We Have Returned...or How to Kiss Up to the World in Two Easy Steps

Well, the SOTUA is over. The Democrats are all rushing to get their two cents in on what the President said. However, I have yet to hear the Dems come up with a solution for Iraq, or anything else. True they, got their punches in during their fist 100 hours. But what have they really done except bypass the process for which laws are created. They have pushed their wage hikes through, except now it is being greeted with some reluctancy due to the fact that they want to exempt some employers. If it is a raise hike across the board, it must be all the way across the board, not just for some. They really can't bash Bush on the eeconomy, unemployment, interest rates, the stock market or much of anything else.

They have created their little Committee on Global Warming, or otherwise know as "the sky if falling". They have shut out the republicans on debates on the floor pertaining to some things that they are trying to pass. Then they come up with the resolution on cutting funds for the war, and then try to say that this will not send a negative message to the troops on the ground or those that are preparing to go. As a vet, speaking for myself, I find this attitude to be a defeatist attitude. If you tell someone that is out there putting their life on the line that you are going to cut spending on a effort that they are participating in, what kind of attitude do you think the troops will take. Let alone what the terrorists and insurgents are saying. Like Al Queada number two man said back in November when the Dems won back both houses, that "we" have beaten Bush. Now the Dems are trying to fullfill their intententions, by hinting heavily about going after Bush.

Even during the State of the Union speech the Dems showed how they are going to try and embarrass Bush. The, excuse the expression, "shit eating smerk" that Hillary had throughout the speech and the lack of respect for the president was definitely present. Yet the Democrats in their rebuttal have still not placed anything concrete on the table as to how things should be fixed, other than trying to express to the world that they are defeatists and do not want the war in Iraq to be won by the U.S. Wait and see, there will be a push by the Democrats in Congress to place it all under the UN's control. Your taxes will go up, the price of gas will go back up after dropping back below $1.90 (in Oklahoma). Yes the Democrats will control the Congress for another two years, God help us!

January 29 - update: In the last paragraph of this post I commented on the gas prices going back up. Guess what? They have. In Parts of Oklahoma they have jumped back up to $2.00 a gallon, a ten cent jump almost over night.

You might be a redneck IF...

OK, time to take a break from the doom and gloom of politics and stuff and just add some laughter to our lives. Received these in an email, enjoy.

Notice individual on right, nice earplugs

REDNECK BUMPER-DUMPER

How To (re)Shape Baghdad

With the sectarian violence growing in Iraq and especially Baghdad, what will Bush need to do to secure a victory? There have been many answers from many different sectors of the political world. From both Democrat and Republicans. It seems that the main thrust of the insurgency has moved from the rural areas of Iraq to Baghdad itself. But the primary question lies as to why they have moved back into the capital and why they are going almost untouched. The answer just might lie from within Iraq not from outside.

An article published on the 17th of January, in the Azzaman, an Iraqi paper, tells it from the Iraqi side what must be done to retake Baghdad and secure it. While I agree with how the violence can be stopped, I disagree with who should do it. In the article, it describes the US as being the main thrust into securing Baghdad. However, I think that the Iraqi Army should be the tip of the spear so to speak on leading the retake of the city. It describes US troops being the ones as needing to not just crush the violence but also take charge in capturing and detaining the leaders of the militias.

This is a step that the Iraqi government and army take the forefront in. The US would act in a supportive roll providing air and tactical support. But the actual door to door securing of the city should be done by the Iraqi forces and the civilian population. Yes, the civilian population needs to come behind their closed doors and start working with those that are truly concerned in securing a democratic country. For as long as the civilian population continues to hide and shelter these thugs and militia members no safety is in sight. The country has spoken, they want a democracy. Now they must take part in securing these freedoms that they want to enjoy. Will deaths occur? Yes, plain and simple. But as I have stated so often in many other posts, FREEDOM ISN'T FREE!

As long as leaders such as MUQTADA Al-SADR continue to run free and have little to nothing to fear from its own government, violence will continue to hold the main title in headlines. It is true that thousands of Iraqi's have died since the fall of Saddam, what even more relevant is that they are being murdered by other Iraqi's. Yes there are insurgents mixed in, but the basic thrust of the violence is being conducted by Iraq's militias upon Iraqi's. The US has laid the foundation by taking care of their one time dictator, now they (Iraqi's) must stand up and be a major part in making this change work.