When The President Talks To God...

[Primal Instinct]

I just happened to be flipping through the channels when I see Bush on TV talking about his presidency and "God's Will" again....it reminded me of this song.



"When The President Talks To God" by Bright Eyes

When the president talks to God
Are the conversations brief or long?
Does he ask to rape our women's' rights
And send poor farm kids off to die?
Does God suggest an oil hike
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
Are the consonants all hard or soft?
Is he resolute all down the line?
Is every issue black or white?
Does what God say ever change his mind
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
Does he fake that drawl or merely nod?
Agree which convicts should be killed?
Where prisons should be built and filled?
Which voter fraud must be concealed
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
I wonder which one plays the better cop
We should find some jobs. the ghetto's broke
No, they're lazy, George, I say we don't
Just give 'em more liquor stores and dirty coke
That's what God recommends

When the president talks to God
Do they drink near beer and go play golf
While they pick which countries to invade
Which Muslim souls still can be saved?
I guess god just calls a spade a spade
When the president talks to God

When the president talks to God
Does he ever think that maybe he's not?
That that voice is just inside his head
When he kneels next to the presidential bed
Does he ever smell his own bullshit
When the president talks to God?

I doubt it
I doubt it

[zachrulz]

yeah lets just let everyone run wild, pay for nothing, expect everything for free, blame everyone else for "my" actions, expect no repercussions for what i have done or said.....oh and the liberals are always right!

[redsquirrel]

I don't think that's what he's saying at all....if I am picking up on your sarcasm. The song makes a whole lot of sense.

The meaning of the song IMHO, is that it doesn't appear Bush seems to care about the common good of the people and doesnt' have their best interest at heart. He has his own agenda, and IMO, it doesn't seem like the American people are part of that agenda. The latest "nuclear option" is just another way for our rights to be taken away from us. This country's government was founded on 2 separate political parties, and the nuclear option eliminates one completely when it comes to the Supreme Court. These judges decide crucial cases that are important to all of us: abortion, civil rights, etc. How is it fair to, we as a people, to simply have one party represented on the bench. I don't think the Conservatives will be looking out for a Liberal's rights.

And I know politics is a touch subject.

LET'S KEEP THIS A CIVIL AND EDUCATED DEBATE.

[spidey]

Sigh, I thought politics died Nov. 2. We should dedicate a special forum for this BS.

[Primal Instinct]

I was while I was changing channels when I came across the same old, tired shit with Bush claiming he's doing God's will while in office. I guess that I am just basically burned out on this guy and his personal religious views and judgements overiding the concerns of the people that he is supposed to work for. That relationship has somehow become convoluted and he apparently does not feel he works for us but in fact, leads us according to his religious ideology. We now work for him, as implied by what his administration claimed as a "mandate." All of this while ignoring most of the real problems concerning our population, which is what he was hired to do. It is not a conservative vs liberal arguement either. A far left liberal could claim the same and I would still feel just as uncomfortable with that person. It is about using personal religion to set agenda for everyone. It should disturb people because what if someday the person using his/her personal religion conflicts strongly with their own ideologies? What if instead of being an evangelist type, this person promotes a fundamentalist Islamic policy or a strictly christian scientology policy? Would it still be acceptable?

Perhaps it's more about how a person with strong religious (any religion, doesn't matter) beliefs can obtain the highest office in our nation by hook or crook then in Dubya's case, make national policies based upon his "conversations with God." This should raise flags to everyone. There are many world leaders who have claimed (or actually thought) that they were doing God's or Allah's will. This is a very dangerous attitude for a world leader to have and use as justification for their actions. With "God" telling them what to do, they have a certain arrogance of infallibility, as we have witnessed on more than one occasion. Entire cultures and races were nearly wiped out because of this type of mentality. Hitler also thought that he was being directed by God and claimed himself to be a christian. The Spanish Inquisition was performed in God's name. The Crusades were ordered by Catholic popes and resulted in many, many deaths. Osama bin Laden claims a holy Jihad for Allah. There are many more examples to bolster this point. What if this "voice" turns out to be nothing more than a brain tumor or schizoid tendencies or just a personal agenda? Are we willing to follow a person to the bitter end before we find out how wrong we were? This was not an attack on religion. It was basically a commentary on people who use religion to forward an agenda and make new policy and law. It is about subjecting a population to one person's ideology regardless of the will of that people.

The song I quoted brings much of that to the forefront and people don't have to agree with it or even like it. I just happen to agree with it and thought that I'd share it as food for thought. What is more American than expressing free speech and engaging in open and honest discussion? Attacks on people because of this is purely unwarranted, as our Constitution was written in such a way as to give forum to citizens to freely bring up these types of concerns. The framers of the Constitution were geniuses in that sense. Lately, people want to change this form of government (and consequently our voice in it) by radically changing this document. I do not.

Feel free to flame away....

[imonboardtoo]

You suck, PI. J/K

Freedom of expression is priceless (thank you, founding fathers).
The tough part is that it brings out such differing viewpoints. The thing is people with very strong opinions are COMPLETELY convinced theirs is right. Ardent Dems and Republicans feel that way. So do Muslim extremists and Basque separatists and the Sinn Fein. THAT'S THE PROBLEM.

How can we all be right?

[funniirishman]

Well PI I have to tell you, I do agree with some of your points. I remember you and I debating Bush and related issues before the election. I was a strong proponate of his leadership at that time. Since then, I agree that at times he is swimming in his own bullshit. Just the facts unfortunately. I believe that he is firmly a big business president and his agenda and goals are tailored to that. I tire of his soapbox antics in many of the ways you describe.

With that being said, I still wouldn't have changed who I wanted to see elected. While my opinion of Bush and his administration are a changin', I believe that we would have been weaker, and worse off had the alternative found its way to the White House. I believe that although hard to stomach for some people that what is happening overseas is setting a precedent, one that I think will help us, not hurt us.

Ideology is always a difficult topic, primarily because in our country people don't share the same ones. That is a blessing.

[Primal Instinct]

I appreciate your comments, funniirishman. You wanna get nauseated about bullshit? Read www.whitehouse.gov and you'll vomit.


Even if Kerry won the last election, we would still be in Iraq because once you're in, you gotta finish the job. Bush/Cheney knew that and that's why they lied all they could to just get their foot in the door. It doesn't matter if you get caught lying later because when you're the President, you're immune from prosecution. No accountability. That's one of the perks of the job. Look at Reagan and Bush I- they should have been in jail for Iran-Contra scandal. Oh well. Public perception trumps fact everytime, as long as you control the media. It worked well for Goebbels in the late 30's and it worked well for Bush/Cheney after 9/11.


We have seen that pro-business usually means anti-citizen in most cases. Why do you think that the US borders aren't sealed off from illegal immigrants? We COULD do that but we won't because illegal immigrants don't cost as much too employ apparently and help the bottom line of service industry businesses- and Tyson Foods & Wal-Mart. Yet, these illegal aliens certainly cost our health care system billions of dollars each year that could be used for legal residents. So, business concerns trump national security/community health cost concerns. Finally, at least we know where we stand as US citizens in his view. The same goes for the EPA and it's mercury pollution reports being watered down tremendously. That the increase in mercury pollution at the levels we are currently seeing is naturally occurring is ludicrous. They result directly from the decrease of smokestack scrubbers, now that these formerly required clean air safeguards are voluntary. Editing out whole sections of the report research can do that when you have a pro-business agenda. I hope that no one reading this lives near a coal burner electrical plant. In my area alone, the breathing air quality has recently been discovered to have gone from some of the best in the nation to one of the worst in just 8 years. In localized air quality tests, the sources have definitively been determined to be two specific coal burners in my area. Go business! Yeah!


The balance of power in Congress will change significantly in the upcoming midterm elections. People don't like government intervening in their bedroom, marriages, or personal relationships. They don't want government making their personal decisions for them. That's where Frist, DeLay, Santorum, Foley, Hatch, Lott, Hastert, Bush and Cheney screwed up bigtime. Rove was drunk with power and as we all know, when you're drunk, you make mistakes. The SS proposal will die on the floor, and other pet projects will never even gain an audience in Congress at this point, although more supplemental war spending will increase yet again. So far, 1603 US soldiers killed (no idea of US citizens) and 11,888 wounded and counting. Still, we haven't sealed the Iraqi borders because our troops are being used as bait for terrorists/insurgents. Kill them over there so we don't face them over here? LOL, gimme a break! We aren't morons, don't treat us as such.


On the flipside, Bush did achieve much of what he set out to do and claim a successful presidency, at least in HIS terms: He got his war in Iraq (although he had to wait out of respect for Afghanistan first). He paid off his top campaign sponsors by shoving pro-business legislation through his republican majority Congress like the Bankruptcy Bill passed (MBNA spent tons on his campaign), he pushed through the next set of 1.3 trillion dollar tax cuts for the uberwealthy while raising the record deficits even more (that's truly amazing), succesfully lowered EPA pollution standards for fossil fuel burners energy lobby) and didn't even have to address the huge trade imbalance that drives up our interest rates, costing each of us lots of money directly from our pockets! Nice.

[bad14u]

PI...I have to say that basically anywhere you live in this world the leader of that country will follow his religous beliefs while doing his "job"! I could be wrong on that but I would assume any elected or appointed official adheres to their religous beliefs while in office!. If "W" is saying that "God told me to do this!" then I wouldn't want that BS going on! He could just be hearing voices! Who knows what is going through anyone persons mind!

[Primal Instinct]

Originally posted by bad14u
PI...I have to say that basically anywhere you live in this world the leader of that country will follow his religous beliefs while doing his "job"! I could be wrong on that but I would assume any elected or appointed official adheres to their religous beliefs while in office!. If "W" is saying that "God told me to do this!" then I wouldn't want that BS going on! He could just be hearing voices! Who knows what is going through anyone persons mind!

I hear you Bad14U. It doesn't matter who is "telling him" (or any leader) what to do, whether it's God, Allah, or a Geman Shepard in the Bronx named Sam.