[Peace-discuss] Refutation of Bush's State of the Union

[John Fettig]

* patton paul <ppatton at staff.uiuc.edu>: 
> The institute for Public Accuracy has posted a line by line refutation of
> Bush's State of the Union with tons of useful links.  Its at
> http://www.accuracy.org/2003/

It's interesting that the transript that they used is different than
what he actually said, which is at 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030128-19.html

And now for my personal refutation:

" Americans are a free people, who know that freedom is the right of
every person and the future of every nation. The liberty we prize is not
America's gift to the world, it is God's gift to humanity. (Applause.)

We Americans have faith in ourselves, but not in ourselves alone. We do
not know -- we do not claim to know all the ways of Providence, yet we
can trust in them, placing our confidence in the loving God behind all
of life, and all of history.

May He guide us now. And may God continue to bless the United States of
America. (Applause.) "

As a Catholic, I am thouroughly offended that he is using God's name to
back war.  I liken this to the Al Quaeda using Allah's name when they
flew planes into the WTC.  It is a perversion of what it really means to
be Christian.

Christ knew that he was going to be crucified.  He had ample followers
to stage a fight against the guards when they arrested him.  Christ used
himself as the ultimate example:  we should choose death at the hands of
those who wish to kill us rather than perpetuate the hatred and
violence that our enemies wish to spread.

If President Bush was truly "placing our confidence in the loving God
behind all of life, and all of history" he would be doing everything in
his power to end all war, not start new ones.  He is showing a
fundamentalist view of Christianity which should be feared every bit as
much as the fundamentalists views which caused terrorists to fly planes
into American buildings.

Let's not forget that God's gift to humanity was his only Son, who gave
up his life as an example of how we should attain the liberty which we
seek.  You don't have to be a Christian to appreciate this message.

John