Friday, August 9, 2013

Dissension In The Ranks

Somewhere in the throes of earning my credits in psychology, we studied different ways people relate to others.  Some have such strong will to please (a driver) that they keep trying to accommodate all sides.  Others have strong internal controls and are considered self-motivated.

Can you imagine what it would be like to be a leader in this day and age?  A President with a need to please would definitely be left out in the cold.  How would he or she figure out decisions?  The conservatives today operate from the far, far right and liberals are criticized for being too far left.  Whatever happened to moderation?  Just as in the case of Mitt Romney, a moderate has to change his colors to get the nomination of a conservative party.  A too liberal Democratic party would have to be appeased as well.

Most grownups have known for years that one has to have a really stiff spine to be a leader in this country.  How would someone cope today with world expectations that our country should step in and fight their wars for them? At the same time that we are being called to assist, demonstrators in the streets of the Middle East are telling Americans that they hate us.  Mothers and Grandmothers are crying out for our children's lives and limbs and minds to be spared.  Congress is dealing with gut wrenching deficits which could be eased a lot by having far fewer wars and obligations to other countries.  On top of that, terrorists are fighting a type of war we are only beginning to understand.  This is a war which is unlikely to be won by troop surges and tanks.  Thumbs up to drone usage, however. 

Enter military man after military man telling television audiences what we should be doing in Iraq, Iran, Israel, Syria, on and on and on.  Don't they teach military militants the steps that President Harry Truman took when faced with a similar situation?  Such steps are available today, are they not?

And then there are the Congressional dissidents -- the hawks -- who want to cut all spending except their own incomes plus benefits and military buildup.  Smart move, Mr. President, sending a couple of those dissidents over there to scope out the situation.  Smart move!

I, once again, refer to Ron Paul's debate statement that our country cannot police the whole world.  If other countries are going to start internal conflicts, they need to be prepared to fight the battles themselves.  We are too tired, too broke, too in need of healing.  And besides, when the battle is done, we are going to have to coexist with whatever side wins.

To politicians and military personnel alike, I say, it would seem to be a Martha Stewart Good Thing if you would coalesce behind your Commander-in-Chief and present a somewhat united front to the world.  No wonder terrorists keep sniping at us here and there.  The dissidence is showing as a sign of weakness to the world.

No President, or Congressman, or individual can please everyone and some of us need to stop trying to do so.

One thing I will say about President George W. Bush, is that one hundred per cent wrong though he may have been, he did know how to make a decision and stick to it.  He didn't let anyone, not even the United Nations, throw him off course.

And while I have brought up the topic of our debt and other countries, perhaps we could take a temporary hiatus from pouring our limited funds into foreign coffers.  Just do the math.  It would take X number of years to eliminate our debt by asking other countries to get along without our help while we step back from the brink of bankruptcy.  Couldn't hurt to give it some thought.  It would also give the powers behind the scene something to do besides being disruptive.  Your call.



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