Wednesday, July 07, 2004

Crib Notes

Crib Notes
*Look, a Republican ammo dump! Whatever will they do with all of that ammunition?
*Britain’s rather flacid response to Iran commandeering their ships and kidnapping their troops will have consequences down the road, as Iran continues to push the coalition, knowing that we don’t care to push back at the moment.
*If we were to have another terrorist attack on American soil on par with 9/11, and all of the ‘experts’ seem to think that it is inevitable, what should our response be? The incomparable Victor Davis Hanson has some great thoughts here. Personally, after an attack, I think we should do a couple of things. First, re-institute the draft, but through a mandatory national year of service program for 18 year olds. Give ‘em a choice, hold them to it, and make voluntary military service one of the more attractive options. Any male who has not volunteered for service of some sort is then eligible for the draft. Heck, include females in there, too, just not for combat roles. Next, somebody will need to be made an example of. Who and what example we make would be dictated by the nature and nationality of the attackers. I’ll let my two readers use their imagination as to how best make these examples. Third, somebody gets an official declaration of war, be it Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, or whoever has the most culpability for the terrorists involved. And instead of this soft Axis of Evil rhetoric, we put these nations on official alert that we are lowering our threshold for holding them and the terrorists they support culpable for terrorist actions. VDH takes this a step further by attempting to preempt the next attack by making similar plans known ahead of time, thereby putting our enemies on notice to stop harboring and supporting terrorists. I like that idea, but I am nervous about 2 things. One, that plan could cost Bush the election because two, we just don’t have the will nor the back bone nor the spine for it right now.
*For the record, I despise the government mandating that the people do anything. In the example above, the mandatory national service plan would be up for renewal about once every three years or so. I think it is a fine wartime plan, a time when a nation can ask its young men and women to give for their country, but it is a terrible plan for peace time.
*When it comes to foreign policy, the left acts like a bunch of insecure teenage girls who want to be popular. “Look, there’s France. She’s so cool. Maybe we can be cool like her some day, too. Maybe we can even eat at her lunch table. What, oh, hi Germany! I saw your war 60 years ago. I’m sorry you lost, but you played hard. Did you see me cheering? Yeah, that was me. We can be you girlfriend? Really? I have to do what, though? If I do, will you tell me you love us? You will?! Swell! We don’t swallow, though. Well, unless you really want us to.”
*Ugh. The Johns are both lawyers. If they win the presidency, maybe they’ll peacefully sue Al Qaeda out of existence.

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