Get Off His Back

By Ben Stein

Published 9/2/2005 11:59:59 PM

 

A few truths, for those who have ears and eyes and care to know the truth:

 

1.) The hurricane that hit New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama was an astonishing tragedy. The suffering and loss of life and peace of mind of the residents of those areas is acutely horrifying.

 

2.) George Bush did not cause the hurricane. Hurricanes have been happening for eons. George Bush did not create them or unleash this one.

 

3.) George Bush did not make this one worse than others. There have been far worse hurricanes than this before George Bush was born.

 

4.) There is no overwhelming evidence that global warming exists as a man-made phenomenon. There is no clear-cut evidence that global warming even exists. There is no clear evidence that if it does exist it makes hurricanes more powerful or makes them aim at cities with large numbers of poor people. If global warming is a real phenomenon, which it may well be, it started long before George Bush was inaugurated, and would not have been affected at all by the Kyoto treaty, considering that Kyoto does not cover the world's worst polluters -- China, India, and Brazil. In a word, George Bush had zero to do with causing this hurricane. To speculate otherwise is belief in sorcery.

 

5.) George Bush had nothing to do with the hurricane contingency plans for New Orleans. Those are drawn up by New Orleans and Louisiana. In any event, the plans were perfectly good: mandatory evacuation. It is in no way at all George Bush's fault that about 20 percent of New Orleans neglected to follow the plan. It is not his fault that many persons in New Orleans were too confused to realize how dangerous the hurricane would be. They were certainly warned. It's not George Bush's fault that there were sick people and old people and people without cars in New Orleans. His job description does not include making sure every adult in America has a car, is in good health, has good sense, and is mobile.

 

6.) George Bush did not cause gangsters to shoot at rescue helicopters taking people from rooftops, did not make gang bangers rape young girls in the Superdome, did not make looters steal hundreds of weapons, in short make New Orleans into a living hell.

 

7.) George Bush is the least racist President in mind and soul there has ever been and this is shown in his appointments over and over. To say otherwise is scandalously untrue.

 

8.) George Bush is rushing every bit of help he can to New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama as soon as he can. He is not a magician. It takes time to organize huge convoys of food and now they are starting to arrive. That they get in at all considering the lawlessness of the city is a miracle of bravery and organization.

 

9.) There is not the slightest evidence at all that the war in Iraq has diminished the response of the government to the emergency. To say otherwise is pure slander.

 

10.) If the energy the news media puts into blaming Bush for an Act of God worsened by stupendous incompetence by the New Orleans city authorities and the malevolence of the criminals of the city were directed to helping the morale of the nation, we would all be a lot better off.

 

11.) New Orleans is a great city with many great people. It will recover and be greater than ever. Sticking pins into an effigy of George Bush that does not resemble him in the slightest will not speed the process by one day.

 

12.) The entire episode is a dramatic lesson in the breathtaking callousness of government officials at the ground level. Imagine if Hillary Clinton had gotten her way and they were in charge of your health care.

 

God bless all of those dear people who are suffering so much, and God bless those helping them, starting with George Bush.

that is the most biased article I have ever read. How much was he paid by the White House to write it? I hope he can wipe the brown off of his nose within the next few years.

 

 

I am so sick of the Right wing Media and Left wing media. It is a fight to fill the american people with BS.

that is the most biased article I have ever read. How much was he paid by the White House to write it? I hope he can wipe the brown off of his nose within the next few years.

 

 

I am so sick of the Right wing Media and Left wing media. It is a fight to fill the american people with BS.

933823[/snapback]

Biased? It is common sense. People always like to blame presidents for the most ridiculous crap.

Its already been posted Mark.

that is the most biased article I have ever read.

933823[/snapback]

 

Did you SEE the Michael Moore article posted on here?

Its already been posted Mark.

933840[/snapback]

 

Sorry if it has, I haven't been around for a few days and didn't see it when I looked quickly.

Both the Moore article, and this one by Ben Stein are written by far left and far right political celebrities respectively. I don't pay too much attention to them if I can avoid it.

Thanks for posting. There is plenty of blame to go around. There is no denying that Bush and FEMA made some blunders as did the state and local governments. There is also no denying that there were many able bodied individuals that did not heed the evacuation warnings...many of them remain in the flooded city to this day.

finally someone writes an article saying its not bushs fault...its friggen riduclas...if one of you posters were to know someone who died tomarrow (god forbid) you would say bush had something to do with it for god sake just stfu about bush being at fault.

finally someone writes an article saying its not bushs fault...its friggen riduclas...if one of you posters were to know someone who died tomarrow (god forbid) you would say bush had something to do with it for god sake just stfu about bush being at fault.

935066[/snapback]

what's ridiculas is drones like you absolving bush of all blame. with humans like you who needs a brain.

"The bottom line is that despite the fact the president was strapped with two governors who bungled this crisis badly, in the end it is the president who sends in the National Guard and FEMA relief. The president's suggestion that the size of this storm caught all by surprise just doesn't get it. His administration was 48 hours late sending in the National Guard and poor Americans got raped and killed because of those mistakes."

 

-- Joe Scarborough, MSNBC

"The bottom line is that despite the fact the president was strapped with two governors who bungled this crisis badly, in the end it is the president who sends in the National Guard and FEMA relief. The president's suggestion that the size of this storm caught all by surprise just doesn't get it. His administration was 48 hours late sending in the National Guard and poor Americans got raped and killed because of those mistakes."

 

? ? -- Joe Scarborough, MSNBC

935164[/snapback]

 

 

Methinks Scarborough is preparing for a 2006 Senate primary campaign against Harris with things like that...

then what about a variety of other conservative pundits saying the same things?

Stein ownz Moore lol

I always thought Stein was libertarian...

 

Anyway, he isn't just any celebrity. He has a law degree, an economics degree, and is a former speechwriter for Nixon and Ford.

 

Michael Moore is just a talking head that won't go away.

935044[/snapback]

 

In reality, celebrities are ok if they are conservative but annoying if liberal. The likes of Heston, Ted Nugent, and numerous country music singers like Tim McGraw and Charlie Daniels(whom CFDodge often has posted) never get any flack from the celebrity bashing right.

then what about a variety of other conservative pundits saying the same things?

935183[/snapback]

They, like the aforementioned Scarborough, are now bleeding heart liberals.

Stein is a very intelligent mind regardless of his political views. The question here is if Bush himself is to blame. The truth is some blame is his, but very little. FEMA is a govt organization like most others that will exist and function regardless who the president is. A failure by FEMA is not a failure by Bush, same as failures in immigration or the IRS are not failures by the president. Sure we can give some vicarious blame to the head of the executive, but that is secondary. Furthermore, stein in his biased article makes very good points. We need to recognize state's sovreignty for all issues good and bad. Furthermore, the arguments about poverty in the region can go either way. Critcize bush's economic policy or equally strong arguments critisizing the current welfare system and its effects on dependancy. Whose fault was it that Andrew was so devastating? Whose fault was it that the San francisco earthquake was so devastating. Human beings may make errors in attempts to alleviate problems, but nature is the culprit here. Not only that but aside from the superdome problems, many victims refused to leave and as a result have suffered. I remember during andrew how many people refused to even tie things down, saying that it was no big deal or that it was going to miss us. We cant blame govt for everything, as much as I would love to be able to do so. And just bc someone doesnt like bush doesnt mean hes responsible for every negative thing that happens in this country

I always thought Stein was libertarian...

 

Anyway, he isn't just any celebrity.? He has a law degree, an economics degree, and is a former speechwriter for Nixon and Ford.

 

Michael Moore is just a talking head that won't go away.

935044[/snapback]

 

In reality, celebrities are ok if they are conservative but annoying if liberal. The likes of Heston, Ted Nugent, and numerous country music singers like Tim McGraw and Charlie Daniels(whom CFDodge often has posted) never get any flack from the celebrity bashing right.

935394[/snapback]

I see your point Flying_Mollusk, but Ben Stein is not your average coservative celebrity. As already stated, he is very well educated and was a former speechwriter for Presidents Nixon and Ford.

Mollusk, Mcgraw has praised Clinton many times before, I doubt he's a conservative.

I always thought Stein was libertarian...

 

Anyway, he isn't just any celebrity.? He has a law degree, an economics degree, and is a former speechwriter for Nixon and Ford.

 

Michael Moore is just a talking head that won't go away.

935044[/snapback]

 

In reality, celebrities are ok if they are conservative but annoying if liberal. The likes of Heston, Ted Nugent, and numerous country music singers like Tim McGraw and Charlie Daniels(whom CFDodge often has posted) never get any flack from the celebrity bashing right.

935394[/snapback]

Not the same. Look up Stein's bio.

 

Tell me if the talking heads of Penn, Robbins, Moore, Sarandon, Garafalo, and anyone else even come close to displaying the same degree of intelligence.

 

I'm not saying that they don't have a right to voice their opinion in this country, but I have a problem with them using their fame as an attempt to get their voices heard. Also, an educated opinion is more valid than an uneducated opinion.

935552[/snapback]

 

"More valid"? Hmmm... Maybe we should have college graduates ONLY voting in elections than, eh?

I should mention that most conservative celebrities aren't nearly as outspoken when it comes to politics. I don't even think I would consider Heston to be outspoken even though he is the head of the NRA. His illness may be a part of this.

 

I also don't think conservatives succumb to instrumentalized art to the same degree of liberals. Look at the number of liberal actors in Hollywood, the number of liberal oriented films, songs, etc.

935570[/snapback]

You have your own "Hollywood" on the radio. :thumbup

I should mention that most conservative celebrities aren't nearly as outspoken when it comes to politics. I don't even think I would consider Heston to be outspoken even though he is the head of the NRA. His illness may be a part of this.

 

I also don't think conservatives succumb to instrumentalized art to the same degree of liberals. Look at the number of liberal actors in Hollywood, the number of liberal oriented films, songs, etc.

935570[/snapback]

 

 

Yeah but when people are singing about putting boots up people's asses, I assume you're just as equally outraged?

 

 

On a funnier note, Toby Keith claims to be a "conservative democrat". Yeah, and Elton John is a straight homosexual.

I should mention that most conservative celebrities aren't nearly as outspoken when it comes to politics.? I don't even think I would consider Heston to be outspoken even though he is the head of the NRA.? His illness may be a part of this.

 

I also don't think conservatives succumb to instrumentalized art to the same degree of liberals.? Look at the number of liberal actors in Hollywood, the number of liberal oriented films, songs, etc.

935570[/snapback]

 

 

Yeah but when people are singing about putting boots up people's asses, I assume you're just as equally outraged?

 

 

On a funnier note, Toby Keith claims to be a "conservative democrat". Yeah, and Elton John is a straight homosexual.

935614[/snapback]

 

Don't forget the fact that--that song you refer to, SUCKS BALLS!

 

Big ones.

 

Humongous balls.

I should mention that most conservative celebrities aren't nearly as outspoken when it comes to politics. I don't even think I would consider Heston to be outspoken even though he is the head of the NRA. His illness may be a part of this.

 

I also don't think conservatives succumb to instrumentalized art to the same degree of liberals. Look at the number of liberal actors in Hollywood, the number of liberal oriented films, songs, etc.

935570[/snapback]

 

Do you think that viewpoint has something to do with your own views though? We tend not to get as upset with a celebrity when they are in general agreement with us.

 

I'm not saying that they don't have a right to voice their opinion in this country, but I have a problem with them using their fame as an attempt to get their voices heard. Also, an educated opinion is more valid than an uneducated opinion.

 

However no liberal celebrity has ever parlayed their fame into political success whereas two conservative icons, Arnie and Ronnie, have. Moreover, isnt the reason we are having this discussion becaus Stein wrote the article?

Mollusk, Mcgraw has praised Clinton many times before, I doubt he's a conservative.

935561[/snapback]

Yeah, I probably thought of the wrong guy. I dont know my country singers too well. :confused