Drums of Valor, Ears of Tin - (Ft. Bragg military audience told "keep quiet"-"no applause!!)

HUMAN EVENTS ONLINE.COM ^ | JUNE 29, 2005 | MIKE THOMPSON

[CHARLITE]

Imagine President Hillary Clinton orating about "The Joys of One Worldism" to the United Nations General Assembly, after the multicultural, multinational, multigrubbing delegates had been told by her aides to sit on their soft hands.

Imagine President Abraham Lincoln orating about freedom to former slaves on the White House lawn, after they had been ordered by his aides to remain docile and absolutely quiet at all times.

Imagine Prime Minister Winston Churchill orating about victory to bombed-out Londoners in Picadilly Circus, after they had been asked by his aides to stand mum.

Imagine President Ronald Reagan orating about the rights of the unborn to proud, loving, baby-carrying mothers in the East Room, after they had been instructed by his aides to cool it ("... and if your kid starts to cry, vacate the room at once!").

Yet in a crammed auditorium of uniformed Army stalwarts at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, President George W. Bush last night attempted to rally Americans and his plummeting ratings on the handling of the Iraq War before a nationwide (and worldwide) TV audience only after his aides ordered the assembly of bemedalled brave men and women, patriots all (despite the loss of 1,700 comrades in arms), to button their lips and stifle their calloused hands. (Obviously, the presidential nannies wished to avoid any Democrat criticism that the audience was rigged--something, of course, no pristine, ethically pure liberal would ever consider doing.)

Obedient almost 100% to their Commander-in-Chief, the troops faithfully camouflaged their love of country and fondness for Mr. Bush's principled leadership until their pulsing spirits no longer could be suppressed, bursting into applause mightily, but only once, before his stirring speech ended in 30 minutes--a performance as carefully timed as a skillful Ranger or Green Beret maneuver in the heat of battle.

Never before have so many heard so little from so few who felt so much. The next time the President seeks to fire up the nation, he first should fire his asbestos-clad handlers.

Mr. Thompson is the past chairman of the Florida Conservative Union.

[CHARLITE]

What immediately springs to mind is the now infamous Paul Wellstone memorial service in Minnesota, which the Democrats turned into a Bush-and-Republican bashing free-for-all, and where they even lowered themselves to the point of hissing and booing Vice President Cheney when he and Mrs. Cheney entered the hall. Ditto for Trent Lott.

What this author reveals is that the top policy and PR shapers of our Republican Party have gone way too far to the extreme of what they must think of as gentility, good manners and "not rocking the boat." They seem to have a policy of never lowering themselves to the Democrats' now obscene levels of vitriol and unbridled poisonous invective.

When it gets to the point of ordering a pro-Bush military audience to refrain from applauding a prime time, major foreign policy speech on the War on Terror, then whoever is running Bush's PR organization should resign!

[CHARLITE]

Ping!
Char :)

[balch3]

his ratings aren't plummeting. Don't believe the rigged MSM polls.

[A Balrog of Morgoth]

What this author reveals is his complete and abject ignorance of good order and discipline.

We're supposed to at least remain nominally apolitical when we are in uniform.

[USAFJeeper]

As a retired member of the military... we never burst into applause until after a speaker was done. Decorum I guess, but military audiences listen to the speech, not look for oppurtunities to burst into "spontaneous" applause.

[CHARLITE]

QUOTE OF THE DAY - from GetLiberty.com
"A free America... means just this: individual freedom for all, rich or poor, or else this system of government we call democracy is only an expedient to enslave man to the machine and make him like it."

Frank Lloyd Wright

[cll]

The assembled patriots were ordered to attention, and approprietly so, just before the Chief walked in.

I'm surprised the MSM didn't spin that in contrast to the rousing ovation when the Prez paid a surprise visit to Baghdad that Thanksgiving day.

[CyberAnt]

Well .. this was not a HOO-RAH for the troops .. this speech was a no-nonsense message to the world.

How come people can't get that ..??

[noodler]

Appreciated your post of educated dead-end.There is a concept they cannot grasp.One more experience to live through eyes of those who are not fortunate to see truth.It becomes as Springer show or Murray et all We continue to absorb the worst and understanding and let it lapse towards Real Men and Women.With little other plan that is what they consider success.We are to be continually belittled with issues raging at our door.We are to be twisted and impotent.

[Joe 6-pack]

"We're supposed to at least remain nominally apolitical when we are in uniform."

A service member can vigorously cheer his/her CinC for their leadership alone, and remain completely apolitical. I remember cheering past battalion, brigade and division commanders for various things, and there was no political motivation behind it whatsoever...I liked them, I liked their leadership and I liked whatever they had just said. When I was on active duty (1991-2000) one of the biggest challenges facing the leadership was getting soldiers registered to vote and actively participating in elections!! I'm certain our younger soldiers are somewhat more attentive post 9-11, and agree that there needs to be a refrain from overt politics in uniform, but this was our soldiers' commander in chief, giving a briefing (or sitrep, if you will) to his boss, the American people...It was not a GOP rally....

[A Balrog of Morgoth]

It's the author's overwrought, hysterical handwringing that I have a problem with.

[kms61]

My brother in law is a Navy Chief, and in hanging around him and some of his friends, I was surprised at just how apolitical those guys--all career NCO's--are. I have no idea what political ideology they have, because it just never came up. They'd rather talk about cars, or sports, or the latest electronic gadget.

[B4Ranch]

>>Don't believe the rigged MSM polls.<<

Is this rigged too?

_________________________________________________________________________

(FR Open Border Opinion Poll captured on 13 Feb, 2005 at 10:00 PM EST)

Free Republic Opinion Poll: Please indicate whether or not you support or oppose open borders and illegal immigration.

Composite Opinion
I OPPOSE open borders and illegal immigration.	94.4%		4,020
I SUPPORT open borders and illegal immigration.	2.9%		125
Undecided/Pass.	2.7%		115
	100.0%		4,260
Member Opinion
I OPPOSE open borders and illegal immigration.	94.3%		2,954
Undecided/Pass.	3.4%		105
I SUPPORT open borders and illegal immigration.	2.3%		73
	100.0%		3,132
Non-Member Opinion
I OPPOSE open borders and illegal immigration.	94.5%		1,066
I SUPPORT open borders and illegal immigration.	4.6%		52
Undecided/Pass.	0.9%		10
	100.0%		1,128
				THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE!

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