Social Sense
Good questions HB. Americans are a lazy bunch and move slow and because we don’t feel the war we don’t open our eyes. Maybe we need to have rations like in WWII. Then Americans would start supporting America and wanting to Win instead of just ‘stay the course’ which makes it easy to be lazy, and not seek to win or die trying..
I think that when there are issues before the American people that require a long-term commitment and a lot of pain and sacrifice, that we need to approach the matter in the same way that one saves for his/her retirement. We take a little bit of money out of our paycheck every week and invest it in a stock or savings plan. The amount of money diverted to this cause is very small and hardly missed in the moment, but as more and more time passes, and we see the periodic statements we receive, we believe the money to be very well invested indeed and the pain & sacrifice is made bearable.
The same approach is common in religions. Christ sacrificed his life for Christians, and so Christians make small offerings of treasure to be used by the church to help others (although before Christ it used to be direct animal sacrifices of 1st fruits to G_d Himself). And actually, I like the 2nd approach a little better, because with taxes taking the bite they do (automatically & forcefully withheld), a direct and unique offering of some "other" kind would be more significant (although War Bonds could still work well). I think a "war journal" or "blog" is actually a very good thing, because the contribution comes from the heart, and requires a frequent renewal of comitment on behalf of the author. In fact, I think it would be a very good thing for children to learn to do in schools...
Just some thoughts.
why do we keep electing such people?
Maybe because our usual choices are liars and scoundrels? I confess that I vote in every election but without much enthusiasm.
You mentioned FDR: Franklin Roosevelt worked hard to inspire Americans . . . and he did it by speaking openly and honestly with the American people. Roosevelt did much more than simply telling us to “stay the course.”
In that era, the enemy was demonized. FDR, and Winston Churchhill as well, did not try to sort out "good enemy" from "bad enemy" (as in good Nazi, bad Nazi). Now we bend over backwards to try to understand the motivation of those who would destroy this nation, but stop short of any effective "propaganda war."
GWB is singularly uninspiring, except for a very few moments. I say that having voted twice for the man.
I think that it is because both Parties have done such an overwhelming job of convincing Americans the other side is evil, will destroy America, and a vote for them is boarderline traitorous.
With most pundits telling you that Independants are weak, no backbone, mushy souls that cannot decide what they want... WHO ON EARTH WANTS TO BE THAT?.... Americans are almost bullied into being a "Party Man/Woman", and thus take their voter card and go strait Repub/Dem and feel secure that they've made the right choice.
Sounds like cattle to me.
I think AOW's observation is well made. From a field of idiots, an idiot is always elected. Elected officials should be doing what the people expect them to do . . . they should be serving America's best interests. The party line (which ever party you select) is at best self-serving. It is hard to have any confidence in a national party that selects Howard Dean as its chairman. Of course, that makes Dean the Chief Idiot.
One blogger recently noted that in reality, Bush is a weak president. He only appears strong when compared to Al Gore and John Kerry. I am disappointed that Bush retracted his "Islamic Fascist" comment because (a) it did not need to be retracted and (b) it shows that he is entirely too comfortable with his Saudi buddies.
IMO, we need someone with a strong backbone in the White House. Sadly, I don't see any of those in the field of likely presidential candidates.
". . .why do we keep electing such people?"
"We" keep electing them because, as AOW says, the choice is limited.
For the last 150 years, the likes of Pelosi, Murtha, the Dixie Chicks, and Kennedy etc. ad nauseam, have been working to insinuate themselves into the system and take it over, much as Islam is attempting to do here, and Hezbollah is doing in Lebanon.
The result has been a pool of candidates and an electorate that is leaning more and more in the direction of the postmodernists, the "PC" crowd.
I used to think there was hope that this trend might be turned around, but now I do not. We just don't have enough time any more.
Sorry - forgot to sign in!
Mustang,
From a field of idiots, an idiot is always elected.
You should put that in the banner at the top of your blog, my friend.
I'm seething over GWB's caving in to the pressure to drop the terminology "Islamic fascism." The man just doesn't get it, does he?
Mustang..great read!..I linked to this post. 
Been away from reading Mustang's superior blog.
As always, he provides us with wit and wisdom in a world very, very short of both.
We elect them because we don't want to have to shoot them.
Democracy is highly over-rated.
Very good post.
I tend to agree with AOW here.
My own analogy would be that of having only one restaurant in town, an establishment in which everything on the menu is terrible, some items worse than others, so if you want to eat out, you have to pick the dish you don't think is quite as bad as the rest, but you never leave the place feeling like you've gotten your money's worth.
This would be the culinary equivalent of today's polling places.
but . . . why are they scoundrels?
When you spend millions campaigning for a job that pays a few hundred thousand a year(at best), obviously you're looking for some payback in areas other than salary ;->
If I had the requisite lack of morals and ability to be a facile liar, I would be a politician too.
Once that quaint notion of integrity is summarily thrown overboard all things are possible.
Farmer John,
We elect them because we don't want to have to shoot them.
Would there be enough room in the cemeteries? 
Nope. Every idiot in town wants to be king. The secret is to let him pretend to be king for a while... and then let the next idiot pretender undo what he did. Democracy is great for one reason alone. No one idiot gets to be king of Gotham for very long. How do you like the beds at The Cuckoo Bush Inn?
Wish me well. I'm off to join the other members of the Martinus Scriberlus Club at the Roast!
Farmer,
I know exactly where you are.
I'll be by Beak's roast of Felis later today--or maybe right now.
Mustang
We get the leaders we deserve because we have a joke of a primary system that caters to extreeminsts.
John Kerry was elected because the alternative was conidered even more extreeme.
On the Republican side Rudy's social policies will put him in the tank.
The fact that he is a strong leader
and an able administator counts less than his position on Gays.
On the Democratic side you have a series of people who don't belong in the historic party calling the shots. Traditional Democrats would not be caught in the same room with Soros. Then there is a whole Branch of at least fellow travelers starting with Gomer Kerry. The Democratic party forgot about working people and is now beholden to far left Hollywood and accademic hacks.
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