Negotiating For What?
Deborah Venable
11/28/06
Supposedly, the outcome of the 2006 elections was mostly determined by Americans’ increasing intolerance with war. If that is the real reason, let’s examine the wisdom of the decision.
By
convincing the most voters that Democrats in power would insure an earlier
withdrawal from the current theaters of war, those who would now lead America
off the battlefield have essentially promised to go along and get along with
enemies that still exist. When has it
ever worked in the history of man to appease one’s enemies? When have goals ever been met when ground
was given to the opposition of those goals?
And, as long as we’re at it, just what might these Democrat goals be?
The
oft stated one is that America must negotiate to end violence in the
world. I know a little about
negotiation. In fact, I know quite a
lot about negotiation. The first rule
is that there are times and there are issues that are not negotiable. The second is that anything short of a
win-win is a loss at the negotiating table.
A win-win is defined as each side gaining through compromise of items
deemed more important by the other side.
Economically,
then, America can sit at any negotiating table and compromise with her huge
economic resources to gain whatever she deems more important than the portion
of those resources given up. However,
that is about the only thing that America should ever be willing to compromise. We cannot afford to compromise on anything
else in our heritage treasury. To do so
would be treasonous and suicidal. So we
must be extremely careful at a negotiating table – even with the aforementioned
economic resources, which have insured much of our success.
The
enemies those who would have us negotiate with are less interested in acquiring
compromise of our economic resources than they are with disarming us of our
culture and our heritage. In other
words, the table is being set for a disastrous negotiation. That is precisely why we have been doing battle
on the battlefield.
All
the Bush Haters of the world will win any negotiation entered into about the
current battlefield issues. And whether
you American Bush Haters will admit it or not, your hatred is NOT in America’s
best interest. In fact, you are doing
more to influence the world opinion of America negatively than anyone or
anything else.
Here
is a scary theory. A larger percentage
of Americans have a negative view of this country than that of the rest of the
world. Why is that? Answer:
We have an education system and a media that is doing everything in
their power to portray a negative view.
Meanwhile, there exists a veritable tidal wave of humanity risking
everything to get into this country. As
long as that FACT is inescapable, the negativity of America is a moot
point!
Where
are the future American leaders who will eventually find enough stamina,
courage, and intelligence to defend this country against self-loathing? If perceived arrogance breeds contempt on
the world-wide stage, then it must surely also breed heroes. This perception of negativity labels
strength as arrogance, resolve as unnecessary, and good as evil.
So
just what do we have to negotiate with - perception or reality? And what are negotiating for – peace or
submission?
When
you see demonstrations against “America, the great evil” and “Bush, the
cowboy”, going on in places that have known more war than peace
throughout their history, why automatically assume that they are right and we
are wrong? They have grown bold in
their taunting of American resolve, calling for American humility – yet never
closing their outstretched palms for our wealth.
Let’s watch the Democrats for a while. They have a mixed bag of answers to questions of foreign relations, but the one common thread they seem to espouse is the negotiating table. We will see just what they are willing to negotiate.
God
help us if perception ever becomes reality.
No one would like America if we ever become what 23 to 30 percent of the
world opinion says we are and what a much larger percentage of Americans
evidently believe we are.