support us. They have defied the U.S. in absolutely every military maneuver or show of force over the last 50 years. They are not about to support us with NK sending nuclear missiles in to Japan, South Korea, and Alaska. Yes – that missile can reach Alaska. Obama was not showing restraint – he was showing that he has no balls and won’t do what is necessary to protect this country. As for being “left out” on my own on this one – the last link up there is to the Rasmussen report that says 57% of this country – including 53% of the Democrats polled believe we should have shot down that missile. Looks like I’m in the majority on this one again.
As to Iran’s nuclear production plant and why Obama didn’t bomb Natanz; Obama has chosen to the way of the U.N, much like Bush did, to enforce sanctions, while still attempting to reach out in a peaceful way. It seems Obama has sought the way of multilateral sanctions, and becoming part of a team for the US, instead of being the team and making all the decisions for that team. For too long now, The United States has been the aggressor in conflicts the world over, causing anti American sentiment to brew to new proportions. We voted for change and this is what we expected. The majority of Americans do not seek military solutions to diplomatic problems. It hasn’t worked in the past, and it is going to work now. Israel, who has way more to lose by Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, has also shown great restraint, so far. If any country should be concerned, it should be them. I am sure if the diplomatic process breaks down and peace is no longer a viable option, a military response will be carried out by Israel, rather than the U.S. The American people found out when Bush was president, to be cautious when a commander in chief claims someone has WMD. We do not need another Iraq. Bobo, you are “left out” again with your way out reasoning.
Man – I really can’t believe you are that naive and don’t understand our enemy – well – neither does Obama for that matter. Do you not understand that the leaders of Iran want to annihilate both Israel and the U.S. and will stop at nothing to do it? They are extreme religious zealots that want to “hasten the return of the 12th Imam.” In order to do this – they have to either convert all non-believers of Islam or destroy them. Israel to them is “the little Satan” and the U.S. is “the big satan.” In this case – the sword is mightier than the pen. All they know is the sword and we should strike back with bigger swords. Bush was wrong to defer to the Useless Nitwits as well. Where have those “sanctions” gotten us? They have already opened their first nuke plant and they are committed to building a nuclear bomb now. There is no diplomatic process with Iran. Have you not heard of tafiq? It is written in the Koran that it is okay to lie to an infidel in order to destroy them. That is just what Iran is doing. They will pretend to come to the table – but – they will never stop their nuclear program. This administration does not understand that and Obama is an idiot for even believing we can ever “talk” Iran out of it. The experts are saying Iran will have a nuke within 6 – 9 months. If Obama had any balls at all – we would have taken out the nuke site already rather than force Israel to do it. A nuclear Iran is a danger for the entire world – not just Israel and the U.S. Is it necessary for me to repeat again that there were 17 Iranian officials at the North Korean launch? Why do you think that was?
The missile defense shield you speak of on Russian borders has always been nothing more than a diplomatic tool the US has used to get Russia to bend in to some other foreign policy concerns. Now it seems Russia is willing to come to the table for talks on Nuclear weapons, and re-establishing a better friendship. To build a senseless missile shield is only to provoke hostilities. After all, if Russia wanted to dominate their neighbors, they could, as in times past, overrun their opponents borders with men, not missiles. The U.S. military already has the capability to shoot down long range missiles the world over. What’s the point in building a shield, except to make more enemies?
What? Nothing more than a diplomatic tool? Man – where do you get your news from? This missile defense shield is to protect Europe. In case you don’t know – the Iranian missiles are capable of reaching Europe – and that is the purpose of it. It would be based in Poland – which is as far east as necessary in order to knock down any Iranian missiles sent that way. Russia has been providing both financial and material support to the Iranians and have been assisting them in building their nuke plants and centrifuges. Russia is an ally of Iran’s – not the U.S. They have an interest in making sure there is no protection for our European allies and the former states of the USSR.
Russia is willing to come to the table? Bwahahaha! No – Medvedev is willing. Medvedev is a puppet. Putin is still pulling the strings in Russia. Medvedev can say all he wants – but – in the background Putin is still increasing the size of their military, putting a military unit together to put on the border near Alaska, and continues to build up their nuclear arsenal.
Where did you come up with the idea that we have the capability “around the world” to shoot down long range missiles? There are still major gaps everywhere – including Europe – that we can’t protect – therefore the need for the shield in Poland. I used to be part of that intelligence community when I served in the USAF. I know what our capabilities are and I know how our missile defense shields work and I know how they are supported. In case you weren’t aware – Russia already is our enemy. They were never our friends.
Your response regarding the U.S. Mexican border is just too long to cross-post here – so – I’ll just synopsise a few of the main points and answer them:
Bobo, it seems you have chosen to make this Obama’s problem solely, when this stuff has been plagueing the US for decades, not just two months.
Obama is the President now – so – yes – it is his problem solely. When Bush was the President – it was his problem solely and I was pissed off at him also for not doing anything – and Clinton before him – Bush 41 before him – and I was extremely pissed when Reagan granted amnesty to millions then. That is when we started seeing the huge surge. Obama needs to do something. We don’t need to cross the border when they drug cartel soldiers and runners don’t have a problem crossing the border themselves and firing on our soldiers and citizens. What Obama needs to do is build that fence and then post sentries or increase the size of our border patrols and give them more broad powers to defend that border.
Hmmm. Even if the weapons are coming from here, which is of high debate, how would sending troops to the border address that concern?
I guess you missed this article. There is no debate. According to that article -
Alberto Islas, a security consultant who advises the Mexican government, says the drug cartels are using the Guatemalan border to move black market weapons. Some are left over from the Central American wars the United States helped fight; others, like the grenades and launchers, are South Korean, Israeli and Spanish. Some were legally supplied to the Mexican government; others were sold by corrupt military officers or officials.
We need to send the troops to the border – not to stop the weapons – which are not actually coming from America – but to stop them from kidnapping and killing American citizens. Did you not read that Phoenix, Arizona is the Number 2 place in the ENTIRE world for kidnappings? The Mexican Cartel backed soldiers and drug lords are coming in to this country at will and kidnapping people off our American streets. 366 in 2008 and 359 in 2007 – JUST from Phoenix.
I can’t argue with your statement regarding American dependence on drugs. You can blame that on the liberal and libertarian agendas who actively promote wanting to legalize drugs and telling our children for the past 30 years that doing drugs are okay. I’ve already published a paper on adolescent substance abuse in America and it keeps pointing back to the liberal school systems. The Monitoring the Future Report states that by the time our kids graduate from High School more than 55% of them are current users and abusers and that 90% of them get their drugs on campus. If our schools were truly against drugs – they would make it impossible for the kids to get them there.
Here’s a Fox News article that debunks your claims about the money given to a terrorists organization.
“Obama administration officials had indicated last week that the U.S. was preparing to pledge $900 million in assistance for Gaza, but Wood’s description of the plan Sunday indicated that the only portion going directly to rebuilding Gaza was the $300 million.
Wood said that while all of the money is subject to approval by Congress, the intent is to provide about $200 million to help the Palestinian Authority shore up a budget shortfall and another $400 million to assist Palestinian institutional reforms and economic development. Wood said some of the $400 million might wind up aiding Gaza, but he said that would depend on the Palestinian Authority.
Some portion of the $900 million total U.S. pledge had already been budgeted for 2009, Wood said, adding that he could not immediately provide a breakdown.
Getting U.S. humanitarian aid quickly to Gaza is complicated by the U.S. refusal to funnel it through the Hamas militant movement that rules Gaza. The U.S. considers Hamas a terrorist organization. Wood said the U.S. aid that does not go directly to the Palestinian Authority would be funneled to Gaza through international organizations and agencies.”
Bobo, it seems, once again, you have put the cart before the horses. No money will be given to Hamas. Congressional approval is required in order for the deal to go through anyway. My only thought about this one is; I wouldn’t pledge a dime to rebuild Gaza. Food and humanitarian aid is one thing, building Gaza is another. Our road map to peace, which has always been a goal of the US, is ridiculous. It will never work as long as those two sides have fundamental differences over the whose right it is to be on the land. The other side is, if you dont rebuild Gaza, Gaza will have no economy and we will be forced to keep feeding people rather than them sustaining themselves. You pick.
Umm – Hamas is the ruling authority in Gaza. Who do you think controls the Palestinean Authority? The U.S. government does not consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization. In fact – our government recognizes them as a legitimate organization. They only thing preventing the U.S. government from dealing directly with the Hamas leadership is the need for Hamas to recognize Israel. Other than that one point – our very left leaning government does indeed recognize them. That article does not debunk anything of what I said. It actually helps to support my statement. The only people who should be providing aide and feeding Gaza are the Gazans themselves. It is not our job to continue to protect a people who use terrorism as a bargaining tool.
On Cuba: What is the point to impose sanctions on the Cuban People? For over forty years, people in Cuba have suffered from the U.S. policies. At one time, these policies may have been necessary, but that was during the Bay of Pigs. Way outdated, and way useless. Let the people of Cuba get a taste of western life, and eventually the seeds of democracy will sprout itself. We do not need to force anything on anyone. These sanctions havent done anything but make other countries better trade partners with Cuba. We could use the revenue that trade would open up. The Cuban people could use the money to better their lives. Anyway, why would we sit back and let Russia establish better relations with a place that is 50 miles off our border? Be sensible, lest we see Russian warships docked on the coasts of Cuba. Americans are tired of the past Cuba policies. Look at the Polls. Now we have a President that is in touch with the will of the people, and willing to change idiotic policies that no longer serve any purpose.
Again – this just shows how naive you are and how out of touch you are. I live in Florida. There are almost no Cuban here who support lifting the sanctions. They know how oppressive Castro is and what he has done to them and their families. Again – just like a liberal – you blame the Cuban suffering on American policies. The Cuban people are suffering because of Castro’s policies to keep them all down. How can you blame the actions of a dictator who steals from his people in order to further his own agenda and lifestyle on America? That’s ridiculous. Do you know any Cubans? I do. They hate Castro. Even though some of them still have family in Cuba – they don’t want the restrictions lifted. Our state senator Mel Martinez is a first generation Cuban immigrant. He came here with his family when he was a child. He opposes the sanctions being lifted as well. If Obama were really in touch with the people – then he would actually listen to the Cuban refugees and not lift any of the restrictions.
Regarding your reference to Russia – seriously? Russia and Cuba are already allies. Who do you think does the most trade with Cuba now? Who do you think provides the weapons to Cuba? Who do you think has been supplying them with their energy needs (besides Chavez?). Again, you’re out of touch on this one as well. Also – you do know where GITMO is right? We have a very large military and naval presence in Cuba already. I don’t think we’ll be seeing any Russian warships or bombers there any time soon.
The socialists talk you speak of is just more rightwing rhetoric that carries no weight in dealing with real world issues. All the military solutions you suggest, only serve the interests of the past empire, not a team player in the world of international relations.
And a special thank you to Bobo for providing my fire with the necessary kindling.
It’s only you guys on the left that keep your heads buried that think the “socialist talk” is just right-wing rhetoric. Please read your history. I don’t know how old you are – but – they actually used to teach the history of WWII, Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Mussolini, Hitler, and Lenin when I was in school. This country at one time was heading down the path towards socialism. Obama is repeating that exact history again with the increasing the size of government, the absolutely largest amout of government spending EVER in history, government interference in private business, government takeover of the banking system, and the like. These are indeed socialist and fascist ideologies. It is historical fact. I wrote a very lengthy and detailed piece on the “isms” over at Inside Government that you should read. I give you the entire history and the individuals involved that brought about socialism, fascism, marxism, communism, and capitalism. If you really open your eyes, you will see that Obama and this administration are leading this country down the wrong path. George Bush started us down the road to Socialism and Obama is just speeding it up.
Regarding your last statement and “not a team player in the world of international relations” – WTF man? This country always has been and always will be the single most largest contributor to foreign aide in the entire world. Despite this country’s generosity for decades – we are still seen as evil. Even when those bastards are taking our money – they are still cursing us. Why the hell should we really care about “the world of international relations?” We are Americans. We are not Europeans. We are not Russians. We are not Afrikaans. We are a nation of all nations and we are Americans and we have the absolute right to defend ourselves and our sovereignty from anyone who opposes us. We should NEVER look to the international community to decide what is right for us.
Your turn.
