Comments on: The State of the States:the Political Landscape (No. 2 in a series) http://jeromestueart.com/2008/10/14/the-state-of-the-statesthe-political-landscape-no-2-in-a-series/ Jerome Stueart, the Yukon, and science fiction in wild places Fri, 18 May 2012 08:36:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Barbara Kubin http://jeromestueart.com/2008/10/14/the-state-of-the-statesthe-political-landscape-no-2-in-a-series/#comment-3740 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:34:26 +0000 http://jstueart.wordpress.com/?p=295#comment-3740 Hi, i´m from turkey so my english knowledge is not that impressive. Please dont blame me. I try to read online journals to improve my english and say that your blog was perfect readable for me, because the english is really clear-thinking and all the article are perfect readable. I will keep on reading it, to improve my english even more. Thanks a lot :)

]]> By: jstueart http://jeromestueart.com/2008/10/14/the-state-of-the-statesthe-political-landscape-no-2-in-a-series/#comment-230 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:24:36 +0000 http://jstueart.wordpress.com/?p=295#comment-230 Way to go, Dave! Thanks for this thoughtful reply. It’s the hardest thing to convince Republicans that military men and women might have their own minds to make their own decisions and that they don’t always fall behind a war veteran–if that veteran will not use good judgment with their lives and the lives of their families. I’ll admit, I thought that the Democrats in the military were in the minority but the books convinced me otherwise. Bookshelves never lie….

]]> By: David Wesley http://jeromestueart.com/2008/10/14/the-state-of-the-statesthe-political-landscape-no-2-in-a-series/#comment-229 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:41:58 +0000 http://jstueart.wordpress.com/?p=295#comment-229 Having spent a number of years in the military, I think I can provide a little insight. While it’s true the exchange is run by civilians, the vast majority of those civilians are family members of those serving in the military. It’s possible that there is a single individual responsible for ordering the books and they’re hell bent on shoving their political agenda down the throats of the customers, but my experience is that the customers wouldn’t take it lying down and the somebody would have to deal with the complaints that would pour in. It is also possible that all the conservative books had already been purchased, but I think (or hope) what you saw was a reflection of what the customers are buying, which may in fact indicate changes in political leanings of the military.

I believe members of the military have been heavily republican over the years primarily because they have been the party that has actively supported them. And by actively, I mean putting their money where there mouth is in building infrastructure and modern weapons systems and supporting increases in pay and benefits. There have been many democrats in the past who were actively antagonistic of the military and it tended to paint a picture for the whole party. (One of the reasons I’ve been a Republican for the last 28 years.)

So, the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines have been willing to risk their lives because a) they love their country and b) their country has demonstrated their love for them (by the support provided primarily through the republican party). But today, it would be hard to be in the military without questioning the leadership and decision making that continues to put them in harms way. It’s one thing to risk your life for your country, it’s quite another to risk your life in operations (wars) that were ill-advised to begin with and appear to be harming the USA more than helping it. I’ve listened to Obama’s message for a while now and he’s not saying we’re losing, he’s saying we never had a strategy to win, so let’s work on a proper exit. That’s a message that should resonate with the troops. By nature, they want to win, but they also want to serve honorably, which is hard to do if you’re not sure why you’re there.

My oldest daughter is in the Navy now, out on her first deployment. I want sane, thoughtful leadership making the decisions that will put her in harm’s way, so I mailed off my absentee ballot this week and chose Obama for President. I think a lot of other registered Republicans are going to do the same.

]]> By: starsandsun http://jeromestueart.com/2008/10/14/the-state-of-the-statesthe-political-landscape-no-2-in-a-series/#comment-224 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:32:15 +0000 http://jstueart.wordpress.com/?p=295#comment-224 Hi Jerome.
Just got your comment on my blog. Yep the book helped. But there’s a lot of things I picked up on the Help link. Read your adventures in the States. Pretty surprising for Texas I agree. But obviously your dad doesn’t… For the airlines, Air Canada is terrible too. Air North is great I heard. If you go east Canada, go with Westjet. These guys are great and they have a smile on their faces… with outstanding service.
Hope you have a great time with your folks.

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