Conservatives haven’t been leading but, instead have been abstaining, abdicating, absconding and acquiescing.

YiZhangZhe on June 7, 2009 at 9:14 AM

True – in several countries. Let’s hope that the slight move to the right that some countries have recently taken will encourage others to do likewise.

The sacrifices made by the fallen may be in our minds, but they are not being reflected in our actions.

The war of the peace, as you say, is ongoing, but only one side seems to be firing the bullets.

Yes, exactly. Only one side has been persuing its ambitions. Our opponents have made progress not because they had better men or better ideas but because they have encountered no significant opposition.

Conservatives have been idle or reactive while the enemies of freedom have been busy and proactive with their idealistically naive, ill-conceived schemes.

Even this HotAir blog is reactive, not proactive.

“Implementation is everything”.
“He who dares, wins”

Admittedly it is easier to agitate for change than for constancy but there are plenty of changes conservatives could agitate for. We need to take the initiative and stop letting the fools define the agenda.

Since the end of WWII, the Left has been making constant inroads, to the detriment of those who seek freedom from all oppression, yet the sheeple remain blind. I fear that when the light does come, they won’t see it.
OldEnglish on June 7, 2009 at 1:03 AM

The sheep follow those who lead.

Conservatives haven’t been leading but, instead have been abstaining, abdicating, absconding and acquiescing.

The D-Day anniversary is a time to remember that we need to be proactive and put our opponents on the defensive. Fighting for freedom means leaving our comfort zones and taking the battle to the enemy rather than waiting for him to tell us what moves we are allowed to make.

YiZhangZhe on June 6, 2009 at 9:13 PM

But, do we have to wait until the lights actually go out? If that’s what it will take to stir the sheeple this time round, we have lost our way.

The war of the peace, as you say, is ongoing, but only one side seems to be firing the bullets.

Since the end of WWII, the Left has been making constant inroads, to the detriment of those who seek freedom from all oppression, yet the sheeple remain blind. I fear that when the light does come, they won’t see it.

To my Grandmother the late Maude Y., I can only say wow.

Just curious, do you defend FDR throwing all of those Japanese-Americans into concentration camps in 1942?

Del Dolemonte on June 6, 2009 at 5:02 PM

It hardly NEEDS defending. Michelle Malkin has ALREADY penned an EXCELLENT book on the matter. ANYONE that “brings this up” simply HASN’T done their homework. I’ve had MANY long conversations with family members who were eye-witnesses. The “concentration camps” you refer to, like the one located on Heart Mountain between Cody and Powell Wyoming was a country club compared to what our WW2 veterans had to put up with.

In 1942-1943, the Heart Mountain camp was the second largest “city” IN Wyoming. My mother and her sister were eye witnesses to the entire episode. The house where I grew-up is located about 13 miles from the former Heart Mountain camp site. Today, my 84 year-old aunt lives about 10 miles from that site. Here are some FACTS for you:

1) The Japanese people in the Heart Mountain camp were both permitted AND actually encouraged to seek employment in the nearby communities of Cody and Powell. Why? — because all of the men were GONE — seems they were pretty busy in places like North Africa, Italy, and an assortment of little Islands in the Pacific that hardly anyone had ever HEARD of. My aunt can tell you that the locals were VERY happy to have the Japanese there — they were INSTRUMENTAL in bringing in the farmers’ crops during their stay in the area. (Try farming in Wyoming without any men sometime.) And, why yes, the Japanese internees were well treated and they were paid for their labor.

2) My mother (now deceased, God rest her soul) and her sister have BOTH told me that, at times, they and some of other local towns people in the area were actually ENVIOUS of the Japanese in the Heart mountain camp. Why? — because the Federal government delivered SOME goods to the camp that were either rationed or that were impossible to find (at any price) in the Big Horn Basin of Wyoming in 1942-1943.

3) Yes, it’s true, viz. the housing constructed for the Japanese internees at the Heart mountain camp were little more that tar paper shacks — and the winters are cold and brutal. Cry me a river. You should see the shack that my father grew-up in located less than 10 miles from the Heart Mountain camp in Powell, Wyoming. My grandmother gave birth to 13 children, raised her brood in that shack, and even took-in some “strays” from time-to-time — and YES, the winters were EVERY BIT as brutal there as there were at the Heart Mountain camp.

4) A few years back, our government spent A LOT of money building quite a nice memorial at the Heart Mountain site –and yes, I HAVE stopped by there and looked it over. Some of the internees returned to the Heart Mountain site for the dedication ceremony of that memorial. There was a BIG write-up in the Seattle Times Sunday newspaper. I know because not only did I read it, but I emailed links to the web-site versions of the articles to Michelle Malkin — thinking that she might be interested since she used to work for Seattle Times, and because she mentions the Heart Mountain camp in her book (In Defense of Internment: The Case for ‘Racial Profiling’ in World War II and the War on Terror ). One of the former Japanese internees, who was a just a young boy in 1942-1943, was interviewed and quoted at length in the Times article. I told Michelle Malkin that I had a good laugh at the man’s remarks because he complained not once, but twice, about (Here it comes…are you ready for this?) the WIND in Wyoming. He said he hated it because the dust was EVERYWHERE. Funny thing — he didn’t say ANYTHING about being shelled by artillery, shot-at, tortured, starved, or mistreated while he was in that camp. Gee. I wonder why?

5) Meanwhile, my father and his brothers (from Powell, Wyoming) who fought in WW2 had just a BIT more to complain about than the Wyoming wind. One of my uncles enlisted in the U.S. Army and served with Patton’s troops in both the North Africa campaign and in the invasion of Sicily — he received a purple heart for his trouble. Another one of my uncles was a U.S Marine in the Pacific theater and was one of only three surviving members of his group after the battle on Iwo Jima.

6) Today, alongside Interstate 80 on the slopes of Elk mountain in Wyoming (in-between Rawlins and Laramie Wyoming), you will find one of the largest electricity generating wind-mill farms in the United States. Yes, it seems, that there are places in Wyoming that have the highest sustained wind-energy density of any place in the lower 48 states. Wanna’ know something funny? Guess who designed and built all those windmills? Yup. That’s right. It was a Japanese engineering firm.

So collie, tell me, is there a moral to the story?

My collie says:

Why, yes, I think there is. Apparently, one Japanese man’s war-time “environmental misfortune” is yet another Japanese man’s investment opportunity.

You’re smarter than you look, collie.

Here’s the documentary titled We Stand Alone Together from the special features of my all-time favorite WWII series, Band of Brothers. These are the comments from the men of Easy Company (in 8 segments):
Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Pa…

The real evil lies with America imperialism which has turned ordinary toy makers, chocolate manufacturers, musicians and philosophers into hostile German soldiers. Also I find the term ‘Nazi’ distasteful and insulting to the easily offended , highly sensitive and non-violent German population. Henceforth ‘Nazis’ shall be referred to as ‘Overseas Flower Children’.

As a show of remorse for our meddling I have permanently called off the D Day invasion because we all know that such hostility would only create more ‘Overseas Flower Children’. The German people are not as stupid as arrogant Americans think they are. They were taught a lesson in World War I and (except for an extremely tiny minority) have remained peaceful ever since

Sincerely, BHO”

We are in the minority, now.

We lack leaders thus we seem smaller and fewer than we are. However, even if we are a minority it wouldn’t be the first time. Evil men have always placed their heavy steps upon the earth and civilisation has flourished in spite of them.

We won the war, but lost the peace.

Ebb and flow. The world was never so perfect and the war has never ended. In the west we have enjoyed a long period of peace and we have indulged ourselves and become fat and lazy. We have rested on the laurels of men who “knew evil when they saw it” and let others carry the conflict. Now we see more clearly that we have little choice but to rejoin the battle.

The enemy of freedom is no longer at the gates, it is in the living-room.

OldEnglish on June 6, 2009 at 8:12 PM

Indeed it is, but it always was. The first and greatest enemies of freedom are our own apathy and cowardice; if we can defeat them then we can surely overcome the rest.

When the darkness increases, the light will seem to shine more brightly and as the confusing shades of gray fade to blackness the choices will become more distinct. Many will choose the light.

Please, sir, I want some more.

Loxodonta on June 6, 2009 at 8:48 PM

Here’s more!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX3xVQ7LiwE

More than “another Reagan” (who we won’t get – his kind of greatness is a one-shot deal,) we need leaders who will return to these themes, and speak them, and live them by their deeds.

massrighty on June 6, 2009 at 8:35 PM

Please, sir, I want some more.

– Oliver Twist

canopfor on June 6, 2009 at 8:14 PM

Reagan combined superb delivery with a subject matter that always had these elements:

1. America is a great nation, and has done great things.
2. Freedom is costly, and worth every sacrifice.
3. All people want freedom, and all deserve it.

More than “another Reagan” (who we won’t get – his kind of greatness is a one-shot deal,) we need leaders who will return to these themes, and speak them, and live them by their deeds.

Or do you need help?

radiofreevillage on June 6, 2009 at 10:39 AM

You’re the only one who needs help.

This guy was someone else, got banned, came back when HA opened the doors…and will be back again. He’s a Russia-ueber-alles guy, and will be easily spotted in the 3rd round.

Schadenfreude on June 6, 2009 at 6:32 PM

In freevillage’s world everything is Russian Pravda propaganda. Nothing is what it is because everything is what it isn’t. And contrary-wise; what it is, it isn’t, and what it isn’t, it is. You see comrades?

canopfor on June 6, 2009 at 8:14 PM

Thank you, Canada, for being a good neighbor, and for the sacrifices you made on D-Day.

Thank-You Allied Nations,

Thank-you,for Freedom,and the bright Light of
Lady Liberty,Thank-You,America,as the beacon
of the Free World,

may God bless the United States of America:)
——————————-

At, John at OPFOR website,has Ronald Reagans address at
Normandy.

http://op-for.com/

We understand that freedom must be fought for, not once, not occassionally, but every single day.

YiZhangZhe on June 6, 2009 at 6:33 PM

We are in the minority, now.

We won the war, but lost the peace. The enemy of freedom is no longer at the gates, it is in the living-room.

Del Dolemonte on June 6, 2009 at 7:08 PM

All of President Bush’s well-crafted speeches, in defense of freedom and supporting America’s great contributions to liberty, were ignored, by a media complicit in an outrageous lie. It suited them, in pursuit of their leftward agenda, to paint him a moron. In truth, he is missed by many.

YiZhangZhe on June 6, 2009 at 6:33 PM

While there is ONE good man, I will stand with him.

They died fighting a dictator who [I admit it] considered himself at war with the US, but had never actually attacked the United States. Of course, when that dictator sits on 40% of the world’s oil…then aristocratic families in the White House are bound to come up with any reason to go to war; as long as it gets them their blood money!

3393 Americans will never become doctors and save lives, will never run businesses and feed families that build a nation. They’ll never teach subsequent generations, create and share unique art, and they’ll never add to American literature or culture again.
They died under a false pretense that they were fighting to free others and open the door to Democracy for those ‘oppressed’-I mean really, you canNOT force someone to vote, and if they really wanted Democracy they could have risen up and fought for it like Americans did in the Revolution

3393 Americans are dead because our President needed a war to pull this nation out of the economic toilet!
They fought for each other, they hoped to survive, and everything else…the mom, apple pie, and politics of Saturday night is just BS!

3393 Americans are dead because this nation was attacked by suicidal wackos who got the nation’s blood pressure up, and happened to have a ‘relationship’ with another ‘Axis of Evil’ power. COME ON! A relationship? There’s NO evidence at all of a “COOPERATIONAL RELATIONSHIP” BETWEEN THE TWO!!
We now know from British documents that intelligence before the war was being focused and manipulated to make the case for war almost a year before it started.

3393 Americans are dead! They died on June 6th 1944 Invading France to impose democracy on a people who should have risen up for it themselves, to fight a dictator who never attacked the US but considered himself at war with the US, and who had no operational ties to Japan-the nation that DID attack the US.

3393 Americans are dead now

Will we be there the next time tyranny raises it’s ugly head. The world better hope so.

faol on June 6, 2009 at 5:52 PM

The evil Bush, in his D-Day speech at Normandy in 2004, promised France that we would save them again. His host, the cheese-eating surrender monkey Chirac, was so moved he grasped both of Chimpy’s hands after the speech and wouldn’t let go.

Sadly, Chimpy’s great speech was basically ignored-the media hated him with the intensity of a thousand suns, and to make matters worse, Ronnie Reagan’s death overshadowed it.

YiZhangZhe on June 6, 2009 at 6:33 PM

Brilliant! Thank you.

eaglewingz08 on June 6, 2009 at 6:29 PM

Excellent point; another reminder that words have precise meanings.

I always correct people who refer to “9/11″ or the “tragedy;” a much more correct term is the attack on the United States on September 11th.

This is why I worry about “swapping out” terms; an act of terrorism (an act whose intended purpose is to terrorize by violence) is not a “man caused disaster” – that makes it sound casual or accidental.

My father was one of the many who signed up on December 8th, 1941; he felt he had no choice. So, if useless and crazy, also, in his mind, necessary.

We all understand that the America that did this is gone, right? We all understand that this country will never stand against tyranny (even within its own borders) again, right? We all understand that we are, in fact, running headlong into tyranny at this very moment in time, right?

Rational Thought on June 6, 2009 at 5:27 PM

Perhaps I understand your sentiments, but for the 6th of June they are spectacularly misplaced. This is the day that we remember that a tremendous evil, holding many advantages, was defeated by men who set aside their fears and translated their hopes and ideals into courageous action.

You ask us to understand defeat, but we refuse to do so.

We understand that evil has always stalked the earth and has never yet fully prevailed. We understand that for as long as we are standing, it has not yet won.

We understand that freedom must be fought for, not once, not occassionally, but every single day.

We understand that we have the better arguments, we have the better men.

We understand that “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing”.

We understand, with shame and sorrow, that we have been lazily presuming that justice and truth would prevail of their own accord, but meanwhile our opponents have been busy.

Yet, we understand that the size and scope of the evil is no measure of it strength.

Most of all, and especially on days such as this …

We understand that it has been pushed back and beaten down before.

Or do you need help?

radiofreevillage on June 6, 2009 at 10:39 AM

You’re the only one who needs help.

This guy was someone else, got banned, came back when HA opened the doors…and will be back again. He’s a Russia-ueber-alles guy, and will be easily spotted in the 3rd round.