Posted on 09/06/2005 3:59:21 PM PDT by Crackingham
In the debate about how to describe those displaced by Hurricane Katrina, President Bush is joining those who don't like the word "refugees."
The president tells reporters, "The people we're talking about are not refugees, they are Americans."
And he adds, "They need the help and love and compassion of our fellow citizens."
Bush spoke during a meeting with leaders of charity and volunteer groups who are helping Katrina's victims.
His words appear to put him on the same side as the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who has declared it's "racist" to call U.S. citizens refugees.
Jackson and other black leaders say the word has a criminal connotation -- and prefer the more neutral term "evacuees."
Vocabulary sure means alot at this critical moment. Glad that's settled.
Later, he urged americans not to be niggardly in their donations.
ref·u·gee Audio pronunciation of "refugee" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (rfy-j) n.
One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution.
[French réfugié, from past participle of réfugier, to take refuge, from Old French, from refuge, refuge. See refuge.]
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Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Main Entry: ref·u·gee
Pronunciation: "re-fyu-'jE
Function: noun
: an individual seeking refuge or asylum; especially : an individual who has left his or her native country and is unwilling or unable to return to it because of persecution or fear of persecution (as because of race, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion)
Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996
Merriam-Webster, Inc.
refugee
n : an exile who flees for safety
He's right!
Why are they putting words in his mouth? He Might just think the term is degrading.
Who started calling them refugees anyway?
Dang it! Now the libs have one less thing to complain about. So the "don't call us refugees" thing didn't stick, the "global warming" angle aint' gonna fly. But the race card is still on the table. That could work, possibly...
How about "people too dumb and/or too paralyzed by decades of government reliance to get the hell out BEFORE the storm"?
What would they prefer to be called? Vagabonds?
vag·a·bond ( P ) Pronunciation Key (vg-bnd)
n.
A person without a permanent home who moves from place to place.
A vagrant; a tramp.
A wanderer; a rover.
The hysterical media.
I got that "Government bent on spending big dollars unconstitutionally feeling". I heard a congressman say that some big checks are going to have to be written to the displaced...
More people need to sit down and reread 1984 by George Orwell, uncoerced by their seventh grade english teacher, to appreciate the subtle power of mere words.
Criminal?? What's he talking about?? Since when did a refugee become criminal? God! That man is a fool!!! When was the last time he looked in a dictionary:
REFUGEE:
ref·u·gee ( P ) Pronunciation Key (re-fyu-jE) n.
One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution.
Pronunciation: "re-fyu-'jE Function: noun
an individual seeking refuge or asylum; especially : an individual who has left his or her native country and is unwilling or unable to return to it because of persecution or fear of persecution (as because of race, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion)
Bush is right on. Refugees are people who have no country to live in, or cannot live safely at home and must relocate to another country. The people are victims of a devastating hurricane, but they are not refugees. The news media have become one great, big gaggle of yellow journalism.
Well I'm glad no one is seeking refuge.
Perhaps if they were referred to as, "Kings of the Road," they're self-esteem would be bolstered...
Trailer for sale or rent
Rooms to let...fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but..two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.
Third boxcar, midnight train
Destination...Bangor, Maine.
Old worn out clothes and shoes,
I don't pay no union dues,
I smoke old stogies I have found
Short, but not too big around
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.
In fact, one columnist said he considered the word beneficial to the "people who lost their homes and had to nowhere to stay and had to be relocated for an extended period because of a national disaster". His reasoning is that 'evacuee' indicates a short term issue and that 'refugee' is beneficial because it reminds us that they are not just temporary victims and will have a long and difficult time ahead of them.
So when Bob Dylan was singing about refuge from the storm, he wasn't talking about providing a safe place for someone who needed it.
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