Now, having said that, I think that he is still the President of the United States and the office deserves our respect...which means the person in it deserves respect. We can disagree with him, but a little decorum should be the order of every day. The subject of this post is what I have put on this blog below:
This billboard is a travesty to all things decent. There is no way you can compare Obama to the creep in Aurora, CO. Did Obama deserve the Nobel Prize? Not no, but hell no. Does he deserve to be compared to the spoiled rotten little brat who decided to go off and kill, maim and wound seventy innocent people? Not no, but hell no.
The statement being made is about our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan not being brought home by Obama. When he became president, these military personnel were already over there. Our soldiers are making sure that if those that hate us want to kill Americans, then there we are. But, instead of killing innocent and unarmed civilians on our own territory, they have to try and kill fully armed and trained warriors on their territory. Kind of levels the playing field, doncha think?
Obama has allowed our country's killing machine (the military) to be a killing machine. Drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and wherever else they find these idiots, haven taken out dozens of those in leadership positions. He ordered a complete violation of another country's sovereignty and sent our troops in to take out Osama bin Laden. No matter how you cut it, that was pretty gutsy, politically. He ordered a surge in troops to take the battle even further into Afghanistan and now has most of these cretins (that are left) hiding in caves and, like the vampires they are, only coming out at night to plant their IED's. If there's one thing you can't really complain about when it comes to Barak Obama, is that he believes in killing the enemy wherever we find them. And have no doubt, the Taliban and Al Qaeda are our enemies.
So, theses bozos who put this billboard up are angry because our troops are still over there. What? Are we to turn tail and run, leaving our allies to forge ahead on their own without getting the job done? Was Obama to immediately pull the troops and let the Russians and the Chinese and others chide how the United States can't be trusted as an ally or friend; further diminishing our status as a world power? People that put billboards up like this have no idea what a real war is. Since March 19, 2003, the United States has lost 4488 soldiers, 3532 killed in combat in Iraq. Since October 7, 2001, the US has lost 1939 military personnel in Afghanistan. On Iwo Jima we had 26,000 casualties with 6800 dead in 36 days. Okinawa lasted 82 days where the US recorded 62000 casualties with 12000 dead. During the Battle of the Bulge, which lasted 40 days, the US had 90000 casualties with 19000 dead. Yet, we have two wars lasting a decade or more, and the total dead is 6427. I repeat, today's generation doesn't know what a war is. If you want to see a little more of how the billboard above is fanaticism run amok, since Obama's inauguration on January 20, 2009, America has suffered 257 deaths in Iraq with only 128 combat related. How is he the murderer of thousands and thousands of our men and women in the military? The lack of reasonable rationale amazes me.
Understand, I am not minimizing the deaths or wounds of those that have served us in these two theatres of operations. One death, one life ruined by severe wounds, is too many. We must never lose our sense of the true worth and value of a life. But, it is those who wish to fly airplanes into buildings and set off underwear and shoe bombs, and who cut off people's heads while filming the gruesome act that have no value on human life. Our young soldiers are over there killing them to keep them from killing us over here. Are they also over there protecting the economic interests of the fat cats who really run the world? Yes they are. But that shouldn't minimize the other job they are doing that keeps us safe in our own country. And to be so blatantly hostile to the office of the presidency as that billboard shows some to be is a blight on us all.
Fanaticism like this must stop. There is no problem with debating the issues and pointing out weaknesses and strengths of candidates. There is no problem with having an opinion about Obama, whether it be positive or negative. But those opinions must bear some element of decency, factual evidence, and moral relevance. Obama didn't start the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But I believe he has done all within his power to bring them to as quick an end as possible and still help to maintain the United State's integrity on the world stage. At least in this one respect.
I still think he should not be re-elected, and will voice that opinion in the voting booth. But you will never see me trash him in so crass a way. It is okay to make fun of him, chide his policies, and mock his 'You didn't build that' comment. It is not okay to compare him to a mass murderer of innocent people. That, my friends, is going way beyond the pale. The ones who put that billboard up should be ashamed of themselves. The pity is...they won't be.