A few first impressions...
A few first impressions from Bush's state of the union speech.
Bush:
Bush:
And finally, They invited Cindy Sheehan, then arrested her for wearing a shirt that had an anti-war slogan on it. This is evidence (again) that the Bush administration is comprised of either cowardly hypocrites.
First of all, conservatives are afraid of free speech. Oh, sure, they talk about free speech as if they are in favor of it, but the truth is that one of the cornerstones of conservatism is the suppression of any ideas that deviate from the establishment's party line. Conservatism is the preservation of the status quo. For Cindy Sheehan, or anyone, to be so brazen as to wear a T-shirt with an anti-war slogan on it is a thought crime. Attention, conservatives: while you contorted yourselves glee at your party's constant repetition of the word "freedom", you elected a government that arrests citizens based on words printed on their T-shirts. Do you people just love being lied to, or what? Listen, just because you enjoy it, you twisted masochists, doesn't mean the rest of us have to.
Besides, Cindy Sheehan was invited to the state of the union speech? How obvious is it that this was a set up? C'mon! We know there is no love lost between her and the Bush regime. We also know that the Bush regime pulls PR stunts to boost approval ratings. Isn't it obvious that they invited her knowing she would do something that they could pounce on, then waited for it to happen so that their base could cheer, their lapdog media could be distracted, and Sheehan could be stifled for a while.
I swear, this president and his associates are a proctologist's dream.
Bush:
“By applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past.” 1That's what Al Gore was saying ten years ago! So, dig this: it's popular among rightwingers these days to claim that they are the true progressives, that liberals are stagnant while they have innovative ideas. And what are their ideas? To steal ideas from Al Gore, from back in the nineties? Oh, please. And you know what else? It's a great idea, but when we originated it years ago, and presented it at that time, the right condemned it. Now they claim it as their own. You see that pattern a alot from them.
Bush:
“It is said that prior to the attacks of September 11th, our government failed to connect the dots of the conspiracy,” Bush said. “We now know that two of the hijackers in the United States placed telephone calls to al-Qaida operatives overseas. But we did not know about their plans until it was too late.” 1Bullshit. What we know now is that the Bush administration had ample warning about 9/11 and they deliberately chose to ignore those warnings. That deliberate choice was more than simple neglect. It was complicity. It was treason.
And finally, They invited Cindy Sheehan, then arrested her for wearing a shirt that had an anti-war slogan on it. This is evidence (again) that the Bush administration is comprised of either cowardly hypocrites.
First of all, conservatives are afraid of free speech. Oh, sure, they talk about free speech as if they are in favor of it, but the truth is that one of the cornerstones of conservatism is the suppression of any ideas that deviate from the establishment's party line. Conservatism is the preservation of the status quo. For Cindy Sheehan, or anyone, to be so brazen as to wear a T-shirt with an anti-war slogan on it is a thought crime. Attention, conservatives: while you contorted yourselves glee at your party's constant repetition of the word "freedom", you elected a government that arrests citizens based on words printed on their T-shirts. Do you people just love being lied to, or what? Listen, just because you enjoy it, you twisted masochists, doesn't mean the rest of us have to.
Besides, Cindy Sheehan was invited to the state of the union speech? How obvious is it that this was a set up? C'mon! We know there is no love lost between her and the Bush regime. We also know that the Bush regime pulls PR stunts to boost approval ratings. Isn't it obvious that they invited her knowing she would do something that they could pounce on, then waited for it to happen so that their base could cheer, their lapdog media could be distracted, and Sheehan could be stifled for a while.
I swear, this president and his associates are a proctologist's dream.
posted by SheaNC at 2:50 AM
9 Comments:
A few quick thougths.
1) Cindy Sheehan was not invited to the State of the Union speech by Bush or anyone in his administration. She was invited by a Congresscritter from Fremont. She was asked to leave because she was wearing inappropriate clothing. For you information, a Congresscritter's wife was also escorted out because she was wearing a shirt with a slogan on it - "Support our Troops". Obviously the same standard of dress was applied across the board. Take issue with Mother Sheehan for not being respectful enough to dress properly. Oh, and she was escorted out, not arrested. Talk about hyperbole.
2) I don't recall the GOP deriding Gore's idea of energy independence, but I'll take your word for it. So, now that the GOP is on board, rather than applaud you use it as an excuse to criticize. Is there anything this administration can do that won't cause criticism from you?
3) The warning that Bush had prior to 9/11 was that OBL wanted to hi-jack airplanes. Please show me where it said OBL was going to use them as missiles. Also, if you're going to play that game, we have to bring up the fact that the Clinton administration was out to lunch for 8 years on OBL. al Qaida didn't start planning 9/11 the day Bush took office. It was an operation that took several years to coordinate and execute. And Bush is spot on, his critics howled that he couldn't connect the dots of intel prior to 9/11. Now, when needed action is being taken, his critics are howling again. I love it.
What we know now is that the Bush administration had ample warning about 9/11 and they deliberately chose to ignore those warnings. That deliberate choice was more than simple neglect. It was complicity. It was treason.
It was hype hype hype hyperbole of the highest order.
1) Wrong. She was escorted out and then arrested.
2) Of course you wouldn't. And why should there be? They are full of hypocrisy and the state of the union is such a spectacle as it is where the president, or the people who write his speech for him will say anything.
3) Oh so he didnt say he was going to use them as missiles. So it was ok to just ignore that warning and not do anything about it.
As Ive said before, it took everyone working against one another for a long time to fuck this one up. I choose to blame both sides, all our intelligence agencies.
Hi Shea,
A quickie, then I'll be back.
Clinton and Gore were in office for 8 years talking about alternative fuel sources and reduction of dependence on foreign oil. They did nothing.
At least progressives "talk" about progress--but are rarely guilty of it. :)
-Jack
Sean, in reply to:
1) You're right, she was invited by a democratic senator. I stand corrected on that point and I retract my "set-up" theory!
I still maintain my contention that it is shamefully un-American to eject someone, let alone arrest them, because of t-shirt verbage.
Also, Sheehan was arrested, handled roughly, detained and fingerprinted, jailed, etc.
2) When I say "the right condemned it", I am referring to the right-wing media, which was not only dominant in the 90's, but was acknowledged by republican politicians as being an indespensible extension of their party.
3) Bush knew. Here is one information source, but you can also google "bush knew" for a selection of articles. There's so much material written about this subject that it's too hard to just offer one link.
Jack: I would rather have a government like Clinton-Gore that offers new ideas, even if they are not able to implement them, than one like Bush-Cheney, who plagiarize ideas, lie about their intentions, and then proceed to increase our dependence on foreign oil link 1, link 2, link 3
Jack: More!
I remember in the summer of 98, regular gasoline cost .98 cents a gallon for most of the summer. That was awesome. I guess if the price was that low back then, with a natural resource that is being exhausted more and more each day, someday that price would have to come up.
I heard the Governor of Colorado on the radio talking about shale oil. I know its more difficult to get to, which makes it a bit more expensive. However, he was saying that there is more shale oil in Colorado than there is oil in Saudi Arabia. I haven't followed up on that, but if its true, why aren't we developing the technology to get at it cheaper and less intrusively. Apparently we already have techniques where we don't have to strip mine for it. Sure, we'd pay more for gas, at first (bringing us into line with the rest of the world, most likely) but we'd end OPEC's stranglehold on oil and dry up the profits of Middle East dictators.
How come we never hear about this as an alternative? Is shale oil really that much less desirable?
Sheehan broke the law, and apparently she'd been warned against the type of behavior she was trying to engage in.
Police warned her that such displays were not allowed, but she did not respond, the spokeswoman said.
Police handcuffed Sheehan and removed her from the gallery before Bush arrived. Sheehan was to be released on her own recognizance, Schneider said.
As far as Bush knowing about 9/11 because Florida was taking steps to guard against terrorist attacks prior to 9/11, that's not evidence of anything other than Florida's preparedness. I mean, really. I suppose all the prior attempts and terror attacks pre-9/11 are irrelevant. Why would a state try and make plans to protect its ports from a terrorist attack? The idea is ludicrous.
In 1997, the U.S. Department of Transportation produced Port Security: A National Planning Guide.
Late in 1998, Congress directed the creation of an MTS Task Force to
“assess the adequacy of the Nation’s marine transportation system . . . to operate in a safe, efficient, secure, and environmentally sound manner” (MTS Task Force, 1999). The Task Force’s report, issued September 1999, Recognized that rogue states and transnational terrorists could target U.S. critical infrastructure, including seaports.
Reinforcing the efforts of Congress, President Bill Clinton in April 1999 established a commission to undertake a comprehensive study of crime in U.S. seaports and to examine the potential threats posed by terrorists and others to the people and critical infrastructures of seaport cities.
Thus, even before the summer of 2001, a number of ideas for improving
seaport security had been proposed.
Source (free registration required)
So. Congress and Bill Clinton were concerned about port security ... before 9/11 (cue ominous music). According to your evidence and reasoning, this means the entire government was aware, prior to 9/11, that OBL and AQ were going to strike using airplanes as missiles. Nothing says "We know airplanes will be used as missiles" better than discussions and plans for port security.
Clearly, the government was concerned with possible terrorist strikes at our ports. Florida has lots of ports. Florida took steps to tighten security and improve disaster response. The fact that this executive order came about a few days before 9/11 is not evidence that Bush knew about the events of 9/11 beforehand.
Post a Comment
<< Home