Preserving Our Way Of Life

To the Editor:

The conventions are over and the fall election campaign is in full swing. The next man to occupy the Oval Office will be charged with preserving our way of life. The threat from terrorist organizations is real and it is not going away just because we want it to. It is likely we have only seen the start of this war, after all our foe is determined to destroy our way of life and the free society we hold dear.

The economy is rebounding, home ownership has hit record levels, the deficit expressed as percentage of GDP is the lowest it has ever been. The equity markets have regained much of their loss and unemployment is hovering just above five percent. All of these indicators point to a good trend ahead. These numbers and issues around medical care, gender equality, the environment, AIDS, and so many other important aspects of American life, however, are meaningless if we do not win the war on terror.

Simply put, if we do not get the war right it won’t be our country anymore and those who will control it really don’t care about these things. Rather they want a society in which a select few are the masters and the rest exist in a world without individual freedom and equality.

In 1801 President Jefferson realized this when he sent a naval squadron to destroy the Barbary Pirates in Tripoli. That was the first war we fought on terror. In his authorization of that attack Jefferson did not seek a permission slip from any nation. He realized a global threat and he acted, not only did the United States benefit but the world at large became a safer place. Sound familiar?

Now John Kerry is running for the White House. The last liberal Democrat to become president — Bill Clinton — slashed the defense department budget. The Army deactivated two heavy divisions, several Reserve and National Guard brigades were also deactivated. The result a military that is over taxed in the current global environment.

We can’t survive another liberal in the White House. We need a president with a clear purpose, one who says what he means and one who will not yield in the struggle to protect our country. George Bush like Jefferson saw the threat to our way of life and like Jefferson acted to destroy that threat at its root cause.

Kerry flips and flops on every issue. He lacks the character needed to be president. His record in the senate clearly shows a man with a wind gauge not a compass.

RP Gottmeier

Antler Pine Road, Sandy Hook                              September 4, 2004