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pharflung
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
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 Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 2:42 am Post subject: Bush: Screw the Special Olympics |
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For anyone who believes that the Republicans are the party of "compassionate conservatism," read this article about former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona' s testimony before Congress. He was Surgeon General from 2002-2006, but was not asked by George Bush to return.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/11/washington/11surgeon.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1184148083-Tkhym+e4gnNyRQfvLIw0/w&pagewanted=all
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Former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona told a Congressional panel Tuesday that top Bush administration officials repeatedly tried to weaken or suppress important public health reports because of political considerations....
Dr. Carmona said he was ordered to mention President Bush three times on every page of his speeches. He also said he was asked to make speeches to support Republican political candidates and to attend political briefings.
And administration officials even discouraged him from attending the Special Olympics because, he said, of that charitable organization�s longtime ties to a �prominent family� that he refused to name.
�I was specifically told by a senior person, �Why would you want to help those people?� � Dr. Carmona said.
The Special Olympics is one of the nation�s premier charitable organizations to benefit disabled people, and the Kennedys have long been deeply involved in it.
When asked after the hearing if that �prominent family� was the Kennedys, Dr. Carmona responded, �You said it. I didn�t....� |
The Kennedy brothers had a sister Rosemary who was "mildly retarded," at least until their father Josephy Kennedy ordered a lobotomy for her; she spent the rest of her life as a vegetable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary_Kennedy
Apparently she wasn't so retarded after all, judging from her diary. People are sometimes too quick to judge a person's intelligence and character from outward appearances.
The lobotomy was a horrifying mistake that must have torn at the family's conscience for years; Rosemary didn't actually die until 2005.
Rosemary's sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, was one of the few people to continue to visit her regularly.
It was Eunice who founded the Special Olympics in 1962. This act was obviously inspired by Rosemary's plight, so something good came out of this tragedy.
Rosemary was still alive when Carmona was ordered by the Bush administration to not have any association with the Special Olympics.
�I was specifically told by a senior person, �Why would you want to help those people?� � Dr. Carmona said.
If you want to see the definition of "heartless," see the entry under "George Bush."
=======
Best headline of the day, from Slate.com:
"The McCain Mutiny."
Last edited by pharflung on Thu Jul 12, 2007 2:19 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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cbclark4
Joined: 20 Aug 2006
Location: Masan
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| Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:28 am Post subject: |
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Oh my god! A political appointee was asked to toe the party line.
What's next the post master general! |
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dogshed
Joined: 28 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:41 am Post subject: |
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| cbclark4 wrote: |
Oh my god! A political appointee was asked to toe the party line.
What's next the post master general! |
I think the point here is that he was asked to go beyond toeing the party line to towing the party line. |
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pharflung
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:41 am Post subject: |
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cbclark4
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Oh my god! A political appointee was asked to toe the party line.
What's next the post master general! |
An astute observation. My point, exactly.
This was not just the edict of George Bush; it was the will of The Republican Party.
While there are, surely, some good Republicans, The Party enforces discipline when it comes to opinions or support for issues contrary to the interests of The Party, or the financial friends of The Party.
Whenever you vote for a Republican, no matter how good a person, you are providing political and financial support for The Party.
And The Party is morally corrupt.
I was once associated with The Party. I got to see what it was like on the inside. I worked in the state capital. I was interrogated about my opinions on abortion, including the fine points, over lunch. When I stated my beliefs and tried to use reason on the issue, all I got was repetition of The Party Line. They made it clear there was no room for dissent or reason.
I tried to warn my employer that someone she was meeting with had a shady past, and she should keep her distance. I was told, angrily, "He's a good Republican." A grand jury indicted him three weeks later. Someone I worked with at the time who became a legislator himself was just recently convicted by a jury of corruption, and will almost certainly go to jail.
I vowed never, ever again to vote for a Republican, no matter how good a person, because I did not want to provide any support for The Party. And because I did not trust any of The Party's sweet talking. While I do believe in the two-party system, and consider myself a conservative on most issues, I have not yet had any difficulty sticking to this resolution. The reason: The Party is no longer conservative.
You will notice that the Surgeon General did what he was told while he was in The Administration's employ. You will also notice that he exercised his right to free speech once subpoened by Congress.
I don't think The Administration liked the last part. But I also get the impression The Administration doesn't give a damn what the public thinks, now or ever. |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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| cbclark4 wrote: |
Oh my god! A political appointee was asked to toe the party line.
What's next the post master general! |
When did CbC become an apologist for the Bush administration? |
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