Can this mess be fixed?

Monday – December 20, 2010

Can this mess be fixed?

This week, the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, is moving into the vacated offices of the former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. This is a new start for America!

But the question still remains, can this mess be fixed?

This week, look for tensions in the Korean Peninsula to be escalated with the North telling the South that, if they persist in planned military exercises, there will be “a calamity.” This threat comes from Kim Jong–il, the de facto leader of North Korea. These threats are not new. These threats come and they are rewarded with aid and more talk of six party talks, not only by us, but China and the rest of the world. The only way to fix the Korean Peninsula is to put pressure on China and say in no uncertain terms you must fix it so that Kim and his heirs can no longer rule that country.

Part of the new House leader’s job is to bring sanity back to Washington. If the new Speaker can curb the deficit spending and prohibit unnecessary spending and stop borrowing from China then our position with China becomes the dominant one.

Russia has called for an emergency session at the United Nations Security Council to discuss North Koreas new outburst of threats. This is purposely done, because the Russians know that our President is weak and that our President is calling for a new START treaty to come out of Washington. The weakness comes in the way of the U.S. reducing its nuclear arsenal, while Russia keeps theirs.

Part of the new House leader’s job is to remain tough, while others are showing their cards. What the new Speaker must remember is that Ronald Reagan out spent Russia in defense spending. The Russians became broke in the process, because they could not compete in the spending on defense that Reagan knew was necessary. The new House leader must remember this part of history so that it does not impact us like it impacted Russia when Speaker Boehner first became a Congressman.

Without a treaty, the inspection’s of the “Trust but Verify” era of Reagan is halted. The new speaker must be the advocate for ongoing inspections and take a tough stance where the President does not think one can be made.

The new Speaker has an opportunity to make his new office become the office that the nation looks at to bring change that will fix the mess that the old Speaker, the President and the current Senate leader have made.

The new Speaker, Congressman Boehner, has his Delaware River in front of him. In this week leading up to Christmas, we cannot forget the real meaning of this season. We cannot forget the gift that this season brings. We cannot forget the gift that George Washington gave us on the eve of Christmas and through out the season of our American existence.

George Washington had formed a plan to attack the town of Trenton, on the New Jersey side of the Delaware. Trenton was occupied by mercenary Hessians, commanded by Col. Johann Rall. On Christmas Eve in 1776, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a Continental “surgeon”, saw General Washington writing short notes on several scraps of paper. One might surmise that he was writing Christmas notes to members of his military “family”. This may have seemed even more likely when he called a messenger to deliver the slips to his staff. Dr. Rush noticed one of the slips of paper fall to the floor. When he picked it up and read it, there was no Christmas cheer. Instead it was a stark statement; “Victory or Death” the inscription described the situation. Washington had decided to use this as the password for the day, as his intrepid plan was unwrapped.

On Christmas Eve, in 1776, General George Washington found his River to cross. The only thing normal about the following Christmas morning was the smell of an abundance of food being prepared. Was General Washington planning a celebration? He was not! This little military encampment on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River did not have much to celebrate. They had just been through 4 months of defeat in this American Revolution. This included a grueling and harrowing flight across New Jersey that began with a midnight boat ride from Brooklyn on Aug 29th. Their joy when the statue of King George was torn down after hearing the Declaration of Independence seemed a memory too far recessed to be illuminated by any new Christmas light.

The Spirit of 76 was resuscitated in the Battle of Trenton that began on Christmas Day in 1776. That same spirit would face many more challenges, but its indomitable character was cemented into the American psyche and has still not been shaken loose today!

When we ask our selves what can be done, I always remember the story of Washington crossing the Delaware and his password “Victory or Death.” There are threatening situations in the world. There are real enemies in the world that would eliminate Christmas and the history of our country during this holiday. The first thing we must do, as a nation, is to count the ways we are blessed and use these as our weapons. One such weapon is our liberty and the freedom it provides. Another weapon is the spirit that we celebrate in this season and in the traditions that bring this season to life.

We can fix our problems and I hope the new Speaker and his office are now part of the solution.

Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives

A footnote: The solutions are there the question today is: are we prepared to go the distance and cross that river?