A truth commission on the use of torture
In 2004, I was one of the few people in the country who campaigned for the Bush-Cheney ticket, and in 2008, campaigned for the Obama-Biden ticket. I did not agree with President Bush on a single domestic issue, but endorsed and campaigned for him because of his strong stance in opposition to Islamic terrorism, which was not, in my opinion, matched by his Democratic opponent, John Kerry. In 2008, I went to Florida and other states to campaign for the Obama-Biden ticket. I announced that I was supporting and campaigning for Barack Obama, having decided that he did understand, in my opinion, the threat of Islamic terrorism. Furthermore, I agreed with him and the Democratic Party on every major domestic issue in the campaign, including national health insurance, Social Security, Medicare, achieving tax equity for the middle class. Let's get out of Afghanistan and Iraq now
There was a time when our government under President George W. Bush believed we would never leave Iraq and would retain some kind of permanent base there. Now we have signed agreements with Iraq's government committing us to leave permanently no later than December 31, 2011, and if any referendum in Iraq requires that we leave by June 30, 2010, we have agreed to do so. If I had my way, we would leave at once. I believe we will gain nothing by delaying our departure from Iraq to equal the inevitable American casualties. Does anyone think the Iraqis will come to love or even like us? I don't. A lot of suffering until Obama takes office
The economic meltdown seems to worsen by the hour. As we are hit with report after grim report about the state of our economy, the US Congress and the President seem willing to bail out almost every special interest with clout. In the meantime, millions of Americans have seen their savings, particularly their investments in the stock market and homes - the latter being their largest asset - deteriorate, sometimes by 50 percent or more. One is left to wonder who will rescue ordinary Americans from what is feared may become another Great Depression. According to the November 26th New York Times, "In the last year, the government has assumed about $7.8 trillion in direct and indirect financial obligations. That is equal to about half the size of the nation's entire economy and far eclipses the $700 billion that Congress authorized for the Treasury's financial rescue plan." That includes the federal guarantees provided to Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac, the great mortgage providers. Where does this money come from? Have we borrowed it, and if so, from whom? What percentage of the national budget is now used to pay off this debt and the interest it has incurred? Are we simply allowing the Federal Reserve to print money used for bailouts? If so, what is the effect of that on our economy, currently and in the future? Sarah Palin deserves respect
Sarah Palin is a phenomenon. She is plucky and, in a winsome way, in your face. Referring to middle class America as Joe-Six-Pack and to herself as a hockey mom, she debated last week with veteran Senator Joe Biden, who has served in the Senate for 36 years and knows his way around Washington. I have never met Governor Palin. I have known Joe Biden for many years. I really like Joe and share his positions on most issues. I admire Sarah Pain's spunkiness and feel she has not been treated fairly by the media which has tried to make her look foolish and provincial. When she was interviewed by Charles Gibson and asked the question, "Do you agree with the Bush Doctrine?" I thought it unfair. Why? I consider myself to be knowledgeable on foreign affairs and I did not know what the Bush Doctrine referred to until later when it was described as support for preemptive military action. However, that term -- Bush Doctrine -- has also been applied to other policies of the administration. I certainly do believe in the right to take preemptive action to thwart an enemy's attack upon us. Sarah Palin later explained when she learned what the Bush Doctrine stood for, that she did too. Campaigning for the Obama-Biden ticket
On Sunday, I flew to Florida at the request of the Obama-Biden Democratic campaign for the purpose of speaking on their behalf in the Jewish condo community. Four years ago, in the last presidential campaign, I had flown to Florida at the request of the Bush-Cheney Republican campaign to rally support for that ticket. I had announced back in 2004 that I did not agree with President Bush on a single domestic issue, but that I concluded that of the two men running for president representing the two major parties - Republican and Democratic - Bush understood the danger to Western civilization of international Islamic terrorism and John Kerry, in my opinion, did not; and that Bush was willing to take on Islamic terrorism, no matter the cost, while Kerry, in my opinion, did not treat confronting Islamic terrorism as a priority. The danger to Western civilization included the danger to Israel, located in a sea of Muslim states intent on destroying it as an outpost of Western civilization. US safer in Obama's hands
The time has come to declare whom I will be voting for. When I made my decision four years ago and supported the reelection of George W. Bush, I said at the time the overwhelming issue for me was international Islamic terrorism, including al-Qaida. The goal of Islamic terrorists was and still is to reestablish the Caliphate encompassing most of the Muslims living in a host of nations from Spain to Indonesia and placing them under a single religious leader with full authority over the civil affairs of the countries, in the style of Iran. That goal includes the deaths or forced conversions of Christians and Jews as infidels or the payment by them of tribute, and the elimination of the State of Israel. Betraying George W. Bush
Loyalty is one of the great virtues in life. We offer it to and expect it from our families and close friends. In government, we expect it from colleagues, but to a lesser degree. But even in government and the workplace, it would be impossible to function if you believed that everyone with whom you worked was morally free to publicly disclose your every offhand statement or indiscretion. If you knew a colleague was capable of such actions, you would avoid him or her like the plague. You would think twice before saying or doing anything in his or her presence. You would consider such a person loathsome. Bush is one of the few who really understands
We are now getting down to the homestretch as we wrap up the Democratic primary and begin the race to the November general election. We will be electing the next president of the United States, and almost everyone expressing an opinion, informed or uninformed, believes the Democratic candidate will be Barack Obama. I am a supporter of Hillary Clinton, but I too believe the odds of her defeating Barack Obama are overwhelmingly against her. It looks as if Senator Obama will prevail in the Democratic primary before or at the Democratic convention. The US and global warming
Al Gore won national recognition because of his effective and ongoing campaign to alert the US and the world to the dangers of global warming. His campaign has garnered him, among other things, an academy award for his documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" and the Nobel Peace Prize. I accept the likelihood that global warming has been building as a result of human activity, and in particular, the creation of greenhouse gases - primarily the result of fossil fuel use. However, because the world has been heating up and cooling down for millions of years without human help, some doubt remains. That's one reason I have not joined the efforts to criticize President Bush because he, along with the US Senate, have declined to support the Kyoto protocols |
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