The LA Times (with video) on BuZh's ridiculous 4th of July speech

An emotional Bush at last Fourth of July as president

It was his last Fourth of July as president -- and his first visit to Monticello, the home of the author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson. It was not a long trip. It took the presidential party 40 minutes by helicopter from the White House -- plus a 10-minute motorcade -- to arrive at the home Jefferson built for himself and his family in Charlottesville, Va.

The president's stated purpose was to welcome and attend the swearing-in of 72 new citizens from 30 countries, including one from Burma. But his voice showed emotion when he talked about spreading freedom to other countries, one of his stated rationales for the war in Iraq. Quoting Jefferson as saying that the principles of the Declaration were universal, Bush said: "We honor Jefferson's legacy by aiding the rise of liberty in lands that do not know the blessings of freedom." Without mentioning Iraq, Afghanistan or the war on terrorism, he added, "And on this Fourth of July, we pay tribute to the brave men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of America." Watch the video here.

Bush was interrupted repeatedly by protesters, shouting "Defend the Constitution, Impeach Bush!" and "War Criminal!" Bush diverged from his prepared remarks to respond to the hecklers, explaining to
America's newest citizens, "We believe in free speech in the United States of America."

One of the protesters, David Swanson, has gone online to explain his behavior, saying

When Bush opened his mouth to speak I shouted "Defend the Constitution, Impeach Bush!" I repeated that several times, as people nearby knocked me over, cops handcuffed me, people gave me smiles and thumbs up signs. They threw me out and a couple of more defenders of our Constitution behind me, and then a few more, and then a few more. The handcuffed citizens who'd done their duty kept coming down the hill. They did not arrest us but did give us a ride down the mountain where we joined a crowd of protesters in the road who greeted Bush's limo coming and going.

Bush, who celebrates his 62nd birthday on Sunday, said he was delighted to spend part of the weekend at the home of the nation's third president, who died on July 4, 1826, the 50th birthday of the United States.

"This is a fitting place to celebrate our nation's independence," Bush said. "Thomas Jefferson once said he'd rather celebrate the Fourth of July than his own birthday. To me, it's pretty simple -- the Fourth of July weekend is my weekend birthday."

Praising Jefferson's achievements -- a well-read man whose book collection formed the basis of the Library of Congress -- Bush noted that although Jefferson was the nation's first secretary of State, second vice president and third president, he hated public speaking. Alluding to his own reputation for muffing a speech line from time to time, Bush said, "It seems Jefferson got away with only delivering two public speeches during his presidency." Pausing for the laugh, he added, "I'm sure a lot of Americans wish that were the case today."

Full video of the speech after the jump

-- Johanna Neuman

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ACTIVISM: Anti Star wars defense update

JUNE 22 PHOTOS AND AN EMAIL FROM THE COLONEL

Folks met in Brunswick, Maine on the town green for an hour of sign
holding, writing letters to Condi Rice (who goes to the Czech
Republic on July 10 to sign the Star Wars radar agreement), and we
closed with a circle and everyone shared why they had come. Most
of those in the photo fasted on June 22.

In dozens of cities all over the world the June 22 global day of
fasting brought people out onto the streets in creative displays
of solidarity with the 70% of the people in the Czech Republic who
are working hard to reject U.S. plans to deploy a Star Wars radar
facility in their country.

Thousands of signatures were gathered for the petition at
http://www.nonviolence.cz/ In many places statements were written
on paper plates to Secretary of State Rice and will be sent to her
before her visit to Prague in early July.

You can find many more photos, and reports, at this web site.

At the end of the day I received an email from Col. Robert Suminsby,
Jr. in which he said, "The point I made, and will continue to make,
is that the country is on an unsustainable course. The growth of
entitlement spending, left unchecked, will eventually crowd out all
other parts of the federal budget."

Col. Suminsby worries that people like me are taking a fixed position
of hands off entitlement spending ........"You see, I'm prepared
to make sacrifices to fix national problems. I think others should
expect to make sacrifices as well," he said.

I want to assure the Colonel that I too am ready to see "sacrifices"
made for the good of the nation. I'd like to see the $14 billion
of month we are wasting in Iraq and Afghanistan brought home to
build rail systems, solar, and windmills. I'd like to not see us
attack Iran. I'd like to see an end to tax cuts for the rich and
the corporations. I want an end to the NSA's "warrantless wiretapping"
of American citizens and people all over the world.

I'd like to see at least a 50% cut in military spending for starters.
(Just yesterday an article was sent around about the increases in
funding for the Pentagon's high-tech black "secret" budget. I'd
like to see the black budget shut down.) I'd like to see the 750
plus U.S. military bases around the world shut down.

Living at a time where we face increasing corporate media consolidation
many of us have to rely on email, websites, and blogs to get our
messages out to the general public. Newspapers are now in dire
financial straits, in part, because people rely on the Internet as
their primary source of information.

Col. Suminsby concluded his email to me by saying, "Therebs precious
little difference between you and any number of right-wing blowhards
on talk radiob&on either end of the ideological spectrum, if you
insist on creating your own version of someonebs position and then
attacking it, youbll succeed only in making yourself feel good, and
convincing those who already agreed with you."

I would thank Col. Suminsby for sending me the email. He should
know that increasing majorities of the people in the U.S. and around
the world are now quite uncomfortable with the escalating U.S.
military empire. There is a growing backlash against U.S. militarism
both here at home and abroad.

I noticed that the Colonel is soon to be transferred to Germany. I
lived there in the mid-1960's when my Air Force father was stationed
in Wiesbaden. One day our middle school class was taken to the Rhine
River to view the ruins of a castle. The tourist guide informed us
that the stone slab we were standing on had once been the barracks
of Roman soldiers. I remember wondering to myself, "What were those
soldiers doing so far from home?" Even at that young age I intuitively
understood that empires are a contradiction and in time can not
stand. They are destined to fall.

In our case the U.S. empire is now collapsing. One clear sign is
that in the U.S. there is growing competition for the federal tax
dollar. Will we fund the Pentagon or social progress? We can't serve
two masters.

It appears that the debate will go on.

Bruce K. Gagnon Coordinator Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear
Power in Space PO Box 652 Brunswick, ME 04011 (207) 443-9502
http://www.space4peace.org global...@mindspring.com
http://space4peace.blogspot.com (Blog)

Bill Bonner on EMPIRE

*** Politicians can’t get away with anything anymore – except killing people and destroying their nation’s economies.

“I don’t get it...” said a French businessman over lunch on Friday. “In fact, I don’t think any of us get it. You’ve got a guy – the governor of New York – who hires a prostitute. He gets caught and has to resign. But the President of the United States lied to the American people and started a war in which thousands have died...a war that is so expensive it threatens to bankrupt the entire nation. How come he doesn’t have to resign? Strange system.”

We tried to explain. Getting caught with a prostitute is an unpardonable diversion. Starting a war is what politicians are supposed to do.

“You have to understand,” we began, “that getting a call girl is a simple, understandable act. To most Americans, it’s a sin. They don’t want an elected official who does things like that. They want him taking care of their problems, not his own tawdry whims and desires.

“The war in Iraq is a very different thing. Was it a mistake...was it a lie? We don’t really know the details. It’s complex. Maybe it was in the national interest...or people thought it was. We don’t know if it was a good idea or not. You can’t know things like that.

“Besides, people come to believe what they need to believe in order to play their roles in history. The people of a great empire have to believe that sending their armies all over the world is worth the cost. Europeans are very much against war...and afraid of it. They’ve had their imperial ambitions...and the inevitable disasters that follow. But Americans are not. Most have no regret about the war in Iraq except they wish it had gone better. And the argument among America’s politicians is not about whether it was right or wrong, but about whether it was pursued effectively.”

Until tomorrow,

Bill Bonner
The Daily Reckoning

The imperial President goes to Isreal ..

Army of 8,000 to protect George Bush visit

By Tim Butcher in Jerusalem

Last Updated: 11:26pm GMT 05/01/2008

Military helicopters, a fleet of armoured limousines and 8,000 security personnel form just part of a huge logistical circus to be deployed when President Bush visits Israel.

Israel’s main motorway will close and all flights in and out of Ben Gurion airport will be blocked at about 2pm on Wednesday to stop would-be assassins as he arrives.

All rooms at Jerusalem’s King David Hotel are booked out to the presidential party for security.

Jewish militants killed 91 people there in a 1946 bomb attack on British colonial officials.

The Palestinian leg of the trip will see even greater security concerns, and Mr Bush’s plans are under wraps.

Guest post: On the Imperial Presidency; IN WHOSE NAME??

Thank you so much, Bill!

This is such a heart-felt, and passionate statement about what we can all see.

PUBLIC SERVANT? Give us a break.

Veeger

In Whose Name?



………An Inquiry from the American Majority……



Mr. Bush….



In whose name were those in Florida who had paid their debt to society not allowed to vote in the 2000 election?



In whose name did the Supreme Court of the United States appoint you as President of the United States?



In whose name did you fail to protect

American citizens on 9/11?



In whose name have you failed to find and prosecute the true perpetrators of the 9/11 atrocity?



In whose name did you lie to the American public about the motives behind a preemptory attack on the sovereign nation of Iraq?



In whose name have you allowed the continued sacrifice of United States soldier’s lives, limbs and families?



In whose name have you allowed the continued killing of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi men, women, children and infants?



In whose name have you continued to torture prisoners of war?



In whose name have you allowed the squandering of billions of dollars of the American taxpayer and billions of dollars of Iraqi’s wealth?



In whose name do you continue to hire mercenaries who kill innocent civilians indiscriminately, paying them many times the average American soldier’s wage?



In whose name have you treated returning American veterans with callousness and disrespect?



In whose name have you added signing statements to legislation you have signed, virtually allowing you to ignore the very content of the law?



In whose name have you stripped this populace of the ancient writ of habeas corpus?



In whose name have you kept the facts of global warming from United States citizens?



In whose name did you deter minorities

from their right to vote in Ohio in the 2004 election?



In whose name have you formed an illegal union between Mexico, the United States and Canada without the knowledge, oversight and approval of the Congress or the American public?



In whose name have you sold cluster bombs to Israel for use against the Lebanese in direct violation of international law, leaving behind millions of death traps for innocent civilians?



In whose name did you allow the imprisonment of United States border guards, granting immunity to the drug smuggler they tried to apprehend?



In whose name did you fire competent United States attorneys who failed to further your political agenda or who were investigating your administration’s corrupt practices?



In whose name do you allow obscene corporate profits and continue to give them tax breaks and allow corporate executives to earn in one day what their employees earn in a year?



In whose name do you deceptively promote and sign tax cuts that affect only the upper 5% of the population, while many of the average middle class workers must labor at two or three jobs and place their children in daycare?



In whose name do you refuse to meet with a grieving mother who sits on your doorstep seeking answers?



In whose name would you not meet with a tri-pelagic Vietnam veteran/congressman sitting in his wheelchair on your doorstep?



In whose name have you spoken bi-partisanship and practiced partisanship of the most egregious nature?



In whose name have you muddied the American reputation in the international community and destroyed its credibility?



In whose name have you allowed the use

of depleted uranium as a weapon in Afghanistan, Iraq and other conflicts….FOREVER contaminating those nations and poisoning their inhabitants and OUR soldiers?



In whose name have you bullied the members of congress to succumb to your dastardly plans to spy on your citizens?





In whose name, Mr. Bush?



In whose name?...............



Certainly not mine!



Certainly not the majorities!

And certainly not in your name…as you are our chosen representative…chosen to reflect the majority consciousness.



And so I ask you one more time…



In whose name do you govern?



In whose name do you lead?



If your only answer is in YOUR NAME,



you must resign, as this is still a

democracy, a representative republic…

NOT A KINGDOM.



You, Mr. Bush, believe me,

ARE NOT A KING!!

What do I REALLY think and feel?

Commentary POST BuZh and Laura TV appearance

The world's biggest turkeys gooble

and gluck

The IDIOT cannot get one coherant sentence out of his mouth without a mistake. IT's all chop and change as he edits every single though, even simple ones.

You'll notice the contrast between what he says and her ability to form a sentence quite fluidily. Oh, she is the glib master spinner for the television world, and he is still the Splenda and aspertame KING OF THE AIRWAVES, only he cannot speak coherantly any more.


But she is such an arrogant piece of work. OH! Look at me! I am the IMPERIAL FIRST LADY! is the subtext! Aren't I SPECIAL??

Well, No, Laura it is my special opinion you are not. You are married to a deceitful, totally unacceptable WAR CRIMINAL and the truth be known, although under the kleig lights you may "appear" acceptable becuz you are being interviewed by a nitwit TOADIE who lets George's flagrant lies go by, you are not acceptable, you are IMPERIAL WAR CRIMINALS, perhaps the worst the world has EVER EVER known. And you are sick making in the extreme.

To endorse HiLIARy Clinton as acceptable and to be chosen as toxic Presidential infotainment is unacceptable -- and to beat it into America, not once but twice during this interview sucks the big one. Talk about a blow job on AMERICA, you two have it DOWN.

You both seem to think we all fucking stoopid, or do you WISH to offend? Even the stoopidest kid on the block would see what actually vampires you are. We see the death tolls coming out. We KNOW that the surge was a bust and that America's been had. And we wonder, strongly wonder, you fucking twit, why don't you mention that you are sorry for ringing up the national deficit causing UNTOLD HOMELESSNESS, to occur as oil prices fucking soar - why don't you two fucking apologize to AMERICA for your excess . the worst excess EVER EVER seen in any administration, in any country at any time on earth.

OH, the two of you are just totally obscene.

Really filthy people, scum of the scum, not rich immature little brats who live in a 'cottage.' To think it is YOUR FUCKING PERSONAL COTTAGE when in fact it belongs to the people of the United States and you act like it is YOURS is such an outrage is to as to NOT be believed.

Madame First Lady, when I was young I adored Mamie Eisenhower. I wrote her a letter. I had no idea of her personal woes. I just thought she belonged in that White House and wanted to know what she enjoyed doing in there. She wrote me back and said she played the organ alot.

Later, when I grew up I found out the truth about Mamie Eisenhower. She was in fact an alcoholic drifting around the White House as if it were an isolation tank, never knowing what TO DO, except to hit the bottle and hide out. But she did not act as if SHE WERE THE FRIGGIN OWNER of the White House, of some IMPERIAL STOCK. Despite Ike's indiscretions with US Army women, Mamie hung in there and acted like a fucking American PUBLIC servant.

Oh, how I choke with rage, you twit Laura fucking Bush.

As for you George, I hope you fry in HELL, with all your senses IN TACT, not being able to be high and out of it, doped up by doctors (like your little playmate Condi Rice) -- and totally without any socially redeeming value. I don't find you amusing or cute or cuddly or anything at all and I feel damned sorry for your future son in law. I wonder in fact who bribed him to work with the shits on your staff and what lead him to dating your obviously twisted daughter. What a great role model YOU are to this seriously deluded young man.

What bubble does HE think he can live in when the seige of Iran, Syria, the Sudan begin? What a fine IMPERIAL scene to contemplate as he breds a "new American" imperial family.

I cannot WAIT to see the end of you ALL.

Man, as I read that statement, I got angrier and angrier and angrier and angrier. I hope a few other people did as well.

After I read the transcript, I feel into a sleep, returned to St. Paul MInnesota (???!!!) and after getting lost and enduring many rather boring adventures among the "new" Americans that have lived in lalaland there since I have been gone - I got caught up in a raging FLOOD from which I could not escape. The Mississippi had flooded its banks and was carrying away ALL noticable human culture with it. I first got assaulted by pop cans as the current grew stronger and stronger. I realized that all the trees were being carried along and were highly dangerous to my safety. I wanted to get back to people I loved, to simplicity, to honesty, to the VALUES that sustained me when my alcoholic family did not.

I tried to swim out of the current that was taking me into greater and greater danger; but I could not - as the surface of the water was like some impervious plastic, oil-ridden scum and there was no way to get off it and into LESS turbulent water or to a bank or grab a tree branch as I rushed by. The current and speed of the river moved ever faster. St. Paul resembled cities I saw in Europe that sustained heavy war damage and have been rebuilt. I was in NAZILAND - and there was no escape! I woke up with the cold sweats when I realized I am a WARRIORESS, always surviving, yet carried along by the times. The times are the times created by BuZh and the IMPERIUM in my life time, out of control, frightening, indifferent as to where I was lead to go. They ignore my talents, my strengths, my abilities to sing and dance and play and help others. My ability to transform food into sharing, my ability to have emotions other than fear and panic. (and yet, and yet, I just keep swimming ... I am STRONG.)

I am rying to make it to shore, but a victim of THE TIMES, the times when the IMPERIUM gets on TV at THANKSGIVING and reminds me of how much AMERICA has changed and it's NOT for the good. It's diabolic what these liars have wrought.

Once St. Paul was home to high level diplomats and great global thinkers who built beautiful houses looking over some of God's most beautiful country on beautiful hills, homes that were filled with love, and creativity and promise but are now becoming mere skeletons to "oil progress" which left them heatless, heartless and devoid of any purposeful activity. And yes, George and Laura Bush would NEVER EVER BE WELCOME IN ANY OF THESE HOMES, as people are about to lose them forever. There would not be room in their vastness to hold the Buzh's imperial entourage of soldiers, body guards, hair dressers, make up artistes, aides, confidantes, six cooks and a bottlewasher. Instead, this once great American palaces will serve as fossils of insanity for people to view in a few decades, all the VITAL people lost, all their culture eschewed ..

And what a pity.

Nothing growing in these yards but the native plants once again.

Prairie grasses trying to hold their stalks high in the wind.

And the sun will be buried under a nuclear cloud.

Having forgotten why there were built at all.