| JuryFury.com
Now Every 15th of the Month ! Online School of Politics |
|||
| Areas of Interest THE USA American Foreign Policy US House and Senate US Presidents State & Local Politics Regional Politics Politics of China The British Commonwealth Indian Subcontinent Middle East The European Union Africa Latin America ASEAN NATO United Nations The Non-aligned Movement Eastern Europe New Nations of the 20th Century General Topics Constitutional Law Human Rights Nuclear Disarmament & Treaties International Warfare Environmental Law Peace Treaties Economic & Social Alliances International Organizations Journalism & Media Racism and Democracy Women in the Workplace Family Law Courts and Practices The Judicial System Higher Education Education and Government Health Care & Insurance Rights of the Disabled Copyright & Working Online Legal Representation Legal Insurance Pornography Domestic Violence Religion & Law Workers Rights Employers Rights Prison & Life after Social Organizations Welfare & Poverty Taxation and Democracy Third World Aid Programs Space Exploration Alternative Energy Petroleum Industry & Cars Nuclear Power Programs for the Arts Sports Education Policing the Internet Privacy and freedom Immigration Food and Regulation War on Drugs War on Pharmaceuticals Public Housing Pollution and Control Sexual Harrassment Discrimination Electoral Process Consumers Rights Investors Rights Abortion Death Penalty Social Security Gender & Sexuality Grassroots Organization ACLU World Watch Oxfam UNICEF United Negro Fund Ford Foundation (suggestions welcome at our chatsite) Law of the Economy Join I-Traderschool, our sister magazine, for debates and news. |
The Bush Administration
The Monkey Goes Where the Wind Blows Trying to make sense of some Executive decisions by Dave Tomar March 8th, 20004 This week, President Bush took a public relations hit when his reelection ad was unveiled on television. It contained footage of the wreckage at Ground Zero on September 11th. This is being perceived by some as an attempt to politicize the tragic events of that day. How would President Bush defend the use of these devastating images, I wonder? Would he say that September 11th was the most successful day of his presidency? It’s not like he can make commercials about any of the other stuff he did. He cannot exactly brag about his record on the economy or how much the standard of living in America has improved. I think it’s pretty universally recognized that improving the lives of individual Americans is not his forte. But when it comes to exploiting atrocities for personal gain, the President has a lot to be proud of. Some groups are angered by this exploitation. In particular, both the Families of September 11th and the International Association of Firefighters have renounced the President’s manipulative use of this footage, accusing him of employing it to fulfill a political agenda. One wonders the look on his face when he first heard about this public response. Was there that familiar regular jocular laugh meaning “I have not been given that lesson plan yet?” He’s already illustrated in a variety of ways that he has no respect for the groups associated with September 11th. If he or his administration cared, they wouldn’t consistently cut funding to emergency fire-response teams or put so much effort into undermining the independent probe into his role into the security failings of September 11th. Early indications are that the President will not reconsider the ads. His camp is standing by the conviction that September 11th is a day for which Bush should take credit. Perhaps he takes pleasure in seeing the footage. Of all the flaming wreckage he’s ever been associated with, is this his favorite? The memories are not as fond for millions of other Americans who didn’t experience the same career advancement as did the President. White House spokesman Scott McClellan commented during a Thursday press conference that it is a problem with association. That right now, everybody thinks about September 11th with an emphasis on the 3,000 people who died, the millions who suffered emotionally and the billions of dollars lost to the American economy. Perhaps McClellan is pointing to the progress made by the top income/wealth bracket -- the tens of hundreds of rich individuals who were able to capitalize on the carnage. Indeed if Americans could see it from that angle, they’d realize that September 11th precipitated a time of great prosperity for a few of us. Bush’s use of September 11th images for personal gain opens the floodgates for a wide spectrum of organizations to do the same. After catching wind of the President’s ad it would not be shocking if some major-brand cereal company could conceive of a September 11th advertisement to hawk its flapjacks, boasting the tag-line, “Tragedy can strike at a moment’s notice. Don’t die in a horrible catastrophe without having a quality breakfast first. We are leading the way to a healthy reconsideration of that horrific day.” Just one advertisement like that and the thing could become a phenomena with everyone from Cola advertisements, to Emmy Award sitcoms, to tampons and the next Vin Diesel film. Hmm... Will the Bush administration be able to manage the snowball effect, not that he cares about public opinion. As controversy abounds over the fresh campaign season, the President characterized the reconstruction in Iraq as making excellent progress. In particular, there were a wide array of progressive suicide bombings and missile attacks -- a pair of bombings rocked two Shiite mosques, killing hundreds. What does President Bush make of this? That the fewer Iraqis there are to deal with, the easier it will be to promote democracy? He has always been proud of his administration and Advisors. “It’s simple mathematics. . . which I don’t fully understand. But I have a whole staff of guys trained to make me look like I do.” I try to imagine what he might say. On the other hand, the Iraqi Governing Council, which nobody in Iraq supports, is inching toward the signing of an interim constitution, which nobody in the country will adhere to. What are the great architects of democracy in the Bush Administration up to now? Perhaps, the idea is to forge a democracy that mirrors ours. As such, we must draft a constitutional document in Iraq that only works in theory and is constantly undermined by a government with its own power-hungry agenda. The process has been derailed by a great many sticking points. Perhaps the most troubling of them is the burgeoning civil tension between the Shiite majority and the Sunni population that make up Iraq. In the vacuum of real power, the conflict between these two Moslem sects is being blamed for recent violence. I like to wonder what the top US Civilian Administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, is thinking when all this is happening. Perhaps he hopes to quell this violence by uniting both groups in their hatred for us. As soon as they remember that we’re the Great Satan, they’ll stop focusing their hostilities on each other and get back to blowing up Americans. Either way, Halliburton is making great progress in fortifying its financial grip on Iraq’s oil industry. So as you can see, it’s a win/win situation. Another win/win situation, Attorney General John Ashcroft was hospitalized this week for gallbladder pancreatitis, though I doubt the White House is very worried about his health. In the struggle between good and evil, Ashcroft is always coming out ahead, after all. We believe that evil will once again prevail in the face of God’s will. Just some thoughts from my head to yours. And remember, as always, the monkey goes where the wind blows. The Monkey Goes Where the Wind Blows: This is a parody piece on the Bush Administration - the quotes mirror the author’s perception of the Administration and are not actual. About the Author(s): See under Our Contributors to find out about the Author(s) of this article. |
Yahoo! World News Headlines Our Winners Club Our Contributors Research Links Legal Advice ALL Awards & Internships Become an Activist Join an Organization Get Volunteerism Alert Write Letters to a local Politician Start your own Group Applied Politics Projects Suggest a Project Start your Yahoo Groups Get Internship Credit Funding for Projects Encourage Discussion Join Juryfury Chat Promote Juryfury.com Join online discussion Groups Be In the Spotlight Let us Interview you : Authors of political books Activists Journalists Lawyers Law Enforcement Politicians Politican Scientists Be A Columnist Get Internship Credit Write twice a Month Get Heard Start a Yahoo Group Advertise with Us Books (Free) Political Our Staff & Contributors Our Magazines Quietpoly.com I-Traderschool Juryfury.com The Company Our Address: QuietPoly Inc. 240 W. Saunders. Dr. (#146) Flagstaff, AZ 86001 Tel (928) 214-7365 quietpoly@yahoo.com |
|