The RoanokeSlant

Roanoke Times: Nov 8 & 9, 06: Front page election coverage
Congratulations to the Roanoke Times and their media associates. They were clearly very successful in getting their team elected to office.
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The voters have accepted the Democrat plans for:
* Successfully completing the war effort in Iraq
* Safeguarding civil rights while improving homeland security
* Solving the illegal immigration situation
* Improving the economy
* Improving the health and drug systems
* Get social security and medicare on a firm financial foundation
* Eliminate and then keep corruption out of government
* Solve Global Warming
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Apparently I supported the wrong candidates because I never heard the Democrat plans or commitments for any of these items during the election process. Next time I’ll do better and pay closer attention to detail.
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Now that the Democrats are in-power, I assume that the Roanoke Times and their associates will be measuring them closely on their implementation plans to make major positive improvements to all these items, and if they fall short, to hold them accountable for any shortfalls with managed news and shrill editorials.
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Roanoke Times, 11/5/06, Pg Horiz 1: Roanoke Times editorial (with picture) explaining how the US has already lost in Iraq. Next to a large very good article (with iconic picture) about General George Marshall, continued on Pg 4.
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What a conflicted picture! It’s fitting and proper that The Editor is on the Left-side of the page.
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The Editor laments our many enemies and losses and costs in Iraq. What’s really interesting is his amnesia about WW2 and Gen. Marshall’s challenges and how things looked in 1944, three years after Pearl Harbor.
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Thousands lost on the Normandy beach. Thousands lost each month fighting through the hedgerows. And after three long years of massive losses, at Christmas 1944 the German Army counterattacked in Belgium at Bastogne and inflected 60,000 US casualties in three weeks.
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And how about having multiple enemies? Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. But our initial objectives were to engage and defeat: The Vischey French, The Italians, The Germans, The Japanese
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In fact, the Vischey French inflicted more casualties on US troops than did the Japs at Pearl Harbor. With friends like the French, who needs enemies?
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So what’s the point? The point is that during war there are always armchair general Editors who have all the answers. This was so very well articulated by General Robert E. Lee:
"Why, it appears that we appointed all of our worst generals to command the armies and we appointed all of our best generals to edit the newspapers.
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I mean, I found by reading a newspaper that these editor generals saw all of the defects plainly from the start but didn't tell me until it was too late.
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I'm willing to yield my place to these best generals and I'll do my best for the cause by editing a newspaper."
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It’s comforting to know that we still have such distinguished editorial military strategists and that some are on the staff of the Roanoke Times.
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Roanoke Times, 10/29/06, Pg Horiz 1, Editorial: Stay the course – George collides with reality. A long dissertation about the US not being able to win in Iraq and it’s all Bush’s fault.
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"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in."
Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural address
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Stay the Course. This after defeating General George McClellan in the election for his second term and after years of defeats and massive losses including the the slaughter at Antietam that resulted in 24,000 American casualties in one day ( 2,000 per hour for 12 hours).
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FDR said "Stay the Course" after three long years of massive losses, when at Christmas 1944 the German Army counterattacked in Belgium at Bastogne and inflected 60,000 US casualties in three weeks.
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FDR said "Stay the Course" In 1945, when some 30,000 US Marines landed on Iwo Jima where they began a month-long battle to seize control of the island from Japan. The US casualties included: 6.800 killed and 20,000 wounded during 36 Days that included the taking of Mt. Suribachi (scene of the famous flag raising).
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According to the left-wing press and their friends, the correct answer to Pres. Lincoln and FDR’s call for "Stay the Course" is NO! Their answer is to "Cut and Run" because we just can’t win and they’re fighting us because we’re there.
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This answer was a disaster when done in Somalia (Bill Clinton) and in Lebanon (Ronald Reagan). Our current enemies used these "retreats" as a sign of our weakness and that emboldened them to attack again and again and to declare World War upon us!
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Prior Items;
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2006/02/murtha-and-iwo-jima.html
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http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2006/10/pres-lincoln-stay-course.html
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http://www.roanokeslant.org/Infamy/
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Roanoke Times: 11/1/06, Pg 1 & 9 and 11/2/06, Pg Va 8, Editorial: Public lake, private access at Smith Mountain Lake, Va.
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The feature article by Mason Adams and Beth Jones is a well written and a comprehensive view of the reduced public access to SML based on increased development of the shoreline.
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A section of the article and the editorial could well have been focused on the bordering county governments and their total indifference to providing both access and recreation areas on SML for their constituents in a timely manner.
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As an example: In the early 60’s, Contentment Island was sold away from its farm for $3,000! What a great place that would have been for all county residents to enjoy forever. But apparently Franklin County supervisors were as sharp then as they are now.
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Now they’re working on a County Park based on getting a 99-year free-lease on land from the State. This land has limited access, limited space, massive erosion issues and is as far away from the center of the county’s geographical and population center as one could get. And one has to drive through three residential subdivisions to get there. What a joy for all concerned.
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Also, there are many miles of state park-land that could have as many boat launches as the state desires. Currently there are seven public free-launching sites and many commercial marina sites available around the lake.
http://smith-mountain-lake.com/
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We are a very long way from the Editorial heading: "Public Lake, Private Access" and there are many options on the existing public land and the counties could still purchase recreational sites, but now at a significant cost increase.
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Perhaps Franklin County’s slogan "The land "between" the lakes" is a good indicator of long-held official attitudes toward the lake.
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Prior blog items:
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2006/07/gluttonous-sml.html
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Roanoke Times, 11/1/06: No Coverage
Correction -- It's back on Pg 8: "Accusations Fly"
Accusations fly? No wonder I missed it! This is not about accusations! This is about a pattern of nasty and vile anti-US-military comments that goes all the way back to Kerry's testomony before a Senate Committe 25 years ago.
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John Kerry, the top US Democrat, Almost Democrat President, major leader in the US Senate said yesterday, 10/31/06 that:
"you should do well in school, otherwise you will be stuck in Iraq".
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This rich, arrogant, elitist, snob who is the highest Democrat-vote leader in the US continues to belittle and besmirch the men and women of our Armed Forces.
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How can any serious American voter even think about voting in such a way that would put Kerry, Kennedy, Schumer, Reid, et al in control of the US Senate.
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Click to view the "Kerry Troop Insult Video" – Sound ON
It is a 3.8 MB WMV video – plays well in Win Media Player
Takes some time to down-load
May require playing second time for smooth-play
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http://www.roanokeslant.org/Kerry-Troop-Insult.WMV
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Click for blog items about our fallen hero’s
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2006/10/marines-final-rest.html
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