(Untitled)

[meb21]

An open letter to the President from someone who's "scared" of himThis was posted on some friends Facebook pages and they "liked" it and these friends, who I love and respect, are going on about how Obama is really hurting America and we're all going to pay for it

Comments

[leilamae]

I remember when I started college, it was Clinton's first year in office. I was in South Carolina surrounded by staunch Republicans. I had friends who swore up and down that Clinton would be assassinated before his term was up because of his political leanings. By his second term these same friends were lauding Clinton for such things as increased student aid (these friends were now in grad school) and telling me what a great president he was. I couldn't believe it was the same people. I could have talked to them til I was blue in the face his first year in office and it wouldn't have made any difference. Only time can make a difference.

Forgive me, but "I feel like I don't fit in with some of my friends because I'm not a Libertarian." made me giggle just because it reminds me of a PostSecret and I momentarily envisioned seeing it in one of those books :-)

[leilamae]

Correction - it doesn't remind me of an actual PostSecret but of a potential PostSecret.

[nsingman]

You don't know anyone more libertarian than I am, Mary - promise. And you fit in just fine. You're a caring, decent person with good motives with whom I disagree on a number of issues in varying depths, but that's fine, too. I stopped reading that silly letter a couple of paragraphs in.

I detest Obama for the blood-soaked, warmongering spendthrift he is. But if he is scary, how much scarier was his predecessor, who started two unnecessary wars? Obama is still killing civilians with his Predator drones, but the practice goes back many administrations. Obama's economic "recovery" bill is a huge, unconstitutional mess, but Bush's were just as bad and came first.

If you hate the state as I do, fine. If you don't, fine. But what I don't like is the hypocrisy of Bush supporters who suddenly discover fiscal probity or a pretend libertarian streak (that paint is still wet on them). Nor am I particularly fond of Obama supporters who excuse his trampling of civil liberties because he's a Democrat, but that's another matter.

[nsingman]

The US Constitution is actually a fairly simple document, even if some of the language is slightly archaic. Essentially, it was the document by which the several states, starting in 1787, created the federal government. The debates at the time were primarily concerned with the dangers of an overly powerful central government. To avoid this, the powers granted to the federal government were explicitly stipulated in Articles I (the legislature), II (the executive) and III (the judicial). Still, the document as formed wasn't good enough, and it couldn't have been ratified without the first ten amendments to it (known as the "Bill of Rights