Thursday, March 01, 2012

We've Come a Long Way, Baby

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the new nation and the world was a dangerous place. He was faced with a foreign policy dilemma when a North African nation on the Mediterranean was exercising the practice of capturing individuals sailing along their coast then demanding a ransom.

When asked about the payments, Jefferson was quoted as saying "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute."

That was the episode that is covered by the "hallsshores of Tripoli" line in the Marine Hymn. Jefferson apparently understood concepts of honor, respect, and national power. Today, not so much:

Bamster Pays Off Egypt to Release Prisoners. Budget Working to Cut Military.

It isn't as though we don't already provide significant military and economic aid to Egypt. It isn't as though they couldn't be slapped down properly. It's simply that we are a much different nation than that of Jefferson.

And, that isn't a good thing.

5 comments:

Robman said...

I have a coworker who served three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.

At breakfast after work one morning a year or two ago, he agree with me that Obama seems to "want" to lose in Afghanistan.

For my own part, I was born within two months of Obama. I went to schools of comparable prestige during comparable time frames. I never met Obama, but I had umpteen housemates, classmates, etc., who thought and talked like him.

I remember being a grad student at U Chicago, at the same time Obama would have been at Harvard. I remember sitting around the student lounge, coming up with all manner of outlandish ideas, reveling in the same with my colleagues, saying "Wouldn't it be cool if we did this?"

Some people grow out of this. Obama, appparently, hasn't.

For my own part, I went on to work in private industry, and along the way, acquired my MBA. Obama never had such experiences.

He's a far left liberal academia twit. No, I don't think he's a "secret Moslem". He's not a secret anything. His sort is "above" religion. I'm sure he only joined that church of Rev. Wrong just to build a political power base. I'm sure he really didn't hear Rev. Wrong's sermons...he was probably sitting there wondering how he could get these people in the pews to get him elected.

And now, as president, he has the power to put all his stupid, outlandish, far left liberal ideas into practice. Or at least try. Part and parcel of this is extreme disrespect for the military, and notions of "respect" for America abroad. He simply doesn't care.

He may not be a Moslem, but he's very intimidated by a people who believe in something so strongly that they'd strap a suicide vest to themselves to prove it. So, he's going to give them as wide a berth as he can, since, after all, it is only about "religion", and what differece does that really make?

Ed, none of Obama's behavior should surprise you in the least. He stands against every value you are for. The creeps who spat on GIs returning from Vietnam, Obama represents these people. He's the sick conclusion of the trajectory we've been on since that time. He WANTS to lose in Afganistan, just to "prove" the validity of his sorry "world view".

It was a disaster that he got elected. It will be a much bigger disaster if he gets re-elected. God help us if he does.

drjim said...

No, it isn't.
Not at all...

foxone12 said...

That we continue to distribute money around the world is itself disturbing, that we now pay bribes even more so.

FlyingBarrister said...

Ed:

It's "halls of Montezuma"

and "shores of Tripoli"

Anna said...

Paying ransom is how we got into the mess in the Med with the Bey. Modern analog before this is the continued practice of ransoming ship crews from the Somali pirates. It's protection money and to prove paying is still needed, they will keep attacking. Until the big stick is used all these thugs will do is laugh and loot.