Bush and Obama 9/11 Remarks: A Study in Contrast

Barack Obama’s Ground Zero “Speech” was a reading of Psalm 46, although he gave it no attribution.  He also provided no context for why he chose that reading, or what lesson he hoped to impart.  It is also evident that he is unfamiliar with the text as he has to look down and over to his teleprompter to read the text. He also paused at the end of every line rather than continuing the thought through multiple lines.  This is an error that many students make when attempting to read Shakespeare as well, and betrays an inability to put his own meaningful intent behind his mere reading of the lines.

George W. Bush in contrast provided a reading from a letter by President Lincoln to a mother who had lost all 5 sons in battle. His introductory remarks provide a context for the reading which allows the listener to find a meaningful comparison between the mother who sacrificed her sons on a field of battle, and the families whose loved ones were lost on 9/11.  In doing so Bush argues that 9/11 was not just an act of terror, but an act of war, and allows the families to see the larger context of their loved ones death.

Bush expanded on this theme the previous day in his speech at the dedication of the memorial to those that died on United 93 at Shanksville, PA.  It is a beautiful speech, I encourage you to watch it in its entirety below.

Obama has often compared himself to Lincoln, but I think it is becoming clear that George W. Bush is more deserving of that comparison.

Gibson Press Release Details Bullying By Obama Justice Dept.

Another example of abuse of authority by the Obama Justice Department.  The original press release can be found at the link below.

Gibson Press Release.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gov’t says wood is illegal if U.S. workers produce it
Thursday, August 25, 2011

The Justice department bullies Gibson without filing charges

The Federal Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. has suggested that the use of wood from India that is not finished by Indian workers is illegal, not because of U.S. law, but because it is the Justice Department’s interpretation of a law in India. (If the same wood from the same tree was finished by Indian workers, the material would be legal.) This action was taken without the support and consent of the government in India.

On August 24, 2011, around 8:45 a.m. CDT, agents for the federal government executed four search warrants on Gibson’s facilities in Nashville and Memphis and seized several pallets of wood, electronic files and guitars. Gibson had to cease its manufacturing operations and send workers home for the day, while armed agents executed the search warrants. Gibson has fully cooperated with the execution of the search warrants.

• Raid shut down Gibson factories and cost company money
This is the second time that federal agents have raided Gibson facilities and disrupted production – this time causing lost productivity and sales.

• Wood seized was Forest Stewardship Council Controlled
The wood the Government seized on August 24 is from a Forest Stewardship Council certified supplier and is FSC Controlled, meaning that the wood complies with the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council, which is an industry-recognized and independent, not-for-profit organization established to promote responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC Controlled Wood standards require, among other things, that the wood not be illegally harvested and not be harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights. See www.fsc.org for more information. Gibson has a long history of supporting sustainable and responsible sources of wood and has worked diligently with entities such as the Rainforest Alliance and Greenpeace to secure FSC certified supplies. The wood seized on August 24 satisfied FSC standards.

• Nearly two years later, no charges have been filed
In 2009, more than a dozen agents with automatic weapons invaded the Gibson factory in Nashville. The Government seized guitars and a substantial amount of ebony fingerboard blanks from Madagascar. To date, 1 year and 9 months later, criminal charges have NOT been filed, yet the Government still holds Gibson’s property. Gibson has obtained sworn statements and documents from the Madagascar government and these materials, which have been filed in federal court, show that the wood seized in 2009 was legally exported under Madagascar law and that no law has been violated. Gibson is attempting to have its property returned in a civil proceeding that is pending in federal court.

The Justice Department has asked the judge to stop the court case indefinitely.

• Information sought in raid was already made available
Since 2009, Gibson has fully cooperated with the Government’s investigation of wood and has provided substantial documentation regarding Gibson’s wood-buying activities over the years. Yet, the Federal Government raided Gibson’s facilities on August 24, 2011, without warning or communication of any kind. Had the Government simply communicated with Gibson, Gibson would have cooperated without having to stop its production and send workers home.

• Not about illegal logging, not about conservation, not about the environment
The U.S. Lacey Act does not directly address conservation issues but is about obeying all laws of the countries from which wood products are procured. This law reads that you are guilty if you did not observe a law even though you had no knowledge of that law in a foreign country. The U.S. Lacey Act is only applicable when a foreign law has been violated.

• Gibson is innocent and will fight to protect its rights
Gibson has complied with foreign laws and believes it is innocent of ANY wrong doing. We will fight aggressively to prove our innocence.

For more information, please contact:
Henry E. Juszkiewicz
c/o Gibson Guitar Corp.
309 Plus Park Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37217
(615) 871-4500 Extension 2405
www.gibson.com

About Gibson Guitar:

Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos. The Gibson Les Paul guitar is the best-selling guitar of all time and bears the name of the late, great Les Paul. Gibson’s line of Robot guitars, including the revolutionary new Firebird X, represents the biggest advances in electric guitar design in over 70 years. The Gibson Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Gibson Guitar Corp., and dedicates its time and services to making the place a better world for children through its support of music, education, health and human services. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Michigan and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.’s family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Echoplex, Electar, Flatiron, Slingerland, Valley Arts, Maestro, Oberheim, Baldwin, Sunshine Piano, Take Anywhere Technology, J&C Fischer, Chickering, Hamilton, and Wurlitzer.

Visit Gibson’s website at www.gibson.com.

For breaking Gibson News: Press RSS Feed.

Follow Gibson on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gibsonguitar and Facebook at www.facebook.com/gibsonguitar.

Gibson, 1-800-4GIBSON (1-800-444-2766) or www.gibson.com

Contacts:

Jeremy Singer / Gibson UK, 020 7167 2144 / Jeremy.Singer@Gibson.com

Chris O’Hearn / Gibson Australia 61 2 9929 2257 / ThrillHillEnt@BigPond.com

White House Insider: The Obama Plan – Part One | Socyberty

White House Insider: The Obama Plan – Part One | Socyberty.

The latest from the White House Insider.  If you are not following this underground narrative of the political machinations within the Democrat Party and the White House, you should be.

Obama Edits the Constitution Again, Doesn’t Need Congress to Issue New Debt

According to Chuck Schumer the Obama administration is considering ignoring the Debt Limit.  It apparently believes that the 4th Section of  14th Amendment ratified in 1865 means something it does not.

It states in part:

“The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.”

Apparently the Obama Administration thinks that this means that “full faith and credit of the United States” can never be questioned and that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner can simply authorize the printing of more money ad infinitum.

Apparently, they missed or more likely just chose to ignore the clause which states that the debt must be “authorized by law.”  If the debt which the Treasury issues, is not authorized by law, it will certainly be questioned, whether Obama likes it or not.

I feel certain Congress will have something to say about this course of action.  Failure to stand up for their Constitutional obligation to authorize the public debt, means that the People will certainly make their voice heard on the subject.

Here is a link to the Washington Examiner Article on the subject: Schumer confirms White House considering ignoring debt limit | Conn Carroll | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner.

 

In the Language of the Party, A Memorial is a Rally

I sat last night watching and tweeting the #memorial last night.  Or was it a political rally.  The answer I think is that it is both.  And neither.  And therein lies the real problem.

I watched last night because I believed in the possibility of some sort of communal healing occurring at the event which might unite the country after the last week of rancorous bloodletting.  I came out of it more worried than ever about our future as a nation.

I was impressed with Obama’s speech.  I thought he struck the right tone and tamped down the various “blood libel” type memes that have been working their way over the media and internet surrounding this event.  None of which I believe are helpful.  Conservatives are not to blame for this event, nor are liberals.  If we fall into the trap of blame, we are playing into the Marxist ideology that states that individuals actions are scripted due to societal influences rather than their own monstrous criminal acts. This of course was also Sarah Palin’s point in her video statement from yesterday which can be found here.

So what did happen last night?  First of all as someone with great experience in theatre, and the staging of events, nothing that wasn’t planned or at least foreseen by those that planned the event.

So let’s subject the event to a little analysis and see what we find.

It was billed as a memorial for the dead and wounded.  But it seemed to those of us watching it was more of a pep rally.

I wouldn’t have minded that, if it was sold as a Rally for Tucson.  But it wasn’t.  It was however branded as “Together We Thrive” which seems like a crass reworking of the “Yes We Can” mantra enough on the face of it. Michelle Malkin’s piece on this can be found here.

What this brings to light though is the way that Conservatives think of a “Memorial” which is solemn, reverent, based in faith traditions, and focuses on the individuals and families in question, and the Post-Modern/Neo-Marxist idea of “Memorialization” which works to place the individual within their appropriate identity politic and hold them up as an example to be followed and exalted.

That is the dissonance we witnessed last night.  In Party Speak: “A Memorial is a Rally.” It is also why the leader of the Party got to say all the words of condolence, provide all the biographical information on the dead and wounded, and deliver the news that “She opened her eyes” as though it was an accomplishment that he had something to do with, instead of letting a friend, family member, rabbi, deliver that news.

This was not a tightly scripted political rally in the guise of a “memorial.” And while it may have helped the Obama it did not help Tucson, Arizona, or America.

We need a real memorial.  For a country that used to know how to grieve, rather than simply scream on cue for its leaders.

 

Scott Boston @scottsboton