Operating a hot dog cart is a dream business for many independent entrepreneurs all over this great nation. There are scores of stories of individuals who, for whatever reason, decide to make a living selling hot dogs from a small hot dog cart or trailer. One such entrepreneur is a guy I know through the hot dog boards; his name is Corey Hanks.
Corey recently opened up Fenway Sausage Works in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He complied with all local rules and ordinances, got his Servesafe Certificate, and was approved by the Board of Health. Corey set up this year at a private, commercial property on Acushnet Avenue, because the city's hawkers and peddlers ordinance states he is not allowed to be at a standing location or to park on public property, or within 100 feet from a public picnic area, park or playground.
Apparently a local business owner that is also the president of the area neighborhood association has made Corey his pet project and brought his name up in his meeting that all the city councilors go to, as well as law enforcement. A few days after this meeting, Corey was approached by a cop letting him know his name came up in a meeting, and he wanted to see his permits. Corey showed him and he was satisfied.
3 days later A lieutenant came to the trailer and was disrespectful to Hanks. He basically let him know that he was sent by the president of the neighborhood association. He fought with Corey and said that he needed a city hawkers and peddlers license; Hanks told him that he didn't from what the department of standards told him specifically. The lieutenant was arguing that he needed a food handlers permit, and Hanks showed him his Servesafe and told him that they don't exist, and that the city doesn't have them anymore. The lieutenant was taunting him at every step, then finally furnished Hanks a memo that was given to the police department by the building department and the city solicitors office. This memo stated that if a vendor tried to set up on private property, the police were to kick Mr. Hanks out and that it was a zoning issue. After talking to the building commissioner, he told Mr. Hanks that if he planned to set up on private property, he needed a building permit, and if he tried to get one, he would reject it. He would reject it because Fenway Sausage Works would be considered a fast food establishment and the city zoning laws state that fast food establishments are required to have 25 dedicated parking spaces. Hanks was told that if he set up in the city again, he would be fined every day he tried.
About a week later, Mr. Hanks observed several mobile food establishments set up in Buttonwood Park- a PUBLIC park.
There are many things wrong with this scenario. First of all, the New Bedford police surely have better things to do than hassle small business people. If I were a taxpayer in this city, this would infuriate me, especially after reading the police blotter. New Bedford's police have a difficult job in a city that has it's fair share of crime; they do their best with what they have, but I don't think it is their business to bully small business persons on behalf of irate residents, whether they have political clout or not.
Secondly, Mr. Hanks went through all the proper channels. He was granted permits and given the green light all the way. Why would any political or administrative city office go after this budding entrepreneur? Was it at the bequest of the neighborhood association president? If it was, then there is something rotten in City Hall.
Thirdly, why the selective enforcement? If the city shut down Hanks' business, why are other vendors allowed to set up on PUBLIC property with impunity? Do you need to be friends with someone in City Hall to run a business in this community? If that is the case, then the City of New Bedford is going to be perceived as unfriendly to business. That's not a good policy in these economic times, not matter how big or small the business may be.
America was built on entrepreneurship. When government, whether it's local, state, or federal, makes it difficult for businesses to get started and attempt to thrive, it becomes counter productive. Perhaps the citizens of New Bedford and Massachusetts would prefer Mr. Hanks go on welfare instead of trying to earn an honest living? I don't think that is a message the city fathers want to send, particularly in a community that has suffered a huge loss of industry and jobs in recent years. Hanks publicly wondered why a mobile food vendor in New Bedford gets shut down faster than heroin dealers- it's a good question and one the citizens of New Bedford should be asking their local "leaders" and law enforcement personnel.
Mr. Hanks is circulating a petition and plans to fight city hall. Good for him! Lend your support HERE.
New Bedford Bullies
Pelosi Wants A Weiner Probe
Despite evidence of her love of the tubesteak (or hot dogs), the real story here is she wishes to investigate New York Congressman Anthony Weiner who admitted to Tweeting his weiner by sending lewd pictures of himself to very young women over social networking sites.
This sort of behavior is becoming the norm for
During a recent press conference where he apologized for his behavior, Weiner repeatedly apologized to his wife Humma (no I am not kidding), and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whom his wife works for (I love irony).
We can only hope Ms. Pelosi's probe is successful.
A word of advice to Nancy: don't put it on Facebook!
Mom and Dad's Emails: Lee Iaccoca Urban Legend and rebuttal
My mom and dad like to send me emails about a wide variety of stuff.
Here's one my mom (an avid Republican) sent me recently. Make sure you read her sister's reply at the bottom of the post.
Subj: LEE IACOCCA SPEAKS OUT!
Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its death throes? He's now 82 years old and has a new book, 'Where Have All The Leaders Gone?'.
Lee Iacocca Says:
Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage with this so called president? We should be screaming bloody murder! We've got a gang of tax cheating clueless leftists trying to steer our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even run a ridiculous cash-for-clunkers program without losing $26 billion of the taxpayers' money, much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'trust me the economy is getting better..'
Better? You've got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned, 'Titanic'. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the Democrats out along with Obama!'
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs.. While we're fiddling in Afghanistan, Iran is completing their nuclear bombs and missiles and nobody seems to know what to do. And the liberal press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the 'America' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?
I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest 'C' is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of leadership, with crisis being the first.)
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with thumb up your butt and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A hell of a mess, so here's where we stand.
We're immersed in a bloody war now with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. But our soldiers are dying daily.
We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the world, and it's getting worse every day!
We've lost the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.
Gas prices are going to skyrock again, and nobody in power has a lucid plan to open drilling to solve the problem. This country has the largest oil reserves in the WORLD, and we cannot drill for it because the politicians have been bought by the flea-hugging environmentalists.
Our schools are in a complete disaster because of the teachers union.
Our borders are like sieves and they want to give all illegals amnesty and free healthcare.
The middle class is being squeezed to death every day.
These are times that cry out for leadership.
But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?
We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping the government will make it better for them. Now, that's just crazy.. Deal with life.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, look what Obama did about it!
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the Chicago gangsters in Congress. We didn't elect you to turn this country into a losing European Socialist state. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on NBC or CNN news will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope - I believe in America . In my lifetime, I've had the privilege of living through some of America 's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: The 'Great Depression on,' 'World War II,' the 'Korean War,' the 'Kennedy Assassination,' the 'Vietnam War,' the 1970's oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years since 9/11.
Make your own contribution by sending this to everyone you know and care about. It's our country, folks, and it's our future. Our future is at stake!!
According to Urban Legend, Iaccoca didn't even really write this (I thought if I got it on my email, it must be true): "The above text, though based on a passage written by former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca, bears scant resemblance to the original, which appeared as the first chapter of Where Have All the Leaders Gone?, a book by Iacocca and Catherine Whitney published by Simon & Schuster in 2007.
In brief, what originated as a sharp critique of President George W. Bush and his administration has been anonymously revised to make it appear that Iacocca blames Barack Obama and the Democrats for all the country's ills."
The really funny part about this particular "send" by my mom is her sister's reply (little sister is a Democrat). Here is my aunt's reply:
Where was Iacocca's outrage when George W. Bush lied about Saddam Hussein having "weapons of Mass destruction" and dragged us into a war in Iraq after 9-11 when we should have stayed and fought in Afghanistan? Why did Bush do that???? Because he wanted to get back at Saddam Hussein for a threat against his daddy years earlier. Too many young men have died because of his little revenge!!
Why else did we go to war in Iraq (besides Bush's revenge)?? OIL !!!!!! Dick Cheney is part of all this, too.
Where was his outrage when both of Bush's wars were not funded (and not included in the budget) which is another reason we have such a huge deficit?
Where was his outrage when Bush has given the top 2% of Americans the biggest tax cut for the last eight years? Wake up, people. That doesn't create jobs! Wake up people -- the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer!!
Where was his outrage when Bush gave all the money to bail out the stock market? They turned around and gave bonuses to the fools who put this country in a mess with their fancy way of trading and dealing with mortgages, etc. At least the loan (not bail out) to GM helped keep some jobs for Americans and it will be paid back.
President Obama is trying to help the American people. He has reached out to the Republicans over and over and all they want to do is say no to anything he tries to do. The republicans are only looking out for their wealthy friends. They don't care one iota about this country.
Republicans can't stand the fact that we have a democratic president (and a black one at that). Hmm -- do I smell a bit of racism, too?? If they had their way, they would run this country forever (Carl Rove's evil plan). God forbid. Every time the republicans run this country into the ground, the democrats get stuck trying to clean up their mess.
This country is falling apart because of the eight years of George Bush. He and the republicans don't want to see anyone who might really need help get it. It's more important that the rich get richer!! Whenever a Bush is in office, this country gets screwed! Remember when his brother screwed us all with the bonds while his daddy was in office years ago. Who paid for his mess-up?? Not him.....all of us! Thank God, "W" didn't get to privatize Social Security like he wanted.
So, don't give me any phony outrage from Mr. Iacocca. And don't give me any bull about Bush being a great president!
WOW! Tell us how you really feel, auntie!
I love my mother and my aunt dearly, but someone should tell them that ALL POLITICIANS ARE FULL OF SHITE!
VOTE THE BUMS OUT
It's Election Day in the USA today.
The Hotdogman is serving up FAIR NOTICE:
INCUMBENTS, START LOOKING FOR WORK!
I have had it with these career politicians, Republican or Democrat, who continuously vote themselves pay raises and get all the perks they vote for themselves while they continue to raise taxes and cut services while ballooning our national and local debt.
If you are an incumbent, you will not get my vote. If the new pols don't get it right (or at least make some measurable progress), they'll be looking for work after the next election too.
It's time we all WAKE UP and stop giving career politicians, do nothing hacks and special interest controlled "public servants" carte blanche to screw up our country.
Make them accountable. If they don't do the job (and they haven't), VOTE THE BUMS OUT!!
Now ask me how I really feel......
Walmart vs. The Morons
My dad and mom like to send me emails-you know, the ones that circulate all over the internet. Most of them are dopey, but every once in a while, something strikes a chord. Here's the first installment of mom and dad's email. Now if I could only get them to turn on their cell phones...
1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart Every hour of every day.
2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!
3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.
4. Wal-Mart is bigger in sales ($415B) than Home Depot + Kroger + Target + Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined ($327B).
5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people, is the world's largest private employer, and most speak English.
6. Wal-Mart has the largest sales of any company in the history of the world.
7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger and Safeway combined, and keep in mind they did this in only fifteen years.
8. During this same period, 31 big supermarket chains sought bankruptcy.
9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.
10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had five years ago.
11. This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at Wal-Mart stores. (Earth's population is approximately 6.5 Billion.)
12. 90% of all Americans live within fifteen miles of a Wal-Mart.
You may think that I am complaining, but I am really laying the ground work for suggesting that MAYBE we should hire the guys who run Wal-Mart to fix the economy.
This should be read and understood by all Americans Democrats, Republicans, EVERYONE!!
To President Obama and all 535 voting members of the Legislature,
It is now official --
You are ALL corrupt morons:
a. The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke.
b. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broke.
c. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broke.
d. War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they only want more.
e. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.
f. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broke.
g. The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.
You have FAILED in every major "government service" you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars.
AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM ??
MAYBE WE OUGHT TO KICK YOUR EGG-HEAD BUDDY BUMS OUT OF OFFICE AND HIRE WAL MART TO RUN THE GOVERNMENT ???
WAL MART SEEMS TO KNOW HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS.......WHY DON'T YOU GUYS JUST ADMIT IT'S WAY BEYOND YOUR PAY GRADE, AND QUIT?
Make-Believe Maverick
I don't usually like to spew politics at the Hot Dog Truck, but my aunt sent me this revealing article from Rolling Stone Magazine.
I think BOTH candidates are full of it if you ask me, but it seems Presidential elections come down to the lesser of two evils.
Here's a closer look at the life and career of John McCain that reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty.
It's All About the Oil and the Extremists
CyberCelt, a reader of the Hot Dog Truck left a link to this article in a comment recently. I thought hot dog lovers would like to read it, so I am putting it up here. The truth is often ugly:
This president and vice president have vowed to repeat the mistakes of history, and they have put into motion a plan to do just that in Iran, even as the House is about to send the president a box of blank checks for Iraq, against the will of the American people.
The history is worth knowing.
In 1953, the United States and United Kingdom launched Operation Ajax, a covert CIA operation to destabilize and remove the democratically elected government of Iran, including then Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh.
Why? Oil.
Under Mossadegh, the Iranian government decided to reclaim Iran's rightful ownership of its national oil treasure, which had been exclusively controlled by the British who were taking 85 percent of the profits.
Oh, and by the way, the U.K. also kept the books secret, merely telling Iran what its 15 percent take was.
As soon as Mossadegh began to reclaim Iran's oil treasure, it was all over. Operation Ajax was set into motion.
The U.S. embassy in Tehran provoked phony internal Iranian dissent, while the Brits engineered an Iranian financial crisis by orchestrating a global boycott of Iranian oil. We brought down the Iranian government and installed the Shah.
For two decades, we propped up the Shah against the will of the Iranian people. It was all about controlling Iran. It still is. Today, ABC News is reporting exclusively that this president has authorized a new covert CIA plot to bring down the Iranian government.
I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record the journalism produced by chief investigative reporter Brian Ross and Richard Esposito of ABC News.
This is their lead sentence in the story.
"The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert 'black' operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com."
We’re back in 1953, and that worked out so well.
Of course, the vice president wanted to invade Iran, so we can be sure he will spin new tales of fear in coming days to keep his preferred option, invasion, very much alive.
The president knows only one way -- my way or the highway.
His vice president knows only one way -- invade and seize control of what you want -- and he wants the oil treasure of Iraq and Iran to become wholly owned subsidiaries of the western oil companies he so favors.
With Iraq in civil war, the president has authorized a secret plan to repeat the doomed mistakes of history in Iran.
How many billions of reconstruction money for Iraq will be siphoned off for the deconstruction of Iran?
The American people are virtually shouting at us to pay attention and get our soldiers out of Iraq, now.
Vast sums of U.S. taxpayer money are flowing into Iraq and billions of U.S. dollars are missing.
The special inspector for Iraq reconstruction told a San Antonio newspaper last week that corruption in Iraq is endemic and debilitating.
But, Prime Minister al-Maliki has granted ministers and former ministers immunity from prosecution by Iraq’s Commission on Public Integrity.
And, in turn, the ministers can shield their own employees from prosecution.
And, a government that has been told by this president and vice president to pass an oil law that transfers control -- and profits -- to Western oil companies, just like the good old days in Iran.
Overthrowing Iran in 1953 was all about oil. Invading Iraq was all about oil. And the new secret plot against Iran is all about oil.
Oil is the only benchmark this president and vice president want, and they will keep American soldiers fighting and dying until an oil law is passed in Iraq that gives Western oil companies control of the spigot.
It is time to unmask the latest doomed plot to overthrow Iran and past time to get out soldiers out of Iraq.
Nothing less than protecting our troops is acceptable.
Rep. Jim McDermott
God bless you, Rep. McDermott! Let us bring our young people home, alive. It is an atrocity that we are sacrificing yet ANOTHER generation to the god of oil.
AND in the interest of presenting an alternate point of view, here is the text from a recent speech by Joe Liebermann, Senator from Connecticut:
Thank you so much for that kind introduction. It is a pleasure to be here among so many friends.
Now, I know there are some who are probably wondering -what is a nice Independent Democrat from Connecticut doing at a Republican event like this?
Well, a funny thing happened on the way to reelection last
year. And as Rabbi Hillel said, the rest is commentary.
In all seriousness, many of you in this room stood with me
last year through the long journey up a winding road that was my 2006
reelection campaign. You came to my side without regard for party
affiliation, and you stayed there even after I ran as an Independent but
said I would caucus with the Democrats. Your non-partisanship in my race
is a model for what our politics should be. I thank you personally and deeply
for it. I could not have won without it.
And I pledge to you that I will do everything I can to
vindicate your confidence.
We gather at a critical time for the future of our country.
The war in Iraq has now become the defining issue for this Congress and
for this presidency-although the decisions we will make in the weeks and
months ahead about Iraq will have consequences that reach far beyond the terms of
anyone now in office.
Part of the disagreement we face over Iraq comes down to a
genuine difference of opinion.
On the one hand, there are those who believe, as I do, that
the struggle against Islamist extremism really is the central challenge of
our time, and that, as General David Petraeus -our commander in
Iraq-recently said, Iraq is now the central front of the war against
Islamist extremism.
On the other hand, there are those who reject this view -who
genuinely believe that the threat of Islamist extremism is overstated, or
that Iraq is a distraction from the "real" war on terror, or that the war
there is lost, or not worth fighting to win.
It is my deeply held conviction that these people are not
only wrong, they are disastrously wrong -and that the withdrawal they
demand would be a moral and security catastrophe for the United States, for Iraq,
and for the entire Middle East, including Israel and our moderate Arab
allies.
Let there be no doubt-an American defeat in Iraq would be a
victory for Al Qaeda and Iran. the two most threatening enemies we face in
the world today. It would vindicate the hope of our enemies that America
is weak and that we can be driven to retreat by terrorism, and it would
confirm the fear of our friends -not only in Iraq, but throughout the world -that
we are unreliable allies who will abandon them in the face of danger.
The fact of the matter is, you cannot claim to be tough on
terrorism while demanding that our military withdraw from Iraq, because it
is the terrorists, in -particular Al Qaeda, -that our military is fighting
in Iraq.
You cannot claim to be committed to defeating Al Qaeda,
while demanding that we abandon the heart of the Middle East to Al Qaeda.
And you cannot claim to be tough on Iran, while demanding
the very thing that the mullahs want most of all, -the retreat of the
American military from the Middle East in defeat, leaving a vacuum that
Iran will rush to fill.
I recognize that this war has been controversial, and there
are those who oppose it on principle. I respect that.
But too much of the debate we are having today about
withdrawal from Iraq has little or nothing to do with principle, or with
reality in Iraq.
It is about politics and partisanship here in Washington.
For many Democrats, if President Bush is for it, they must
be against it. If the war is going badly, it is bad for Republicans and it
is good for Democrats. It is as simple as that, and it is as wrong as
that.
For many Republicans, the unpopularity of this war and this
President has begun to shake their will. They say that they have no choice
but to abandon General Petraeus and his strategy because the American
people tell the pollsters they want out. If previous generations of American
leaders had allowed their conduct of war to be shaped by partisanship or
public opinion polls, we would not be the strong and free nation we are
blessed to be today.
Republicans in Congress delude themselves if they think they
will be helping either themselves, their party, or their country if they
now attempt to wash their hands of Iraq, out of a sudden sense of political
anxiety.
Democrats in Congress delude themselves if they think they
will not be held accountable for the bloody consequences of the retreat
from Iraq they seek.
The fact is, a loss to Al Qaeda and Iran in Iraq would be
devastating to our security. These are fateful days and critical decisions
we are making about Iraq. We must make them with our eye on the safety of
America's next generation, not the outcome of America's next election.
It is to the everlasting credit of President Bush that in
the war against Islamist extremism he has shown the courage and
steadfastness to stand against the political passions of the moment.
I have never hesitated to express disagreement with the
President on any issue when I felt he was wrong-and I have criticized his
administration many times for the serious mistakes I believe it made in
prosecuting the war in Iraq.
But let me tell you this: I believe that each of us should
be grateful that we have a commander-in-chief who does not believe that
decisions about war should be driven by poll numbers. And each of us
should be grateful that we have a commander-in-chief who does not confuse what is
popular with what is right for our security as a nation. The public
opinion polls may not reflect this today, but I believe history will tomorrow.
My friends, as Ronald Reagan once said, now is the time for
choosing.
If we stand united through the months ahead, if we stand
firm against the terrorists who want to drive us to retreat, the war in
Iraq can be won and the lives of millions of people can be saved.
But if we surrender to the barbarism of suicide bombers and
abandon the heart of the Middle East to fanatics and killers, to Al Qaeda
and Iran, then all that our men and women in uniform have fought, and died
for, will be lost, and we will be left a much less secure and free nation.
That is the choice we in Washington will make this summer
and this fall. It is a choice not just about our foreign policy and our
national security and our interests in the Middle East. It is about what
our political leaders in both parties are prepared to stand for. It is about
our very soul as a nation. It is about who we are, and who we want to be.
Will this be the moment in history when America gives
up-when Al Qaeda breaks our will, when our enemies surge forward, when we
turn our backs on our friends and begin a long retreat from our principles
and promise as a nation?
Or will this be the moment when America steps forward, when
we pull together, when we hold fast to the courage of our convictions,
when -with a new strategy, and a new commander on the ground -we begin to turn
the tide toward victory in this long and difficult war?
I know that we can rise above the anger and smallness of our
politics. I know we can rise to the greatness that this moment demands of
us.
The question is-will we choose to do so?
I would like to close today by sharing with you a story from
my last visit to Iraq a few months ago. It was in Anbar province in
western Iraq-the center of the insurgency-a part of the country that conventional
wisdom last year dismissed as hopeless.
In fact, on September 11, 2006, the Washington Post ran a
front-page story reporting that even the chief of Marine Corps
intelligence in Iraq had concluded that Anbar was "lost," and our position there was
"beyond repair."
I was in Anbar last December, on a forward operating base
just outside Ramadi, the capital of the province. As one of the briefings
with our military commanders ended, a colonel who had been sitting in the
back of the room came up to me. He said something that I carry with me to
this day-something that I hope you will carry with you as well.
He said: "Sir, I want you to know on behalf of the soldiers
in my unit and myself that we believe in why we are fighting here, we want
to finish this fight. And we know we can win it."
Today, five months later, Anbar has been dramatically
transformed. Thanks to the bravery, ingenuity, and commitment of our men
and women in uniform, shops and schools have reopened, Al Qaeda is on the run,
thousands of Iraqis have joined the local police, and-yes-no less than the
New York Times reports that we have turned the corner there.
My friends, now is not the time for despair. Now is the time
for resolve.
Now is not the time for reflexive partisanship and pandering
to public opinion. Now is the time for the kind of patriotism and
principle America's voters have always honored.
I ask you to plead with every member of Congress you can in
the days and weeks ahead-
Do not surrender to hopelessness.
Do not succumb to defeat.
Do not give in to fear.
Rise above the political pressures of the moment to do what
is right for America.
Believe, like that colonel, in why we are fighting in Iraq,
and know, as he and his soldiers know, that we can and must win there.
NBA or NFL?
36
have been accused of spousal abuse!
7
have been arrested for fraud !
19
have been accused of writing bad checks!
117
have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses!
3
have done time for assault!
71,
repeat
71 cannot
get a credit card due to bad credit!
14
have been arrested on drug-related charges!
8
have been arrested for shoplifting!
21
currently
are defendants in lawsuits!
84
have been arrested for drunk driving
in
the last year!
Can
you guess which organization this is?
Give
up yet?
Neither,
it's the 535 members of the United States Congress.
Your tax dollars at work.
