Why Obama’s Ineffectualness is Dangerous!

Like most veterans, my memories of my days in the service are a combination of good and bad. The best thing was the spirit of brotherhood; the comradery.

My worst times in the service all had one thing in common; ineffectual leaders.  Now please don’t take this wrong I served under some outstanding men, but I also met my fair share of ticket punching toadies.

I remember a day when my team and I were taking a break at a firebase on our way back from a mission when a butter bar (2d Lieutenant) came into camp on a slick (Huey). There he was in his crisply ironed jungle fatigues and polished boots, clean shaved and looking like a recruiting poster. The first words out of his mouth were, “Who in the hell set up these defenses? I want that heavy machine gun down  near the concertina (wire)!”

There were a few problems with this. First he was pointing at an M60 which is not a heavy machine gun and second by placing it closer to the wire limited its effectiveness. It was at that time localed properly high where its field of fire was about one third of the perimeter fence and over the heads of the camp’s defenders.. Right away this idiot opened his mouth, inserted his nicely shined boots and destroyed his credibility as a leader. I can only hope that later he changed before he got someone killed.

I have returned from long range missions and entered camp only to be accosted by some REMF ( Rear echelon M___F____, you get the idea) like the Sergeant Major who tried to take me to task for having improper boot laces (I used insulated wire since cotton and nylon would quickly rot in the jungle) and for the condition of my uniform (after a 14 day hump). His lambasting came to a quick halt when he looked into my eyes and he noticed my non-standard weapons (we carried Swedish K’s and Browning High Powers). He realized that I did not come under his authority. His first clue should have been the lack of rank and unit insignia. I pity the troops under this “spit and polish” idiot who didn’t have a clue.

We actually had some areas that we prohibited from returning enemy fire unless we radioed in for permission first, so that some REMF could decide if our lives were worth saving. This created a lot of animosity and uncertainty among troops on the front lines.

The problem with ineffectual leaders is that they can and do get people killed. They think they know it all and if they don’t know they will make it up as they go. They got ahead because of who they knew not what they did. This is a lot like what a Community Organizer does when elected to a high political office. Incompetent leaders will send underlings to their death and then cover up their ineptitude by “throwing someone else under the bus”.

A good leader does not operate in a vacuum. A leader must listen to those following. The first thing a good leader must acknowledge is that they do not know it all. The second thing they must realize is that they work for and represent the people following them. A good leader recognizes and admits mistakes, they also absorb the blame for mistakes of the people under them.

When you move into the higher echelons of power you become isolated and have to make a conscious effort to get out of the puzzle palace and become a normal grunt. You have to go face to face with the people following you because often your closest advisors have their own agendas or simply will tell you only what they think you want to hear. A deaf leader is one who rules from above and is the most detested and the most dangerous.  A blind and deaf leader is not a true leader they are a tyrant.

 

---

 

 

If you prefer some lighter reading why not try…

 

 

 

Ghost Ranger, Tex’s first novel, is now available on Lulu and Amazon.

 

 

 

 

---

What Now?

The election is a week behind us and once again Republicans have been whipped soundly.  So what does a good conservative do now?

What we do now is consistently apply pressure across the board.  We, as grassroots conservatives have to apply pressure first to our members of Congress to replace the inept leadership at the top.  That means I’m contacting Congressman Henry Brown and telling him NOT to support Minority Leader Boehner.

We’ve had two disastrous elections in a row and yet it appears the House it poised to retain the leadership that handed us those losses.  We have a GOP that is still in denial.  They continue to make excuses, apparently having learned nothing from the ‘06 and ‘08 elections.  If the GOP has any hope at all of retaking anything in 2010, it depends on replacing the current leadership in both the House and Senate with solid ideological conservatives.  It makes no sense to continue rewarding failure yet the GOP has a strong tendency to do just that.

We grassroots conservatives have successfully flexed our muscles before.  When President Bush tried to pass Harriet Meyers off on use we rose up en mass and put a stop to it.  We have the power to do the same kind of thing now.  If members of Congress are overwhelmed with phone calls, emails and faxes from their constituents demanding new leadership, they will listen.

The question is, do grassroots conservatives care enough to take action?

Where Men and Heroes are Made

If you saw or heard any news today you know about the tornado that hit a Boy Scout camp in Iowa.  You know that four Boy Scouts died.  You also know that many of those Boy Scouts who did not die ended up being heroes.

The loss of the four boys was tragic and I don’t want to gloss over or take away from that in any way.  But in my mind the larger story is the boys who were heroes.  The news media isn’t missing that point but they aren’t taking it to its logical conclusion.

There have certainly been boys who were not Boy Scouts who ended up being heroes.  But who seriously believes that if the same events that occurred in Iowa had occurred in some other kind of camp than a Boy Scout camp the same heroic actions by boys would have happened?  I don’t believe that and I suspect most other people don’t either.

The actions of those Boy Scouts illustrates just what a fantastic organization the Boy Scouts of America really is.  People have, of course, known that for decades and longer but in recent years it has become fashionable to attack the Boy Scouts of America.  Organizations such as The United Way have withheld funding for the Boy Scouts.  Cities like San Francisco have tried their best to run the Boy Scouts out of town.  In locale after locale the Boy Scouts have been denied meeting space.  They’ve been sued and hounded relentlessly.  And through it all they’ve remained true to their principles.  They exist to teach boys how to be men.

Read more