“We Need a Few Good Extremists”
Author Unknown
“To err is human, to forgive is divine. Neither, however, is Marine Corps policy.” It is this tenacity that anchors the Corps and upsets the weaklings of the Clinton administration.
Sara Lister, assistant secretary of the Army, was forced into early retirement after characterizing US Marines as dangerous ‘extremists’ wearing bizarre uniforms. Laugh at the fashion reference thrown into an otherwise serious debate, but she was absolutely correct! In fact, it was this dangerous, patriotic extremism that powered the Marines at Belleau Wood, Guadalcanal, Chosin Reservoir, and Hue City.
It is true that the Marines have had a strained relationship with the Clintons. Shortly after the inauguration, proud Marine guards at the White House had to be threatened into saluting the draft dodger. Lister was silenced because she focused unwanted attention on the Clinton White House’s genuine attitude toward the armed forces.
Lister’s boss, Army Secretary Togo West, was appointed essentially because he is an associate of Rep. Ron Dellums. Dellums, who is about as left as one can go without proclaiming himself a communist, has been Fidel Castro’s principal advocate in the Congress for years. It was under Dellum’s leadership that a ‘kinder, gentler’ military structure began to emerge.
More than other military branches, the Marine Corps has bravely resisted Clinton’s policy of debilitation. It has not succumbed to politically-motivated psychological babble that distracts from combat readiness. It is this determination that Lister alludes to when saying the Corps ‘risks total disconnection from society.’ It is this distance from society that makes to Marines less corruptible. It is its distance from capricious politics that makes it dangerous to power figures who seem determined to weaken the strength of our military capabilities. In the midst of political waffling, for the safety and honor of our country, we need a few good extremists.