Rational Nation USA

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth ... The president and vice president, the only government officials elected directly by the entire nation, have a special responsibility to nurture this national solidarity. So, of course, President Obama had to take all measures necessary to secure the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Of course, he had to do all he could do to not forsake an American citizen. It doesn’t matter if Bergdahl had deserted his post or not. It doesn’t matter if he is a confused young man who said insulting and shameful things about his country and his Army. The debt we owe to fellow Americans is not based on individual merit. It is based on citizenship, and loyalty to the national community we all share. Soldiers don’t risk their lives only for those Americans who deserve it; they do it for the nation as a whole. It is not dispositive either that the deal to release Bergdahl may put others at risk. The five prisoners released from Guantánamo Ba...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny Moderates seem to have a particular balanced sense of reality that is often lacking in the hard left or right. David Brooks is one of those reasoned moderate journalists that while not always agreeing with his positions I do find him often making lots of sense. His recent New York Times article entitled The Age of Innocence is a statement on current political realities and how far we have regressed from our founders vision. Following are what I consider to be the highlights of his article. I also note that where you see ... indicates references to Europe have been omitted, temporarily. The people who pioneered democracy in... the United States had a low but pretty accurate view of human nature. They knew that if we get the chance, most of us will try to get something for nothing. They knew that people generally prize short-term goodies over long-term prosperity. So, in centuries past, the democratic pioneers built a ...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny I just stopped in at Contra O'Reilly , where my man Will has a link up to a Paul Krudman Krugman, David Brooks exchange. The comment stream, as it turns out is quite lively, with spinning Whirling Dervish, possibly the net's most far out in in left field blog spinning like the proverbial top. Here for Rational Nation USA's readers to enjoy is the video of the exchange. What say you, RN USA readers?