Inagural Speech

[Wes Brewer]

Now that President Bush has made it clear that we oppose oppression, and dictatorship and support womens rights throughout the world it will be interesting to see if U. S. policy toward oppressive nations like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will change.[/b]

[large]

Hmmm, don't get your hopes up too high.

While I voted for this administration, I understand that we're dealing with Politicians first, Idealists second. Inagural speeches are optimistic, tell 'em what they want to hear, this one may go down in history types of speeches. Not "State of the Union" speeches, where the President has to tell it like it is.

And if you tend to think the President is stretching his agenda a little, wait'll you see what the 535 complete idiots (the congress) have in store! The Presidential Agenda is at least out there for all to see and comment on . . . not so for the Congress.

And while we, the people, are quick to criticise any sitting President, we're a little slack when it comes to supervising our Elected Represenatives. We never "Un-Elect any of 'em, they just get rich and then resign . . Let somebody else run . . Watch the Salazars, Ken and John . . Democrats in a Republican State . . And I'll bet even money they both retire from Office, either never contested or barely. Once you're in . . You're in! Nothing against them either, I like Ken, think he'll probably be good for the State, but if he isn't, won't matter . . He's in, and he'll stay in . . .

[Lexi]

I, for one, am opposed to much of what the President said.

I do not believe it is our place to tell other nations how to run their governments. If they want to oppress their people, that's their business. The only time it becomes our business is when they try to oppress us.

The US seems to forget that different countries have different cultures, different ways of living. If the way they live is acceptable to them, that's their business, not ours. We need to start minding our OWN business, because the United States People are probably more oppressed than any other country out there. Why? Because we're so spoiled that we have no idea of what it's like to really have to live under the stability of actual rules.

The United States has rules, yes, but they are not stringent any more. Each and every law is challenged on a daily basis, we coddle our criminals, coddle our enemies, send our money to the needy in other countries while we ignore our own needy. Tell me that's not oppression!

It's quite similar to what England did to Ireland during the great famine, which resulted in a population decrease of over 7 million people to death and emigration.*

*For those of you who may misunderstand this remarkt: This is not to be confused with imigration, emigration is when you leave the country as opposed to coming to it.

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The only people in the United States that are oppressed are those who have convinced themselves that is the case. The future of this country remains bright in spite of itself . .

The current conventional wisdom is that the EU will implode economically by 2025 as it cannot sustain the socialist Governments with it's current economic structure . . .

And any country that cannot provide an economy of least an average income of $3000 per year is ripe for civil war or Terrorist supporting governments. This is also current C.W.

My only comment on this, linking GWB's speech to the above, is . . Tall order . . I don't think he can convince the Congress . .

But somebody's gonna have to do it . . or your children will live in a Fortress. and if you think things are "Opressed" now . . wait till we have to build walls and Moats around us . . and closely inspect the motives of all within . . . George Orwell's "1984" may come true yet! Out of necessity. The American People on the average have no idea of how good they have it . . Most poor people or those who feel they are "opressed" have themselves or their continued grip on a past culture to blame for their failure to make educated decisions.

Sure there are pockets of dis-enfranchised people in this country . . but it's not the fault of the government. The government is not a large Nanny with a bottomless Pocketbook. But many expect it to be . . .

Getting an Education in this country has never been easier! But you have to go to school . . You have to want to learn . . You have to work to learn . . it's not a process of Osmosis or Photosynthesis . . Just learn to READ! 95% of the poor, the "Disenfranchised, can't read, have no regard for a clock, Know nothing of the word self-disclipine, can't make a knowlegeable decision . . . Because they learned long ago, somebody would take care of them if they just kept a high enough profile. They don't have to achieve, just breathe . .

The problem is, most of the people pissing and moaning about the poor and under educated are people who talk a good charity, but while they won't reach into their own pockets, they would ask the taxpayers to.

Just like the staunch "Right to Lifers", they will tolerate NO abortions, but will they adopt unwanted children? Hell no! I'm middle of the road on that issue, but I hate to see the Black and White Arguments about that also . . because it isn't Black and White, it's a million shades of grey!

[Lexi]

The only people in the United States that are oppressed are those who have convinced themselves that is the case. The future of this country remains bright in spite of itself .

Oh? My family was needlessly torn apart by socialist services out of control (without my ever having been accused of child abuse) after one of their male social workers sexually assaulted me in my home in the presence of my children. This kind of BS goes on all over the US. This is one good example of what the government is doing to it's own people.

The incedent split up five beautiful children from each other and their mother and father, and eventually left my marriage dissolved and me homeless for two years while I tried to get on my feet. The court ordered that my friends were not allowed to help me out, or else I'd be held in contempt of court and thrown in jail.

Tell me that's not a form of oppression.

This is one of the many ways that the US government has oppressed it's people, it's not something we "convince ourselves" of. Take a look around you. Our rights are being trampled on and taken away from us left and right.

THAT IS oppression. The future of this country is glum if this kind of BS keeps up. You need to open your eyes as to some of the things that's really going on in this country. It's not pretty.

[Wes Brewer]

So! Americans are the most oppressed because we have it so easy and that is somehow related to the Irish famine and the treatment of the Irish by the British? My Irish ancestors would turn over in their graves at such a suggestion. I am sure I am missing your point Lexi, when you write: "It's quite similar to what England did to Ireland during the great famine, which resulted in a population decrease of over 7 million people to death and emigration.* "

[Lexi]

First of all, you have completely turned my words around, and yes, you did miss the point. I hardly think your Irish ancestors would turn in thier graves at what I said.

(By the way, I, myself, am as Irish as Irish can be, so enough with the insinuations that I don't know what I'm talking about....)

First of all, do you know anything at all about the great famine? During that time, food that was grown in Ireland which COULD have fed us was sold and exported by ENGLAND (who was the major landlord of the time). Because of this, we were not allowed to eat, therefore we were not allowed to live, as it's quite difficult to stay alive when you're starving to death.

It began when a strange "fog" rolled in from the sea, carrying some kind of bacteria that killed off much of the potato crop among some of the other greenery. Normally this would not have been so bad, but since England was in the midst of selling all our food to other people, we were eating mostly potatoes to stay alive. That's basically what we were allowed, as England considered us to be lowly individuals worth nothing more. We weren't allowed any possessions or receive affluence that could have taken us above the poverty level at that point. It's much the way American whites are said to have treated blacks during the slavery days, attitude wise.

I see the US doing the same thing, in a way. Sending money that COULD be better used on those who would truly benefit from it away to other countries, or spending that money on new immigrants when the US isn't taking good care of the people who are already here LEGALLY.

I see homeless families who could benefit from the massive amount of money that the US spends trying to bring new families into the country. I see the jobless who would love to have some of the jobs that are being given to the illegals by allegedly well meaning people who say they want to help them out, yet in reality are merely using them to receive cheap labour.

I see nice beautiful new homes (that would normally sell for probably $100,000.00 or better) being built to house -- for free -- illegal immigrants ONLY, while we have homeless families right here being denied jobs and housing because "there isn't enough funding" for them.

How is it that there is enough funding to pay for University educations, housing, medical expenses, etc for illegals (and even legal aliens) when there isn't enough funding to take care of natural (or even naturalized) citizens?

Work that Americans could be doing is being sent to other countries, even. Tell me that's not taking what rightfully belongs to the people who are legally here by birth or certification and exporting it elsewhere? There isn't such an over abundance of work and money in this country that it's own people shouldn't benefit first, then anything left over can go elsewhere.

THAT is what I meant when I mentioned that what the US Government is doing is much like England during the great famine. Look at the attitude involved, it's all about money and political power.

Never did I say "Americans have it so easy". In fact, it's the other way around. It may seem easy to those who are not American who visit here, but when one looks beyond the facade, one can clearly see how the innocent suffer here because the guilty are coddled, how families are needlessly torn apart because someone in authority had a "whim", or because the US Government thinks it can raise your children better than you can. Look at how there's such an uprising of hatred towards each other in this country based on religion or colour. You call that easy?

Do you think it's easy to be homeless and jobless? (I suppose it is if you want to be that way, I know there are some who do, but not all are like that.) Do you think it's easy to be a victim of a crime and have the perps defense attorney blame YOU for it in court? Do you think it's easy to have your beloved family completely destroyed because you had the guts to stand up for yourself after being sexually assaulted by someone who happened to work for Children's Protective Services? Do you think it's easy to be unfairly accused by the IRS of tax evasion, and have your store in the Citadel Mall closed AT GUNPOINT by Government agents? Do you think it's easy to watch a man who brutally murdered his 7 year old daughter be set free 3 years later? Perhaps you think it's easy to be minding your own business, only to come home and find the police raiding and destroying your home because someone flalsely called them and said you were suicidal?

Maybe YOU think it's easy to live in a country that allegedly offers these rights that are ignored repeatedly, but I don't. OR, perhaps, in your own ignorance, you just don't realize what's really going on here?

Check out a book by Vin Suprynowicz....Send in the Waco Killers, or The Ballad of Carl Drega. Find out what really happens to people who stand up for what was rightfully theirs....then you tell me again how this nation is not oppressed and how easy this nation has it.

I call it oppression. You, in your little fantasy world, can call it whatever the hell you like.

[Wes Brewer]

Thanks Lexi for clarifying the intent of your comparison of the Suppression of the Irish by the English to your perceived oppression of American citizens by the Government. We now know from whence your perception comes, however skewed it may well by by your experience as mine is skewed by my experience. Perhaps we all suffer from a Don Quijote complex. Perhaps Cervantes had it right.

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In your reply above you mention several things the government is either doing . . or not doing . . that concern you.

Most of the things you speak of seem to deal with your conflict with Social Services . . An Agency formed a long time ago when somebody said; "There oughta be a Law" and over the years has become a governmental agency that has little objective oversight. Kind of like the proverbial 300 pound gorilla, they play anywhere they want, and make up their own rules as they go, seems like. But then, the Social Services are a good example of a "Something for nothing" the poor see as a panacea to keep from having to work as the rest of us do. It went from being a partial "Catch Net" to a bureaucratic monster that perpetuates itself by governmental decree . . I'm not saying people who use it as a temporary aid are bad, but until the Clinton Administration at least changed the aim, it was a haven for Professional Welfare Reciepients . . And the administrators were no better, a lot of 'em are still there, still moving in their slow motion, bureaucratic waddle.

Governmental "Opression" comes from the Citizens expecting their government to do for them what they are either to lazy or to afraid to do themselves. And there's a group of people who love to "Protect us from ourselves" just waiting to get the chance.

And they will carry it to extremes, trust me. Look at the current "HIPPA" regulations. Just made into law, it "Protects" your medical history and privacy. To the extent that a spouse cannot even find out if their husband (or wife) is hospitalized in an accident or other event. Total legislative overkill . . Somebody said; "there ought to be a law!"

Aid money to Foriegn Governments? A time and a place. Too often our Foriegn Policy is tied to closely to our Foriegn Trade Policies. Sometimes Foriegn Aid is a prop to hold up a Government we support . . or to maintain business intrests of a U.S. Corporation in another country. On the other hand, most "Offshoring" is done by Corporations and our government has nothing to do or say about it . . it's legal. . . who we trade with? it's up to you . . You don't like supporting China and their terrible Human Rights policies . . Don't buy anything made in China. complaining about our Government's policies does no good when we support the "bad" policy by our spending habits.

But alas, we've gotten off the subject . . . I think "W's" Global Freedom wish was the subject . .

[Lexi]

mine is skewed by my experience

Oh, so you were there during the famine then? You must be really really old....

Nar lagai Dia thu!

[Lexi]

Large,

That's not only mine. Before I had problems with them, I was actually advocating for other families who had problems with them, and, to their dismay, I continued to do so after they destroyed my family and abused my children.

It's very corrupt.

I will say that not all county departments are like this, El Paso County has some control issues.

But it is not just DHS that I've observed doing this. The entire US saw what happened in Waco, TX... Get ahold of Bring In The Waco Killers (by Vin Suprynowicz). It's a real eye opener.

[Wes Brewer]

"Oh, so you were there during the famine then? You must be really really old...."

I misuderstood again, Lexi, I thought it was you who had been there.
I believe in that old saying, "a nations greatest critic may be a nations greatest patriot." However I also belive that negativism is worthless unless one has solutions to what one is negative about and does something about the situation. I have little sympathy for the old houndog who sits on his tail and howls because it hurts and won't get up and do anything about it. However my hat's off to you if you are taking action to fix the problems.

[large]

One more thought about the Speech Pres. Bush made . . .

His wishes for our spreading the thought and actions of freedom will be realized in the next six months in Iraq. Or not . . . If the Iraqis choose true democracy in their election and not just another Theocracy as is in Iran, wherein it would be ruled by a series of Mullahs of the Shiite Persuasion, who will, of course, extract revenge on the Sunni minority (who have ruled for over 100 years) because, in the Arab World, Nobody forgets anything, nor forgives.

Should this occur, we have wasted the lives of all our valiant soldiers who given up life and limb to offer these people the same freedom we enjoy. This will also point up to our leaders that we must look at new ways to conduct our foreign policies. These countries are, and will continue to be the birthplaces of Terrorism, but we may see that we cannot change their outdated ideas, their despotic rulers, nor their hate of the Christian-Judeo People of the West.

And as we need the labor market in China, we need the Oil from the Middle East . . As much as a lot of people seem to think we could do without it, we can't. In one way or another we will have to deal with these people . . .

So what then?

[Lexi]

I misuderstood again, Lexi, I thought it was you who had been there.

lol! I'm not THAT old! Wasn't there during the famine, sorry.

It is a very important part of our history that we will never forget, as it's an incredible incedent that I believe eventually led to our ability to become a free people who can stand proud and say that, even in our most humble of times, we still found the ability to do more than survive: we overcame.

We teach it to our children, and our children's children...