Bush joins those opposed to word "refugees"

AP ^ | 9/6/05

[SteveMcKing]

Vocabulary sure means alot at this critical moment. Glad that's settled.

[pipecorp]

this is important, jesse. you racist, bigot.

[flashbunny]

Later, he urged americans not to be niggardly in their donations.

[frogjerk]

The president tells reporters, "The people we're talking about are not refugees, they are Americans."

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.]
[Download Now or Buy the Book]
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!

[Echo Talon]

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.

Why are they putting words in his mouth? He Might just think the term is degrading.

[mlc9852]

Who started calling them refugees anyway?

[uncitizen]

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...

[over3Owithabrain]

How about "people too dumb and/or too paralyzed by decades of government reliance to get the hell out BEFORE the storm"?

[TomGuy]

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.

[roses of sharon]

The hysterical media.

[samadams2000]

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...

[SpaceBar]

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.

[jackibutterfly]

"Jackson and other black leaders say the word has a criminal connotation..."

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)

[TheCrusader]

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.

[Mark was here]

Well I'm glad no one is seeking refuge.

[Joe 6-pack]

"What would they prefer to be called? Vagabonds? "

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.

[xrhopsiomega]

I don't know about elsewhere in the country, but in Chicago, the 'refuge' issue seems to be a huge part of the story. Which is sad. I can't see anyone really trying to be derogatory with the use of the word.

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.

[Mark was here]

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.

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.