I’m guilty. Guilty of stealing quotes, facts, talking points and good ideas from anyone (liberal or conservative) who has the courage and intellect to say what needs to be said AND is accurate. Chris Currie, a former friend and associate with considerable knowledge on many things took Bush’s recent 9-11 speech about terrorism and broke it down line by line for lies and inaccuracies (his website = www.onesalt.com). With his permission I’ve copied it and made a few (very few) editing changes [in italics] to accommodate my own views/perceptions.
I hope you find it as informative and useful as I do. Much can be adapted for Letters to the Editor to correct or compliment Bush’s statements.
Chuck.
There he goes again!
George W. Bush's Latest 9-11 Lies (Sept 2006)
George W. Bush's September 11th "Nine-Eleven" speech contained so many lies and hypocrisies that I decided to do a sentence-by-sentence commentary on his entire speech. I suspect that many of his lies and hypocrisies "sailed right by" most of his listeners without being noticed. So far the record, I am pointing them out here.
Monday, September 11, 2006
President Bush Addresses the Nation
1. "Good evening. [True]
2. Five years ago, this date - September the 11th - was seared into America's memory. [True]
3. Nineteen men attacked us with a barbarity unequaled in our history. [Debatable]
4. They murdered people of all colors, creeds, and nationalities - and made war upon the entire free world. [The first part is a factual error, the second part is a whopping BIG LIE!]
5. Since that day, America and her allies have taken the offensive in a war unlike any we have fought before. [That's true. GW Bush's neocon inspired decision to commit our nation to a never-ending "preemptive war" against a concept like "terrorism" that cannot possibly be killed is a truly novel idea-and a "dream come true" for America's military contractors.]
6. Today, we are safer, but we are not yet safe. [First part wrong, last part correct]. [terrorism isn’t the only threat we face. While focusing resources and attention on fighting terrorism other lethal threats do not receive adequate attention and lives are lost or increasingly at risk. SEE Kartrina and Bird Flu. America's soldiers and civilians who have been sent overseas to "fight terrorism" have certainly not been safer. In fact, GW Bush's decisions have already created nearly as many dead Americans and at least ten times as many American wounded as the decisions of Osama Bin Laden and his entire Al Qaeda network.]
7. On this solemn night, I have 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. [OK]
8. On Nine-Eleven, our Nation saw the face of evil. [Also the predictable (and predicted) consequences of evil acts committed earlier by our own government that most Americans refuse to see or admit and the media virtually ignores,]
9. Yet on that awful day, we also witnessed something distinctly American: ordinary citizens rising to the occasion, and responding with extraordinary acts of courage. [Wrong…such conduct is not "distinctly American."]
10. 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. [True]
11. We saw courage in passengers aboard Flight 93, who recited the 23rd Psalm - and then charged the cockpit. [True]
12. 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. [True]
13. 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. [True]
14. For many of our citizens, the wounds of that morning are still fresh. [True]
15. I have met firefighters and police officers who choke up at the memory of fallen comrades. [True]
16. I have 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. [True, but misleading…War and terror are essentially synonymous when viewed according to God's standards as taught by Jesus Christ. I doubt that any of the passengers on Flight 93 thought of themselves as being engaged in a "war on terror."]
17. And I have 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. [True]
18. Out of this suffering, we resolve to honor every man and woman lost. [True…]
19. And we seek their lasting memorial in a safer and more hopeful world. [Nice thought, but it should be pointed out that since 11 Sep 01, GW Bush's policies have created MORE anarchy and acts of terrorism throughout the world, not less. And it's a trend that has been increasing rather than decreasing.]
20. Since the horror of Nine-Eleven, we have learned a great deal about the enemy. [True]
21. We have learned that they are evil and kill without mercy - but not without purpose. [Hypocritical: The same can be… said about George W. Bush.]
22. 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. [A BOLD-FACED LIE! Most of those terrorists have consistently "justified" their actions as being motivated by revenge for the often murderous misconduct of the "western powers" in their part of the world. Bush's claim that they "hate freedom" is designed to divert attention away from our own government's murderous acts and misconduct. As long as such acts of governmental misconduct persist, terrorist acts in retaliation will also persist. Some say Such are the ways of Satan!]
23. 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. [ANOHTER BOLD-FACED LIE. The fact that some Islamic clerics express such goals doesn't mean that such goals are commonly held by all Islamic terrorists. Numerous articles published in The Nation and elsewhere show that the ultimate goals of terrorist organizations throughout the Middle East vary considerably.]
24. The war against this enemy is more than a military conflict. [True]
25. It is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century, and the calling of our generation. [ANOTHER BOLD-FACED MIS STATEMENT. How can any effort to kill a concept that can never be killed ever be "decisive"? Bush's claim that his policies can produce any kind of "decisive victory" are highly misleading-all they can ever accomplish is to get more people killed and to funnel even more American tax dollars into the bank accounts of America's military contractors.]
26. Our Nation is being tested in a way that we have not been since the start of the Cold War. [True, the willingness of American voters to continue believing in lies no matter what happens is being tested more now than ever before.]
27. We saw what a handful of our enemies can do with box-cutters and plane tickets. [True]
28. We hear their threats to launch even more terrible attacks on our people. [True]
29. And we know that if they were able to get their hands on weapons of mass destruction, they would use them against us. [Debatable: The Pakistanis didn't use their nuclear weapons to protect the Taliban whom that had staunchly supported.]
30. We face an enemy determined to bring death and suffering into our homes. [True]
31. America did not ask for this war, and every American wishes it were over. [That's true with regards to most Americans, but definitely NOT TRUE on both counts with regards to the Bush Administration.]
32. So do I. [Another BOLD-FACED LIE!]
33. But the war is not over - and it will not be over until either we or the extremists emerge victorious. [Highly misleading. Bush has provided no measurable definition as to what would constitute an "end" to his beloved "war on terror" or what "emerging victorious" would mean in such a context.]
34. 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. [Also highly misleading. If Bush were serious about wanting to prevent such an eventuality, he would propose the establishment of a true world government to replace all military organizations (and their WMDs) with a single worldwide police force (which wouldn't need WMDs). Instead, he is falsely claiming that he can accomplish such results simply by "defeating" some transiently defined "enemies" in a never-ending war. Ain’t never going to happen!]
35. We are in a war that will set the course for this new century - and determine the destiny of millions across the world. [True: GW Bush has started a war that could last over a hundred years, assuming that we don't infect or blow mankind out of existence before then!]
36. For America, Nine-Eleven was more than a tragedy - it changed the way we look at the world. [True]
37. 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. [Lie: Bush views Pakistan as an ally. Hypocritical: GW Bush is at least as deadly a terrorist and terrorist supporter as those whom he defines has being our "enemies."]
38. So we helped drive the Taliban from power in Afghanistan. [True, but misleading. Taliban forces are still "in power" in some portions of Afghanistan, and it is far from certain that the NATO Coalition there will be any more successful than the Russians were at ultimately maintaining control in that country.]
39. We put al Qaeda on the run, and killed or captured most of those who planned the Nine-Eleven attacks - including the man believed to be the mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed. [True]
40. He and other suspected terrorists have been questioned by the Central Intelligence Agency - and they have provided valuable information that has helped stop attacks in America and across the world. [True but misleading. There have been more attempts to attack America and our allies as a result of Bush’s policies.]
41. Now these men have been transferred to Guantanamo Bay, so they can be held to account for their actions. [If they are all so obviously guilty, then why can't they be effectively tried in the United States using the rules and procedures of the United State's legal system?]
42. Osama Bin Laden and other terrorists are still in hiding. [True]
43. Our message to them is clear: No matter how long it takes, America will find you, and we will bring you to justice. [We may find them but a court of “justice” isn’t on the menu. Frontier justice most likely. ]
44. 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. [True, but highly misleading. By "confront", GW Bush means to engage in military acts of war. But "confront" can also mean to establish a worldwide international legal system that can effectively identify, track down, try, and imprison such offenders. GW Bush, however, has adamantly opposed the establishment of such relatively peaceful alternatives to the violence of warfare (to the great delight of America's military contractors).]
45. I am often asked why we are in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was not responsible for the Nine-Eleven attacks. [True]
46. The answer is that the regime of Saddam Hussein was a clear threat. [ANOTHER BOLD-FACED LIE! Numerous articles have been published making this point. And, Saddam posed far less of a threat than Iran, N. Korea, Al Quada, Katrina and bird flu]
47. My Administration, the Congress, and the United Nations saw the threat - and after Nine-Eleven, Saddam's regime posed a risk that the world could not afford to take. [Lethally False assumption! The Bush Administration used the threat of WMD knowing it could not be ‘proven’ until after an invasion…at which point it would be impossible to pull out…they never had an exit plan because they never planned to leave. Guarding our access to their oil was a strategic plan that needed a rational. The possibility of WMD provided that rational. We also needed to prove that we (at least our soldiers) were willing to die (in large numbers if needed) to protect the life blood of our economy and way of life. We had to show them we weren’t backing down from maintaining large scale military forces in the region. It's also important to note that the United Nations did NOT authorize that invasion.]
48. The world is safer because Saddam Hussein is no longer in power. [AGAIN-A BOLD-FACED LIE. Acts of terrorism throughout the world have increased, not decreased, since Bush's invasion of Iraq.
49. 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. [True. But growing sectarian violence may prevent this from happening. This fighting is a result of Bush’s failure to secure the peace after the invasion…and give Iraqi’s something worth making peace for. Electricity, water, jobs….]
50. 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. [AGAIN-A BOLD-FACED LIE! Most of them have come to Iraq help kill American and British soldiers and to learn how to kill them more effectively. Furthermore, after four years, the Bush Administration hasn't even come close to creating a rising "free society" in Iraq.]
51. They have joined the remnants of Saddam's regime and other armed groups to foment sectarian violence and drive us out. [True]
52. Our enemies in Iraq are tough and they are committed [true]- but so are Iraqi and Coalition forces [debatable]. We are adapting to stay ahead of the enemy [debatable] - and we are carrying out a clear plan [true] to ensure that a democratic Iraq succeeds [false]. [Their "clear plan" to "stay the course" in Iraq for as long as they can possibly get away with it will NOT ‘ensure’ a democratic Iraq. And even if it did… a ‘democratic Iraq’ would most likely be pro Iran, Anti-Israel and anti-US.]
53. We are training Iraqi troops so they can defend their nation. [True. But some of them are death squad participants and Al Qaeda infiltrators that will end up killing more Americans with the new skills and training we provided them.]
54. We are helping Iraq's unity government grow in strength and serve its people. [Debatable. If anything, Iraq's "unity government" appears to be falling apart. If we really want peace in that part of the world, then we should let Iraq split up into three separate countries and work towards ultimately establishing a true world government.]
55. We will not leave until this work is done. [Which will be never, if GW Bush succeeds.]
56. 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. [Misleading. More likely than not, breaking Iraq up into three countries would keep most of them so pre-occupied with establishing their own new governments that the hatreds which most of them have for the United States will have time to cool down enough so that they will no longer want to kill us.]
57. They will not leave us alone. [True: GW Bush has made that conclusion a self-fulfilling prophecy in the minds of some militant extremists.]
58. They will follow us. [True, regardless of what we do in Iraq]
59. The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad. [Another BOLD-FACED LIE, for the reasons described above.]
60. 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." [Misleading. Many conservatives said the same. And, it was GW Bush who turned Bin Laden's crimes into something resembling a "Third World War."]
61. If we yield Iraq to men like Bin Laden, our enemies will be emboldened ... they will gain a new safe haven ... and they will use Iraq's resources to fuel their extremist movement. [Possibly true, because GW Bush has made it so by destroying Saddam's regime. "Our enemies" have already become emboldened by their demonstrated ability to repeatedly conduct terrorist attacks "right under the noses" (or feet) of America's best equipped and brightest military forces. Without Bush's help, Bin Laden could never have afforded to create such an effective training ground for terrorists. So if you substitute "has gained" and "has been using" in place of "will gain" and "will use" in the above statement by Bush, you will end up with a much truer statement.]
62. We will not allow this to happen. [LIE. Bush has already allowed it to happen.]
63. America will stay in the fight. [True, if Bush has his way.]
64. Iraq will be a free nation, and a strong ally in the war on terror. [Free to do what they want. But, Not likely be a strong ally.]
65. We can be confident that our Coalition will succeed - because the Iraqi people have been steadfast in the face of unspeakable violence. [LIE. It would be far more accurate to say that the Iraqi people are terrified by the conditions of anarchy that GW Bush has created over there.]
66. And we can be confident in victory - because of the skill and resolve of America's Armed Forces. [LIE. Thanks to GW Bush utter disregard for the rule of law, there is no "victory" in sight in Iraq; just never-ending cycles of violence.]
67. 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. [Misleading: US military AWOL and desertion rates are at an all time high because of Bush's war in Iraq. How does 1.6 millions enlistments over the past five years compare with the number of enlistments during the previous five years?]
68. 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. [True]
69. Some have suffered terrible injuries - and nearly 3,000 have given their lives. [True but misleading. That 3,000 killed number is about the same as the number of Americans killed on 11 Sep 01, but the number of Americans injured in Bush's wars since then has been far greater (about 20,000). That's an awful lot more than "some."]
70. America cherishes their memory. [True]
71. We pray for their families. [Apparently true]
72. And we will never back down from the work they have begun. [Debatable]
73. 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. [There are many who disagree with that second point.]
74. We have created the Department of Homeland Security. We have torn down the wall that kept law enforcement and intelligence from sharing information ... we have tightened security at our airports, seaports, and borders ... and we have created new programs to monitor enemy bank records and phone calls. [True]
75. 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. [True, but that part about saving American lives is debatable. And, our policies have led to more attempts to attack Americans.]
76. Five years after Nine-Eleven, our enemies have not succeeded in launching another attack on our soil - but they have not been idle. [True. They have been growing and trying more often.]
77. Al Qaeda and those inspired by its hateful ideology have carried out terrorist attacks in more than two dozen nations. [True]
78. And just last month, they were foiled in a plot to blow up passenger planes headed for the United States. [True]
79. They remain determined to attack America and kill our citizens - and we are determined to stop them. [True]
80. We will continue to give the men and women who protect us every resource and legal authority they need to do their jobs. [Debatable. Numerous reports have shown that the Bush Administration has fallen far short of doing that so far, although there has been progress in some areas. It's important to note, as illustrated in ABC's mini-series "The Path to 9/11", that even without all of the new laws and security improvements implemented since 11 Sep 01, GW Bush's political appointees already had ample warnings and sufficient evidence to foil the 9/11 plot by arresting some of its key players beforehand. Unfortunately, they not only refused to act on the information they had, they also made little (if any) effort to seek further evidence regarding those leads (i.e. they refused to use a routine procedure known as "following up on a lead."]
81. In the first days after the Nine-Eleven attacks, I promised to use every element of national power to fight the terrorists wherever we find them. [That sounds impressive until one realizes that by "every element of national power" GW Bush is referring to practices such as bold-faced lying, starting "preemptive" wars, torturing prisoners, committing acts of mass murder, creating huge new domestic spying programs, denying Americans their Constitutionally guaranteed rights, denying prisoners of war their Geneva Convention rights, ballooning our national debt, largely squandering billions of American taxpayer dollars, and short-funding American education and social programs, etc.]
82. One of the strongest weapons in our arsenal is the power of freedom. [False. Terrorists use our freedoms and theirs to kill us. Our strongest weapon is our ideals of justice, inalienable human rights and the rule of law…not the law of force.]
83. The terrorists fear freedom as much as they do our firepower. [ANOTHER BOLD-FACED LIE]
84. They are thrown into panic at the sight of an old man pulling the election lever . girls enrolling in school . or families worshiping God in their own traditions. [FURTHER BOLD-FACED LIES]
85. They know that given a choice, people will choose freedom over their extremist ideology. [True]
86. So their answer is to deny people this choice by raging against the forces of freedom and moderation. [ A BOLD-FACED LIE. Either GW Bush doesn't realize that bearing false witness against one's neighbor is a sin, or else he knows it's a sin but doesn't care.]
87. This struggle has been called a clash of civilizations. [That's true. Anyone can call it that. But any true Civilization would not chose war over law enforcement]
88. In truth, it is a struggle for civilization. [A WHOPPING BIG LIE! If this were a struggle for civilization, GW Bush would be seeking to establish a true world government. Instead, he has been acting in a highly uncivilized manner by promoting the creation of anarchies throughout the world…]
89. We are fighting to maintain the way of life enjoyed by free nations. [ANOTHER WHOPPING BIG LIE. Free nations don't enjoy anarchy and/or starvation!]
90. And we are 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. [MORE LIES. GW Bush's policies in the Middle East have been devoid of any regard for values such as freedom, tolerance, or personal dignity. Rather than seeking negotiated solutions to human relations problems, Bush has been promoting the use of violent means (including torture and even the killing men, women, and children) as a preferred means for "solving" such problems.]
91. We are now in the early hours of this struggle between tyranny and freedom. [Who is the tyrant in this case, Mr. Bush? You?]
92. Amid the violence, some question whether the people of the Middle East want their freedom - and whether the forces of moderation can prevail. [True]
93. For sixty years, these doubts guided our policies in the Middle East. [A WHOPPING BIG LIE. For the past sixty years, our government's policies have been guided FAR more by economic concerns and a desire to help defend Israel than by altruistic concerns about whether or not the people of the Middle East want their freedom.]
94. And then, on a bright September morning, it became clear that the calm we saw in the Middle East was only a mirage. [LIE. We saw no "calm" in the Middle East in those days.]
95. Years of pursuing stability to promote peace had left us with neither. [Highly misleading. At that time, the Bush Administration was figuratively "thumbing its nose" at efforts to created stability and peace in the Middle East. They opposed the creation of the International Criminal Court, they opposed various UN-sponsored peace conferences designed to help resolve human relations problems in the Middle East, and they even refused to admit to the fact that the government of Israel was a "raciest state." Bush's statement here is a deliberate attempt to discredit the Rule of Law principle, which by the way offers the only realistic hope for a lasting peace in the Middle East.]
96. 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. [A WHOPPING BIG BOLD-FACED LIE! GW Bush only used such "freedom and democracy" arguments to help sell his planned invasion of Iraq. Once there, his appointees showed little concern for establishing freedom or democracy for Iraqis for nearly two years. Even now, after four years of US military occupation, freedom and democracy in Iraq are still more of an illusion than a reality. Indeed, there is good reason to doubt that there will even be a country named Iraq three years from now. But what make Bush's claim above a really BIG LIE is that fact that the Bush Administration has been seriously considering ways to militarily or otherwise depose the elected leaders of three of the democracies that already exist in the Middle East (Iran, Syria, and Palestine)!]
97. With our help, the people of the Middle East are now stepping forward to claim their freedom. [Perhaps, but for understandable reasons, they are not electing leaders who are on friendly terms with the Bush Administration.]
98. From Kabul to Baghdad to Beirut, there are brave men and women risking their lives each day for the same freedoms that we enjoy. [True]
99. And they have one question of us: Do we have the confidence to do in the Middle East what our fathers and grandfathers accomplished in Europe and Asia? [???]
100. By standing with democratic leaders and reformers, by giving voice to the hopes of decent men and women, we are offering a path away from radicalism. [Highly hypocritical in light of the Bush Administration's policies regarding the democratic governments of Iran, Syria, and Palestine. And its support for Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt’s leaders.]
101. And we are enlisting the most powerful force for peace and moderation in the Middle East: The desire of millions to be free. [It's true that the desire for freedom and peace can be powerful motivators, but GW Bush has merely been using such concepts as "window dressing" to help "morally justify" his decisions of use large-scale acts of deadly violence to achieve his economic and political ambitions.]
102. Across the broader Middle East, the extremists are fighting to prevent such a future. [He's lying again by deliberately misrepresenting the true motives of most of those extremist groups.]
103. Yet America has confronted evil before, and we have defeated it - sometimes at the cost of thousands of good men in a single battle. [True]
104. 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. [True]
105. 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. [True]
106. Throughout our history, America has seen liberty challenged - and every time, we have seen liberty triumph with sacrifice and determination. [True]
107. 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. [Hypocritical: Some Americans may believe that, but in fact GW Bush's decisions have SERIOUSLY DEPRIVED Middle Easterners of peace and prosperity, especially in Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine!]
108. We look to the day when the nations of that region recognize that their greatest resource is not the oil in the ground - but the talent and creativity of their people. [That may be true for some Americans, but throughout Bush's presidency, the flow of taxpayer dollars seems to show consistently that the Bush Administration's focus has rarely strayed far from rewarding political donors with taxpayer dollars and potentially reaping profits from "oil in the ground."]
109. We look to the day when moms and dads throughout the Middle East see a future of hope and opportunity for their children. [That would be nice, but GW Bush's contributions to that vision warrant some kind of negative score.]
110. 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. [Those "clouds of war" won't part until our government decides to part them.]
111. On this solemn anniversary, we rededicate ourselves to this cause. [Sounds nice]
112. Our Nation has endured trials - and we face a difficult road ahead. [True]
113. Winning this war will require the determined efforts of a unified country. [TRUE. It will require a unified decision by our government and all Americans to end the wars it has started and to start seeking more honest and civilized solutions to such problems instead.]
114. So we must put aside our differences, and work together to meet the test that history has given us. [TRUE. We must agree to work together to outlaw war as a solution.]
115. We will defeat our enemies . we will protect our people ... and we will lead the 21st century into a shining age of human liberty. [Not by following Bush's path.]
116. Earlier this year, I traveled to the United States Military Academy. [True]
117. I was there to deliver the commencement address to the first class to arrive at West Point after the attacks of September the 11th. [True]
118. That day I met a proud mom named RoseEllen Dowdell. [True]
119. She was there to watch her son Patrick accept his commission in the finest Army the world has ever known. [True]
120. A few weeks earlier, RoseEllen had watched her other son, James, graduate from the Fire Academy in New York City. [True]
121. On both these days, her thoughts turned to someone who was not there to share the moment: her husband, Kevin Dowdell. [True]
122. 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. [True]
123. His sons lost their father that day - but not the passion for service he instilled in them. [True]
124. 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 am also proud - and I know their dad would be too." [True]
125. Our Nation is blessed to have young Americans like these - and we will need them. [True]
126. Dangerous enemies have declared their intention to destroy our way of life. [True]
127. They are not the first to try - and their fate will be the same as those who tried before. [Perhaps]
128. Nine-Eleven showed us why. [Perhaps]
129. The attacks were meant to bring us to our knees, and they did - but not in the way the terrorists intended. [LIE. Osama Bin Laden had no illusions that such an attack would "bring America to its knees". As pointed out in ABC's "The Path to 9/11" mini-series, Bin Laden and the Taliban began preparing for an expected American retaliation a couple of weeks before 11 Sep 01. Subsequently, in numerous published messages, Bin Laden made it clear that his intent was simply to "send a message" to the American people they could expect their government's deadly conduct in the Middle East to have deadly consequences for them as well. In one message, Bin Laden pointed out that it was the Reagan Administration's indiscriminant gunboat shelling of Lebanese villages in support of Israel's invasion and occupation of Lebanon that first inspired his decision to plan a massive retaliation against American citizens on American soil.]
130. Americans united in prayer ... came to the aid of neighbors in need ... and resolved that our enemies would not have the last word. [According to Jesus Christ, ALL Middle Easterners are our neighbors as well, a point which GW Bush and his supporters have chosen to ignore.]
131. The spirit of our people is the source of America's strength. [True to some extent, but the "American Spirit" can mean different things to different people-sometimes good and sometimes bad.]
132. 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. [GW Bush is using God's name in vain here by equating God's Spirit with his vision of "The American Spirit" and by implying that he represents God. Nobody who lies as much as GW Bush lies and kills or injuries as many men, women, and children as GW Bush has killed or injured can possibly represent God as revealed to us by Jesus Christ. Bush is unknowingly worshiping Satan. Bush often claims to represent God, but he consistently practices satanic principles and uses deadly tools, and often ignores or even opposes the principles taught by Jesus Christ (e.g. like putting faith in the Rule of Law).
133. Thank you, and may God bless you." [God will be far more likely to bless us if we reject GW Bush's way of doing things.]
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Use these ideas to write your letters to the editor to challenge the lies, misleading ideas and flat out errors the Bush Administration lives by and the media ignores.
And thank Chris Currie for providing this useful tool for analyzing our destructive President.
