Archive for November, 2009

On Veterans Day

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Yahoo News, via the AP, wants to make sure we know that many more soldiers are surviving their war wounds these days, leaving them to live lives of horrible handicaps, mental as well as physical:

Far from winding down, the numbers of wounded U.S. soldiers coming home have continued to swell. The problem is especially acute among those who fought in Afghanistan, where nearly four times as many troops were injured in October as a year ago.

Amputations, burns, brain injuries and shrapnel wounds proliferate in Afghanistan, due mostly to crude, increasingly potent improvised bombs targeting U.S. forces. Others are hit by snipers’ bullets or mortar rounds.

With Veterans Day on Wednesday, wounded veterans from the recent conflicts consider the toll of these injuries, and the rough road ahead for the injured. Of particular concern are the so-called hidden wounds,traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder that can have side effects such as irritability and depression.

Since 2007, more than 70,000 service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury — more than 20,000 of them this year, according to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. Most of the injuries are mild but leave symptoms such as headaches and difficulty concentrating.

Today’s New York Times wants us to know that the inside scoop on President Obama’s thinking towards the war in Afghanistan is that his closest advisors want to send an additional 30,000 troops.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton are coalescing around a proposal to send 30,000 or more additional American troops to Afghanistan, but President Obama remains unsatisfied with answers he has gotten about how vigorously the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan would help execute a new strategy, administration officials said Tuesday.

So there is this terrible quandary facing the President: Send more troops, knowing that the casualty rate will soar; leave the troop level alone, knowing that it’s inadequate to accomplish any rational mission and will result in more casualties; or bring the boys home.

As a veteran (non-combat), my plea is to bring the boys home.

Kerry asked a generation ago: “Who will be the last to die for a mistake?”

How is it anything but a mistake to continue this war? We’ve been there for eight years, sent Al Quaeda scurrying into the mountain region in neighboring Pakistan, and dethroned the Taliban as the recognized government of the country.

The logical question is: Why haven’t we declared victory and brought the boys home?

The illogical answer is that we haven’t completely defeated either enemy. The logical rejoinder: How can that be done and how would you know? And the corollary question is: Isn’t containment good enough?

Let’s see: they live in the most primitive conditions imaginable. Yes, they still attract recruits, but not in the numbers they did at the start of the conflict. Their movements have been severely disrupted. Keeping in mind that we had the intelligence in hand to prevent 9/11, is there really any worry that we will be victimized by another massive surprise attack? The logical answer would be: Not if we’re paying attention.

This enemy was a gnat before Bush turned them into Godzilla. Guess what? They really were still gnats, and still are. The IRA is a more formidable terror organization than Al Quaeda. There are far more worrisome government entities than the Taliban, which is only in power in regions where the national government has not yet extended its reach. In other words, the forgotten people have been scooped up by the Taliban. As their governments improve their social services and law enforcement, the Taliban will continue to be pushed back.

Yes, there is a fundamentalist sect in that region which believes that any act of violence, as long as it is committed in service to Islam, is acceptable. Of course the Koran teaches no such thing, and so most of the Muslim world rejects these extremists.

In other words, they’re isolated, even within their own world.

There is no nation on earth which is being run by Muslims with the intent to make war. The closest is Iran, and they are much more bark than bite. SecState Clinton has warned that, if the U.S. leaves Afghanistan, the Taliban will once again take over the entire country.

If so, and if they insist on making war or harboring those who do…we got lotsa bombs.

My strongly held view is that this threat can be contained without placing American soldiers on the ground. The supposed objectives that our boys are there to achieve: pacification, nation-building; are not what they are trained to do. They are trained to win battles against an armed, identifiable enemy.

If it was in the interests of the United States to fight that fight til the bitter end, I’d be among the first to say so. Not only do I reject that argument, I defy anybody in Washington to explain how it could even be achieved. If we are in Afghanistan for another five years, the place will look pretty much the way it does today: A shaky central government, pockets of Taliban influence, and opium still the number one export.

The only difference will be the thousands more young men and women dead or maimed in service to this senseless pursuit.

Say it with me, and say it like you mean it:

Bring the boys home.

(* I just like the sound of “bring the boys home” from a literary standpoint. I mean no disrespect to the many women who also serve proudly and with distinction in hostile territory.)
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Share This Post

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

The Absurdification Of Thought

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

There is a new opinion piece making the rounds. I have a cousin who shoots these things to me now and then. I’m not sure to what extent she is caught up in any of what follows, but on a quiet Wednesday I took a turn at scoring it. My comments are in blue.

The Vilification of Rush

Liberals would prefer no opposition. Behind the force field of political correctness, there should never be any disagreement once the liberal mind has decided that something is good for society. There can be no opposition to the “correct” way of thinking, and if you don’t think “correctly,” you are attacked.

How deluded is this? Define “political correctness”. Explain how it is a tactic used by the left, but not by the right. Second, please demonstrate where the left discourages debate or discussion by using attack methods. In fact the right wakes up in the morning and starts looking for things to attack. The entire above comment is a classic case of political deflection.
Those who dare to disagree with liberal orthodoxy are punished sooner or later. Not even someone as powerful as Rush Limbaugh, whose dream of part ownership of the St. Louis Rams was shattered by a particularly insidious species of liberal intolerance, is immune.

Actually, Limbaugh was hanged by the fairest of all standards - his own words. I know that some have been mis-attributed or mis-stated, but not all. It is completely fair to draw conclusions about his attitudes, based on things he’s actually said. What exactly is “intolerant” about basing your opinion of a person on what they’ve said? Further, I said from Day One that Limbaugh was not serious about being an NFL owner, he was interested in the theater he knew this would create. He is first, foremost and always a slave to his sponsors, to whom he promises massive ratings. He doesn’t get those by being boring.


This is personal to me — very, very personal. I have watched the news, I have seen television, and I have heard different commentators talk about my friend, all the while knowing the things they say are lies. I am proud to be an American and proud of the United States of America, and again this makes it personal to me. I not only see Rush Limbaugh and the conservative movement in this action being attacked, but the entire foundation of what made America great.

In other words, if we don’t like Limbaugh we are un-American? Classic right-wing move: shut down the discussion by declaring your opposition to be traitors.

Freedom is under attack, and we as Americans need to wake up and stop this madness in the greatest nation ever formed.

I keep hearing this refrain, so it’s time to be specific: How? What madness are we referring to here? How is the country in more danger now than it was before? Taking these last two statements together, is the author implying that Democrats/Liberals are TRYING to destroy the country? All I can say is, if you come around talking like that, you had better have some hard evidence.

Let’s talk about what seems to have happened to Rush Limbaugh. Here is a man who loves professional football almost as much as he loves America’s traditions, values, and heritage of liberty. Rush has dedicated his life to the study of both football and America. He understands America and superbly communicates his understanding with millions every weekday. He understands the game of football, and has influenced it positively by being its biggest fan. Yet Rush has suffered attempts to destroy him with lies, misunderstandings and a direct effort to eliminate his influence in America…over the pretext
of what? A game?

Wait a second. Limbaugh “loves America’s traditions, values, and heritage of liberty”? I must have him confused with somebody else. The Limbaugh with whom I am familiar is as divisive as he could possibly be. It would seem that his idea of “American values” is to find people to mock. He often distorts or invents what others have said, in order to achieve his goal of mockery. He may be a great guy in private, but the Limbaugh we hear on the radio would not be welcome company at any family picnic I can think of. And once again, is the author complaining that Limbaugh’s own words have been used by others to determine their opinion of him? Doesn’t Limbaugh do that to other people 5 days a week?


I truly believe that this is brought on by what I call the Minority Thought Pattern. Let’s not mince words: the Minority Thought Pattern is the total disdain and hatred of what God has accomplished through the white male throughout history. Coming from an African-American, I know this will shock you.

What shocks me is just how many ideological positions this man is trying to stuff down our throats in one paragraph. First: please allow for the simple fact that many of us do not believe that America was singled out by ‘God’. Please allow for the simple fact that not everybody would find plausible an assertion that God has used the white man to accomplish great things. The legacy of white supremacy is not one that many religions would defend. The author’s blackness does not automatically convey astonishing wisdom.

I am not minimizing the accomplishments of women, African-Americans, immigrants, the religious, or anyone else who is part of America. But the white male was here on Plymouth Rock for God to use, and the Pilgrims had a great belief in that God. The nation built out of their efforts, reflecting their values (most especially their religious values), has become the light of liberty for the world and an obstacle to those power-hungry individuals who hate it.

Well, I think it’s fair to say that history is not the author’s strong suit. If he starts from a standpoint that the white man was placed on Plymouth rock so that he could remain dominant throughout history and convert as many people as possible to his religion, there’s not much left to discuss, is there? Suffice it to say that such a view of white supremacy is not even shared by anywhere close to a majority of white people. The above is obscene.

It is critical to understand that not only minorities, but also many whites of both sexes have embraced the Minority Thought Pattern. You see, the minorities in this world do not have the power or the financial backing to accomplish the destruction of the great Judeo-Christian values that are the foundation of America’s greatness.

The above just simply does not complete a coherent thought. He seems to be saying that minorities want more power in order to destroy white religion. Let’s see, does anybody else believe that? Anybody at all?

Spike Lee attempts to change history by criticizing Clint Eastwood for not using black people in his movie about the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima, when in fact there were no black people at Iwo Jima.

Spike Lee was stupid. Next.

The Minority Thought Pattern is the fuel for minorities, and especially African-Americans, to attack the very fabric that has given them the greatest opportunity to accomplish anything they so desire, including the opportunity for a people of slavery to rise and put a slave’s descendant into the White House. (I am still trying to figure out what faction of his ancestry descended from slaves.)

First, I have never heard anybody say that Obama was descended from slaves. For certain he was not. His father was Kenyan, his mother white. Stupid straw man. Very stupid. Second, once again the author is implying that minorities want to tear the country down. That is utter nonsense. Fighting for equal rights is about as American as the Boston Tea Party, so let’s get real here.

The Minority Thought Pattern is aimed at destroying America, at rending the very fabric that makes America great. The Minority Thought Pattern denies the greatness, honor, bravery, courage, humility, and sacrifice that has brought us the power to be the greatest nation that has ever existed. The Minority Thought Pattern has a mission to undermine and redefine every characteristic of America, maintaining that it is a nation based on greed, cowardice, selfishness, and a lack of genuine humility. The Minority Thought Pattern is the reason for all the apologies to the rest of the world for how bad American is, coming even from our top leader.

Wow. Just that last sentence alone. I’m beginning to realize that the author considers “The Minority Thought Pattern” to include any statement that is critical of any expression of American might. All I can say to that is, the Minority to which he refers is clearly in the Majority. We as a nation and as a people reserve to ourselves, at all times, the right to be critical of our leaders and to demand accountability. If he doesn’t like that, maybe he should go form his own country where he can tell everybody what to think. And to state categorically that minorities do not respect the sacrifices of others is so comically preposterous that it has a perfect defense against slander: No clear minded person could possibly be persuaded to believe such a thing.

The problem that America has always had is the lack of understanding of what a conquering nation does. When a nation conquers another it always forces the conquered to assimilate into the conqueror’s culture and ways. We as Americans have always been the great melting pot of society and the world. We want everyone to become just like us.

What the man is saying is that we haven’t done enough to indoctrinate other people to think like we do. But wait a minute, we don’t all think alike. Oh right, that’s a problem too. So the first thing he intends to do is to get us all to think alike. Once he’s done with that, he’ll start working on the rest of the world. Sounds like my kind of American.


The Minority Thought Pattern now wants a nineteen-burner stove with every pot separate and different, and that has given us multiculturalism today. Multiculturalism in its present form has
already proven unworkable. Remember in the South the fight between blacks and whites with the concept of “separate but equal.” Blacks realized that being “separate but equal” is not equality at all. Those separate pots are no different.

At this point it almost makes sense to call off the fight. I have rarely read a paragraph more embarrassing, especially when considering that this is a grown man, an educated man. I think it’s fair to say that none of the above makes the first bit of sense, and leave it at that. If you disagree, let me know.

Who in this modern America decide what is right and wrong, what is politically correct or not? Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, George Soros, Moveon.org, the NFL, the Players Association, and the liberal thinkers and media? I ask, who are the bigots here? The Minority Thought Pattern is the great supporter of ignorant intellectualism. It is the foundation that destroys common sense.

Is the author familiar with the right wing in this country? They spend all day every day telling us who and what is wrong, and it is typically somebody who they accuse of being on the left, and being bad for the country. The author should also be able to explain how Gates and Buffett control the media. Soros and Moveon have staked political ground, just as many do on the right. Once again, the author simply wishes to eliminate speech with which he disagrees.

Over the weekend, Rush spoke to Chris Wallace of Fox News Sunday:

WALLACE: So what do you think that was about? What do you think happened?

RUSH: Well, I think it’s actually about the fact that the NFL is about to lose its current collective bargaining agreement with the players. And guess who happens to be the new executive director of the players association? A guy named DeMaurice Smith, who is Obama. He’s part of his transition team. He has — he has suggested that the Congress, the White House, might get involved in stop a player-owner lockout.

So I — I think — and he got involved in this, too, you know. He was out participating in the spreading of quotes I didn’t say, warning Goodell and the owners what might — I think this was a warning shot
across the bow, saying to the NFL, “Look, we’re going to be close to running this league, not you. We don’t want this guy here.”

And I think — I don’t — I don’t really take this personally, but I do think it was a bunch of cowardice all the way around.

This is a classic example of the Minority Thought Pattern at work, commingling guilty and fearful whites with a sense of rage and grievance from minorities. As result, the game that both Rush and I love has suffered. An American institution, founded by whites but open to and heavily populated by blacks today, is harmed.

No, it’s a classic example of a straw man. Limbaugh said it, so it must be true? It’s not possible for people to think for themselves and draw the conclusion that they just don’t like him? And how is the game of football harmed?

This is extremely personal to me. It’s about a friend. When I look at Rush, I don’t see a white man; I see a friend. I don’t see a talk show host (a very famous talk show host); I see a friend, and friendship overrides color and political stances. I don’t see a controversial figure, but a man whose heart and thoughts I know, and a man who is not a racist.

This explains it. The author has been blinded by friendship. But just as clearly, the author has other issues with this great country of ours. It seems he hates those who disagree with his view of what makes us great. Maybe someday he will see that problem for what it is. And it doesn’t matter whether or not Limbaugh is a racist. It matters that people don’t like him. It must come as a rude awakening, once he leaves his cocoon: there’s a lot of people out there who just don’t like him.

I believe with all my heart that minorities, especially African-Americans, will never be free until they stop allowing people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to insist they adopt the mentality of victims. Likewise, they will not be free until they take the next bold step: start thanking God for America, and stop condemning the white male.

The author at last plunges off the deep end. Both Jackson and Sharpton are well known for their messages of empowerment and uplift. Both have been known to be activist in the face of white intolerance, and that is a fair reaction to such treatment. To declare that they promote a “victim” mentality is an outrage and a plain lie.

It is time for America to reject the Minority Thought Pattern and the hateful campaign against Rush Limbaugh.

The author utterly failed to establish what that phrase means and why anybody should assume that it is a problem. This is one of the weakest POVs I have ever read, and I’ve been alive a while and read a lot of things.

This is just embarrassing.

Dr. Kenneth L. Hutcherson, a former NFL linebacker

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Share This Post

Posted in Opinion, Other Voices | 1 Comment »