tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308036.post109762108004990071..comments2023-11-02T05:15:46.904-05:00Comments on Something to Cry About: Support Our TroopsAaron Matthew Arnwine - LifelikePundits.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16116795631772788349noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308036.post-1097767661357786952004-10-14T10:27:00.000-05:002004-10-14T10:27:00.000-05:00My dad taught there from 84 to 87. Where you ther...My dad taught there from 84 to 87. Where you there then?Aaron Matthew Arnwine - LifelikePundits.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16116795631772788349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308036.post-1097732318200284022004-10-14T00:38:00.000-05:002004-10-14T00:38:00.000-05:00Love the picture of the West Point cadets! Takes ...Love the picture of the West Point cadets! Takes me back to my time there. :)<br /><br />Go Bush!Derekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17716310409381134505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308036.post-1097658999042281052004-10-13T04:16:00.000-05:002004-10-13T04:16:00.000-05:00The personnel of the Armed Forces and DoD have bee...The personnel of the Armed Forces and DoD have been a target of Republican propaganda for years. There is a myth that Republicans are are "tough on defense" and support larger Defense budgets. A review of historical facts, however, show that it is quite the myth. First, there are always big Defense budgets, under Democratic or Republican majorities, because the American People want big Defense budgets and it is therefore difficult to cut Defense spending. Secondly, what Defense money is spent on makes a big difference, with Republican-spent moneys consuming massive amounts of Defense funding, but frequently going toward Corporate pork-barrels that deliver little or nothing over the course of decades (Star Wars/Missle Defense Initiative). The programs sound good in comic-book type terms, but deliver little in the way of actual capablity. Democratic-driven spending would typically focus on conventional capabilities and personnel. Thirdly, Republican propaganda frequently glosses-over their Defense-cut initiatives (like seeking the "Peace Dividend" that lasted for decades, starting with Reagan, and exemplified by the fact that Dick Cheney supported many of the Defense cuts, when he was SECDEF, that John Kerry voted for in the same time period)Additionally, we find that post-Peace-Dividend Defense spending didn't actually make an upswing until the second term of the Clinton administration. Dubya's administration has also tried to cut combat pay and veteran's benefits, even during this recent period of war.<br /><br />So, any skewing detected in the Armed Forces polling is a sign of effective, long-term propaganda, as opposed to any objective measure of Party Defense performance.Ghost Dansinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15216056025402469120noreply@blogger.com