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01/10/06

On The Right Side: Liberals need to wake up, be patriotic

By Tom Sears

I’ve heard enough. It’s time to take the gloves off. I am sick and tired of hearing my commander-in-chief and legitimately elected president (twice legally) being belittled, joked about, and especially being called a liar.

It’s not that it shouldn’t be expected toward a public figure (which we conservatives can take), but rather for the blind hypocrisy on the part of those behind it.

After all, it’s not long ago we conservatives were saying the same things about our president’s predecessor. One difference, though: We were right.

I have a multiple-choice test for you liberals to take. You are either:

(a) ignorant of the facts;

(b) ignoring the facts;

(c) envious;

(d) unpatriotic;

(e) all of the above.

I can’t believe you are still whining about 2000. Grow up and get over it. I would love to have serious, mature discussions with responsible people, but I don’t have a bit of time for the uninformed, overemotional individuals described above.

Some quotes from your leaders:

John Kerry, Jan. 23, 2003: "Without question we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator leading an oppressive regime. He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation. And now he’s miscalculating America’s response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction."

This was your presidential candidate. Did I mention your leader missed 76 percent of Senate Intelligence Committee meetings of which he was a member?

Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998: "If Saddam rejects peace, and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction."

Ted Kennedy, Sept. 27, 2002: "We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction."

Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002: "We know he has stored nuclear supplies, secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."

If you need more, send me an e-mail and I’ll get them to you.

Not to let facts get in the way, but what about the 10 times Saddam used WMDs previously, according to Sandy Berger? How about the pictures of weapons inspectors being held up at the front gates while all the trucks were hauling things away out the back? How about all the U.N. resolutions Saddam consistently ignored and violated?

Where are these weapons, you ask? What about the Downing Street memo? I will happily address those issues in a future column.

Now, how about the Democrats’ plan for Iraq. Oops, they don’t have one. They are getting worried, however. They are trying to come up with one so they can attempt to take credit for a U.S. victory when it happens.

Bush’s plan for victory was and still is the most logical and sensible one. He is the one who is most serious about his No. 1 obligation to U.S. citizens. That is our national security.

Notice how he doesn’t care about polls? He knows we are on the right course and will continue this strategy to completion. That is a sign of a true leader.

Liberals base all their decisions on which way the political winds are currently blowing without even considering what is best for the country.

You huffed and puffed, exuding patriotism shortly after 9/11 because that is what the public wanted. Now you have completely changed your position and want to bring our troops home, even if it would be disastrous for future U.S. security.

"I support the troops but not the war." That is such a hypocritical statement. It might make the person saying it feel good about himself or herself, but it is quite harmful to our troops. Even though all the anti-war talk hurts their morale, you continue to make such idiotic statements.

Even though you hear about all the good, positive things our men and women are accomplishing over there, you don’t give them any credit whatsoever as they return home.

They are bravely fighting the global war on terror. It just so happens that this war is currently taking place in Iraq. At least appreciate the fact that they are fighting for you and me, for our country.

Yes, I do question your party leaders’ patriotism (and yours if you support them). When was the last time they said something, anything, good about our country that wasn’t politically motivated? Can you think of just one or two? I doubt it.

We seem to forget the horrors of 9/11 so soon. Remember the innocent men and women who chose to jump to their deaths rather than burn alive? Remember the unbelievable acts of courage and heroism that occurred that day?

How about the vicious beheadings (two to three minutes each with screaming the whole time), the burned bodies and other acts of cruelty that have happened since then? We should all be required to watch those horrible images over and over so we don’t forget.

Please wake up and get on the Right side.

———

Tom Sears is a professor of accounting at Hartwick College in Oneonta and serves on the Unatego Central School Board of Education. He can be reached at SearsT@hartwick.edu. His column appears every other week.




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