Bowing Out Gracefully

This blog is set to expire as of 11:59 am on January 20, 2009. AZ Conservative will be retiring to Crawford Texas to relax and do some fishing. Perhaps I will pen my memoirs and give some speeches.

A new era requires new ideas and insights. And a new blog. Do not worry for the peaceful transition of power is what makes blogspot great. Whoever takes over will be more than worthy of your readership.

More details to come...

W.

Does the depth of hatred from your enemies speak to the height of your success? This was the question I pondered after watching Oliver Stones biopic movie about President Bush, “W.”. Not only does Mr. Stone dissect the last 8 years of Bush's policies but also attempts to explain the context from which the President makes decision, namely a massive inferiority complex due to his fathers success used by both father and son as a weapon. This is demonstrated in nearly every scene the younger Bush fails to live up to his fathers expectations; quitting jobs, getting into fights, chasing girls, and a memorable seen that has W challenging his father to a fist fight.

The elder Bush is held up by the filmmaker as the epitome of a statesman while the younger is shown to be so diluted by his transgressions that his mother actually laughs when told he will run for Governor of Texas. The demonstrated expectation by Stone is that if true, the audience will find it to be another piece of anecdotal evidence that W was persona non grata, even within his own family. This was the first time Stone showed his intention to personally teer Mr. Bush down and build him back as a Frankenstein monster.

The single bright spot to this biased observer was Josh Brolins performance as W. His comic timing of Bush’s misstatements, witty banter with aides, and emotional exchanges with his father (referred to as “Poppy”) are impossible not to enjoy. Elizabeth Banks (Laura Bush), James Cromwell (George H. W. Bush), Richard Dreyfus (Dick Cheney), and Scott Glenn (Donald Rumsfeld) hold their own as well.

Finally, I would define true power as holding sway upon another person by simply being yourself. To inspire such a biting commentary while still occupying the Oval Office should be worn as a medal of honor by this Republican President. We should all be so lucky.

Thank You Mr. President

He has been proven as a true leader. He ordered the surge against the better judgment of the Generals. That is very inspiring. Rumors on the internet are that the "military capability" that has been developed to destroy Al Qaeda leaders in Iraq has to do with cell phones. In particular, the US military has developed a way of searching for terrorists cell phones and activating them as listening devises without the phones owner knowing it. Very cool!!!

Georgia's Red Dawn

The opening scene from Red Dawn is still vivid in my mind; teenagers sitting in class as Soviet troops parachute into their sleepy middle-American town. The invaders hit the ground shooting as students run for cover in a prophetic scene resembling the Columbine High School tragedy in 1999. A group of friends manage to escape in their pickup truck and take to the hills. From a far they watch as their town is turned into a totalitarian society run by a Russian general.

This fictional version takes place in America with Soviet troops allied with the Mexican army over-running our national defense and placing threatening Americans into internment camps. The non-fiction version actually took place in present day Georgia with the communist Soviet Union replaced by despotic Russia. Russia's goal is to intimidate its neighbors and show Western Europe it can still run the show when it needs to. Former Soviet bloc countries such as Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Georgia have seen first hand the brutal nature of totalitarian rule and have decided that freedom and democracy are worth standing up for. They're even willing to fight and die for it. This should inspire Americans to believe in their country and the values we have fought for. The Georgians have had it both ways and they chose freedom. That is inspiring!

Knowing this, I was very nearly moved to tears last week when I read Georgia's pleas for our help. Amid the Russian bombings and tank fire they were looking to America to save the day. They WANTED to see F-16's flying overhead, the massive American war machine heading their way, and the most courageous well-trained soldiers, airman, seaman, and marines on their shores. They wanted America to essentially invade their country and purge the Russians from their midst. They felt since they helped in Iraq that we should help them. That was not the reason at all. We should come to their aid because they're on the front lines of the fight America has championed for years. Israel vs. Arabia, Colombia vs. Venezuela, Colombia vs. FARC, Iraq vs. Al Qaeda, Afghanistan vs. Al Qaeda, and countless others throughout history.

America must stand for freedom when no one else can. America must stand for freedom when no one else will. But most of all, America must stand for freedom when someone else is and is being beaten down. Georgia is a nation that stands by what it believes and backs-up their words with action, America should continue to do the same.

Our Dark Knight

"Batman is the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not a hero. He's a single guardian, a watchful protector. The Dark Knight." - Commissioner Gordon from The Dark Knight -

On word that we may have killed Bin Laden's lieutenant with a missile in Pakistan, this quote is prophetic and profound. Of course Batman did not order the attack, President Bush did. By doing so he demonstrated his desire to do what is necessary to prevent future attacks and bring Al Qaeda to justice. Bush does what it takes, period. There is no ambiguity, no ACLU civil libertarian bullshit. Only a steely determination and terror warrior grit.

On January 20, 2009 at 12 pm our country returns to a pre-9/11 mindset. Both Obama and McCain believe terrorists have rights in US courts and would not use waterboarding as an interrogation technique to save American lives. Bush battles all comers that have worked in concert with the terrorists thugs to limit our terror fighting abilities. I say to all those who believe we must be nice to these people to achieve victory, simply look at how they treat woman in their society. They force woman to cover themselves from head-to-toe, walk behind men in public, and do not believe in equality. In America, when people treat those weaker-than-themselves without respect or dignity, we call them bullies and that is all these islamo-fascists are; bullies. To beat a bully you simply stand and fight, it's that easy. If you show weakness, they won't stop and you will suffer.

This is all President Bush does. He just won't flinch at them and McCain or Obama will. They are susceptible to the moral equivalency argument that we are morally equal to the terrorists. In fact we are morally superior and need to act like it. As the quote above says about Batman, President Bush, on behalf of the American people, is hunted and has proven he can take it. Does anyone believe McCain or Obama can take it?

Kick the Bums to the Street

Wouldn't it be nice if the government took the rest of the year off? How great would it be to say to these two-bit politicians "don't call us, we'll call you". Let's send them packing because then nothing would get done. Let's face it, the government cannot make everybody happy all-of-the-time so they try to make some people happy some-of-the-time by spending huge sums of money on pet projects to give people a sense they are getting value from their government. This of course pisses people off because they don't beieve in this spending but they do approve of this other spending. Instead of spending our way into voter's good graces, let's NOT spend our way into their hearts. How about we cut domestic spending by 90% - only essential programs survive - essentially the social safety net is all that's left standing. Yes, a lot of people will be pissed because the fucking pothole down the street isn't fixed BUT at least you won't be paying for sex change operations for trannies in California. And the gays in California will be pissed they can't fool their gay friends but they'll be pleased because they didn't pay to fix your pothole. I read today (link above) that we, as Americans, work until this day, on average, to pay for all forms of government - local, state, and federal. In other words, you just worked 6.5 months so a bridge can be built to nowhere in Alaska, or pigeons can be protected in Florida, or testing can be done as to the effects of secondhand TV on children east of the Mississippi River during the summer solstice. It's insane but some douche somewhere thought these were good ideas that we as a society should fund. FUCK THAT!! If I don't get to spend my own money on crazy stuff I think of, I sure as shit don't want to fund someone elses insane ideas.

I'm Voting Libertarian

A bold proclamation I know. I think it's right though. At this point, the only Republican I have an affection for is President Bush. So why continue voting for Republicans like John McCain and other tax and spend RINO's? The Libertarian Party will give me 2 opportunities this year. The first is voting for the loser. Since I began voting for president, I have always voted with the winner - Bush 2 times baby!! That will change this year. Bob Barr, the Libertarian presidential nominee, has zero chance of winning. Rush Limbaugh, who is my political conscience, would scold me for being to ideolistic and not pragmatic enough. He and many other conservatives feel that voting for the lesser of the 2 evils is better than voting for your 1st choice and getting a Democrat. I'm ok with that because of the second reason. I will be voting my heart. As the Goldwater bumper sticker said many years ago, "in your heart you know he's right". The last 8 years have been great (with several exceptions) and I could not imagine living the next 8 under a guy I voted for and do not believe in. The Iraq War, Katrina, the 2008 economic downturn, and many other issues have been highly controversial and President Bush has taken a beating for them. Through thick-and-thin I stood by his side defending what I felt were actions grounded in sound principle and logic. With John McCain as the nominee, this will not be the case.

John McCain believes the global warming myth, believes waterboarding is torture, and wants to limit CEO's salaries. He is not a supply-sider by nature or voting record (but says he's reliable now), takes more interest in wooing the elite media than conservatives, and almost became a Democrat (according to multiple sources) after President Bush took office in 2001. Finally, he does not inspire with his positions or his speech. His lifestory is filled with heroics from Vietnam but as I said many times about John Kerry and his service in Vietnam as a qualification for becoming president, who cares. Serving in the military is not a license to be President of the United States.

On the other hand, Bob Barr and the Libertarians stand for limiting government in all forms; economically, on social issues, as it pertains to guns, and speech, property, and the environment. In short, the Libertarian Party is the anti-government-growth party. However, I do disagree with them on some key issues. For one, the Libertarian's platform opposses the Iraq War. Although Barr did support the Iraq War resolution from the House of Reps in 2002, he has since said troops should be brought home ASAP. Obviously I couldn't disagree more. They feel the war was a mistake, a diversion from the real culprit of 9/11, UBL. I say the threat from Saddam was real and the world is better off without him. It's unclear to me how Barr would posture the US on national security issues. The Constitution does give the federal government the responsibilty of protecting the homeland and pressumably America's interests around the world. I don't know how this is interpreted if they oppose interventions such as the Iraq War. In addition, they oppose the PATRIOT Act and Gitmo. The President, who has proven to be the ultimate terror warrior, says they're necessary. Enough said.

These issues that we disagree on are very important and hard to swallow. However, on the broader, general philosophical issues of representative democracy, personal freedoms, and constitutional interpretation, we agree and that's good enough for me. Besides, the only time I would agree 100% with a politician or president would be if I were him.