Posted on 07/04/2006 3:18:17 PM PDT by GretchenM
As we celebrate the 230th birthday of the United States of America, our president joined the ideological, and perhaps biological, descendants of those who fought to give us our freedom by creating this new nation. The president went to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, to speak to and eat with the troops and their families (who gave him a birthday cake).
He will return to the White House for a July 4th celebration with family and friends. That will also serve as a birthday party for the President.
A stirring collection of pictures. What better way to observe the fourth than to scroll through these pictures. Makes you stop and think. Thank you so much Gretchen.
I like that!
Thanks for your encouragement. I don't mind being a "mean mommy"--my parents were and look how well I turned out--LOL! I understand my parents a lot better now, too.
I couldn't help it, but I almost laughed when he said I'd ruined his life for 5 months . . . I was tempted to make a smart aleck remark like, "Only five months? I was going for six!" But I restrained myself, knowing it would only make the situation worse.
Teens just do not understand how doing one stupid thing CAN REALLY ruin your life! And you're right, they do like the security of KNOWING you won't let them get into too much trouble, or at least you'll do your best to set limits to keep them out of it.
Thanks again.
Oh yeah, must visit DC. I was in awe, and too tired to cry. Walking, walking, walking everywhere....until you have bloody stumps.
After 2 days of walking we rented a car and went to Williamsburg, then more walking...walking...walking. Then to Jamestown, and more of the same.
It hurt good. Was wonderful soaking in the history.
Thanks, Gretchen!
How are you today?
I couldn't agree more.
How duplicitous of her, when she did the same thing as her life's work.
How small minded, how selfish, that she should denigrate the president for using visual techniques to get his message across to a visually-stimulated, visually-oriented America and world.
You don't see many generals in pictures with Dubya. It is always the guys on the ground. The guys who actually risk their necks are the ones who receive his thanks and appreciation.
The biggest difference I see between George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, is Clinton went to places to receive praise. President Bush always goes to give praise to others. And it is not the Generals who get the public praise. It is the guys on the ground who are risking their lives.
A huge side benefit is the effect this has on voters. If you were Karl Rove how would you counteract the Democrat attack that says, "Bush lied! Men died!" President Bush and his spokespersons could deny it a thousand times and change no minds.
But consider the subliminal message of pictures in the press of President Bush with a group of troops who have been in the very heat of the battle in Iraq. They are just ordinary soldiers who obviously like the president. More importantly the pictures show he likes and respects them. The pictures don't lie. They certainly don't look like men who believe, "Bush lied. My buddy died!" The pictures refute such charges with out saying a word.
If voters are interviewed they don't understand why they don't believe the charges. They just don't believe them. They have to measure the opinions of those who saw the pictures against those that didn't to clearly see the effect. But it is effective.
Karl Rove said when the Iraqi war started that the president would have to defeat Saddam and our media. He said he intended to do both. As Lee Atwater proved, the media can be beaten. Atwater proved in 1980 that a positive picture of Reagan was always worth a 1000 negative words. The same is true today.
The primary difference between Presidents Bush and Reagan is Lee Atwater planned the photo ops and got Reagan to do them. I think it is very likely that President Bush said, "The troops at Fort Bragg have done a lot for this nation. I need to go thank them on the 4th." All Rove has to say is, "Mr President... My thoughts exactly!"
It is because darkness has no fellowship with light.
And this president walks in the light, he is filled with the Light of the world, and they hate it.
Wearing that Army grey-green is also a sign of respect for the Forces he was addressing.
I like pan-fried steak, and use olive oil plus butter to make it more flavorful.
"Funny thing is with kids - they kick against the fences, but only because, deep down, they want the security of knowing they are still protected by them (you)."
I try to keep that in mind everytime I and my 17 yr old son butt heads!
I love him too!
Thank you for posting the pictures of the Korean War Memorial. It is the most eerie and real life memorial in D.C., especially when you view it at dusk.
The wall is fantastic and the hologram on it is -- I don't have words to describe it.
Thank you for the memories ~ and wet eyes.
"olive oil "
I didn't even think of that! Next time though!
When the President said this: "And when this brutal terrorist took his final breath, one of the last things he saw was the face of an American soldier from Fort Bragg, North Carolina."
He made my 4th!!! YES YES YES!
Exactly. Each man had his mission and each works/worked according to his gifts and the times. The difference you cite is one of the main reasons I believe W is, and will emerge for history, as a greater president than Reagan -- he has a differently-tuned understanding of serving his nation as well as leading it, than most.
HEADS UP . . .
The President and First Lady will be featured guests at the "An American Celebration at Ford's Theatre: The July 4th Special" tonight on ABC -- 10 PM EDT.
http://abc.go.com/specials/americancelebration.html
FAVORITE QUOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT'S AWESOME SPEECH TODAY:
"A few weeks ago, I had a chance to visit Baghdad and visit with some of Fort Bragg's finest soldiers, the special operation forces who helped bring justice to the terrorist Zarqawi. (Applause.)
They were the first coalition forces to arrive on the scene after the bombing of Zarqawi's safe house. They administered compassionate medical care to a man who showed no compassion to his victims. And when this brutal terrorist took his final breath, one of the last things he saw was the face of an American soldier from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. (Applause.)"
You can watch a video of the speech (and other great videoclips) here:
http://www.wral.com/news/9464676/detail.html
MUST READ:
THIS JULY FOURTH, IGNORE POLLS ON AMERICA'S IMAGE
christopher Hitchens, The Examiner
Jul 4, 2006 2:00 AM (15 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 1 of 13,363 articles
WASHINGTON - Here’s what I want to know, and here’s why I want to know it. At what point in history, exactly, did the Pew Center decide that it knew how to measure world opinion?
I ask this because almost every week I seem to read a study of how the rest of the globe thinks (or at any rate feels) about the United States. The polls in this country are unreliable enough and are often used to measure intangibles, such as “approval ratings,” which is why there is so much fluctuation within and between them. But who’s doing the random samples in Somalia and Tajikistan and Ecuador?
. . . It also goes to show that you probably shouldn’t try. A country that attempted to be in everybody’s good books would be quite paralyzed. The last time everybody said they liked the United States (or said that they said they liked the United States) was just after Sept. 11, when the nation was panicked and traumatized and trying to count its dead. Well, no thanks. This is too high a price to be paid for being popular.
. . . Faced with a complete beast like the late Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, who has been trying to kill us for several years, millions of Americans appear to believe that he only appeared in Iraq because in some way we made him upset. Well, even if this was true — which it is not — it wouldn’t be such a bad thing. (What would you say to a policy that made him contented, instead?).
Thus, for a Fourth of July message, I would suggest less masochism, more confidence on the American street, and less nervous reliance on paper majorities discovered by paper organizations.
Happy Independence Day.
You can read the entire commentary at
http://www.examiner.com/a-167318~Christopher_Hitchens__This_July_Fourth__ignore_polls_on_America_s_image.html
Your son is 17 and you're still butting heads? Mine is just 14 and I was thinking it would be over in a month or two--Just kidding! LOL! I KNOW it could be tough at times! Thankfully both our kids are good for the most part, but I know we'll have these struggles at least occasionally.
BTW, thanks for your FRmail yesterday!
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