October 31, 200421 yr One Nation Under Bush At a campaign rally, Republicans recite the "Bush Pledge." By Chris Suellentrop LINK Updated Thursday, Oct. 28, 2004, at 10:44 PM PT PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.?"I want you to stand, raise your right hands," and recite "the Bush Pledge," said Florida state Sen. Ken Pruitt. The assembled mass of about 2,000 in this Treasure Coast town about an hour north of West Palm Beach dutifully rose, arms aloft, and repeated after Pruitt: "I care about freedom and liberty. I care about my family. I care about my country. Because I care, I promise to work hard to re-elect, re-elect George W. Bush as president of the United States." I know the Bush-Cheney campaign occasionally requires the people who attend its events to sign loyalty oaths, but this was the first time I have ever seen an audience actually stand and utter one. Maybe they've replaced the written oath with a verbal one. This may be the first and only time the "Bush Pledge" has been taken at an event I've attended (or any event for that matter), but I'm not the best witness. One of the unfortunate drawbacks of traveling with a presidential candidate is that you arrive at a political rally when he does, which means you arrive right before he speaks. Neither President Bush nor John Kerry spends a lot of time waiting backstage while the warm-up acts address the crowd. Those speakers are timed to end when the candidate arrives (although, given that Kerry is habitually late, I wonder if they tell the introductory speakers to go long), so the traveling press typically misses their remarks. Because I've been traveling "outside the bubble" of the campaign planes for the past week, I arrived at a Thursday rally for Laura Bush before it began, and I sat with the local press. For only the second time, I witnessed a Bush campaign event in full. It wasn't a particularly notable experience, except for the fact that it opened with that weird pledge of fealty, reminiscent of the cultlike cheer that Wal-Mart forces its employees to perform. There were a few good lines, such as this one from Florida state Sen. Mike Haridopolos: "Our president likes to sign the front of your check. His opponent likes to sign the back of your check." But the second-most memorable event was a remarkably mendacious speech given by U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, a Republican from Florida's 16th District. Foley had the gall to condemn Kerry for his "reckless disregard for the facts" in a speech in which the least of his errors came when he sloppily claimed that John Edwards has served in the U.S. Senate for four years, rather than six. The main target of Foley's attack was Kerry's criticism of the president for allowing the al-Qaqaa weapons dump to be looted, presumably by terrorists, during a war that was designed precisely to prevent such an event from occurring. "The senator from Massachusetts immediately grabbed onto that without doing any checking, any fact-checking. He didn't even call Dan Rather," Foley said. But "NBC News followed up saying, oh-ho, not so fast. We don't have all the facts yet. Yet he went on national TV and announced, with reckless disregard for the facts, that somehow during George Bush's administration, these weapons were stolen." Foley's right in one sense, that we still don't have all the facts. But here's a fact that emerged after Foley's speech: Former weapons inspector David Kay said on CNN after viewing the footage of the site filmed by ABC News, "There was HMX, RDX in there. The seal was broken. And quite frankly, to me the most frightening thing is not only was the seal broken, lock broken, but the soldiers left after opening it up. I mean, to rephrase the so-called Pottery Barn rule. If you open an arms bunker, you own it. You have to provide security." Foley continued, "Well, folks, one thing it does prove: There were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before we went there." Well, um, there were weapons. The explosives weren't biological, chemical, or nuclear. And they were locked up by the international weapons inspectors derided by the administration, and they were "liberated" by the president's war. But instead of concluding that the war was a mistake, or at least that it should have been conducted differently, Foley declared, "The other thing it proves is that Saddam Hussein was the most important weapon of mass destruction to remove, and this president took him down." If we invaded North Korea and that country's nuclear weapons ended up in the hands of al-Qaida, would that prove that the invasion was a success? But if you don't believe the Iraq invasion was justified, you can still vote for President Bush because he hugs little girls and, most important of all, he threw a baseball. After telling the audience of his personal experience of Sept. 11, Foley revisited the story of Bush throwing out the first pitch of the World Series in 2001, which received a hilariously somber treatment in a video narrated by Fred Thompson at the Republican convention. Like any tall tale, the story has become more and more embroidered with time. In Foley's version, the president boldly strode to the mound "without a bulletproof vest." But the entire point of the convention video was that throwing the ball from the mound was so difficult because Bush's arms were restricted by a bulletproof vest. I'm not sure which is crazier, thinking that al-Qaqaa proves that the Iraq war was justified, or that President Bush stood on the mound at Yankee Stadium less than two months after 9/11 without wearing a flak jacket. Based on his speech, Mark Foley is either delusional or he has a serious problem telling the truth. But you can't blame him. He's probably angling for a job in a second Bush administration. :blink:
October 31, 200421 yr I have heard of this in the past...like the 1800's and early 1900's. It can be considered similar to signing or taking an oath to join a society or organisation in which you hold some rank. Is there really something wrong with it?
October 31, 200421 yr Author We pledge alligiance to our country Cape, not to a man or a party. If you have the gut to step outside the box, you will understand that it is utterly scary and Orwellian to pledge alligiance to this man or any other. It sounds like a totalitarian government... People pledge alligiance to dictators (See Cubans worship Castro or in Hitler's Germany)
October 31, 200421 yr You can also pledge alligiance to your high school alma mater, your college alma mater, your church...it is not only limited to the country. I wouldn't be mad if Kerry did it. It is them saying they support the President and are pledging to work on campaigning for him.
October 31, 200421 yr This is the "Bush Pledge": "I care about freedom and liberty. I care about my family. I care about my country. Because I care, I promise to work hard to re-elect, re-elect George W. Bush as president of the United States." It isn't like they are replacing the Flag's Pledge here, they are reciting an oath to work hard to re-elect Bush for President. I don't see anything wrong with it.
October 31, 200421 yr Wow, that article is almost as ridiculous as this one: Kerry tied to '666'? Images of Democrat in Iowa show 'beastly' number all over TV screen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: October 27, 2004 11:00 p.m. Eastern ? 2004 WorldNetDaily.com Was it a biblical warning or just imaginations running wild? ABC News shows Kerry in a sea of sixes during Iowa campaign stop During his presidential campaign in Iowa today, Democrat John Kerry was surrounded by a sea of handheld signs displaying the number six on them. That caught the attention of WND reader Michael of Kaufman, Texas, who happened to record this evening broadcast of ABC's "World News Tonight." "You can imagine my surprise, when they broadcast a video of John Kerry finishing a speech in Iowa to the acclaim of hundreds of people waving signs with the number six on them," he said. "The imagery of 666 appearing everywhere was too much to be ignored. I had to rewind my TIVO and shoot these photos of the TV screen." SPONSORED LINKS Give Bush the Boot Help take back America! Donate $50 to MoveOn PAC. With your support, MoveOn PAC will undertake a groundbreaking, precinct-level, neighbor-to-neighbor campaign to leave no voter behind. www.moveonpac.org According to the book of Revelation in the Bible, the number "666" is associated with an end-time beast power. "Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six." (Revelation 13:18.) The signs actually are part of a final-week campaign countdown, and read: "6 More Days To A Fresh Start." Kerry, himself, was photographed with six fingers in the air, reminding supporters that time is short until Election Day, which is next Tuesday.
October 31, 200421 yr Author You can also pledge alligiance to your high school alma mater, your college alma mater, your church...it is not only limited to the country. I wouldn't be mad if Kerry did it. It is them saying they support the President and are pledging to work on campaigning for him. 604921[/snapback] Well, you see, that is what differentiates someone who supports Bush and someone who doesn't. NEVER in Kerry's wildest dreams will he ever have me or any other Democrat or Liberal pledging alligiance to him. We like him because we are convinced he is right for this country under the circumstances. But I wouldn't ever pledge alligiance to a man or a party. My country comes first.
October 31, 200421 yr We pledge alligiance to our country Cape, not to a man or a party. If you have the gut to step outside the box, you will understand that it is utterly scary and Orwellian to pledge alligiance to this man or any other. It sounds like a totalitarian government... People pledge alligiance to dictators (See Cubans worship Castro or in Hitler's Germany) 604919[/snapback] You are really reaching here
October 31, 200421 yr Author We pledge alligiance to our country Cape, not to a man or a party. If you have the gut to step outside the box, you will understand that it is utterly scary and Orwellian to pledge alligiance to this man or any other. It sounds like a totalitarian government... People pledge alligiance to dictators (See Cubans worship Castro or in Hitler's Germany) 604919[/snapback] You are really reaching here 604952[/snapback] Reaching what? :blink:
October 31, 200421 yr You can also pledge alligiance to your high school alma mater, your college alma mater, your church...it is not only limited to the country. I wouldn't be mad if Kerry did it. It is them saying they support the President and are pledging to work on campaigning for him. 604921[/snapback] Well, you see, that is what differentiates someone who supports Bush and someone who doesn't. NEVER in Kerry's wildest dreams will he ever have me or any other Democrat or Liberal pledging alligiance to him. We like him because we are convinced he is right for this country under the circumstances. But I wouldn't ever pledge alligiance to a man or a party. My country comes first. 604944[/snapback] You are not pledging alligiance to him as a person, your a taking a pledge to campaign for him. You are not reading the oath, just babbling on about something your paradox of a mind came up with.
October 31, 200421 yr Author You can also pledge alligiance to your high school alma mater, your college alma mater, your church...it is not only limited to the country. I wouldn't be mad if Kerry did it. It is them saying they support the President and are pledging to work on campaigning for him. 604921[/snapback] Well, you see, that is what differentiates someone who supports Bush and someone who doesn't. NEVER in Kerry's wildest dreams will he ever have me or any other Democrat or Liberal pledging alligiance to him. We like him because we are convinced he is right for this country under the circumstances. But I wouldn't ever pledge alligiance to a man or a party. My country comes first. 604944[/snapback] You are not pledging alligiance to him as a person, your a taking a pledge to campaign for him. You are not reading the oath, just babbling on about something your paradox of a mind came up with. 604961[/snapback] My Paradox of a mind? I posted an article by someone who was at this rally and happens to be part of the press corps. Stop being such an idiot and think for a moment.
October 31, 200421 yr I am thinking. All it says is the pledge to support Bush's Campaign for re-election. There is nothing more. "I care about freedom and liberty. I care about my family. I care about my country. Because I care, I promise to work hard to re-elect, re-elect George W. Bush as president of the United States." Here is the pledge again...the bold part is the promise....it isn't to him as person but to support his re-election campaign.
October 31, 200421 yr Here is an example of a pledge people give to our local PBS and NPR station WGCU. "I pledge to give WGCU Public Media $100 in 2005 and to support the Arts and Public Media in Southwest Florida." Anything wrong with using the word pledge?
October 31, 200421 yr Author I am thinking. All it says is the pledge to support Bush's Campaign for re-election. There is nothing more. "I care about freedom and liberty. I care about my family. I care about my country. Because I care, I promise to work hard to re-elect, re-elect George W. Bush as president of the United States." Here is the pledge again...the bold part is the promise....it isn't to him as person but to support his re-election campaign. 604966[/snapback] Fine, have it your way.
October 31, 200421 yr Definition of Pledge: http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/pledge
October 31, 200421 yr I am thinking. All it says is the pledge to support Bush's Campaign for re-election. There is nothing more. "I care about freedom and liberty. I care about my family. I care about my country. Because I care, I promise to work hard to re-elect, re-elect George W. Bush as president of the United States." Here is the pledge again...the bold part is the promise....it isn't to him as person but to support his re-election campaign. 604966[/snapback] Fine, have it your way. 604970[/snapback] My way? It is just a promise to support his campaign! It isn't even binding! You create a fuss about something that means nothing and then get mad when I point out the truth from your own article!
October 31, 200421 yr This is yet another example of liberal/Democrats throwing crap at the wall and hoping it sticks.
October 31, 200421 yr Author Fine, have it your way. 604970[/snapback] My way? It is just a promise to support his campaign! It isn't even binding! You create a fuss about something that means nothing and then get mad when I point out the truth from your own article! 604974[/snapback] The truth of what? The only thing I posted is that people are pleding alligiance to Bush. Show me an article contradicting this.
October 31, 200421 yr Fine, have it your way. 604970[/snapback] My way? It is just a promise to support his campaign! It isn't even binding! You create a fuss about something that means nothing and then get mad when I point out the truth from your own article! 604974[/snapback] The truth of what? The only thing I posted is that people are pleding alligiance to Bush. Show me an article contradicting this. 604978[/snapback] They are pledging to support his re-election campaign for President. Quit blurring the facts. They are not pledging alligiance to him as a person, all they promise is to work hard on his campaign to get him re-elected. I don't need to post an article on this because what you posted clearly has the "pledge" and the quote speaks for itself. The pledge is what it is. Saying it is a pledge to him over and over is not going to make it true. It is just a promise to work on his campaign.
October 31, 200421 yr Hilarious attempt to distort the word pledge capefish. Pledging for a telethon is done so people are forced to pay when they agree to it. Is that also what operates here? You yourself stated that its a pledge to work? Here is the pledge again...the bold part is the promise....it isn't to him as person but to support his re-election campaign So what happens if you choose not to? Lets say the latest news makes you think Bush is weak and not support him? What will the Republican party do? Sounds like something scary. Come knockin on your door? What do you think telethon people do? Harrass people until they pay. Bush/Cheney will also harrass people? I mean isnt it implicit that you will try and help him? Why do they need a pledge? I find it disturbing. I would never pledge my allegience to a candidate. Never. Im an independant voter. Not a mindless drone.
October 31, 200421 yr Author I find it disturbing. I would never pledge my allegience to a candidate. Never. Im an independant voter. Not a mindless drone. 604993[/snapback] That's what I have been trying to tell him, but he thinks it is ok. Hell will freeze over before you see any Liberal pledging alligiance to a politician.
November 1, 200421 yr We pledge alligiance to our country Cape, not to a man or a party. If you have the gut to step outside the box, you will understand that it is utterly scary and Orwellian to pledge alligiance to this man or any other. It sounds like a totalitarian government... People pledge alligiance to dictators (See Cubans worship Castro or in Hitler's Germany) 604919[/snapback] You are really reaching here 604952[/snapback] Reaching what? :blink: 604960[/snapback] my point exactly
November 1, 200421 yr i don't see anything wrong with it. there are many people who would pledge allegiance to bush and people who would for kerry. it doesn't bother me. the marlins should try this to see how many people would actually keep their pledge. :lol
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