Independent Patriots for America

A comment on the President’s State of the Union speech last night…

I viewed an average speech, certainly not spectacular nor poor…….a good speech with some hope and one has to admire the President’s courage standing fast in the face of attacks from within and without.

The event was spectacular, however, in one aspect…watching the RINO’s and Democrats “thumb sucking” throughout most of the speech…what a sorry example of maturity, competent leadership, and hope for anything positive coming out of government in the next few years…

Some viewed Senator Webb’s response to the President’s speech favorable…it appeared to me as a cocky, mishmash of ridiculing irrelevant past government actions implying President Bush was responsible for it all. Webb seemed to forget that the Iraq war was sanctioned by the United States Congress which was not all based on the WMD issue…I believe the President has gotten faulty advice and made bad decisions on the conduct of the war in Iraq, but that doesn’t mean we surrender.

The gutless ones in the House and Senate will pout, whine, and go through the motions of a “non-binding resolution” against President Bush’s troop increase with the benefit only to their ego’s, self-serving, pompous character and encouraging the Islamic butchers…

What I don’t get is if these politicians are so convinced that the President’s troop increase is the wrong thing to do, why  don’t they initiate a “binding resolution” to cut off the funds for the war and do it now? Bring the troops home before more are killed, wounded, and maimed when all the Congress wants to do anyway is “cut and run. They best be prepared to fight and die on American soil.

Doesn’t it just make one proud to be an American which such a stellar group of American patriots manning our Congress?

Harry Riley, COL, USA, Ret

America At War

Are we on the Viet Nam path Out of Iraq?

October 02, 2005
 
Fox News “War Stories” with Ollie North on 10/02/2005 focused on the indecision of American leaders during the Viet Nam war and the terrible price our pilots, and in effect, all troops paid.
 
President Johnson and Defense Secretary McNamara during the Viet Nam war (neither one knowing anything about fighting a war) demonstrated a callous disregard for the lives of our troops and welfare of our nation, by spending more time focusing on what our “cold war” enemies would think of U.S. decisions than the life threatening impact on our own troops and success of the war.
 
Fast forward forty years to the middle east conflict in Iraq.  President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld are engaged in some of the same indecision that cost us victory in the Viet Nam war. 
 
As in the Viet Nam war, the anti-war rabble is again raising it’s ugly head, having never learned “freedom is not free”, our troops in the middle east are being second guessed,  hamstrung with limitations on what can and cannot be attacked, which raises the question… where is the war in Iraq being managed.  My guess is that Washington is still calling the shots, otherwise our Generals would have insisted Syria be in the cross-hairs long ago.
 
During the Viet Nam war, Washington was making tactical decisions which nearly always put our pilots and ground troops at a disadvantage.  Rather than being bold, aggressive, and fighting on our terms to win, politicians were more concerned about what the “Russians would do”.  Great thought was given to our bombs falling on Russians assisting North Vietnamese in the north but little thought of North Vietnamese artillery located in Cambodia firing on us in South Viet Nam with impunity…we were not allowed to take action against North Vietnamese in Cambodia…U.S. politicians, in effect,  protected our enemy which resulted in American lives lost.
 
Now the same scenario is reflected in Iraq… instead of taking action on Syria and Iran for supporting the enemy in Iraq, we allow them to funnel money, weapons, and materiel into Iraq with impunity.  President Bush and others appear more concerned what France, Germany, the UN and other pip squeak nations will think.  The Iraq war is being waged with an emphasis on politics at the expense of our troops…our decision makers are hell-bent on repeating the Viet Nam mistake.
 
I view the fight in Iraq as just, honorable, necessary, and President Bush did the right thing in taking Saddam out.  However, politicians have no backbone, our troops are put in a rut, we are treading water as men and women die, while the “get out” cry becomes more shrill…in short, our superior fighting force is muzzled.
 
Syria and Iran are our enemies.  We are allowing them to kill our warriors without being held accountable.  Our troops are once again fighting with one hand while the enemy is given the advantage.  Syria and Iran should pay a heavy price for their support of the Al Qaeda butchers.

President Bush states “the war in Iraq is central to defeating terrorism”…if that’s what he believes, then why does he not fight the war accordingly?
 
If we are unwilling to take the fight to the enemy, even if it means involving another nation, it will only be a matter of time until we tuck our tail, exit Iraq, and build another wall of names.
 
Harry Riley, COL, USA, Ret

I Surrender Gracefully

The ISG Executive Summary is enough to define another attempt to sell out America.  It begins in a most negative, anti-American, surrender connotation …hardly what one would expect from fellow Americans. 
 
 ”The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating. There is no path that can guarantee success, but the prospects can be improved.” according to the ISG.  What they are really saying here is, follow our recommendations, surrender can not only be graceful and improved, it will be assured.
 
“Our most important recommendations call for new and enhanced diplomatic and political efforts in Iraq and the region, and a change in the primary mission of U.S. forces in Iraq that will enable the United States to begin to move its combat forces out of Iraq responsibly”
 
In essence the report says, negotiate with Iran and Syria, offer them whatever it takes to allow us a few months of calm so we can tell the world the Iraqi government is now in control, tuck our tails and sneak out of Iraq as we did in Viet Nam.  By the way, it is noted the ISG covered the entire Middle East (as if this batch of scrambled eggs can be placed on a single plate)  in their report but made no mention of the “wall” that will be erected to account for Americas dead warriors, wounded, disabled, family pain and distress.
 
The report, in general, reflects a sense of defeat, pessimism, flaws, shortcomings, omissions, and half-truths, while totally missing the threat posed by the ruthless, Islamic butchers if they are not defeated.  Victory is not mentioned, so far as I can find.
 
The ISG describes the situation in Iraq will little new information.  The report touches nearly every possible explanation for the violence in Iraq except naming Syria and Iran as the primary sources of men, money, and materiel supporting the conflict.  According to the report “Pessimism is pervasive…consequences could be severe…chaos could trigger the collapse of Iraq’s government…on and on with words nearly everyone has heard for years.   The report states Iraq’s neighbors are players but fail to identify who is supporting freedom in Iraq and who is undermining the stability in Iraq.
 
Study Group participants seem to be comfortable in establishing a “support group”.  This group can all get together, hug each other, have tea, be gentle men and ladies who wish to sort out the nasty, bothersome conditions in Iraq.  This is pure fantasy when dealing with the likes of the Presidents of Iran, Syria, and al Qaeda, who will have to be represented, after all isn’t al Qaeda part of the group responsible for the turmoil in Iraq?
 
The ISG reflects a pitiful example of bureaucracy, political two-step, totally ignoring or at best, playing lip service to the courage, blood, and sacrifice of Iraqis and American warriors.  The ISG novel is a source of encouragement to the enemy,  reflection of enabling the enemy,  establishing bench marks for enemy planning, in essence confirming terrorist a seat at the proposed negotiating table.
 
Fighting terrorism requires courageous leaders who will recognize the ruthless mind of Islamic killers and face reality…at this time our leaders are in some sort of “la la” land hoping a magic solution will appear during a “hug-in”.   
 
Dealing with the likes of al Qaeda, Syria and Iran will never be possible until these regimes/group recognize America as a nation of strength and unity, with the courage to forge firm policy based on American security interests, and follow up with harsh, penalizing action as necessary. 
 
The painful reality in American leadership today is the absence of will.  The Administration, Congress, and I believe the majority of American citizens recognize World War III was declared on 9-11-2001 but are becoming weak-kneed.  It will only be a matter of time until America will face the battle in our neighborhoods unless the Islamic terrorist and those nations supporting them understand our resistance. 
 
America has sold out to the immoral,  homosexual, same sex marriage, abortion, anti-Christian, liberal minority agenda, and now we have a group of men and women that want to sell us out to the Islamic, godless, murdering butchers who use religion as the basis of their barbaric actions. 
 
In my judgment the time is now to take the battle to the enemy…and I firmly believe Iran and Syria must be in the cross-hairs and the time is right.  Will it be easy, of course not… but it will be exponentially more deadly and painful if American leaders fail to take the initiative to the imminent clear and present danger. Moral sanctity as well as the security of America is at stake.

Please view http://www.usawakeup.org/ 
 
Harry Riley, COL, USA, Ret