Tag Archives: military

by | August 27, 2014 · 5:55 am

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 144

THE THREAT OF ISLAM

Fate and luck have often produced the leadership needed in times of crises. Unfortunately, neither fate nor luck have given America the leadership she needs to combat the virulent march of Islamic radicals across Syria and Iraq. We have a president who is ill-equipped to deal with real world crises. He leans toward the Muslim side in all foreign policy issues. The president has surrounded himself with inexperienced department heads who share his view of the world. Both the critical departments of State and Defense are under pedestrian leadership. Clinton, Kerry, Hagel, and Dempsey have been conducting foreign and defense policy designed to withdraw America from a super power role to one consistent with the goals of the United Nations, an organization that has no love for American power.

Our executive leadership is implementing a plan to bring American troop strength down to pre-World War II levels at a time when radical Islam is sweeping across the Middle East and Putin is moving to reconstitute the Soviet Empire.  (According to media reports, 900 army majors have been given termination notices, some while in combat areas. Majors and sergeants are the backbone of any army. It will take ten or twenty years to replace their knowledge and experience.)

But that is not the worst. A significant part of our population is increasingly anti-military and doesn’t recognize that all violence is not evil. All our personal freedoms and national security at times need violence to protect the nation and its citizens. The belief that we can control or positively influence enemies, current or potential, by our unilateral behavior is foolish to the point of suicidal. That unilateral disarmament on our part will lead other nations to act accordingly is a belief, not only naive and arrogant, but without any historical evidence. The president and his attorney general have often stated closing Guantanamo Bay will make it harder for radical Muslims to recruit new members. What deters enemies is strength and they will to use it.

While young Muslim boys (girls don’t get to go to school in the world of Sharia law) are being taught to hate the West and to learn how to be soldiers, our children are being punished for pointing a pretend finger gun or engaging in any act that might be construed to represent Christianity. Recently the media reported a young school girl was disciplined when she said, “Bless you” to a classmate who had sneezed. The spirit that got us through two World Wars and several others, needs to be rekindled. The meek don’t inherit the earth; in the real world they get themselves or others killed.

Before we encourage the spread of Islam in America, the citizens should know Islam is not a religion of peace. The Koran has none of the forgiveness, love, gentleness, or acceptance of the people of other religions that is contained in the New Testament. Muslim teachings support forcible conversions of non-Muslims and the killings of those who don’t convert. The imposition of Sharia Law is the end game of radical Islam that is, today, being carried out by ISIS.  Occupation and domination is the plan. The end result of radical Islam is to impose a totalitarian rule run by an elite group. Funny how the progressive, socialist, communist, Islamic or fascist systems of governing all have the same end result, rule by an elite who make your choices for you. Individual freedom is not an issue. None of them believe in it.

Fortunately, we can see what the Islamization of Europe is doing. It is spreading fast and even imposing Sharia Law in some areas where the Muslim population is dominate. The United Kingdom now has more Muslim citizens fighting for ISIS than it has Muslims in its own armed forces. Muslim immigrants do not assimilate. They maintain their own language, culture, law, and education. Local mosques are the spearhead for the spread of Islam. It need not happen here. It must not.

Written by the author of “Insights: Transforming America — Is This What We Fought For?” available now as an ebook, in paperback or hardcover on Amazon.com or BN.com. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80.

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by | August 22, 2014 · 12:09 pm

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 143

DON’T TAKE A KNIFE TO A GUNFIGHT

From all their pronouncements, it seems the Obama Holder dynamic duo plan to use their law and order weapon against ISIS. That is as foolish as taking a knife to a gun fight. ISIS Terrorism does not operate on a law and order field. They know and say they are in a war with the west.  Their weapons and tactics are from the manuals of warfare. During my time in the Reagan White House, as the point staff person for terrorism, we used the law and order approach. Even with the relatively  very small number of terrorists and terrorists organization active at that time, the law and order legal process was cumbersome and stretched nearly to its limit. The requirement to collect information that would stand up to the rules of evidence in our courts was a heavy burden. None of us were thinking enough outside the box of legalism. The military leadership, the intelligence sector, the Congressional committees, and, of course the State Department were all mired in the rules of our court system.

Looking back now, our efforts to fight international terrorism with the weapons of law and order were not equal to the task. To apply law and order restraints to the war against terrorism, yes it is a war, today is beyond reason. It is absurd. Our President and his Attorney General do not trust the military to capture, detain, question and try terrorist in a military court. They have an engrained ideological fear that some terrorist may have his or her civil rights violated. I think the roots of that thinking go deep into their guilt over American power being used in the colonial past. No matter what the issue, the President and his soul mate will ride the civil rights horse onto every battlefield. No, I can not square that legalistic approach with using drone strikes against terrorists even if they are American citizens. I can only guess that the law and order rules of engagement do not extend to drone strikes. Maybe it is because dead people have no civil rights, due process,  and no need to have Miranda rights read to them.

The law and order people do not seem to understand the need to obtain real-time intelligence from interrogating (not torturing) combatants captured on the battlefield. Intelligence wins wars, saves American lives, and treasure. The cumbersome time required for the law and order system to play out does not match the need to defeat terrorists before they can bring the war to our shores again. Imagine having a backlog of several hundred terrorist prisoners to move through our law and order procedures. Lastly our Constitution does not apply to foreign nationals who are trying to kill us. Nor should it apply to U.S. citizens fighting on the side of terrorists. The first step should be to strip them of their citizenship. That is an appropriate job for the law and order process.

Using law and order procedures as our Attorney General has in the past will ensure we lose the war against terrorism. Save the law and order rules for U.S. citizens or residents who commit terrorist acts inside the U.S. Due process is their right.

Read my non fiction book, INSIGHTS Transforming America. Is this what we fought for?

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by | August 8, 2014 · 7:38 am

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 138

PROTECT AMERICA

What if President Obama was not a progressive ideologue using every issue he can find to destroy his political opposition and transform America into a socialist state run by a progressive elite? What could he do if he really wanted to solve national and international problems to protect the citizens of America?

veteransFirst, the biggest danger is on the Ukrainian border.  President Putin is determined to rebuild all or part of the old Soviet Empire. First a piece of Georgia, then the Crimea area of the Ukraine, and now threatening a huge piece of the eastern Ukraine. He has troops massed on the border. The Ukrainian army is no match for the Russian army. He is only waiting until he has the  perfect excuse to cross the border to protect Russian-speaking Ukrainians. He’s looked around the geo-political map and sees no real opposition, certainly not from America or Europe. Putin deals in power. America and NATO deal in sanctions. Not necessarily the same thing.

Freeing Europe from dependence on Russian natural gas and oil by an all-out effort to increase American production and exports of gas and oil would have an immediate effect on Putin. His economy is dependent on the sale of Russian energy. But more is necessary. President Obama should announce the world situation has made him rethink the down sizing of our troop strength to pre-WWII levels and ask Congress to allocate more funds to modernize our Air Force and Navy.

He also needs to re-establish the anti missile radar deployments in Eastern Europe. Announce NATO maneuvers, with at least one division of American troops, in Europe. Moving aircraft carriers closer so the possibility of  air support to Ukrainian forces is real. Sending lethal military aid to the Ukraine by an airlift would give Putin more reasons for keeping his troops in Russia. Sending MREs (meals ready to eat) to a country begging for defensive weapons is both dumb and insulting. No one wants a war between Russia and the West, least of all President Putin. A show of strength and resolve is needed to prevent war. The president and Congress should continue to impose sanctions that impact the Russian economy.

Next in line for the attention of a traditional president is the Middle East. First the president has to see the world as it is and not as he thinks it is or wants it to be. His tendency to favor Muslim Sunni positions won’t handicap his policy in what used to be Iraq.

First, throw your maps and mental images of yesterday’s Iraq and Syria away. Radical Muslim military power backed by Sunni nations has changed the landscape. It would take a sizable American force augmented by our allies to put Iraq and Syria temporarily back together. That is not going to happen, and it shouldn’t. Radical muslim regimes, like Iran and now the ISIS are nearly impossible to negotiate with. Our options are to back the Kurds with real military and economic support. The Kurds deserve their own nation and they will defend it. They are the last hope of Christians caught up in the dramatic advance of ISSI.

Sharia Law is now dealing harshly with Christians. The Kurds will take them in. America should help and immediately recognize the Kurdish nation. Forget trying to strengthen the Shiite government in Baghdad. Without U.S. troops on the ground to prevent abuse of the Sunni and Kurdish minorities by the al-Maliki Administration that plan could never work. Maliki and his government are openly a tool of Iran, another Shiite nation. Baghdad will probably be part of the ISIS Sunni group while the Shiites hold on to the part of Iraq south of Bagdad. With U.S. support, Jordan should be able to remain a sovereign nation, depending on its relations with its radical ISIS Sunni neighbor.

I’ll leave the Israel-Hamas conflict for another blog soon.

Read my latest book, “INSIGHTS: Transforming  America. Is this what we fought for? ” A paperback version is now out for under ten dollars. On Amazon’s Kindle the book is free. Please help pass the message.

 

 

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by | July 28, 2014 · 8:20 am

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 133

VETS AND TRANSFORMING

There is something about duty and honor that all veterans understand. It starts with “who can I trust to have my back and who keeps their word?” Those who fail those two measurements don’t serve with duty and honor. They just do the time and collect the retirement pay.

veteransI have to be careful here, for it has been a long time since I saw a gun fired in anger and attitudes change. I can’t get inside the head of a young veteran who is  three or four decades younger than I am. But I can speculate on the issues they are facing. The big one concerns their ability to provide for themselves and their families. Thousands of well-trained, battle-savvy soldiers, sailors, Air Force personnel, and Marines will be summarily discharged by a commander-in-chief who dislikes and distrusts the American military. He has traveled the world apologizing for their actions over the last several decades.

The damage to the security of America caused by this unjustified downsizing is bad enough but the hardship this progressive ideology places on our best citizens, current and future, is a national tragedy. It is also dishonorable. The secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs should resign rather than preside over President Obama’s ideological motivation to make American more equal to the rest of the world. Active duty troops discharged against their wishes is despicable treatment for their service. Troops facing this surprise attack must resent the leaders who betrayed them.

Where will they find employment? Medical care for them and their dependents?  From a dysfunctional VA? This government-run service has been operating since the Civil War. It is an ironclad example that the no government can or should run a large medical system. Once Obamacare takes hold, we will ALL be in a VA-like system. At least we will be sharing that hardship with our veterans. The high odds of newly discharged veterans finding employment commensurate with their needs are not likely to improve under Obama’s anti-business administration. Training programs are of questionable use and unemployment compensation does end. Will our veterans discharged for a president’s ideological whim view their predicament as anything but the government’s breaking of a promise? I hope they will use their talents and skills to elect a government that will keep its promises.

The Republican Party needs to outline what it will do for these troops. The best plan would be to cancel Obama’s plans to severely cut military troop levels. Next in line would be to pass a G.I. education bill that will enable all who have kept their part of the bargain to get an education that will make them employable in the civilian economy. Unless the Senate and the White House are retaken by the Republican Party, I’m afraid we will find our young veterans turning to food stamps and other government subsidies. Having our veterans become dependent on the government is fine with the progressive ideology of the president and his closest advisers. Is it okay with you?

Read “INSIGHTS Transforming of America  Is this what we fought for?”

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by | July 14, 2014 · 7:30 am

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 128

OBAMA AND THE MILITARY

Obama vs military

How did we get to the point where soldiers are being given termination of employment notice while in combat zones fighting for our safety and freedom? This is a new low for any president, his secretary of defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

After both world wars, America cut back on the troop level and budget of the armed forces. Then the respective presidents and the citizens believed wars were finally over and we could rely first on the League of Nations and later, the United Nations though they are both international organizations with more promise than results.

We should know better now.

The need for current troop levels and budget increases is real. Islam radicalism is real, as is their hatred for all things western and especially the United States. The Cold War is not over. It never was. Russia and China present real threats to the economic and military power of the United States. Diplomacy, no matter the narrow view of the liberal progressives now in power, cannot be effective without real military and economic power. This is political science 101, the most basic of all principles of the exercise of power.

There is a pervasive myth that is part of the code of the liberal left or progressive movement. Social welfare programs cannot be funded adequately if the resources allocated to the military cannot be drastically reduced. They would rather have an ineffective national defense than cap or limit social welfare spending. The myth is easily perpetrated among a social political group that sees no need for the military and its exercise of violent power. The Vietnam War did not create this liberal group who devoutly believe if they are good and just, all other nations will also be good and just. This belief has been here as long or longer than recorded history. The actions of the left toward our warriors returning from Vietnam will never be erased. This is the same political group that justifies President Obama’s Benghazi actions and the subsequent cover-up.

We all should be embarrassed at the actions of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the secretary of defense. They supported the president in the Benghazi tragedy and the cover-up, knowing it was wrong. In a democracy, a Constitution that designates the president as the Commander-in-Chief doesn’t excuse any military officer or civilian officer for  participating in a cover-up where Americans died without any attempt to rescue them. The Joint Chiefs do not have to act like mummies when they see the president’s secretary of defense destroying the best military force the world has ever known. They have a duty to resist and resign if necessary. Terminating the service of active duty military, officers, and troops while in a combat zone is inexcusable. There is no need for this. Funds can be found without damaging any sacred social programs. While the current debt is too high, the needs of the military is not the driving force of the national debt.

If the troops who are being fired for socialist reasons had jobs to go to, at least cutting the military force drastically wouldn’t be a humanitarian disaster. Thanks to the socialist need to transform American into a European socialist economy, there are no jobs for them to go to. Not only does this presidential action weaken America’s defense, it puts hundreds of thousands of able-bodied men and women into the ranks of the unemployed and hurts the morale of those who didn’t get cut.  Chief of the Joint Staff, General Dempsey and Secretary of Defense Charles Hagel, where is your sense of honor? It is time for you both to resign.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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