1/9/10 Weekly Republican Address: Rep. Pete King (R-NY)

Will This Plot Help to Get Obama's Mind Right?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,581370,00.html

The above story came from the London Times by way of Fox News. Yemen claims it is overwhelmed with Islamic fundamentalist terror suspects and that it does not have the capability to counter them. Warnings have also emerged that this weeks terror attempt was not the only plot.

The media jumped on Republican criticisms of Obama's handling of this issue in wake of the foiled terror plot. However, Al Quaida's new aggressiveness demonstrates the fact that weakness invited this attempt. They knew that President Bush or a Republican successor would not hesitate to respond with all deliberate force to a terror attempt. Obama's victory last November and subsequent apology tour bore the fruit of an attempt to murder as many innocent Americans as possible.

Obama's conciliatory approach to Islamofascism needs to end. His apologies for America seeking to expand freedom to all peoples must end. Otherwise we are in for more, not less danger. Weakness will invite a war that shall never end. Firmness and resolve will destroy our enemies.

While Democrats debate the destruction of our economy, terrorists have been plotting again to harm us. We must hit back hard.

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) Senate Floor Remarks on Afghanistan

Please accept an American Citizens apology for what our President has done

Embassy of the Republic of Poland
2650 16th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
daria.nowak@msz.gov.pl

Dear Ambassador,

The American people stand with the people of Poland in defense of your nation. We thank you for your support in the War on Terror. Our President announcing he would not defend your nation and ours on the 70th Anniversary of the Soviet invasion of your nation was wrong and without feeling. It is not the feeling of most Americans. We appreciate your nation being our ally. May God bless Poland and the Polish people.

With Warm Regards,
Gary Howell

Proud to be an American

200 years ago Islamic Pirates attacked ships off the world’s coast lines. They captured crews and ships and held them for ransom. It was then and seems to be now the policy of most of the world’s nations to pay the ransom and move on. Let’s face it, it is cheaper than confronting them, but it does nothing to stop the problem.

When the Islamic Pirates tried the same thing with a newly formed nation of the world, they found something different. At first the new nation tried to negotiate. In 1786 Thomas Jefferson and John Adams tried to negotiate with a representative of the terrorist. They were told, “It was written in their Koran, that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave; and that every muslim who was slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise” by Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja.

This didn’t set well with the new nation and they responded in a way that the Islamic Pirates didn’t figure. The young nation sent its Navy to take on the pirates. On August 1^st, 1801 the frigate USS Enterprise engaged and defeated an Islamic Pirate ship in the Mediterranean that had been attacking US shipping. It was the first time that a nation had stood up to the Islamic terrorist. For the next few years the US Navy patrolled the Mediterranean defeating the terrorist on the high seas and US Marines attacked on shore. The battle of Tripoli, Libya is remembered in the Marine Hymn as one if the first overseas battle of the US Marines and it was against the Islamic Terrorist.

Fast forward almost 200 years and Palestinian Terrorist capture the Italian cruise liner Achille Lauro On October 7, 1985. They single out a defiant American in a wheel chair, Leon Klinghoffer, shoot him and throw him overboard. Islamic terrorist are extremely brave. After local authorities negotiated with the terrorist they were allowed to fly to Tunisia as had happened many times in the past with terrorist. This time it was a little different as couple US Navy F-14 Tomcats showed up and forced the plain to land in Italy. Again we don’t react like the rest of the world.

September 11, 2001 America was attacked by terrorist, but once again Americans reacted differently. On Flight 93 with knowledge of what was going on Americans took the initiative and attacked their highjackers. Unfortunately they lost their lives, but they stopped further deaths in Washington. The terrorist never expected Americans to fight back, but they should have.

Off the coast of Somalia, like 200 years before, Islamic Pirates attacked a US cargo ship. They expect the crew to acquiesce like other nations, but true to form the American crew fought back. The captain Richard Phillips allowed himself to be taken hostage to protect his crew and the ship was retaken by its crew. The captain now a hostage escapes only to be recaptured, but the second time he escapes the US Navy, like 200 years before is ready. With Captain Phillips in the water the Navy finished the negotiations for his release with hot lead. Not a result the Islamic Pirates expected.

Problem is, they should have expected it and the rest world should expect it. For more than 230 years we have been reacting the same way, starting with our revolution when a bunch of farmers took on the most powerful military in the world to overthrow tyranny. We believe in freedom and whether we are in the military or not we will defend our freedom. We don’t wait for help to arrive we take the initiative.

I have always been proud to be an American, but today I stand a little taller, walk a little prouder and see the colors of the flag a little brighter. I am not the rest of the world. I am an American.

Somali Pirates, Q-Ships and Convoys

As early as 1783 Islamic Pirates were attacking US Merchantmen off the coast of Africa capturing them and demanding ransom. In 1786 Thomas Jefferson and John Adams tried to negotiate with a representative of the terrorist. They were told, “It was written in their Koran, that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave; and that every muslim who was slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise” by Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja.

On August 1^st, 1801 the frigate USS Enterprise engaged and defeated an Islamic Pirate ship in the Mediterranean that had been attacking US shipping. It was the first time that a nation had stood up to the Islamic terrorist. Europe then as now just paid ransom and practiced a process of appeasement with terrorist. For the next few years the US Navy patrolled the Mediterranean defeating the terrorist on the high seas and US Marines attacked on shore. The battle of Tripoli, Libya is remembered in the Marine Hymn and was the first time America took on the Islamic Terrorist and won over 200 years ago.

Today the Islamic Pirates are at it again off the coast of Africa. They captured another US Merchantmen, the “Maersk Alabama,” but unlike the other Merchantmen of the world, the US crew fought back. After 200 years the Islamic Pirates have forgotten how Americans react, but the US Navy must respond as it did 200 years ago.

The world has changed, but the one thing the terrorist understand hasn’t and that is a show of force. We learn from our history, or at least we should. Two things that have worked in the past will work here. The first is to form convoys as was done in World War I and II. This is where merchant ships form a fleet and are escorted through hostile waters by armed naval vessels. This has worked in the past and will work here. The Somali Pirates would be fools to take on actual warships.

Since the Islamic Pirates are not likely to attack an escorted convoy, they will look for easier prey, those lone ships that wander into their hunting ground. This is where the Q-Ships come in. Q-Ships were used to lure German U-boats to the surface in both World War I and II. The Q-Ships look like normal merchant vessels, but in reality caring no cargo. They are crewed by navy personal, carried hidden heavy weapons, and the cargo holds are filled with empty oil drums to keep them afloat should they be damaged in battle. When the U-boats would surface to attack the unarmed merchantmen, the Q-Ship reveals its armament and attacks. Today a modern Q-ship would be the perfect weapon to take on the Muslim Pirates and destroy them, leaving enough survivors to warn other pirates that all merchantmen are not what they appear. On second thought leave no survivors, let them all come out to engage the Q-Ships.

War Report Says that Poor Planning Undermined US Military Success. The Question Is, Which War Do They Mean?

Could it be the American Revolution where it took some time to realize that part time militia would not defeat hardened British regulars? Washington took years to develop and train the kind of army that would defeat the famous "thin red line."

How about the War of 1812? Our naval strategy of attacking merchant ships with frigates worked temporarily, until the main British battle fleet reached the East Coast and laid down a stifling blockade.

During the Civil War the United States Army rushed into the disastrous First Bull Run (or Manassas if you are from Hardy, Hampshire, or Pendleton County.) The Union Army, woefully unprepared for its first major engagement, drunkenly maneuvered its way to a complete rout that almost gave the enemy the national capital.

The Spanish American War saw ten times more people die of illness than bullets. The rendezvous point for the expedition to Cuba was in a swampy town called Tampa. In 1898, it was not a vacation dream spot.

World War II saw Douglas MacArthur get his teeth kicked in in the days after Pearl Harbor. He had several years to prepare for a sneak attack by the Japanese. They did not even sneak, but they did destroy most of his planes on the ground. The initial naval response in the ABDA fleet was less than effective. In the opening month of the war a handful of Marines and civilians on Wake Island became national heroes by sheer pluck. Our opening battle against the Germans at the Kassarine Pass was a disaster as well.

Up until that point the Mexican War (because of the ineptness of the enemy) and World War I (due to the exhaustion of the German Army) represent two unusual times when the military started a conflict and did not have to face a staggeringly destructive learning curve. Bull Run cost the Union Army 2,800 dead while Kasserine Pass resulted in 6,500 dead and the US commander being sent stateside for the remainder of the war.

Of course the report referred to the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of the War on Terror. Some assumptions and ideas were proven wrong and the military may have taken too long to adjust its tactics and personnel. However, the loss of men was not as great as in the initial stages of wars that history looks back upon as strongly successful. With the advent of democracy and stability in Iraq, we can safely call it a United States victory. Now it is time to bring our power to bear again in Afghanistan. Let's hope the president has the courage to see the job through.

No News Is Good News From Bush's "Failed Iraq War"

Remember two years ago, the mantra of "Bush's Failed Iraq War?" A mantra technically is a phrase that is repeated over and over because it has religious significance. It is something taken very much on faith. Journalists, academics, comedians, and others repeated it so often that conservatives even started to agree. President Bush withstood a lot of pressure to stay the course.

Look at 2009. Terrorist groups do not even bother to issue major threats anymore. The people voted and less violence took place than in some countries with decades more experience at voting. One shooting occurred in a nation of over 20 million people.

What happened to the civil war? What happened to government collapse?

US troops patrolled not in Humvees or armored troops carriers, but lightly on foot. They stayed mostly in the background as Iraqi police took center stage. Even as the US and Iraq discuss withdrawals, violence has not risen to dangerous levels.

President George W. Bush gets the credit for this one. When he left office, Iraq was more stable and more peaceful than Mexico. It also has a stronger chance at this moment in history for long term success. Democrats succeeded in making the Iraq War the defining issue of his presidency. Now they have to deal with the fact that it ended up an overwhelming success, a factor that will cement Bush's historical legacy as a positive and constructive force in US and world affairs.

If Iraq does fall from its current state into chaos, this falls at the feet of an Obama presidency that is sending mixed signals in the Middle East.

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By the way, we need to be worried about global cooling. Ever since Obama took office, we have seen devastating storms and colder than normal temperatures.

Obama causes bad winters. The correlation is there. What more proof do we need?

Of course this is ridiculous, but it is the same logic that underpins global warming assertions.

Capital Punishment For 9/11 and the Greeks

The 9/11 conspirators ought to not receive the death penalty. Why? It is what they want.

This week the 9/11 criminals agreed to end the trial process and give full confessions to their crimes. They professed a lack of faith in the judge, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and President George W. Bush. All their actions seem to lead towards a quick application of the death penalty.

Why now? They may feel that Barack Obama's administration may instruct prosecutors to not seek capital punishment. Bush does not care about international pressure when it comes to capital punishment, and they feel an execution would be more likely under the current administration.

This is exactly why we ought not do it. The death penalty is a strong punishment for our culture. For some it creates a high amount of fear and anxiety because it puts the criminal in the unnatural state of knowing the time and place of his or her death. Additionally those that truly repent of their crimes in a religious way can demonstrate the strength of their faith in their last hours.

For terrorists, martyrdom is the goal. They believe that endless banquets and seventy virgins await them should they die cleanly at the hands of the infidel. Execution at the hands of the government only rewards them in their own minds.

We would be better off to let them rot, forgotten, in a supermax cell. There, cut off from other zealots, they would slowly go madder in complete isolation.

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Whatever is going on in Athens, it is Greek to me.

A Greek police officer shot and killed a teenager about a week ago. From that point, violence has rocked Athens and the surrounding area. The rioters, mostly high school students, burned districts in the capital, invaded the campus of the University of Athens, and have attacked authorities. Government ministers have asked to be allowed to resign and have threatened to prosecute the police. Even the chief executive of the University of Athens has stepped aside.

Is this a world gone mad? Screaming children throwing a tantrum en masse threaten to topple a government. Do the Greeks not have rubber bullets, tasers, or water cannons? Maybe the shooting was justified, maybe it was not. Greece is a democracy and such nations are usually pretty good at answering such questions.

Democracy has two meanings, though. In our time it means government for the people but by the people. In the time of Aristotle it meant tyranny of the majority and violent mob rule. Aristotle's version seems to be what is guiding the Greeks today.

War? What War?

Funny how news of the war has dropped to an almost imperceptible amount lately.

Perhaps it is because violence has dropped considerably over the past several months and US casualties occur relatively rarely these days. Iraqi forces have assumed responsibility for most of the country and absorb most of the casualties. The liberal screeching about civil war has turned into a rush to discuss anything else.

US money and resources have gone into building a strong public school system for Iraqi children. Yes our schools need money too, but many of these children are attending a secular school for the first time. They will learn about their important national traditions as well as the importance of democracy and respect for others. Investing in their education means that less children need to go to the fundamentalist Islamic school-terror brainwashing centers that would otherwise be their only alternative.

Just yesterday, American forces targeted and killed Al Qua'ida's number two leader in Iraq. The terrorists have lost there because America embraced a strategy of patient, but firm commitment. US troops tried to avoid violating sacred places while maintaining pressure. The commitment of George W. Bush to victory over political expediency ensured that the sacrifices of the US and Iraqis would not end up in vain. Democracy strengthened in the past year to the point that Iraq asked us to figure out when we could leave. Such self-confidence was lacking for a long time.

Victory in Iraq should be a crowning achievement for the Bush administration, but it will take years until he receives credit. Should his economic interventions stabilize the economy and reestablish growth, Bush may go down in history as one of our great presidents.

Meanwhile both Democrats and Republicans fear any kind of war related discussion. Republicans need to stand up and show pride that they supported democracy over tyranny, even when the situation looked grim. Their political courage helped to create an Iraq on the verge of success.

The US Senate Almost Unanimously Agrees: Bush Strategy in Iraq Is Working

Maybe the media was the last to get the memorandum on this.

MoveOn.Org infamously called him "General Betrayus" in a massive New York Times advertisement. This sparked discussion and outrage because General David Petraeus had not even gotten his feet wet in Iraq. It will likely inspire scores of GOP commercials directed against any candidate unfortunate enough to have taken this anti-American organization's donations.

The United States Senate, in a sense, almost unanimously endorsed the current direction in Iraq last week with their confirmation of this general as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Many applauded his ability to de-escalate the violence and bring political stability. Deaths among American servicemen and Iraqis have fallen as a result. Iraq now feels confident enough to ask the United States for some indication about when US servicemen will start to be pulled out. If anyone needs any indication that Iraq is not Vietnam, the host country requesting a timetable for pullout represents a strong example of this truth.

Senator Robert Byrd voted against this confirmation, but not for reasons you might anticipate. He argued that a successful commander ought to be left where he is. Continuity in command makes more sense than promotion at this point, according to the Senator. We did not promote Dwight D. Eisenhower out of his active role after D-Day. President Lincoln did not desire to remove Ulysses S. Grant from the battlefield because he found success where other Union generals had not. Senator Byrd does have a valid point.

However, let us not lose sight of the meaning of this vote. Senate Democrats demonstrated confidence in the Bush Administration and his commanders whether they wanted to reward success with a promotion, or keep a good general where he enjoyed success. We have come a long way in a short time in this war. We must thank first and foremost the servicemen who have sacrificed to do the job right, next their commanders for working to fashion a plan for victory, and finally President Bush whose political courage helped better the lives of millions of Iraqis who were initially freed from tyranny and will now face more freedom from terror.

Ed Koch Continues to Support George W. Bush

Former Mayor Ed Koch represents a dying breed. He is one of the last of the nationalist Democrats that once dominated American politics. Starting with Woodrow Wilson and continuing through Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, these Democrats supported a strong American foreign policy. They learned the lessons of Munich and Pearl Harbor while fashioning the policies that Reagan eventually used to win the Cold War.

Koch compares President Bush to Harry Truman. Both men had a number of difficult decisions forced upon them by an unfriendly and changing world. Both men acted from the principle that American power wielded justly would deter the forces of tyrannical aggression. Certainly this required sacrifices that were not easy on the American people. History looks kindly on Truman today for his strength; Koch believes that George W. Bush will be remembered similarly. Bush's stand for a democratic Israel combined with his recognition of the threat posed by Islamofascism won him Koch's praise.

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One of the last active nationalist Democrats is Joe Lieberman. Since his defeat as part of the Al Gore ticket in 2000, the Democratic Party has sought to purge him from his US Senate seat because he dares to support President Bush. Lieberman strongly supports John McCain in this election and a large silent percentage, if not a silent majority, of conservative and moderate Democrats will likely follow him. Interestingly, Hillary Clinton has turned full circle from her Vietnam War protest days and looks increasingly like a Democrat of old. However the radical MoveOn.org organization's money will defeat her in the end.

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Looks like it might be a little while longer before we find out who Ruth Rowan will face this fall in the 50th delegate district. Alan "Mitch" Davis came within twenty votes of Royce Saville. Although declining to request a recount initially, Davis eventually decided to ask for one.

Rowan is a two term Republican incumbent.

2007 Year in Review

It’s hard to believe that we are nearing the end of another year. 2007, to say the least, has been an eventful year all around.

Riding their wave of 2006, Democrats brought new leadership on the national level in 2007. The faces were new, but the Democrats turned out to be the same tax and spend party that still can not stand up to our nation's enemies.

Nancy Pelosi was selected to be the first female Speaker of the House and together with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; they have managed to make history – by achieving all-time low approval ratings. Never had there been approval ratings lower than what we see in Congress today.

The Democrats believed that they had a mandate to end the Iraqi front of the Global War on Terror. Fortunately for our nation, they have failed to deliver on that campaign promise, along with many others.

Thanks to our nation's resolve, President Bush has changed course in Iraq, by sending a surge of military personnel to the area. The result was lower violence, safer neighborhoods and refugee Iraqis returning home again.

Back home at the national level, we have been enjoying continuous economic growth.
According to the National Bureau for Labor and Statistics, more than 8.1 million mobs have been created since August 2003.

This past September alone, our economy created 110,000 jobs. September 2007 is the 49th consecutive month of job growth, setting a new record for the longest uninterrupted expansion of the U.S. labor market.

With an $8.3 billion reduction in the trade deficit, our exports and Gross Domestic Product have grown 14.8 percent and 3.8 percent respectively. Thanks to the President's tax cuts; we have seen this record job growth, while we continue bringing in record revenues to our nation's treasury. Tax cuts do work.

What we have not seen is the growth coming into West Virginia.

Forbes Magazine recently released their 2007 rankings of states' business climate.
West Virginia dropped to 50th, last in the nation. In 2006, in wake of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana was able to keep us at 49th. But that state's recovery efforts brought them up out of the basement in 2007, leaving West Virginia in last place once again.

According to the US Chamber of Commerce, West Virginia ranked once again 50th in Legal Climate, landing us #1 once again as a judicial hell-hole for the 2nd year in a row.
You would think with ratings such at these, that our new legislature would go to the statehouse and work to make our state business friendly, bring real civil justice reform, and improve our business climate. They did not.

Because Bob Kiss did not run for re-election in 2006 the House Democrats selected a new Speaker: trial lawyer Rick Thompson of Wayne County. Under Thompson's leadership, we continue to see broken promises by the Democrats during the 2007 Legislative session.
On the campaign trail in 2006, many Democrat legislators claimed that they were pro-life and pledged to support parental notification legislation. But with abortion on demand activist Carrie Webster handed the gavel to the powerful House Judiciary Committee, parental notification never saw the light of day.

In 2006, West Virginia House Democrats argued that they supported the parental notification bill, but were protecting the committee process by failing to discharge it from then House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jon Amores' desk.

Twelve current House Democrats failed on their promise to fight for parental notifications by voting with former Speaker Kiss and Chairman Amores to prevent consideration of parental notification on the House floor last year. "Protect the Committee Process" was their mantra.

The committee process didn't seem as important with 2006 Mine Safety Bill demanded by Governor Manchin in the wake of the Sago tragedy. It passed in 6 hours and completely bypassed the committee process altogether - the same process they were so adamant about protecting when pro-life members were trying to protect the unborn. In 2007, the parental notification bill and all other pro-life bills were pronounced dead on arrival. The "pro-life" Speaker will not stand up to his Judiciary Committee Chairwoman.

In 2006, Democrat Doug Reynolds of Cabell County had promised that he would vote against renewing a temporary gas tax. In 2007, Freshman Delegate Doug Reynolds broke his campaign promise and voted to keep the gasoline tax increase permanent.

Another item on the Democrat agenda was the expansion of gambling in West Virginia to include Las Vegas-style table games at the racetracks.

This arguably unconstitutional vote allowed only four counties to have a voice in what affects the entire state. There are people who live within sight of the Tri-State Greyhound Park in Cross Lanes who were denied the right to decide if they wanted table games in their backyard, because they lived on the wrong side of the Putnam-Kanawha county line. However, people over forty miles away on the Kanawha side Montgomery had a vote.

The residents of the Putnam side of Nitro were let down by their legislators: Delegates Dale Martin and Brady Paxton. Both Democrats both voted for passage of the table games bill and in the process allowed their constituents to be disenfranchised.

The legislature also deemed necessary that our cities and municipalities in West Virginia would be allowed to pass home rule ordinances. A five-year pilot program will soon be in place for five cities. Home Rule will give these cities power to create their own taxes to be imposed on citizens and businesses, the same citizens and businesses that are over taxed as it is..

Nowhere in this legislation was the requirement that citizens within these city limits would have a vote to permit these changes. Officials will soon have the power to impose yet more taxes on working families that already face one of the highest total tax burdens in the nation.
Instead of shifting some of the power to tax to the local level, the Democrats simply are planning on allowing another government hand in your pocket, without reducing your tax burden at the state level.

In a futile attempt to appear to be "pro-business", the Democrats enacted a reduction in the Business Franchise Tax - by a whopping quarter of one percent (.25%). Small businesses nibble on the crumbs handed down by the ruling party, and real tax reform is once again forgotten. With the Democrats running the legislature, we can forget about eliminating regressive business taxes that are in place such those levied on inventory, machinery and equipment.

Other bills that the legislature spent their limited sixty-day session on were: allowing the transportation of roadkill across state lines, building prison nurseries for inmate mothers, and clarifying that fish feces were not sludge.

As another year end draws near, we hold our glasses high and hope that 2008 and the election that it carries will bring the changes we desperately need.

Two setbacks for the anti-war movement

It has been another nice weekend on the home front. Our troops should know that thanks to their hard won victories, Americans are beginning to see the light.

Firstly, NBC reversed their decision to not allow this ad to air.

Secondly, a key early critic of the Iraq War has changed his mind. Major General John Batiste, a member of the infamous antiwar group VoteVets.org (a front group for MoveOn.org), has now decided that he was wrong. He writes an op-ed in today's Washington Post with Pete Hegseth, executive director of Vets for Freedom:

First, the United States must be successful in the fight against worldwide Islamic extremism. We have seen this ruthless enemy firsthand, and its global ambitions are undeniable. This struggle, the Long War, will probably take decades to prosecute. Failure is not an option.

Second, whether or not we like it, Iraq is central to that fight. We cannot walk away from our strategic interests in the region. Iraq cannot become a staging ground for Islamic extremism or be dominated by other powers in the region, such as Iran and Syria. A premature or precipitous withdrawal from Iraq, without the requisite stability and security, is likely to cause the violence there -- which has decreased substantially but is still present -- to cascade into an even larger humanitarian crisis.

Third, the counterinsurgency campaign led by Gen. David Petraeus is the correct approach in Iraq. It is showing promise of success and, if continued, will provide the Iraqi government the opportunities it desperately needs to stabilize its country.

This follows up the recent begrudging admissions from Democrat Congressmen John Murtha and Earl Pomeroy that the surge is working.

2007 has certainly been a better year than 2006.

Hat tip: Rob at SayAnything , Drudgereport, and the Weekly Standard

What Patton would say about the current War on Terror

I thought somebody did a pretty good job on this, and does highlight what many on the left don't understand.