Retired General Speaks Out

Retired Brigadier General Tom Daniels (pictured), who lives in Fort Worth, recently had a discussion with Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy. General Daniels is upset with how things are going in America. He is upset with Arlington schools for refusing to show the president's speech last week. He's also upset with the current state of the Republican Party, both nationally and on the state level.

Now don't go getting the idea that General Daniels is some wussy liberal Democrat -- far from it. The Air National Guard General flew missions in Vietnam. He also worked in the Pentagon under President George Bush (the first one), and says he "loved" that president.

Here are some quotes from the General. Personally, I'm just amazed that it took him this long to figure out what's going on. The Republican Party in Texas and the nation have been right-wing and racist for quite a while now.

"Something’s wrong in Arlington. Something’s wrong in Austin. And something’s wrong in America."

"I’ve always called Arlington a true all-American city. I love the parks. I love how they stuck their neck out to get baseball and football. But now they’re one of the few cities in America boycotting the president’s speech? That’s wrong."

"Look how united we were! Now — look how we’ve squandered it! We’re hollering at each other now. We hate each other."

"I talk to military guys all over the world — white, black, brown. They’re asking, 'If it was unpatriotic to talk this way about the last president, isn’t this unpatriotic?’ They’re concerned. This is nothing but open, unabated racism. Nobody’s saying that."

"All I know is, the black guy wins, and suddenly these nuts are out there on TV and radio preaching to long-haul truck drivers all over the country. Somebody needs to start talking back. Where are the moderates in the Republican Party? Where are the people like George [H.W.] Bush who made sense? They’re letting the nuts lead them around by the nose."

"He’s (Rick Perry) Air Force. He should be ashamed. I’m ashamed of him. Even for a campaign, it’s the wrong thing to talk about. That’s not our Texas. We love our country. We’re not going anywhere. We don’t believe in secession."

"When is somebody in Arlington or Austin going to stand up to these people?"