I'm Just So Very Tired

You know sometimes I get really tired of politicians and ring knockers* talking about the people in our military like they are pieces on a Risk board.
As you all know, I’m the Dad of three active duty soldiers who all have multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. As such, I have done all I could to keep most of my opinions about the different fronts in the war between friends, but now the people who are supposed to be smart about what needs to be done are just being stupid.
I have one boy in Iraq now and another who just learned that he has to get set for Afghanistan much sooner than the rotation schedule calls for, so I am tired of watching the leadership continue to drop the ball on this.
It is bad enough that with our military actively engaged in combat operations, the only thing that seems important is health care debates. Nothing else matters; it is healthcare and only healthcare we must have healthcare! All the while, we have General McChrystal doing his best Westmorland impression saying, “I need more troops in Afghanistan or we are going to lose.”
Well to hell with it already. Man I am tired of seeing our military (and yes, selfishly) my kids being in the middle of this. Exactly how much longer are we going to screw around with this before we can call it good.
Can anybody give me one good reason to still be engaged over there? Just one? Hussein is dead now and we blew it on bin Laden, they have Democratic governments (sort of) installed, regular elections and a uniformed military for self-defense. After all, their defense is their responsibility. We’re good! It’s their turn to run it.
If there were one more achievable objective to meet, I would not be complaining butI have kept my opinions tucked away for almost seven years now and I’m done.
All we are doing is staying engaged for the sake of being engaged. If you think that is a good idea, just ask the veterans of the Soviet Union about their little Afghanistan occupation and how things improve over time. You know, we used to call Russia’s occupation of Afghanistan the Soviet’s Vietnam. Does that make it Vietnam II for us?
It is time to put an end to the operations. All that can be accomplished has been accomplished. Our military has performed exceptionally, they have endured more than should have been asked and they continue to do so. Also, there is no shortage of young people who are trying to get into the military. There are actually waiting lists to leave for boot camp.
We have had over half the decade to take charge of Afghanistan and we have not done it. The time for games of political chess with live game pieces needs to end. If the President wants a legacy let it be ending our missions and returning the kids home. If they need to kill more Al Qaeda leadership, use the remote planes with tactical nukes attached to them-it makes a lovely sound and then we can all go home.
*A ring knocker is a military officer who is also a graduate of one of the country’s service academies, such as Annapolis.

That’s Some Bull

You know an awful lot of energy and time has been put into vilifying S.C. Representative Joe Wilson for his “You lie!” outburst during the president’s most recent prime-time camera grab. Let me make clear right off that I know Wilson was mostly wrong about that particular issue because the healthcare/health insurance reform bill does touch on the requirement for participants to be legal or documented, but it is vague in it’s guidelines. As is many parts of this issue that has gotten twisted and confused and seems to have lost the spirit of the idea, which was, in case you forgot, to make available to everyone basic health care..
Now many people think Wilson was wrong for his outburst, but I don’t. Even though he was wrong on topic, I loved the passion. Besides, there are many more reasons to hate Joe Wilson. Look up his stance on the Confederate flag debate in his state
That is something we have been missing for a very long time in our politics.
Think back over our history and ask yourself this question; wouldn’t it have been helpful if every now and then somebody stood up and cried Bull at a president or two? Think of decisions made throughout our brief history like going to war on the Asian Continent, South East and South West, and admitting Texas into the Union. If somebody had made a fuss, maybe just maybe things around here would be a bit different and lots of folks would still be alive.
George Washington, our first president, made a point of the fact that the office wasn’t a monarch or above anyone else and should be questioned about his decisions. Yet somehow, we have developed some type of collective reverence for the job that belies the fact that the office is a job someone is hired to do.
Our middle management folks in the house and senate need to call Bull when it’s obvious.
Have you ever watched any political coverage from Europe? Many folks in our government like to say how much more enlightened they are, well sometimes it gets so rowdy and loud in the British Parliament that the Prime Minister can’t even be heard. Somebody crying Bull would be tame for them.
We like to think ourselves refined and dignified in the fact that our politicians only criticize the president to inquisitive reporters, but we would be better served by our elected officials if they started to question the president’s (that’s any president) choices to his or her face. Let’s hold them accountable more often than every four years and start holding them accountable every single day. Who knows if they actually have to justify their decisions, maybe they will take the time to form them better instead of shooting from the hip on the campaign trail and then not being able to deliver on a deadline.
FYI just for fun, a poll conducted by Rasmussen, Monday, Sept. 14 shows that 34 percent of the nation's voters strongly approve of the way that Mr. Obama is performing his role as president. 37 percent strongly disapprove. What worries me is why the remaining 29 percent don’t care. That’s Bull.