Should we trust George W. Bush?

World Net Daily ^ | 8/29/02 | Harry Browne

[feelin_poorly]

Shortly after 9-11, TV talk-show host Sean Hannity said, "Thank God, we have an honest man in the White House!"

And when you think about it, a great deal of what you might believe about the so-called War on Terrorism is based on statements from George W. Bush. You have only his word, or that of someone in his administration:

• that Iraq, which George Bush is dying to invade, still has "weapons of mass destruction" that threaten Americans directly;

• that Osama bin Laden masterminded the 9-11 attacks (the infamous videotape demonstrated his joy at the success of the attacks, not his participation);

• that the people being imprisoned as terrorists really are terrorists – even though they've received no public trial (whether you believe terrorists deserve to be protected by the Bill of Rights is irrelevant. You don't even know that they are terrorists until they receive a fair trial under the Bill of Rights);

• that the Bush administration won't misuse the private information it's acquiring through its massive violations of civil liberties.

Since America is endangered by the "you're either with me or against me" tactics of the Bush administration, it becomes vital to know whether we can trust the man in charge of our government.

The record

So does George Bush's record inspire confidence in his honesty?

Unfortunately, this is the same man who has referred to trillions of dollars in budget surpluses – even though the federal government hasn't had a budget surplus since 1956. (The appearance of any "surpluses" was created by taking excess receipts from Social Security and applying them to the general budget, even as the politicians swore they were protecting Social Security.)

Mr. Bush even has the chutzpah to refer with a straight face (well not exactly a straight face, he loves to smirk) to corporate executives "cooking the books." He neglects to mention that many of the corporate bookkeeping methods the politicians are so incensed about today were motivated by rules imposed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

And George Bush is the same man who in 2000 said he believed in "limited government." Most people assumed he meant a government limited by the Constitution. In fact, he took an oath in which he swore to uphold the Constitution.

But he's violated virtually every one of the first 10 Amendments – especially the Ninth and 10th Amendments, which are meant to impose precise limits on his power.

• He's willing to give your tax money to foreign dictators who claim they "need" it (meaning they've gone too deeply in debt by spending money on palaces and other forms of self-aggrandizement);

• He wants to escalate the spending of your tax money on farm subsidies, health care, welfare, government schools, the War on Drugs, propaganda and other programs – none of which are authorized in the Constitution;

• He believes we should trust him and his minions when they tell us the unnamed people they've locked up are not entitled to the protections of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments.

• He claims he can attack Iraq without a congressional declaration of war – even though the Constitution clearly gives such authority exclusively to Congress.

So his belief in "limited government" apparently means government limited to what he wants to do.

George Bush is the same man who in one breath tries to ingratiate himself with you by saying, "It's your money, not the politicians' money" – but in the next breath, he says he's entitled to one third of "your money."

George Bush is the same man who said he has learned more about political philosophy from Jesus of Nazareth than from anyone else. But he's proven by his actions that he doesn't really believe such things as "Blessed are the peacemakers." And "the meek" who Jesus said would inherit the earth are in Mr. Bush's eyes really just "collateral damage" in his plans to tell the world how it must live.

Is honesty important?

In these and in so many other ways, George Bush has proven that he's not an honest man – and that we shouldn't trust him with the safety of America.

In fact, Thomas Jefferson understood that we shouldn't put our trust in any politician. He said we should bind them down from mischief "by the chains of the Constitution." And a truly honest man wouldn't even ask you to trust him.

Contrary to what you might have thought, this isn't an article about George Bush. It's an article about you. Are you going to demean yourself by putting your faith in a man who has done so much to demonstrate the folly of such faith?

Are you going to let politicians stampede you into throwing away the Bill of Rights, based on "evidence" you never see, reassured by politicians who have proven that the truth is secondary to their own ambitions?

Don't you have enough respect for your own mind to make your own decisions, refuse to accept conclusions without evidence, and be something better than a cheerleader for a politician or a political party?

[dark_lord]

>>So does George Bush's record inspire confidence in his honesty?
100 Trillion more times than ANY liberal's level of honesty. That enough for you?
Wait a minute. It is possible to be liberal (liberal == deluded) and honest. Plenty of dumb, ignorant, but honest people out there.

[Amelia]

For the first time since 1992, I have a president I trust absolutely; look to for an example of what leadership really is; profoundly understands what personal examples he must set as a righteous man walking with God as the Commander-In-Chief; and, who makes me proud to be an American living in America.

I like this President Bush better than I liked his father.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

I stand with the President. God bless President Bush.

Ditto and Amen !!!!!!!!

[Japedo]

Neither, given current conditions. One is becoming a monarchy while the other is a dictatorship. I'd MUCH prefer the Country that we had just 40 short years ago before the federal government starting sticking its nose into every facet of our private lives. The lesser of two evils is still evil, after all.

KentuckyWoman, Keep the faith... You're doing a good Job standing by your convictions. Nothing In your posts that I saw would say you're a leftist,Unfair Flames if you ask me. Keep posting your conservative posts... Popular isn't always right! :)
Live Free or Die trying

[Freemeorkillme]

passing along post #103, that is.

[eddie willers]

Nobody wants to preserve the Constitution more than me but the reality is that this country or World will never go back to 1776 so we're gonna have to make decisions that get the best results for our Nation right here, right now.

War changes everything, but we MUST watch those changes.

At this point in time, I'm not sure I would do anything different than what GW has done.
But I wouldn't like it.
I hope he doesn't like it.

The Patriot Act...Janet Reno's holdover FEMA etc. are the "dangerous fire" that the first GW (George Washington) warned us about.

I simply have to trust George Bush...
The alternative is too terrible to bare.

But I will continue to watch.

[aSkeptic]

" This is MY Country, too, bubba and, unless I woke up in Russia this morning, I can still, at least, SAY what I want and do what I can to effect a change without being shot for it. Give it time, however, and I may not be able to say what with 'hate-crimes', the Patriot Act, Carnivore, Echelon and the FEMA "temporary cities" being implemented even as we speak. "

Yep! Enjoy the freedom while we still have them. I'm not leaving this country. If thousands of us "dissapear" in the middle of the night because of state paranoia, they better kill us because we will be back... with a VENGANCE!

[lonestar]

He told you what you were thinking. Now hush. After all, he KNOWS.

I've put myself in the corner!

Doesn't it irk you that some people think only they care and only they have the answers?

After a while, it's obvious they don't even understand the question.

[Howlin]

Doesn't it irk you that some people think only they care and only they have the answers?

Yes, it does. And it alwasy seems to be the 1 percenters, or in Browne's case the .036 percenters

The one that's REALLY getting on my nerves lately is the one about how the people with BRAINS have all been banned!

[Freemeorkillme]

I should put "For the first time since 1992" in context. I should have said, "For the first time in a decade(of decadence)". From whom all Blessings Flow!

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Doesn't it irk you that some people think only they care and only they have the answers?

Yep. That elite attitude reminds me of a recent administration and its cronies.

[Howlin]

Everybody's watching. I'm insulted when people act like we'd all just sit back and LET them take our freedoms away.

[jwalsh07]

Harry Browne has become a caricature of himself and he was no bargain to begin with.

[Amelia]

I should have said, "For the first time in a decade(of decadence)". From whom all Blessings Flow!

THAT I can agree with!

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

The one that's REALLY getting on my nerves lately is the one about how the people with BRAINS have all been banned!

Yeah, but if they're part-time AFers, connected in the right places, they reincarnate with no questions asked.

[WhiteGuy]

Should we trust George W. Bush?

No.

He is a politician, and he is a Bush.

That's enough for me.

[DeadManRunning]

I thought he may be interested. Freepers call it a ping. Are you guys familiar with the term?

[Jim Robinson]

The thing I don't understand, Francis, is this. If you hate Free Republic so much, why do you keep coming back? You guys have your own forun now. Why don't you spend your time over there? Why do you feel the need to keep coming back here to jam you fork in our eyes? How do you justify this behaviour? Were you not breast fed or what?

[Amelia]

In the context of your post, what does FAB mean?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Do we have a body count yet on this thread?

BigMack