Editor’s Note: Daily Caller High is a group of young writers cutting their teeth in the world of political punditry. This week, the authors’ reflect on events of the past few days.
Dissent? We won’t be having any of that
By Brandon Kiser
Welcome to Thugocracy. It’s a place where announcing how much a piece of legislation is going to cost your business is frankly unacceptable. For instance, what if AT&T announced that a recent health care “reform” law would cost the business $1 million and the federal government demanded they show up on Capitol Hill and explain themselves with documents for them to analyze. Could you imagine a place like that?
Wait. I’m sorry. Turns out, that place is where you and I live. It’s happening here. AT&T did indeed recently announce that they are expecting a $1 million charge. And so did Caterpillar, John Deere and AK Steel. As Andy McCarthy calls him, the People’s Commissar Henry Waxman and none other than Bart Stupak have called AT&T and other companies to their committee to challenge them for daring to refuse to go along with the liberal talking point that this reform is good for business.
It’s sad that disclosure, something we should be applauding from businesses is now something being scrutinized, demonized and antagonized by the self-appointed Commissar’s on Capitol Hill.
Welcome to Thugocracy, indeed.
Courtesy to some, animosity to others
By Ian Pringle
President Obama can be a very gracious man—when he wants to be. He bows to the Saudi king and to the Japanese emperor. However, Obama has a rude side, as seen recently when he ordered a media blackout of his meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister and then a second time when the PM was hurried out the back door. Why was Obama so rude to the leader of America’s greatest ally in the war on terror? Because Prime Minister Netanyahu approved the building of housing in his own nation’s capital.
That’s right, Israel is supposed to sit idly by and take orders from foreign leaders and U.N. committees while real threats, like Ahmadinejad, get a pass. Where is the justice in this? A man who has sworn “death to America” can demand of our leaders, but Israel isn’t even allowed to build settlements on their own land? The last I checked, there was no international zoning laws that banned apartment complexes on a nation’s land because squatters claimed it as their own.
Such injustices shall continue on, undoubtedly. The best we can do is offer our deepest apologies to Prime Minister Netanyahu, and ask that he doesn’t nullify our long-lived alliance over a single president.
Obama swings by Afghanistan
By Jackie Seal
Today the president made a surprise visit to our men and women fighting in Afghanistan. As far as I know this was sort of spur of the moment and no one knew about it. I was trying to figure out why he would chose to make his first trip, as president, to see our troops on such short notice and I’m thinking it might have something to do with his falling poll numbers. What better way to get your poll numbers up than to go talk to our troops? I just can’t help but think he is noticing his Presidency has gone virtually nowhere and decided that speaking to our men and women in uniform might help him out.
That being said, I thought Obama’s speech was pretty good. It certainly didn’t leave me spitting angry like the reluctant, angry speech he gave at West Point. I thought Obama used some much needed tough words in describing our mission to “destroy and dismantle” al-Qaida and the “Tol-ee-bon.” He promised that Americans would not quit this fight until he knows it’s finished. I think, for the troops, they needed to hear that from their commander-in-chief since he’s seemed pretty careless in his handling of the war.
Granted he seemed to take a bit of a swipe at President Bush’s war in Iraq, but would it be a complete Obama speech without some sort of jab at Bush? He also talked about how he made a decision about sending troops to Afghanistan “quickly” after assuming office. May I channel Rep. Joe Wilson here for a second here? “You lie!” If I remember correctly Obama spent a lot of time “dithering” on what decision to make for our mission in Afghanistan and then delivered his plan rather reluctantly and angrily, like I said, at West Point. At which he also told the Afghans we’d like to get out of their hair in July of 2011, as if we can predict when we’ll be done fighting violent Islamic extremists.
To our men and women, thank you and may God bless you and your families. We are praying for you!
Brandon Kiser is a Kentucky high school student. He writes as an assistant editor for 73wire.com, blogs at the American Kiser, and can be found on Twitter @BrandonKiser. Jackie Seal is a high school senior who blogs at Red, White and Conservative and can be found on Twitter at @JackieSeal. Ian Pringle is an 18-year-old conservative. He blogs at 17 Pages and can be found on Twitter as @Pard68. Lyda Loudon is a 14-year-old conservative. She writes for Big Journalism, and co-founded both The Future Speaks, and the Tea Party Youth.