Bringing LIBERTY to
Capitol Hill -- 2008
OZARKS
VIRTUAL TOWN
HALL
Saturday Morning, July 21, 2007, 10:30am
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A Discussion of The President's Saturday Morning
Radio Address
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Click here
to listen to a replay of the July 21, 2007 Ozarks Virtual Town
Hall |
Notes and Summary of the Broadcast -- Intelligence
Estimate on the Terrorist Threat
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.
This week Americans saw more evidence of
how difficult that mission is -- and how central it is to our security.
The Director of National Intelligence released a summary of an important
document called the National Intelligence Estimate on the Terrorist
Threat to the U.S. Homeland. This assessment brings together the
analysis of our entire intelligence community and provides policymakers
with an up-to-date picture of the threat we face.
I know you are hearing a lot about this
document. Some of its assessments are encouraging, and others are cause
for concern. Most importantly, this document reminds us that America
faces "a persistent and evolving" threat from Islamic
terrorist groups and cells -- especially al Qaeda.
A Libertarian Response:
- Congressman Ron Paul has asked the right question: why are they
mad at us? Because we're free? Why don't they attack Switzerland?
- A second question we should ask is "Why are they powerful
enough to attack us on our soil?" Who is financing these
terrorists?
- America's Founders warned us against "entangling
alliances."
- America's Founders warned us against "standing armies"
and perpetual war.
- Nearly $500 billion has been taken out of the paychecks of
Americans like you and has been used to bomb one Iraqi neighborhood
after another into rubble.
- Imagine if that money had been used to build businesses in Iraq
and teach the Iraqi people about the concepts of capitalism and
"Liberty Under God."
- Imagine we had been doing this for the last 20 years, instead of
helping Saddam Hussein stay in power when he was at war with Iran.
Kevin Craig's Platform: Iraq
| Terrorism
The 2006 Libertarian Party Platform: Foreign
Affairs
- Recent Blog Posts:
More Detailed Response:
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 21, 2007 |
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| President's
Radio Address |
A
Libertarian Response |
| THE PRESIDENT: Good
morning. On Friday, I met with a group of veterans and military
families who support our troops and our mission in Iraq. These men
and women know the tremendous sacrifices that our troops and their
families are making. And I appreciate the good work their
organizations are doing to support our men and women in uniform in
their important mission to protect the United States. |
The "meeting
with the troops" is an attempt to put a human face in the
inhumanity of war.
Report
on US Military's Civilian Carnage in Iraq
We'll never know the extent of the scars left by this war on
American veterans. Many veterans themselves will not be fully away
of the impact on their psyche.
|
| This week Americans
saw more evidence of how difficult that mission is -- and how
central it is to our security. The Director of National
Intelligence released a summary of an important document called
the National
Intelligence Estimate on the Terrorist Threat to the U.S. Homeland.
This assessment brings together the analysis of our entire
intelligence community and provides policymakers with an
up-to-date picture of the threat we face. |
Contrary
to the President's assessment in his Fact
Sheet: The Terrorist Threat to the U.S. Homeland, the millions
of dollars spent every minute in Iraq are not diminishing the
anger of terrorists, but rather increasing it. They do not hate us
because we are free. They
have told us why they hate us, and their grievances are
legitimate.
- The United States should apologize to the terrorists:
- • for desecrating their holy lands with military bases
• for supporting Israeli terrorism against Palestinians
• for converting Iraq from one of the most developed and
prosperous nations in the mideast into a police-state war-zone
of rubble and disease. We
have killed more Iraqis than Saddam did.
- We should make reparations to those we have harmed.
This is the right thing to do, and would stick a pin the the
balloon of terrorist recruitment.
|
| I know you are hearing
a lot about this document. Some of its assessments are
encouraging, and others are cause for concern. Most importantly,
this document reminds us that America faces "a persistent and
evolving" threat from Islamic terrorist groups and cells --
especially al Qaeda. |
| Since al Qaeda
attacked us on 9/11, the United States has taken many steps to
keep the American people safe. We've gone on the offense, taking
the fight to the terrorists around the world. We've worked with
partners overseas to monitor terrorist movements, disrupt their
finances, and bring them
to justice. Here at home, we've strengthened security at
borders and vital infrastructure like power plants and airports
and subways. We have given intelligence and law enforcement
professionals new tools like the Patriot Act, and we continue to
work with Congress to modernize the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act. |
"Keeping us
safe" has meant destroying civil liberties. We are ostensibly
at war to protect liberties, but those liberties are being
destroyed.
Acts of terrorism which kill innocent people are, of course,
evil, sinful, wrong, and terrorists should make restitution to
their victims. Victims should not be deprived of their rights or
forced to pay for vengeance in the government's quest to
"bring them to justice."
|
| The actions we and
our partners around the world have taken have helped
disrupt plots and save lives. Here's how the NIE report put
it -- quote -- "We assess that greatly increased worldwide
counterterrorism efforts over the past five years have constrained
the ability of al Qaeda to attack the U.S. homeland again and have
led terrorist groups to perceive the homeland as a harder target
to strike than on 9/11." |
It has been revealed
that many of these "plots" were cooked up by the agent
provocateur -- the government informant or infiltrator -- who
is rewarded by Homeland Security for information about these
"plots."
We may be a "harder target," but we are also less
free for that very fact.
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| The NIE report also
cites some setbacks. One of the most troubling is its assessment
that al Qaeda has managed to establish a safe haven in the tribal
areas of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan. Last September, President
Musharraf of Pakistan reached an agreement that gave tribal
leaders more responsibility for policing their own areas.
Unfortunately, tribal leaders were unwilling and unable to go
after al Qaeda or the Taliban. |
The
Pakistani Crisis Has Become Acute and Global by Jack D. Douglas |
| President Musharraf
recognizes the agreement has not been successful or well-enforced
and is taking active steps to correct it. Earlier this month, he
sent in Pakistani forces to go after radicals who seized control
of a mosque, and then he delivered a speech vowing to rid all of
Pakistan of extremism. Pakistani forces are in the fight, and many
have given their lives. The United States supports them in these
efforts. And we will work with our partners to deny safe haven to
the Taliban and al Qaeda in Pakistan -- or anywhere else in the
world. |
Pakistan was
told by the U.S. that they could join the "coalition of
the willing" or live in the Stone Age after being carpet
bombed by the U.S. |
| Nearly six years have
passed since 9/11. And as time goes by, it can be tempting to
think that the threat of another attack on our homeland is behind
us. The NIE report makes clear that the threat is not behind us.
It states that al Qaeda will continue to -- and I quote --
"focus on prominent political, economic, and infrastructure
targets with the goal of producing mass casualties, visually
dramatic destruction, significant economic aftershocks, and/or
fear among the U.S. population." It goes on to say that al
Qaeda will continue to seek chemical, biological, radiological, or
nuclear material to use in these attacks. |
Why do they hate
us?
This is the core question that is never really addressed.
What is the best way to get them to stop hating us?
Bomb them some more?
If they really do hate us for our freedoms, then one could
suppose that taking away our freedoms is the strategy being
employed to get them to stop hating us. It fits the facts.
Do Hadithans
Hate Us for Our Freedoms?
|
| The men who run al
Qaeda are determined, capable, and ruthless. They would be in a
far stronger position to attack our people if America's military,
law enforcement, intelligence services, and other elements of our
government were not engaged in a worldwide effort to stop them. We
will meet the responsibility that history has given us; we will
adapt to changing conditions, and we will not let up until our
enemies are defeated and our people are secure. |
The men who run al
Qaeda are rich because Americans cannot buy their oil
from Alaska. |
| Thank you for
listening. |
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The Democrat Party Radio Address:
Senator Levin delivered the Democratic Radio Address. You can
download the Democratic Radio Address here.
Now in its fifth year, the Iraq war has cost more than 3,600
American lives, seven times that many wounded and over a half a
trillion dollars.
A Libertarian Response to Democrats:
Most Democrats voted for the war. They had no
principle on which to stand to oppose the war. Today's opposition is
simply partisan. If Kerry were in the White House as
Commander-in-Chief of this very same war, Democrats would support it
all, just as they supported Clinton's unconstitutional war in Bosnia.
The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to
foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations to have
with them as little political connection as possible."
— Washington, Farewell Address (1796) [Washington’s
emphasis]
I deem [one of] the essential principles of our
government, and consequently [one] which ought to shape its
administration,…peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all
nations, entangling alliances with none.
— Jefferson, First Inaugural Address (1801)
Click here
for a replay of this edition of the Ozarks Virtual
Town Hall
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