Countdown to Crawford: Hecklers damp Bush's Fourth of July speech
On his last Fourth of July as president, George W. Bush delivered a speech to a crowd of 72 new citizens from 30 countries who were being sworn in at Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello in Virginia. The crowd comprised more than the newly enfranchised, however. Protesters greeted the president on his first visit to Monticello with statements like "War criminal!" and "He brought fascism to this shore!" Some called for his impeachment. Acknowledging the remarks, Bush broke from his prepared statement, saying, "We believe in free speech in the United States of America."
Readers turned out in droves at the Countdown to Crawford post. Some of the whopping 563 comments were in defense of the president, while others sided with the hecklers.
Mary wrote:
It's amazing what morons are being raised today! What an embarrassment... God Bless President Bush & those who still know how to behave and live with decency and virtue!
Bill J wrote:
I voted for Bush. He embarrasses me. I can' t imagine a president living so close to Monticello and not visiting it in eight years. When he does, it's only as political theater. Shows a real lack of intellectual depth and curiosity. A sad legacy.
FloridaCounts criticizes the timing of the protests:
On Indepedence day, Bush represents the office and this is a meaningful ceremony, especially for teaching young people. There are plenty other days for protesters to call names and no president can please all. David Swanson and his fellow protesters stained the tradition. Shame on their ignorance.
Bill responds in support of the protesters:
To all who have said that this was not the "time or place" for protest, you deserve none of the rights conferred to you by those brave enough to protest the rule of a corrupt society. Giving Bush a free pass is not acceptable, he has done too much bad to be rewarded with "respect". Patriotism and defense of rights does not entail meekly following along with the White House. True patriotism is loving a country enough to protest its destruction despite imbeciles marching in lockstep with a failed leader trying to silence you.
Dfs wrote:
"Protestors" (if we are going to dignify them with that word) of this kind are really nothing more than ego-tripping exhibitionists. Some nutball acts out in public and imagines he's a new Thoreau. Outside the confines of his own imagination, he's really accomplishing nothing more than discrediting the cause he stands for and gaining sympathy for whatever he's against.
Jack wrote:
Jefferson would have been shocked and appalled by Bush's actions in Iraq. For Bush to try to wrap himself in Jefferson's mantle only underscores the president's arrogance and the public's ignorance in allowing this tyrant to prattle on without any accountability.
Here's what we were protesting:
http://afterdowningstreet.org/busharticles
Posted by: David Swanson | July 07, 2008 at 08:36 PM
From Dems to Indies to some Republicans to people outside of the United States with, perhaps, a less-biased view --- many, if not most, see President Bush's actions as being criminal.
Congressional men and women from both parties agree that we were lied to about Iraq and that we never finished the real job of avenging Sept 11th in Afghanistan. And his absent knowledge and unsympathetic attitude towards our economy helped put us into the position, that we're in.
I get tired of protestors disrupting every event ... but damn it, we all have a right to be mad about this. And we all have a right to say so.
Posted by: wolf | July 07, 2008 at 10:07 PM
protesters are boorish since they would not appreciate it if someone showed up to their events--such as say the graduation of a child or friend--and heckled. but Dubya and Cheney deserve impeachment much more than slick Willie ever did.
Posted by: Kudzu Fire | July 08, 2008 at 03:44 AM
Where is the appropriate place to protest? When the White House create a "free speech" zone, there are truly no place to speak our minds. And how can you be supportive of a president who is selling out the U.S., allow illegals to cross our borders, allowing corporations to hire these illegals, which is a felony, allow talk show hosts to shoot truth seekers, keep the borders open when the Republican party was the majority in congress from 1994-2006, speak about morality when their party are convicted of sex crimes:
* Republican presidential campaign official Matthew Joseph Elliott was convicted of sexual exploitation of a child.
* Republican Party Chairman Donald Fleischman was charged with two counts of child enticement, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child and a single charge of exposing himself to a child.
* Republican prosecutor John David Roy Atchison was arrested for soliciting sex from a 5-year old girl, then killed himself three weeks later. At the time of his arrest, Atchison was an "assistant U.S. attorney" appointed by President Bush's attorney general.
* Republican city councilman John Bryan killed himself after police began investigating allegations that he had molested three girls, including two of his adopted daughters, ages 12 and 15.
* Republican legislator Ted Klaudt was charged with raping girls under the age of 16.
* Republican city councilman Joseph Monteleone Jr. was found guilty of fondling underage girls.
* Republican congressional aide Jeffrey Nielsen was arrested for having sex with a 14-year old boy.
* Republican County Commissioner Patrick Lee McGuire surrendered to police after allegedly molesting girls between the ages of 8 and 13.
* Republican prosecutor Larry Corrigan was arrested for soliciting sex from 13-year old girls.
* Republican Mayor Jeffrey Kyle Randall was sentenced to 275 days in jail for molesting two boys -- ages ten and 12 -- during a six-year period.
* Republican County Board Candidate Brent Schepp was charged with molesting a 14-year old girl and killed himself three days later.
* Republican Congressman Mark Foley abruptly resigned from Congress after "sexually explicit" emails surfaced showing him flirting with a 16-year old boy.
* Republican executive Randall Casseday of the conservative Washington Times newspaper pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a 13-year old girl on the internet.
* Republican chairman of the Oregon Christian Coalition Lou Beres confessed to molesting a 13-year old girl.
* Republican County Constable Larry Dale Floyd pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting sex from an 8-year old girl. Floyd has repeatedly won elections for Denton County, Texas, constable.
* Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation.
* Republican Party leader Bobby Stumbo was arrested for having sex with a 5-year old boy.
* Republican petition drive manager Tom Randall pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 14, one of them the daughter of an associate in the petition business.
* Republican County Chairman Armando Tebano pleaded guilty to fondling a 14-year-old girl.
* Republican teacher and former city councilman John Collins pleaded guilty to sexually molesting 13 and 14 year old girls.
* Republican campaign worker Mark Seidensticker is a convicted child molester.
* Republican Mayor Philip Giordano is serving a 37-year sentence in federal prison for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year old girls.
* Republican Mayor Tom Adams was arrested for distributing child pornography over the internet.
* Republican Mayor John Gosek was arrested on charges of soliciting sex from two 15-year old girls.
* Republican County Commissioner David Swartz pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
* Republican legislator Edison Misla Aldarondo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his daughter between the ages of 9 and 17.
* Republican Committeeman John R. Curtin was convicted of molesting an underage teenage boy and sentenced to serve six to 18 months in prison.
* Republican anti-abortion activist Howard Scott Heldreth is a convicted child rapist in Florida.
* Republican zoning supervisor, Boy Scout leader and Lutheran church president Dennis L. Rader pleaded guilty to performing a sexual act on an 11-year old girl he murdered.
* Republican anti-abortion activist Nicholas Morency pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders an abortion doctor.
* Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge was sentenced to three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl.
* Republican racist pedophile and United States Senator Strom Thurmond had sex with a 15-year old black girl which produced a child.
* Republican pastor Mike Hintz, whom George W. Bush commended during the 2004 presidential campaign, surrendered to police after admitting to a sexual affair with a female juvenile.
* Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl.
* Republican advertising consultant Carey Lee Cramer was sentenced to six years in prison for molesting two 8-year old girls, one of whom appeared in an anti-Gore television commercial.
* Republican fundraiser Lawrence E. King, Jr. organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.
* Republican lobbyist Craig J. Spence organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.
* Republican Congressman Donald "Buz" Lukens was found guilty of having sex with a female minor and sentenced to one month in jail.
* Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio was found guilty of child porn charges and paying two teenage girls to pose for sexual photos.
* Republican activist Mark A. Grethen convicted on six counts of sex crimes involving children.
* Republican campaign chairman Randal David Ankeney pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child and was arrested again five years later on the same charge.
* Republican Congressman Dan Crane had sex with a female minor working as a congressional page.
* Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly Russell admitted to an incestuous relationship with his step daughter.
* Republican Judge Ronald C. Kline pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on his home computer.
* Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar.
* Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti was arrested for distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped.
* Republican activist Marty Glickman (a.k.a. "Republican Marty"), was taken into custody by Florida police on four counts of unlawful sexual activity with an underage girl and one count of delivering the drug LSD.
* Republican legislative aide Howard L. Brooks was charged with molesting a 12-year old boy and possession of child pornography.
* Republican Senate candidate John Hathaway was accused of having sex with his 12-year old baby sitter and withdrew his candidacy after the allegations were reported in the media.
* Republican preacher Stephen White, who demanded a return to traditional values, was sentenced prison after offering $20 to a 14-year-old boy for permission to perform oral sex on him.
* Republican talk show host Jon Matthews pleaded guilty to exposing his genitals to an 11 year old girl.
* Republican anti-gay activist Earl "Butch" Kimmerling was sentenced to 40 years in prison for molesting an 8-year old girl after he attempted to stop a gay couple from adopting her.
* Republican Party leader Paul Ingram pleaded guilty to six counts of raping his daughters and served 14 years in federal prison.
* Republican election board official Kevin Coan was sentenced to two years probation for soliciting sex over the internet from a 14-year old girl.
* Republican politician Andrew Buhr was charged with two counts of first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy.
* Republican legislator Keith Westmoreland was arrested on seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to girls under the age of 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children).
* Republican anti-abortion activist John Allen Burt was found guilty of molesting a 15-year old girl.
* Republican County Councilman Keola Childs pleaded guilty to molesting a male child.
* Republican activist John Butler was charged with criminal sexual assault on a teenage girl.
* Republican candidate Richard Gardner admitted to molesting his two daughters.
* Republican Councilman and former Marine Jack W. Gardner was convicted of molesting a 13-year old girl.
* Republican County Commissioner Merrill Robert Barter pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact and assault on a teenage boy.
* Republican City Councilman Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr. pleaded no contest to raping a 15 year-old girl and served 6-months in prison.
* Republican activist Parker J. Bena pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on his home computer and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and fined $18,000.
* Republican parole board officer and former Colorado state representative, Larry Jack Schwarz, was fired after child pornography was found in his possession.
* Republican strategist and Citadel Military College graduate Robin Vanderwall was convicted in Virginia on five counts of soliciting sex from boys and girls over the internet.
* Republican city councilman Mark Harris, who is described as a "good military man" and "church goer," was convicted of repeatedly having sex with an 11-year-old girl and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
* Republican businessman Jon Grunseth withdrew his candidacy for Minnesota governor after allegations surfaced that he went swimming in the nude with four underage girls, including his daughter.
* Republican campaign worker, police officer and self-proclaimed reverend Steve Aiken was convicted of having sex with two underage girls.
* Republican director of the "Young Republican Federation" Nicholas Elizondo molested his 6-year old daughter and was sentenced to six years in prison.
* Republican president of the New York City Housing Development Corp. Russell Harding pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer.
* Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups, Richard A. Dasen Sr., was found guilty of raping a 15-year old girl. Dasen, 62, who is married with grown children and several grandchildren, has allegedly told police that over the past decade he paid more than $1 million to have sex with a large number of young women.
Yet profess to be a god-fearing party, allow a man to kill more than 4,000 American soldiers in war based on false pretenses and not have him impeached, when Clinton, who I have no love for, a member of the Bilderberg, Council on Foreign Relations, was impeached for lying after getting fellatio by Monica Lewinsky? People, if you don't demand impeachment and Barack Obama wins, you're next in line in the FEMA debacle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJBxdRIQx7Y
The power of Bush: Continuity of Government will be turned over to a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. And you think that's good?
Posted by: Lefty Asain Prog | July 08, 2008 at 05:55 PM
Its a great blog..i m impressed by your writing style..keep the good working.
Posted by: Dildos | November 14, 2008 at 01:35 AM