Todaybor Day is Labor Day

Post from Home

It's labor day weekend, so I'm home and posting on the molasses, er, dial-up connection. I don't really have any links to point you to (it'd be too hard to find them right now), but I do have a few talking points.

The Convention

So, I have a rather shoddy TV situation at the house, so I didn't get to watch any of the convention. I read a lot about it, though. Even read some transcripts of proceedings. I have a few thoughts on things.

First, the moderates: Yes, it's all great to show off the "Big Tent" aspect of the party, how everyone is in support of the President. However, I hear all this talk about "Giuliani/Pataki/Schwarzenegger" on a 2008 Presidential ticket, and that frightens me. Yes, I'm glad some of the more centrist Republicans understand the importance of backing out President on inter/national security issues, but be reasonable: These guys will not promote good policies, and their candidacy will ensure a loss in an election, given that their social liberality will tick off the conservative base to no end. Conservatives are not going to elect a pro-choice president just because he's a republican.

And speaking of liberal policies, what's up with this "Temporary Worker" thing? I know they're trying to woo latino voters, but I doubt this is going to be the thing that does it. They need to work harder to do it than that. And jeez, why don't we just declare asylum for every illegal already here? Let's not forget their official status: "Illegal alien." That means they are c-r-i-m-i-n-a-l-s. Should we just pardon rapists and murderers when they have a popular voting contingency? Yeesh.

Finally, the speeches. I read Zell Miller's speech. I'm sure it would've been much more impressive heard and seen rather than read, but it still looked dynamite to me. It said a lot that everyone wanted to say for a while. Especially devestating was his look at some of Kerry's votes in the Senate. He doesn't talk much about his votes in the Senate, but it's hard for him to look like he's strong on National Defense when he has voted down every new defense bill in all the time he has been in Congress. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Vietnam may tell us something about Kerry's character, but we're better off looking at the things he has done since then. His unwillingness to talk about those things should tell us even more.

And Bush's speech, well, I have only read about. Bits and pieces float up in various articles, but I can't find a transcript. From what I can tell, it was pretty good. He said a lot of the things he needed to say. I'm not sure if it will reach those who needed to hear it, but I think my vote is still safely secured. By the way, those protesters inside the convention . . . shameless. Absolutely shameless. The Democrats were allowed to have their convention, their chance to speak, why can't the Republicans have theirs?

Terrorists in Russia

This is absolutely insane. Islamic terrorists capture a school celebrating its first day. They hold parents, teachers, and children hostage. They withold food and water from them, forcing them to stay in unsufferable conditions, even using the children as shields . . . words are insufficient to express the outrage we should feel. If I recall correctly, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but one of the terrorists even set off her explosives without provocation, killing many of the hostages. This led to the military finally going in, and now some 200 of the hostages are dead, and many more injured.

I don't know if these people had demands. I didn't recall reading any or hearing about them in the news. So I can't say much for motive. But reality is a harsh mistress: Are these the kind of people who we can negotiate with? Are these the kind of people we want to leave alone in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia? Gracious, what will the reaction be if we ever face this kind of thing AGAIN at home (lest we forget what happened 3 years ago)? These people want to kill others simply for a loose connection to America/The West/non-Islamic religions. Many of them froth at the mouth at the prospect of killing an American. We're hated simply for where we were born, and we want to excuse it as being the end result of poor education and a harsh socioeconomic climate? Are these the people we really want to fight a "more sensitive war" with? What does that even mean?

It's events like this that make me all the more glad we are led by a President who is not afraid to stand up to bullies like these, who is not afraid to make the difficult decision to go after them even when placating weenies throw a tantrum (which it seems now may have been more motivated by self-interest than anything else). All in all, I'm glad we are led by this President, and I hope that he shall continue to lead us through this critical time for another four years.

All right people, that about wraps up this evening's edition. When the news produces something comment worthy, you shall hear from me again. Until then, goodnight.