You’ve lost that volunteering spirit since 9/11. So says someone who should know all about not showing up when needed:
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush challenged the nation Monday to rekindle the volunteer spirit it had after the worst terrorist attacks in U.S. history, when people rushed to help others however they could.
“The truth of the matter is, the farther we’ve gotten away from 9/11, that memory has begun to fade,” Bush told an audience of volunteers on the South Lawn. […]
Gosh, all that work by Mr. Bush and his Republican friends shouting 9/11! 9/11! every other second over the past seven years and still the memory of 9/11 has faded? I guess Americans have a worse attention span than I thought.
Wait, I was supposed to volunteer?
Hm. Somehow I remember being told to go shopping. And to get some duct tape and plastic for my windows while I was out buying stuff.
I’m sure I would have recalled a massive ad blitz by the government asking people to volunteer. In fact, that was one of my biggest complaints about Bush post-9/11 and pre-Iraq Debacle – that he should have been beating the drum to get people out and active and instead he kept telling us to “go shopping”.
For Christ’s sake, he (Bush) is a republican. Do you think he can ever get money off his mind?
Bush and co. fumbled a classic opportunity. They could have realigned the country Republican for a generation. All he had to do was take 9/11 seriously and not attempt to use it to pander to his base or score political points by using it for ratfucking.
So yeah, I actually AM surprised that he couldn’t put his money-grubbing tendencies on hold for a little while and be the leader that could have led to a seismic shift in American politics. I know he wasn’t really smart enough to see it for himself, but I would have thought at least one of those advisers that had his ear could have seen that they had the brass ring – they didn’t need to stick with the 50+1% plan anymore. A few tweaks and they could have been at 66%+ for a generation.
This 9/11 election rhetoric may be the last gasp of the Bush administration to milk what he can from what was essentially a police action as Kerry rightly said it was in 2004, minus Afganistan, the only legitimate military action that should have been attempted.
Unbelievably, after all of the uncovered Neocon manipulation and deceipt of this administration, they can still come out and claim legitimacy. Someone is getting away with something again, and to say the least about, a good portion of the American public still believe that Saddam was involved in 9/11.
Conclusion: a significant proportion of the American people have below average intelligence. Well, I suppose that is easily concluded from the fact that any one with an IQ below 100 is below average.
My God! We ARE a nation of whiners! Thank you Mr President for pointing that out to me.
god, america can’t win for losing.
when we volunteer in our communities, sarah palin says our efforts are meaningless. when we don’t volunteer, george bush calls us out.
it’s hard out here.
Per Sarah Pain: Why volunteer? Just pray pray pray and everything will happen as God has planned. Community Organizers? Pffft! It’s all about God and your prayers (if you’re of the right religious variety, of course. Jews must come to Jesus before their prayers count. And anything else like Muslims, etc… well they’re worshiping the wrong God and deserve to suffer.)
Per Dubya Bush: Go Shopping, Travel, Take your family out to dinner! Put it on the credit card! And when that maxes out, take out a home equity loan! Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will pay for it! Demand lower taxes for the richest among us during this serious time of war! That spare change will trickle down to you pathetic peasants. Trust me! Ownership Society and all of that…
I wonder if Palin realizes that ministers are community organizers? or that PTA members are community organizers? Or that getting elected mayor (or VP) involves the work of community organizers?
…Or that Jesus was a Community Organizer.