Take a look at the photo at the top. Is there anything strikingly odd about the photo? What do you see? I see a “ridiculous” little Asian boy pretending to be a cowboy, and proud of wearing the get-up. I say “ridiculous”, because, of course, there weren’t really any Asian cowboys out in the Wild West. If anything, I should be playing the part of an Injun. But back then, at the time, I didn’t feel ridiculous. I thought I looked like Robert Conrad.

I was born in 1968, Phoenix, Arizona. My ethnicity? Thai. Beyond that, I have no knowledge of my birth heritage and biological parents, as I was given up for adoption. I do know that whatever the circumstances around my birth mother’s pregnancy, she loved me enough to carry me through 9 months to be delivered right away into the loving home of a young Air Force fighter pilot, wed to a Japanese woman in 1964 while stationed overseas. I couldn’t have been blessed with a more stable home or asked for more loving parents.

My parents never kept my adoption a secret from me. I’ve known all my life that I was adopted, so it never seemed strange to me. I do admit, however, that in college, it did begin to occur to me what a unique experience mine might be; and earlier in my pre-teens, I know I was self-conscious when visiting relatives (on my dad’s side….which consequently also affected my feelings when around my relatives from my mom’s side) in California of the fact that I was not blood-related to people who seemed to offer me unconditional acceptance and love. Still, it couldn’t erase the feeling that in a “skin-deep” sense, I didn’t belong. And it had nothing to do with how my relatives treated me. One of the experiences that really meant a lot to me was when my grandpa introduced me to his nurse as his grandson. My Dad and I had flown out to visit him in the hospital, because he didn’t have much longer to live. My grandfather was a short thin man; a fisherman and a cusser who was known as “Firpy” (my dad inherented the nickname) because in his youth he was scrappy (I believe there was a boxer named “Firpo”). He was not the kind of grandfather you felt comfortable to be bounced upon, on his knee, and run up to for hugs.

The reason why it was a healing experience to hear him tell the nurse that I was his grandson, was that a few years earlier, my mom in a moment of bitterness, told me the story of how Grandpa Phirpy apparently said to my Dad before he shipped to Japan, “I don’t care what you do over there, but don’t you dare marry a Japanese lady. If you do, I’ll disown you.” My dad said, “Alright”. But of course, things turned out different. And no, apparently he didn’t get disowned. But it was another experience in my maturation toward dealing with racism on a personal level.

My earliest memory of being race-conscious, was one day when I was about 4 or 5 living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. My mom took me to check out Tinkerbell Kindergarten. It must have been an open-house or something. I went out on the playground where two boys were playing on the monkey bars. They basically told me to go away and I couldn’t play there with them; they used racial slurs to reject me. Back then, children used to take their thumbs to stretch the corners out to mock those with “slant eyes”. I don’t see kids doing that these days. It was one of those experiences that began to shape my consciousness that there was something physically different about me from other “Americans”; that I didn’t physically resemble Robert Conrad. And I began to take a closer look in the mirror, to see what others were seeing that I had failed to see.

As a footnote, one of the two boys, Richard, became my best friend and neighbor when we moved into the house across the street. Subsequently, because of that, the other kid, Butch, grew to accept me, too. They were the first ones to teach me a rhyme involving the “N” word. In a moment of ignorant innocence and stupidity, I asked Dad, “Do you want to hear something funny?” And I told him the rhyme. He asked me to repeat it. I think even then, even without the incredulous tone of disbelief in his voice, I knew that I had said something bad. And as young as I was, 5 maybe, I am sure I was conscious of what that word was related to. Richard and I had sang it, while sitting in a car, watching an elderly black man getting into his car. I was ignorant of what I was saying, and yet, part of me I think was consciously aware, and not so blissfully ignorant.  My dad told me to never, ever say those words again.  I didn’t get spanked, but the verbal berating and the gravity in his tone of voice really made me feel ashamed.

My first girlfriend was in kindergarten. She was the only other Asian at Tinkerbell. Basically, she gave me no say in the matter of our relationship, and simply said, “You’re mine. I own you.” And I went along with it. Every recess, I had to pretend I was Little Joe (Michael Landon) from Bonanza. I still wanted to be James West, though.

I have a vague recollection of Bruce Lee from when I was really, really little. He must have been big, for me to have known about him without having actually seen any of his movies. Back then, and later when the Kung Fu TV series came out, if you were Oriental, you were expected to know karate chops and kung fu. The only Asian hero I remember who “looked like me” when I was young, was Ultraman’s alter ego, Science Patrol member Hayata. It came on in South Carolina, translated from the Japanese series, during the afternoon, hosted by a pretty woman called “Happy Rain”, dressed like an Indian. Other than Hayata, all of my heroes and role models growing up, the G.I. doll toys I played with, the T.V. and movie stars, were white male figures. When Star Trek was on, I didn’t want to be Lt. Sulu. I wanted to be Captain James T. Kirk, dammit.

Multiculturalists would tell the four year-old boy in the photo that he was being white-washed. They would tell the 40 year old blogger hammering this post out on his keyboard, that he is a twinkie: White on the inside, yellow on the out. If I were black, maybe I’d be an Uncle Tom and a sellout. I spent 6 years of my college time living with two of my teammates, who were brothers. They also happened to be middle-class black, from Alburqurque. One day, a student asked Greg, the younger brother, if he had been to any ASU meetings, lately. He replied that, “Yeah, we’ve been out there; we compete there sometimes.” (My roommates and I were on the gymnastics team- the older brother, Chainey, eventually making the ‘96 U.S. Olympic Team). The guy who asked Greg the question just shook his head and thought my roommate was so out of touch because Greg thought he meant had he been to Arizona State University; but what he really was asking is, had Greg attended any African Student Union group meetings.

UCLA is heralded as diverse and multicultural. That might be. But rather than a melting pot, half of what I saw were self-segregationists. On my way to class, down Bruin Walk, I could see the Chinese Student Union members mingling at the steps of Kerkhoff Hall; on the other side, ASU members hung out together. I attended one Pilipino student group meeting, and found myself turned off by the rhetoric of activism, which had an “Us vs. Them” mentality of persecution. I, as a non-Filipino, felt alienated because I didn’t identify myself through my skin-color. They didn’t know this, and probably thought I fit right in, due to my shared Malay heritage.

In college, I largely slept-walked (is that even a phrase? Does it matter? It is one now…) through student political activism and consciousness. That is probably a good thing, because even though my father always voted Republican, I was not “overtly” raised on conservative values and principles. My dad is not particularly political. He never really told me “You should think this way, you should not think that way” when it came to political thought. So, really, I was pretty ripe pickings for liberal indoctrination. It happened to some degree. Being an English major, I read a number of modern American literature focused on issues of multiculturalism and racism, with teachers to match. My poly sci professor came to class in tie-dye and Grateful Dead concert t-shirts, jeans, and sandals. He was a Marxist.

Liberalism was all around me, and somehow I was innoculated from much of the “damaging”, “brainwashing” effects, even without understanding and being exposed to conservative ideology.

It was only after 9/11, that my political conservative gene was activated. The events of 9/11 shaped my political identity and forced me to exercise a voice in the political direction that this country heads into. Responsibility for the future rests with each of us. I realize now, that there are no sidelines. No fence-sitting. Politics is vital to shaping our values, upholding our traditions, and steering the direction that our country heads into, in a post-9/11 world.

Going back to the NYTimes article….

My opinion is strictly my own and I do not pretend to speak for every person adopted by parents of a different ethnicity. That being said, I strongly disagree with the parents who feel it is necessary to force cultural heritage studies upon a child, based upon the child’s ethnic makeup and native culture. Especially if the child expresses non-interest. The Chinese adopted girls do not need to be raised to know intimately, Chinese culture. What they do need to be raised on, are American heritage, American values, American traditions. The adoptive parents are misguided if they feel obligated to give their child a Chinese name and raise a Chinese kid. What they need to do, is they need to raise an American kid and impart the knowledge, traditions, heritage, family history, religious beliefs, that they are familiar with.

My college roommates are now both doctors. They did not embrace Afrocentrism and black separatist nationalism. Nor have they been white-washed simply because they speak perfectly good English, have kept their “slave names”, and embrace and contribute to mainstream American society. That is not being “a sell out”. It’s participating in the American dream. It is enjoying the fruits of their labor in the land of golden opportunities. A country where any citizen regardless of race, gender, or class can grow up to become president.

Diversity is our strength; assimiliation, the glue that binds us all together. E(x) pluribus unum. Out of many, one.

Multiculturalism, as it is preached today, is not about celebrating the beauties of other cultures and appreciating mixed heritages. In the hands of leftists, it is about separatism and narcissism. It is the selfish need to replace already established American values and traditions with one’s native values and traditions. All cultures are not equal, when it comes to the historical shaping and founding of America. I am neither Jew, nor Christian; but I fully acknowledge and appreciate that it is what is commonly referred to as our Judeo-Christian values that enables us to tolerate, welcome, and embrace all other cultural heritages. That is at the core of America. When immigrating to this country, the core must be adopted. It is up to immigrants who wish to be American to adapt to American customs and values; not the other way around. Otherwise, we will dissolve into a nation of many nations and many people. Not one nation and one people. I am all for adding one’s unique cultural flavor to the mix; but I am not for replacing the established American “core” culture with one’s own.

So, who do you now see when you look at the photo at the top?

I see a young boy who will grow up secure in his own identity; who acknowledges his ethnic roots, but is not bound to it by the divisiveness of race and skin color. I see my past which came to shape my present.

And here I am, a proud and grateful American.

Happy Independence Day, my fellow Americans!

My first act to celebrate the 4th of July was to purchase ice cream from the Twistee Treat ice cream and water ice store in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia. The store is hard to miss as you can see in my cell phone photo above. The ice cream has never tasted sweeter than today. In addition to indulging in my chocolate ice cream addiction, I made a donation to the Injured Marine Semper Fi fund.

After indulging in the Dulce ice cream, I motored to Glenside to join my fellow Sheepdogs in the Independence Day Celebration & 105th Annual July 4th Parade. This is one of the largest, oldest and best-known parades in this region of the nation. The Chester County Victory Movement was honored to participate in this historic and patriotic parade in celebration of America.

A Heros Welcome is always a welcome addition to our Sheepdog road trips. One of our members participated in the parade on two wheels - two very nice wheels!

The Sheepdogs encountered cheers, clapping and shouts of encouragement from the crowd lining the sidewalk along the parade route. We were stunned by the outpouring of support from the parade attendees. The cheers continued from the begining to the end of the parade route - we felt like rock stars during the parade!

Along the route, we witnessed a father instructing his small children to stand up when our flags passed by. An elderly veteran slowly raised himself upright when he saw our flags passing by him. A couple of Sheepdogs took time to walk over to thank him for his service.

We had a wonderful time participating in this historic parade and look forward to next July 4th!

photo by Mike’s America

I’m so thankful I was born here!

You know how some people celebrate Christmas in July. I like to celebrate Thanksgiving on the 4th of July.

It’s a day to be truly thankful to be an American. It’s such an amazing country that millions around the world will stake everything they have to get here and enjoy the same freedom that those of us who were born here enjoy every day. Some new arrivals may think we take our freedom for granted (read the story of one first generation American who thanks his mother for coming here). Well, that may be true for some Americans (and we know who we are talking about don’t we?) but it’s not true for me.

Today is a celebration of Thanksgiving for being so fortunate to live in one of the greatest nations that ever blessed the surface of the earth.

It’s a day to be proud of our accomplisments, our history and the hard won freedom that made it all possible.

Celebrate with music

Two favorites here: Lee Greenwoods “Proud to be an American” and the US Air Force Band’s jazz version of “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” If you are done with loud sounds for the day and ready to mellow out, how about the USAF Band’s instrumental version of “America the Beautiful?”

Powered by Podbean.com…

More links to patriotic music downloads at the bottom of this post.

If I had to choose one word to sum up this day I would choose sacrifice. Those who sacrificed everything, their money, their positions in society, their lives, to sign that Declaration should be honored in every way possible. This is not a day to just gaze at fireworks. This is a day to reflect on those who sacrificed everything, including their lives so that we may live in a free land.

Just today over a thousand men and women chose to re-enlist in Iraq, willing to sacrifice everything just as our founding fathers did:

How are you spending your 4th of July holiday? While most Americans probably slept, 1,215 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines raised their right hands and committed to a combined 5,500 years of additional service during the largest reenlistment ceremony in the history of the American military. Beneath a large American flag which dwarfed even the enormous chandelier that Saddam Hussein had built for the Al Faw Palace, members of all services, representing all 50 states took the oath administered by Gen. David Petraeus, Commander of Multi-National Forces Iraq.

Petraeus, reiterating earlier remarks made by Command Sergeant Major Hill, said that the unprecedented ceremony sends a “message to friend and foe alike.” He told those assembled that it is “impossible to calculate the value of what you are giving to our country . . . For no bonus, no matter the size, can adequately compensate you for the contribution each of you makes as a custodian of our nation’s defenses.”

~~~

Each of the reenlistees knows full well the costs of war, and yet, they chose to stand with their units, their mission, and each other. It was as humbling an experience as I have ever witnessed. On this 4th of July, while you celebrate around grills and coolers all across America, keep in mind the 1,215 who allow us that privilege.

Take a look yourself at the sacrifice made. One of those heroes:

I honor and salute the sacrifice of our Founding Fathers, and those who proudly serve this country today.

Those men and women are but one reason why this country is great. Cassandra at Villainous Company put it best:

I love my country not because she is perfect, but because she wants so badly to be.

~~~

America is not a destination but a journey and in loving her, we must not become so firmly fixed upon the goal that we lose heart when we stumble a time or two upon the road. For stumble we will. After all, we are but human; all too imperfect clay with which to form the more perfect union our founding fathers envisioned.

The whole post by Cassandra should be required reading, please check it out.

And with that, I wish you all a Happy 4th of July. While watching those fireworks tonight don’t forget to start that new ritual, recite the preamble of the Constitution.

Happy Independence Day Everyone. I’m off to a parade

EXIT QUESTION: Which one of these two kids is running for President in 35yrs or so?

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I’m offended by the Candidate of Unity…

I was hoping he’d be a different kind of candidate…one who would be all things to all people. But look here. Do you feel left out of the Hyphe Nation?

Where’s the campaign sticker that says, “Thai-Americans for Obama”? How dare he lump me in under the umbrella moniker, “Asian Americans Pacific Islanders for Obama” (or “AAPIS” for short). I’m special, dammit, and I demand my own subcategory!

Why no “Muslims for Obama”? Why no “Trial Lawyers for Obama”? Why no “Teachers Union for Obama”? “Biracials for Obama”? “Photographers for Obama”? “Journalists for Obama”? “Surfers for Obama” (in ‘04, I saw “surfers for Kerry” stickers, I kid you not!)? “Grannies for Obama”? “Climate Change Scientists for Obama”? “Homeless for Obama”? “Millionaires for Obama”? “Billionaires for Obama”? “Hollywood for Obama”?

What’s neat, is I could actually fit into several categories: “People born on Feb 27th for Obama”…..”40-somethings for Obama”….”UCLA alumni for Obama”…..”Californians for Obama”….”Bloggers for Obama”….”Origami Paperfolders for Obama”…..”Gymnasts for Obama”….if only his campaign would get on the ball, I could support them by buying up several buttons to represent all the categories I fall under; it’d be more fun than stamp collecting. I could plaster my car to look like a hippie mobile with multiple “(Fill in the Blank) for Obama” bumperstickers. The more I have, the more the illusion that more and more people of diverse backgrounds supports the Messiah of Messy Unity.

Where are the stickers to represent “Gunowners for Obama“? They have “Republicans for Obama”, so I can’t understand, for the life of me, why they can’t also have “Pro-lifers for Obama”, represented. Can’t Castro and Chavez sport around a nifty “Dictators for Obama” baseball cap? Why not go international? “Germans for Obama“…..”Obama Japan for Obama“….”Europeans for Obama“…..”Brits for Obama”….”Illegal aliens Undocumented Immigrants for Obama”….

Since the only categories he lists in his “peoples section” on his campaign website are the following:

Asian American Pacific Islanders for Obama
African Americans for Obama (I’m assuming you don’t actually have to have been born in Africa to qualify…..but you know what they do say about “assume”….)
Americans Abroad for Obama (You have got to be crapping me?! Check it out:

“The disappointment that so many around the world feel toward America right now is only a testament to the high expectations they hold for us. We must meet those expectations again, not because being respected is an end in itself, but because the security of America and the wider world demands it.

This will require a new spirit—not of bluster and bombast, but of quiet confidence and sober intelligence,
-Senator Obama

I guess it’s up to Americans Abroad to insure that we meet the “global test” )
Americans with Disabilities for Obama (Personally, I feel this is way too broad of a category…it’s wrong to simply “lump” everyone with disabilities into one category like this….he should subdivide this into”Blind for Obama (think of all the cute and clever slogans), “Hearing impaired for Obama” (”Deaf for Obama” and “Hard of Hearing for Obama” would be going to far, of course), “Wheelchairs for Obama”, “Those with Mental Illness for Obama”, Midgets & Giants The Vertically Challenged for Obama, etc.

Environmentalists for Obama
First Americans for Obama Here’s the opening statement:

First Americans for Obama is a community of people dedicated to bringing positive change to American politics and breaking the cycle of partisan ideology.

Uh, yeah….good luck with that. I didn’t know what a “First American” was until I read it here. I thought “Native Americans” was PC enough to distinguish between your generic “Indian” and confusion over “Indian-Americans” from India…. So who were the “Second Americans”? Vikings? Or were they first? I’m so confused….

Generation Obama
Kids for Obama (I guess this is where Baby Alex fits in)
Labor for Obama
Latinos for Obama
LGBT for Obama (Obama Pride)-Amusing how they don’t even spell out what the initials stand for….
National Delegates for Obama
Organizing Fellows for Obama
People of Faith for Obama (well, I guess if I were a Muslim, I need not be offended by exclusion…this is where I could fit in, along with Christians, Jews, scientologists, Buddhists, etc., etc., etc…..). He’s not intentionally trying to distance himself from Muslims, is he? That would just make him an atypical typical politician….
Students for Obama
Veterans for Obama One cannot run a political campaign without representative backing and photo-ops with this group. Obama statement on Army Suicide Report:

Today’s news is a tragic reminder of the staggering and ongoing costs of the Iraq war, particularly on our troops and their families. We are more than five years into this war, and the Pentagon and VA are still unprepared to treat the unseen wounds of battle. We know that incidence of psychological injury increase with each additional tour of duty in Iraq, and that our troops are not getting the support they need. Too many are falling through the cracks because they need help but feel they can’t get it. When I am President, we’ll hire more mental health professionals, increase training to recognize the signs and to reject the stigma of seeking care, and enhance mental health screening and treatment from enlistment, to deployment, to reentry into civilian life. It’s time to serve our troops as well as they have served us.

Our veterans do deserve the very best care. Not just lip service….and political spin. Michael Medved on on Soldiers and Suicide:

Leading media outlooks love to portray military personnel as victims, including a recent news item with the alarming headline: “Army Suicides Increased in 2007.” Sixteen paragraphs highlighted the fact that 115 members of the armed forces took their own lives last year, compared to 52 in 2001. While the Associated Press sought to connect these grim statistics to the war on terror, Army records show that 65 percent of suicides stemmed from broken relationships, not battlefield trauma. Moreover, the end of the news story noted that the civilian suicide rate – when adjusted for similar age and gender mixes–was actually higher than the rate in the military: 19.5—as opposed to the troops’ 18.5—per 100,000. In other words, despite alarmist packaging, serving in the armed forces makes you less likely, not more likely, to take your own life.

Also, read this from CJ, regarding Question 21.

Women for Obama On the website:

“Women have always made the difference in every election, and this year, your voice, your hope will be the deciding factors in forging a new future for America.”

— Barack Obama
Launch of California Women for Obama
September 7, 2007

In the news:

“If women take a moment to realise that on every issue important to women, John McCain is not in their corner, that would help them get over it,”- Senator Obama, allegedly said to Congresswoman Yvette Clark at a meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus

Whoa….man!

That’s it?!?! What a short list of special interest groups….so many are left out; so much potential for hurt feelings, inferiority complex, and alienation. This is the divisiveness of diversity. Why not simply unite the country under one slogan: “Americans for Obama”? That would be keeping the message simple. That would be true unity. But maybe that would look too simple….like only one group (AMERICANS!!!!!!) supports Obama rather than a multi-coalition of different groups and interests.

De-hyphenate, me, please: I stand with all Americans who support John McCain.

Hat tip to Mata Harley, who still smarts over the fact that Senator Obama snubbed her by not having “Harley Riders for Obama” featured on his campaign website. (suggestion for sticker slogan: “Senator Obama: we harley knew thee”)

Admittedly, McCain does have his special interest section too: “Lawyers for McCain” and “Veterans for McCain”. But the maverick senator of Arizona gets a pass….those classifications are not based upon the superficiality of race and gender identity, and over-indulging “feel good” abundance.

I do so specifically to remind me that the 4th of July is not about the BBQs we enjoy, or the colors dancing in the sky that we never associate with bombs of war, but instead fill us with awe and excitement. These simple pleasures of our daily lives are merely the fruits of what many brave souls secured for us when thirteen colonies decided to defy England, and create a new nation on July 4th, 1776.

Resulting from our predecessors’ signatures on the Declaration of Independence, and their extraordinary dedication to creating “the land of the free, and home of the brave,” our current US Constitution - creating an entirely unique government of “We the people” - was drafted 11 years later.   Our place in history as a nation was born.

As a child of 1950s-60s education, we were required to memorize the Preamble to the Constitution… and to this day, I’ve never forgotten. So if you’re looking for a private and quiet reminder of the true importance of this day, I invite you to share my own, longstanding ritual. Perhaps we can start a trend, yes?

If you’ve forgotten, it’s posted below to remind you. And may this Independence Day be filled with the blessings of Freedom for you all.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

From the Library of Congress: George Washington’s personal copy of the Declaration. General Washington had this Declaration read to his assembled troops on July 9 in New York, where they awaited the combined British fleet and army.

Mata Harley posted an interesting link to the U.S. Archives site which invites readers to “sign” their own copy of the Declaration of Independence and print it out.

That reminded me of the wisdom of one of my favorite original signers: Samuel Adams of Massachusetts (bio from Library of Congress).

Here assembled are several quotes of Mr. Adams’ wisdom. What strikes me most is how these words still ring with truth today. They are also “self evident” and can fit a variety of discussions of today’s political issues.

As a tribute to the Declaration , I would like to reflect on the words of one of the signers: Samuel Adams of Massachusetts:

The said constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.

A general dissolution of the principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy…. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but once they lose their virtue, they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader…. If virtue and knowledge are diffused among the people, they will never be enslaved. This will be their great security.

How strangely will the Tools of a Tyrant pervert the plain Meaning of Words!

The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.

Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: first, a right to life; secondly, to liberty; thirdly to property; together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner they can.

It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.

If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.

The right to freedom being the gift of Almighty God, it is not in the power of man to alienate this gift and voluntarily become a slave.

It is a very great mistake to imagine that the object of loyalty is the authority and interest of one individual man, however dignified by the applause or enriched by the success of popular actions.

If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.

–Samuel Adams

Reader Question:

Which is your favorite Samuel Adams quote and how do you see it in relation to today’s political discussions?

Is Obama about to drop his longstanding promise to end the war in Iraq in 2009 if elected?

Today certainly must have been a distressing day for Obamatons who had concerns about his flip flops on so many issues lately, but thought they could count on him to withdraw in Iraq.

“Refine My [Iraq] Policies”
Barack Obama
Fargo, ND
July 3, 2008

“I’ve always said that the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed,…And when I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I’m sure I’ll have more information and will continue to refine my policies.”

As Allahpundit points out, this isn’t the first time Obama has fudged on Iraq. And it’s got his lefty base of defeatists worried that the worst flip flop of all is about to fall.

Readers may recall that Obama refused to pledge to have all U.S. troops out of Iraq by 2013 in the September, 2007 debate. Is he now about to flip back to that earlier flop?

Is this the “change” that the Obamatons so desperately want to believe in? Or is it the unmasking of a charlatan who successfully bamboozled and dazzled millions into believing he was something new: a politician they could trust?

It will be interesting to see the reaction from liberals like Political Overload, who are already on edge about Obama.

Hope After Obama

For Dems disgusted with Obama flip flops, there is hope. They can join this happy bunch, as they build a wildly energetic nationwide movement.

That’s change you can believe in.

The Colombian Army rescued safe and sound ex presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, three US citizens and 11 military officers held as hostages by the rebel Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC), on Wednesday announced Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos.”They were rescued in an operation aimed at infiltrating the FARC first squad, the same that has held a large number of hostages for years.

Through several procedures, we also could infiltrate the FARC Secretariat. Since hostages were divided into three groups, we managed to have them gathered at one single place and then moved to the south of the country, where they would supposed to report to (new FARC top leader) Alfonso Cano,” said Santos.

Wow, FARC holding political and political hostages? How very terrorist of them.

What was it that Chavez said about FARC?

CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) –Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called Friday for Europe to remove from its list of terrorist organizations two Colombian groups — including FARC, the group that freed two hostages Thursday in a mission Chavez organized. During his televised State of the Union speech, Chavez — an outspoken enemy of the Bush administration — insisted Europe includes the two groups on its terror list only because of “pressure” from the United States,an which also names them on its list of foreign terrorist organizations. “I request from the governments of the continent that they will remove the FARC and the ELN,” Chavez said.

The only people clinging to the validity of chavez and his appeal to remove FART from the list of terrorist organization are John Grant and a representative of the former mayor of Macon, Ga:

Visit this page for more fascinating details on the Declaration of Independence, including informative facts and history, as well as an article by Stephen E. Lucas on the Stylistic Artistry of it’s literary political prose. This is, in itself, the most worthy read.

Beginning excerpts to titillate you:

The Declaration of Independence is perhaps the most masterfully written state paper of Western civilization. As Moses Coit Tyler noted almost a century ago, no assessment of it can be complete without taking into account its extraordinary merits as a work of political prose style. Although many scholars have recognized those merits, there are surprisingly few sustained studies of the stylistic artistry of the Declaration. (1) This essay seeks to illuminate that artistry by probing the discourse microscopically–at the level of the sentence, phrase, word, and syllable. By approaching the Declaration in this way, we can shed light both on its literary qualities and on its rhetorical power as a work designed to convince a “candid world” that the American colonies were justified in seeking to establish themselves as an independent nation.(2)

Continue reading here…

My second favorite Reagan photo. Taken by me November 16, 1988 on the occasion of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s last State Visit to the White House. She worked hand in hand with President Reagan to defeat communism and make the world a safer place with real peace and real justice to those trapped for decades behind the Iron Curtain.

Everyone alive at the time knows that Ronald Reagan was a strong anti-communist. He used to make some real funny jokes about communism and it drove the lefties in this country mad. Not only did do the lefties have an affinity for the state control over every aspect of life that communism represents (global warming anyone?) but they thought that Reagan’s Cold Warrior personna, even in humor, was dangerous and could upset the Reds.

We’ll Reagan did upset the Reds. And Reagan also caused the Soviets to see that he wouldn’t back down and that it was in their best interests to end the Cold War.

And Reagan was right.

Here now are three jokes from the Newsmax collection: “Reagan’s Greatest Laughs.”

Happy 4th Of July!

By way of Bottomline Upfront:

Fifteen of Eighteen Benchmarks Met in Iraq (outperforming our own Congress, of course)

BBC Reports on the Rebirth of Baghdad (also reported in Der Spiegel)

Also, from an unpublished blogpost I started about a week ago:

Progress of Iraqi Army, including logistics.

Turnabout in Iraq a ‘Miracle’

So which presidential candidate was correct about the Surge strategy? 

Senator Obama, or Senator McCain?  Which candidate refused to meet with General Petraeus, make a trip to Iraq- even if for nothing more than a photo-op- and see for himself what the current conditions on the ground might be like, in aftermath of the New Baghdad Security Plan? 

Senator McCain supported the Surge strategy, without flinching at the possible political damage he may incur from such an unpopular position; he was steadfast and stubborn at a time when so many Americans were growing war-weary (even though most are at the mall, and not personally investing of themselves in the Iraq Battle and in the Long War), because McCain understood the high cost of failure. McCain did the right thing, even when it wasn’t the popular position to take, and staked his political life on the Surge:

“The decline in the polls of [McCain], as measured against [Clinton], reflects more than declining Republican popularity nationally in the weeks after the election,” writes Novak in his exclusive report. “It connotes public disenchantment with McCain’s aggressive advocacy of a ’surge’ of up to 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq.”

Here is Senator McCain supporting the Surge strategy, before it became cool to do so:

 Sen. John McCain said that he is willing to stake his presidential campaign, as well as his political career, on his support for the war in Iraq.

In an interview with reporters on the back of his campaign bus, the “Straight Talk Express” Monday afternoon, McCain said that even in retrospect he would still have voted to authorize the war, as he did in 2002.

“I think there’s no question,” said the Republican’s likely presidential nominee. “I owe too much to these young people who are serving there to let political considerations interfere with what I know is right.

“I believe the American people, over time, will side with me, but if they don’t I’ll accept that,” he said. “I’d much rather lose a political campaign than lose a war.”

With McCain, I get the sense that even if I don’t agree with his convictions all of the time, at least he stands by them. With Obama, I get a chameleon whose keyword is, “change”.

President Bush will soon decide whether to close Guantanamo Bay as a prison for al-Qaeda suspects, sources tell ABC News. High-level discussions among top advisers have escalated in the past week, with the most senior administration officials in continuous talks about the future of the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay–and how it will be dramatically changed and/or closed in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling that gave detainees there access to federal courts.

Sources have confirmed that President Bush is expected to be briefed on these pressing GTMO issues–and may reach a decision on the future of the naval base as a prison for al Qaeda suspects–before he leaves for the G8 on Saturday. An announcement, however, is not expected before he leaves the country.

High-level administration officials say the Court’s decision dramatically changes the legal landscape–and raises questions about whether the government has solid evidence to present to federal judges to justify ongoing detentions.

Just a few minutes ago Bush said a decision is not imminent, but nonetheless it now forces the United States to either put them into our court system where foreign terrorists caught on foreign soil will get the same rights as those native to this land, release them, or turn them back over to their home countries.

Rendition seems to be the easiest way to solve this problem. Putting these terrorists on trial in civilian courts will make a mockery of our War on Terror, the left knows it and rejoices in it. They could access sensitive confidential intelligence and they could use the trial as propaganda to further their war. This should not be allowed to happen. Bypass it and let their home countries deal with them.

Some countries would release them, some would not. Either way the Supreme Court has forced our hand and while some may be released I have no doubt they will return to the battlefield where our forces can then do what should of been done in the first place. Execute them on the battlefield as illegal combatants.

UPDATE

Jihad Watch posted a timely link to an article by Barry Rubin about the fact that Hitler, prior to WWII was believed to have changed because of prison. How wrong we were:

Each day we’re told that radical Islamists, terrorists, and assorted extremists are going to moderate, so why not negotiate with them, appease them, defuse their grievances, have dialogue, and then everything will be okay.

But, those who are doubtful, argue, shouldn’t we have learned from history that militant ideologies are not prone to compromise and ruthless dictators don’t change their stripes. You cannot appease them, they don’t go away; displays of weakness make them more aggressive.

Oh, no! Not the Nazi analogy again!

And yet what can you say when confronted with this New York Times headline of December 21, 1924:

“Hitler Tamed By Prison; Released on Parole, He Is Expected to Return to Austria.”

[This is not a satire. See for yourself]

The correspondent explains that Hitler, once a demigod for the extreme right, was released on parole from the Landsberg fortress where he had been sent for trying to overthrow the democratic German government in what has come to be known as the Beerhouse Putsch.

Prison, the article continues, seems to have moderated him. The authorities were convinced that he presented no further danger to the existing society. In fact, it was expected that he would abandon public life and return to his native land, Austria.

Well, that problem was certainly solved easily.

And also the Times learned its lesson, hasn’t it?

As the newspaper explained in a June 30 editorial:

“Few countries can afford the luxury of limiting their diplomacy to friendly countries and peace-loving parties. National security often requires negotiating with dangerous enemies.”

Right. And believing their protestations of moderation, making concessions to them, ending sanctions, blaming ourselves for problems, and never using force is the actual content of such negotiations.

Then the leaders of Hamas, Hizballah, Syria, Iran, the Muslim Brotherhoods, al-Qaida, North Korea, Zimbabwe, Sudan, etc., will no doubt be tamed, abandon public life, and go back to their homes.

Henry Kissinger once told the joke–or at least is credited for doing so–that it is very easy to have the lion lay down with the lamb, as long as you put in a new lamb every day. Kissinger no doubt little expected at the time that this would become the democratic world’s favored strategy. No surprise that the main villain for the politically correct West is Israel, the lamb that refuses the honor.