TERRY MOSHER
Well, it’s getting so hectic in my mind that I have to go back to the Boneyard to relieve some of the pressure of these swirling thoughts banging against my skull and causing me headaches. I’m going to blame this on the weird and awful political campaign we are being smothered with by all the pundits.
Before I get there, though, I have to release this thought that I have mostly held back because it is really against my moral belief against killing anything (although I will admit right now that Mary and I have been busy for a couple days now swatting flies that all of sudden have been showing up in our house and driving both of us a little nuts as they buzz around).
We live in the greatest country in the world with the most powerful military ever assembled. Our military traverses all corners of the world through all the waters that cover 71 percent of our planet (that includes fresh water as well as salt water seas) and projecting that power is a way of ensuring others of our peaceful presence as well as make our enemies nervous that our powerful arm extends out so far.
So what bothers me – and I go back and forth on his because of my peaceful concerns – is that while we sit safely in our homes and in the greatest country in the world with freedoms so many other peoples around the world do not have, the killing that goes on in parts of our world is so inhuman that it’s not possible for me to put my head around it.
I’m going to interrupt my thought right here because I just looked out the window and noticed a squirrel inching its way down one of the big trees in our backyard and that got me to think about yesterday as I was driving out of our driveway two squirrels were having a game of tag in front of me. I stopped the car and watched as they peacefully scrambled back and forth and I thought what a wonderful day for a game of tag.
I’m betting that there are no squirrels in Syria that are right now having a friendly game of tag. If there were any there, they probably are all dead because of the horrific killing that is going on from all sides of that horrible civil war that has a terrible dictator on one side of the conflict being propped up by one of our main enemies, Russia, and numerous other parties on the other side fighting back and among themselves while hundreds of thousands innocent men, women and children are either being slaughtered or forced to flee over treacherous waters that consumed the many who are unlucky and leave the ones who survive to face an uncertain future in countries that increasingly are turning their back on them for fear there are terrorist among them.
What has bothered me for some time now is that we have allowed Russia (and Iran) to jump in on the side of the evil dictator, Bashar Al-Assad, ratcheting up the killing of his own citizens, often by barrel bombs that are intended to not only kill but to seriously maim.
So while I and the squirrels sit safely here enjoying the freedoms that this great country provides, the horrific killed that has taken an estimated 400,000 lives continues on unabated while the most powerful country in the history of the Earth sits almost passively on the sidelines. Yeah, I know we have some military advisors and special opts personnel there, along with some air power, but that is not enough to stop the killing that has me on edge and wondering why we don’t do more.
If I was president, I would have put together a powerful force of military might that included all our allies and forced a resolution to the war that would have denied a group like ISIS a foothold in the region. Then I would convene a peace summit to sort out the various parties and reach a settlement that would stop all the horrific killing.
So doing would have denied Russia a presence there and would have halted Iran’s push into areas it should not be, including Iraq.
I would also a long time ago warned Russia that if it continued to send its bombers and fighter jets to harass our navy that we would shoot them down. Same warning would go out to Iran for their harassment of our navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz. They would be warned once and the second time we would shoot them out of the water.
Yeah, I know, I’m a peaceful guy. But sometimes you have to use the power you have or your enemies become so bold as to force a much larger confrontation that would lead to consequences nobody wants.
I’m an advocate of the Teddy Roosevelt philosophy that you speak softly but carry a big stick. You can be seen as a gentle giant, but also must be prepared if provoked to hit back hard. Once your adversaries get the message, they will back off and peace can be secured.
That same philosophy can be applied to the current presidential campaign. One of the candidates is a very dangerous person who needs to be put in his place. The media has a responsibility to stand up to him. The soft-speaking days are way over with. It’s time to expose him for what he is ‑ a bigot, liar, racist, and a morally bankrupt dummy who should never be near the White House.
It should be clear by now that this deranged man will run right over the constitution, rig the judicial system, install military leaders that are beholden to him and him alone, and become the only power in what was once the greatest country in the world.
This is no longer a fun-and-games story. He is a real threat to our democracy and to our freedoms. The bombastic bully must be stopped. Time is running short and even if he loses the election, this will not be over. He will not go quietly into the night. He will charge the election was rigged and a fraud and will demand his supporters rise up and take back their country.
This man has already set this up by claiming if he loses the election it will have been rigged. And it may be. Russian hackers are already at work trying to disrupt or distort the election so they can get their man elected.
So be careful of all the trickery and be aware of the attempt to deceive you. Speak softly but be ready to use your big stick and vote to keep him away from the White House. Your freedom is at stake.
That is enough for today. I have to limp up to the YMCA and get my workout in. My left hip is all of a sudden bothering me, so we’ll see how much I can get done today.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.