A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

[Uncle Moish]

DEAR ALTONITES,

OTHER THAN FOR SHOTS OF VODA, I SELDOM BEG FOR ANYTHING. I DO SO NOW.

CIVILIZATION IS AT A WATERSHED. DEDICATED AND DETERMINED TERRORISTIC MOVEMENTS ARE ON THE VERGE OF COWING THE WORLD INTO SUBMISSION, DOING SO PERHAPS INCREMENTALLY FOR NOW, BUT EACH NOTCH EMPOWERS AND EMBOLDENS THEM WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY INTIMIDATING THOSE WITH DIFFERING VALUES AND DREAMS.

AMERICA AND OUR PRESIDENT HAVE SAID "NO". YOU CAN HURT, CAUSE PAIN, TRY TO BROW BEAT, BUT YOU WON'T PERSEVERE. MOST NATIONS AND THEIR LEADERS HAVE SENT THE OPPOSITE SIGNAL: KILL, BOMB, TERRORIZE US, AND WE WILL GIVE IN. EVEN WHEN HEADS OF STATE TRY TO BE PRINCIPLED, THEIR CONSTITUENTS RALLY IN THE STREETS URGING CAPITULATION TO ALL SORTS OF TERRORISTIC DEMANDS. SPAIN'S CAPITULATION ENCOURAGED FURTHER ACTS OF INTIMIDATION, ENGENDERING THE RASH OF DECAPITATIONS. PRE AND POST REACTIONS TO THESE ATROCITIES BRING ABOUT THE SAME DASTARDLY RESULTS.

I VERY MUCH RECALL AT THE START OF IRAQ'S LIBERATION OUR PRESIDENT SHARING WITH US THE EXPECTED PRICE. IT INCLUDED A TOLL IN HUMAN LIVES WHICH BY TODAY WOULD BE TRIPLE THE 1,100 AMERICANS LOST THESE PAST FIVE HUNDRED DAYS. [1,100 is also the approximate number of DAILY deaths America "contributes" to the greedy tobacco industry.] I WAS MOST CERTAIN THE IRAQI CAMPAIGN WOULD PREVENT THE PRESIDENT'S RE-ELECTION. SURELY HIS HIGH ECHELON ADVISERS WERE EQUALLY PERCEPTIVE. DESPITE THE LIKELIHOOD/CERTAINTY OF DEFEAT [and unlike the other guy], HE ELEVATED PRINCIPLE ABOVE THE CONFINES OF PERSONAL, POLITICAL PROFIT.

A WORD ABOUT SO-CALLED "FLIP-FLOPPING". IN 2000 THERE WERE FEW MORE STAUNCH GORE SUPPORTS THAN I [having voted Nader in 1996 and Clinton in 1992], COUNTING HANGING CHADS IN MY SLEEP THROUGHOUT THAT NOVEMBER. HAVE I FLIP FLOPPED OR HAVE TIMES/EVENTS/OTHERS CHANGED? I THINK THE LATTER.

IN 2000 BUSH WAS AGAINST "NATION BUILDING" [ergo my disdian for him then]. NOW HE HAS AN ALMOST WILSONIAN DEDICATION TO THIS IDEAL. WAS THIS A "FLIP-FLOP" OR DID IT RESULT FROM HIS PERCETION THAT ISOLATIONISM, ESPECIALLY IN THE LONG RUN, IS COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE? AGAIN I THINK THE LATTER.

THE OTHER GUY'S FORMULATIONS REFLECT HIS CHARACTER [or lack of it]: "GO ALONG WITH THE MAJORITY SO THEY WILL BE PLEASED." SO WHAT IF THAT MEANS THROWING PRINCIPLE TO THE WIND AND FEEDING THE WORLD'S LAMBS TO THE WOLVES. DOES ANYONE NOT BELIEVE THAT THE ONLY WAY TO GET SUCH MORAL BASTIONS AS FRANCE AND GERMANY TO, SEEMINGLY, "PLAY BALL" WITH US IS TO IMITATE THEM? KISS GOOD-BYE THE DAYS OF PRINCIPLED VETOES WHICH HAS 'DISMAYED' BOTH NATIONS "ALLIED" WITH US AND THOSE COVERTLY [even overtly] AIDING TERRORISTS. AND YOU WILL SEE, FOR THE SAKE "THE RULE OF LAW", ADHERENCE TO ADOPTED RESOLUTIONS WHOSE IMPLEMENTATION WOULD BE BUT POORLY CONCEALED WEAPONS OF MASSIVE MURDER.

NOBODY IS PERFECT AND EVERYONE RUFFLES THE FEATHERS OF ASSOCIATES, BE THEY IN THE WORLD OF BUSINESS, ATHLETICS, SCHOOLING, SUMMER CAMP, AND/OR, YES, EVEN IN THE MILITARY. BUT IF ONE WERE A MAJOR PARTY CANDIDATE FOR THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE LAND, ONE'S ANGST TOWARDS HIM/HER WOULD SPEEDILY BE DI MINIMIS, ITS ORIGINS IGNORED AND/OR SPEEDILY FORGOTTEN. SO FOR 2/3 OF HIS 300 SWIFT BOAT ASSOCIATES TO COME OUT SO VEHEMENTLY AGAINST THIER COLLEAGUE [one or two of whom, I hear, have recanted] AS WELL AS 15 OF HIS 23 DIRECT COMMANDERS ["Unfit for Command" by O'Neil, a fellow Gore voter], THERE'S OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING SUBSTANTIVELY WRONG WITH THAT FELLOW. YES, IT WAS HALF HIS LIFE TIME AGO, BUT IN A WAR SITUATION, WHERE HE ORCHESTRATED THE FILMING OF HIS ALMOST EVERY MOVE [and/or their re-enactment], IT REVEALS CHARACTER FLAWS SO INGRAINED WHEN HE WAS APPROACHING THIRTY THAT HIS "SPOTS" COULD NOT TODAY BE RADICALLY DIFFERENT. YES, OUR PRESIDENT TOO HAS REFUSED TO SIGN FORM 180 FOR THE RELEASE OF ALL MILITARY RECORDS. BUT HE WAS NOT THE ONE WHO BASED 80% OF HIS NOMINATION ACCEPTANCE PRESENTATION ON HIS MILITARY SERVICE.

AMERICA IS NOT SPAIN, NOT YET. THAT WE HAVE NOT SINCE 9/11 HAD ON OUR SOIL THE LOSS OF A SINGLE VICTIM TO TERRORISM IS HARDLY DUE TO THE SKILLS OF THE HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICE. THE THRONGS BENT ON WREAKING HAVOC WILLING AND ANXIOUS TO DIE IN THE PROCESS WOULD SURELY HAVE HAD MORE THAN A FEW SUCCESSES HAD THEY BEEN DISPATCHED. BUT THE TERROR LEADERS KNOW THAT UNLKE MOST OTHER NATIONS' POPULATIONS, THAT "SUCCESS' WOULD BE SHORT LIVED AND TRANSITORY, SERVING TO STRENGTHEN THE RESOLVE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. ITS MANIFESTATION WOULD BE THAT TO WHICH THE FORES OF EVIL MOST VORACIOUSLY WANT TO AVOID, THE RALLYING AROUND OUR LEADER. THEIR IMMEIDATE GOAL NOW IS TO ERADICATE THIS SOLID BULWARK WHO HAS STALLED THEIR MARCH TO DOMINATION.

SO, UNTIL NOVEMBER 2nd WE ARE QUITE SAFE. WE WILL BE LESS SO AFTERWARDS NO MATTER WHO WINS. BUT GIVEN THE TERRORISTS' [perhaps accurate] VIEW OF THE PRESIDENT'S OPPONENT AS ONE READY TO PLAY INTO THEIR HANDS UPON THE OCCURRENCE OF THE FIRST INCIDENT, THE INEVITABILITY, FREQUENCY, AND STRENGTH OF THESE WILL BE VASTLY ENHANCED BY HIS UPCOMING VICTORY. PLEASE JOIN IN TRYING TO STEM THE TIDE OF BLOOD WHICH WILL OTHERWISE FLOW AND INCREASE ON AN ALMOSTLY DAILY BASIS.

THANK YOU,
UNCLE MARKIE



mark@lgpltd.com

[DDD]

Uncle Mark,

I care for you and I respect your opinions, many of which I share and even where we differ, I respect you and your integrity.

In that vein, I offer in response: I disagree.

Please consider the following, in the context of the feelings you have just shared-

<A HREF="http://slate.com/id/2108880/" TARGET="_blank">http://slate.com/id/2108880/</A>

We can take this offline, and probably should. My feeling - apart from the policiy disagreements I have with the Administration and its Republican allies, and many in the courts - is that their extreme incompetence in the face of extreme circumstances ought not to be rewarded.

At my workplace, we recently had a co-worker go off to the war. Our CEO sent him off with our thanks and our prayers, and for that I thank him. Indeed, I pray for my collegue and us all.

DDD

[Uncle Moish]

Reb Dovid,

One can always examine and find a better route, a different priority, and other Monday morning quarter-backing.

We embarked on a costly but necessary endeavor which, if altered, will be/become infinitely more costly.

That being said, I see no reason for your posting to be removed. It is my understanding that Gary does not veto/remove items based on his agreement or disgreement. The motivation is, it seems to me, whether the posting is motivated by a desire to deprecate a fellow Altonian [as opposed to some traditional, good natured ribbing].

Best to mishpachah,
Uncle Moish



mark@lgpltd.com