Updates: Bush, Israel, Heaven, and Eminem
Bush: "Any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order," April 20, 2004. There are several other times Bush said this. So Bush either admits: 1) he broke the law, or 2) he lied directly to the American people.
The Iraq Effect: So much for all that "peace in Israel" talk. Just do a Google News search of "Gaza" and there are unlimited stories of chaos.
Poll: 85% of Americans believe they are going to heaven. No shot....unless the 50% of Bush voters repent for their complicity to murder in Iraq.
Torture Update: I am not a big Eminem fan. Actually, if it wasn't for his anti-Bush song in October 2004, I would probably dislike him. But whether you like him or dislike him, this is funny: the US allegedly used Eminem music to "torture" people in Afghanistan.
The Iraq Effect: So much for all that "peace in Israel" talk. Just do a Google News search of "Gaza" and there are unlimited stories of chaos.Poll: 85% of Americans believe they are going to heaven. No shot....unless the 50% of Bush voters repent for their complicity to murder in Iraq.
Torture Update: I am not a big Eminem fan. Actually, if it wasn't for his anti-Bush song in October 2004, I would probably dislike him. But whether you like him or dislike him, this is funny: the US allegedly used Eminem music to "torture" people in Afghanistan.
By Chuck - 12/28/2005
6 Comments:
Notes:
1) Sorry for the long absence. Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday.
2) I don't think the recent events in Israel somehow mean that peace is a failed concept. I just like to point out bad events, so people can calm themselves down on talking about how Iraq has changed the face of the Middle East, already.
So Bush misspoke on wiretaps and didn't mention wiretaps against suspected Al-Qaeda members. We didn't elect him for his speaking skills, we elected him because we knew he would do better than the other guy on the issue that matters more than any other.
It is a fact that although there is still violence in Israel, there is far less violence than there was when Bush came to office. Thanks for pointing out bad events though. There certainly aren't enough people doing that.
While I by no means condone lying to the public, I strongly feel that there has been no President thus far who has not lied in the public's face, be he Republican, Democrat, Federalist, Progressivist, et al. If you are going to talk about lying and breaking the law I seem to remember our last President doing both of those things and being impeached for it. Very different circumstances and for all intents and purposes unrelated, but still something to think about.
Completely unrelated... You should try and discuss what needs ot be doen to fix the airline industry because it is a mess. Government involvement is obviously not working and has not for the last 20 years, but still some corrective mearsures need to be taken. In the course of six flights I've taken in the last couple weeks, every single one has been canelled, delayed, or rerouted, every time my checked bags have been misplaced, searched, or sent to the wrong airport, and not all for weather-related reasons. Flying is still expensive, both in buying tickets and paying for bankrupt airlines to remain in operation, and there is no excuse. It's just plain ridiculous.
Bush misspoke? That's all?
follow the link and you'll see he made specific comments SEVERAL TIMES. Far more then just a mistatement.
darwal, very different circumstances.
sadly, a majority of married men will tell the lies Clinton told. Cannot say the same for Bush.
and the airline industry is intersting. i never approved of the federal bailouts (see, there is a sense of free market in me). i say either: 1) we pay a lot more to fly, or 2) a formal federal program is in place to subsidize the industry.....if it is transparent and doesn't play favorites.
But i will say this, just like the auto industry: if they don't have to pay for health care, they are going to have a lot more money. Its just a fact.
Chuck, I believe I did establish that the Bush/Clinton comparison was very different, but nonetheless you see my point.
The auto industry is similar in that it is severely bogged down with inefficienies and poor reactions to public taste/preference, and for years has gotten brow-beat by an awful union (note: not an anit-union comment, more against unions cannibalizing their own industries and pseudo-job security). That not withstanding, the issue of failing to properly fund retirement plans and now having to deal with that is what will kill the American auto companies, just from an accountant's perspective. These companies already look like awful investments and now on top of it are slowly having to realize (accounting term for showing on financial statements) huge liabilities they didn't have to show before, making them look like even worse investments.
Your airline industry comparison might be more apt than you even realize though. Bad unions and poorly run companies are killing 'traditional' airlines just as they have GM and Ford, while 'non-traditionals' like Southwest and JetBlue are thriving by running there businesses better and refusing to even employ or deal with unions, in a manner not too different fromt he now dominant Toyota and Honda. Are employees upset that Southwest won't allow them to unionize? Absolutely not, in fact, rival company employees beg for jobs there for less money. Why? Better job-security, better work environments, companies that listen to employees and more importantly companies that listen to and please customers and henceforth will remain solvent. That's why more and more airlines like Southwest and JetBlue keep coming into fruition, i.e. Frontier, AirTran, et al. Unfortunately, this comparison is doubtful to cross back over to auto-makers, as the little guy was killed a long time ago in that market in the U.S. (see the Jeff Daniels film "Tucker"). Would reduced healthcare costs help, yes. But, this is not the end all solution. If I came along and bailed all the water out of a sinking ship that would help for a while, but the still wouldn't fix the major problem of a captain who kept shooting cannonballs through his own ship - see vehicles like the Geo Metro.
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