Free Frank Warner

‘The White Cliffs of Dover’: A song of freedom

The big band played “The White Cliffs of Dover” five days ago at the annual World War II Weekend in Reading, Pennsylvania. It’s a sentimental song, but until last week I hadn’t noticed it also is a song of freedom.

“White Cliffs of Dover” was immensely popular in Britain during the war, which involved the Britons two years longer than the Americans. In fact, Walter Kent and Nat Burton wrote the song in 1941, months before the United States entered the war.

The song says “There’ll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover” when the war ends. The lyrics are almost too sweet at this point, but then they get to the solid point.

There’ll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see.

There’ll be love and laughter
And peace ever after
Tomorrow
When the world is free.

No defeat. Kent and Burton could have gone for the easy let’s-just-stop-fighting lyrics, but instead they spelled out what was at stake. Freedom. The words reminded singer Vera Lynn's audiences that peace would come only if human liberty had its victory.

The song was written when the world’s democrats understood better that wars against tyrants must not simply be ended, they had to be ended in freedom’s favor.

Winning was essential. Losing to tyranny would mean no new blooming of progress, no security in our own homes, no bluebirds flying free.

Frank Warner

Anti-Discrimination Committee censors Arab song of freedom

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee has revoked its invitation to German-born Syrian musician Malek Jandali to perform at its convention this coming weekend in Washington because Jandali wanted to sing a song of yearning for Arab freedom.

The Anti-Discrimination Committee had hoped Jandali would sing a song in praise of Arab dictatorships.

Jandali's "Watani Ana: I am my Homeland" doesn't specifically mention Syria or the broader Arab Spring uprisings, but is heavy on the themes of freedom and liberty. Jandali calls it a "humanitarian song." But lyrics include "oh my homeland, when will I see you free" and "When the land is watered with the blood of martyrs and the brave/ And all the people shout: Freedom to mankind."

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. What kind of name is that? They’re anti-discrimination because they favor equal oppression against everyone?

The Anti-Discrimination Committee has a board of directors chaired by Dr. Safa Rifka, a gynecologist. Assad Jebara is vice chairman. Jay J. Salkini is treasurer. Sawssan Khoury is secretary. For some reason, these people can’t stand the thought of Arabs freed of their chains. Shame on them.

Frank Warner

Democrats will lose even bigger if they don’t embrace major spending cuts

No wonder fewer people than ever trust the Democrats to set the economy straight. The Democratic leaders pretend there’s money where there isn’t, spend money that doesn’t exist, take $500 billion from the already-bankrupt Medicare and ignore Social Security when it’s short on cash and crumbling.

The public doesn’t like losing programs that benefit them directly. Free cash always is popular. But the public also knows $14 trillion (which is $14 million million) is too much debt, and spending caps are long overdue. So President Obama and his fellow Democrats are taking a beating.

This Tuesday, the House voted overwhelmingly against the “clean” debt limit increase Obama had been advocating for months.

In addition to every House Republican, 82 Democrats voted against the bill. That means, despite White House insistence that “the debt limit should be passed as a standalone bill,” any increase in the current $14.3 trillion debt ceiling will now require a package of spending cuts to get approved in the House.

That comes on top of last week’s embarrassment, in which the Senate unanimously voted against the president’s 2012 budget. The opposition party routinely declares White House budgets dead on arrival, but it’s remarkable that not one Democrat in the Senate was willing to show support for Obama’s plan.

Obama can’t sit there proposing nothing and expect respect. Sure, if you do nothing, you do nothing wrong. You can blame the Republicans for inflicting the pain, and pretend the pain wasn’t necessary. But such a strategy is so transparently lacking in courage it deserves condemnation. It certainly doesn’t merit re-election.

Frank Warner

Twitter: Congressman Anthony Weiner didn’t do WHAT?

Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York didn’t post the photo of someone’s underpants-clad groin through his Twitter feed five days ago; a hacker must have done it, according to Weiner.

Wow! Someone broke into a congressman’s Internet account and posed as him? How far as the hacker penetrated Weiner’s computer? Why aren’t the FBI and the Capitol police investigating?

Weaner went before the news media yesterday and said he wasn’t going to be distracted by questions about the photo, which was addressed to Genette Nicole Cordova, a 21-year-old college student in Seattle.

The Brooklyn Paper reports:

Weiner — whom we dubbed “the Midwood Mouth” last year after his latest explosion at his Republican colleagues on the House floor — was not smiling at the uncomfortable press gathering, at which he refused to answer basic questions about the whole affair, including whether Capitol Hill police are investigating the incident, whether or not the image was his, and why he was even “following” a 21-year-old college student on Twitter.

Special election? Another New York congressional district just held a special election because a married congressman resigned over sending a photo of himself bare-chested in response to an Internet dating ad. Is another special election in the offing?

Weiner is married to Huma Abedin, a senior adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Could other hackers have stolen State Department secrets by first slipping past Weiner’s computer security? Does Hamas have his password and other compromising photos?

So many questions, too few answers from Weiner, the man who wants to be mayor of New York City.

Frank Warner