Lies, Deceptions, and the American People
Oct. 19th, 2004 09:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chickenSo the BBC World News reporter, Claire Balderson, was just on NPR, interviewing 'typical' Americans in non-coastal Oregon, to find out the voting moods of the Republicans there. Here are some things these people said:
- One woman disagreed with Bush's handling of Iraq. She thinks he should have attacked them on Sep 14, 2001, and should have bombed the shit out of them, because "they declared war on us, we didn't attack them".
To which the incredulous reporter replied, "no, Al Qaeda attacked us".
The idiot Republican responded, "I don't care, they [al qaeda] are FROM there, kill them all."
Where on earth does this insane lie come from? Most of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia! Many were trained to fight in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda members by and large are not from Iraq. Right??
- Another man claimed that Bush was 'for less government' and that Bush believes the government should stay out of people's lives.
This seems false -- Bush believes in an anti-gay marriage Constitutional amendment, a government *intrusion* into people's lives. Bush believes the government should give lots of tax breaks to big corporations, which is not 'less government' but rather MORE government. Bush supports huge government subsidies of agribusiness. Bush thinks the government should decide that women should never have abortions -- another federal meddling in people's lives.
So why, WHY do so many Republicans believe the lie?
- This same man claimed that rural Oregon folks identify with Bush because he is a 'down-to-earth', regular guy, a farmer and rancher just as they themselves are, a man who "won't think twice about pulling a horse out of the mud".
This is disingenuous at best -- it ignores the wealthy New England roots of Bush Sr., and the privilege and pampering of a sinecure Yale education and exemption from military service. How can any economically-strapped American possibly identify with George W. Bush's cushy, privileged upbringing and support for his wealthy oilmen friends like the Haliburton chaps?
- A farmer selling apples said he thought Bush was doing a terrible job now, but that right after 9/11 he was 'a good leader' and that that was enough to get him to vote for Bush again.
This claims seems to be refuted by the 9/11 commission, or at least put into enormous question. WHATEVER.
- One woman disagreed with Bush's handling of Iraq. She thinks he should have attacked them on Sep 14, 2001, and should have bombed the shit out of them, because "they declared war on us, we didn't attack them".
To which the incredulous reporter replied, "no, Al Qaeda attacked us".
The idiot Republican responded, "I don't care, they [al qaeda] are FROM there, kill them all."
Where on earth does this insane lie come from? Most of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia! Many were trained to fight in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda members by and large are not from Iraq. Right??
- Another man claimed that Bush was 'for less government' and that Bush believes the government should stay out of people's lives.
This seems false -- Bush believes in an anti-gay marriage Constitutional amendment, a government *intrusion* into people's lives. Bush believes the government should give lots of tax breaks to big corporations, which is not 'less government' but rather MORE government. Bush supports huge government subsidies of agribusiness. Bush thinks the government should decide that women should never have abortions -- another federal meddling in people's lives.
So why, WHY do so many Republicans believe the lie?
- This same man claimed that rural Oregon folks identify with Bush because he is a 'down-to-earth', regular guy, a farmer and rancher just as they themselves are, a man who "won't think twice about pulling a horse out of the mud".
This is disingenuous at best -- it ignores the wealthy New England roots of Bush Sr., and the privilege and pampering of a sinecure Yale education and exemption from military service. How can any economically-strapped American possibly identify with George W. Bush's cushy, privileged upbringing and support for his wealthy oilmen friends like the Haliburton chaps?
- A farmer selling apples said he thought Bush was doing a terrible job now, but that right after 9/11 he was 'a good leader' and that that was enough to get him to vote for Bush again.
This claims seems to be refuted by the 9/11 commission, or at least put into enormous question. WHATEVER.
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-19 10:58 am (UTC)I used to edit letters for my hometown newspaper, and after 9/11, I can't tell you how many times I had to edit out racial slurs for Arab peoples or how many letters said, "Let's kill them all" or "George W. is a great leader" or "Every Friday I protest Planned Parenthood", etc.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-20 07:01 am (UTC)That's scary, since it means that the real fringers are a total lost cause. Also, what with Fox News around, and CNN having become more and more right wing, the liberal can not be described as 'liberal'. Even NPR strives to invite right wing guests on the talk shows, for real balance (unlike the TV networks), although of course some of those invitees decline the invitation.
I used to edit letters for my hometown newspaper, and after 9/11, I can't tell you how many times I had to edit out racial slurs for Arab peoples or how many letters said, "Let's kill them all" or "George W. is a great leader" or "Every Friday I protest Planned Parenthood", etc.
That's sad and horrible. It is a good thing you, instead of someone less informed, were the editor.
After 9/11, we got some hate email in response to our Qu'ran website (which, dude, is a purely academic site and is not religious in nature -- we have the Bible and the Qu'ran online in several translations, which can be compared for academic study).
(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-20 03:53 pm (UTC)Unfortunatly, by the time those letters go to me, they'd already been okay'd by the editor. Of course, he didn't catch everything, but he let a lot more intolerance slid than he should've.
is a purely academic site and is not religious in nature
That's horrible.