Posted on 11/20/2005 4:01:41 AM PST by Gargantua
When I was a much younger man, I had nerves of steel.
My friends and I used to drive old junk cars sideways around a track in a field at speeds that would make sane people shudder and even lunatics flinch. We used to call it “pitting” a car. No helmets, no airbags, not even a seat belt. Often we would get up on two wheels, or even roll completely over, and it was all just that much more fun.
The decades since then have passed, and I recently had a chance to do the same thing on my buddy’s farm. While I still could get the car sideways and easily handle steering with the throttle, I found that the invincible, devil-may-care derring-do of my youth had at some point fled me, and had been replaced by a more mature caution. My buddy told me “You’ve “lost your nerve.”
It happens to all of us—or at least it should. As one ages, his sense of mortality becomes a more important consideration, and decisions freely made concerning dangerous feats when one was younger now take on a more ominous tenor. Take, for instance, the recently well-publicized matter of Congressman Jack Murtha.
It is common knowledge that Jack Murtha decades ago served multiple tours of duty in ‘Nam. While his congressional buddy John Kerry was back home “Swift Boating” our brave soldiers before the same Congress in which they now both serve, Jack was in ‘Nam amassing a war record of which he was, and is, justifiably proud—notwithstanding the comments of his pal, Johnny “The Flip-Flop” Kerry.
There was a point in time when Jack Murtha knew that sending soldiers into an armed conflict against hostile combatants would cause those enemies of America to violently target American soldiers. Now, decades later, old Warhorse Jack is saying that we should bring our troops home because ‘their presence in Iraq has become a catalyst for violence.’
Really? Who ever would have thought that sending American troops into war would be a catalyst for violence? Perhaps Mr. Murtha now feels that, if we send soldiers into battle, the enemy should just lay down their arms, and if they don’t, then we should bring the boys home, right?
Johnny Kerry, who used to stand in Congress and smear soldiers like Jack Murtha, now says, “I won’t stand for the ‘Swift Boating’ of Jack Murtha.” I guess Johhny must have gotten his fill of that back in the ‘70’s. Or perhaps it’s okay to smear the entire American military in Congress, just not individual soldiers…
Young men fight wars and old men—even some old veterans—sit at home and opine. It’s the way of the world, and it’s human nature. And in Murtha's case, at least he waited until the approach of the '06 and '08 elections to misplace his spine.
Eventually, it happens to all of us. Or at least it should.
"Yesterday as I was driving home in the pouring rain at 100mph in my 66 Ford Mustang pickup truck.."
Dude, if you had the balls to get a '66 Mustang up to 100 in the rain, the car with the deadest ass on record--and with even MORE weight off it due to the 'pick-up' cut, well..then..NONE of us is worthy.
Excellent comment. Thanks for saying it.
There have been several threads on his dubious business and political dealings.
Yeah, especially when he voted against his own proposal. He allowed himself to be used as a political whore.
Got a picture of that? What is that, a ranchero backend welded to a mustang front clip?
It was one of those 66 Mustacheros.
is this real or photoshopped?
There comes a time when an old man needs to just shut the hell up... before he makes a fool of himself. I pray I'll be able to recognize it... if not that's what family is for.
Back to Murtha's nerves and his sevice as well, What a disservice he has done to our Marines, he has by his actions become their lone voice in the media.
From here on out The Media will rather quote him then any other Marine especially those in Iraq.
He's effectively silenced their opinions, that takes a lot of nerve.
I do think that there is an honest remnant of hand wringing despair on the other side over our sacrifices. It resides behind the political glee over the tough task the administration has to achieve over a period of months and months.
What is also honestly there is an attitude toward the three ethnic/religious groups that make up Iraq. That attitude is based upon the leftist assessment that those people can't possibly achieve a civilized state and create a functioning society. There is a bigotry that is betrayed by the hand wringing -- a lack of faith in our fellow man.
With the left being convinced that due to the nature of those people and the history of the Arabs and Kurds involved that failure is guaranteed, they ask, "why bother?" Convinced that they can't reach the enlightened level of the progressive mind without the Tito or the Stalin to regulate and guide them, they say, "why waste our soldiers?"
The tip-off on Murtha was the disgusting display of blubbering and whining and fearful rage in his voice as he cashed in his self-respect on the House floor. He has indeed lost whatever nerve he may once have had, and is not worth further comment.
Now you're talking!!!
Divide and conquer , The only weapon the commies have found that works for them . The radical left and the aclu are driving the wedge , Murtha is just another one of the pawns , it has nothing to do with losing his nerve . His children and grandchildren would look good in berkas , just ask him .
This wily old hack knows exactly what he's doing and why.
Intimating that forms of senility have made him take leave of his senses is making undeserved excuses for him.
Let him flounder in the criticisms thrown at him, but for the right reasons.......he's duplicitous, a liar and a traitor.
Leni
Single term limit and rotating the seat of government every year to a new state.
Take OUR debate terms to the Demorats:
We know that the Democrats want an "exit strategy", they must be asked:
Why they are opposed to Democracy in Iraq.
Why they are opposed to protecting an infant Democracy in Iraq.
Why they are so desperate to give the insurgents and the terrorists a timetable, when they know ANY timetable will only be used to the terrorists advantage.
Why, at every juncture when Democracy improves in Iraq and when the success of the terrorists seems more desperate, do the Demorats more desperately seek an "exit strategy".
Why, when the vast majority of the Iraq people oppose the insurgents, when the insurgents and the terrorists are at war against the majority of the people of Iraq, do the Demorats wrongly, knowingly in error refer to Iraq as a quagmire, when it is only a quagmire for the insurgents.
Why, do the Demorats have but one policy objective in Iraq, our exit, when the only possible means of ultimate victory for the insurgents and the terrorists is our exit, and the Demorats know it.
Why do the Demorats want an unstable Iraq.
Why do the Demorats want chaos in Iraq.
We are on the offensive here now, because the Demorats can only betray their Kerry-like appeasement and cowardice in the answers to these questions.
Murtha's biography claims he was in Vietnam in '66-'67. Marines had 13 month tours of duty in Vietnam. I can find no reference to Murtha serving multiple tours. Where did this common knowledge come from?
Good evening and the very best to you and yours.
Semper Fi
Tommie
It's a Mustang whose trunk lid blew off.
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