Different Views

Different views of the United States

A BBC reporter, Rob Watson, is leaving the United States. As he puts it: "In these times of anti-Americanism this is by way of a love letter to the country where I have lived for a quarter of my life."

He gets it. The full column is

It may all go back to Thomas Jefferson's claim in the Declaration of Independence in 1776 that the pursuit of happiness is among life's unalienable rights. Whether it is or not, I have no idea, but certainly most of the Americans I know are in hot pursuit of the happiness thing."
Why is it that someone from the BBC from an EU country gets it and many in our own country don’t? It is because of the blinders put on people that for some reason everything the United States, in particular our President, does is wrong. This self-hatred is clear in the MSM every damn day. It reminds me of the fact that freedom as we know it depends on letting the hatred continue and defend the nut cases right to their hatred. However, it does not mean we have to stand idly by and say nothing. Those of us who love this country have an obligation to let that love shine out to the world.
"So thanks for everything America. I know they say long distance relationships do not work out, but do not worry, my feelings will not change. Until I return, I will not mind telling anyone that the rest of the world has far more to learn from you than it has to fear."
Thank you for the kind words, Rob Watson, and say hello to Mr. Holmes for us.

Also in the news today is a report from the NY Times on conversations secretly recorded, of the President while he was deciding to run for the office and during that first run. These recordings were done by a "friend" of the Bush family, named Doug Wead.
"Mr. Wead said he recorded the conversations because he viewed Mr. Bush as a historic figure, but he said he knew that the president might regard his actions as a betrayal. As the author of a new book about presidential childhoods, Mr. Wead could benefit from any publicity, but he said that was not a motive in disclosing the tapes."
DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK the NY Times reporter did a fair to poor report, in my opinion, on the information he was furnished. He stressed the party animal that our President was back in the day, the old stories of drug use and sowing the wild oats of the time. But that is old news and is a non-starter for the American majority. I confess, I was worse than the President back in the day as were most of the same generation. Kirkpatrick, give it a rest. "Let him without sin cast the first stone." I doubt that would be you, Kirkpatrick. The full article is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/20/politics/20talk.html?ex=1109566800&en=0c6fd3ada107ec30&ei=5065&partner=MYWAY
Kirkpatrick also stressed belief in God as perhaps a bad thing because of support received from conservative Christians. What he couldn’t cover-up was the fact that this President did stick to his beliefs and did not bind to the will of others. He refused to gay bash, was angry with conservatives for trying to spin that fact.
"The private Mr. Bush sounds remarkably similar in many ways to the public President Bush. Many of the taped comments foreshadow aspects of his presidency, including his opposition to both anti-gay language and recognizing same-sex marriage, his skepticism about the United Nations, his sense of moral purpose and his focus on cultivating conservative Christian voters."
In my opinion this would mean that our President is who he states he is and that is not a surprise to the majority of Americans. All of the tapes were from before he became the President. Why is it such a surprise to the MSM that President Bush is exactly who he states he is and always has been that person? As for his core beliefs and what keeps the man focused on the job, here is a quote from the tape.
"When Mr. Wead warned him that "power corrupts," for example, Mr. Bush told him not to worry: ‘"I have got a great wife. And I read the Bible daily. The Bible is pretty good about keeping your ego in check."’"
This is well worth reading even with the spin. Why Wead would state that he is a "friend" of the family and gained nothing from releasing these tapes? In my opinion Wead should be told that his book will be boycotted. He is no friend of the Bush family, nor is he a friend to the United States, in my opinion. He taped the conversations for his own personal gain and thus should receive none. All the proof I need is the fact that the information was given to the most strident voice of hatred for our President, the New York Times. I would expect a 60minutes, Dan Rather report very soon.