What Really Turned Hawaii (and the World) Around
As much as I think Linda Lingle is the best governor Hawaii has ever had, and has done more than all the others put together, the real reason for Hawaii's turnaround in prosperity, is President Bush's decision, not to take it anymore, and go after the forces of terrorism that had tormented the international scene increasingly since the end of the Vietnam War.
I remember walking the streets of Waikiki on 9/12/01, thinking as many others did, that that was the nail in the coffin for the Hawaiian economy that had been drifting hopelessly into despair for at least the last ten years. On that day, it was clear to everyone around, that the tourism industry was dead in the water -- if people were afraid to fly anymore. For a week thereafter, people flew out of Hawaii, and few people flew in. Businesses that had been under strain for so long, recognized that as the straw that broke the camel's back.
But then a most surprising and remarkable decision by President Bush, changed the course of the world. We were not going to take it anymore. We were not going to be more tolerant and understanding of these attacks anymore, as we had experienced helplessly since the Carter years undermined this nation's ability to do anything competently and believe in its own power to do anything -- and particularly, to respond to attacks and threats.
If Al Gore was president, the lines would have been long to get into the town hall meetings to arrive at a consensus for a response. President Bush had thought and prayed long and hard over these world events and trends, and decided decisively, the United States must assume world leadership -- or the terrorists, by now, would rule the world. That would never be -- under this President's watch.
The prosperity we see led by the tourism industry in Hawaii, has been a barometer of the success of civilized people over those whose only prescription for mankind is fear, loathing and terror. And so this Veterans Day, we reflect with gratitude, on all the individuals who have made all this possible through their courage and sacrifice.
We have been blessed.
posted by Mike Hu @ 11:16 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
The President has to be president -- that's his job -- that only he can do.
The more time he spends addressing all the petty arguments and concerns of the mass media, the less time, energy and attention is available to do his job, and that's what the Dems, libs, mass media wants.
The problem of propaganda is something an informed public can and must deal with -- by knowing how to see through these deceptions and manipulations -- and not by demanding that the president and administration tend to them. That is each citizen's job.
Fortunately, we have forums like this to discuss these things -- because that awareness is 90% of the task. We all recognize by now that the mass media will suppress these discussions so they can retain control of the information and communications in this society.
That's what these issues are fundamentally about -- and the unique way we rise to those challenges. They want us to continue to play their own game, on their turf, on their rules, with their referees, with their predetermined outcome. The triumph of the new is that we create wholly new ways that supplant the old status quo information control by understanding it. That understanding is already right action.
It's not that the President and Administration is not getting their message to the media. The problem is that the mass media is dishonest, deceptive and manipulative -- and no amount of effort is going to change that.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1520929/posts
Wishful Polling (John Zogby - King of FAKE Pollsters & an Exposed Leftist Fraud)
Investor's Buisness Daily ^ | November 11, 2005
Posted on 11/12/2005 2:00:10 PM PST by new yorker 77
Public Opinion: Polling, they say, is part science and part art. If so, the art part that some polling organizations are practicing is getting blacker by the day.
Take Zogby International. The last time we visited the "highly regarded, nonpartisan polling company," as its clients refer to it, was early July. While the rest of us were celebrating the nation's 229th birthday, Zogby was doing its patriotic part by releasing a poll on how many Americans think President Bush should be impeached.
Never mind that few outside the rabid left were even entertaining the "i" word. Zogby apparently felt it was time they started. Seems that President John Zogby felt President Bush "did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq."
What Zogby found June 27-29 was that 42% of Americans supported impeachment and 50% did not. The result was significant enough, Zogby said, that he intended to follow up.
Sure enough, he was back in the field Oct. 29 through Nov. 2. But instead of simply asking people if they supported impeachment or not, as was the case in the first poll, he tossed in a hypothetical:
"If the president did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should consider holding him accountable through impeachment." Agree or disagree? (53% agreed this time and 42% disagreed.)
The operative word, of course, is "if." As in: "If so-and-so is still beating his wife, do you agree that somebody ought to do something about it?"
Some might call that a leading question. Those in the business might call it a "push-poll question." Whatever it is, we'd say it's inappropriate unless the subject of impeachment has been in the news. And as proof it hasn't, we submit this from the Web site of AfterDowningStreet.org, which paid for the second Zogby poll:
"The strong support for impeachment found in this poll is especially surprising because the views of impeachment supporters are entirely absent from the broadcast and print media, and can only be found on the Internet and in street protests . . ." (emphasis ours).
So here we have a case of an activist group frustrated that it hasn't gotten more traction hiring a pollster to help it get some. In fact, AfterDowningStreet.org admits it hired Zogby to do the poll after a group called Democrats.com failed to get major polling organizations to include an impeachment question in their regular polling.
AfterDowningStreet.org — a "coalition of veterans, peace and political activist groups" — said it continues to urge polling firms to get aboard the impeachment bandwagon. "If they do not, (we) will continue to commission regular polls."
This wouldn't be noteworthy except for the fact that another reputable polling firm apparently has taken the bait. Ipsos, the French firm that America's Associated Press uses for its polling, asked a similar impeachment question Oct. 8-9 (and found 50% in favor).
The media have enough of a credibility problem without professional pollsters, for whom credibility is everything, getting logrolled by activist groups with whom they might agree.
My take on it:
In 2004, Zogby completely ruins himself with a mid-day poll showing a Kerry landslide. LIAR.
Then, Zogby participates in a liberal action to uncover "Voting irregularities".
Next, Zogby goes on an anti-war rant.
Now, Zogby along with Ipsos - "The FRENCH polling firm that AP uses" are polling hypothetical impeachment questions about President Bush.
Maybe he should join up with his terrorist appeasing brother James Zogby.
As the President has said, and I agree, these polls are a distraction, and not the basis on which thoughtful policy must be based on -- because they can be easily manipulated. That Rasmussen may be a legitimate poll is cover for all those that aren't. For every Rasmussen, there are a dozen CBS, Reuters, Associated Press Saturday night specials.
The constant, morbid attention to popularity polls, is the reason mass media is as awful as it is.
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