As Published on SOLDIER OF FORTUNE's website
www.sofmag.com
Printable version
"DEFEATISM"
"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival." -- Winston S. Churchill
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sir Winston delivered that line in the House of Commons on May 13 1940, in his first address as Prime Minister. As he was speaking, the French and British armies were reeling from Hitler's onslaught through neutral Belgium. It's a good thing Churchill didn't have "war heroes" like Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., in Parliament. Otherwise Great Britain might have been compelled to surrender at Dunkirk.
Regrettably, Messer's Kerry and Murtha are but the most visible and strident members of an increasingly ambitious cult of catastrophe. Though they claim to "support the troops," this is no "loyal opposition." Instead, their party -- and a pliant press corps -- has pushed this dynamic duo to the fore in demanding that the United States abandon Iraq and forego any hope for success in the Global war on Terror. To them, and the broader capitulationist cabal to which they belong, there shall be no "good news" from the battlefield, every American casualty is regarded as a campaign issue, and only critics of the war have credibility.
It's apparent from last week's acrimonious debate in the House of Representatives and this week's raucous ranting in the Senate that their party's leadership believes that a steady drumbeat of dismal defeatism is the best way to return Democrats to power in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Whether that's true or not remains to be seen -- but the "surrender now crowd" has unquestionably emboldened our adversaries and disheartened our allies overseas. A few recent examples:
Tokyo, alarmed over North Korean willingness to flight test its multi-stage, nuclear-capable Taepo-dong II intercontinental missile has decided to withdraw its 600 troops from Iraq and bring them home in the event that an emboldened Pyongyang becomes more aggressive.
From Caracas, Venezuelan strong-man Hugo Chavez, awash in petro-dollars, is actively intervening in the upcoming Nicaraguan elections. With overt and covert help from self-described "Bolivarian Socialist" Chavez, Daniel Ortega and his Sandinistas are poised to reassert control over Nicaragua.
In Tehran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinijad, perceiving weakened American resolve, is slow-rolling a U.S.-European proposal offering incentives for Iran to abandon its nuclear enrichment program. Meanwhile, the Iranians continue their crash program to install and "spin-up" more centrifuge arrays -- essential to manufacturing weapons-grade nuclear material.
In Mogadishu, Somalia, a coalition of radical Islamic groups, calling itself the Islamic Courts Union, has proclaimed that it now administers the Somali capital under "religious law." Though U.S. and allied forces are in neighboring Djibouti, the clerics and Islamic radicals appear confident that political discord in Washington will prevent any interference with their plans for establishing a Taliban-like regime.
And to prove once again that "good news" in Iraq is "no news" back home, the leaders of the "Get Out Now" movement either ignored or derided the announcement this week by Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., and Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, that "more than 500 artillery rounds containing Sarin and Mustard gases have been found in Iraq." Rather than congratulating U.S. troops for locating and destroying these weapons that would be lethal in the hands of terrorists, the "Blame America First" crowd denounced the find as "nothing but old ammunition dating to before the first Gulf War."
Until now troops fighting the war have shrugged off the critiques. Because they understand the consequences better than most, they have largely ignored calls from the Kerry-Murtha Axis to set a "hard and fast deadline for withdrawing U.S. forces." To an extraordinary extent they have continued to re-enlist and volunteer for repeat tours of duty in the Iraq and Afghanistan war zones. And while all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Guardsmen and Marines I have talked to in the last few weeks understand being held accountable for their actions -- they do not comprehend the politico-media fascination with negative news. Getting Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was a one-day story. American "atrocities" are news forever.
Earlier this week, shortly before the Pentagon announced that seven Marines and a U.S. Navy Corpsman would be court-martialed for crimes in Iraq, Sen. Richard "Dick" Durbin, D-Ill., stood in the well of the Senate to complain that we were fighting a war "that has gone on for more than three years -- with no end in sight." The next day a recently returned soldier I had covered in Iraq for FOX News called me up and said, "If we pull out now, the terrorists win." He then asked, "Where will we fight them next -- here?" It's a question the defeatists dare not answer.
To find out more about Oliver North, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at (www.creators.com)
COPYRIGHT 2005 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC
Oliver North is host of “War Stories” on the Fox News Channel. The opinions expressed above are his own and do not represent the views of Fox News and/or Soldier Of Fortune.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq - Unreported
On Wednesday, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), quoting from a Pentagon report, announced that since 2003, over 500 weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq. According to Santorum, these sarin- and mustard-filled projectiles prove that “weapons of mass destruction are, in fact, in Iraq.” With news this important, one would expect wide-spread coverage, right? Wrong. The so-called main stream media is silent on this discovery, instead painting their own view of Iraq.
At the press conference, Santorum along with Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) said, “It is essential for the American people to understand that these weapons are in Iraq. I will continue to advocate for the complete declassification of this report so we can more fully understand the complete WMD picture inside Iraq.”
Santorum noted that the six key findings from the Pentagon report are as follows:
Since 2003 Coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent.
Despite many efforts to locate and destroy Iraq’s pre-Gulf War chemical munitions, filled and unfilled pre-Gulf War chemical munitions are assessed to still exist.
Pre-Gulf War Iraqi chemical weapons could be sold on the black market. Use of these weapons by terrorists or insurgent groups would have implications for Coalition forces in Iraq. The possibility of use outside Iraq cannot be ruled out.
The most likely munitions remaining are sarin and mustard-filled projectiles.
The purity of the agent inside the munitions depends on many factors, including the manufacturing process, potential additives, and environmental storage conditions. While agents degrade over time, chemical warfare agents remain hazardous and potentially lethal.
It has been reported in open press that insurgents and Iraqi groups desire to acquire and use chemical weapons.
It’s quite interesting and disappointing to see how this news has been bypassed by almost all of the major media outlets. This morning, there was not a single mention of the story on the CNN web site. Instead, the main headlines listed under “Latest News” (in addition to prime space for coverage of Western wildfires) where:
4 U.S. soldiers die in Afghan battle
Al Qaeda’s No. 2 releases new video
Attacks kill 5 U.S. service members in Iraq
Debate over Iraq heats up in Senate
Marines, corpsman face murder charges
On the ABC News web site, the lead story is “Seven Marines and One Sailor Charged With Murder.” Also listed on the main page under “Headlines” are the following stories:
U.S. Troops Killed: 4 in Iraq | 4 in Afghanistan
Ariz. Wildfires Dangerously Close to Homes, Park
Calif. May Soon Face ‘Big One’
Japan Ships to Monitor N. Korea’s Missile Tests
The CBS News web site focuses on the wildfires as the lead story. Other main headlines include:
Duke Mom Wants Son ‘To Have Life Back’
Al Qaeda Tape Urges Afghans To Rise Up
Updated: 5 U.S. Troops Killed In Iraq
Times Have Changed In Germany
Dark Days For Bureau Of Indian Affairs
This morning, the FOX News web site had the WMD story on their main page, and it is now found in their political section. The main page of the New York Times’ web site makes no mention of the WMD story, but rather runs as their lead: “G.O.P. Decides to Embrace War as Issue.”
With all the one-sided reporting, is it any wonder that public support for action in Iraq will go down over time? So much was made of Abu Ghraib, yet where is the wide-spread reporting and outrage over what was done to two of America’s soldiers who were captured by Iraqi insurgents?
There is progress being made in Iraq, and the American people deserve honest, fair reporting on both the good and the bad. Their selective coverage does nothing to build a full story of what is happening in Iraq, but instead, is used to promote a left-wing agenda. That is not the role of the media, and hopefully, more and more Americans will see through their attempts to twist the news.
At the press conference, Santorum along with Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) said, “It is essential for the American people to understand that these weapons are in Iraq. I will continue to advocate for the complete declassification of this report so we can more fully understand the complete WMD picture inside Iraq.”
Santorum noted that the six key findings from the Pentagon report are as follows:
Since 2003 Coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent.
Despite many efforts to locate and destroy Iraq’s pre-Gulf War chemical munitions, filled and unfilled pre-Gulf War chemical munitions are assessed to still exist.
Pre-Gulf War Iraqi chemical weapons could be sold on the black market. Use of these weapons by terrorists or insurgent groups would have implications for Coalition forces in Iraq. The possibility of use outside Iraq cannot be ruled out.
The most likely munitions remaining are sarin and mustard-filled projectiles.
The purity of the agent inside the munitions depends on many factors, including the manufacturing process, potential additives, and environmental storage conditions. While agents degrade over time, chemical warfare agents remain hazardous and potentially lethal.
It has been reported in open press that insurgents and Iraqi groups desire to acquire and use chemical weapons.
It’s quite interesting and disappointing to see how this news has been bypassed by almost all of the major media outlets. This morning, there was not a single mention of the story on the CNN web site. Instead, the main headlines listed under “Latest News” (in addition to prime space for coverage of Western wildfires) where:
4 U.S. soldiers die in Afghan battle
Al Qaeda’s No. 2 releases new video
Attacks kill 5 U.S. service members in Iraq
Debate over Iraq heats up in Senate
Marines, corpsman face murder charges
On the ABC News web site, the lead story is “Seven Marines and One Sailor Charged With Murder.” Also listed on the main page under “Headlines” are the following stories:
U.S. Troops Killed: 4 in Iraq | 4 in Afghanistan
Ariz. Wildfires Dangerously Close to Homes, Park
Calif. May Soon Face ‘Big One’
Japan Ships to Monitor N. Korea’s Missile Tests
The CBS News web site focuses on the wildfires as the lead story. Other main headlines include:
Duke Mom Wants Son ‘To Have Life Back’
Al Qaeda Tape Urges Afghans To Rise Up
Updated: 5 U.S. Troops Killed In Iraq
Times Have Changed In Germany
Dark Days For Bureau Of Indian Affairs
This morning, the FOX News web site had the WMD story on their main page, and it is now found in their political section. The main page of the New York Times’ web site makes no mention of the WMD story, but rather runs as their lead: “G.O.P. Decides to Embrace War as Issue.”
With all the one-sided reporting, is it any wonder that public support for action in Iraq will go down over time? So much was made of Abu Ghraib, yet where is the wide-spread reporting and outrage over what was done to two of America’s soldiers who were captured by Iraqi insurgents?
There is progress being made in Iraq, and the American people deserve honest, fair reporting on both the good and the bad. Their selective coverage does nothing to build a full story of what is happening in Iraq, but instead, is used to promote a left-wing agenda. That is not the role of the media, and hopefully, more and more Americans will see through their attempts to twist the news.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
DNN- 4992 Votes for Dean Wilson
Dean presents lifetime achievement award.Sheriff-Coroner
Dean D. Wilson
4992 Votes 100.00%
The fact that so many Del Norte Voters made the effort to say yes to sheriff Dean Wilson's re-election bid speaks well for his performance.
Voters who are unhappy with an elected officials performance some times signal that fact by not voting at all for that person.
All of the unoppossed candidates did well, but Dean took top honors and DNN would like to wish him four more great years leading Del Norte County's law enforcement community.
All of the incumbants who faced challenges were re-elected by wide margins with the exception of Supervisor Sarah Samples who was widely recognized as vulnerable because of her disregard for her districts embattled residents.
DNN- Fenswick has a Howard Dean Meltdown
The e-mail published above is Jennifer Fenswick raging about the victories enjoyed by her opponent Vicki Frazier, and Supervisors elect Gerry Hemmingsen and Mike Sullivan.
Most of Del Norte County felt that this was the fairest and most representitive election in a number of years.
Ms. Fenswick imigrated to Del Norte County to be a hired gun for Martha McClure in her nasty and devisive race in 2004. Is it fair to speculate if JF will be joining the rapidly growing number of agents working for the socalistic grant writing organizations who have sold out and left Del Norte County in the last month?
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
DNN - Congratulations!
Congratulations are in order to all of last nights successful candidates.
Across the board voters in Del Norte County cast their votes for the candidates who were widely seen as pro-people and motivated by their desire to help the community they represented. They ran their campaigns on the issues, and responded to negative ads with firmness, tact, and originality.
DNN wishes all of you good luck as you go about the business of representing the people.
Monday, June 05, 2006
DNN -Global Warming and Al Gore
http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=052506C
Questions for Al Gore
By Dr. Roy Spencer : BIO|
25 May 2006
Dear Mr. Gore:
I have just seen your new movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," about the threat
that global warming presents to humanity. I think you did a very good job of
explaining globalwarming theory, and your presentation was effective.
Please convey my compliments to your good friend, Laurie David, for a job
well done.
As a climate scientist myself -- you might remember me...I'm the one you
mistook for your "good friend," UK scientist Phil Jones during my
congressional testimony some years back -- I have a few questions that
occurred to me while watching the movie.
1) Why did you make it look like hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods,
droughts, and ice calving off of glaciers and falling into the ocean, are
only recent phenomena associated with global warming? You surely know that
hurricane experts have been warning congress for many years that the natural
cycle in hurricanes would return some day, and that our built-up coastlines
were ripe for a disaster (like Katrina, which you highlighted in the movie).
And as long as snow continues to fall on glaciers, they will continue to
flow downhill toward the sea. Yet you made it look like these things
wouldn't happen if it weren't for global warming. Also, since there are
virtuallyno measures of severe weather showing a recent increase, I assume
those graphs you showed actually represented damage increases, which are
well known to be simply due to greater population and wealth. Is that right?
2) Why did you make it sound like all scientists agree that climate change
is manmade and not natural? You mentioned a recent literature review study
that supposedly found no peer - reviewed articles that attributed climate
change to natural causes (a non -repeatable study which has since been
refuted....I have a number of such articles in my office!) You also
mentioned how important it is to listen to scientists when they warn us, yet
surely you know that almost all past scientific predictions of gloom and
doom have been wrong. How can we trust scientists' predictions now?
3) I know you still must feel bad about the last presidential election being
stolen from you, but why did you have to make fun of Republican presidents
(Reagan; both Bushes) for their views on global warming? The points you made
in the movie might have had wider appeal if you did not alienate so many
moviegoers in this manner.
4) Your presentation showing the past 650,000 years of atmospheric
temperature and carbon dioxide reconstructions from ice cores was very
effective. But I assume you know that some scientists view the CO2 increases
as the result of, rather than the cause of, past temperature increases. It
seems unlikely that CO2 variations have been the dominant cause of climate
change for hundreds of thousands of years.
And now that there is a new source of carbon dioxide emissions (people),
those old relationships are probably not valid anymore. Why did you give no
hint of these alternative views?
5) When you recounted your 6-year-old son's tragic accident that nearly
killed him, I thought that you were going to make the point that, if you had
lived in a poor country like China or India, your son would have probably
died. But then you later held up these countries as model examples for their
low greenhouse gas emissions, without mentioning that the only reason their
emissions were so low was because people in those countries are so poor. I'm
confused...do you really want us to live like the poor people in India and
China?
6) There seems to be a lot of recent concern that more polar bears are
drowning these days because of disappearing sea ice. I assume you know that
polar bears have always migrated to land in late summer when sea ice
naturally melts back, and then return to the ice when it re-freezes. Also,
if this was really happening, why did the movie have to use a computer
generated animation of the poor polar bear swimming around looking for ice?
Haven't there been any actual observations of this happening? Also,
temperature measurements in the arctic suggest that it was just as warm
there in the 1930's...before most greenhouse gas emissions. Don't you ever
wonder whether sea ice concentrations back then were low, too?
7) Why did you make it sound like simply signing on to the Kyoto Protocol to
reduce our greenhouse gas emissions would be such a big step forward, when
we already know it will have no measurable effect on global temperatures
anyway? And even though it represents such a small emission reduction, the
economic pain Kyoto causes means that almost no developed country will be
meeting its emission reductions commitments under that treaty, as we are now
witnessing in Europe.
8) At the end of the movie, you made it sound like we can mostly fix the
global warming problem by conserving energy... you even claimed we can
reduce our carbon emissions to zero. But I'm sure you know that this will
only be possible with major technological advancements, including a probable
return to nuclear power as an energy source. Why did you not mention this
need for technological advancement and nuclear power? It is because that
would support the current (Republican) Administration's view?
Mr. Gore, I think we can both agree that if it was relatively easy for
mankind to stop emitting so much carbon dioxide, that we should do so. You
are a very smart person, so I can't understand why you left so many
important points unmentioned, and you made it sound so easy.
I wish you well in these efforts, and I hope that humanity will make the
right choices based upon all of the information we have on the subject of
global warming. I agree with you that global warming is indeed a "moral
issue," and if we are to avoid doing more harm than good with misguided
governmental policies, we will need more politicians to be educated on the
issue.
Your "Good Friend,"
Dr. Roy W. Spencer (aka 'Phil Jones')
Sunday, June 04, 2006
DNN - Last minute Spam/Smear Attack by Politico Troubles Del Norters
Editorial Comment
Sunday night voters were subjected to a Spam attack by a supporter of Alexander for District Attorney.
The Spam attack started around 9:45 and continued for over fifteen minutes.
The e-mails did not open properly and no intelligible message was contained in them despite many of them being almost 16K in size.
The Spam attack claimed in its headings to shed truth on incumbent DA Mike Reise’s sale of a firearm possessed by his department. Of course DA’s have broad powers to keep and transfer firearms. They are not subject to the National Firearms Act of 1934 which regulates many weapons. Alexander does not seem to grasp this important power of the office he is trying to gain.
Alexander has tried in the closing days of this election to smear DA Reise by portraying the sale as “gun trafficking across state lines.” His campaign is in deep trouble since he admitted his addiction to methamphetamine caused him to cheat clients, and creditors.
The use of Spam is a new development in Del Norte politics.
A deeply troubling aspect of the Spam attack was Alexander’s inclusion of many e-mail addresses owned by the Del Norte County Unified School District. After the problems of e-mail of a political nature being sent and received on government owned computers in the 2004 elections, it would seem to be an obvious ethical breech to Spam attack the school district.
Rick McNamara
Sunday night voters were subjected to a Spam attack by a supporter of Alexander for District Attorney.
The Spam attack started around 9:45 and continued for over fifteen minutes.
The e-mails did not open properly and no intelligible message was contained in them despite many of them being almost 16K in size.
The Spam attack claimed in its headings to shed truth on incumbent DA Mike Reise’s sale of a firearm possessed by his department. Of course DA’s have broad powers to keep and transfer firearms. They are not subject to the National Firearms Act of 1934 which regulates many weapons. Alexander does not seem to grasp this important power of the office he is trying to gain.
Alexander has tried in the closing days of this election to smear DA Reise by portraying the sale as “gun trafficking across state lines.” His campaign is in deep trouble since he admitted his addiction to methamphetamine caused him to cheat clients, and creditors.
The use of Spam is a new development in Del Norte politics.
A deeply troubling aspect of the Spam attack was Alexander’s inclusion of many e-mail addresses owned by the Del Norte County Unified School District. After the problems of e-mail of a political nature being sent and received on government owned computers in the 2004 elections, it would seem to be an obvious ethical breech to Spam attack the school district.
Rick McNamara
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Editorial Comment from ALT
Hey gang,
I understand that e-mails carry with them the sense of urgency and the following does negate some of that with its length. However, when it comes to talking about the characterizing traits of Ms. Incumbent and Mr. Retread it is very hard to keep it short! So please bare with me and keep thinking the central theme of this commentary - So who in their right mind would want another four more years of what we had?
Well friends here we are on the eve of an election - apart from the new voting machines (thanks Vicki) operationally this one is no different than previous ones. However, if we scope in to look at the character and physiological make-up (beneath the skin) of the various candidates, there is a very big difference that could result in a substantial shift in our county government from a "do nothing" majority 'tude to a "CAN DO" majority attitude.
Who in their right mind would want another four more years of this?
But does it stop there, OH NO! Let's turn briefly to cooperation, team spirit, creativity, projection, planning, timing, crisis management and other organizational skill sets needed to think outside the already tried, failed and discarded incumbent & retread mind set. Skills disparately needed to heal divisions and redirect our community. Skills needed to tap and use it's enormous potential. By this I don't mean trees, mountains and water (they WILL always be there). I refer to the energy, synergy, ingenuity, independence and downright desire to help within us Del Nortians (and we may NOT always be there).
In this regard, three incumbent & retread efforts, or lack there of, jump to mind:
1) Contempt for a public shouting out for team effort to a dysfunctional government entity. Lack of restraint by the incumbent in the exercise of a Machiavellian bureaucratic back stabbing, concept sandbagging, wanton waste of team time, petty retribution, political grandstanding, wholesale sellout, violation of policy, irresponsibility toward constituency, backroom / backdoor deals with total disregard for their area of representation. Mind you these are just a few of the infantile actions we can easily document. The incumbent and Retread never consults only insults their constituencies.
2) The other was the sellout of a great visionary project of six community service organizations to provide medical service to the community, train medical staff, technicians, badly needed nurses and provide A1 facilities to local physicians. Toward these community needs a great deal of time, effort and monies were spent. The original concept was good, but in a classic example of a "day late and a dollar short" - the project implementation, planning, scheduling and coordination slipped worse than the deadline. Under the incompetent guidance of retread thinking the original six dropped to one woefully under staffed clinic in a prefab building on valuable tax property on a very busy street corner. So for 1/6 the service, none of the envisioned added capabilities, we gave up critically needed tax dollars and traffic taxed an already congested intersection. Oh, and did I mention we don't even have the doctors to properly staff this facility (not sure about the nurses - we may be hurting in that area too).
3) Approximately two years ago I had three doctors and two nurses. Today I have none and if my situation became life threatening I'd have to travel 220 miles to another state to get help. In a classic "too little too late" within two short years our doctor shortage grew by 10+ while incumbent & retread did next to nothing. Incumbent was too involved protecting discretionary money for "happy hour attitude adjustment" and retread's plate was too full to respond to this serious and going medical threat. Retirement and death have been cited as excuses but these only highlight the shortsightedness of the incumbent & retread. No thanks to these two office aspirants, two doctors did recently join our community; but the bets are running 2 to 1, in the Physician-B- Gone pool, they'll leave in less than two years.
So who in their right mind would want another four more years of this?
One would think this is enough to sink any potential incumbent & retread candidacy, but it doesn't stop there!
Our community desperately needs a vibrant harbor to serve our diversified needs and an economically viable airport to make us a key player in this area. The incumbent & retread has made one into a political football and the other into a potential bureaucratic boondoggle. A harbor that is stuck in first and crawling forward at a snail's pace and an airport terminal that may be converted some day to an expensive B&B with a landing zone for ultra lights and hang gliders (or maybe another "environmental interpretive center").
These two projects are Del Norte's version of the army ad; "be all you can be"! Here the incumbent & retread are long on promise and way short on the delivery.
Did you realize that, sailing wise we are approximately halfway between Puget Sound and San Francisco? Our harbor should be a Mecca for both fishermen and yachters; a summer two weeks lay over attraction for vacationing getaway family boaters. But instead we're mired in the usual California red tape. Here is where experienced supervisor direction could best help in cutting through this with hard economic talk and effective business savvy. Not costing valued team time and wasted prep in a "glad handing" political stunt for an election "puff piece" and photo op in the "local opinion rag". Ask the Commissioners - why few participated.
Speaking of ports - in a classic example of the old saw " you can chew gum and walk too?" Our window of opportunity for an airport upgrade is very very small. We have to be there with longer runways and acceptable safety requirements when the airlines want us. Do it piecemeal and we'll most likely miss the window. Extending the runway (an est. 5 to 10 years) afterward may push the timeline window, perhaps irrevocably, beyond the airline's acceptable time limit. Building a new terminal first will only make this miss far more costly and add insult to injury. We all know the present terminal is an outmoded facility that needs to be replaced. We also know it needs to be moved - not for runway extension but for taxiway line of sight. So why can't we do both in tandem. I know the new candidates to the Board of Supervisors can easily "walk and chew gum" at the same time.
How about our port to the ocean, trees and mountains? Close off Tallowa Dunes to open, free and equal access for historic multi use but stuff down / shove up the coast to crest insult as another gate from nowhere to nowhere opening to nothing. Yet another Retread arrogant "in your face" assault on public needs and private property - for WHAT? Instead of humbling constructive efforts to solve the problems he left behind!
So who in their right mind would want another four more years of what we had?
Enough is enough it's time for a change!
Del Norte's future begins on the sixth and its soul is a "CAN DO" spirit!
Now as we all understand, "Can Do" doesn't automatically mean we'll attain every thing we espouse. Nor does it mean that Del Norte will become a paradise of riches and harmony. What it does mean, is that in the future we won't lie down and have it done to us. We will take charge.
The new candidates we elect on the sixth will help us to do it, not do it to us, as so often has been the case in the past! Please get out on the sixth, bring your friends and neighbors, VOTE - for our dignity, our future and our respect in our area of our state. Let’s take back our county!
I believe, when first used, it was a baseball term but it undoubtedly applies here !
"TROW DAH BUMS OOOUUUUT!!!!"
ALT
I understand that e-mails carry with them the sense of urgency and the following does negate some of that with its length. However, when it comes to talking about the characterizing traits of Ms. Incumbent and Mr. Retread it is very hard to keep it short! So please bare with me and keep thinking the central theme of this commentary - So who in their right mind would want another four more years of what we had?
Well friends here we are on the eve of an election - apart from the new voting machines (thanks Vicki) operationally this one is no different than previous ones. However, if we scope in to look at the character and physiological make-up (beneath the skin) of the various candidates, there is a very big difference that could result in a substantial shift in our county government from a "do nothing" majority 'tude to a "CAN DO" majority attitude.
Who in their right mind would want another four more years of this?
But does it stop there, OH NO! Let's turn briefly to cooperation, team spirit, creativity, projection, planning, timing, crisis management and other organizational skill sets needed to think outside the already tried, failed and discarded incumbent & retread mind set. Skills disparately needed to heal divisions and redirect our community. Skills needed to tap and use it's enormous potential. By this I don't mean trees, mountains and water (they WILL always be there). I refer to the energy, synergy, ingenuity, independence and downright desire to help within us Del Nortians (and we may NOT always be there).
In this regard, three incumbent & retread efforts, or lack there of, jump to mind:
1) Contempt for a public shouting out for team effort to a dysfunctional government entity. Lack of restraint by the incumbent in the exercise of a Machiavellian bureaucratic back stabbing, concept sandbagging, wanton waste of team time, petty retribution, political grandstanding, wholesale sellout, violation of policy, irresponsibility toward constituency, backroom / backdoor deals with total disregard for their area of representation. Mind you these are just a few of the infantile actions we can easily document. The incumbent and Retread never consults only insults their constituencies.
2) The other was the sellout of a great visionary project of six community service organizations to provide medical service to the community, train medical staff, technicians, badly needed nurses and provide A1 facilities to local physicians. Toward these community needs a great deal of time, effort and monies were spent. The original concept was good, but in a classic example of a "day late and a dollar short" - the project implementation, planning, scheduling and coordination slipped worse than the deadline. Under the incompetent guidance of retread thinking the original six dropped to one woefully under staffed clinic in a prefab building on valuable tax property on a very busy street corner. So for 1/6 the service, none of the envisioned added capabilities, we gave up critically needed tax dollars and traffic taxed an already congested intersection. Oh, and did I mention we don't even have the doctors to properly staff this facility (not sure about the nurses - we may be hurting in that area too).
3) Approximately two years ago I had three doctors and two nurses. Today I have none and if my situation became life threatening I'd have to travel 220 miles to another state to get help. In a classic "too little too late" within two short years our doctor shortage grew by 10+ while incumbent & retread did next to nothing. Incumbent was too involved protecting discretionary money for "happy hour attitude adjustment" and retread's plate was too full to respond to this serious and going medical threat. Retirement and death have been cited as excuses but these only highlight the shortsightedness of the incumbent & retread. No thanks to these two office aspirants, two doctors did recently join our community; but the bets are running 2 to 1, in the Physician-B- Gone pool, they'll leave in less than two years.
So who in their right mind would want another four more years of this?
One would think this is enough to sink any potential incumbent & retread candidacy, but it doesn't stop there!
Our community desperately needs a vibrant harbor to serve our diversified needs and an economically viable airport to make us a key player in this area. The incumbent & retread has made one into a political football and the other into a potential bureaucratic boondoggle. A harbor that is stuck in first and crawling forward at a snail's pace and an airport terminal that may be converted some day to an expensive B&B with a landing zone for ultra lights and hang gliders (or maybe another "environmental interpretive center").
These two projects are Del Norte's version of the army ad; "be all you can be"! Here the incumbent & retread are long on promise and way short on the delivery.
Did you realize that, sailing wise we are approximately halfway between Puget Sound and San Francisco? Our harbor should be a Mecca for both fishermen and yachters; a summer two weeks lay over attraction for vacationing getaway family boaters. But instead we're mired in the usual California red tape. Here is where experienced supervisor direction could best help in cutting through this with hard economic talk and effective business savvy. Not costing valued team time and wasted prep in a "glad handing" political stunt for an election "puff piece" and photo op in the "local opinion rag". Ask the Commissioners - why few participated.
Speaking of ports - in a classic example of the old saw " you can chew gum and walk too?" Our window of opportunity for an airport upgrade is very very small. We have to be there with longer runways and acceptable safety requirements when the airlines want us. Do it piecemeal and we'll most likely miss the window. Extending the runway (an est. 5 to 10 years) afterward may push the timeline window, perhaps irrevocably, beyond the airline's acceptable time limit. Building a new terminal first will only make this miss far more costly and add insult to injury. We all know the present terminal is an outmoded facility that needs to be replaced. We also know it needs to be moved - not for runway extension but for taxiway line of sight. So why can't we do both in tandem. I know the new candidates to the Board of Supervisors can easily "walk and chew gum" at the same time.
How about our port to the ocean, trees and mountains? Close off Tallowa Dunes to open, free and equal access for historic multi use but stuff down / shove up the coast to crest insult as another gate from nowhere to nowhere opening to nothing. Yet another Retread arrogant "in your face" assault on public needs and private property - for WHAT? Instead of humbling constructive efforts to solve the problems he left behind!
So who in their right mind would want another four more years of what we had?
Enough is enough it's time for a change!
Del Norte's future begins on the sixth and its soul is a "CAN DO" spirit!
Now as we all understand, "Can Do" doesn't automatically mean we'll attain every thing we espouse. Nor does it mean that Del Norte will become a paradise of riches and harmony. What it does mean, is that in the future we won't lie down and have it done to us. We will take charge.
The new candidates we elect on the sixth will help us to do it, not do it to us, as so often has been the case in the past! Please get out on the sixth, bring your friends and neighbors, VOTE - for our dignity, our future and our respect in our area of our state. Let’s take back our county!
I believe, when first used, it was a baseball term but it undoubtedly applies here !
"TROW DAH BUMS OOOUUUUT!!!!"
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