President George W. Bush addresses the nation from the Oval Office Monday evening, Sept. 11, 2006, marking the fifth anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. President Bush said, "The war against this enemy is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century and the calling of our generation." White House photo by Eric Draper
Good evening.
It’s a good evening for someone that receives over $400,000 in compensation, can screw up on a regular basis, violate the mission and purpose of his role as our country’s leader, and not be accountable to anyone no matter what laws or oaths he violates.
But for those of us that are out of work, working without a living wage, forced to work in the “underground economy,” or stuck with a job filled with abusive policies—and that includes at least 30% of our nation—this evening is not “good.”
For those of us that care about the reputation of our nation as a leader of democracy in the face of “extraordinary rendition”;
For those of us that care about endless detention and incarceration of people not even charged without unfettered access to lawyers or the courts;
For those of us concerned with extreme secrecy, corporatism and the foundations of fascism pervading our government and nation;
For those of us that oppose warrantless wiretaps and a rogue government led by an executive administration more concerned with fear-mongering than actual security;
For those of us that see a national security system that is in crisis because it focuses on shoes, toothpaste and hair gel rather than our ports, infrastructure and genuine security measures;
For those of us that believe in the Constitution and see our civil rights and liberties being eroded, ignored or dumped into a huge legal waste hopper…
It is not a good evening.
Five years ago, this date -- September the 11th -- was seared into America's memory. Nineteen men attacked us with a barbarity unequaled in our history. They murdered people of all colors, creeds, and nationalities -- and made war upon the entire free world. Since that day, America and her allies have taken the offensive in a war unlike any we have fought before. Today, we are safer, but we are not yet safe. On this solemn night, I've asked for some of your time to discuss the nature of the threat still before us, what we are doing to protect our nation, and the building of a more hopeful Middle East that holds the key to peace for America and the world.
The vast majority of those men were Saudi citizens that had been identified as potential threats by the Saudi government. Our Saudi allies knew that there was a problem and they did not inform us of the issue because they were more concerned with the reputation of the “Kingdom” and the reputation of the Royal Family and maintaining control over Saudi subjects (they are not citizens in the Kingdom, they are subjects) than participating in the prevention of international crimes.
But these men, and their associates loosely formed into an underground criminal organization, are essentially a Islamic Fundamentalist Mafia with an international political agenda. In pursuit of this agenda these criminals are willing to trade in drugs, military weapons, violate international bans on terrorism and kill innocent people without a second thought. These are bad men with evil intent.
But when we talk about a war, we should understand that Mr. Bush has changed the definition of the term, the manner in which we understand the concept, and the rules by which he is supposed to conduct a “war.” But is it really a war or is that merely a public relations spin that is being used to manipulate us—we, the people—into abandoning our basic freedoms and rights in the context of fears that are being exploited by leaders that are so narrow-minded and set on a pre-determined agenda that lacks any logical context?
The problem I have with Mr. Bush’s statement is that he hasn’t really demonstrated the exact nature of the threat. While we all know there is a threat, we are not sure of its exact size, shape or intent. The reason we don’t really know this is because our own executive leadership has become so adept at lying to us about EVERYTHING, that we don’t know when they speak a truth, are offering a public relations spin, are trying to garner votes for an upcoming election in which their party is threatened, and will not abide by the rules in their efforts to “protect us” from this “evil.” The bush administration has lied to us so often that we now expect a lie whenever they have anything to say.
And Mr. Bush continued that effort to lie and mislead us in this speech.
On 9/11, our nation saw the face of evil.
Yes, but I am not sure the features of that face were those of the 19 men involved in the dastardly deeds of the attacks or if the features of the face of evil were merely revealed to us when the events of 9-11 exposed the evil fascism that occupies our White House and exercises power as the Executive Branch of our government. According to Christian, Judaic and Islamic doctrine, the face of evil is ever-changing and capable of deceiving us as to its presence. But Scripture from all three of these religions tell us that we will recognize evil by the fruit it bears. So, yes, the face of evil was revealed to us in the events of 9-11, but it has also been revealed to us in the subsequent events where we allowed our government to completely ignore and violate our first principles, employ actions that breach international law, treaties as well as our own “supreme law of the land.” The face of evil includes our own executive leadership that has advocated and used torture, inhumane treatment, secret prisons and extraordinary rendition and concerted efforts to mislead, misinform and compromise the citizens of the United States.
Yet on that awful day, we also witnessed something distinctly American: ordinary citizens rising to the occasion, and responding with extraordinary acts of courage. We saw courage in office workers who were trapped on the high floors of burning skyscrapers -- and called home so that their last words to their families would be of comfort and love. We saw courage in passengers aboard Flight 93, who recited the 23rd Psalm -- and then charged the cockpit. And we saw courage in the Pentagon staff who made it out of the flames and smoke -- and ran back in to answer cries for help. On this day, we remember the innocent who lost their lives -- and we pay tribute to those who gave their lives so that others might live.
Yes, we did see our people rise to the occasion in the face of an overwhelming emergency. We came together to exercise our basic value of caring for one another. But we have also allowed our government, at all levels, to disrespect those heroes, ignore their sacrifice and undo our own history of achievement in the face of adversity and threat to our basic values. We are being reminded of our own bravery and commitment to American values by a man and an administration that has no claim to any of it. Mr. Bush is a lying and dishonorable sack of bovine excrement, that manipulates the truth to forward his own agenda of power, influence, wealth and insanity. Unfortunately, he has the weight, power and resources of the US Government with him in his efforts to hoodwink us and lull us into a slumber deep enough to fool us into surrendering our liberties and abandoning our basic truths and values.
But it bothers me to no end that Bush is actually trying to take credit for the heroism. In my view, it would have been better if he had issued a press release and allowed the rest of us to honor the heroes of 9-11 without his participation. His involvement--given his usurpation of authority, lies, breach of law and abandonment of principle—is offensive from the get-go. His speech, his involvement in the memorial events of this austere anniversary, is nothing less than an effort to lull us into yet another slumber that will lure us into believing he and his cronies are actually doing something to make us safe…
Well, we are not safe. We are not even safer. And if he tells us that we are, he is just perpetrating more lies.
For many of our citizens, the wounds of that morning are still fresh. I've met firefighters and police officers who choke up at the memory of fallen comrades. I've stood with families gathered on a grassy field in Pennsylvania, who take bittersweet pride in loved ones who refused to be victims -- and gave America our first victory in the war on terror. I've sat beside young mothers with children who are now five years old -- and still long for the daddies who will never cradle them in their arms. Out of this suffering, we resolve to honor every man and woman lost. And we seek their lasting memorial in a safer and more hopeful world.
Mr. Bush knows not the meaning of the word honor. He is a liar and a scoundrel that lacks character and moral fiber. It is insulting that he dares to speak of honor in the context of the heroism and sacrifice of our people, especially the people that gave their all. It is insulting that those heroes that survived the events of 9-11 and are now suffering devastating health effects are having to fight for basic health care and financial stability. The widows and orphans of 9-11 have had to fight our own government—led by Bush and his gang—every step of the way. Firefighters, EMTs, police officers and volunteers from around the nation responding to the emergency of 9-11 are now fighting for their very livelihood and being opposed by our own bureaucratic government every inch of the way. Years of red tape have obstructed the process of providing the primary victims and survivors of 9-11 with even a hint of justice.
Then, too, Bush speaks of honor in the face of facts that belie his use of the term as an utter falsehood. His administration sent our troops into Afghanistan and Iraq without proper vehicle and body armor. The military’s own internal studies reveal that over 80% of all injuries and deaths occurring in the field. That literally means that out of the 3000-plus military members killed in Iraq could have been limited to 600 deaths. That means that out of 50,000-plus injured, 40,000 injuries could have been abated or completely avoided. But it is Mr. Bush and his gang that dared to address our concerns about this with a statement from the Secretary of Defense that was dismissive, illogical, disrespectful and demonstrative of the complete and utter lack of proper preparation for the task of war.
Since the horror of 9/11, we've learned a great deal about the enemy.
No, Mr. President, we have not learned a thing about our enemy. If we had actually learned something about our enemy, Al-Qaeda would be a non-entity, Osama Bin Laden would be in custody, our troops would not be suffering from tour of duty extensions, and we would have a comprehensive and meaningful foreign policy in place for the entire Middle East that would also address the issues and causes of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. If we understood the region—never mind our enemies—we would already have effective governments in place in Iraq and Afghanistan, we would have full participation and support of anti-terrorist efforts in Pakistan, and would not be mistrusted by every government from Egypt to India. We have not learned about the cultures we encounter in the Middle East. We have not come to understand the various “flavors” of Islam nor the other religious traditions of the region. We have not made sufficient progress in understanding the geo-political, socio-economic or political-religious issues within the region. Nor do we understand the psychology of our friends, allies or adversaries in that part of the world.
Further, we have a history of empowering despots, dictators and criminals in that part of the world. Saddam Hussein once had the full support of US funds and military arms. Osama Bin Laden was once a leader of the muja’heddin that received funds, training and weapons from the CIA and other US resources. The Shah of Iran once had US money, weapons and other resources for his brand of dictatorship and despotism. Every democratically formed government in Pakistan has failed to garner US support, but the current military leadership and dictatorship is receiving monies, arms and support from us, despite its record for being unstable and arbitrary in its relationships.
We have learned that they are evil and kill without mercy -- but not without purpose.
Our enemies in Iraq would claim the same is true of our troops in their country. They would also claim that we use torture, violate human rights guaranteed by various treaties and the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They would claim that the numerous murders and rapes that have been perpetrated by members of the US military due to a breakdown of the chain of command, discipline, the rules of engagement and mixed messages coming from the highest levels of leadership—as in right back to the Pentagon, the Secretary of Defense and the Oval Office. The insurgents, “terrorists” and religious zealots that have moved into the void of leadership, governance and order we created in Iraq would tell you that it is our lack of understanding of them that is our greatest weakness.
Historically, our enemies would tell us that we have screwed up by siding with the wrong powers and characters and abandoning our principles of freedom, justice and liberty. If we were to ask Ho Chi Min, he would have told us that he had proposed a government based on our Constitution, but the United States supported the corruption of the existing Vietnamese government. Castro would tell us that it was our support of Batista that prompted the Communist Revolution in Cuba. Noriega would tell us that we were the power, money and infrastructure behind his drug-based dictatorship. If we could talk to Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco, they would tell us it was our lack of backbone and commitment to principles of democracy that enabled fascism to rise in Europe. Our nation has made a career of backing despots and dictators.
Yes, there are enemies of the United States that kill without mercy and have a purpose that we do not fully understand. But we have not tried to understand the issues, culture, governments, religions or people outside of our own agendas. While this is not a crime in and of itself, it has led us to pursue wrong-headed foreign policy and fruitless efforts to exert influence and/or control over other peoples without an ethical mandate to do so.
And then there is oil… Despite all the rhetoric and propaganda about breaking our addiction to oil, the entire Middle East foreign policy is ruled by the need for oil. We are so focused on that need, addiction and resource that we have abandoned any effort to really understand the region. Not only that, but our own domestic policies have been flawed as a result.
We have learned that they form a global network of extremists who are driven by a perverted vision of Islam -- a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent.
No, we have not. While we do have evidence of a network of criminals, we do not have evidence of a solidified network that has a clear agenda. It is precisely because this network does not have clearly articulated agendas, affiliations and connections that makes it so difficult to track using well-established intelligence procedures and tactics. In contrast, the mafia, the Chinese Tongs, the drug lords of Columbia and the separatists in Catalonia, Sicily, Corsica and Puerto Rico have more organization and purpose.
What we do have is evidence of disjointed leadership and an underlying ideology that is infective among the disenfranchised (for whatever reason) peoples of the Middle East and Northern Africa. This “network” is no more effective than the SLA, the FALN or any other terrorist group that has perpetrated crimes on our own soil in the name of terror and the overthrow of US government. It is no more a genuine threat to our existence than the Black Panther Party was in the 1960s.
Yes, it is true that there are extremists within the Islamic world that operate under a perverted version and vision of Islam. And there are those within the Islamic realms that seek to take full advantage of the weaknesses of Islamic nations, international policies and the relationships between nations and people. But these perpetrators do not despise freedom because they do not have any real experience with freedom. The places where these perpetrators live and operate are nations that have never really understood freedom. Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Afghanistan, Chechnya, the remnants of Yugoslavia, India and elsewhere are nations where despotic regimes have always ruled. If these people had any experience with freedom they might have time and the ability to hate it. As for tolerance, their ideology sees tolerance as giving into weakness and opening them up to evils not permitted in their understanding of life.
But these perpetrators come from a place where dissent is dealt with through torture, warrantless searches, seizures of assets without due process, wide-spread and indiscriminant electronic surveillance, incarceration without legal recourse and death, and the only avenue for genuine dissent is to employ tactics of revolution and terrorism. One cannot stand up in Saudi Arabia and freely criticize the Royal Family. Under the current Pakistani regime, criticism is dealt with by long-term incarceration, torture and abrupt disappearance.
But isn’t it interesting how similar our own government is to those regimes now that Mr. Bush is at the helm of our nation? Isn’t it striking that while Dumb-Dumb George is busy convincing us of the evils from outside of our nation, the real attack on our freedoms and our way of life—a form of surreptitious terrorism—is coming from those that have sworn an oath to defend our Constitution and are using the very tactics that they condemn in others. Isn’t the hypocrisy and resemblance striking?
And we have learned that their goal is to build a radical Islamic empire where women are prisoners in their homes, men are beaten for missing prayer meetings, and terrorists have a safe haven to plan and launch attacks on America and other civilized nations. The war against this enemy is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century, and the calling of our generation.
Let us at least acknowledge the inherent stereotype in this statement. Not all Islamic terrorists are set upon instilling a Taliban-like regime. Some are merely in pursuit of power, wealth and influence. The whole of the Islamic world does not agree with this mythical agenda. I have friends and family that are Muslim and do not seek such things. But we have allowed the Bush gang rhetoric and stereotypes to use our fears to paint with a broad brush when a precision instrument is required. The number of Islamic extremists in the world are small compared to the number of people focused on doing good.
But we are being misled. It is the intent of our own breed of fascists to distract us from their own form of incipient terror from within. We must take a long and hard look at the agenda of those that are pushing ahead with this focus on external threats. They are the ones employing methods of torture and maltreatment of human beings to coerce “information” that confirms their fears. They are incarcerating people for indefinite periods of time, in secret places and denying access to legal representation, access to justice and violating commitments to the rules of law. Is this not a case of “the kettle calling the pot black”?
And let us be clear… The fascism of the Bush administration has cost lives. We have thousands of troops placed in harm’s way on the basis of an agenda that is not born out by fact. It is indeed the failure of our executive leadership that has caused thousands of deaths. So, while there is an absence of direct malice, the effect is at least the same, if not worse.
Our nation is being tested in a way that we have not been since the start of the Cold War.
Here we see an agenda revealed. We see that the ultraconservatives among us are looking for another “us versus them” struggle that will continue the military-industrial complex control over our economic system. President Eisenhower warned us of how treacherous these associations were in terms of our nation, economy and our values.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together. – Dwight David Eisenhower
We saw what a handful of our enemies can do with box-cutters and plane tickets.
What we saw was a failure of a national security system, especially in the area of air transportation and airports, that experts warned us about for almost 40 years as being entirely inadequate and out-dated, and allowed terrorists to take advantage of our failure to maintain due diligence and vigilance. It is not freedom that these perpetrators took advantage of in our nation, it was a blatant disregard for the integrity of our own systems and our own values that were taken for a ride.
We hear their threats to launch even more terrible attacks on our people.
WE are not hearing anything of the sort. The Bush administration is telling us that this is so without offering one iota of evidence that such is the case. Bush and his gang have not been forthcoming with any real information that would allow us to evaluate such statements with our own intellect and capacity for reason. It is not that we are not under threat, it is that we are not sure where the threat is coming from. From my perspective we have two fronts: the terrorists from without (Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, etc.) and the terrorists within (Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Chertoff, Gonzalez, et al.). From my perspective of the issues, events and dynamics, the most pervasive and dangerous threat is coming from within… and until I have access to information that allows me to discern otherwise, there will be no changing my perspective on these matters. I am much like the guy from Missouri… SHOW ME! Produce some real evidence that all of what the Bush Adminstration has said is true. Show me that I can rely upon the statements made by government officials in these matters. THEN I will be willing to evaluate things differently. But based upon the record of lies, misinformation, disinformation, denial, incompetence and outright dishonesty coming from each of the members of the Bush gang, I cannot accept their word on things. They lie regularly.
There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before we invaded. Saddam was not in cahoots with Al-Qaeda. Iraq was never a threat to US security or our way of life. The criminals that attacked us on 9-11 were predominantly Saudi Arabians, not Iraqi. Despite the flight suit, the patriotic image, the photo opportunity aboard an aircraft carrier and reassurances from the Commander-in-Chief, the mission was never accomplished because we did not understand the parameters of the mission. We do not need the USA Patriot Act nor the secret warrantless surveillance programs of the NSA to assure our national security if we employ effective, long-established and proven methods of law enforcement and intelligence. We do not need to cower behind our flag to live according to American principles of liberty and justice. We need not throw our way of life and cast aside our first principles to live free.
And we know that if they were able to get their hands on weapons of mass destruction, they would use them against us.
So why are we so intent upon providing the unstable government of India with nuclear tools and resources? Why aren’t we engaging in more effective international efforts to control and lock down nuclear materials that could be used against us? Why aren’t we taking more effective steps to prevent a potential attack? Why do our security infrastructure, our emergency response system, civil defense system and our national security system on the wholly inadequate and focused on ineffective methodologies?
We face an enemy determined to bring death and suffering into our homes.
The failure to address our infrastructure, effective methodologies and the failed policies over the last five years has already brought us death and suffering in our homes…. Have we already forgotten Katrina? Are we not ignoring the needs of the 9-11 rescuers? As horrible as the attacks on 9-11 were, the failure of our government, led by Bush and his gang of fascist thugs, is equally as horrible.
America did not ask for this war, and every American wishes it were over. So do I.
A more incorrect statement could not have been offered. Every American outside of the Bush circle of influence wishes that this war was not begun. This is not a war, it is a crusade offered up as a war by a man and his supporters with a hidden agenda. We have no clear enemy and no clear mission. We have no way of achieving the goals of the campaign because no goals have been articulated to us. Our brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are dying and suffering as a result of serving faithfully in accordance with their commitment of service… but it is our own leadership that has abandon us, our principles and led us into an un-ending conflict that lacks purpose, meaning or achievable outcomes.
But the war is not over -- and it will not be over until either we or the extremists emerge victorious.
How the hell are we or they going to be victorious if neither side has a clue as to how victory is defined? What is victory in these matters? Do we need to wipe out every Muslim that voices contempt for Western society? Do we need to kill Osama and his minions? What exactly do we need to do?
Neither Bush, his gang of fascist thugs, nor the enemies we face have an answer to these questions. I, on the other hand, do have an answer to these matters. We have to restore faith in our own government by returning to the first principles and inherent values of a free society. We need to be balanced, fair and reasoned no matter what threat faces us, no matter what methods of attack are used against us, and no matter what rationale is used to undermine our liberties. We need to tell the world that we are unwilling to cast aside our way of life in the face of danger. If freedom, liberty and democracy is what we value, then we need to always act in such a way that the rest of the world can clearly see how and why we value these principles. We need to abandon our hypocrisy and approach all of our foreign relations with an even-handed sense of justice. We need to stop supporting despotism and tyranny in the world and fully endorse—in an unequivocal manner—the values of democracy among our allies and international contacts. We need to commit ourselves to principles of justice and liberty in all that we do and all that we support. We cannot say to the world that certain matters are wrong and then act in that very same manner that we have condemned and still expect to receive respect, accolades or even cooperation from the rest of the world.
None of our own faults and foibles justifies the use of terrorism against us. The threat of terrorism is real and it does need our attention. It needs to be addressed. But none of what Bush and his gang have done, are doing or have proposed is appropriate, legal or even American.
If we do not defeat these enemies now, we will leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons.
That is the current state of affairs. What do we hope to change by our current methods and strategy of intervention? Has our involvement in Iraq made Iraq any less of a threat to the region? Has our intervention in Afghanistan resolved anything or has it merely enabled warlords and militia to become more efficient opium farmers and dealers?
We are in a war that will set the course for this new century -- and determine the destiny of millions across the world.
We are not in a war. We are dealing with international criminals and we need to deal with them as if they are criminals. Calling our conflicts a war elevates these thugs to a status of legitimacy that they have neither earned nor deserve. There is only one reason to call our current state of conflict a war: These statements are intended to scare us into surrendering our principles and values to allow Bush and his gang to effect our own home-grown fascism.
For America, 9/11 was more than a tragedy -- it changed the way we look at the world.
According to one web report, it was designed to do just that.
There is evidence that the Bush administration had a hand in the events of 9-11 in an effort to initiate the war on terror and justify the invasion of Iraq. At least four major books have come out by reliable investigators and Bush insiders that indicate Bush pushed for these events to occur. George Lakoff (Whose Freedom), Richard Clarke (Against All Enemies), former Senator Bob Graham (INtelligence Matters), and Bob Woodward (Plan of Attack). Clarke was an insider in the national security game. Lakoff is a linguist that not only looks at the problems with the facts, but also the way in which the Bush gang are busily changing and spinning the language to makes us fearful. Graham was a key Republican member of the Senate Intelligence Committee that called Bush and his gang to task on the lies they have been telling... and he is definitively a conservative that has supported Reagan, Bush Senior and the current administration on previous occasions. Woodward, of course, is known for breaking stories of corruption, lies, deceit and over-reaching executive powers. Woodward made his bones breaking the Watergate scandal during the Nixon years. All four of these scholars and ivestigators have impecable credentials and expertise.... and all the Bushies do is dismiss them as not being credible.
On September the 11th, we resolved that we would go on the offense against our enemies, and we would not distinguish between the terrorists and those who harbor or support them.
This was a good idea. But we should have used all of our international law enforcement and intelligence connections and methods to track the bastards down… and bring them to justice through a legitimate process.
So we helped drive the Taliban from power in Afghanistan.
While the Taliban was an evil force in the world and the people of Afghanistan deserved international intervention to release them from such tyranny, what does the Taliban have to do with the events of 9-11? The only connection is that the Taliban allowed Al-Qaeda to train and operate in Afghanistan. But so did the government of Pakistan. Libya had terrorist camps for decades. Syria and Iran have ties to Al-Qaeda funding as well as Hezbollah, Hamas and the Egyptian/Islamic Brotherhood. Why didn’t we invade Pakistan? Egypt? Libya? Syria or Iran? If we are going to make such statements and put forth such policies, then we should at least be consistent… otherwise we are merely being bullies. The reason we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq is because we could and it suited an agenda that was planned long before there ever was a crisis or a terrorist attack on American soil.
We put Al-Qaeda on the run, and killed or captured most of those who planned the 9/11 attacks, including the man believed to be the mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed. He and other suspected terrorists have been questioned by the Central Intelligence Agency, and they provided valuable information that has helped stop attacks in America and across the world.
We have not succeeded in this effort. Osama Bin Laden is still on the loose. We are using torture and rendition to effect confessions and intelligence collections in direct violation of our principles and values.
Now these men have been transferred to Guantanamo Bay, so they can be held to account for their actions. Osama bin Laden and other terrorists are still in hiding. Our message to them is clear: No matter how long it takes, America will find you, and we will bring you to justice.
In so doing, more evils committed by our own president and his gang of fascists were revealed, including the blatant disregard of several international treaties, a long history of denials and outright lying, as well as the fact that our nation has been engaging in torture and/or mistreatment of detainees... despite denials of doing so.
On September the 11th, we learned that America must confront threats before they reach our shores, whether those threats come from terrorist networks or terrorist states.
We should have been paying attention to experts like Richard Clarke who had been telling folks that there was a threat way back in the Senior Bush’s administration. I strongly recommend that people listen to the words offered by Clark, George Lakoff, Seymour Hersh, or Barry Glasner. These authors and experts speak volumes about the failure of this and previous administrations to adhere to sound principles to confront threats to our society before they reach our shores.
I'm often asked why we're in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was not responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The answer is that the regime of Saddam Hussein was a clear threat. My administration, the Congress, and the United Nations saw the threat -- and after 9/11, Saddam's regime posed a risk that the world could not afford to take. The world is safer because Saddam Hussein is no longer in power.
Lies! All lies! Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction, did not support terrorist organizations (he had enough problems keeping the Shi’ites and Kurds from conducting their own version of terrorism). Mr. Bush and his gang of fascist thugs keep repeating these lies in hopes that the old adage about a lie so often repeated takes on a life of its own and becomes what people believe. This is a blatant attempt to influence the upcoming elections by swaying his own political base and convincing the rest of us that we need to be so fearful that only he and his cronies can make us safe. Here’s a helpful hint boys and girls, lies do not make national security work. Lies do not protect us. Extreme secrecy is one of many signs of fascism, as is fear-mongering.
And now the challenge is to help the Iraqi people build a democracy that fulfills the dreams of the nearly 12 million Iraqis who came out to vote in free elections last December.
Why don’t we ask the Iraqis if they think they are safer? Why don’t we ask the average Iraqi whether or not US troops ought to be in Iraq any longer? Why we don’t ask them if our imposed democracy is working for them? While we’re asking all of these questions, why don’t we ask if their electricity is on, the sewers are working, the trash is being collected, the schools are safe, and if they can walk the streets without impending harm from militia members, insurgents and external “muja’heddin” groups? Why don’t we ask them if they know anyone killed by a car bomb or IED? Or if the billions of dollars the US is spending in Iraq has translated into anything meaningful in their lives?
Mr. Bush must realize that while elections are an important step in the democratic process, it alone cannot define a democracy.
Al Qaeda and other extremists from across the world have come to Iraq to stop the rise of a free society in the heart of the Middle East. They have joined the remnants of Saddam's regime and other armed groups to foment sectarian violence and drive us out. Our enemies in Iraq are tough and they are committed -- but so are Iraqi and coalition forces. We're adapting to stay ahead of the enemy, and we are carrying out a clear plan to ensure that a democratic Iraq succeeds.
According to the soldiers, sailors and marines I have talked to, there are no Al-Qaeda groups confronting them in Iraq. They tell me that their enemies are insurgents from both the Shi’ite and Sunni groups that are totally unhappy with the US occupation, the new Iraqi government and the way things are shaping up in Iraq. They tell me that while there are outside forces playing a role in the insurgency, most are coming from Iran and Syria with funding from those governments, not a ragtag rickety group like Al-Qaeda.
Many also tell me that the Iraqi forces are a joke in that they are not responding to training, are not loyal to the civilian government, are split along religious sectarian or ethnic lines, and do not take orders well. They tell me that the Iraqi chain of command and the efforts to establish command and control is limited in nature. As far as they are concerned they would be better off without the vast majority of Iraqi troops along side of them.
They also tell me that the coalition forces are not pulling their weight in the efforts in Iraq. There have been, according to my sources, numerous times when missions have encountered difficulties and troops have been injured because coalition forces did not hold up there end.
As for our own ability to adapt and stay ahead of the “enemy,” I would suggest we talk to the grunts in the field. Don’t ask the commanders that are under orders to spin the mission and the process, but talk to those men and women that are under fire on the roads, in the sand and on a mission. Ask the average grunt if anything makes sense and I guarantee you a diversity of opinions. But we must remember that the Bush gang will not allow such discourse with troops. As we have seen on numerous occasions, only photo ops and spin sessions are allowed from the troops. No regular soldier, sailor, airman or marine is allowed to speak their minds without approval.
We're training Iraqi troops so they can defend their nation. We're helping Iraq's unity government grow in strength and serve its people. We will not leave until this work is done.
Watch out for that cow patty. It’s a steamer!
Whatever mistakes have been made in Iraq, the worst mistake would be to think that if we pulled out, the terrorists would leave us alone. They will not leave us alone. They will follow us.
What terrorists? I will grant the idea that pulling out may provide Islamist groups to claim a moral victory and this might influence Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas and other groups to plan something demonstrative, but there are no terrorist groups operating in Iraq. If there are such groups, where is the proof? Why is the only answer to that question one of denial and secrecy?
There are insurgents supported by external sources. In the days of our own Revolution, we were called terrorists because we hid behind trees rather than stand in a row and wait for British bullets and shells to knock us down without the benefit of cover. When we threw tea into Boston Harbor we were called terrorists as well. What we were then was a rebellious rabble seeking to oust an unfair tyrant from ruling unjustly. Had we lost our Revolution, we would have been branded as terrorists for all of history.
I am not sure we can call the insurgents and their supporters in Iraq anything more than insurgents or rebels.
The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad. Osama bin Laden calls this fight "the Third World War" -- and he says that victory for the terrorists in Iraq will mean America's "defeat and disgrace forever." If we yield Iraq to men like bin Laden, our enemies will be emboldened; they will gain a new safe haven; they will use Iraq's resources to fuel their extremist movement. We will not allow this to happen. America will stay in the fight. Iraq will be a free nation, and a strong ally in the war on terror.
The only safety issues involving the United States and Iraq is the safety of our troops doing their duty in pursuit of an unjust and criminal foreign policy. But once again we must be reminded that Bin Laden is not in Iraq! When we hear this line of bovine excrement we can only assume that it is an attempt at fear-mongering. There are insurgents, rebels and factions using guerilla tactics to fight against the US occupation and the new government, but such is often the case during the emergence of a nation from a leadership void.
What Bush meant to say was that if we can assure a stable government in Iraq we can leverage our involvement in oil as restitution, making Bush, Cheney and their friends that much richer.
We can be confident that our coalition will succeed because the Iraqi people have been steadfast in the face of unspeakable violence. And we can be confident in victory because of the skill and resolve of America's Armed Forces. Every one of our troops is a volunteer, and since the attacks of September the 11th, more than 1.6 million Americans have stepped forward to put on our nation's uniform. In Iraq, Afghanistan, and other fronts in the war on terror, the men and women of our military are making great sacrifices to keep us safe. Some have suffered terrible injuries -- and nearly 3,000 have given their lives. America cherishes their memory. We pray for their families. And we will never back down from the work they have begun.
America cherishes the memory of our war heroes. America honors our wounded. But the Bush administration treats our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and veterans like pieces of fecal material floating in a river of effluent. Bush dishonors the service of every active duty and reservist member of our armed forces and every veteran that has ever stood his or her watch. Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld have no honor and are despicable characters that lie and mislead us about how we are treating our honored heroes.
We also honor those who toil day and night to keep our homeland safe, and we are giving them the tools they need to protect our people. We've created the Department of Homeland Security. We have torn down the wall that kept law enforcement and intelligence from sharing information. We've tightened security at our airports and seaports and borders, and we've created new programs to monitor enemy bank records and phone calls. Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement and intelligence professionals, we have broken up terrorist cells in our midst and saved American lives.
We’ve created the DHS, which has created the NCTC, taken over supervision of FEMA, and works with the NSA in its efforts to spy on innocent Americans and breach our civil liberties on a regular basis. And let us be clear, making people remove their shoes and not carry deodorant (or toothpaste) doesn’t make our airports safer, but it does make our trip across our nation a bit more odoriferous.
If we have had all these successes, where is the evidence? Show me that these measures have actually worked! There is only one reason that such a demonstration is not forthcoming… the evidence doesn’t exist. If it did, the Republicans would be clamoring for the release of such informtion to support retaining control over congress in the upcoming mid-term elections.
Five years after 9/11, our enemies have not succeeded in launching another attack on our soil, but they've not been idle.
Not one of the extreme measures instituted and continually advocated by the Bush administration has played a role in the prevention of another attack. In fact, if there was a full-fledged desire to conduct another attack on US soil, nothing we have done regarding telecommunications surveillance, torture or mistreatment of prisoners to obtain “intelligence,” extraordinary rendition or invading Iraq would prevent such an attack. Our ports remain significantly vulnerable. Our gasoline, natural gas, LPG, chemical storage tanks and chemical production plants remain open to attack. The security at our nuclear facilities, hospitals using various forms of nuclear medicine, and our nuclear waste centers remain entirely open to attack. The training of our airport security personnel lacks integrity and effectiveness, which translates into our airways remaining vulnerable to the very same types of attacks as we saw on 9-11.
With so many holes in our domestic security, one would have to wonder why terrorist criminals would want to remain idle. If they faced any significant barriers to attacking us on our soil, they would concentrate on easier, more available targets. Our president, his cabinet, the congress and those that work for them have failed to lead our nation into a more effective security approach, a more effective foreign policy and a more effective understanding of what we need to do in order to eliminate the ideology behind these criminals and their actions.
Just like the “War on Poverty” launched by LBJ during his “Great Society” effort, and the “War on Drugs” policy implemented by Reagan and the Senior Bush, our national leadership has not had the political will to follow through with clearly articulated action, policy and methods for dealing with the issues and matters of importance that confront us. Our leaders use the term “war” not only to motivate us toward participation, but to intimidate us into believing that they actually know what is good for us.
But this time the lies offered by Mr. Bush did not go unnoticed. Thousands of bloggers are responding to this recent address and calling him on the lies peppered throughout his speech. But more importantly, congress members are taking him to task and calling him a liar in the chambers of the house. Representatives Meeks, Wasserman and Delahunt were busy this week setting the record straight regarding some of the statements made in this address. They are asking for an offer of proof and calling to mind the evidence already on the record from the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, and seeking the truth of matters that the Bush gang has lied to us about in a consistent manner.
Al Qaeda and those inspired by its hateful ideology have carried out terrorist attacks in more than two dozen nations. And just last month, they were foiled in a plot to blow up passenger planes headed for the United States. They remain determined to attack America and kill our citizens -- and we are determined to stop them. We'll continue to give the men and women who protect us every resource and legal authority they need to do their jobs.
Can anyone demonstrate that all of these events were real threats? Can anyone demonstrate that they were all linked to Bin Laden and/or the Al-Qaeda organization? Or were they merely inspired by the ideology?
But what isn’t being said—but should be said—is that it was ordinary law enforcement methods that have prevented the criminal intent and actions from being fully implemented. There wasn’t one iota of information obtained from torturing or mistreating human beings, broadly tapping telecommunications or stripping passengers of their belongings. None of the methods that the Bush gang have used to violate our civil liberties, implement fear and institute racial/ethnic/religious profiling have done the trick. It was good old-fashioned, hard-nosed, tried-and-true law enforcement techniques that made us secure.
In the first days after the 9/11 attacks I promised to use every element of national power to fight the terrorists, wherever we find them. One of the strongest weapons in our arsenal is the power of freedom.
Given the attack on freedom, civil liberties and basic human rights, breaches of treaties signed into law and ratified by our congress, side-stepping or outright defiance of international law and utter abandonment of principles of freedom implemented by the Bush administration, the Republican/ultra-conservative controlled congress and the ultra-conservative stacked courts, we have to ask what Mr. Bush knows about freedom. Certainly his policies are a greater threat to our freedom than the attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon or the White House ever were.
After 9-11 many people in our nation caught a spirit of patriotism and began displaying the flag more prominently than had been the case in three decades. But this patriotic fervor forgot what our flag stands for in the process of uniting our feelings. Merely waving or respecting the flag is not patriotism. Honoring and acting in good conscience with the first principles of our Constitution is the ultimate form of patriotism. Standing up to the enemy and saying we will not sacrifice liberty and freedom in the face of fear and threat—even the threat of invasion, attack or death—is patriotism.
What Bush and his gang of fascist thugs has offered us is fear as the driving force behind our patriotic fervor. Like Reagan and Bush (Senior), this administration has wrapped itself in the flag, repeated some patriotic phrases over and over, deliberately lied to us again and again, and violated our laws and principles while we were lulled into a slumber of ignorance, a hypnotic state of apathy and a fear of standing on our principles… and perhaps even a fear of standing up for our principles.
George W. Bush and his gang of fascist thugs are criminals in their own right. They have helped our enemies and the criminals that wish us harm to abrogate our freedoms. They have invaded our hearts and minds with fear-mongering. They have led us into policies and actions that violate our Constitution and our first principles. Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Gonzalez, Chertoff and those that follow them are guilty of treason because they have abandoned their oaths of office, our Constitution and our first principles. Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld are guilty of manslaughter and second-degree murder because they have implemented actions that have a depraved indifference to the life of others (i.e. sending troops into battle without the proper vehicle or body armor with the fore knowledge that such armor would save lives). Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzalez and Rice are guilty of treason by violating the “supreme law of the land” by not fully adhering to the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Conventions, and at least a dozen other treaties that were duly ratified and incorporated into our Constitution by viture of the “treaties clause.”
The terrorists fear freedom as much as they do our firepower. They are thrown into panic at the sight of an old man pulling the election lever, girls enrolling in schools, or families worshiping God in their own traditions. They know that given a choice, people will choose freedom over their extremist ideology. So their answer is to deny people this choice by raging against the forces of freedom and moderation. This struggle has been called a clash of civilizations. In truth, it is a struggle for civilization. We are fighting to maintain the way of life enjoyed by free nations. And we're fighting for the possibility that good and decent people across the Middle East can raise up societies based on freedom and tolerance and personal dignity.
Such is not the case. I know people living in Bahrain that would argue—with evidence to support their claims—they live in a more economically free society than the United States. Many Muslims—including the women—would argue that they live more freely under their versions of the Sha’ria. It’s not that such perceptions are true—although there is some truth in them—it’s that these people do not understand freedom and liberty. But they would be quick to point out that under our current administration—as well as a few others—our liberty and freedom doesn’t exist in the manner that Bush talks about it.
We are now in the early hours of this struggle between tyranny and freedom.
We certainly are and the tyrants currently hold the offices of POTUS, VPOTUS, SOD, SOS and AG.
Amid the violence, some question whether the people of the Middle East want their freedom, and whether the forces of moderation can prevail. For 60 years, these doubts guided our policies in the Middle East. And then, on a bright September morning, it became clear that the calm we saw in the Middle East was only a mirage. Years of pursuing stability to promote peace had left us with neither. So we changed our policies, and committed America's influence in the world to advancing freedom and democracy as the great alternatives to repression and radicalism.
Has anyone ever heard a bigger bunch of bullshit in their life? Notice that I did not resort to my usual manner of dancing around the word. This is the biggest bunch of bullshit ever stated in a presidential address. It stinks to high heaven.
With our help, the people of the Middle East are now stepping forward to claim their freedom. From Kabul to Baghdad to Beirut, there are brave men and women risking their lives each day for the same freedoms that we enjoy. And they have one question for us: Do we have the confidence to do in the Middle East what our fathers and grandfathers accomplished in Europe and Asia? By standing with democratic leaders and reformers, by giving voice to the hopes of decent men and women, we're offering a path away from radicalism. And we are enlisting the most powerful force for peace and moderation in the Middle East: the desire of millions to be free.
Okay, has Bush failed to recognize that the opium growers in Afghanistan are having bumper crops and that the profits from this drug traffic are going to warlords and/or Taliban resistance fighters that are hiding out in the remote western regions of Pakistan? Has he failed to notice that Iraq is no the verge of a major civil war that would divide the country into three distinct autonomous states, only one of which would want anything to do with the United States? Has the Bush gang failed to see how this approach has utterly failed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts to the point where the policy had to be changed?
Across the broader Middle East, the extremists are fighting to prevent such a future. Yet America has confronted evil before, and we have defeated it -- sometimes at the cost of thousands of good men in a single battle.
Yes, Mr. President, we remember the McCarthy Era, the internment of Japanese-Americans and the long history of an unjust immigration policy.
When Franklin Roosevelt vowed to defeat two enemies across two oceans, he could not have foreseen D-Day and Iwo Jima -- but he would not have been surprised at the outcome. When Harry Truman promised American support for free peoples resisting Soviet aggression, he could not have foreseen the rise of the Berlin Wall -- but he would not have been surprised to see it brought down. Throughout our history, America has seen liberty challenged, and every time, we have seen liberty triumph with sacrifice and determination.
Bush seems to be delusional. He is comparing himself and his administration to those of FDR and Truman. He has neither the character or the integrity of either man, never mind the courage. While Truman and FDR made mistakes, they never sold the American people a pile of bullshit the likes of which Bush is selling.
At the start of this young century, America looks to the day when the people of the Middle East leave the desert of despotism for the fertile gardens of liberty, and resume their rightful place in a world of peace and prosperity. We look to the day when the nations of that region recognize their greatest resource is not the oil in the ground, but the talent and creativity of their people. We look to the day when moms and dads throughout the Middle East see a future of hope and opportunity for their children. And when that good day comes, the clouds of war will part, the appeal of radicalism will decline, and we will leave our children with a better and safer world.
Here’s an idea… Why don’t we start by giving the Middle Eastern people living in Detroit (MI), Patterson (NJ), Chicago or elsewhere in the United States a break, throw away the profiles and remember that over 80% of those that perpetrated criminal acts against us were from Saudi Arabia and none of these bastards represent mainstream Islam.
On this solemn anniversary, we rededicate ourselves to this cause.
What cause? All that I see is outright bullshit.
Our nation has endured trials, and we face a difficult road ahead. Winning this war will require the determined efforts of a unified country, and we must put aside our differences and work together to meet the test that history has given us. We will defeat our enemies. We will protect our people. And we will lead the 21st century into a shining age of human liberty.
See what I mean?
Earlier this year, I traveled to the United States Military Academy. I was there to deliver the commencement address to the first class to arrive at West Point after the attacks of September the 11th. That day I met a proud mom named RoseEllen Dowdell. She was there to watch her son, Patrick, accept his commission in the finest Army the world has ever known. A few weeks earlier, RoseEllen had watched her other son, James, graduate from the Fire Academy in New York City. On both these days, her thoughts turned to someone who was not there to share the moment: her husband, Kevin Dowdell. Kevin was one of the 343 firefighters who rushed to the burning towers of the World Trade Center on September the 11th -- and never came home. His sons lost their father that day, but not the passion for service he instilled in them. Here is what RoseEllen says about her boys: "As a mother, I cross my fingers and pray all the time for their safety -- but as worried as I am, I'm also proud, and I know their dad would be, too."
I cannot speak for all Americans, for all veterans or for any firefighters, but for myself, I find the invocation of this sentiment ingenuous and offensive coming from a man and an administration that does nothing to genuinely, fully and completely honor our heroes. The Bush administration has failed to genuinely acknowledge, support and honor our veterans, firefighters, active duty military or the families they come from. If he wants to honor our heroes, then he needs to fully fund veterans’ health care, fight for the rights of 9-11 rescuers suffering adverse health effects from their participation at ground zero, stop nickel-and-diming injured troops for meals and lost equipment, and demonstrate that our nation doesn’t just pay lip service to our defenders. It might also help if the Bush administration would get their collective shit together to make us safe and secure from all types of disasters. When Bush or one of his thugs speaks about honoring our heroes, the hypocrisy of it all makes me want to vomit.
Our nation is blessed to have young Americans like these -- and we will need them.
Yes, we need our heroes. But we should appreciate them. Our heroes come in all shapes, sizes, forms and professions. Many of them have not reached their fullest potential… and without a fairly funded college education they may never reach their potential as our heroes. We should spend billions of dollars here, on our own citizens, where it will pay off by preparing our heroes to do great things.
Dangerous enemies have declared their intention to destroy our way of life.
Finally, he tells us
his intentions.
They're not the first to try, and their fate will be the same as those who tried before.
Yes, we ousted McCarthy and those that were narrow-minded, anal-retentive and dead set against true freedom.
Nine-Eleven showed us why. The attacks were meant to bring us to our knees, and they did, but not in the way the terrorists intended. Americans united in prayer, came to the aid of neighbors in need, and resolved that our enemies would not have the last word. The spirit of our people is the source of America's strength. And we go forward with trust in that spirit, confidence in our purpose, and faith in a loving God who made us to be free.
Except not all of us came to our knees in prayer to the narrow-minded, hateful God that Bush sees at the top of creation. Some of us saw fit to pray to a loving, just God that accepts us and gives us our freedom in all of our choices. Bush, the Republicans, the ultra-conservative Christian Right don’t believe in freedom, only fear, judgement, prejudice and exclusion.
Thank you, and may God bless you.
I will pray for Bush and his gang of fascist thugs. I will pray that He offers them insight on what real love and courage are… and how to lead a nation in a just manner.
