Sorry, I lied! I forgot that tonight was the State of the Union address. You can get the full text here. I just wanted to share a few quick thoughts and quotes. Mainly, this is same-old same-old, very optimistic, and equally deluded on the standard topics of the economy, Iraq, No Child Left Edu^H^H^HBehind, FISA reform, and so on. In the name of brevity, let me get right to the quotes and comments, in order from the speech.
Some time was spent early in the speech on the economy and his proposed solutions. We'll see if they come to fruition, and I'll wait to hear the reactions of key economists about the feasibility and reasonableness of the proposal. He also talks extensively and delusionally about Iraq, the "Holy Land," and Palestine. It stands on its own in an insane and deluded manner. That being said, here are some areas that jumped out at me...
On education:
"On education, we must trust students to learn if given the chance and empower parents to demand results from our schools. In neighborhoods across our country, there are boys and girls with dreams — and a decent education is their only hope of achieving them. Six years ago, we came together to pass the No Child Left Behind Act, and today no one can deny its results. Last year, fourth and eighth graders achieved the highest math scores on record. Reading scores are on the rise. And African-American and Hispanic students posted all-time highs. Now we must work together to increase accountability, add flexibility for States and districts, reduce the number of high school dropouts, and provide extra help for struggling schools. Members of Congress: The No Child Left Behind Act is a bipartisan achievement. It is succeeding. And we owe it to America’s children, their parents, and their teachers to strengthen this good law."
My thoughts: So, let's talk, very briefly about the difference between training and education. Training generally requires rote learning of specified tasks with little or no cognitive processing of the task; certainly not conscious cogitation. Education, on the other hand, wants the student to think about topics and learn how to expand on those ideas. What NCLB and it's testing-centric model advocates is training, and it's slowly killing the intellect of this country. The first year of college/university is now primarily wasted on teaching students how to think, when they used to learn this by the time they reached high school. Moreover, this legislation is not an achievement, and it's not succeeding. Of course test scores are up - teachers have no choice by to teach to the test! There is, however, a fundamental problem: students don't know anything beyond what's on the test. And that leaves out discussions about the failures in funding, the undue burden placed on teachers, and the travesty that is standardized testing and learning. Bogus, all of it, and a clear sign of the delusional state that this president lives in, far removed from reality or an even marginally reasonable understanding of education.
On foreign policy (he has a foreign policy stance?):
"Our foreign policy is based on a clear premise: We trust that people, when given the chance, will choose a future of freedom and peace. In the last 7 years, we have witnessed stirring moments in the history of liberty. We have seen citizens in Georgia and Ukraine stand up for their right to free and fair elections. We have seen people in Lebanon take to the streets to demand their independence. We have seen Afghans emerge from the tyranny of the Taliban to choose a new president and a new parliament. We have seen jubilant Iraqis holding up ink-stained fingers and celebrating their freedom. And these images of liberty have inspired us."
My thoughts: How ironic is it, then, that freedom is being usurped at home? And, incidentally, what role did George W. Bush have in the fall of communism and the Soviet Union? If I'm not mistaken, that was something his dear ol' dad accomplished, and which was sustained and enhanced through the significant diplomatic efforts of the Clinton administration. And don't get my started on Afghanistan and the Middle East... hardly a standard bearer for success... sheesh... deluded!
On the war on terrorism:
"We are engaged in the defining ideological struggle of the 21st century. The terrorists oppose every principle of humanity and decency that we hold dear. Yet in this war on terror, there is one thing we and our enemies agree on: In the long run, men and women who are free to determine their own destinies will reject terror and refuse to live in tyranny. That is why the terrorists are fighting to deny this choice to people in Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Palestinian Territories. And that is why, for the security of America and the peace of the world, we are spreading the hope of freedom."
My thoughts: What a royal wanker this guy is. Deluded to the very end. This paragraph should end "...we are spreading the hope of freedom, even while we role it back domestically, in the name of fearmongering." It strikes me as immensely ironic that this president can, with a straight face and clear conscience, claim to be on the side of humanity and decency when Gitmo is still in operation and when his administration is completely unable to declare waterboarding a form of torture. This is delusion bordering on fantasy. Appalling...
On FISA reform:
"On the homefront, we will continue to take every lawful and effective measure to protect our country. This is our most solemn duty. We are grateful that there has not been another attack on our soil since September 11. This is not for a lack of desire or effort on the part of the enemy. In the past 6 years, we have stopped numerous attacks, including a plot to fly a plane into the tallest building in Los Angeles and another to blow up passenger jets bound for America over the Atlantic. Dedicated men and women in our Government toil day and night to stop the terrorists from carrying out their plans. These good citizens are saving American lives, and everyone in this chamber owes them our thanks. And we owe them something more: We owe them the tools they need to keep our people safe."One of the most important tools we can give them is the ability to monitor terrorist communications. To protect America, we need to know who the terrorists are talking to, what they are saying, and what they are planning. Last year, the Congress passed legislation to help us do that. Unfortunately, the Congress set the legislation to expire on February 1. This means that if you do not act by Friday, our ability to track terrorist threats would be weakened and our citizens will be in greater danger. The Congress must ensure the flow of vital intelligence is not disrupted. The Congress must pass liability protection for companies believed to have assisted in the efforts to defend America. We have had ample time for debate. The time to act is now."
My thoughts: FUD ALERT! FUD ALERT! What we basically have here is a big, steaming pile of BS. FISA exists specifically to allow the type of eavesdropping that he wants accomplished. However, his administration can't be bothered by following the law. What's worse, the law even has provisions allowing for immediate wiretaps, so long as those requests are filed within a couple days and vetted accordingly. Rather than behave in a legal manner within a framework that allows intelligence to operate, he prefers to circumvent - or outright ignore - the law. And his requests are not to provide a method that would expedite those approvals. Rather, he is asking for unrestricted permission to eavesdrop domestically, including on innocent citizens, with no oversight whatsoever. And how does he make his arguments? With terrorist rhetoric. Bush is no different than the Islamic extremists whom we are fighting in this so-called "War on Terror." He simply relies on threats and innuendo and coercion designed to sway the public emotionally.
If the request was for a streamlining of the FISA process in a manner that still allowed ample, independent oversight, then we would not have a problem. However, the White House has consistently flaunted the law and attacked transparency in government, under the illusion that transparency somehow is a threat to the ability to detect threats. Unfortunately, nothing can be further from the truth. Transparency is absolutely required, especially when the politicians in charge have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted to act lawfully, morally, or ethically. Transparency is fundamentally necessary to help reduce the degree of corruption that can occur, particularly in the Executive Branch, where so few people hold so much power.
This topic requires open and deliberate debate within Congress, and should not be rushed through as happened with the ludicrous USA PATRIOT Act in 2001. It is time to reclaim freedom, privacy, and civil liberties for The People, and demand significant expansion of transparency in government so that We The People can see exactly what these extremely corrupt politicians are up to.
Ironically, the President concludes his speech with a call to patriots, using language from the founding of this country:
"The secret of our strength, the miracle of America, is that our greatness lies not in our Government, but in the spirit and determination of our people. When the Federal Convention met in Philadelphia in 1787, our Nation was bound by the Articles of Confederation, which began with the words, “We the undersigned delegates.” When Gouverneur Morris was asked to draft the preamble to our new Constitution, he offered an important revision and opened with words that changed the course of our Nation and the history of the world: “We the people.”"By trusting the people, our Founders wagered that a great and noble Nation could be built on the liberty that resides in the hearts of all men and women. By trusting the people, succeeding generations transformed our fragile young democracy into the most powerful Nation on earth and a beacon of hope for millions. And so long as we continue to trust the people, our Nation will prosper, our liberty will be secure, and the State of our Union will remain strong. So tonight, with confidence in freedom’s power, and trust in the people, let us set forth to do their business."
My thoughts: I think this is an excellent, if not particularly ironic, closing to the speech. Throughout, the President demonstrates a high degree of delusion and abstraction from reality. And yet, in the end, he places the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of The People, which is rightly where it belongs. I am quite hopeful that the elections this November will reveal that The People are not nearly as moronic as the Republicans would hope, and that they (the GOP) will be thrown out of the White House and several seats in Congress. It is incumbent upon all of us to do our civic duty this year and challenge those corrupt leaders who have led, overseen, or contributed to the recent demise in the status and stature of the United States. It is time to hold these politicians responsible for their attacks on freedom, privacy, civil rights, the Constitution, and this fair republic.
