Comments on: NewsReal Sunday: Liberals are Culturally Programmed to Honor the Dead, but Ignore Their Valor

By: John C. Davidson

John C. Davidson — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:49:57 +0000

He’s trying to get his site off the ground. (and on to Mars)

By: Marylou

Marylou — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:46:57 +0000

Ben, what planet are you on?

By: Marylou

Marylou — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:45:26 +0000

What planet are you on?

By: How Should We Honor the Troops? â€“ by David Forsmark | FrontPage Magazine

How Should We Honor the Troops? â€“ by David Forsmark | FrontPage Magazine — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:39:03 +0000

[...] the days following my recent Newsreal blog post about considerations that a Commander-in-Chief must consider other than acting as chief mourner, I [...]

By: David Forsmark

David Forsmark — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:00:17 +0000

Clinton deserves some credit for Kosovo. Ironically, it was the pilots who were more willing to risk their own lives than Clinton was, especially since the bombing was to SAVE people on the ground. While there weren’t clear cut good guys and bad guys among the warring factions, the slaughter of the noncombatants has largely dissipated, and this gamble– of which I will admit to having been skeptical– was worth it.

Also, American Special Forces types will tell you the experience in the Balkans helped immensely in formulating the doctrines which eventually worked in Iraq– once a commander who had learned the lessons was appointed.

By: Jack Hampton

Jack Hampton — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:50:13 +0000

Ben
They erected the statue because he bombed the people of Yugoslavia into the stone age for them. I guess there could have been mass graves but I never saw any photos of them normally the press plasters the screen with these things I never saw any footage of the mass graves. I know there were some mass graves from a previous conflict and war criminals but I never saw any film from this war of the claimed mass graves. But it has created a mess now the Albanian drug dealers run wild and control everything. This is not over make no mistake. There will still be a price to be paid. These people never forget. I however Will take David Forsmarks word for it.

By: Ben Hoffman

Ben Hoffman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:47:49 +0000

I think I forgot to close the quotes on the link. Sorry.

By: Ben Hoffman

Ben Hoffman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:43:29 +0000

[Jack, the mass graves did exist, and if it wasnâ€™t genocide, it was close enough for government work.]

Is that why they recently honored Clinton with a statue?

“PRISTINA, Kosovo â€“ Thousands of ethnic Albanians braved low temperatures and a cold wind in Kosovo’s capital Pristina to welcome former President Bill Clinton on Sunday as he attended the unveiling of an 11-foot (3.5-meter) statue of himself on a key boulevard that also bears his name.

Clinton is celebrated as a hero by Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority for launching NATO’s bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999 that stopped the brutal Serb forces’ crackdown on independence-seeking ethnic Albanians.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_re_eu/eu_kosovo_bill_clinton

By: LanceThruster

LanceThruster — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:27:34 +0000

To not have named the ones you did does not at all mean that I would not be impressed with their meritorious actions. My Marine friend Adam was written about in “A Table in the Presence” ~ Lt. Carey H. Cash (though not by name) for winning a commendation for his actions in an ambush/firefight. The part of the story that stuck with me was how he tended to a wounded Marine who had half his face blown off from an RPG hit on their LAV (Bradley?) while returning fire through the blast hole. He said that just that morning friction with that particular Marine had boiled over and they kept shouting at each other about what a jerk the other one was and so on.

I attended a testimonial dinner near LAX for Gen. Paul Tibbets and several other crewmembers of the Enola Gay. I gave him copy of war historian Paul Fussell’s essay, “Thank God for the Atom Bomb” because I read some of his grandkids think of him as an evil monster. He had never seen the essay.

-have to run – more later

By: Jack Hampton

Jack Hampton — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:23:10 +0000

Mr. Forsmark I very well might have been misinformed during that period I was very busy but I do remember the concern in regard to the high altitude bombing.

By: David Forsmark

David Forsmark — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:38:24 +0000

Jack, the mass graves did exist, and if it wasn’t genocide, it was close enough for government work. However, on a related note, an Air Force buddy who wrote to congratulate me on this post reminded me of something he and I wrote about during the Kosovo War. Air Force pilots complained that the rule of engagement made them fly above 15,000 feet because Clinton was so risk averse. It didn’t really protect the pilots that much, but it did increase civilian casualties, such as the incident where a passenger train crossed a bridge as the bombs were already falling. Pilots lobbied to fly lower and take the risk because they did not want those deaths on them.

Yes, the military can be a noble profession.

By: LanceThruster

LanceThruster — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:08:23 +0000

My sincere thanks, Kevroc.

I consider it a sign of respect to speak openly and honestly, even when disagreeing. It allows for both sides to sharpen their own arguments and reassess their own positions. I welcome strong opposing views because purposeful “jousting” and a continuous reevaluation builds confidence in the strength of a given idea. The sad thing about any side’s propaganda is the tendency to reduce complex arguments to overly simplified and dogmatic distillations, often by blatant misrepresentations of the other side.

I too consider all Americans, their ideas, and their values, part of the diverse tapestry that is the foundation for our ultimate strength. Lack of an opposition party/viewpoint prevents timely course corrections from either side when necessary. I at least respect the true conservative position of avoiding decisions in haste and changes that are too sweeping even when I feel such changes are needed, appropriate, and beneficial.

We should limit our fights whenever possible to the arena of ideas. Bring out your champions and let the best ideas prevail.

(btw – I’m a bit shy of my usual 10,000 word tome this time. Hopefully you’ll spot me the balance till I can deliver the rest – sorry)

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. – Sun Tzu

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For the record, that’s “enemy” in terms of opposition views, not literally.