So then, why did he start wearing one again? If he had such an “evolved” philosophy about “true patriotism”, wasn’t it a purely craven political move during the campaign? He stated a high-minded sounding position, and then almost immediately reversed it for expediency and electability. Unfortunately this is what he does again and again, about everything. His statements of principles such as they are, are nothing but words.

BTW – wampaku/Chase – it’s good to hear from you again. Best of luck with your work in Anbar.

Wow, what a powerful statement and it’s completely true. Great to meet you Chase and thank you so much for serving.

How I have missed this crowd – the insight, love of country and principles, the experience, wisdom and intellectual zing of both the blog and all its participants! I discovered and vastly enjoyed S&L in 2006 as ‘wampaku” while working in Fallujah. Lack of decent internet access since then has prevented my habit until now…

Anyhoo, just wanted to add a little comment in regards to Gustav’s taunts – You know, the Dimmiesats preach a good line – the party that cares about the little people of America. Your post follows that line – that the party of soft-hearted, loose-brained Dimwits care more about the little people, even the Bootjacked, mindless stooges who out of desparation for a paycheck, or because they failed in academics, or need to get out of boring flyover America, become mercenaries to the industrial-military complex and don the flag-bearing uniform of the military. Wow, I am so amazed at your compassion, even over these that you sneeringly denigrate, indirectly, of course, most of the time.

Well, I just don’t get it. If the Libs are so concerned with the little guy in America, HOW come so many of the policies of your paternalistic Libs REALLY don’t do the little guy any good in the long run? How come most of the policies the self-serving professional politicians you install for life ((i.e., Byrd, Kennedy (any one of them)), despite their part-time work due to senility and drug/alcohol treatment center stays)) end up in reality to perpetually inhibit their freedom, their dreams, their opportunities, and their ability to see the light and grasp for means to lift themselves?

Your liberal loudmouths with their condescending paternalism bred at Harvard and Yale, etc, and their training in what was once the noble profession of law that is now a cloaked business misused to twist and spin and contort decency and rule of law to advantages for their elite colleagues, suppression of the masses, elevation of self, and conscripted allegience to their evil, self-serving political ends really don’t care about the common man.

The joke that is public schooling, the spectre of nationalized health, the hollowing out of the military, and the lack of reverence for patriot’s dream and traditional Judeo-Christian ethics? I could go on and on…. This is progress? This is elevating the common man, the continuation of the dream that has been America, the furtherance of ideals of freedom, individual happiness?

No, sir. Slime-bim-Bama is steering towards statism, all craftily frosted and decorated to be momentarily palatable to the masses they truly detest and despise.

The True Master said, among many other things, in regards to the poor and lowly, “They will always be with us.” No government instituted by man will change that. The liberal’s “Imagine” world, as expressed by John Lennon, can not be. BUT, you, Gustav, and your what’s-in-it-for-me millions of morals-addled cohorts believe government can solve all the ills, can be held accountable for the anecdotal mishaps of society, and relieve you of your feeling bad about life’s tragedies, so that you can go on with Voyeurism TV programming, and not really give a damn about the family down the street having a hard time. Let the taxes I blindly pay fix everything and leave me alone. That’s your mantra, your ideal, your “Imagine” world, your real level of involvement and the indicator of your real interest in your common man, and your feeling about freedom.

I laugh, with pity, at you. I cry over what your ilk has opened us up to, and pray more people rise from their intellectual stupor and end this nightmare before it is entrenched and normalized in America.

Thanks, S&L community, for keeping the faith, the hope, and for doing it so brilliantly, with verve, humor and zest!

Al Anbar Province

My Hubby used to shill for PIRG. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from a large state university, received top honors in the state upon entering a graduate program and eventually received an academic scholarship to a top-tier law school. It was in law school, after 9/11 and some other circumstances, that reality set in for both of us, and it became all too clear that liberalism doesn’t hold water.

I started off my college education, like the great Michelle Malkin, at Oberlin College, ever hear of it? And now I proudly call myself “neocon mom”, does that give you any idea of where your self-important, snooty, incurious theories about politics and human nature hold up under the weight of reality, you know, like when your “existential” crises become real crises?

But I would proudly say that it isn’t our education that most strongly qualifies our opinions. I think becoming a mom did it for me. A vocational education for me was eventually a lot more eye-opening, especially because in cooking school most of us aspire to be small business owners, and entrepreneur types are less likely to want to bend over and let big government ream them up the azz. You libs say you’re for the working man, then you turn around and make fun of how “uneducated” he is because he doesn’t understand just how beneficial your social programs are. What is the matter with Kansas anyway? You all know better than the rest of us, what’s best for us, isn’t that right?

My husband’s proudest accomplishment among many has probably been his offer of a commission to the Army J.A.G. corps (they weren’t even able to recruit at his law school).

As Maggie Thatcher said, “The facts of life are conservative.” A little humility and life experience might enable you to see that. You might have heard “pride comes before a fall”.

BTW, I love that Michelle is the most prominent and well-known graduate of Oberlin College. LOVE IT! Keep up the good work, Oberlin!

As for you, you’re like one of those media matters type callers who tries to fool Limbaugh or Levin into thinking he’s a disgruntled conservative. Your post reeks of the type of snark popularized by the lefty media.

Wearing green on Thursday also indicated you were queer, of course now it is a badge of honor.

Perez Hilton, call homo, I mean home.

In Latin, niger means black.

In Portuguese, nigre means walking dead.

In Portuguese, mulatto means mule.

In America, mulatto means affirmative action perfected.

Adherents of Marxism, Chicago thug politics, and ACORN might think twice before calling people on S&L “petty criminals.” If one were looking with an open mind for criminals, petty or otherwise, one might look first to the current thugocracy, including some of the President’s cabinet members, staff, economic advisors, constituents, and contributors.

Gustav: “time we waste on the wrong issues . . .”

Folks on S&L enjoy good jokes, fun, and wit. The deification of Nerobama by the media and in popular culture is certainly as funny as anything in Mark Twain or Henry Fielding. But we also have our serious side. Thus articles and postings on S&L have devoted considerable thought and commentary to subjects such as the war on terror, Iran, North Korea, the Taliban in Pakistan, America’s traditional allies, the state of Western Civilization, etc., issues on which the devine Nerobama and his thugocracy have yet to engage in any positive or meaningful way.

Gustav: “more important things than your imagined Obama/Anti-Christ nonsense.”

If the devine Nerobama is not the Anti-Christ it is not for his want of trying. For most of his life he has steeped himself in Marxism, radicalism, Islam, and black liberation theology. All of his known associates are people of the same mind. From almost his first day in office, he has fought a low level war with the Vatican. He has disrespected the Vatican by canceling his trip to Rome and in his choice of ambassadors. He is America’s foremost advocate on behalf of late-term abortions and of death for aborted babies born alive. For his speech at Georgetown University he required the University to cover up / remove its Christian symbols and the name of Jesus. He claims that America is not a Christian nation, while in Cairo praising America’s rootedness in Islam. This is a good start. Give him more time, and he just might make the grade.

Thank you for your counterpoints. I have heard a number of these points in discussions with people in the academy.

I am glad that you show some concern for veterans, since they perform an extremely service and all our freedoms rely upon their sacrifices.

Maybe you are in the military, or maybe you aren’t. One can never tell over the Internet. I can tell you this, however: Men and women who put on the uniform need our support, both physical and spiritual. Walter Reed Hospital was an example of a failure to show physical support. Liberal protesters and people who politicize Walter Reed Hospital to denigrate the war itself — the purpose for which sodliers, Marines, pilots, and sailors are willing to die — is an example of a failure of spiritual support.

In other words, you are right and wrong. You are right to argue for better services to veterans. But you are wrong to think that trashing Republicans and feeding the antiwar machine is less hurtful to military families than a hospital with inadequate services for veterans.

The smoking gun in your original post is that you immediately want to insult Republicans in the sentence where you introduce the question of medical care for veterans. It could not be more obvious that you only care about these men and women returning from battle, when their suffering supports your own political aims. Regarding who they are, and what values they hold, and why they risked their bodies and lives for a cause led by a Republican president, which you do not understand, you could not care less.

If wearing a flag pin is a hollow gesture, then you bringing up Walter Reed to cover for Barack Obama, delegitimize a hard-fought war, and insult the Republican Party, is even worse.

I thank you for joining this community and presenting an alternative argument. I thank you in advance for taking the time to read our responses and changing your own viewpoint in the face of persuasive evidence. I once opposed the Iraq War and protested against it, but later spoke to veterans and realized how hurtful my protests were. I signed up for the Army Reserves in my thirties because their arguments changed the way I thought so much. You should strive for the same openness.

Sincerely,

Robert O. Lopez