California Conservative

Telling us nothing we didn’t already know.

Reacting to the negative publicity that he brought upon himself last week by declaring that the United States doesn’t need a military, Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval is running an op-ed in today’s S.F. Chronicle.

Under the auspices of clarifying his earlier remarks, it doesn’t take much to read between the lines. His view is no different, and his attitude remains arrogant — and equally uninformed.

I am not in any way suggesting that the United States should not defend itself when attacked. Our history shows that we are perfectly capable of mobilizing a defensive force when we one. But in this “Age of Terror,” is a massive army in Iraq and elsewhere really making us safer?

(a) If a nation doesn’t have a military, than it can’t defend itself when attacked.
(b) If a nation doesn’t have a military, there is no trained defensive force to be mobilized. (Or are you still talking about “cops”?)
(c) Would having Saddam alive make us safer? (See Iran for comparison)

I did not go on the Fox News “Hannity & Colmes” show last Tuesday to launch a verbal war against the United States military. I have tremendous respect for veterans and I have sponsored many resolutions at the Board of Supervisors supporting veterans’ benefits. In fact, I put a $120 million measure on the ballot in 2002 to rebuild San Francisco’s War Memorial.

(a) If Sandoval has such “tremendous respect for veterans,” he would understand the significance of his vote.
(b) The S.F. War Memorial is more of an entertainment center (e..g opera house) than a dedicated tribute to veterans. But perhaps Sandoval is a patron of the arts.

I did go on Fox News to argue against docking a 10-story battleship on the San Francisco waterfront as a tourist attraction — a position that enjoys strong support in the city.

(a) It was never put to a vote, nor was any poll taken.
(b) Let’s vote on it.

But when the rude and rabid hosts pressed me, I did say that we don’t need a military. And I do believe — and I know I’m not alone in this — that we should imagine a future where the federal government spends $450 billion a year on educating our kids instead of arming our adults to fight foreign wars.

(a) “Rude and rabid”? Oh, they’re gonna love that.
(b) “Imagine a future” where government spends on education instead of military? You already said that.
(c) Incidentally, more money won’t help improve education. As you know, S.F. floats countless bonds for approval by foolish taxpayers, and yet the schools still stink across the board.
(d) Was 9/11 a “foreign war”? If so, it was fought on our shores, and we were caught by surprise. Should it happen again? Vigilance required, at home and abroad.

San Francisco voters have repeatedly shown their support for a less militaristic stance. In the last two years, voters have approved by landslide margins a measure that calls for the United States to withdraw troops from Iraq, and that military recruiters should not be allowed in our public schools.*

(a) Not ALL San Francisco voters show their support for the liberal whims of the Board of Supervisors.
(b) But since you’re generalizing, we argue that only people without full-time day jobs are protesting in the streets.
(c) Can you imagine the tax revenue if we relied on the gross production of protesters? What money would you spend then?

The positions I expressed on Fox News are solidly in line with these popular positions. I may have taken them to their logical extreme, but I think this is a debate we should not fear or ridicule.

Supervisor Sandoval: Your comments should be both feared and ridiculed. But thanks for the clarification.

Here’s a great idea: Let’s debate it further when San Francisco hosts the GOP’s 2008 convention. You support that, right?

UPDATE
FOXNews Hannity & Colmes revisited the story this evening.

Guest Karen Hanretty, Communications Director for the CA Republican Party, asked a good question: “Why is Feinstein not speaking out about this?”

Stay tuned.

Video | Transript

More thoughts from Urban Grind.

RELATED:
S.F. Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval:
“The U.S. Should Not Have A Military”

This entry was posted on Monday, February 20th, 2006 at 1:17 pm and is filed under Activism, Liberals, Military, Quotable, San Francisco. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.