U.S. Sen Patty Murray -- Senator Asks Students to Ponder (Sen. Murray lauds Osama bin Laden)

Columbian ^ | 12/19/2002 | Gregg Herrington

[B Knotts]

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray was in Vancouver on Wednesday challenging high school students to answer these questions:

What is behind terrorist Osama bin Laden's popularity in some parts of the world, and should the United States adopt his nation-building tactics?

Speaking at Columbia River High School, Murray, D-Wash., responded to questions from students, most about the war on terrorism or government spending for education.

Later Wednesday, Murray visited C-Tran headquarters and checked out a new bus.

Murray met at Columbia River with world history students and student government leaders. Across town, Hudson's Bay High School students participated via teleconference.

Murray concluded the session by challenging the students to consider alternatives to war.

"We've got to ask, why is this man (Osama bin Laden) so popular around the world?," said Murray, who faces re-election in 2004. "Why are people so supportive of him in many countries ? that are riddled with poverty?

"He's been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day care facilities, building health care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. We haven't done that.

"How would they look at us today if we had been there helping them with some of that rather than just being the people who are going to bomb in Iraq and go to Afghanistan?"

Murray said she doesn't know where she comes down on that guns-or-butter question, and building infrastructure in Third World countries would "cost a lot of money, and we have schools here and health care facilities here that are really hurting."

Be 'better neighbors'?

"War is expensive too," she said. "Your generation ought to be thinking about whether we should be better neighbors out in other countries so that they have a different vision of us.

"It is a debate I think we ought to have."

Murray was in the minority when the Senate voted 77-23 in October to give President Bush authority to use military force in confronting Saddam Hussein. The state's other senator, Democrat Maria Cantwell, voted for the resolution.

Murray opened Wednesday's event telling the students, "You'll be graduating into a world that is very difficult. ? The economy is struggling. War in Iraq is a very real possibility in the short term" and could cost $200 billion even if it were to last only a few weeks.

The cost of waging war could result in cuts to domestic programs such as Pell grants for college students, she said.

Responding to a question about federal spending for schools, Murray said the Bush administration is backing off its pledge of support for the No Child Left Behind program.

"There are crises in every one of our schools in this country," Murray said, and cutting spending on education has long-term deleterious effects.

Visit to the bus barn

Later in the day, Murray spent 45 minutes at the C-Tran administrative and operations facility at 2425 N.E. 65th Ave. for a holiday potluck. Randy Frasier's Mountain View High School jazz and concert choirs serenaded her with holiday carols.

Afterward, Murray examined a new $312,000 Gillig coach, the first of several dozen that will replace 20-year-old GM buses that have racked up an average of 650,000 miles each.

Murray is on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on transportation, which funnels matching money to states and local agencies for buses and other transit programs. Eighty percent of the cost of new buses will come from federal grants, and the remainder from local C-Tran money.

[B Knotts]

That's Vancouver, U.S.A.. :-)

[Paul Atreides]

"He's been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day care facilities, building health care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. We haven't done that.

Ummmmm....if he has been building all of this stuff for decades, then what is there left for us to build? Also, if there is stuff that still needs building, why isn't he using his considerable wealth to do so, rather than attacking us?

Ignorant bovine!

[bigfootbob]

Murray came to one of the High Schools here in the military county I live in here in Western Washington a couple of weeks ago talking her trash. The kids she spoke to respectfully listened to her pap, then they let her have it. Even the local "red" press couldn't put a spin on the trip to the woodshed the kids gave her. I wish I could have been there.

Murray is not a dyke, she just looks like one. She's married with children. I too hope we can take her out in '04. I'm embarrassed she's our SENIOR senator.

[Will_Zurmacht]

she wants us to understand the terrorist...hopefully she'll be so understanding when they slap a burka on her and lock her in the basement to do the cleaning.

[paguch]

We must understand that she means well. If you have ever met any of our Representatives, you understand that many of them are good speakers but not smart enough to make it in the real world. Patty probably has no idea that it is repression by their leaders that cause poverty. She may also feel the people of Cuba are well off.

It is sad but a fact that many of these people get to Washington and are manipulated by the special interest groups. Never, never fall into the trap of thinking they can all think for themselves.

[paguch]

We must understand that she means well. If you have ever met any of our Representatives, you understand that many of them are good speakers but not smart enough to make it in the real world. Patty probably has no idea that it is repression by their leaders that cause poverty. She may also feel the people of Cuba are well off.

It is sad but a fact that many of these people get to Washington and are manipulated by the special interest groups. Never, never fall into the trap of thinking they can all think for themselves.

[mitchbert]

That's Vancouver, U.S.A.. :-)

ROFLOL. I'm really glad I haven't started eating my pizza yet or I'd need a new keyboard. Duh!

Cheers, eh!

[hattend]

Hey BUD!
It's the West Side Morons!
You know, the soggy ones, West of the Cascades.

What? Washington isn't Seattle/Portland? :-) You'll have to live with being painted with a broad brush. Just like all Californians are because of the coastal city maggots.

Must be the Pacific water.

[Grampa7030]

The sad thing is the Republicans really have no candidates to challenge the woman once thought to be the dumbest member of the Senate. The mom with tennis shoes bit won her votes, but did nothing for her ability to understand issues. But she will get re-elected unless we can find a viable candidate and start getting the facts out about this commie. She and Jim McDermott are quite a pair to draw to.

[B Knotts]

The fact that a person who holds such a high office would say this is appalling beyond belief. It makes Trent Lott look like a master of phrasing to influence African American voters.

I agree, but I suspect there will be total silence on this from the mainstream media.

[driftless]

With libs like this idiot and McDermott, If lived in Washington, I would be very ashamed. What am I saying, I live in Wisconsin, and I have two lib senators and a lib governor. But at least they haven't as yet said or done anything as stupid and dangerous as the two aforementioned Wash state morons. Not yet anyway.

[Man of the Right]

I agree with you whole-heartedly.

[hosepipe]

AW!..shes just postureing for a little love from the hollyweirdos..
And she'll get it too....

[KellyAdmirer]

Murray said she doesn't know where she comes down on that guns-or-butter question

Naturally. Her kind of weasel makes me want to puke.

[John Lenin]

Surprised she didn't tell them to become suicide bombers if the mean conservatives don't give them everything they want.

[Brytani]

"We've got to ask, why is this man (Osama bin Laden) so popular around the world?," said Murray, who faces re-election in 2004. "Why are people so supportive of him in many countries ? that are riddled with poverty?


"He's been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day care facilities, building health care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. We haven't done that."

What a disgusting piece of solid waste. Oh yea, what Bin Laden did for Afghanistan did wonders for women and children. His heal-care facilities that women could not use helped so much.

There are some people who do not deserve to live in this country and this senator is one of them.

[MadeInOhio]

"We must understand that she means well. If you have ever met any of our Representatives, you understand that many of them are good speakers but not smart enough to make it in the real world."

Well, the people of Washington state need to understand that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Furthermore, good intentions aren't substitutes for intelligence.

Supporters of Sen. Sneakers apparently believe otherwise.

The only way to defeat someone like Murray is to promulgate such contemptibly jugheaded comments throughout the Internet. On this we will get no help from the prestige media. The Rathers, Brokaws and Jenningses appreciate the ill favor with which most Americans would receive her views.

[chnsmok]

I wish politicos would not go to schools with their agendas. Go and read a story...ok...prescription drug benefits for seniors, etc...no.

[Bob J]

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[dixiechick2000]

WOW! Thanks for the post. It's a great find.

I just emailed the article to Rush 24/7, just in case his researchers missed it.

This woman is NUTS!