posted
George W Bush and the Real State of the Union Today the President gives his annual address. As the election battle begins, how does his first term add up?
232: Number of American combat deaths in Iraq between May 2003 and January 2004
501: Number of American servicemen to die in Iraq from the beginning of the war - so far
0: Number of American combat deaths in Germany after the Nazi surrender to the Allies in May 1945
0: Number of coffins of dead soldiers returning home from Iraq that the Bush administration has allowed to be photographed
0: Number of funerals or memorials that President Bush has attended for soldiers killed in Iraq
100: Number of fund-raisers attended by Bush or Vice-President Dick Cheney in 2003
13: Number of meetings between Bush and Tony Blair since he became President
10 million: Estimated number of people worldwide who took to the streets in opposition to the invasion of Iraq, setting an all-time record for simultaneous protest
2: Number of nations that Bush has attacked and taken over since coming into the White House
9.2: Average number of American soldiers wounded in Iraq each day since the invasion in March last year
1.6: Average number of American soldiers killed in Iraq per day since hostilities began
16,000: Approximate number of Iraqis killed since the start of war
10,000: Approximate number of Iraqi civilians killed since the beginning of the conflict
$100 billion: Estimated cost of the war in Iraq to American citizens by the end of 2003
$13 billion: Amount other countries have committed towards rebuilding Iraq (much of it in loans) as of 24 October
36%: Increase in the number of desertions from the US army since 1999
92%: Percentage of Iraq's urban areas that had access to drinkable water a year ago
60%: Percentage of Iraq's urban areas that have access to drinkable water today
32%: Percentage of the bombs dropped on Iraq this year that were not precision-guided
1983: The year in which Donald Rumsfeld gave Saddam Hussein a pair of golden spurs
45%: Percentage of Americans who believed in early March 2003 that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 11 September attacks on the US
$127 billion: Amount of US budget surplus in the year that Bush became President in 2001
$374 billion: Amount of US budget deficit in the fiscal year for 2003
1st: This year's deficit is on course to be the biggest in United States history
$1.58 billion: Average amount by which the US national debt increases each day
$23,920: Amount of each US citizen's share of the national debt as of 19 January 2004
1st: The record for the most bankruptcies filed in a single year (1.57 million) was set in 2002
10: Number of solo press conferences that Bush has held since beginning his term. His father had managed 61 at this point in his administration, and Bill Clinton 33
1st: Rank of the US worldwide in terms of greenhouse gas emissions per capita
$113 million: Total sum raised by the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign, setting a record in American electoral history
$130 million: Amount raised for Bush's re-election campaign so far
$200m: Amount that the Bush-Cheney campaign is expected to raise in 2004
$40m: Amount that Howard Dean, the top fund-raiser among the nine Democratic presidential hopefuls, amassed in 2003
28: Number of days holiday that Bush took last August, the second longest holiday of any president in US history (Record holder: Richard Nixon)
13: Number of vacation days the average American worker receives each year
3: Number of children convicted of capital offences executed in the US in 2002. America is only country openly to acknowledge executing children
1st: As Governor of Texas, George Bush executed more prisoners (152) than any governor in modern US history
2.4 million: Number of Americans who have lost their jobs during the three years of the Bush administration
221,000: Number of jobs per month created since Bush's tax cuts took effect. He promised the measure would add 306,000
1,000: Number of new jobs created in the entire country in December. Analysts had expected a gain of 130,000
1st: This administration is on its way to becoming the first since 1929 (Herbert Hoover) to preside over an overall loss of jobs during its complete term in office
9 million: Number of US workers unemployed in September 2003
80%: Percentage of the Iraqi workforce now unemployed
55%: Percentage of the Iraqi workforce unemployed before the war
43.6 million: Number of Americans without health insurance in 2002
130: Number of countries (out of total of 191 recognized by the United Nations) with an American military presence
40%: Percentage of the world's military spending for which the US is responsible
$10.9 million: Average wealth of the members of Bush's original 16-person cabinet
88%: Percentage of American citizens who will save less than $100 on their 2006 federal taxes as a result of 2003 cut in capital gains and dividends taxes
$42,000: Average savings members of Bush's cabinet are expected to enjoy this year as a result in the cuts in capital gains and dividends taxes
$42,228: Median household income in the US in 2001
$116,000: Amount Vice-President Cheney is expected to save each year in taxes
44%: Percentage of Americans who believe the President's economic growth plan will mostly benefit the wealthy
700: Number of people from around the world the US has incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
1st: George W Bush became the first American president to ignore the Geneva Conventions by refusing to allow inspectors access to US-held prisoners of war
+6%: Percentage change since 2001 in the number of US families in poverty
1951: Last year in which a quarterly rise in US military spending was greater than the one the previous spring
54%: Percentage of US citizens who believe Bush was legitimately elected to his post
1st: First president to execute a federal prisoner in the past 40 years. Executions are typically ordered by separate states and not at federal level
9: Number of members of Bush's defense policy board who also sit on the corporate board of, or advise, at least one defense contractor
35: Number of countries to which US has suspended military assistance after they failed to sign agreements giving Americans immunity from prosecution before the International Criminal Court
$300 million: Amount cut from the federal program that provides subsidies to poor families so they can heat their homes
$1 billion: Amount of new US military aid promised Israel in April 2003 to offset the "burdens" of the US war on Iraq
58 million: Number of acres of public lands Bush has opened to road building, logging and drilling
200: Number of public-health and environmental laws Bush has attempted to downgrade or weaken
29,000: Number of American troops - which is close to the total of a whole army division - to have either been killed, wounded, injured or become so ill as to require evacuation from Iraq, according to the Pentagon
90%: Percentage of American citizens who said they approved of the way George Bush was handling his job as president when asked on 26 September, 2001
53%: Percentage of American citizens who approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president when asked on 16 January, 2004
quote: Of those now on death row, 78 were juveniles when they committed their crimes, according to Professor Streib. Twenty-one states allow death sentences to be imposed on juvenile offenders who were at least 16 at the time of their crimes - a requirement of a 1988 Supreme Court ruling, which said that executing a 15-year-old was unconstitutional. The US is the only country besides Iran that formally allows the death penalty for juveniles; the practice is prohibited under several international treaties. The 22 juvenile offenders executed since 1973 represent only 2.5 percent of the total executions during that period.
It doesn’t say how old any of the 22 were when they were actually executed. If you held a juvenile offender until they turned 18 before killing them would it no longer count as “executing children”?
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Yeesh. So at 16, you're not old enough to buy cigarettes, alcohol, or decide to go see an R-rated movie in the theater, but you are old enough to be sentenced to death?
I'm generally in favor of the death penalty, but that's way too far. Even if they wait until the youth is over 18.
Posts: 2220 | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
Not surprisingly, the list omits such statistics as "Iraqi civilians killed by the Hussein regime since it began" and cannot possibly produce statistics for "future loss in American, European, and Israeli lives were we NOT to fight this war", etc, etc ... I don't think the Bush administration's choices have been the wisest across the board, but come on, heavily-weighted lists of statistics are far more annoying than they are persuasive.
Posts: 1907 | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
Ayelar, at 16 you're also undoubtedly not allowed to do whatever these kids did that got them the death penalty. I'm not arguing one side or the other, but I don't find your argument very persuasive.
Posts: 6213 | Registered: May 2001
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But I do think it's insane that we consider 16-year-olds to be incapable of deciding what movie they want to watch, but we don't mind executing them for their bad decisions.
Posts: 2220 | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
16 year olds are free to watch R rated movies, if I remember correctly. I think it is up to the theater to decide if they enforce the age limit or not.
Posts: 1364 | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
Actually, you might want to look into what those "kids" did.
One (with the help of a friend) attempted to rob two people who were sitting in a car. Later after driving the two victims around, he and his friend forced the two victims at knifepoint into the trunk of the car. Then the "kids" slashed the fuel line of the car and set fire to it, with the still living people trapped in the trunk. He and his friend came back later to "make sure the fire was still going." The two "kids" had been wanted for a number of rapes and assaults as well.
Posts: 2848 | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
I'm curious about "$42,228: Median household income in the US in 2001" Could be a mismemory, but I'd guess that the higher average was substituted for the lower median of ~$35thousand.
Also "232: Number of American combat deaths in Iraq between May 2003 and January 2004 501: Number of American servicemen to die in Iraq from the beginning of the war - so far" The most reliable figures I've seen for 2003 are Combat Deaths US 328 Britain 20 Bulgaria 5 Other nations 27 NonCombat Deaths US 153 Britain 32 Other nations 3
Also where did they get "9.2: Average number of American soldiers wounded in Iraq each day since the invasion in March last year"? The Administration has kept casualty figures harder to get than directions for manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. Even so, that number is smaller than what Col.DavidHacksworth obtained for the number of casualties evacuated out of the warzone for weapons-caused amputations and broken bones requiring orthopedic surgery, head wounds, and internal injuries. Nearly all requiring extensive time&treatment in recovery facilities. Considering that BlackFox is still in Iraq, one can be fairly certain that wounds&injuries treatable in field hospitals are not included in Hacksworth's numbers.
"_____ is buying supplies to make nuclear weapons." or whatever he said about Iraq that was wrong and really bit him in the backside 6 months later.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
I agree w/ Rat. The funniest thing is that the list is produced by an organization that labels itself "independent." What garbage.
Not that I'm disputing the numbers (though some of them fail to stand up to scrutiny.) I'm just annoyed that the list conveniently omits any numbers that would (God-forbid!) cast Bush in a non-negative light, while pretending it is written by independently-minded, non-biased thinkers.
Posts: 786 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Thats because tonight President Bush will give us all the Good numbers that only show him and his policies shining in a positive light.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Besides, this newspaper has been calling itself "The Independent" for quite some time - certainly a lot longer than Fox has been around.
Still, speaking as someone who is not a Bush fan, it's hardly unusual for a president to present a somewhat slanted picture in his "State of the Union" address. I think his predecessors have all glossed over the gaffes or failures of their administrations, and emphasized the positive.
Posts: 4344 | Registered: Mar 2003
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"Most people agree that my haircut is an improvement over Clinton's."
"I think we'll move the White House to Texas this year."
"Return of the King RULED, man!"
"National morale is down due to the two-day weekend, so we'll start having three-day weekends from now on."
"Jon Boy is SOOOO hot! Not to mention that Hot Nathan Novak in his orange tights. . . ."
"I don't know. Republican was fun for a while, but I think I'll switch to Democrat this year and see how it goes."
Seriously, what president would present the bad statistics at his state of the union address, especially if he was hoping to be re-elected the following November?
quote:232: Number of American combat deaths in Iraq between May 2003 and January 2004
501: Number of American servicemen to die in Iraq from the beginning of the war - so far
0: Number of American combat deaths in Germany after the Nazi surrender to the Allies in May 1945
0: Number of coffins of dead soldiers returning home from Iraq that the Bush administration has allowed to be photographed
0: Number of funerals or memorials that President Bush has attended for soldiers killed in Iraq
Why are non-combat deaths attributed to Bush? Do we keep track of non-combat related deaths in peacetime? It seems a little disingenuous to me that the people who trot out the 500+ death toll don't even consider similar deaths in peacetime. My point is, accidents happen and would happen in Iraq or out of Iraq.
There are currently about 160,000 American troops in Iraq. There have been 232 deaths thus far, and approximately 1,500 injuries if memory serves. That means that we have a %0.145 death rate in a war situation, with troops on the ground. This is a statistic that, surprisingly, isn't often reported. Let's say that there have been a total of 2,000 injuries and deaths. Even that very generous (to detractors) number only amounts to a 1.25 % casualty rate in Iraq, with troops on the ground.
Yet "Vietnam" is a word that detractors like to use. While I am not someone who enjoys having my homeland at war, and am not happy about it, nor am I so vehement in my opposition that I don't see much to be thankful for in a 0.145% death rate and a total casualty rate of 1.25%.
If Bush had been attending funerals, I have little doubt that most of his detractors would say he didn't "really" care about the deaths of American troops. It would just be a publicity stunt. I certainly expect you, Rabbit, to at least admit to that, whether or not you personally would say such a thing: Bush is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't in that regard.
As for ten million people protesting the war, what of that? They were content to let Iraqis suffer and die under Saddam Hussein, but once big, bad, imperialistic America-under Bush, mind, because those ten million weren't pounding pavement when Clinton launched missiles-attacked, then injustice occuring in Iraq was something to be pissed about.
quote:92%: Percentage of Iraq's urban areas that had access to drinkable water a year ago
60%: Percentage of Iraq's urban areas that have access to drinkable water today
32%: Percentage of the bombs dropped on Iraq this year that were not precision-guided
You know, I wonder how many of those non-precision bombs were used in civilian areas. I suspect the percentage is miniscule, but I don't know one way or another. What's true, though, is that it's doubtless to be small, but that statistic isn't mentioned. Non-precision bombs dropped on a military convoy in the open desert are, of course, reprehensible. And given that we've just gone to war, a war that is supposedly so destructive, you'd think the fact that the majority of urban Iraqis have access to drinking water would be a good thing.
Then again, temporary loss of access to easy drinking water is far, far worse than indefinte bloody-handed tyranny.
Where have the numbers for civilian casualties been obtained, exactly?
quote:45%: Percentage of Americans who believed in early March 2003 that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 11 September attacks on the US.
A claim that has not been disproven. And in either event it is irrelevant. Saddam Hussein was a public supporter of terrorism against an American ally, and a chief-of-state no less. Let's just gloss over that.
quote:$127 billion: Amount of US budget surplus in the year that Bush became President in 2001
$374 billion: Amount of US budget deficit in the fiscal year for 2003
And, after all, this is all Bush's fault. Nothing, you know, surprising or damaging happened to the economy so far that might at least partially explain these figures.
quote:1st: Rank of the US worldwide in terms of greenhouse gas emissions per capita
$113 million: Total sum raised by the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign, setting a record in American electoral history
$130 million: Amount raised for Bush's re-election campaign so far
$200m: Amount that the Bush-Cheney campaign is expected to raise in 2004
$40m: Amount that Howard Dean, the top fund-raiser among the nine Democratic presidential hopefuls, amassed in 2003
We're the wealthiest, most developed nation on the planet. This is to be expected, and also worried about. But it's been true for awhile. It was true during the Clinton Administration, I suspect.
Raising large sums of money for political campagains is evil. And as for Dean, look where it got him in the Iowa primary. Where 75% of caucus-goers disapproved of going to war, he came in third, he the premier anti-war candidate. And not a close third by any means, either.
quote:28: Number of days holiday that Bush took last August, the second longest holiday of any president in US history (Record holder: Richard Nixon)
13: Number of vacation days the average American worker receives each year
One wonders how much vacation is actually obtained during vacation for a President. I don't know one way or another, but I'm quite sure it's a good deal less than an average American citizen.
quote:3: Number of children convicted of capital offences executed in the US in 2002. America is only country openly to acknowledge executing children
Children being a subjective word.
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Well, this is getting longer and longer, and the list remains long as well. I'm tired. But obviously the "Independant" is poorly named, at least if it published that link under its own name, and it wasn't a column. Didn't appear to be. Just as obvious to even the most cursory look, those statistics are frequently misleading, incomplete, or heavily weighted. More careful, objective analysis, I guess.
*shrug* If a Democrat wins the Presidential election, such objective analysis will of course come from Republicans.
Posts: 17164 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
This is an analysis from my love and soulmate, Sean. He drops F-bombs, though, as a warning for the faint of heart.
quote:bush just cleared his throat. the republicans stood and applauded. ted kennedy slowly shook his head in disbelief...
well, wasn't that boring?
i particularly liked the black delegate who saw fit to bring his little black daughter to the speech (surely she spent the whole week imploring, 'daddy, daddy, stade udda yoonyon!') so that bush could, in the presence of cameras, pick her up, hug her, and give her back. indeed, he should have had a lollipop in his pocket to give her for being such a good little girl. and for being a black little girl.
then there was the random guy who so could have given a **** that bush was talking. he was just behind one of the random generals, you had to look hard to see him. he would applaud absent mindedly then, sorta look around, go 'oh, we're standing now?', and drag himself up. good stuff!
then there was hillary, giving her 'what a ****ing geek' look to bush. a look i know all too well. by the way, it occurs to me now that i want to **** hillary. y'know, just for the historical significance of it all...
and teddy. glorious teddy. i need a drink too buddy...
and how about those wacky democrats applauding at the wrong times. bush goes 'parts of the patriot act will expire' and they burst into applause. bush was kinda 'eh, the ****? dick, why they clapping?' good stuff man. and they had the decency, far more than i would have, to wait like 40 minutes in until they booed. they actually ****ing BOOED! and you don't get any slack from me bush, i've seen the shit tony blair goes thru. his entire ****ing congress gets to rapid fire question him, often MOCKINGLY. and tony gets up and fires right back. 'you're so very wrong, eat that you bloody wanker'.
what the **** was tom brady and that random chick from that random wnba team doing there? i mean, is this a ticket event, can i show up and heckle? and do you think bush has an opinion on the arod to boston deal? i mean, he did own and sell the rangers. it's actually where he made his money...
oh, and how about that 'no fag weddings' bit? eh? wasn't that delicately inserted? indeed, marriage is so sanctified. what would god think? the real god too, not that bullshit arab god. or that stupid jew god. my god, the real god! you hear that? **** YOU BUDDAH!
'...we will cut the deficit in half...' really? what happened to that clinton surplus? eh?
isn't there some surgery that can uncross laura bush's eyes? seriously. this is for the good of the country.
christians are not descriminated against. they are the ones who do the descriminating. it's what makes them christians. just an fyi there W...
there is no spoon. coincidentally there is no ashley pierce. reading a letter from a fictional child is an old reagan device. you're the goddamn president, you can hire someone to come up with better ideas than that...
quote:232: Number of American combat deaths in Iraq between May 2003 and January 2004
501: Number of American servicemen to die in Iraq from the beginning of the war - so far
It's a war...people die, plain and simple. And compare our casualty rates to other wars.
quote:0: Number of American combat deaths in Germany after the Nazi surrender to the Allies in May 1945
What's the Relevance? The war in Iraq is not over.
quote:0: Number of coffins of dead soldiers returning home from Iraq that the Bush administration has allowed to be photographed
Again, the relevance?
quote: 0: Number of funerals or memorials that President Bush has attended for soldiers killed in Iraq
And? You expect him to attend every funeral?
quote:100: Number of fund-raisers attended by Bush or Vice-President Dick Cheney in 2003
Again, I fail to see the point of this.
quote: 13: Number of meetings between Bush and Tony Blair since he became President
So he's meeting with the Prime Minister of one of the US's greatest allies, how is this bad?
quote:10 million: Estimated number of people worldwide who took to the streets in opposition to the invasion of Iraq, setting an all-time record for simultaneous protest
I really should try to find the statistics for the number of people who supported the toppling of a Tyrannic regime.
quote:2: Number of nations that Bush has attacked and taken over since coming into the White House
Yeah, now consider that during Bush's term, the US, mainly the US mainland was attacked for the first time in almost sixty years, and a new wave of terrorism rose up.
quote:9.2: Average number of American soldiers wounded in Iraq each day since the invasion in March last year
1.6: Average number of American soldiers killed in Iraq per day since hostilities began
16,000: Approximate number of Iraqis killed since the start of war
10,000: Approximate number of Iraqi civilians killed since the beginning of the conflict
It is a war, a war W-A-R. People are going to die, and the US military could just go through Iraq and bomb everything into oblivion, but they're going out of their way to minimize uneeded casualties.
quote: $100 billion: Estimated cost of the war in Iraq to American citizens by the end of 2003
Well, one does need to fund a war. We can just go into Iraq with pointy sticks now can we?
quote: $13 billion: Amount other countries have committed towards rebuilding Iraq (much of it in loans) as of 24 October
How nice of them, trying to help rebuild a country that's been damaged by war. And that's not sarcasm.
quote:36%: Increase in the number of desertions from the US army since 1999
Hm, first time I've ever heard that. Of course, the deserters should get what they deserve. When you sign onto the military, you need to grasp the concept that you may have to fight.
quote: 92%: Percentage of Iraq's urban areas that had access to drinkable water a year ago
60%: Percentage of Iraq's urban areas that have access to drinkable water today
Which will go up. Like I said, it is war, and it is difficult to maintain the status quo.
quote: 32%: Percentage of the bombs dropped on Iraq this year that were not precision-guided
Which we just dropped on Iraqi urban area en masse...oh wait.
quote:1983: The year in which Donald Rumsfeld gave Saddam Hussein a pair of golden spurs
Your point? And Saddam invaded Kuwait and massacred his own citizens and a pair of golden spurs is supposed to make us overlook this fact?
quote: 45%: Percentage of Americans who believed in early March 2003 that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 11 September attacks on the US
So, there are ignorant people in the world, that was pretty well known before we invaded Iraq.
quote: 10: Number of solo press conferences that Bush has held since beginning his term. His father had managed 61 at this point in his administration, and Bill Clinton 33
So the man isn't great at speeches.
quote: 1st: Rank of the US worldwide in terms of greenhouse gas emissions per capita
So you're blaming Bush for pollution caused by everyone else? While we're at it, let's blame him for everything! Come on, it's all of Bush's head everyone!
quote: $113 million: Total sum raised by the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign, setting a record in American electoral history
$130 million: Amount raised for Bush's re-election campaign so far
$200m: Amount that the Bush-Cheney campaign is expected to raise in 2004
$40m: Amount that Howard Dean, the top fund-raiser among the nine Democratic presidential hopefuls, amassed in 2003
Kind of shows who the people support, huh?
quote: 3: Number of children convicted of capital offences executed in the US in 2002. America is only country openly to acknowledge executing children
And this is caused by Bush how?
quote: 1st: As Governor of Texas, George Bush executed more prisoners (152) than any governor in modern US history
Good for him. Would you rather prisons become overcrowded and turned into luxury resorts? No, people who commit serious crimes pay for it.
quote: 80%: Percentage of the Iraqi workforce now unemployed
55%: Percentage of the Iraqi workforce unemployed before the war
Changes in governments and restabilizing an nation is not easy. Like I said, it is war, and it is difficult to maintain a status quo.
quote: 40%: Percentage of the world's military spending for which the US is responsible
Yes, and the US is also the most powerful nation in the world, so yeah, that's probably what happens.
quote: 54%: Percentage of US citizens who believe Bush was legitimately elected to his post
So, the majority, what's your point?
quote: 1st: First president to execute a federal prisoner in the past 40 years. Executions are typically ordered by separate states and not at federal level
Good to see him showing criminals that crimes have penalties.
quote: 58 million: Number of acres of public lands Bush has opened to road building, logging and drilling
In case you haven't noticed, the world population is on the rise, and oil is still needed as a fuel source.
quote: 29,000: Number of American troops - which is close to the total of a whole army division - to have either been killed, wounded, injured or become so ill as to require evacuation from Iraq, according to the Pentagon
Amazing, in past wars, the amount dead would exceed that number in a single battle!
Posts: 332 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
This is why people shouldn't post the chain letter e-mail they get. I'm not voting for the man, but the fanaticism in that whole list borders on obsissive.
Posts: 346 | Registered: Jan 2003
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In the vietnam war, a total of 30,921 US soldiers died in battle in over 10 years of combat.
In fact, US casualties in Iraq during the first 6 months of this war exceed US casualties in during the first 3 years of the Vietnam war.
This casualty count is indeed much lower than during the WW II invasion of Normandy. During the this battle, 40,000 allied soldiers were killed during 75 days of battle. However, the Battle of Normandy was fought between forces of substantially equal strength, something which could never be said of the war in Iraq.
It is no more amaizing that the casualty counts in Iraq have been lower than those in WW II, than it would be "amaizing" for Mike Tyson to beat me in a boxing match with a single punch.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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posted
Argent: Pay attention. This wasn't a chain e-mail letter it was published in a UK newspaper "The Independent".
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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posted
I'm not sure I understand when you're distinguishing between casaualties and deaths. If 501 American servicemen have died so far, and almost 31,000 died in ten years in Vietnam, then isn't this one going much better in that regard?
Also, I'll admit I get confused/frustrated when I hear complaints that we're spending too much money and not using a high enough percentage of smart bombs all in the same breath. Those things do cost more, don't they? But hey, I'm relatively ignorant in the grand scheme of politics, so I'll return to just listening.
posted
I saw what it was from, and It's the stuff of chain e-mails. Where did YOU get it from? Did you find it on your own, because you read that paper? Or did you get it in an e-mail, with a link to the source?
Posts: 346 | Registered: Jan 2003
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quote:What's the Relevance? The war in Iraq is not over.
See now thats what I like to hear. I guess when Bush went to the aircraft carrier on May 1 and declared the war over, he was just kidding.
Oh, and I loved two things about the speech tonight. The black senator from New York was ASLEEP! when the camera panned to him in the middle of speech. That was hilarious. The other part I loved was when Bush said that the Patriot Act would expire soon and many of the democrats applauded. You could see on his face that he didnt know what to do about that! That was great. I sincerely hope that whomever comes out of the race as frontrunner for the democratic nomination can beat Bush because he may in fact be the greatest threat to democracy the world has ever known.
Posts: 107 | Registered: Apr 2003
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quote: Where did YOU get it from? Did you find it on your own, because you read that paper? Or did you get it in an e-mail, with a link to the source?
Maybe I shouldn't dignify this with comment, but why does it matter HOW a person found information? Call me naive, but I get some good news from e-mails. I also look for links to sources before quoting the information, too.
Posts: 1813 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
Have you looked at this source? And furthermore, have you looked at the hyperbole in the content? Sure, the numbers are not exactly lies, but they are displayed in an out of context fashion. It is strictly something written for the express purpose of exhibiting outright hatred for Bush. It is practically fanatical in its dogmatic approach to it. That is scary, even to people like me, who don't want Bush in office. I don't agree with the dogma of Bush-do-no-wrong supporters, either, and this kind of religious approach to politics is just unnecessary. People who write this are just as bad as the people who demanded french fries be called freedom fries.
posted
About that federal government execution...is that a reference to Timothy McVeigh? If so, how is Bush responsible for a sentence that was handed down when Clinton was in office?
"Children" is misleading. Most people probably use that term to refer to children under 13, not all legal minors. Criticizing the US for executing older teens just isn't as shocking as criticizing them for executing children, though.
Also, I suspect the war would be cheaper if we were more careless with the lives of Iraqi civilians. In fact, it would have been much cheaper to obliterate Baghdad with missles or bombs. Not to mention there would be no U.S. casualties. So, which is more important: saving money or saving lives?
Having said all that, I have a few criticisms of my own:
quote:Since we last met in this chamber, combat forces of the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Poland and other countries enforced the demands of the United Nations
Funny thing was, the UN didn't want to enforce it's own "demands"--so they weren't really demands, were they? Why is Bush bringing up the UN at all? I don't care if we act without the UN's consent, but let's not pretend the UN wanted the war to happen.
quote: I believe that God has planted in every human heart the desire to live in freedom.
That's a lovely belief, but it seems that the human heart likes oppressing other people more than it likes freedom. That's why Iraq's constitution had better have plenty of provisions for protecting the minorities, because some powerful factions seem to want a theocracy.
quote:We're providing more funding for our schools -- a 36-percent increase since 2001.
Um...didn't seem like that was true in my state. Did you forget Oregon when you handed out the money? (Granted, Oregon has some serious budget issues. Perhaps federal grants did increase but they didn't make up for the loss of state funding).
quote:Unless you act, the death tax will eventually come back to life.
I just wanted to point this one out because it was funny. Kudos to the speechwriter on that one.
quote:We will double federal funding for abstinence programs, so schools can teach this fact of life: Abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually-transmitted diseases.
I don't understand why it takes so much money for a teacher to tell his or her class over and over: "Don't have sex." In fact, I'm not sure why you need a whole class to tell them that. Maybe they could make a public-service announcement over the school intercom?
And one more complaint: why didn't Bush mention the space program? Let's choose to go to Mars in this decade and do other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard...
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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quote:[George W. Bush] may in fact be the greatest threat to democracy the world has ever known.
I don't like what Bush has done to our liberties, but don't you think that maybe Stalin or Mao were a wee bit more oppressive? This is precisely why I am concerned about certain Democratic candidates winning the election, by the way. Some of their supporters say things like this, and sometimes the candidates come pretty close. They are exploiting fears of the American public for personal power. And then they criticize Bush for doing the same. That's it; I'm writing someone in this year. Bob Scopatz for President: Pun for All and All for Pun!
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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He announced an end to major combat operations, its different than announcing the end of the war. If you believed it was the end of the war thats your own fault not the presidents.
By the way, most of the democrats who talk about the patriot act negatively, actually voted for the patriot act. It wasnt only George Bush, it was the whole house.
Posts: 473 | Registered: Sep 2001
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A loosely-formed team of hatrack grumpies, like me, bent on protecting hatrack from the evils of the outside world. Stand fast ye men and women of hatrack! For we will vanquish those foes who seek to do ye harm!
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
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