by Henry Lamb
June 8, 2004
Last week's Memorial Day celebrations, and this week's anniversary of D-Day, evoke long-forgotten memories for the nation. Veterans exchange memories of battles; others exchange memories of battles fought by those who stayed at home. Ration stamps; margarine made from what looked like a block of lard, mixed with a yellow powder; Victory gardens; black-outs and air-raids - were all standard fare for the folks who stayed at home.
Missing from those World War II days was the constant condemnation from the "loyal opposition," which today, gets more media attention than the war itself. also missing was the parade of celebrities who now use the war as an excuse to bash the current administration, in hopes of advancing their own political agenda. The "Greatest Generation" - regardless of political affiliation - realized that the war had to be won, whatever the cost, and that victory demanded the very best effort from every citizen.
When the election of 1944 came around, the U.S. had been at war for three years. Hundreds of thousands of american soldiers had been killed - not hundreds. On D-Day alone, more U.S. soldiers died than have been killed during the entire war on terror. Collateral damage was unavoidable and incalculable - not minimized by high-tech weaponry and deliberate restraint.
Yet, the President was not attacked by his political opposition as "dishonest," and "incompetent." There was no daily rant from the Republicans, criticizing Roosevelt's war policies. The nation was unified against the enemy, not against the political opponent.
Today, Democrats are more unified by their desire to unseat the Republicans than in winning the war. The unconscionable displays by former Vice-President, al Gore, and House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, Senators Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and their various surrogates, go far beyond "loyal opposition." Their relentless rants have reached irrationality.
al Gore told a group of Bush-bashers that George Bush was the most "dishonest" president since Richard Nixon; that Bush had "dishonored" america.
Excuse me al, wasn't there a President in there somewhere who lied to a grand jury, and then stood before the nation, and said "I did not have sex with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky," after dishonoring the Presidency and the nation by converting the Oval Office to his private massage parlor?
Democrats seem oblivious to the fact that their rhetoric provides encouragement to the terrorists, or that they and the terrorists seek the same goal - ridding the world of George Bush's leadership. Bush has declared war on the terrorists, and he is vigorously pursuing them. The terrorists would much prefer that america return to the days when response to their attacks was nothing more than a few misguided missiles; when the U.S. relied on the U.N. to protect the world.
Compared to any war america has ever fought, the war against terrorism has produced fewer american casualties, less collateral damage, and faster progress toward its goals. This is what Nancy Pelosi calls "incompetence" of the President.
Democrats have demonstrated that nothing is more important to them than their return to power. They see President Bush, slowly but steadily, turning the ship of state away from the policies leading to a global village under the rule of international law.
according to John Kerry, the war on terrorism should be led by the United Nations, despite the fact that the U.N. flatly refused to take action. Kerry says he would get cooperation from the international community where Bush could not. But Kerry has yet to acknowledge that the reason France, Germany, and Russia would not take action may have had something to do with their involvement in the corrupt U.N.-Iraq oil-for-food scam, from which all the foot-draggers profited.
The previous Democrat administration had made much progress toward the global village by embracing agenda 21's sustainable development scheme, by championing the Kyoto Protocol, and the U.N.'s International Criminal Court. Democrats denounce President Bush's efforts to untangle the United States from this web of international control.
as the date for the transfer of power in Iraq approaches, the terrorists are expected to intensify their efforts to disrupt the transfer, without regard for the damage done or the casualties inflicted. as the date for the election of america's leader approaches, the Bush-bashers will undoubtedly intensify their efforts to take control, without regard for the damage done or the casualties inflicted.
This generation of americans needs to follow the example of the "Greatest Generation," and recognize that the enemy of this country is the terrorists who want america destroyed. Victory cannot come to a house divided. This is another time that demands the best efforts of every american.