The U.S. has lost a lot of its power
DEAR EDITOR:
''Speak softly but carry a big stick,'' were the words of one fine former president of the U.S. Unfortunately, we are losing the big stick.
When we no longer have a Central Intelligence Agency that is able to carry on clandestine operations to protect our country, we have lost another part of the power that has given us freedom. Yes, freedom. The Russians, who no longer rule as the Soviet Socialist Republic, but still rule from the Kremlin, have weakened us with their big stick. They still have their spy network as do many of the countries that we are ''beholdin''' to, such as China. They hold more than a trillion dollars of our debt. Some people have found out what it was to be like in debt far over their financial ability to repay. The result: Foreclosures, repos and loss of everything they thought was the American Dream.
I know the indebtedness of the U.S. to all these other bond holding countries did not start Jan. 20, 2009. No, it just was not reigned in as we hoped. It has tripled in size since then. Why has this Congress not felt that to continue down this pathway will lead us into oblivion? Why have we given up so much as a country to other countries that do not care about the environment, worker safety or even fair wages? Because we owe them more that we have. Is foreclosure a thing in our near future? I doubt that my country will go bankrupt and quit paying the bills as do the companies that once made us the country.
No sir, with all that we have agreed to with Russia, China and therefore shown our loss of necessary strength to withstand a political revolution led by these communist countries, they can just move right in and tell our Constitution goodbye.
During the Cold War, we had the equal power or greater power than any other country in this world. That might was built on our dedication of not surrendering to any enemy. The motto, ''Peace is our profession,'' was a method of power by the Strategic Air Command, that I proudly can say, I spent a part of my life with. Necessity, the mother of invention, was clear and present. We were not even near the Russians or the USSR in the space race of the 1950s.
However, when it became necessary, we invented. We ruled those races year after year, and we won. We had our CIA spies, our U-2 spy planes, our Distant Early Warning Systems and anti-ballistic missile systems that could launch in seconds after the Alert Alarm. Did they work? They didn't have to destroy another country to work. Those things made up our Big Stick.
Now, a thing of great defense has been whited out. Our proven missile defense system. With no defense, the communist countries, the Leninists and the Marxists can take over the free world and we do not have the ability to prevent it.
Patrick M. Liste
Girard
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Jolene13
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10-01-09 3:13 PM
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No power=no will power. Viet Nam proved that. Our military was blocked by the civilian radicals in every way, thus loss of will power. Thus, loss of victory. Korea, the same. Civilians ran the war--we lost. Let the generals set their battle plans in action. Let's go back to "all's fair in love and war!" we could be winners agai, in all ways.
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Jolene13
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09-29-09 11:38 PM
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TBTBTB-I am not afraid of a terrorist nor a federal agent "behind every tree". I am afraid of the man who sits in the oval office and calls himself president of the United States. I have been alive long enough to see many presidents, but not one like him. He is so good at hiding in his sheep's clothing that he has too many people fooled. I hope America wakes up before its too late, that is, before the United States is no longer..... Sincerely, Jolene
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Jolene13
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09-29-09 5:43 PM
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TBTBTB- I much rather live in fear, than have my head in the sand during some very rough and scary politcal times. Fear can make us stronger and help us to fight better.
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Jolene13
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09-29-09 5:41 PM
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eastrider1- I used sarcasm with you. That was the point. EH. EH. Wink, blink and you missed it.
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Eastsider1
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09-29-09 8:32 AM
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Jolene: No, didn't miss your point since there was none but my point was sarcastic.
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Jolene13
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09-29-09 1:37 AM
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eastrider1: I was not referring to the cold war. You missed the point. Eh! Johnnyringo: My favorite "unbiased" liberal- what kind of victory parade SHOULD we have? Truthmonger: Truth be told, no pun intended, we need to question OBAMA'S every move. Never in the years that I have been alive, has a president ever scared me so much. He reminds me of a "green" intern muddling through the emergency room, making detrimental mistakes and hoping the resident and all the nurses can cover for him. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
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heartland
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09-28-09 8:38 PM
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The Cold War? What the heck year is it? Liste must be lost in his way back machine.
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truthmonger
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09-28-09 5:42 PM
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The Church Reports from the 1970s investigated the CIA and found a whole host of atrocities perptrated by the CIA against democratically elected leaders wordwide. The CIA was found out to be what it is, the biggest mistake in American history. Since then those who control it have been careful not to allow anyone to know anything about what goes on behind the scenes from Langley. You have learned your lessons well Patrick. You are a good patriot. Don't question what the secret government agency does....government is always good, right? The whole world is very aware of the atrocities committed by our CIA. Few Americans are aware however. Isn't that very strange? I never heard anything about this stuff until I traveled overseas and was confronted with it by foreigners. It made me feel uneducated that others knew more about my nation's foreign policy blunders than I did. Obama is 110% right on this one!
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Eastsider1
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09-28-09 8:28 AM
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Jolene: You're too funny. And your point is? Oh, the "Cold War" is a satire? JR: He must have proud as heck when we invaded Granada.
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JohnnyRingo
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09-28-09 4:02 AM
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C'mon, can't we have just one more victory parade for Patrick Liste before he gets too old to enjoy it? I'd like to see a happy letter for once from him. Isn't there a country we can invade and conquer so the people there can thank Patrick and make him feel proud of his country again? Maybe an easy one like Cuba wouldn't mind us coming in there and bombing them into submission. It won't take long, and Liste will sleep better at night knowing we won a war. After all, how can we tell we're the greatest country on Earth if we aren't killing Commies and burning villages?
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Dvlschild1961
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09-28-09 12:36 AM
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great article, too bad its true, start brushing up on your mandrine language, they are a comin!
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Jolene13
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09-28-09 12:03 AM
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eastsider1- Satire, baby, satire. Don't get your panties in a bunch!
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Jolene13
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09-27-09 11:59 PM
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Brewslugger- CNN is to the liberals as FOX news is to the conservatives. However, I rarely hear "how biased" CNN is in here by the same people who quite unabashedly cut down FOX.
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Jolene13
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09-27-09 11:50 PM
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LJC-And from what "history" book did you get your information? You ramble on as much as the next guy. For the last month, I have read your rants: Tongue in cheek, they are quite entertaining. However, if you are taking yourself seriously, they border on disturbing.
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LJC327
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09-27-09 11:25 PM
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How's this for the brilliant performance of the CIA during the Cold War: their over-estimation of the strength of the old Soviet Union PROLONGED the reign of the commies, which was already beginning to disintegrate from within, because hard-liners were given a reason to resist perestroika, which was initiated by Gorbachev in 1986. Come on, man! Read a book, will ya? It won't kill you!
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Rush52
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09-27-09 10:04 PM
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I find it amusing Raider just as you must that folks in this area are all like alcoholics who haven't learned the cardinal rule that one cannot repeat the same activities over and over again and expect different results. Newsflash covertgirl, the terrorists that were apprehended where under investigation for over 8 months, this was a success of the policies of those you revile most and can be directly attributed to the Patriot Act and enhanced surveillance which you liberals want to reverse. You and your president should thank the lucky stars that Bush and Cheney cared less about popularity and more about the safety of this country.
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RaiderinWesterville
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09-27-09 8:41 PM
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Patrick - The responses to your letter are why we will most likely lose our freedoms and no longer be the country we once were. You are 100% correct but you won't convince many people up there who still don't understand why that area is in such bad shape after 50 years of left wing, pro-union, left wing loons running the place. The Warren-Youngstown area is a great example of why not to vote for Democrats. The Attorney General is making American vulnerable to our enemies by going after the CIA. This is fact and I could care less what they did to stop attacks on Americans! I'll wait for the attacks from my post but I am right and all of you who don't agree can kiss my Red, White & Blue American buttocks! At least Patrick has served this country which is more then many of you can say.
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LJC327
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09-27-09 4:46 PM
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Right-Wing Street, aka, The Boulevard of Broken Dreams. The real nightmare for these refugees from the John Birch Society was the collapse of the old Soviet Union, which they were scrambling to replace when the "War on Tare" landed in their lap. These sad people imagine that the enemy is always at the gates, but those are just the poor of the world, looking for a shot at the good life.We used to welcome them when we needed the "huddled masses" to lift and carry and shovel and dig ("Give me your tired, your poor"). We need to light that lamp again; plenty of opportunity in the green, new world.
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LJC327
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09-27-09 11:03 AM
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Another incoherent ramble down Right-wing Street from the president of the Jack Van Impe fan club. This letter would not have been a decent jeremiad even in the days of the old cold war. PL, if you're trying to scare us, at least get your bogeymen straight.
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Eastsider1
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09-27-09 10:40 AM
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Patrick: Oh please. In the scheme of things you are not important to have "nightmares" about and especially about your "sky is falling" letters. BTW, you can say that using a "nom de plume" is in character of our "Founding Fathers" like Ben Franklin.
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Pliste
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09-27-09 10:00 AM
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To reiterate: You people must live a life of nightmares about me. At least I sign my name and am proud of my columns, letters and remarks. Thanks for your true colors. I have mine; RED, WHITE and BLUE with 50 stars and thirteen stripes alternating red and white.
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Eastsider1
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09-27-09 9:29 AM
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Patrick: Are you really advocating a return of the "Cold War?" There's another quote which your letter reminds me, "When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom." The "race" you talk about was very costly. They build a tank, we build a bigger tank; they build a bigger tank we build a bigger better tank. It is endless and destructive. It is said that "pride goes before destruction" and a "haughty spirit before stumbling." We still have our CIA spies, Stealths, Spy planes, NORAD and none of that has been dismantled. Even the Republican hold over at Defense agrees that the missile system slated for installation in Eastern Europe would have been too costly and not as effective as the proposed replacement. Silo's still occupy the mid-west "plains" and our airbases ring the globe. No matter how mighty one is and occupies the "height of the hill", arrogance can bring you down.
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covertgirl
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09-27-09 7:19 AM
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Our President just prevented another 9/11 and had it been Bush the media would of been singing his praise on every channel. A new President was about to be tested in the first year of his first term by a 9/11 attack as suffered by his predecessor. One big difference -- this attack got stopped by the federal government. Where is Dick Cheney? He just had back surgery and I hope he is feeling better and strong enough to get to a microphone (Rush Limbaugh is always willing to have him on as a guest). I have to believe he wants to offer his hearty congratulations to the commander-in-chief for stopping the murder of hundreds, if not thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of Americans with the federal takedown of the Zazi al-Qaeda operation. Why do El Rushbo, Sean Hannity, and their many chattering conservative colleagues decline to yet offer personal congratulations? Here we are -- September of the first term of a United States President and al-Qaeda is trying to kill a maximum numbe
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BrewSlugger
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09-27-09 1:13 AM
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Obama is being called 'President of the World' according to CNN. Achieving world government or the 'new world order' necessarily requires the participating states to relinquish their sovereignty, and this is what we are experiencing in America. The "big stick" will be wielded by a world government -- at the expense of national and individual sovereignty.
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