SwiftVets.com

[Guest]

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THE FOUNDATION

"On every question of construction carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed." --Thomas Jefferson

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INSIGHT
"Courage is a character trait most oft attributable to men. In fact, it is the universal virtue of all those who choose to do the right thing over the expedient thing. It is the common currency of all those who do what they are supposed to do in a time of conflict, crisis, and confusion." --Florence Nightengale

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IChThUS IMPRIMIS

"When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost." --Rev. Billy Graham

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FAMILY

"While marriage is licensed and otherwise regulated by the states, government did not create the institution of marriage. In fact, the institution of marriage...pre-dates the institution of government! Government regulation of marriage is based on state recognition of the practices and customs formulated by private individuals interacting in civil society. Many people associate their wedding day with completing the rituals and other requirements of their faith, thus being joined in the eyes of their church and their creator, not with receiving their marriage license, thus being joined in the eyes of the state." --Rep. Ron Paul

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CULTURE

"Leaders of the black church are beginning to grasp that the welfare state and the politics of the liberal left damaged character in the black community. They know that the first order of business in these communities is the reconstituting of its spiritual and moral base. In this context, for these pastors, the idea of our society formally abandoning traditional standards of sexual behavioral and traditional concepts of marriage and family is outrageous." --Star Parker

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LIBERTY

"One of the most hated gun bans ever signed into law has now sunset. Enacted by President Bill Clinton on September 13, 1994, the ban which outlaws more than 180 types of semi-automatic firearms and magazines expired on its ten-year anniversary. Let's be clear. These are semi-automatic firearms. Although they are frequently referred to as 'assault weapons,' they are not. These guns fire one bullet for every pull of the trigger, and as such, are not used by any military on earth. In fact, the average shotgun has more firepower than the semi-automatic firearms banned by President Clinton in 1994. So Americans should be celebrating the fact that this law contained a sunset provision which causes the ban to expire this month. Why? Because gun bans don't stop criminals from getting guns. Criminals don't obey the laws. ... Thank goodness this gun ban has finally expired. We should now start working to sunset all the other laws that disarm decent Americans. But for now, say goodbye to the Clinton gun ban. It's a beautiful sunset." --Erich Pratt

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THE GIPPER

"From our forefathers to our modern-day immigrants, we've come from every corner of the earth, from every race and every ethnic background, and we've become a new breed in the world. We're Americans and we have a rendezvous with destiny. We spread across this land, building farms and towns and cities, and we did it without any federal land planning program or urban renewal. Indeed, we gave birth to an entirely new concept in man's relation to man. We created government as our servant, beholden to us and possessing no powers except those voluntarily granted to it by us. Now a self-anointed elite in our nation's capital would have us believe we are incapable of guiding our own destiny. They practice government by mystery, telling us it's too complex for our understanding. Believing this, they assume we might panic if we were to be told the truth about our problems. Why should we become frightened? No people who have ever lived on this earth have fought harder, paid a higher price for freedom, or done more to advance the dignity of man than the living Americans -- the Americans living in this land today. There isn't any problem we can't solve if government will give us the facts. Tell us what needs to be done. Then, get out of the way and let us have at it." --Ronald Reagan


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OPINION IN BRIEF

"So which party will American Jews vote for in November? If you know your political tides, the answer won't surprise you: Jews will almost certainly vote overwhelmingly for ... the Democrat Party -- just as they have for more than half a century. They will do so notwithstanding the Democrats' willingness to indulge a race-baiting hustler like Al Sharpton. Notwithstanding John Kerry's uncertain trumpet in the war against radical Islamic terror. Notwithstanding the Bush administration's unprecedented support and friendship for Israel. For countless American Jews, loyalty to the Democrat ticket is as automatic as breathing. The roots of that loyalty run deep. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, waves of Jewish immigrants from Europe, where the most anti-Semitic elements of society were often the most conservative, brought with them an intense aversion to right-wing politics -- and an appreciation for the left, which they associated with emancipation and equality. Those attitudes were intensified during World War II, when the most lethal enemy in Jewish history was ultimately destroyed by an alliance led by a liberal Democrat named Franklin Roosevelt. But America in 2004 is very different from the America of 50 or 100 years ago. American Jews owe it to themselves to base their political loyalty on something stronger than force of habit. Those who vote for Democrats (or against Republicans) because that's what their parents and grandparents did ought to take a closer look: When it comes to the issues they care about most, their loyalty may be misplaced. ... This isn't 1944. No one should be voting as if it is." --Jeff Jacoby

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GOVERNMENT

"...Connecticut's Supreme Court, by a 4-to-3 ruling, allowed the New London Development Corp. to use laws of eminent domain to condemn much of the city's Fort Trumbull neighborhood, near a $270 million Pfizer research facility, and lease it to luxury hotel, condominium and office building developers. New London, Conn., is hard up for tax revenues, and if the property is taken away from middle-class homeowners and transferred to wealthy interests, it will yield the city more tax revenue. The Fifth Amendment is very clear about takings. It says, in part, 'nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.' The key phrase is public use. Public use means uses such as roads, bridges, military installations and public buildings. The Connecticut Supreme Court held that the only requirement for the taking of private property is that there be some public benefit. With that kind of reasoning, no one's private property is safe because what's a public benefit is subject to wide interpretation. This kind of despotism is rife. ... Unfortunately, our courts have increasingly become tools for powerful vested interests, and the constitutional protections of private property mean less and less each day." --Walter Williams

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BUSH CAMPAIGN JOURNAL

"I'll concede that style counts. It was fair game for critics to say Al Gore's demeanor defined his performance in the 2000 debates. In that spirit, my verdict is: On the demeanor question, George W. Bush lost Thursday night. But he won on substance. ... Bush critics have a point when they note the president seemed tired and repetitive. There are times when Dubya coasts; the latter part of Thursday's debate clearly was one of those times. And it's irritating because so much is at stake. My beef, however, is that Bush was so busy pointing out what he calls Kerry flip-flops that he failed to highlight Kerry's real shortcoming: that he voted for a war and then failed to support it. ... At the debate, Kerry said he made a mistake about how he 'talk(s) about the war,' but 'the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse?' This might be even worse: thinking the war was a mistake but voting for it anyway." --Debra Saunders

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JFK DEMO-LITION DERBY

"Kerry wasn't certain about war, opposing sending troops to end the genocide of Saddam Hussein, then suggesting he would send troops to end the genocide in Sudan. Notice how quickly Kerry is willing to use the American military when America's security isn't at stake. His 'Darfur' babble was more than just pandering to the Jesse Jacksons of the Democrat party; it revealed Kerry's view of the U.S. military as nothing more than a humanitarian errand boy for the United Nations. Kerry gave away the game when he said America must 'meet the global test' before using force in the world. There it is: Kerry trusts 'the world' and mistrusts the United States. In one respect Kerry is amazingly consistent: he is still the 1960s liberal who wants U.S. troops only 'dispersed,' as he once put it, under the direction of that global proctor, the U.N." --George Neumayr

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RE: THE LEFT

"Regardless of your school of thought, the trend is indisputable. States that once 'leaned Democrat' (like Minnesota) are now 'toss-ups' and states that were 'toss-ups' (like Ohio and New Hampshire) just a few weeks ago now 'lean Republican.' I believe I have stumbled upon one underpinning phenomenon driving this trend. I call it 'Hate Fatigue.' The theory is this: the Democrats wasted their hate for George W. Bush on movies, books, blogs, meet-ups, commission hearings, and protests over the last three years and they have just about run out of steam. And now that the election is upon us, their potent venom has run dry. Some have just given up." --Patrick Hynes

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POLITICAL FUTURES

"Outside the merits of the immigration issue, the partisan dynamic is clear: Higher Latin American immigration benefits the Democrats, while digging an ever-deeper demographic hole for Republicans. Pro-immigration conservatives fool themselves into believing being pro-immigration will make it possible for the GOP to convert large numbers of Hispanic voters to their side. This is a party strategy that could have been crafted in Oregon, since it amounts to a kind of partisan assisted suicide." --Rich Lowry

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FOR THE RECORD

"With 34 days left before the election, the campaigns for the United States Senate around the country are making their final ad buys and preparing for their last mail drops. The GOP stands in pretty good shape, but needs a strong close in nine states to make a huge difference in the United States Supreme Court battles of next summer. If John Thune, Richard Burr, Pete Coors, Tom Coburn, Bill Jones, George Nethercutt, Mel Martinez and Jim DeMint join Lisa Murkowski in the 'greatest deliberative body in the world,' George W. Bush's nominees will receive a fair hearing. But if Erskine Bowles, Ken Salazar, Betty Castor, Tony Knowles, Inez Tennenbaum and Brad Carson join Tom Daschle, Patty Murray and Barbara Boxer in the Senate come January 2005, then expect more obstructionism and filibusters, even on nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court." --Hugh Hewitt

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SELECT READER COMMENTS

(Our servers automatically delete "Reply" messages to this email. To submit comments for publication, link to http://federalistpatriot.us/main/editorial.asp. Please include your city and state and hold your comments to 75 words if you want them posted. To review reader comments, link to http://federalistpatriot.us/main/comments.asp.

"One of the most overlooked statements by Kerry in the debate was how he would handle Iran and our nuclear weapons. Kerry's appeasement proposals would only make the U.S. less secure. This level of appeasement trumps any thoughts on Iraq. This cannot be ignored. I believe that he still truly has a disdain for this country because of Vietnam, and will do whatever it takes to teach all of us a 'lesson'." --Bismarck, North Dakota

"I am an active duty wife of a soldier who has been deployed twice in the War against Terror and I about jumped out of my chair after Kerry's comments about the two soldiers coming back from Iraq telling him 'we need you!' PLEASE! After I stop laughing, I can tell you that he had to look far and wide to find two military personnel who think they 'need' him! I can tell you that the talk among the wives is how bad it will get if Kerry wins. We are scared we will lose all the great things President Bush has done for us -- things that are never reported. President Bush is the man I trust to lead my husband and to protect my three children." --Iowa City, Iowa

"Bush catches a lot of flak for misspeaking while Kerry seldom does. But I've seen not one comment on his statement near the end of the first debate -- Kerry said, '...I was probably one of the first senators...to go down into the K.G.B. underneath Treblinka Square and see reams of files with names in them.' Obviously, he meant Lubyanka Square. I doubt you'll find a Treblinka Square in Moscow, that being the name of the Nazi concentration camp in Poland." --Tempe, Arizona Editor's Reply: But we're certain that being in Treblinka Square was "seared -- seared" into his mind! What we're wondering is whether Nixon was still President.

"During the debate, one of the things Kerry said he would do to fight the War on Terror is to add two more divisions and a lot more Special Forces to our military. Since a division consists of 16-18 thousand troops plus equipment, where would these people and money come from? Kerry voted in the past to cut our military to 10 divisions. Recruiting is barely meeting demand now, so is he going to institute the draft? President Bush is reorganizing and making the military more efficient, and according to Tommy Franks and our experience in Iraq, we are doing a lot more with fewer 'boots.' Kerry just doesn't understand." --Yakima, WA

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THE LAST WORD

"Neither candidate delivered a knockout punch in the Thursday night debate. Sen. John Kerry, though behind in the polls before the debate, remains within striking distance and viable for the next two debate nights and the election based largely on his superior speaking skills. ... Both men repeatedly invoked themes and slogans from their campaign stump speeches, but the chief difference was that President Bush spoke from the experience of actually being president during one of this country's most challenging periods, whereas Sen. Kerry could only say what he would have done in the past and would do in the future. But what he says he would do is not much different from what President Bush is already doing. ... The president was at his best when he mentioned time he spent with a particular war widow. Kerry was the most articulate and won on presentation and style. But on substance, experience, vision and conviction, it was President Bush's debate to lose. He didn't." --Cal Thomas

Lex et Libertas -- Semper Vigilo, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher, for the editors and staff. (Please pray on this day, and every day, for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm's way around the world in defense of our liberty, and for the families awaiting their safe return.)

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