China Confidential
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Rural America Refuses to Die
Dateline USA....
Turns out, the death notices were premature.
Rural America--which is still the backbone of the country in so many ways--refuses to die. It will not disappear, much as Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi would like. The small towns they dismiss, the hunters and church-goers the Democrats despise, will not go silently into the night. Their story is far from over, as shown by Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin's powerful acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. Relevant excerpts:Long ago, a young farmer and haberdasher from Missouri followed an unlikely path to the vice presidency.
A writer observed: "We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty, sincerity, and dignity." I know just the kind of people that writer had in mind when he praised Harry Truman.
I grew up with those people.
They are the ones who do some of the hardest work in America ... who grow our food, run our factories, and fight our wars.
They love their country, in good times and bad, and they're always proud of America. I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town.
I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids' public education better.
When I ran for city council, I didn't need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too.
Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown.
And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves.
I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening.
We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.
As for my running mate, you can be certain that wherever he goes, and whoever is listening, John McCain is the same man. I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment.
And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.
But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion — I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people.
Politics isn't just a game of clashing parties and competing interests.
The right reason is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good, and to leave this nation better than we found it.
No one expects us to agree on everything.
But we are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and ... a servant's heart.
Giuliani Rocks RNC; Olbermann Tries to Interrupt
Words to remember, which MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann tried to interrupt, in a blatant example of left-wing bias....
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani told the RNC that John McCainwill keep us on offense against terrorism at home and abroad. For four days in Denver and for the past 18 months Democrats have been afraid to use the words "Islamic terrorism." During their convention, the Democrats rarely mentioned the attacks of Sept. 11.
They are in a state of denial about the threat that faces us now and in the future.
You need to face your enemy in order to defeat them. John McCain will face this threat and lead us on to victory....
When speaking to a pro-Israel group, Obama favored an undivided Jerusalem. Until the very next day when he changed his mind.
I hope for his sake, Joe Biden got that VP thing in writing.Reuters Not Sure Al Qaeda Attacked US on 9/11
Al Qaeda is blamed for the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States which killed almost 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Cheney: US Has 'Deep Interest' in Caucasus
Foreign Confidential....
There must have been plenty of raised eyebrows in Moscow Wednesday.
As if to confirm that the struggle for energy is intertwined with--and may even come to dominate--the traditional struggle for power and peace among nations, Vice President Dick Cheney declared that the United States has a deep and abiding interest in the security of the Caucasus and in guaranteeing a "free stream" for energy exports from the region.
Speaking after talks in Baku with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, Cheney stressed the importance of the principle of territorial integrity, which he said had been endangered by Russia's recent invasion of Georgia. Aliyev echoed the Vice-President's views.
"The United States is convinced that together with European countries and Turkey we have to work with Azerbaijan and other Caucasus and Central Asian countries to offer additional routes for energy [exports that] will guarantee a free stream," Cheney said.
'Essential and Urgent' Energy Security
"Energy security is essential to us all and the matter is becoming increasingly urgent. We must work with Azerbaijan and other countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia on additional routes for energy exports," he added.
Cheney was in Azerbaijan at the start of regional tour to show support for former Soviet republics in the aftermath of the fighting. He is also scheduled to visit Georgia and Ukraine.
In addition to meeting with Azerbaijani officials, Cheney was briefed on the latest developments in the Caucasus by US Embassy officials and by top executives of British Petroleum, a major energy developer and exporter in Azerbaijan.
$1 Billion Aid Package
Cheney's comments came as the US prepares to announce a $1 billion economic aid package to help Georgia rebuild after Russia's military action--and a day after Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sealed a new gas pipeline deal in Uzbekistan.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nestorenko criticized US calls for rebuilding Georgia's military as unhelpful.
Earlier, the European Parliament appealed to Russia to honor all its commitments for a complete and immediate withdrawal of its forces from Georgia.
Meanwhile, Georgian lawmakers voted to lift martial law imposed after the outbreak of fighting in Georgia.
Separately, Russia shut down its embassy and consulate in Tbilisi Wednesday, and said it will stop issuing visas to Georgians next week. Georgia severed diplomatic ties with Moscow Tuesday.
In another development, the flagship of the US Mediterranean Fleet, the USS Mount Whitney, is on its way to Georgia to deliver humanitarian supplies to that country.
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Dateline USA....
The Reuters news agency, which practically banned the word terrorist after 9/11 in deference to Islamist nations, organizations, and ... terrorists ... is apparently not certain that Al Qaeda was responsible for the worst-ever attacks on US soil, even though the mass-murdering, Islamist group and its leader, the deranged Osama Binladen, have bragged about their atrocious accomplishment, the seventh anniversary of which will be observed in only seven days. Reuters:
Posts
