Mail from a Bush Hater

Trying to fend off this Bush hater is proving exhaustive - if anyone can help me with good refutations, I would be thrilled....(see below)

With Bush and animals his record seems rather suspect. As a kid there were accounts of him placing m-80's in the mouths of frogs and blowing them up. He also accepted an award with the Safari Club International which promotes the killing of exotic and rare animals (to become a highly decorated trophy hunter in that organization you have to kill over 322 different species of animals). Actually his authorized and unauthorized biography might be two great titles to read while I am on the train and buses in Argentina and Chile later this month.

With Iraq here are a few points to consider. First, it appears as though you are basing your knowledge of the president on a book that he has authorized. Do you think that this source is unbiased? Meeting him in 2000 may not be a really accurate representation either considering that he was campaigning for office. As for his reliance on Christ, unfortunately that doesn't always translate into sound decisions. First have we not seen examples in history right up through modern times where we thought a man was living in a Christ like fashion only later to find out that this may not have been the case? (Priests and religious leaders for example). Now lets say that these individuals did have a intense reliance on Christ even though their actions were less than Christ-like, is Bush not susceptible to faltering like these individuals did?

Saddam was actually complying with the weapons inspectors when he kicked them out after he got wind of the US wanting to infiltrate his government and take it over. You were mentioning Bin Laden. I'm sure that you know that we helped to finance him during the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. In fact the truth about Afghanistan is finally starting to come out. Namely the massive oil reserves in Turkmenistan. The US needs Afghanistan so the it can build a pipeline to get the oil out of there. After the attacks on the World trade center it made it really easy to sell a war in Afghanistan to the American people. Now surely it must be co-incidental that Bush has very strong personal ties with the oil industry and that the US(and some very large and powerful US corporations) has been interested in building pipelines across Afghanistan.

Now with Iraq I'm not going to argue that Saddam is a great leader. However, the points from that book hit the nail on the head as far as why we want to go in there and why Tony Blair is supporting us. Oil. Cheap oil will benefit us more than any other country on the face of the earth. Why? Because we consume more oil than any other nation. In fact cheap oil is the cornerstone of our economy today. It is no secret that if the price of oil was to double that it would send our nation into a depression. If we were to lower our price of oil even more then it would give the economy of our country a shot in the arm. Now ask yourself this. As a Catholic is it not morally wrong to kill other people for your economic gain?

Notice that Bush has also done very little to promote the development of energy sources or modes of transportation such as mass transit to reduce our need to consume such large amounts of energy. Why is the development of hydrogen power not a top energy priority? His ties with oil interests couldn't have a relationship to that. In essence he is rolling the dice with other peoples lives for his own personal gain (my opinion). The effects for the people of Iraq are really afterthoughts. If the primary mission was to lift these people out of oppression then why aren't we going into Libya, or Chechnya, North Korea, or China? If we were interested in dealing with the slave trade then why aren't our troops massing in Western Africa? The cheap oil helping the worlds poor is wishful thinking. Just look at the price of Gasoline in some of the third world countries.

The average price of gas in the US is $1.47, in Mexico it is $1.97, in Costa Rica it is $2.17, in Peru it is $2.35, in Brazil it is $2.95, in Chile it is $2.00 and in Argentina it is $4.01. Now how is a lower gas price going to help the poor in these nations when the government adds such high taxes to energy. I was in Peru back in September and had a chance to talk to many of the locals. The average salary if you are employed there is $5,000 a year. You see how much gas costs. To buy a car over there you pay almost double what you would pay for the same car here in the United States (more even than Europe!). The governments are holding back the people, not the world price of oil.

Okay, here are some sample replies. Please note: you can't refute conjecture.

With Bush and animals his record seems rather suspect. As a kid there were accounts of him placing m-80's in the mouths of frogs and blowing them up.

A) Who HASN'T blown up frogs as a kid?
B) So he has a military record after all.
C) Obviously he was a compassionate kid. Most kids would've stuck the explosives up the frog's Clymer.

He also accepted an award with the Safari Club International which promotes the killing of exotic and rare animals (to become a highly decorated trophy hunter in that organization you have to kill over 322 different species of animals).

A)Well, he can't go having 322 live rare and exotic animals running around his den.
B)You try sticking an M-80 up a wildebeest's Clymer. You SHOULD get an award for that.
C) Bush bags animals, Clinton bags babes. What's your point?

Actually his authorized and unauthorized biography might be two great titles to read while I am on the train and buses in Argentina and Chile later this month.

A) You oughta try reading the whole books.
B) I'll be thinking of you when I'm tooling down the highway in my SUV.
C) I'll give you ten bucks if you go to the Town Square in Chile and shout, "Pinochet rules!". I'll give you 20 bucks if you go into the Town Square in Argentina and yell, "Margaret Thatcher rules!".

With Iraq here are a few points to consider. First, it appears as though you are basing your knowledge of the president on a book that he has authorized. Do you think that this source is unbiased?

A) No, I think the source is biased.... towards accuracy.
B) What does the author of a book have to do with Sodom Insane being a threat to world peace?
C) It depends on what the meaning of "is" is.

Meeting him in 2000 may not be a really accurate representation either considering that he was campaigning for office. As for his reliance on Christ, unfortunately that doesn't always translate into sound decisions.

A) I agree. But enough about Jesse Jackson's sex life.
B) I agree. Can you imagine how difficult it is to make sound decisions WITHOUT having Christ in your life?

First have we not seen examples in history right up through modern times where we thought a man was living in a Christ like fashion only later to find out that this may not have been the case? (Priests and religious leaders for example).

A) Refer to above.

Now lets say that these individuals did have a intense reliance on Christ even though their actions were less than Christ-like, is Bush not susceptible to faltering like these individuals did?

A) Who said he wasn't?

Saddam was actually complying with the weapons inspectors when he kicked them out after he got wind of the US wanting to infiltrate his government and take it over.

A)Ahhh, and who is your source for this info? Jim McDermott?
B) I agree. We should've turned Baghdad into a 2000 hole golf course.
C) Sayyyyy, are you Scott Ritter?

You were mentioning Bin Laden. I'm sure that you know that we helped to finance him during the Russian occupation of Afghanistan.

A) Actually, we were helping the Mujahedin (sp?)
B) And he thanks us by flying planes into our skyscrapers?
C) And now Bin Laden is occupying Afghanistan.....what's left of him.

In fact the truth about Afghanistan is finally starting to come out. Namely the massive oil reserves in Turkmenistan. The US needs Afghanistan so the it can build a pipeline to get the oil out of there.

A) Ah, so President Bush ordered Bin Laden to fly planes into American buildings so he would have an excuse to build oil pipelines in Afghanistan. Got it.
B) Who is your source for this info? David Bonior?
C) America sucks, huh?

After the attacks on the World trade center it made it really easy to sell a war in Afghanistan to the American people.

Damn straight.

Now surely it must be co-incidental that Bush has very strong personal ties with the oil industry and that the US(and some very large and powerful US corporations) has been interested in building pipelines across Afghanistan.

Let's see. The first attack on the WTC was in 1993. Who was President then?

Now with Iraq I'm not going to argue that Saddam is a great leader.

Great leader, maniacal dictator...what's the diff?

However, the points from that book hit the nail on the head as far as why we want to go in there and why Tony Blair is supporting us. Oil. Cheap oil will benefit us more than any other country on the face of the earth.

Woohoo!

Why?

Who cares?!

Because we consume more oil than any other nation.

And we still find time to feed the world.

In fact cheap oil is the cornerstone of our economy today.

Damn straight.

It is no secret that if the price of oil was to double that it would send our nation into a depression.

Duh.

If we were to lower our price of oil even more then it would give the economy of our country a shot in the arm.

Lower OUR price of oil? What?

Now ask yourself this. As a Catholic is it not morally wrong to kill other people for your economic gain?

Is this a trick question?

Why wasn't hydrogen power not a top priority of Clinton's? Or Carter's? Or Nixon's? Or Johnson's? Or Kennedy's? Or Eisenhower's? Or Truman's? Or ....well, you get the idea.

In essence he is rolling the dice with other peoples lives for his own personal gain (my opinion). The effects for the people of Iraq are really afterthoughts.

(Your opinion)

If the primary mission was to lift these people out of oppression then why aren't we going into Libya, or Chechnya, North Korea, or China?

Because Clinton decimated our military. Thanks to him, we can only fight one war at a time. Be patient. We'll get to those other countries in due course. BTW, how much oil does North Korea have?

If we were interested in dealing with the slave trade then why aren't our troops massing in Western Africa?

The slave trade? How did we get on the slave trade?

The cheap oil helping the worlds poor is wishful thinking.

If it wasn't for cheap oil, we wouldn't be able to feed the world. And besides, you said yourself cheap oil is good for economies.

Just look at the price of Gasoline in some of the third world countries. The average price of gas in the US is $1.47, in Mexico it is $1.97, in Costa Rica it is $2.17, in Peru it is $2.35, in Brazil it is $2.95, in Chile it is $2.00 and in Argentina it is $4.01. Now how is a lower gas price going to help the poor in these nations when the government adds such high taxes to energy.

Hey, I'm with you on that one. I detest high taxes.

I was in Peru back in September and had a chance to talk to many of the locals. The average salary if you are employed there is $5,000 a year. You see how much gas costs. To buy a car over there you pay almost double what you would pay for the same car here in the United States (more even than Europe!). The governments are holding back the people, not the world price of oil.

Amen to that ! ! ! Hey! It looks like you are coming around! Remember....baby steps.

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