The Case For George W. Bush

[Uli]

What are the odds that this is gonna be a long thread, Gordon?

[clinthopson]

He's doing God's work.

[Sand]

Slightly edited:





A LOVE SUPREME

A message ... Church... to commemorate ...March 9, 2003

Principal Speaker, Dr. Brian K. Clardy

Professor of History and Political Science

.... One of my most pleasant memories... to listen to music. There was one artist, in particular, that captured my attention and has frequently done so over the years. His name was John William Coltrane…..saxaophonist….composer…..and bandleader extraordinaire.

In December 1964, Coltrane along with pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones, and bassist Jimmy Garrison recorded one of the most influential records in music history. It was a four part devotional suite entitled A Love Supreme. It was a record that was the result of Coltrane’s quest for a deeper spiritual meaning. Author Ashley Khan wrote, “Coltrane created A Love Supreme as a gift to the Divine.” And tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman recalled that as a young man it was the first record he ever heard and he hopes it is the last one that he ever hears.

Why? Coltrane literally bears his soul to the listener. And in a poem that is printed in the inner sleeve, we see Coltrane offer praise and glory to his God:

Thank you God.

He will remake us----He always has

And He always will.

Thank you God

God breathes through us so completely,

So gently we hardly feel it

Yet

It is our everything.

Thank you God.

Elation….Elegance….Exaltation

All from God

Thank you God….Amen

Well I stopped by this morning to tell you that Coltrane was onto something.

That God’s love never fails.

That God’s love never falters.

And that God’s Love is Unconditional for all of God’s Creation.

Why? Because God is LOVE.

And God’s love is truly A Love Supreme

...

That we are about to fight an illegal and unjust war that has not been sanctioned by the Congress or even supported by our allies. That this President is about to prosecute a war that will murder innocent Iraqi women and children.

WHERE IS THE VICTORY IN THAT??????

That we are fighting a phony war on drugs because too many people are making money off of it.

That this nation is being governed by a Court Appointed President who is playing Robin Hood in reverse.


...



Jesus came to die for the intellectual and the drop out!

Jesus came to die for Usama bin Laden and Tony Blair!!

Jesus came to die for Saddam Hussein and George W. Bush!!!!!!

Jesus came to die for the prude and the Hoochie Mama!!!!!

Jesus came to die for the preacher and the pimp!!!!!!!

Jesus came to die for Ho Chi Minh and Mahatma Ghandi!!!!

Jesus came to die for the rich and the poor…..the straight and the gay!!!!!!

Jesus came to die for the person you cant stand!!!!



...

If you love for the wrong reasons you are living a lie from the pit of Hell and you are going to lose!!

If you love for sex, security and status you are going down the wrong road. “I love him because he is going places!” “I love HER because she is going places.” “She look-ted good!” “He look-ted good.”

YOU’D BETTER HERE ME WELL!!!!

You can only fake the funk for so long.

And one day you are going to be exposed for the liar that you are and it will serve you right!!!!!!!

You see…..real love looks past the temporal and focuses on the eternal. C.S. Lewis puts it this way, “ The world is a great Sculptor’s shop. WE are the statues and there is a rumor going around the shop that some of us are some day going to come to life.”

Jesus could not be sidetracked by trivial issues or buffoonery because He had an appointment with the Cross so that ONE DAY….we will all come to Eternal Life.

That is what happens when you look at the Big Picture.

...

BENEDICTION:

A love supreme……….True love speaks truth to power.

It instructs and is open to instruction.

It is inclusive.

And it sees “The Big Picture.”

And now unto Him that is able to keep us from falling,

and to present us faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy.

To the only wise God, Our Savior be Glory and majesty

Dominion and Power

Both now and Forever More

AMEN!!!!

[Dr Dave]

Yikes. I'm certainly glad to know that Jesus died for the Hoochie Mama.

[Jon Abbey]

damn, I was hoping this was a thread about criminal charges.

[Coda]

From everything I read on this web site, I can't wait for GWB/Shrub to be out of office.

I envision a perfect world a mere six months into Kerry's presidency. The war will end, big government will get their due, oil will be cheap and plentiful, the seas will turn deep blue and the sky will clear. There will be no more mercury in our food. Alternative energy will save us. Children will become educated, the old will heal and retirement will be one huge party.

Our budget will be balanced, crime will cease, we'll catch UBL (we know where he is), Democrats and Republicans will embrace in public...even marry, our judges will all be replaced by 'clear thinking' folks.

In a few months in office, JK will end the Palestine conflict, kiss and make up with Jacque Chirac, save the world from Aids, and stop starvation.


I EXPECT NO LESS FROM THIS MAN. If GWB can screw up the world in this amount of time, surely a great president like Kerry can fix it.

[RBS]

Whatever, dude.

Originally Posted by RBS

Whatever, dude.

Do you disagree with the summary?

To listen to most of you folks around here, thats not exactly far from the conclusion one would come to.

[Gordon B]

Uli, I think it's been well established that George Bush is more popular in Massachusetts than he is at the Jazz Corner.

Chris A and his sympaticos were just as hateful towards the President on the day he took office when WMD was a little used acronym as they are today.

[Uli]

Gordon, I am quite sure that some like him more than Chris A. or even myself. That's why I had hoped that somebody may make a case for him rather than spew the usual venom.

[Dr Dave]

I'm stickin' with the Hoochie Mama.

[crawjo]

The best case for Bush is the reverse of the best case for Kerry:

He's not John Kerry.

[Uli]

Gordon, I am quite sure that some like him more than Chris A. or even myself. That's why I had hoped that somebody may make a case for him rather than spew the usual venom.

I personally don't expect wonders from Kerry. I think it will take a couple of years to get the Nation on the right track again.

[Darryl G. Thomas]

Scott,

Why not take the Uli challenge? Start with me. Here are my demographics:

48 year old African American male. Grew up in a row house in West Philly (lower middle class, one missed payday from being in serious financial trouble). Served with the US Army from 1974 until 1982. Current occupation: Computer/Network Administrator. College graduate. Single. Just found out that my salary is in the top 20-25 percentile. Has 3 cats but is heterosexual (you've got to throw that in when you're a single male and have 3 cats). Registered as a Democrat in 1984. Votes when inspired. Favorite sport football (pro and college).

You have an idea about my politics via my posts here in the Alley. So make a case for GWB. And not just Scott. Anyone who's leaning towards Bush (or away from Kerry). I can't make any promises for other posters, but I promise not to insult or lecture in response.

[Dr Dave]

Here is the argument for George W. Bush's foreign policy that I heard made by none other than William Jefferson Clinton. I'm paraphrasing, it goes something like this:

"We are the only superpower right now. We know we will not be the only superpower for long. So as long as we have the whip hand, let's go after all the bad guys and get rid of them."

That, as I recall, was Clinton's take on the Bush Administration's foreign policy. "That's putting the best possible face on it," he said.

Bush's domestic policy (This is my take, not Clinton's): Whatever increases the supply of oil is good for the economy. Lowering taxes on wealthy people frees up capital for investment in business, and grows the economy. Business and government should not be shackled by regulation, which is just so much wasteful bureaucracy. We don't need regulation of government because we're honorable men, and you can trust us to do the right thing. Christianity is a good place to look for guidance to solve social problems.

I think that's about it. If you think these are good ideas, then GWB is your man.

What did I leave out?

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

Here is the argument for George W. Bush's foreign policy that I heard made by none other than William Jefferson Clinton. I'm paraphrasing, it goes something like this:

"We are the only superpower right now. We know we will not be the only superpower for long. So as long as we have the whip hand, let's go after all the bad guys and get rid of them."

That, as I recall, was Clinton's take on the Bush Administration's foreign policy. "That's putting the best possible face on it," he said.

Bush's domestic policy (This is my take, not Clinton's): Whatever increases the supply of oil is good for the economy. Lowering taxes on wealthy people frees up capital for investment in business, and grows the economy. Business and government should not be shackled by regulation, which is just so much wasteful bureaucracy. We don't need regulation of government because we're honorable men, and you can trust us to do the right thing. Christianity is a good place to look for guidance to solve social problems.

I think that's about it. If you think these are good ideas, then GWB is your man.

What did I leave out?

That you can dress GWB up, but you can't take him anywhere. Stacked up against the other leaders of the world, including the Pope, he comes off like Alfred E. Neuman, or Howdy Doody. If you like that, he's your man.

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by patricia

That you can dress GWB up, but you can't take him anywhere. Stacked up against the other leaders of the world, including the Pope, he comes off like Alfred E. Neuman, or Howdy Doody. If you like that, he's your man.

Patricia, a lot of people go for his style. They think he's a regular guy. The part of their minds that knows he's the scion of a rich Eastern family sorta goes to sleep. To me, he always seems to be either about to smirk or about to bolt.

[groover]

4 more years of Bush is good news for Halliburton stockholders!

Also good for any company with coal-fired plants dumping mercury into freshwater streams!

And what about logging companies?

[Dr Dave]

C'mon, Groover. We're making the case FOR George W. Bush here. He's not pro-pollution. Just think of him as anti-regulation. You can trust honorable men not to dump mercury into the water table. Can't you?

Originally Posted by DGT

Has 3 cats but is heterosexual (you've got to throw that in when you're a single male and have 3 cats).

Hahaha.........very nicely done.

I have to admit that I wouldn't TRY selling someone on President Bush.

I don't like either of these guys.

Socially Bush isn't Conservative, and fiscally he isn't either. He does take action when he says he will, though the action isn't always the most prudent. And his immigration poilicies fly in the face of his "national security" rhetoric.

I will have an incredibly difficult time voting for him. Even my right-wing father is calling this a lesser of two evils election.



Did I sell ya?...............

[MRS]

How can you vote?

[bostontricky]

Wait, Bush isn't socially conservative? Scott, I'd really hate to see your idea of what "socially conservative" is. I wasn't aware of Bush failing on any of those fronts.

[clinthopson]

I respect George W. Bush almost as much as I respect Paulie Shore.

[graypencil]

The best case for DUBBya?


well ..I'd suggest a rebar lined cement lined 8X8 cell.. with an airhole in the top,a dumbwaiter to deliver beef JERKy to him, and an installed porta-potty ( emptied annually ).. buried in the west Texas desert outside Alpine ..

Originally Posted by Michael Schaumann

How can you vote?

Flip a coin? Go fish?

BT, I meant that as more of a reflection on his immigration policies. Yes, he is socially conservative especially considering the gay marriage issue. I should have worded that differently.

But unfortunately, I'm more socially liberal, except when it comes to illegal immigration.

[MRS]

I thought you had gone away to school for a while.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

Patricia, a lot of people go for his style. They think he's a regular guy. The part of their minds that knows he's the scion of a rich Eastern family sorta goes to sleep. To me, he always seems to be either about to smirk or about to bolt.

OR about to twiddle his thumbs, as he did, before that part of the Papal audience was edited. I couldn't believe it!!! There he was, sitting next to the Pope, his eyes darting around, shifting in his chair and twiddling his thumbs, while the Pope spoke of universal peace. It reminded me of my youngest brother's behaviour when we were in church, listening to a long-winded sermon by our local pastor. But, GWB is not four years old.

And, Clint, Paulie Shore at least knows when he has reached his level of incompetence. GWB doesn't.

Originally Posted by Michael Schaumann

I thought you had gone away to school for a while.

Not yet.

[sonic1]

I'll steal a line applied to Paris Hilton:

Bush is breaking down the barriars of social expectation: that you can be white trash no matter how rich and privaledged you are.

[GoodSpeak]

Originally Posted by Sand

Slightly edited:





A LOVE SUPREME

A message ... Church... to commemorate ...March 9, 2003

Principal Speaker, Dr. Brian K. Clardy

Professor of History and Political Science

.... One of my most pleasant memories... to listen to music. There was one artist, in particular, that captured my attention and has frequently done so over the years. His name was John William Coltrane…..saxaophonist….composer…..and bandleader extraordinaire.

In December 1964, Coltrane along with pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones, and bassist Jimmy Garrison recorded one of the most influential records in music history. It was a four part devotional suite entitled A Love Supreme. It was a record that was the result of Coltrane’s quest for a deeper spiritual meaning. Author Ashley Khan wrote, “Coltrane created A Love Supreme as a gift to the Divine.” And tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman recalled that as a young man it was the first record he ever heard and he hopes it is the last one that he ever hears.

Why? Coltrane literally bears his soul to the listener. And in a poem that is printed in the inner sleeve, we see Coltrane offer praise and glory to his God:

Thank you God.

He will remake us----He always has

And He always will.

Thank you God

God breathes through us so completely,

So gently we hardly feel it

Yet

It is our everything.

Thank you God.

Elation….Elegance….Exaltation

All from God

Thank you God….Amen

Well I stopped by this morning to tell you that Coltrane was onto something.

That God’s love never fails.

That God’s love never falters.

And that God’s Love is Unconditional for all of God’s Creation.

Why? Because God is LOVE.

And God’s love is truly A Love Supreme

...

That we are about to fight an illegal and unjust war that has not been sanctioned by the Congress or even supported by our allies. That this President is about to prosecute a war that will murder innocent Iraqi women and children.

WHERE IS THE VICTORY IN THAT??????

That we are fighting a phony war on drugs because too many people are making money off of it.

That this nation is being governed by a Court Appointed President who is playing Robin Hood in reverse.


...



Jesus came to die for the intellectual and the drop out!

Jesus came to die for Usama bin Laden and Tony Blair!!

Jesus came to die for Saddam Hussein and George W. Bush!!!!!!

Jesus came to die for the prude and the Hoochie Mama!!!!!

Jesus came to die for the preacher and the pimp!!!!!!!

Jesus came to die for Ho Chi Minh and Mahatma Ghandi!!!!

Jesus came to die for the rich and the poor…..the straight and the gay!!!!!!

Jesus came to die for the person you cant stand!!!!



...

If you love for the wrong reasons you are living a lie from the pit of Hell and you are going to lose!!

If you love for sex, security and status you are going down the wrong road. “I love him because he is going places!” “I love HER because she is going places.” “She look-ted good!” “He look-ted good.”

YOU’D BETTER HERE ME WELL!!!!

You can only fake the funk for so long.

And one day you are going to be exposed for the liar that you are and it will serve you right!!!!!!!

You see…..real love looks past the temporal and focuses on the eternal. C.S. Lewis puts it this way, “ The world is a great Sculptor’s shop. WE are the statues and there is a rumor going around the shop that some of us are some day going to come to life.”

Jesus could not be sidetracked by trivial issues or buffoonery because He had an appointment with the Cross so that ONE DAY….we will all come to Eternal Life.

That is what happens when you look at the Big Picture.

...

BENEDICTION:

A love supreme……….True love speaks truth to power.

It instructs and is open to instruction.

It is inclusive.

And it sees “The Big Picture.”

And now unto Him that is able to keep us from falling,

and to present us faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy.

To the only wise God, Our Savior be Glory and majesty

Dominion and Power

Both now and Forever More

AMEN!!!!

Quite possibly the most profound piece of writing about what the church ought to be doing, instead of what it is doing, I have ever read in recent years.

Well done, Sand.