Mister Bush, do feel free to use this
Sep. 12th, 2001 03:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gerbieIt took a while before we learned what we did wrong. It took a big attack, in which thousands of innocent lives have been lost, before we realised that the way we are dealing with the rest of the world was wrong. I am very sorry that this has had to happen. From here there are two possible options. A third world war or a continuation of what we have been doing over the last decade, a cold war against everything we Americans considered wrong. It would make the cold war look like a fight in kindergarten. We shall take none of these options. As a true Christian, we will turn the other cheek. The only way this cycle can be stopped as by not reacting. No retaliation, no attacks on possible suspects. I shall repeat this, read my lips, NO RETALIATION.
It is time for us to admit that we had this one coming. Fifty years of interfering everywhere in the world whenever it suited us has come to a bloody final. Now we see what we have done in Korea and Vietnam. In Cuba and the Dominican Republic. In Haiti and Guatemala. In Nicaragua and Chile. In Panama and Somalia. And in dozens of other countries. Thousands of innocent Americans have become the victim of an idiot who wanted us to know what we did wrong. Until now we knew, but thought we could get away with it. We couldn't.
From now on we shall do whatever is necessary to help all those families in this tragedy. But not only the thousands who have died in the last 24 hours, but also those thousands who died in the last 50 years, because we considered our position in the world more important than the lives of individuals. The whole budget from defence will go to welfare, social benefits or third world development. We will finally pay off our billions of debt to the UN. We well recognise the UN as the true world power, the voice of the people of the world. We will do as the majority wants us to. We shall propose the abolishment of veto's for countries who happen to have too much power.
Finally I shall resign from my position as President of the United States of America. We will soon have new elections in which every vote is counted, in which democracy will really work. Until then I shall hand over the power to the senate.
Let our thoughts be with the ones who have lost their lives. Thank you for your attention, God bless America and peace on earth!
It is time for us to admit that we had this one coming. Fifty years of interfering everywhere in the world whenever it suited us has come to a bloody final. Now we see what we have done in Korea and Vietnam. In Cuba and the Dominican Republic. In Haiti and Guatemala. In Nicaragua and Chile. In Panama and Somalia. And in dozens of other countries. Thousands of innocent Americans have become the victim of an idiot who wanted us to know what we did wrong. Until now we knew, but thought we could get away with it. We couldn't.
From now on we shall do whatever is necessary to help all those families in this tragedy. But not only the thousands who have died in the last 24 hours, but also those thousands who died in the last 50 years, because we considered our position in the world more important than the lives of individuals. The whole budget from defence will go to welfare, social benefits or third world development. We will finally pay off our billions of debt to the UN. We well recognise the UN as the true world power, the voice of the people of the world. We will do as the majority wants us to. We shall propose the abolishment of veto's for countries who happen to have too much power.
Finally I shall resign from my position as President of the United States of America. We will soon have new elections in which every vote is counted, in which democracy will really work. Until then I shall hand over the power to the senate.
Let our thoughts be with the ones who have lost their lives. Thank you for your attention, God bless America and peace on earth!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Re: Thank you
Date: 2001-09-26 06:30 am (UTC)I think I'm well read, I enjoy knowing a lot of things from everywhere. Similarily I can return the compliment. Even though we seem to disagree most of the time, we are still talking in a civilised way. It confirms that I have to be carefull with my prejudice, not all Americans are ignorant. LJ proves that quite often I have to say, then again, during the heat of the discussions a week-weekandahalf ago some people seemed to have lost all sense of reality.
The death penalty is a different discussion, true, but not entirely unrelated. Only today I read that most Europeans will refuse extradiction to the States, as long as the death penalty is a risk. However extreme, I can understand some extremists who say that they too have used the death penalty: flying some planes into the WTC.
Re: Thank you from Detective Inspector Joe Doakes
Date: 2001-09-26 07:40 am (UTC)"Why let everyone know?" Well, aren't you the one that wants to see the evidence. What if they were saying absolutely nothing? Wouldn't you be even more annoyed? They can say that there is evidence and not be giving away classified information. What do you think they should do?
"If they've got it, why tell others?" Come on, really? Of course those that have offered to fight need to know everything possible.
It is bin Ladin that is behind it. Some people in the Taliban support what he does, some don't. If the Taliban continues to protect him and his followers, then they are included.
Why are you so distrusting of Americans? Why do you have such a cynical view of us? Why do you think the CIA and FBI would be misleading the world? Nobody wants a war, nobody wants innocent people to die. Where does all of this distrust come from, can you help me understand that?
Re: Thank you from Detective Inspector Joe Doakes
Date: 2001-09-26 07:47 am (UTC)If the CIA had told the world that they didn't have any evidence at the moment, what do you think the reactions would be? The best reaction for them would be that they were called incompetent, it could be much worse. So it would surprise me had they said so. So if they say they do have evidence, I just think: they would, wouldn't they, regardless if it is true or not.
Re: Thank you
Date: 2001-09-26 08:21 am (UTC)Do you really think that most Americans are ignorant? This is a huge country, there are a lot of different kinds of people here. I don't think that anyone can broadly generalize or stereotype Americans...that seems ignorant to me. As far as losing a sense of reality, well, I think all Americans did for a while there. Now, we are getting a different reality all together. I think we are becoming a much stronger country all together. Things that my generation and even my parent's generation hardly thought about have become so important. Patriotism, our love of freedom and a respect for our country and the way it works.
I am really interested in knowing where your opinions of Americans come from. I know that we don't have the best reputation in some countries but I would really like to know why. I don't have any generalizations about you.
As far as the last comment, what did the people killed on the 11th do to warrant the death penalty? I read that Iraq said the attacks resulted from US policies. So those people deserved the death penalty? Our death penalty doesn't have anything to do with the mass murder of innocent people. I have some reservations about the death penalty. It scares me that an innocent person might be put to death. However, I believe that if someone is responsible (without a doubt) for some particularily heinous crime(s) then they don't deserve to be kept alive by my tax dollars. I think Texas over used the death penalty. Not every state has a death penalty. I think that shows that there are conflicting opinions nationwide about it. As far as extraditing and (after trial) putting to death someone like bin Ladin. Hmm, I don't know. I would love for him to suffer a horrible and painful death for what he (if proven) did. (The death penalty isn't painful though, unfortunately for some.) More than death for him, though, I would love to watch him live a long life...
I want to see him suffer as he realizes everything he has attempted to do has failed. I want him to watch as peaceful Islam followers grow and prosper hand in hand with all other religions and nations. I want him to see what is accomplished when religious freedom is respected. I want to see Isreal and Muslim nations in peace, and watch him discover that terrorism will not work. It has no place in this world. I want him to see all of his followers hunted down. Most of all, I want him to realize that he is the cause of the fall of his warped brand of Islam. If he hadn't pushed and forced the world into action...who knows what would've happened. (Which is back to why you are involved in the fight against terrorism, the world needs you too.)
Re: Thank you from Detective Inspector Joe Doakes
Date: 2001-09-26 08:26 am (UTC)Re: Thank you from Detective Inspector Joe Doakes
Date: 2001-09-27 07:42 am (UTC)http://www.livejournal.com/talkread.bml?itemid=4637600
The book told me about the role the CIA played in Chile.
Re: Thank you from Detective Inspector Joe Doakes
Date: 2001-09-27 12:43 pm (UTC)I thought it was interesting, though, in your "book review" you mentioned your prejudice against the US. That is what I really want to understand. If you have a bias already then you can make everything you read and hear prove that bias. You seek out the information to boost your beliefs. Nothing wrong with that. I just would like to understand exactly where you are coming from.
I just personally think that I live in a really amazing and beautiful country. I also think many other countries are beautiful and amazing. I may not agree with everything that my country has done in history... but I really believe in what America stands for. How many Americans do you know? Not LJ know, but REALLY know. I am just curious.
Also, remember, the US is not the only country to have a "shady" past. (Or present.) If you base your opinion on the CIA you are going to have to do that for all secret operatives in all nations. I'm sure if that information were available you would be shocked.
Re: Thank you from Detective Inspector Joe Doakes
Date: 2001-09-27 02:29 pm (UTC)I also agree with the statement that if you're biased already, you will look for things to confirm. I do know some Americans. Not many. But I have met plenty of them, I also travelled through the States on three occasions.
The thing that nags me has to do with the fact that my country is politically completely depending on the US. Coming back to the cold war point I have used before. Why did we have to choose between the two parties who together battled the Germans out of my country? Why suddenly was America heaven and the Soviet Union hell? Why do we have to stay loyal infinitely because your country helped rebuild my country. When do we start thinking for ourselves again.
I have written about this before. Another link:
http://www.livejournal.com/talkread.bml?itemid=5285251
Obviously I exaggerated, the last sentence came back to haunt me three months later, if you have got time read, and also read the comments by others and my replies. It gives a bit more an idea why I have reacted as I have done up until now.
Re: Thank you from Detective Inspector Joe Doakes
Date: 2001-09-28 10:04 am (UTC)Re: Thank you from Detective Inspector Joe Doakes
Date: 2001-09-29 12:44 pm (UTC)just so you know...
Date: 2001-10-01 01:14 pm (UTC)Accoring to the constitution should the President resign the Vice-President takes over. The line of succesion then goes to the Speaker to the House, the president pro tempore of the Senate, then to the cabinet positions in the following order Secretary of State, Treasury, Defense, Attorney General, Sec'y of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health & Human Services, Housing & Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education and Veterans Affairs.
There is no provision in the Constitution for the President the call new Elections as we don't use the European Parlimentary system that puts the party (or coalition) that wins the general election in direct control of the executive branch.
After the Kennedy assassination an amendment was passed to allow the President to appoint a Vice-President should the office happen to be unfilled by death or resignation or the Vice Presidents accession to President. When Nixon's VP Spiro Agnew was forced to resign, Gerald Ford was appointed to take his place. When Nixon resigned Ford became the first unelected president in US history.
A lot of peopl don't like the Electoral College system but it was enacted for several reasons - the first of with was that the founding fathers never expected the US to have just a two party system, they figured on several candidates and had planned for that eventuality. Secondly they had wanted to make sure every state or at least region counted in the election and that the candidate didn't just concentrate their efforts on a couple of states. Without an electoral college system a candidate could easily win an election with the votes of a few big cities.
As bad as the fiasco in Florida was, the system worked even when there wasn't much in the way of legal or historical precedent to go on. (the last president to win the popular vote but lose the electoral vote was in the 1800s) Much of this had to be improvised on the spot, but it was in the open for all to see. And nobody had to get the support of the Army like in many countries. Power was passed more or less without incedent.
Re: just so you know...
Date: 2001-10-03 08:26 am (UTC)