My real problem with Obama

Barack Obama recently said this at a rally in Europe:

Listen to me, people of the Earth!

Today I bring a New Order to your planet! One which shall last until the end of time!

Each of you… each man, each woman, each child ‐ all will march proudly together in this New Order!

Your lands, your homes, your possessions, your very lives… All of this and more you will gladly give to me!

There is no longer a need for separate nations in this world, no need for petty squabbles between one group and another. All of you will work together, strive, produce, and sacrifice together ‐ and all for a common goal!

… There is now one law, one order, one ruler who alone will determine your collective destiny! One force before will all of you shall kneel forever!

In return for this submission you will have my generous protection! In other words ‐ you will be allowed to live.

Okay, so Barack didn’t really say that.  It was General Zod, the supervillian from Superman II.  But, let’s be honest!  For a split second, you didn’t know whether or not I was joking!

And therein lies my problem!  I can’t tell if Obama is just another sycophantic politician with delusions of grandeur or if he really does believe the words that come out of his mouth.

What am I referring to, you ask.

Barak Obama and his campaign have suggested that:

• He is the change that we have been waiting for.  – What change?  I keep hearing a lot about change, but very little about what that really means.
• He is a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions.  – To which traditions is he referring?  Hard work, limited government, patriotism?  I don’t think so.
• He is certain that he alone can bring about a healing of the planet and cause the oceans to recede.  – Um, Barack, the oceans are already receding. That’s what happens when the polar ice caps get thicker.
• Also, he is citizen of the world. – Is he running for President of the United States or dictator of the world?  I’m not really sure.
• His wife has never been proud (or really proud) of her country until her husband became President.  – Fine, go live somewhere else, then.
• Any criticism of the Enlightened One is inherently racist.  – This is too stupid to even take seriously.

I do not dislike Barack Obama because he is black . . . or even because he’s a crazy left-wing nut job.  I dislike him because I think that he is dangerous. 

He is an audacious ideologue who has aspirational goals of global domination.  That, in and of itself, could be said to be true of many presidential candidates . . . and probably even some Presidents.  However, given his party’s tendency to trample over and even ignore the Constitution whenever it suits them, a man who refuses to acknowledge the limits placed on him by the People becomes inherently dangerous.

Especially, if he believes his own rhetoric.

A Marine Responds

Avenging Sword responds to the post below here.  I won’t bother to refute his points as they are all valid and well worth your time to read.  Instead, I would merely point out that we look at this issue from different viewpoints.

From my perspective, it’s the view from 30,000 feet that’s important.  The respect for civilian authority and the military’s reputation are more important than any one individual soldier.  Avenging Sword sympathizes with the individual soldier in the thick of it.  And, I can’t I say disagree with him.  If I were on the front lines, the notion of going through a mental checklist before I opened fire on someone is more than galling, it’s stupid.  If someone is shooting at me, I’m shooting back, rules be damned!!!

A couple quick comments on Avenging Sword’s post.

1. True, a board of inquiry would have been more prudent than  courts martial of those involved.  I believe the prosecution’s 0 and 7 record is proof of that.  Unfortunately, that didn’t happen because of the media’s furor and it’s foreign policy implications.
2. As to the payment of legal fees, I whole-heartedly agree that the government should reimburse the legal fees of the officers and Marines involved.  Moreover, I think that this notion that the loser pays the expenses of the winner should be applied to the entire justice system, not just the military justice system.  (But, that’s a topic for another day.)

More generally, I think that we must all acknowledge that wars are still fought by men and women.  Mad Jack Murtha may have forgotten that and the media never cared, except when Cindy Sheehan was around.  It was the overwhelming influence of Congress and the media that made these prosecutions not only necessary, but indispensable for the reasons I listed in my previous post. 

A volunteer military relies on its reputation and public perception to recruit those men and women who man the ramparts of freedom.  If that reputation is diminished by scandal or war crimes, then recruitment suffers, retention suffers, and the military is less capable of meeting its demands, which makes morale and readiness suffer all the more.  It is unfortunate, but sometimes good men are thrown into crappy situations not of their making.

Fortunately, this time we could all count on the justice system and not certain Congressman who wish to be tabletop generals (or tinhorn dictators, depending on your bent.)