An article in the school newspaper got me a little miffed, so I’ve started outlining a retort. Feel free to add any comments or criticisms.
Public Officials Deserve Scrutiny
In response to http://www.byui.edu/scroll/20051108/opinion2.html
FEMA as part of the homeland security agency is part of the executive branch, therefore under the president’s direction and thus, his problem.
Michael Brown has head of the Arabian horse association and was appointed by Bush to be the head of a federal agency charged with the safety and lives of countless American individuals. Downplaying the role the incompetence the executive branch showed during September is disrespectful to those that gave their service trying to help innocent people that were neglected and to dishonor the individuals to needlessly died while the government twiddled their thumbs.
Taking a long vacation, and taking a vacation during a crisis are two very different things.
Bush proposed the No Child Left Behind Act as well as the war in Iraq, any problems with those are his own fault.
Much of the “nuclear weapon threat” has been exaggerated or faked, as the yellowcake uranium scandal is indicating. The only weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq have been those we’ve brought in.
The patriotism of the post 9-11 America yielded the patriot act, which is an abomination that strips individuals of the very rights America was founded to give. An atmosphere of with us or against us has been fostered that is very unhealthy in a democratic society, squelching alternative, independent ideas before they can be heard and weighed on their merits. The nation has always rallied in times of peril, for example in WWI and WWII and in other instances. [That passenger ship that was sank by U-Boats and pearl harbor also think of other instances]
The indictment of Tom Delay has nothing to do with Bush. They are elected by different people and for different offices. The only guilt Bush has in connection to Delay is their red elephant banners.
As for Libby, I will not comment on an ongoing investigation. (zing!)
The president doesn’t really come up with solutions. He is a figurehead of a cabinet of individuals who gather and process and plan. He is the end result of the works of these people. Plus I could totally come up with solutions.
Iraq was ran by a dictator who ruled by force. Tyranny is not comparable to the American republic (yet!)
Criticism is part of being in a public office. He should be able to deal with it, knowing fully well that it would be an occupational hazard to deal with. Although since he doesn’t read newspapers or watch tv and is surrounded by yes-men, he probably doesn’t hear a lot of it. Critics play the vital role of offering differing opinions in our system, which is why it is different from a tyranny, and criticism often contains a constructive aspect, hence constructive criticism.
Despite what he or fringe group zealots may believe Bush is not the world’s savior. Nor does the world want him to be. This has been made evident by the riots so easily induced by Hugo Chavez in Argentina at the Americas Summit.
Everyone has rules they must comply with in their occupation and their daily lives. (traffic laws, the honor code, timecard procedures, etc)
The president does not have the power to declare war, only congress does.
Thousands of American’s have been killed so far as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as countless citizens of those nations, whom the Lord does not love any less than the fallen Americans.
No, I don’t want such an enormous responsibility, but he volunteered to do it. No one forced him to take the job and he can resign at any time. And just because I don’t want to do it doesn’t give him an excuse to do it mediocre. He has an obligation as commander in chief to fulfill responsibilities, and I as an American citizen am going to exercise my freedom of speech when I feel he is doing his job inadequately. I may not be in a place to judge him, but I am in a place to voice my dissatisfaction with the government. That is what our country was founded on.
Bush does not decide who the next Supreme Court justice will be, he only nominates candidates to be voted on and confirmed by the Senate. Furthermore, it is not the role of the Supreme Court to create pseudo-laws with their rulings. [tie this in somehow]
How I could be a better president than G.W. Bush:
- Take fewer vacations
- Not declare holy wars [refer to BBC story]
- Pronounce words correctly
- Pay attention to current events
- Look interested at International Events (ie UN)
- Not pass notes at UN
- Appoint qualified individuals to important government positions (no cronyism) [we all remember the infamous Heckuva job, Brownie]
3 comments:
interesting!
This is great! Like I said in instant messenger, I'd switch the two paragraphs before the list (so that your analysis is right before the list.) Also, you could even include in the introduction a statement saying that you will be going line-by-line according to what she said. D3b4t3 style 4 lyfe!
Jade
Dude
I happened upon your blog and have read some of what you have posted. You have given enough info about yourself for one to piece together a little bit of a picture.
You have some incredible honesty going here. I wonder who knows the real you. Do you? What about your parents? What about your friends?
You have a contempt for organized religion, particularly authoritarian, obedience demanding religions. Yet oddly enough, you appear to have chosen to remain affixed to what I suspect is the religion of your heritage. There aren't too many religions that are more authoritarian, self-sacrifice demanding, and obedience to leadership demanding than that that is represented at the university in Rexburg, Idaho. You have contempt for it, why not separate yourself from it? Or are you merely putting on a show for the readers of your blog?
Perhaps, like many, you may have some fears of separating yourself from the religion of your parents. What will they think? Will they withdraw financial support from you while you are in school? Will you hurt their feelings and make them feel guilty? What about your friends who share your religion? These are real questions that haunt many.
As for your apparent pre-occupation with sex, well, assuming your self-description is accurate, you are 18. For a guy at age 18, sex only occupies about 40 minutes of every 60 minutes of thought, so if you have no willing partners, take care of yourself. There is frustration in no partners, but there is probably worse frustration if you are not taking care of yourself.
Are you interested in escaping the chains of your authoritarian religion? Respond accordingly, and I will point you to a few discussion boards that can help you with your disengagement, even while attending the Rexburg school. If you really are not interested in separating yourself, why put on the facade that you hate your religion?
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