Off to a Flying Stop

Our newest president stated during his inaugural address yesterday:

"To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

Wow. I'll bet that put the fear of God into the little tin dictators who rule our enemies. They're soooo afraid of how their people will judge them! As if that statement is even true -- these radical terrorists are judged on what they destroy, and they believe they will be rewarded for destruction, especially of themselves.

To emphasize his toughness, The One was barely off the mall when he ordered that all of the Camp Gitmo terrorist trials be suspended. The AP reported:

"Eric Holder, the president's nominee for attorney general, has said the so-called military commissions lack sufficient legal protections for defendants and that they could be tried in the United States. * * * 'It's a great first step but it is only a first step,' said Gabor Rona, international director of Human Rights First. 'The suspension of military commissions so soon after President Obama took office is an indication of the sense of urgency he feels about reversing the destructive course that the previous administration was taking in fighting terrorism.'"

Ah, yes. Let us treat terrorists as though they were charged with jaywalking -- through the criminal justice system! How civilized! Perhaps the terrorists will reform after some rigorous probation or counseling!

Treating terrorism as a law enforcement issue is precisely the mistake Clinton made when dealing with Bin Laden (remember when Janet Reno vetoed a plan to grab Bin Laden when he was being expelled from Sudan?). Here we go again, and of course the left is celebrating it as a first step in "reversing the destructive course that the previous administration was taking in fighting terrorism." I assume she meant the "destructive course" that has liberated two nations and prevented another terrorist attack on the U.S.A. over the last 7 years.

Oh, there was a minor footnote buried in the AP article:

"Relatives of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, who were also at the base to observe the hearings, have said they oppose any further delay in the trials of the men charged in the case."

Those pesky relatives of victims, relatives of the Americans who were murdered on American soil by foreign terrorists. Although they are merely nuisances to be brushed aside by the new administration, we will never forget them and will never stop hoping, praying, and working for justice.

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The One also uttered this doozy:

"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. "

What exactly does this mean? If we take him at his word, he will move to abolish the Departments of Education and Energy, which have produced neither education nor energy, and he will substantially remodel the Department of Health and Human Services which, with the possible exception of the NIH, has not produced much health, and its "human services" are the single biggest cause of the decline of the family, particularly in poor communities.

And since when is it government's responsibility to find jobs for people? Oh, maybe since yesterday. This more than anything betrays the new president's view of government -- it is the provider, the guarantor, of all things.

No thanks. I refuse to participate in the current recession, and I refuse to participate in any effort to make government the guarantor of my welfare. I will provide for myself and my family. I will contribute to private charities that assist those in need. I will give to my church. I will pay my taxes because it is the law and good citizens always follow the law, even as they work to change it.

I do not wish our President ill; I wish his policies ill. I hope they will not be enacted and, if enacted, I hope they fail. We are on the precipice of disaster, and we will go over the edge if he is able to accelerate the socialization of our government and our economy. God help us.