Saturday, May 06, 2006
President Bush at Oklahoma State
El presidente spoke at commencement this morning at my undergrad alma mater, Oklahoma State University, about 50 miles northeast of where I sit. It was on TV here.
Dang it, I can't help but like the man George W. Bush. As I've mentioned before, I met him twice, in Texas, during his gubernatorial campaign, for meetings of an editorial board upon which I served. He is a likable guy.
He made the obligatory mention of Eskimo Joe's, like his daddy did 16 years ago, and he made a more subtle, and more important, mention of Bank of Oklahoma, which was a nod to powers that be in this state, as well as on the A&M Board of Regents, which governs OSU and Oklahoma's other land-grant schools.
My only complants on his speech are old ones:
He praised global competition -- the vaunted free market that is sucking jobs overseas and reducing overseas and which will drag us down to whatever lowest common denominator shakes out for production and income and environmental protection and national sovereignty and everything else. Myself, I'm more of a protectionist.
And, of course, he praised his and his neocon administration's leadership in "taking liberty" to oppressed peoples, which is a dubious thing to assert, and a questionable enterprise that historians will have to judge, not journalists, and certainly not officials in the administration, and not the president himself. This modern-day Manifest Destiny is frightening.
Here's the complete text of the president's speech at OSU.
Yep, the presidency, and the earnest, likable, generally respectable man who occupies it, half elitest country club snob and half good ol' boy, whose domestic policies largely make me sick to my stomach, whose stubborn arrogance at times makes me fear for my country, whose Christianity on his sleeve is so at odds with so many of the unChristian and unAmerican details of this so-called "war," graced our state today, and my favorite university, Oklahoma State University.
I'm proud, in spite of my misgivings, that the presidency was here.
--ER
Dang it, I can't help but like the man George W. Bush. As I've mentioned before, I met him twice, in Texas, during his gubernatorial campaign, for meetings of an editorial board upon which I served. He is a likable guy.
He made the obligatory mention of Eskimo Joe's, like his daddy did 16 years ago, and he made a more subtle, and more important, mention of Bank of Oklahoma, which was a nod to powers that be in this state, as well as on the A&M Board of Regents, which governs OSU and Oklahoma's other land-grant schools.
My only complants on his speech are old ones:
He praised global competition -- the vaunted free market that is sucking jobs overseas and reducing overseas and which will drag us down to whatever lowest common denominator shakes out for production and income and environmental protection and national sovereignty and everything else. Myself, I'm more of a protectionist.
And, of course, he praised his and his neocon administration's leadership in "taking liberty" to oppressed peoples, which is a dubious thing to assert, and a questionable enterprise that historians will have to judge, not journalists, and certainly not officials in the administration, and not the president himself. This modern-day Manifest Destiny is frightening.
Here's the complete text of the president's speech at OSU.
Yep, the presidency, and the earnest, likable, generally respectable man who occupies it, half elitest country club snob and half good ol' boy, whose domestic policies largely make me sick to my stomach, whose stubborn arrogance at times makes me fear for my country, whose Christianity on his sleeve is so at odds with so many of the unChristian and unAmerican details of this so-called "war," graced our state today, and my favorite university, Oklahoma State University.
I'm proud, in spite of my misgivings, that the presidency was here.
--ER
Comments:
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You forgot to mention that if you wanted to protest the President you had to do so in the set-aside designated "free speech" area and NOwhere else, or you would be arrested. On the campus of a major State University "free speech" was relegated to a fenced in area. Where is that same ire, I saw on here last week or so, about the news story being sensored.
If that can be done legally for a U.S. President then why not for a U.S. Senator, or a State govenor, maybe a college president, or an A&M board member. What's good for one should be good for all, after all.
Oh well, the Curse of the Presidents' speaking at OSU will take hold anyway. In 6 months let's see if it holds true for this one. It is just bad medicine.
Why were there only 17,000 extra people at the event? 17,000 plus 3,000 graduates. Isn't that a small crowd for that stadium and such an event?
If that can be done legally for a U.S. President then why not for a U.S. Senator, or a State govenor, maybe a college president, or an A&M board member. What's good for one should be good for all, after all.
Oh well, the Curse of the Presidents' speaking at OSU will take hold anyway. In 6 months let's see if it holds true for this one. It is just bad medicine.
Why were there only 17,000 extra people at the event? 17,000 plus 3,000 graduates. Isn't that a small crowd for that stadium and such an event?
# posted by 
: 3:19 PM
: 3:19 PM
I don't know whether there were any protests. I'm sure there were. Obviously, they should not have been corralled into a "protest zone," which, of course, is exactly what they do. Neither should they have been any disruption of the commencement ceremony itself. And there wasn't.
d.dad, if you think I'm a "leftist," you need to hang around me some more. I'm a Democrat. I'm only a "leftist" compared to extreme right-wingers. That there is a fact.
Sigh. Nope, I marched right up to a pit and jumped in! Hoo hoo.
Go check out his joint. I have spread ER-style enlightenment in the comments of several of his posts.
(Note, y'all all. I do not mean I "trolled." That, I do not do. I engaged. ... That means I'm engaging! Charming, too, I'm sure!)
Go check out his joint. I have spread ER-style enlightenment in the comments of several of his posts.
(Note, y'all all. I do not mean I "trolled." That, I do not do. I engaged. ... That means I'm engaging! Charming, too, I'm sure!)
Here in "Little Beirut" (our current president's father's nickname for the city I live in), we also have been relegated to places of "free speech"-that is-over there, behind the fence, several miles from the person who most needs to hear that not everyone agrees.
Checked out th' Daddio yesterday. Strikes me as another damned fool who will work all manner of childish crap all over this page until his fragile ego collapses (not enough people agreeing with his narrow view of Christianity or politics), or he calls in reinforcements to hound you into that cowardly Haloscan crap that all our reactionary friends seem to swear by.
In any case, worth hearing, in the same way that I feel that occasionally schizophrenics hit on some really profound ideas.
Welcome aboard, D.
Checked out th' Daddio yesterday. Strikes me as another damned fool who will work all manner of childish crap all over this page until his fragile ego collapses (not enough people agreeing with his narrow view of Christianity or politics), or he calls in reinforcements to hound you into that cowardly Haloscan crap that all our reactionary friends seem to swear by.
In any case, worth hearing, in the same way that I feel that occasionally schizophrenics hit on some really profound ideas.
Welcome aboard, D.
Howdy, Rich.
I hope he realizes that the fun and beauty of the Erudite Redneck Roadhouse is the breadth of opinion expressed, especially politicswise and faithwise, and the relative lack of name-calling and manure spreading.
And if he doesn't, oh well.
But, I DID go over and engage the feller. Since ya reap whatcha so ...
I hope he realizes that the fun and beauty of the Erudite Redneck Roadhouse is the breadth of opinion expressed, especially politicswise and faithwise, and the relative lack of name-calling and manure spreading.
And if he doesn't, oh well.
But, I DID go over and engage the feller. Since ya reap whatcha so ...
And, I've done it before, might as well do it again...Here's the end of what I just said over at the insanely pretentiously named 'Pearls Before Swine', assuming he doesn't print it...
"Lastly, no one gets to solve the immigration problem. Even if someone comes up with a workable solution, it gets gutted in committee. Count on it.
At which point, the GOP will trot out some non-issue like queer marriage or something, so as to dupe the easily led.
As if the resta you actually cared that much about marriage...I'd chuckle if it weren't so damn awful. "
I'm goin' t' hell.
"Lastly, no one gets to solve the immigration problem. Even if someone comes up with a workable solution, it gets gutted in committee. Count on it.
At which point, the GOP will trot out some non-issue like queer marriage or something, so as to dupe the easily led.
As if the resta you actually cared that much about marriage...I'd chuckle if it weren't so damn awful. "
I'm goin' t' hell.
I'm proud, in spite of my misgivings, that the presidency was here.
and why I think American democracy is doomed - supple-spined and flattered when the "presidency" deigns to visit. Born to be lackeys, and provincila lackeys at that.
I can't help but like the man George W. Bush.
the earnest, likable, generally respectable man who occupies it, half elitest country club snob and half good ol' boy
No comment is necessary - what execrable taste.
and why I think American democracy is doomed - supple-spined and flattered when the "presidency" deigns to visit. Born to be lackeys, and provincila lackeys at that.
I can't help but like the man George W. Bush.
the earnest, likable, generally respectable man who occupies it, half elitest country club snob and half good ol' boy
No comment is necessary - what execrable taste.
TSTOCK, bite me.
Yer spew is welcome, as always. But, really. Is there never anything here worth a kind word? All ya do is bitch.
Whatup, dawg?
Yer spew is welcome, as always. But, really. Is there never anything here worth a kind word? All ya do is bitch.
Whatup, dawg?
Watched GW at OSU on TV news tonight. Looks like they filled up the seats on side of the stadium and the front part of the other side and claimed that 40,000 people were there. Know how many the stadium holds? Lots of empty seats in the unmanaged shots from one of the stations.
# posted by : 11:48 PM
: 11:48 PM
Seems like it holds 40-something thousand. But I think the south side might be unseatable because of construction. Not sure.
Ah, I'm sorry - if it matters, I regard most of what you write with vague but definite approbation. But in cyberspace no-one can hear you nod.
It's just knowing that the hand that typed that what sound slike a overaged fratboy is an attrative personality, and when I reflect that very same hand holds the hand of Dr. ER of those romanticaql type evenings - well, the spirit rebels.
It's just knowing that the hand that typed that what sound slike a overaged fratboy is an attrative personality, and when I reflect that very same hand holds the hand of Dr. ER of those romanticaql type evenings - well, the spirit rebels.
ER is still young and malleable. He has not yet fully formed into the crumugeon he will eventually be. He still believes in contracts by handshakes, that all dogs are good dogs, good will always triumps, and that if you just reason with people they will eventually come around to your viewpoint.
But he spent too long in Texas, and that has to be purged.
But he spent too long in Texas, and that has to be purged.
# posted by : 7:23 AM
: 7:23 AM
I saw the Pres. speech. I laughed at his 'Eskomo Joes' joke and Laura mssing dinner there. I voted for him and I still support him, and at my house, I am 'The Decider' too. lol,I really do like the guy, I was just joking, his statement is just too funny not to laugh at.
Welcome, BarnGoddess.
I just scanned yer place and like to blew a piece of nicontine gum through a nostril at the pic of the cowboys with their hats "hung" at their waists. What a hoot. What a big ol' dadgum hoot!
I just scanned yer place and like to blew a piece of nicontine gum through a nostril at the pic of the cowboys with their hats "hung" at their waists. What a hoot. What a big ol' dadgum hoot!
You remind me of why I voted for AND against Clinton. He is the one that created that Sucking Sound as the jobs are Sucked out of this country.
# posted by : 11:56 AM
: 11:56 AM
Not that I'm in good company is thinking Bush is likable.
"He is someone who has a lot of charm and charisma, and I think in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, I was very grateful to him for his support for New York," Clinton said Tuesday night during a talk at the National Archives about her life in politics.
Clinton, a potential presidential candidate in 2008, said (of Bush) that despite their "many disagreements about many, many issues," she has always had a good personal relationship with the president.
"He's been very willing to talk. He's been affable. He's been good company," said Clinton, D-N.Y.
That's what I said.
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"He is someone who has a lot of charm and charisma, and I think in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, I was very grateful to him for his support for New York," Clinton said Tuesday night during a talk at the National Archives about her life in politics.
Clinton, a potential presidential candidate in 2008, said (of Bush) that despite their "many disagreements about many, many issues," she has always had a good personal relationship with the president.
"He's been very willing to talk. He's been affable. He's been good company," said Clinton, D-N.Y.
That's what I said.
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