Terrorists attack America

"I'm Just Mouthing Off"

Terrorists attack America

"It's the Economy Stupid"

In the campaign for president against President George Bush, Clinton's sound bite of the time was "it's the economy stupid". Remember it? It could be seen everywhere...in print media, on tv, on bumperstickers, it was everywhere. It was an attack on the Bush administrations foreign policy efforts. With the fall of the communist empire, and Iraq's ability to make war severly diminished, the liberals were convinced that the U.S. no longer had any enemies to fear. People attacked President George Bush on his foreign policy efforts and chanted "what about American policy?". Bill Clinton with the help of the media, leftists and hollywood elite won the presidency. Clinton's foreign policy was a flop, bordering on global embarassement. The coalition of Arab states created by the Bush Administration quickly fell apart under Clinton. During the campaign, the media, who embraced Clinton from the onset, fell into the moment of "it's the economy stupid".

Everyday on the news you would hear about how consumer confidence was at an all time low. It was the worst economy in 30, 40, 50 years (depending on who was reporting it). We saw gut wrenching stories of out of work people, a non-stop barrage of homeless people sleeping in the parks and on curb sides.

Immediately after the election of Bill Clinton, all of this disappeared. The homeless were abandoned, consumer confidence soared. President Clinton without signing a single bill, improved the economy. Simply with his presence. Within days of his election and not yet inaugurated...the economy was in great shape again, according the news media. Clinton without signing a decent piece of legislation that we could contribute this great economy to, recieved all the credit. The homeless were chased from their sleeping places because they were an embarassment to the nation. They had served their purpose. All of the people who screamed in their defense...fell silent. We were dooped by the media, the liberals, and the hollywood elite.

Gains in foreign policy, and our status as a "Powerful Nation" were not maintained. The focus was not on the economy nor was it focused on foreign policy. The country was mesmerized by the Scandals of Clinton, and Monica Lewinsky. The Hollywood elite parading one after the other taking turns spending the night in the Lincoln bedroom of the White House. Clinton kept them by his side throughout his administration. While the news media focused our attention on that, terrorists were walking into our country, recieving training from our facilities. The CIA & NSA, all but beaten down and considered a "cold war relic" were too far removed to catch them. There were terrorist bombings around the globe, one that even targeted the World Trade Center. Still, the liberals and the news media refused to believe that their were real threats to the American way of life. They believed we did not have any significant enemies and their policies reflected it.

The World Trade Center was destroyed, The pentagon severly damaged. Four planes loaded with passengers, targeted US facilities. Thousands of innocent lives taken by terrorists. Not a new enemy, simply and old enemy that we ignored, that we abandoned along the way. They hated us before and our foreign policies of the past made them hate us even more. Let's face it, we never thought it would happen. We thought nobody would be that stupid. We are the last of the super powers right? If left unchecked where will it lead us? How much more will we lose, how many more lives? It's not so difficult to understand how reach reached this juncture in American history. All one has to do is look back on the country's foreign policy of the last 8+ years.

At the present the country stands united. Everyone wants revenge. They want the Bush administration to bomb them into the stone age. What will happen when it starts? I predict the rage will eventually turn into regret and yet another anti-war movement will divide the country. War inflicts casualties to the innocent, it is the very nature of war. The news media will re-focuses the attention of the American public from the innocent lives lost at the world trade center to the innocent lives being lost across the globe due to the war. Their reports and imagery will divide the country. It's a perfect set up because it provides news that calls out to be covered. Grim news is self-perpetuating, often self-created. The hollywood elite, who last night, was involved in a telethon to raise money for victims families, will refocus their attention to an anti-war movement. I'd almost bet my last dollar on it. We will exchange our sorrows from the people lost at the trade center to the people who will die that brought it upon their nation. The thousands who died in the trade center, pentagon and the remote area of Pennsylvania will be all but forgotten. What makes me suspect this? Look how many times it's happened in the past.

As a nation we have to stop responding to what the news media is reporting. We should look at it as though it is entertainment. That is how they are delivering it. Watch the imagery, special effects, catchy phrases and soundbites. They have shown clearly during this tragic ordeal that they are not interested in delivering the truth or facts. They are interested in delivering the breaking news...FIRST!

Our country is at a crossroads. A part of the american way of life is threatened. Terrorists are attacking our freedoms, our economy, our people and our landmarks to drive a wedge between us, our government and our foreign policy. What is frightening is that they may succeed if they are allowed to continue. Our lives mean nothing to them.

I believe that there is only one response and that is the direction that the president is currently taking our country. But at the same time we have to have a long term goal that includes continued alliances and negotiations with the countries we consider less than favorable. Once we achieve our objective we will have to maintain it and maintain it with consistency regardless of who is in the whitehouse. We cannot have an on again, off again foreign policy as we had in the Clinton and Carter Administrations.

When in the history of mankind was peace achieved without war? We as citizens, if we want to be free from terror and to continue living our lives in a nation of freedom, will have to be patient and it will come with great sacrafice. Our comfort and our ease will be challenged. We will hear and see things about a war, that will hurt us deeply. Some of our nations children may lose their fathers to a war fought against terrorism. History has taught us that our children can survive without their fathers. No matter how deep the pain, no matter how callous it sounds. They will survive. But they will not survive without a nation.

The response to the terrorists attack may get ugly. Images will be shown to you for the specific purposes of turning your stomach and un-nerving you. We are faced with an adversary that is willing to die for what they believe in no matter what the cost, and no matter who gets killed in the process....we have to be prepared to destroy them with the same mindset. If you don't have the stomach for it....turn away from it till its over. We will have to carry two faces. One of war and one of peace. We must seek a peaceful solution during the entire course of waging war.

Never again should we allow our government to back away from foreign policy or to take a goldilocks approach to foreign policy (not too hot, not too cold). That results of the catchy campaign phrase..."It's the economy stupid" has come full circle.

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