Tuesday, January 27, 2015

American Sniper

American Sniper Produced and Directed by Clint Eastwood This film is an outstanding achievement by Mr. Eastwood. I was stunned by the realism portrayed knowing beforehand that it was a true story about an American hero who put his life on the line over four tours of duty on behalf of his country, his family and his comrades. It seemed as if I was watching it in real time. In spite of the tragic scenes there were lighter moments that caused me to chuckle. You felt the anguish as Kyle had to decide whether to shoot and take a life to save our own soldiers. As the tours continued the strain was easy to feel. A best actor award certainly is Bradley Cooper’s to take. Those who have condemned this film should be ashamed. All Americans should see this to understand what our soldiers have been living with for over 13 years while the rest of us enjoy our day to day activities without giving it a thought. If you haven’t seen it yet I urge you to do so with the hope it will be as meaningful to you as it was to me. Jack B. Walters January 27, 2015

Thursday, January 22, 2015

My response to the State of the Union Address

I listened carefully to President Obama’s speech last night waiting to hear what he would say about Islamic terrorism. His comment was very short. "We will continue to hunt down terrorists and dismantle their networks, and we reserve the right to act unilaterally, as we have done relentlessly since I took office to take out terrorists who pose a threat to us and our allies." "It's why we continue to reject offensive stereotypes of Muslims---the vast majority of whom share our commitment to peace." My immediate reaction was that he will not ever link terrorism to the Muslim community. Not recognizing the connection leaves our military and law enforcement in a quandary as to what they should be doing. I firmly believe now that the reason neither he nor anyone else in a high administration position attended the rally in Paris. It was not an oversight or a lack of staff support. The European leaders had finally, after decades of denial clearly stated that the attack was by Islamic terrorists. Obama would not support that and so he stayed home. Eric Holder was in Paris. All that was needed was a phone call to have him show up. If he got a call it was to not show up. I do not condemn all those who profess their allegiance to Mohammed but at the same time I believe that they for the most part are taking passive positions against terrorism with only a few exceptions. Those who dare to speak out are endangering their own lives. There is very little wiggle room. I believe we have been made suckers with our multi trillion dollar expenditures in the Middle East and that our evolvement has merely strengthened and encouraged more to join the crusade. Right now we are bombing Sunnis while at the same time Shias are taking over Yemen. If it was up to me I would withdraw completely and let them sort it out. I would suspend all financial support. Jack B. Walters January 21, 2015

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Predictable Tragedy in Paris, France

Listening to CNN this morning I heard that in order to not place any of the far flung journalists in danger they are going to limit their commentary about the killings in France by Muslim terrorists. With due consideration, I disagree. This response is the same as Sony when they cancelled the opening of a film after threats by N. Korea that patrons going to a theatre showing the movie would do so at risk of losing their lives. Extortion like this is as old as the hills. The sure fire way to destroy an economy is by threats. In today’s world with government leadership afraid to speak out the terrorists will continue to win. The first time I was alerted to death threats for anyone who dared to insult Mohammad was years ago when Salman Rushdie published his book “The Satanic Verses”. He has been hiding ever since. Then Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Theo van Gogh collaborated to produce a ten minute film depicting four punishments that women could receive for various offences. In 2004 Gogh was murdered while walking down a street. His throat was slit. The knife thrust into his chest had a warning to Ali that she was next. She has been in hiding or been protected ever since. In 2005 another Danish cartoonist, Kurt Westergaard published a Mohammad cartoon. He was attacked in his home by an assailant with a knife. He was rescued and the assailant was sentenced to 10 years in prison after which he would be expelled from Denmark. There were over 200 deaths of non-Muslims in Muslim dominated countries as they expressed their outrage. This current attack which killed Editor Charlie Hebdo and 11 others is a deadly reminder that Islam is bringing the war to Western nations including the United States. More will follow as they must destroy our cultures in order for Islam to reign supreme throughout all nations on Earth. We have little or no defense since leadership refuses to acknowledge that there is uniformity to these actions. They strive to convince us that it is only small groups of radicals. Our President will not allow any disparaging remarks about Islam by those in the military. The gunmen in France while carrying their attack shouted “Allahu akbar”. May I remind you that Major Nidal Malik Hasan shouted the same words while killing 13 and wounding 30 in Ft Hood, Texas. Under Obama’s edict it was considered work place violence instead of what it really was a Muslim terrorist attack on Americans. It is up to us to speak out and demand clear, concise policies to recognize the threat and to take unified action to stop it from spreading. Denying it just will not be successful. Jack B. Walters January 8, 2015