Pres. Obama's speech to European leaders that included the reference to arrogant Americans was really bothering me. At least I thought it was. I wondered whether Pres. Obama had referred to Americans in the third-person plural instead of the first-person plural. So I went looking for his actual speech. What I found surprised me.
In the same paragraph that arrogance was mentioned, Pres. Obama took the Europeans to task for being too anti-American! I don't think Pres. Bush ever went that far. It took Pres. Obama some political courage to spend some of his international popularity to deliver a reality check to the Europeans. I respect him for that.
What surprised me most, however, was how easily I had climbed aboard the bash-Obama bandwagon, without bothering to check out what the conservative show-hosts were saying. Maybe Hannity and Limbaugh had mentioned the other half of the arrogance coin, and I just missed it. But these commentators were pouncing and pounding on the arrogance theme like a jackhammer. And I just went along.
I still have strong feelings about capitalism and freedom that will probably clash with Pres. Obama's views with frequency. This experience, though, reminds me that I will be more effective in persuading others if I remain objective and decline to take liberties with the facts. Publius' comment on the last post is very much appreciated.
Be careful who you trust, especially to help you form opinions. There are two commentators who write well and I have found are trustworthy in not overstating their positions. They are keen observers rather than ideologues. Both tend to be conservative.
One is Peggy Noonan, who has a regular column in the Wall Street Journal (wsj.com). Her last piece, "Lessons from the 2001 Recovery," is an inspiring as well as thought-provoking look at capitalism today, and in the week that followed 9/11.
The other is George F. Will, who regularly contributes to the Washington Post (washingtonpost.com). His latest is "Racing Past the Constitution; Stealing from Casinos" about the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment and how it's being bypassed in Illinois re-distribution of wealth from casinos to racetracks.
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3 comments:
You know what I liked this. And it made me think, did I ever jump on the bash Bush bandwagon? Of course I did, it was a favorite pastime. Okay not really but I really didn't like a lot of his decisions. But since he has been gone I have thought that he did face a lot of tough decisions, and I really think he was trying to do the right thing for the country. I didn't agree with the way he did some of those things, but I think his intentions were good. I think it is the same for Pres. Obama. Although I think he wants to be the most popular president in world history (I really honestly think that, I think you guys do to.) I don't think everything he does is to make republicans mad (although it works on a daily basis.) I really liked what Vice President Joe Biden said at the end of his only debate with Sarah Palin. He said one of the most important things he learned in politics was that you don't question people's motives. You might question the way they are doing something, but hopefully more often than not, those motives will be good.
By the way, I think the new white house dog is ugly.
A report came out last week saying that Obama has been the most polarizing, partisan president in history. In his partial defense, I think the rise of biased media is largely to blame. Each channel or radio station has a right or left agenda - some more embarrassingly obvious than others. ("I get a creeping feeling up my leg whenever I hear Obama speak!" -direct on-air quote from MSNBC's Chris Matthews) They pay objectivity and honest reporting mere lip service with slogans like "fair and balanced," "no bias, no bull," "the most trusted name in news," "hardball," "the spin stops here," and "we report, you decide." Instead of having to flip between CNN, MSNBC, and FOX to get both sides of the issue, wouldn't it be nice to form your own untainted opinions after some truly objective reporting? But sadly, objective news doesn't sell, so we get to enjoy lots of bias and lots of bull in the media.
You think Fox News is bad? Copy and paste the following link into your browser to view this clip of a combative CNN reporter at the Chicago tea party!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCA-3q6t57Q
I almost felt bad for CNN with that totally shocking and unprofessional display of "covering" a protest.
But in hopes to not offend anyone with my apparent Obama-hating ways, I must say that I was impressed with the way he handled the recent hostage situation with Capt. Phillips. 3 bullets...3 dead pirates...one powerful message delivered, and Obama gave the Seals the green light. Kudos to you, Mr. President. Maybe he isn't as soft as I thought when it comes to keeping our country safe.
And yes, the new White House dog is pretty darn ugly, and I'd say the same if it belonged to the Bush family! :)
I thought I would post this news piece I read today, this is back to the stem cell issue that I read today. I figured it would make you guys at least somewhat more happy with the funding for embryonic stem cell research.
New embryonic stem cell rules limit funding:
When President Barack Obama eased limits on federally funded embryonic stem cell research, the big question became how far scientists could go. Friday, the government answered: They must use cells culled from fertility clinic embryos that otherwise would be thrown away.
In another note, scientists can only use these cells if the parents consent to it. If they do not consent, researchers cannot use these cells.
I understand however the bigger issue is the Government is using our tax dollars to fund something you don't agree with, something you are morally opposed to. I think it's important to speak out on these issues but also eventually accept the Government is going to do things with our money we don't agree with. For me it was the war in Iraq. Maybe it will make you feel better to think that all the tax dollars you spend will go to something you do support, like public education. The fact is there are enough tax payers that support what the government does do. Well just think, all those rich actors that supported to Barack Obama are now paying the tab. But so are all the rich people that didn't...it's an unfair world isn't it.
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