YOUR COMMENTS

We need to reassert our rights and freedoms, and vote all these hacks out of office, if ACORN lets us, of course.
- Mae, Plaistow

Mr. Buchanan - this is the finest piece of your work that I have had the privilege of reading. A masterpiece!
- Tom, Campton

Mr. Buchanan seems, unfortunatley for our nations future, to have hit on something here. From what I know of history, which is hardly comprehensive, almost all empires seem to fold because (1) they become embroiled in expensive and drawn out foreign conflicts, and (2) they simulataneously become involved in costly, messianic, and foolhardy quests to eradicate all social injustice at home. No nation's treasury can withstand these dual drains. Not even ours. Mr. Buchanan is one of the few commentators to be right with respect to avoiding BOTH prongs of the historic trap we now seem to find ourself in.
- Howard Walton, Jacksonville, Florida

Amen Pat, Amen. I regard racism as evil, but so is abortion and pornography, and this massive growth of government will only deprive us of liberty. I wish people who call you names would listen to you and really, really contemplate what you are saying.
- David Bliss, Los Angeles, CA

Jim, Raymond -

Your reply to my comments reinforces what Buchanan's article is all about: "Americans alienated and radicalized".
You, too, are, for all intents and purposes, "alienated and radicalized".
You r-a-r-e-l-y reply to anyone who disagrees with you without falling back on insult after insult after insult, so why should I or anyone who thinks like me give a rat's butt about what you pontificate is "the truth" (or should that be "THE TRUTH")? You are as blinded by your ideology as you accuse us of being blinded by ours.

According to your logic, because I disagree with you, rightly or wrongly, I am "...considered to be a lunatic and irrational"; my "...imaginary claim is false" which is "...the living breathing definition of irrational behavior". Have you ever considered that perhaps those who share my views think the same about you and those who embrace your views? I won't go any farther down that road, though, because doing so would dimean the debate and descend to your level of ad hominem argumentation. As Joe Friday of Dragnet used to say: "Just the facts, ma'am/sir". I may not agree with your version of "the truth", but I do consider it, and I do my damndest to not ridicule you for laying it out as you see it. And you know something? I even agree with you on occasion.

You say you cannot give me credence or take me seriously. Fine. That is your right. On the other hand, though, why should we/I give you the credence you seem to demand from us/me or even take you seriously? Is it because you say "it is what it is" and you've received that message from on high, so how dare we/I dissent? I don't think so.

So cut out the insults and the condescension. Present your arguments without shooting all the messengers whose views are not in lockstep with yours.

We all have the right to disagree, but let's be honest: None of us has received "the truth from the mountain", no matter how exalted we might believe our message is. So get off your high horse.

BTW: I'm very familiar with the link you provided me to Obama's birth certificate. Its conclusion, however, is by no means a "slam dunk".
You also state in your rebuttal to my comments that Obama's lawyers are going all over the country because the same group is filing suit over a non-existent issue. If the issue is really non-existent, why not simply ignore all the suits? By attempting to quash any and all suits, isn't that playing into the hands of the "birthers"?

(You never did answer my question "Why is e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g about Obama "unavailable?". Don't you find that "unavailability" a wee bit strange, to say the least?)
- Guy Plante, Manchester

Guy,
Here’s a link to Obamas birth certificate
http://fightthesmears.com/articles/5/birthcertificate
The reason he’s had to spend all of this money on lawyers is because the same group keeps filing suit over a non-existent issue. The case has been thrown out of court multiple times by conservatives and progressives alike. The birthers claim has been repeatedly proven beyond any reasonable doubt to be totally false and without any merit whatsoever.

With the evidence clearly posted in front of you and the opinions of multiple judges from all political perspectives you still cling to a false premise. This would be why you are considered to be a lunatic and irrational. You have decided that no matter what evidence is placed in front of you it will not be enough to convince you that your imaginary claim is false. That is the living breathing definition of irrational behavior. We can’t give you credence or take you seriously when you won’t step out of imagination land long enough to see reality. When you’re done complaining about imaginary problems we will welcome you here in reality because there are actual real problems to solve.

As far as the Patriot Act, let me be the first earth person to welcome you off-worlder have you been on this planet long?
- Jim, Raymond NH

To Joanne from manchester

Joanne, you re missing my point. I'm not saying that Clinton, or Bush, or Obama has taken away our liberties whole sale, although Obama is doing a pretty good job of that now, but to point out one example, Clinton signed the assault weapons ban which was totally unconstitutional, and which Bush let the law expire after the 10 years it was in affect.

The Patriot act, with it's vague wording is also uncontitutional but it has stopped many homegrown terrorist attacks so as long as it is not used illegally I am somewhat ok with it.

Now Obama, he is about to sign or has signed the hate crimes bill, again, in it's vagueness someone could be prosecuted for critizing islam, or Christianity or any other religion. He is about to sign the Climate treaty,have you read that treaty? Look it up, it almost certainly takes away our sovereignty. Someone also mentioned when katrina happened the national guard/police went into poeples homes without a warrant and confiscated peoples weapons. They did not get them back either. That was under Bush and very unconstitutional.

So you see it is not one thing from one president. They all are doing it, a little at a time why we all watch TV and don't realize our liberties are gone until it is too late. You all want to stereotype us, defenders of the contsitution, our bill of rights as racist, which we are not, although Im sure there are some that are. But Oathkeepers is not, neither are most militia that are popping up again. The line in the sand is our second ammendment rights. With a gun I am a citizen, without one I am a subject.

Peace Out
- Don, Nashua

NVW in MIlton

Got to www.oathkeepers.org
They will always be taking members.
- DlPts, H NH

Those who continue to vilify the Patriot Act: please enlighten me with concrete examples (names, towns, web links, etc.) of those whose rights were violated by it, OK? I'm sure if there examples the lamestream media would be reminding us day after day after day about the evils of Bush-Cheney cabal. (Oh! I forgot. They're doing that already, aren't they?)

And you people who ridicule "birthers": don't you find it even a little odd that Obama has spent up to now almost a million and a half dollars of somebody's money (his own ? taxpayers' ? supporters' ?) to send his lawyers around the country to stop any and all legal proceedings about that issue?
Yes, he could very well be "a natural born citizen", but why is e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g about him "unavailable", not just his birth record but also his school records, passport info (he went to Pakistan as a youth. Did he travel on a US or UK passport?), how he financed his education at those not-too-inexpensive schools he attended, Princeton and Columbia, I believe), and other records . It would be so simple to set the birthers/doubters straight, but why the intransigent refusal to do so? If he has nothing to hide, why not settle the issue once and for all and shut everybody up?
Are those of you who ridicule "birthers" that afraid of what might be revealed?

BTW: Constitutional scholars are almost unanimous in saying that should Obama be found to not be qualified to be president, there are very few ways (impeachment? resignation?) to remedy the situation. The country would be launched into a constitutional nightmare.
- Guy Plante, Manchester

Well Tom, Dover-Foxcroft, Me the jury is still out on whether Obama's appointment of Czars who control aspects of society yet answer to no one are constitutional. As a conservative I assure you I would not put up with such a thing from Republicans either.
- Deb, Derry

Deb, you are aware that Bush had more of these czars than President Obama has aren't you? Your credibility is non-existent.
- Tom, Dover-Foxcroft, Me.

Crazy, we couldn't put a dent in the utterly incompetent Bush, and now the GOP-drifting-to-the-koolaid-fringe-right is committing political suicide all by itself. Even for a liberal it's painful to watch, so much ridiculous posturing and braying and zero ideas to help working Americans.

America is governed by the center - he who owns the center rules. The GOP can go Berserk Righty as hard as it wants, the whole mass of them can get US flag tattoos across their foreheads. It won't matter, the country is governed by the center.

In another current and absurd GOP Neocon koolaid article, the highly regarded George Will tries to push the superflaky Michele Bachmann down our throats. Crazy GOP these days!

Read Will on Bachmann here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102303193.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
- Lois, Amherst

Jack Manchester,
I agree but why would these people obey an unconstitutional order then without question and suddenly now declare “revolution”? Why were the unconstitutional orders to disarm the public, enter an illegal war, and torture prisoners obeyed and not questioned when Bush did it? Obama has issued no order to disarm anyone yet these people are threatening revolution over an imaginary event. Why didn’t they protest when the event really took place?

It’s the double standard, hypocrisy, and manufactured problems that gives these people zero credibility and makes them look like complete lunatics. How can you take someone seriously when the thing they are upset about doesn’t exist and when it did exist they weren’t even mildly concerned?

If these people want credibility and respect they should pick an issue that is actually real and be consistent when applying their values.
- Jim, Raymond NH

The Oath Keepers are saying they will not obey illegal orders because IT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED, after hurricane katrina, under declared'emergency' powers, police and military went door to door and confiscated guns from residents, even those not affected by the floods, so its not some order that has never been discussed, its orders that have occured and shouldn't.
- Jack, Manchester

To all you Obamaites, lets look at FACTS.
* when you say Bush did all this stuff who controlled the House and Congress? Hmmmm.
* When you state it is always the republicans causing the oppostion, please explain how over 51% of Americans yes Dems, Independent and Republicans find Obama, your emperor, has no clue.
* Obama, your emperor is trying to fast track evrything HE wants before the mid term elections..... WHY?
* Finanlly boys and girls Obamaites, lets see, we have stopped, what is now 5 internal, terror attacks, which btw is still supported by the Bush administration.
* Can any Obamaite explain why the emperor's illegal aunt is still living in Boston, Ma on the US dime while we export thousands ofothers? Hmmmmm

Please stop drinking the Koolaide, stop being partisian and look at FACTS. My only fear here is that all you Obamaites have no kids or grandchildreen who will inherit this mess. Bush NO, government did this both Dems and Reps.
- Ray, Raymond

Pat Buchanan lunatic extraordinaire!
Let me get this straight a bunch of active and inactive duty military individuals called "Oath Keepers." Have pledged to disobey an order that has not been given and that no one is even discussing. Do I have this right? An imaginary event has created such a stir that people like Don in Nashua feel compelled to threaten his fellow Americans over a pretend perception of a threat.

You went to town hall meetings screaming over imaginary problems “death panels” and such, you protested taxes and spending but never protested the loss of 22 trillion dollars, you show up armed to presidential rallies, and now you have manufactured a pretend scenario that exist only in your own minds. This is just a short list but as you can see it really doesn’t display sane behavior.

After all this Pat wants the American people to begin accepting irrational behavior and not dare point out the fact that the behavior we are witnessing is insane. Sorry I can’t do that especially when these same nut cases are threatening us over imaginary events. You guys are sounding just like the radical Jihadists from the Middle East. I suppose you all have personal Timothy McViegh shrines that you pray to daily. Is he promising you guys 72 virgins from beyond the grave?

You people are acting crazy, there’s really no other way to phrase it. Don in Nashua we do not fear you we pity you. If we have to we will stop you as we have done in the past. When you’re ready to discuss actual events grounded in reality we’ll be here, until then we’ll call them as we see them.
- Jim, Raymond NH

This government is out of control, and is not responsive to the people's desires. This government is unable to effectively discharge the most basic of its' duties and obligations. They do not deserve to be entrusted with anything, given their track record of dishonesty and corruption. The time has come to actually begin to think about what type of government we should install in its place.
- Kevin, Campton

I don't know how many of us remember Spiro T. Agnew, who was the first of President Nixon's two Vice Presidents--- but Pat Buchanan was his speechwriter. Let's just say it is ironic that the man who wrote Agnew's speeches is now bemoaning the decline of civil discourse.
- Timothy Horrigan, Durham, NH

Ah, I see there are still a few, very few, ignoramuses who are gulping down that liberal Kool Aid and believing every word that Pelosi, Reid and Obama spit out. Oh well, there will always be some who, through no fault of their own, are simply unable to comprehend much of anything beyond their immediate surroundings.
- Brian, Farmington

To Don from Nashua, could you please cite what liberties were taken away from you under Clinton because if you look up his record under his presidency he opened up more freedoms for Americans than any other president in the last 50 years. He made the federal govt more transparent and let's not forget the freedom of information act that he expanded allowing citizens the right to read information that he declassified that for some reason previous administrations thought we had no right to know. There's just a couple of things he did let's see if you can cite some of the freedoms he took away. Now if you would like me to cite some freedoms that were taken away from us under the Bush/Cheney administration I would be happy too but it would surely take up too much room here.
- Joanne, Manchester

Well Tom, Dover-Foxcroft, Me the jury is still out on whether Obama's appointment of Czars who control aspects of society yet answer to no one are constitutional. As a conservative I assure you I would not put up with such a thing from Republicans either.

Maybe next election we can elect a conservative who will not print then spend our tax dollars so government can take over corporations and banks then claim it's for us and simply let them fail from their own mismanagement the good old fashioned way.

Welcome to the soviet union of the United States where government is king and you will do as you're told and if you don't play ball we will destroy you.
- Deb, Derry

Why do I get the impression that these Oath Takers are nothing more than wolves in sheep's clothing... or should I say sheets?

Sounds like the Klan has softened their message to make it more palatable to the discouraged white person who needs someone to blame.

And you know what happens when the "Oathers" get their way, things will become even more repressive as they seek new targets and restrictions for their vengeance to keep them in the spotlight and in control.

It didn't work for the Germans in the 40's, nor the Russians in the 50's.
- AM, Manchester, NH

Gun nut to Tom Labrie

Hey Tom those things you speak of are great and I am all for that pregressive thinking. I am also not a racist. But since the early 90's our liberties have been slowely chipped away and our political elite leaders do not listen to us, they certainly don't speak for me and that goes for both parties. I am willing fight for my country unlike yourself. Just get out of the way when the fighting starts. I would hate to see you become collateral damage.
- Don, Nashua

The Oath Keepers have been denounced by the Southern Poverty Law Center. That's strange because these people sound more like contentious objectors than anything else. The left has held up every deserter who refused to go to Iraq and Afghanistan as some sort of hero.

Here is a quote from Obama's Blueprint for Change from last years campaign.

"I don’t want to spend the next year or the next four years re-fighting the same
fights that we had in the 1990s. I don’t want to pit Red America against Blue America, I want to be the
President of the United States of America."

Maybe Mr Obama should reassure everybody that human rights apply to everybody in this country or maybe he doesn't want to so he could paint his opponents as extremist nut-jobs.
- Chris, Merrimack

To those not understanding Pat's thesis please let me translate it for you: My ideological comrades and I are upset that people that don't think and act like us are the preferred political leaders at this time. This is exacerbated by the fact that they have a different color than us. Further, even though neither I nor my compatriots on the fringe right can actually give an example of Constitutional violations or neglect by the 'powers that be' that is still our best hope for convincing people that we need to be back in power or this country will fail. Please ignore actual history as it will only confuse you as to who actually wishes to weaken the Constitution; we don't wish to increase your fears about the debacle that we created in this nation as it may cause reactionary voters to once again to push against us. So, please ignore everything that you have witnessed over the past 40 or so years. You know how history can be distorted by truth. P.S. remember that hitting someone and then blaming them for their own wounds is the best way to defend guilt. Thank you, sincerely White Robertson.
- Tom, Dover-Foxcroft, Me.

The radical right! Ha! What sort of radical ideas might they have that are not backward, selfish, and paranoid?

Here's a good quote that fits this story:

"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith"
- Joan, Bedford

We all need to take a good look at the direction this nation is being taken and stand up to be counted. One does not have to be a Democrat or Republican to see things are only getting worse as they are sold vague words such as change and promises such as transparency that never comes true. One only needs to honestly look at the America of their youth to know things are getting worse. Our children are being taught not to win or succeed and government is stepping in to tell us what to eat drink and think while taxing us into poverty to the pleasure of those like Robert of Deerfield and a media willing to push the agenda 24/7 on the boob tube.

Government has become the neighbor who can’t mind their own business and knows what is right for everyone else as it can’t even manage its own house and unfortunately society seems to go along for meager handouts for the loss of our freedoms. I don’t need or admire rich socialist politicians telling me how evil rich businessmen or woman are or telling me to go without like a badge of honor while they themselves prosper from back door deals on the legislation they create. When was the last time you heard a Republican declaring anyone bad for doing the hard job of competing and becoming a success in ones dreams? But I admit the way the party is going it might not be long until they join the ranks of know it alls and dictators.
- Deb, Derry

It figures an ex Nixon speechwriter can't tell right from wrong. I must laugh, sure Pat the Vietnam War was a great idea.

In fact the social change of the 60's is what makes that generation the Greatest Generation, they redirected America to a more just path. For instance in 1967 inter-racial marriage was illegal in 17 states in the USA. Segregation and racism were common. Pollution was accepted as normal byproduct of growth. A woman's privacy in her own body was not respected. All changed now, due to Progressive thinking. Progressives were bombers, right - Lol!

Pat wake up. The koolaid addict birthers and Oathers we have nowadays ARE the same ilk who ran and loved the Vietnam War and hated any criticism of America, because they WERE America, they had all the power. To them facts like a million dead Vietnamese didn't matter and history like Mia Lai didn't happen. America, pure as koolaid snow - as long as they were on top.

So now they rear their ugly heads again to "protect America." That is rich! It's the New Klan Effect Pat, that's all. Big white whiners lose power in the South and bigot-belt and go into a paranoid shell. Good riddance, have fun, just don't win any elections.

PS I hear one more gun nut say his hobby of playing with loud toys protects the Union and I'm going to throw up.
- Tom Labrie, Rochester

So Robert, please give us a line by line evaluation of the lies in this article with references as to why they are lies. I want to be set straight.
- Ric, Concord

the man speaks the truth and these are the facts .
- tim, weare

Since this is a syndicated column, does that prevent the UL's editors from rejecting it based on its complete detachment from reality? This is a classic example of GOP denial and deflection, and Nixon-era hack Buchanan is a master of both.
- Skip M, Ossipee

I'm certainly am "alienated and radicalized" every time someone has the

poor taste to publish something written by this antisemite, racist,

homophobe. Does he own stock in the Union Leader or something? Why

not pick someone with insight, competence, an attachment to truth? This

Faux Noise babble is quite tedious.
- Robert, Deerfield

"Peddlers of paranoia"? This would be a quote of leftists who cannot rebut but only ridicule. I've taken my share of their armchair psychoanalysis on this site. But it is not paranoia when the President grouses about all those good works the Constitution won't let Him do, constantly talks about America as flawed until the day of His inauguration, and seeks to evade the model of limited government and individual rights at every turn.

And yes, Bush did too, and his biggest assault on his party was to show Obama the way and keep Republicans from making a pure argument of right-and-wrong. And I wish Buchanan had not put this in white-versus-black terms. Although Obama was put over the top by inner-city people who don't understand government at all and were voting in hopes of getting a bigger check, the many blacks who play by the rules are also shocked by things like a Salary Czar.
- Spike, Brentwood NH

Wonder where they were when the previous administration was shredding the constitution and installing the dubious named 'Patriot Act' and forcing Governors of states to abdicate their power to the President so he could declare Military Law if he so deemed.
- Joanne, Manchester

Pat really has a way with words.

It is almost like he is blaming President Obama for this Recession, and the two Wars.

Those Republicans really know how to say exactly the opposite thing, as if it is true. Like President George W. Bush protected us, when 9/11 occurred on his watch. It was more than avoidable!

Pat speaks the truth when he says people are suffering. In order to "persuade" people, you have to speak half truths.

And most people don't trust the Government because we have all seen them lie to us. The system is broke, and change needs to occur. I hope things can be fixed before we have a total failure.
- Nick A, Derry, NH

No truer words have been spoken lately. The point I get out of his article is when you have a bunch of anti- and un-American politicians in power, you get the Oath Keepers to balance it off.

You may disagree with what is printed, but it does not make it any less real to millions of Americans that love their country and see its demise with this administrations current policies.

When did it start? Was it with the Clinton administration? Was it Bush? Does it matter? We need to change things, change we can believe in. And that change can start now with increased pressure to our Reps in Washington. Then 2010 and again in 2012 to get people in there that will help this country instead of their own egos and pocketbooks.
- Chris, Chester

Thank you Patrick. You just spoke for me. I voted for you once and I would vote for you again. ps- are the OATH KEEPERS taking new members ?
- NVW, Milton

Slight correction: Oath Keepers are not "ex-" military and police. By definition, they are active duty.
- Kevin, Lancaster