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The Right Thing to Do?

Posted by Josh Todd on Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:47:15 PM
Two articles screamed for attention this morning, both of which reminded me of a bit I wrote back in March. My piece detailed my careless driving habits when I was a teenager and how fear of financial burden and death moderated my behavior.

That column, in short, detailed a simple truth: that negative consequences have a way of instilling, or encouraging, responsible habits.

Well, the two pieces in question concern presidential hopeful Barack Obama (one also discusses John Edward, another executive aspirant).

The first, an ABC News story, quotes Obama as saying that “age-appropriate” sex education for kindergarteners is “the right thing to do.” Then the second, a Chicago Tribune feature, detailed a mutual belief among Obama and Edwards in universal health care that includes expanding government funding of abortion (“pregnancy termination”).

Essentially, these two candidates have inadvertently inverted my “stupid driver” theory. Instead of discouraging irresponsible behavior, they would encourage it. Then Obama and Edwards would take measures to remove the consequences.

Read: Drive like a babbling moron because we are going to put padding along all roads and fit you with protective gear so you don’t get hurt. Or, in this case, engage in behavior that leads to single parenthood, the associated financial hardship, and potential disease because the government will help you avoid the former while giving you ways to avoid latter.

Such progressive ideas progress only social ills that can only be described as regressive.
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Iraq: What Lies Ahead

Posted by Josh Todd on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 10:01:55 PM
Media reports abound stated that the Bush Administration might possibly look at an exit strategy from Iraq, and soon. No such luck, the president told us on Monday; however, and in spite of the efforts of those who still believe in victory, our hasty departure from the conflict seems all but inevitable.

Constant media coverage of attacks with simultaneous neglect of positive developments has contributed to eroding public support. Likewise, undying attacks courtesy of war opponents on the war itself, those who wage it, and those who run it have also whittled away at the public will.

Meanwhile, terrorists within Iraq and without have capitalized on the partisan bickering taking place in the United States by escalating attacks and repeating opposition talking points via propaganda.

Then, an irresolute and impatient American public has slowly but surely turned its back on the effort, opting to oppose the war and cry for withdrawal. Our fast-paced culture and society has produced millions of people who want everything now—people who are too impatient to do what it takes to win the war. Instead, we would rather lose to our long-term detriment so to avoid current pain.

Moreover, the party that was fighting the war with some measure of vigor has begun to divide. The GOP’s electoral difficulties seem likely to continue, which will propel the Democrats into full control of the government—executive and legislative. As the party of opposition to the war, Democrats will surely pull the plug on the endeavor when in power.

Regardless of the results, our hasty departure from the once Fertile Crescent is nearly inevitable. Only a swift blast of good news and bipartisan determination to actually win—and not just leave—can turn the tide. At this point, however, it appears that the chances for such a turnaround are slim.
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Re: Term Limits

Posted by Josh Todd on Sunday, July 08, 2007 4:18:57 PM
The following piece was prepared for and posted on the Montgomery County Ohio GOP Blog at http://montgomerycountygop.wordpress.com/.

In 1994 the Republican Party swept into power based largely on the Contract with America. One of the key tenets of the contract was the Citizens Legislature Act, which would have imposed term limits on the US Congress, but the bill did not pass.

Like many government initiatives, the CLA was founded in good intentions; however, the desired result would not have formulated.

Politicians often go to Washington or Columbus (in our case) intending upon leaving after a certain time spent pursuing a specific agenda. Then, they tend to get comfortable and complacent, largely ignoring the interests of their constituents. Instead, they seek little more than self-preservation.

Thus, term limits would save the day and end the trend, we were to believe.

Unfortunately, term limits preclude a party self-policing itself and elected officials tend to simply move on to difference offices. Take, for example, both parties in this state. How many politicians have served in the legislature and in multiple positions in the executive branch?

Simply put, term limits are an ineffective way of keeping our representatives from becoming entrenched and insulated, mainly because they find other ways of doing so, anyway. The best method, as has always been the case, to prevent such an occurrence is via the ballot box. In short, if State Rep. So-and-So seems to be merely perpetuating his existence while ignoring the folks, fire him during the primary or general elections.
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The Slogan

Posted by Josh Todd on Saturday, July 07, 2007 8:58:59 AM
It has been said in the course of recent weeks that the “War on Terror” is but a mere slogan designed for political gain. In other words, there is no real war, per se. Sure, there are terrorists who have attacked the United States and many of them wish to do so again; however, the “war” was conceived out the desire for certain courses of action and, most of all, paranoia and power.

One does not have to bear degrees full of knowledge to know, immediately, that the idea of the “War on Terror” as slogan is born either of ignorance or neglect. One does not even have to consider events of as many as five-and-a-half years ago.

Instead, consider events over the past two months, all of which make the “War on Terror”—even if poorly named—a real war. Furthermore, the war now has the added element of proxies.

Take, for example, the car bombs in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom—our most important ally. Two men, Abdullah and Kafeel Ahmed, appear to have been involved in both incidents. Given their intentions, it is not a stretch to assume that both individuals are Islamic extremist-terrorists.

Likewise, consider the four men indicted for plotting to bomb the JKF Airport in New York. The perpetrators are Islamic radical terrorists.

What about the plot to attack Fort Dix? The men charged in that case are also radical Islamic terrorists.

Even further, one must examine the proxy war taking place around the world. Nations like China and Iran, each vying for greater prominence in the foreign policy arena that the US currently dominates, may have proxies fighting for them.

Reports have surfaced that Chinese weapons have appeared in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is not clear at this point if Beijing is involved directly, but Chinese-made armor-piercing munitions have turned up in both aforementioned war zones.

Likewise, we have know for some time that Iran, seeking regional dominance, has sent agents and explosively-formed projectile IEDs into Iraq for at least two years. Moreover, evidence has surfaced that al Qaeda—America’s chief foe in Iraq—has been staging operations there out of Iran.

Thus is the “slogan.” What we have is an historical occurrence wherein Americans and their allies are dying due to a three-word motto and not some band of lunatics bent on killing people who fall outside of their worldview and who stand in the way of their ascent back to greatness. Some slogan, indeed. 
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The Mockery IV: Strippers

Posted by Josh Todd on Wednesday, July 04, 2007 4:19:57 PM
The Mockery is a column—along the lines of Odds and Sods—that will appear periodically when I don’t feel like writing seriously about current events. Each installment of The Mockery will be written with the intent of poking fun at some of the excesses of our modern era.
 
Major scandal has hit the Ohio Democrat Party involving a golf outing in Toledo, a city the state should consider ceding to Michigan.

During the outing, prominent area Democrat politicians were served drinks courtesy of…strippers. Several Democrats naturally reacted with shock and outrage. Lucas County Treasurer Wade Kapszukiewicz reported observing one stripper lift her top, exposing her bare breasts. He—appropriately—said that such a display was inappropriate, according to the Associated Press.

Ironically, roughly half of Senate Democrats voted against the “stripper bill” (Community Defense Act), which placed a series of restrictions on strip clubs. Ted Strickland, Ohio’s Democrat Governor, allowed the bill to become law without any action—a pocket non-veto, if you will.

Democrat Jennifer Brunner, the Secretary of State, will soon be accepting a notion to place the stripper bill on the ballot for Ohio voters to decide. Thus, it seems that Ohio’s Democrat executive branch is on the stripping side, so to speak.

So clearly the Democrats are split on the subject of strippers. What is not clear at this point is whether or not the Republicans, united on the issue of strippers, will be able to exploit the stripper divide in the opposition party for partisan gain.

At this point, it is unknown whether or not the Democrats broke the new law during the Toledo outing. No one has confirmed or denied that the strippers serving drinks touched any of the politicians.
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