The Church of Bush by Rick Perlstein

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0429/perlstein.php ^ | 8/3/04 | Rick Perlstein

[#3Fan]

Clinton perfected that art. Liars all.

[Constitution Day]

A typical hate-filled leftist, posturing as a patriot.

Hatriot.

[onyx]

HA! Hatriot!

I like that! :)

[Constitution Day]

I certainly didn't come up with it, but I like it too. ;)

[Col Freeper]

I have come to the conclusion that individuals like Rick Perlstein will forever attack others in a vain attempt to keep from having to take a painful look in the mirror at themselves.

If you stop and think about your past for a minute, you will probably be able to remember one of the Rick's of the world -- the guy or girl who wouldn't participate in anything because it was "stupid" and "only idiots would want to do that".

Unlike most, who, while afraid, took the necessary risks to participate, the Ricks could never assimilate and join in with normal folks, could never take a joke, and were always on the fringes, or on the outside looking in, as people joked, laughed, made fools of them selves, got over it and moved on with their lives.

No matter how many peace offerings, or helping hands were offered, the Ricks couldn't accept them, because they were frozen into self-dislike, masked by their dislike of the "morons" they saw all around them.

As time passed, the Ricks become more and more bitter, convincing themselves that the world isn't "fair" (which, of course is a silly premise, but makes for good ground cover to hide under, and keeps the self-examinations at bay), and dreaming of some utopia that would just come about if only those "morons" would stop persecuting the victims like Rick.

Some of them, like Rick, found that they could use the power of the pen effectively to attack, and in doing so, garnered praise from others with the same paranoia as Rick's. They found that if they moved to somewhere where the self-proclaimed victims congregated (San Francisco, New York) they could feel that finally they were with the "in" crowd. And while professing their individuality, all of them could write interchangeable articles which fed the group's paranoia towards the "morons".

They got paid for writing attack articles, ran with the "in" crowd, and cackled at the poor slobs who were to un-enlightened to realize the value of the Ricks of the world.

Unfortunately, the Ricks failed to realize that they would do to each other exactly what they would do the the "morons" that they hated so much. Of course to remain as part of the "in" crowd and fend of the rest of the world, they have to pretend to really like each other (at least until one of them leaves the room, and then the rest can have an attack-fest on the one who left).

So there they set, day after day, year after year, pretending to be happy, publishing articles which attack the things that normal people consider good, and congratulating each other on their wittiness.

Without doubt, they irritate us with the illogic and viciousness of their attacks. However, it is actually sad to see one of God's creatures spend their whole lives attempting to torment others, just to keep from facing the torment they carry around inside themselves.

They will eventually face death, knowing deep in their hearts that they were never able to connect with anyone else, and that at their wake, their "friends" will snidely provide gushing, but negative, remarks about everything from the quality and color of the casket, to the "stupid" selection of clothes that the "normal" grieving family wore.

So I see Rick as a man with a small and hard heart, who will live his life attacking others in attempt to gain some self-acclaim, and will always be "on the outside looking in", just as he is when he comes to FR. He can participate in the on-line forum known as FR, but will not participate in the "stupid" human interaction which is the lifeblood of FR (and of normal life).

Of course, we must continue to fight the Ricks with all our energy, to ensure that his distorted view of the world never becomes the norm in America, but it is indeed sad to watch one of God's creatures continue to act in such a manner towards his fellow men.

A prayer for God to touch Rick's heart, to ease his self-created torment, and allow him to come into the light, would seem to be in order. I have prayed for him. I hope it is answered.

[lugsoul]

What if I can document that he said it on two different occasions in public fora? And that one of them is available on the White House website?

[lugsoul]

Yes, he did. He said he saw it before he went into the classroom in Sarasota. And that he thought the guy must've been a terrible pilot.

[hinckley buzzard]

Great. Post a link. I want to see what you actually are referring to.

[lugsoul]

Here ya go:

Q What was the first thing that went through your head when you heard that a plane crashed into the first building?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Well, I was sitting in a schoolhouse in Florida. I had gone down to tell my little brother what to do, and -- just kidding, Jeb. (Laughter.) And -- it's the mother in me. (Laughter.) Anyway, I was in the midst of learning about a reading program that works. I'm a big believer in basic education, and it starts with making sure every child learns to read. And therefore, we need to focus on the science of reading, not what may feel good or sound good when it comes to teaching children to read. (Applause.) I'm just getting a plug in for my reading initiative.

Anyway, I was sitting there, and my Chief of Staff -- well, first of all, when we walked into the classroom, I had seen this plane fly into the first building. There was a TV set on. And you know, I thought it was pilot error and I was amazed that anybody could make such a terrible mistake. And something was wrong with the plane, or -- anyway, I'm sitting there, listening to the briefing, and Andy Card came and said, "America is under attack."

And in the meantime, this teacher was going on about the curriculum, and I was thinking about what it meant for America to be under attack. It was an amazing thought. But I made up my mind that if America was under attack, we'd get them.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020105-3.html

QUESTION: One thing, Mr. President, is that you have no idea how much you've done for this country, and another thing is that how did you feel when you heard about the terrorist attack?

BUSH: Well... (APPLAUSE)

Thank you, Jordan (ph).

Well, Jordan (ph), you're not going to believe what state I was in when I heard about the terrorist attack. I was in Florida. And my chief of staff, Andy Card -- actually I was in a classroom talking about a reading program that works. And I was sitting outside the classroom waiting to go in, and I saw an airplane hit the tower -- the TV was obviously on, and I use to fly myself, and I said, "There's one terrible pilot." And I said, "It must have been a horrible accident."

But I was whisked off there -- I didn't have much time to think about it, and I was sitting in the classroom, and Andy Card, my chief who was sitting over here walked in and said, "A second plane has hit the tower. America's under attack."

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0112/04/se.04.html

[hinckley buzzard]

Thanks. I remember hearing this exchange at some point. If you read it, you will see that nowhere does he claim to have "watched it live". Like millions of the rest of us, he saw it on TV, and later learned that it was an attack.

The claim made by Perlstein is still a lie, based on your posting.

[lugsoul]

No one saw a plane fly into the first building on that morning, live or on video. Perlstein is not lying about this. There was no video of the first plane hitting broadcast until the next day.

[lugsoul]

Also, since he entered the school room between the 1st and 2nd impact, it could have only been live - if he had seen it.

But, as I posted, no one saw it on TV. Not that day.

[hocndoc]

The beauty of the Internet: we don't have to waste dead trees by buying and then throwing this trash away!

Unbelievable that the man would call conservatism "un-American."

[Nataku X]

You're exactly right. I'm still waiting on a verbatim quote from Bush wherein he lied. Think it'll be a loooooooong wait? LOL!

As it happens, I did some research on the EPA thing, and it's much ado over nothing, not surprisingly. The harm of asbestos is vastly overrated and limited to contractors who breathe the stuff day in day out.

[backhoe]

You're exactly right. I'm still waiting on a verbatim quote from Bush wherein he lied. Think it'll be a loooooooong wait? LOL! As it happens, I did some research on the EPA thing, and it's much ado over nothing, not surprisingly. The harm of asbestos is vastly overrated and limited to contractors who breathe the stuff day in day out.

Indeed, I covered some of the asbestos fraud years ago:

Scams, Scalawags, and an all-too-gullible Public...famous frauds sold to America

Perlstein is a competent enough writer- I'll grant him that. What he seems to lack is critical thinking.

[Mudboy Slim]

"...conservatism is verging on becoming an un-American creed"

LOL...talk about the Lib'ral pot calling the kettle Black!!! Lib'ralism/Socialism is the very antithesis of what the Founding Fathers envisioned, and it's the LeftWing crazies who are in the process of being relegated to the ashbin of history!!

FReegards...MUD