Danger! Conservative comment
Dear Lyn,
I'm sorry, I've never read anything you've written. You probably weren't writing for the Guardian when I lived in England, and besides, I don't think it was delivered to Raunds. Of course, the Sun was ALWAYS available. The Guardian isn't very high on my list of foreign papers to read - even the Asia Times and Australian Sydney Herald rate higher...
I'm one of those nasty Americans that lived in your country, wore an American uniform, ran up prices, and even, God forbid, actually SERVED in Vietnam. Unfortunately, technology made the job I did there obsolete, and I was transferred - back to Germany - and to Wiesbaden - for the third time. Now the job I did there is being done at RAF Molesworth, just six miles from where I lived in 1986-87. I'm very proud to have been one of those people that helped Ronald Reagan win the Cold War. The fact that I was involved a lot more actively than most increases that pride. But then, I also worked to help Britain defeat Argentina during the Falklands fiasco, although you won't find any mention of it - or of me and my group - in the history books.
One of the most enjoyable experiences of my life was working with the University of Northamptonshire on the Raunds Area Project in 1986-87. I learned so much more about the early history of England, mostly hands-on. My wife learned to make Torchon and Honiton bobbin-lace in adult education classes in Raunds - something she still loves to do today. We met people, we involved ourselves deeply in the community, and we enjoyed every minute of it. We were heartbroken to have to leave.
The one thing we DIDN'T do there was involve ourselves in British politics. After all, one of the major duties of the US military is to ensure that the citizens of the United States be allowed to exercise their God-given rights, including the right to determine who will represent them in our national government. Why should we not allow British citizens the same rights in their country? I liked Margaret Thatcher, and I admire the Queen very much, but some of your elected officials - and a large majority of the members of the House of Lords - make me want to grab my axe and run for the hills. Perhaps that's why my ancestors from Scotland decided to leave, back in 1735.
I think your paper's attempt to meddle in US politics in Clark County, Ohio, will backfire horrendously, and will be given a sharp spanking by most Americans. You see, none of you that don't live here on a regular basis really understand us, and even the few that have moved here and settled, like John Derbeyshire of NRO, still have a lot to learn. We are a MOST obstreperous people - hard-headed, arrogantly self-reliant, and independent beyond the belief of most non-Americans. I guess it comes from being such an amalgam of people. It also has a lot to do with the very size of the United States - something few Europeans truly understand. My brother lives in a small suburb of Houston, Texas, and I live in Colorado Springs. It's 1,194 miles, one-way, from my front door to his, in the most direct manner I can drive. That's like driving from Truro to Land's End and back. That takes us through three states - Colorado (about half-way, it's only about 140 miles from here to the New Mexico Border), about an equal distance across northeastern New Mexico, and then almost 800 miles across Texas. When I lived in Alamogordo, New Mexico, it was 660 miles to my wife's parents in Denver - a 12-hour drive. There was one stretch were we drove 124 miles without seeing a house, much less a town. Few Europeans can understand that. Those kinds of spaces, however, that kind of freedom, shape our independence in a very REAL way - a way that only living here, and experiencing those freedoms, can make real.
John Kerry is more European than American. George Bush is a Texan. They live in different worlds, literally. John Kerry is the candidate of our cities, George Bush is the candidate of the rest of the country. A European president is totally unfit to govern this nation and its people, which is why, despite the best efforts of the Guardian, George Bush will win in November.
Regards,
Michael A. Weatherford
MSgt, USAF, Retired
Colorado Springs, CO
Old Patriot
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home