Maggie's Farm

Dems Desperate to Surrender Before We Can Win
by Doug Patton

It is hard to comprehend the fact that there are people in the United States Congress who are so addicted to power they actually want America to lose the war in Iraq in order to obtain it. Yet that is exactly what is happening with Democrats running the show. They couch their cowardice in high-minded lies about supporting the troops but not the mission, but the truth is much less complicated. They cannot stand the idea that “George Bush’s war,” as Hillary Clinton likes to call it, might actually succeed.

As former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said on Fox News Sunday, The left wing of the Democratic Party is deeply opposed to American victory and deeply committed to American defeat

Gingrich’s statements of late have been bold, blunt and controversial, much as one might expect from someone looking for an opportunity to jump into the Republican race for president. This interview was no exception. He compared the Democrats’ betrayal of our allies in Iraq to their abandonment of the South Vietnamese.

“In 1975, when there were no Americans left in Vietnam,” Gingrich said, “the left wing of the Democratic Party killed the government of South Vietnam, cut off all of its ammunition, and sent a signal to the world that the United States had abandoned its allies. What I would say to any Democrat who wants America to leave is quite simple. Millions of Iraqis have sided with the United States. They are known in their neighborhoods. They are known in their cities. If we abandon them, they are going to be massacred.”

And so are we, if we surrender.

Appeasement is not a virtue among our Islamist enemies. It is a sign of weakness. The stupidity of thinking that defeat is the solution to our dilemma in Iraq is, at best, ill-advised, and at worst, irrational. It is a signal to our enemies around the world that, a mere generation after our embarrassing retreat from Southeast Asia, we are still unable or unwilling to keep our commitments to our friends. Is there a clear-thinking American who can’t see that this is an engraved invitation to the Islamist fanatics of the world to prey upon our obvious weaknesses

General David Patraeus has been assigned the unenviable task of making the troop surge work in Iraq, and early indications are that he is beginning to have some success. Violence against American troops is down in Baghdad. As Gingrich points out, millions of Iraqis have put themselves on the line to support our efforts. With our help, they might just win this war and have a democratic society of their own.

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), one of the left’s most reliable appeasers, appeared on the same program as Gingrich. Feingold told interviewer Chris Wallace, “I do not buy the notion that the surge is working. I do not buy the notion that somehow Petraeus is going to be able to tell us that things are moving in the right direction. And in fact, he’ll come back in September and he’s going to say, ‘Let’s wait until the end of the year.’”

Feingold and most other Democrats are so bent on losing before we can win, they don’t even want to wait for Patraeus’ report in September. They are desperate to surrender.

Gingrich put it best: “We are faced with evil opponents. Those opponents need to be defeated. And if General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker come back in September and say, ‘We actually can win this thing,’ I want to understand the rationale that says, ‘No, we don’t want to let America win. Let’s legislate defeat for the United States
That is the real agenda of the Democrats — surrender before we can win

I have mentioned before on various threads that revolution or civil war is possible in theis country. Jefferson applauded the occasional revolution.

The article by Fred T. is a template for the ills enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, generally considered to be one of the finest documents ever written. Those enumerated grievances were of course aimed at King George III, but former Senator Thompson's are no less, in fact more damning, thatm those of King George. They also provide the foundation for a revolution. It is worth citing only a day or two after I first cited it this passage from the Declaration of Independence.

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government

Our government in Washington has exceeded it's just powers, usurped and made impotent the states rights to govern, and claimed power over the individual that exceeds it's authority. It has failed to carry out it 's most fundamental responsibility of securing our borders against invasion, and even abetted this crime. It is at this very moment planning a North American Union that will dilute our sovereignty. It has by force taken private holdings from one individual only to give it to another private individual for the most venal of reasons.

Yes, the stage is being set and the Founding Fathers were well aware that NO government could be trusted but that we were, in their words endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights

The list of abuses by the government in Washington grow more brazen and odious with each passing year, and the legislators opprobrium means less to them each year while the exercise of more power they can acquire over the States and the citizenry grows more unquenchable. We cannot and must not let this stand.

Yep, you've heard me say time and again that the Democrats are a Fifth Column within our borders and constitute a clear and present danger to our security. How else does one interpret the leading Democrats from Pelosi,Reid et. al. sstating a priori that a good report comeing from our military on real progress in Iraq is bad news for them.

They constitute a genuine threat to this nation and from that growing acknowledgement will spring another civil war or another revolution. If they gain the reins of power, gerrymander the country in 2010, enlarge the Supreme Court and pack it with radical 30 year olds then those of us who know our history and know what was meant by the Founding Father, the writers of the Enlightenment, and how power corrupts will have no choice but to take up arms, for the Democrats will have stacked the deck in the same manner as Hitler did in the 30's, and they will destroy this nation.

Granted some of these scandals were totoally politically motivated but many were the product of the "honorable" men and women of our Congress and government simply condoning illegal activity. Many of these men and women are still in Congress. These are only the ones who got caught. Do I believe our government has become generally corrupt. Yes.

1946 - 1974
Department of Justice tax scandal (1951-1952) leading to the firing or forced resignations of 166 employees of the agency; investigations were widely regarded as a systematic cover-up for high-level wrongdoing
McCarthyism (1948-1954)
1952 Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Richard Nixon delivers televised "Checkers Speech," to deflect scandal about $18,000 in gifts, maintaining that the only personal gift he had received was a cocker spaniel dog named "Checkers"
Vicuña Coat scandal of Eisenhower's chief of staff Sherman Adams (1958); See State and Local level (New Hampshire)
Billy Sol Estes (1961)
Bobby Baker (1963) aide to LBJ was involved with underworld figures
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. of New York expelled from Congress (1967) but re-elected anyway
Senator Thomas J. Dodd censured for financial misconduct and corruption (1967)
Supreme Court Associate Justice Abe Fortas resigns in financial scandal (1969) that emerged during his nomination to become Chief Justice
Harold Carswell nominated by President Nixon as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court withdrew (1970) after publication of a speech 20 years earlier: "I yield to no man . . . in the firm, vigorous belief in the principles of white supremacy."
Pentagon Papers (1971)
Watergate (1972-1973)
Bebe Rebozo (1973) — investigated for accepting large contribution to Nixon campaign.
Nixon Jewelry (1974) Violation of Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act of 1881, as amended in 1966.
Spiro T. Agnew scandal (1973)
Judge Otto Kerner, Jr. resigned U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (1974) after exhausting appeals in conviction for bribery, mail fraud, conspiracy, and tax evasion while Kerner was Governor of Illinois
Nixon Pardon by President Ford (1974)

1975 - 1989
John Connally Milk Money scandal (1975)
"Lancegate": President Carter's OMB Director Bert Lance resignation amidst allegations of misuse of funds (1977)
Jimmy Carter's Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan target of special prosecution (beginning 1979)
"Billygate": President Jimmy Carter's brother Billy Carter was found to be a paid agent of the government of Libya (1980); ensuing scandal did not help President Carter's bid for re-election in 1980
Tongsun Park "Koreagate" scandal involving alleged bribery of more than 100 members of Congress by South Korean government; charges were pressed only against congressmen Richard T. Hanna (convicted) and Otto E. Passman (not prosecuted because of illness); also implicated was South Korean President Park Chung Hee (1977-1980)
Betty Ford addictions (1978)
Senator Herman Talmadge of Georgia punished after his ex-wife produced cash "gifts" he had hidden in an overcoat (1979); Talmadge later wrote, "I wish I'd burned that damn overcoat and charged everything on American Express." Talmadge the same year admitted to having spent five weeks in alcohol rehabilitation; he was not re-elected to the Senate in 1980.
Abscam (1980)
"Debategate": briefing book of President Jimmy Carter stolen and given to Ronald Reagan campaign before 1980 presidential election debate in Cleveland, Ohio (1980)
Secretary of Labor Raymond J. Donovan investigated (beginning 1981) for wrongdoing and ultimately acquitted of larceny and fraud (1987)
Anne Gorsuch Burford refusal to turn over EPA documents (1982)
William Casey insider trading (1983)
1983 Congressional page sex scandal
Iran-Contra affair (1985-1986); Oliver North was convicted (1989) of accepting an illegal gratuity, aiding and abetting in the obstruction of a congressional inquiry, and destruction of documents, but the convictions were later (1990) overturned by appeals court.
Savings and loan scandal and the Keating Five (1980-1989): Alan Cranston, Dennis DeConcini, Don Riegle, John Glenn, and John McCain
Preferential treatment for military contractor Wedtech implicates Attorney General Edwin Meese and White House aide Lynn Nofziger (1987)
Robert Bernard Anderson former US Secretary of Treasury pleaded guilty to owning an offshore bank. (1987).
"Pothead jurist," 1987: President Reagan's first controversial nominee to replace Justice Powell was Judge Robert Bork. Judge Bork, who coincidentally had fired Archibald Cox in the Nixon-era Saturday Night Massacre, was rejected for his allegedly extreme judicial philosophy; the second nominee was Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, who had to drop out of consideration after he admitted having smoked marijuana while a Harvard Law School professor.
Senator John Tower's nomination as Defense Secretary derailed due to allegations of habitual and extreme alcohol abuse and improper ties to defense industry (1987)
Mario Biaggi convicted (1988) in Wedtech scandal of bribery, extortion, racketeering, filing a false tax return, mail fraud, and false financial disclosure; resigned from U.S. House before he could be expelled
Speaker of the U.S. House Jim Wright from Texas forced to resign after ethics committee investigation found dozens of violations of House rules, including alleged improper receipt of $145,000 in gifts by Wright's wife from a Fort Worth developer and large profits from "sale" of Wright's speeches (1989)
Anthony Lee Coelho of California resigns from U.S. House for unethical finance practices including "junk bond" deal (1989)
Alcee Hastings, federal district court judge impeached (1989) and convicted of soliciting a bribe; subsequently elected (1992) to U.S. House

1990 - 1999
Senator David Durenberger denounced by Senate for unethical financial transactions (1990)
Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal implicates former Defense Secretary and Washington insider Clark Clifford (1991)
House banking scandal (1992)
Mary Rose Oakar (1992) allegations of "ghost employees" on payroll
President George H.W. Bush's pardon of 6 Iran-Contra affair figures on December 24, 1992 after he had failed to win a second term, days before the perjury trial of Casper Weinberger was scheduled to begin.
Travelgate (1993)
Zoe Baird's nomination as Attorney General and Kimba Wood's subsequent near-nomination were derailed by past employment of illegal aliens as nannies. (1993)
Dan Rostenkowski and other Democratic Members of Congress in the Congressional Post Office Scandal (1991 - 1995)
The evident suicide (1993) of White House lawyer Vince Foster, together with accusations that documents from Foster's office relating to an investigation had disappeared mysteriously, fueled scandalous speculations, including the widely publicized suggestion (dismissed by investigators) that Foster's death had not been suicide.
White House Coffees and Lincoln Bedroom sales -- political donations linked to access to President Clinton, including the apparent sale of "coffees" with him, and what amounted to the renting out of the Lincoln Bedroom.
Commerce Secretary Ron Brown investigated (1995)
The 1996 United States campaign finance controversy, also known as Chinagate, refers to alleged efforts by the People's Republic of China (PRC) to influence domestic United States politics prior to and during the Clinton Administration as well as the fundraising practices of the administration itself.
Americorps head Eli Segal investigated (1996)
Wes Cooley (1996)
Filegate -- Misuse of FBI resources by White House Security Chief under President Bill Clinton, allegedly to compile an enemies list (1996); investigation found insufficient evidence of criminal wrongdoing
Walter R. Tucker III of California resigned before bribery conviction (1996)
Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich financial improprieties leading to House reprimand and assessment of $300,000 sanction (1997)
Secretary of Agriculture Michael Espy forced to resign from office despite ultimate acquittal on criminal corruption charges (1998)
Labor Secretary Alexis Herman investigated (1998) in connection with alleged illegal fundraising and other financial improprieties, ultimately cleared (2001)
Bruce Babbitt, Interior Secretary, independent probe (1998-2000) of alleged lying to Congress concerning influence of money in 1995 American Indian tribe casino decision finds no criminally prosecutable perjury by Babbitt
Vice-President Al Gore (1998) allegations of improper fundraising and "no controlling legal authority" defense
Whitewater scandal (1994-2000)No criminal charges were brought against the Clintons as there was insufficient evidence that either of them had engaged in criminal wrongdoing
Teamstergate Ron Carey's and Bill Clinton's 1996 campaigns for the Presidency of the union and the United States, respectively, swapped Teamsters' Union general treasury funds into Clinton's campaign, for Clinton Campaign funds into Ron Carey's campaign warchest. The Teamsters' political director was jailed. No Clinton officials were charged. Carey's re-election was invalidated; James Hoffa, Jr. was elected when Teamsters election was rerun.
Henry Cisneros resigns as Housing Secretary and, after lengthy probe that began in 1995, pleads guilty (1999) to lying to the FBI about money he paid former mistress Linda Medlar a.k.a. Linda Jones; later pardoned by President Clinton in 2001 (Possibly reclassify or cross-reference to Sex scandal)
Pardongate (1999 - 2001) -- Bill Clinton appeared to write out pardons, during his lame duck tenure, in response to massive contributions linked to the pardoned. This included a scandal which has become traditional for departing presidents; the sudden flurry of pardons during the final month in office, which would probably not have been deemed tolerable at any other time.

2000
Linda Chavez, nomination as Secretary of Labor derailed by past employment of illegal alien (2001)
Enron collapse (2002) leading to investigation of Kenneth Lay, a top political ally and financial donor to the election campaign of President George W. Bush; Lay, who had been named as a leading candidate for Secretary of the Treasury, eventually indicted (2004). Attempts to link individual politicians with the Enron malfeasance have not been particularly successful, perhaps partly due to the fact that so many politicians of both major parties received campaign contributions (including 158 Republicans and 100 Democrats in Congress (as of 2001) [1]).
Jim Traficant (D-OH) financial corruption conviction and expulsion from House (2002)
Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) bribery scandal (2002)
Trent Lott (R-MS) resigned as Senate majority leader amid racial controversy
Bill Frist (R-TN), becomes Senate majority leader and is alleged to have been deeply involved in campaign finance improprieties. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating insider-trading issues in connection with Frist's July 2005 sale of Hospital Corporation of America shares immediately before the stock's value fell precipitously.
Yellowcake forgery. Evidence alleged to be forged was presented in the case for 2003 invasion of Iraq (2003)
Plame affair (2004), leading to the CIA leak grand jury investigation, eventually implicating Vice Presidential Chief of Staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who was indicted October 28, 2005 on five counts of obstruction of justice, perjury, and making false statements; convicted of four counts on March 6, 2007, sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, $250,000 fine, and 2 years supervised release on June 5, 2007; after bail refused pending appeal of the verdict, 30-month prison sentence commuted by President George W. Bush on July 2, 2007. (Also known as: CIA leak scandal (2003) and Plamegate.)
Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal (2004-2005)
Tom DeLay (R-TX), reprimanded twice by House Ethics Committee and aides indicted (2004-2005); eventually DeLay himself was indicted (October 2005); DeLay resigned from the House 9 June, 2006
Bernard Kerik, nomination as Secretary of Homeland Security derailed by past employment of illegal alien as nanny, and amid allegations of various other ethical improprieties (2004)
Former Clinton administration National Security Advisor Sandy Berger pleads guilty (2005) to unlawfully removing classified documents from the National Archives in October 2003
Bush administration payment of columnists including Armstrong Williams, Maggie Gallagher and Michael McManus (2004-2005)
Downing Street Memo minutes of UK government secret meeting (dated 23 July 2002, leaked 2005) include summary of MI6 Director Sir Richard Dearlove's report that "Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and the facts were being fixed around the policy."
George Allen Ex-Senator from Virginia, saying "macaca" to a Webb campaign volunteer. Also failed to produce stock options, had a long affinity with the Confederate flag, and for the attack and the Omni Hotel.
Duke Cunningham (R-CA) resigned from the House of Representatives and pleaded guilty on November 28, 2005 to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud, and tax evasion for underreporting his income in 2004. Prosecutors said Cunningham admitted to receiving at least $2.4 million in bribes.
Jack Abramoff, Republican lobbyist and key figure in Tom DeLay scandal, is indicted on wire fraud charges (August 2005). Representative Robert Ney (R-OH) is named as "Representative No. 1" in the indictment of Abramoff associate Michael Scanlon. Other members of Congress associated with Abramoff include Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA), Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ), Rep. Don Young (R-AK), James Clyburn (D-SC), and Bennie Thompson (D-MS).
Abramoff-Reed Indian Gambling Scandal A separate grand jury investigation involving Jack Abramoff, Ralph Reed and Grover Norquist
William J. Jefferson (D-LA) under investigation for bribery after the FBI seized $90,000 of a $100,000 bribery payment from Jefferson's home freezer (August 2005)
Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children and zealous champion of get-tough legislation against pedophiles, resigns from House of Representatives 29 September 2006, after reports he sent inappropriate sexually oriented e-mails and instant messages to young adult male congressional pages. (Also listed under "Sex Scandals.")
"Lawyergate" -[2] The Bush administration firing of several Republican appointed lawyers. It became a scandal after it became known that the firings may have been politically motivated, rather than based on the stated reason "poor job performance." The lawyers had refused repeatedly solicitations by Republican politicians to investigate claims of voter fraud by Democrats after the 2006 elections.

Thank you. I once again refer to one passage in my 12:29 post from the Declaration of Independence.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed

We are fat, dumb, and relatively happy while incrementally losing what was designed for us. The Corpus Juris Secundum runs to millions of pages, not to mention the Federal Register (The Federal Register is the daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. It has the full rule of law)

We also now have citizens who plan their entire lives around getting elected, gaining power and ruling the nation, not representing their constituents. Our government was designed to have people serve for a period of time and leave government. Now those in power have rigged the system to stay in power by whatever means necessary.
It is our national shame. Cincinnatus no longer exists in spite of George Washington's attempt to set the standard by serving and then leaving power..We now have Senators with dementia remaining in power because of their "political machines" ...bad stuff on which to depend if the common man wishes to remain free.


*Corpus Juris Sec.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Juris_Secundum

Cincinnatus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnatus