"The
synonym of nitwit is "fool," or a "simple-witted
person." When used as a verb, fool means to "trick, dupe
or delude." It could be argued that Bush owns that particular
word..."
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It Takes a
Nitwit
Posted March 23, 2004 thepeoplesvoice.org
By: Sheila Samples
"Who would prefer that Saddam's torture chambers still be open --
who would wish that more mass graves were still being filled?"
Can we have a show of hands, here? You?
You? Or, maybe You?
While lecturing
a group of what he alleged to be representatives and diplomats of
"84 countries united against a common danger and joined in a common
purpose," George Bush last Friday followed up ghoulishly rhetorical
questions that could not be answered, with ridiculous rhetorical
assertions that could not be proved -- let alone understood.
There may have been 84 people present,
but after a headcount of National Security Council members,
administration folks, members of the armed forces and a covey of
media-savvy congressmen, one might reasonably question the actual size
of the international "coalition" in the room...
No matter. It was a campaign speech for
media consumption -- "braying points" to be passed on to a
gullible world. Bush's hostage audience might as well have been brightly
smiling Ken and Barbie dolls, programmed to ram their little hands
together in faux applause whenever he pauses, looks around earnestly,
and smirks.
"The fight is between civilization
and terror," Bush said, interrupting his two-year mantra to ominously
remind Spain and Poland there is no neutral ground between the
two. "NO neutral ground between good and evil." he repeated,
and paused, allowing the sharp edge of his "you're either with us
or you're with the terrorists" doctrine to sink in amidst the
applause.
What does it take to admonish other world
leaders it is their duty to fight terror stirred up by deadly,
reckless action based on deliberate lies? Courage? Does it take courage
to call Spain cowardly because it heeded the cries of 91-percent of its
population and called a stop to drinking from the cup of madness --
courage to sneer at Poland, who rightfully resents being
"misled" into war, and recoils at further sacrifice of its
citizens?
No. It takes a nitwit.
I don't mean to be rude, but that's the
only possible explanation. The synonym of nitwit is "fool," or
a "simple-witted person." When used as a verb, fool means to
"trick, dupe or delude." It could be argued that Bush owns
that particular word...
But someone should remind Bush there is a
vast difference between leading the people and owning the
people, and it is foolhardy to think otherwise. Americans can be an
awesome collective force if enough of them realize they've been duped or
deliberately misled into shedding innocent blood. Bush could face
consequences for assuming anybody but the media will follow his rules --
the first of which is "pluck out your lying eyes and believe only
what I tell you..."
"The people of Afghanistan are a
world away from the nightmare of the Taliban," Bush boasted.
"Citizens of Afghanistan have adopted a new constitution,
guaranteeing free elections and full participation by women. The new
Afghan army is becoming a vital force of stability in that country.
Businesses are opening, health care centers are being established, and
the children of Afghanistan are back in school, boys and girls."
Now, those of us with half sense and one
eye -- who do occasionally read newspapers -- know the grisly reality of
what's going on in Afghanistan. According to a March 8 Human Rights
Watch (HRW) report,
there is no stability in that ravaged country. In fact, the report says
the United States is undermining efforts to restore the rule of law and
endangering the lives of civilians by "using excessive force to
make arrests, mistreating detainees and holding them indefinitely in a
'legal black hole' without any legal safeguards."
HRW documents accounts of US soldiers,
acting on intelligence from tribal "sources," announcing their
arrival at suspects' homes by "blowing doors open with grenades
rather than knocking." They round up whole families and imprison
them at US bases at Bagram, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Asadabad, where the
report says there is "compelling evidence" detainees undergo
"torture or cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment..."
When fools lie, people die.
Bush went on to tell his enthralled
audience that, one year ago, our strong coalition "entered"
Iraq to enforce United Nations demands, to defend security, and to
liberate Iraq from the rule of a tyrant. What -- no weapons of mass
destruction, no grave and gathering dangers -- no massive and sudden
horror --no mushroom clouds?
Bush gave a sterling "Baghdad
Bob" performance at the White House on Friday, gloating about
success and peace in Iraq, while buildings exploded behind him -- body
parts flew through the air. He failed to mention that we lost 19
soldiers just last week, but proudly maintained that every soldier,
every aid worker and every Iraqi who has fought (and died?) "can
look with pride on a brave and historic achievement. They've served in
freedom's cause," he said fervently, "and that is a
privilege..."
To Bush, recognition as a noble,
called-by-God war president is so neat it will be the centerpiece of his
presidential campaign. He sees the bloody chaos in Afghanistan and Iraq,
which he prefers to describe as "liberating
more than 50 million people from tyranny" as his greatest
achievement, and foolishly plans to ride it back into the White House in
November. So, Bush appeared to be in full-metal campaign jacket when he
happily told the assembled group -- with Condi Rice nodding approvingly
behind him --
"It is a good thing that the men
and women across the Middle East, looking to Iraq, are getting a glimpse
of what life in a free country can be like."
Are you listening, freedom-loving
Americans?
Bush just keeps making the pie of lies
higher and higher, trusting the evil machinations of Karl "turd
blossom" Rove, the legions of pundits marching in lockstep to media
assignments from within the network of right-wing "think
tanks," and his buddies in the corporate media to clean it all up
for him.
Fortunately, in spite of all this,
Americans are beginning to count the body bags. They're remembering the
warnings and reports of weapons inspectors Scott Ritter, Hans Blix,
David Kay and, albeit belatedly -- Richard Butler. They're noticing that
intelligent and experienced people within the administration -- for
whatever reason -- are abandoning ship just months before the election.
Courageous and dogged congressmen such as Democrat Henry Waxman and
Republican Ron Paul, the brashly honest former Treasury Secretary Paul
O'Neill, respected former ambassador Joseph Wilson, and the latest --
Richard Clarke, terrorism specialist with a sterling track record under four
US presidents -- are cracks in the dike of lies that the media is
hard-pressed to plug.
Americans intuitively resent Bush's
blocking, stonewalling and thwarting any investigation into why we're in
this mess. Some, many of them Christians, are coming to their senses and
acknowledging what they knew all along -- that even the most powerful
man in the world lacks the spiritual ability to rid the world of evil,
or to pass out freedom like God's own Santa Claus. They may even suspect
it takes a nitwit to come up with such an intellectual absurdity.
Because of daily exposure of his
scurrilous deceit and destructive lies that have wrought such damage at
home and abroad, it's amazing that George Bush has the audacity to keep
showing his face in public. But the village of nitwits it takes to
enable him is shrinking steadily -- it's heartening to see observant
Americans turn away from him in embarrassment; some even in
disgust.
Maybe that's because they're beginning to
notice it's not his face he keeps exposing...
-###-
Sheila Samples is an Oklahoma
freelance writer, a former US Army Public Information Officer and Axis
of Logic contributing editor. Reprint permission is granted if it
includes name of author and Axis of Logic designation. Email her at sheila@axisoflogic.com /
http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_5769.shtml