CRAIGforCONGRESS

Missouri's 7th District, U.S. House of Representatives

 

 

 

Bringing LIBERTY to Capitol Hill -- 2008
OZARKS VIRTUAL TOWN HALL
Saturday Morning, May 17, 2008, 10:30am



A Discussion of The President's Saturday Morning Radio Address

Click here to listen to a replay of the May 17, 2008 Ozarks Virtual Town Hall

Notes and Summary of the President's Address -- 60th Anniversary of the State of Israel

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I'm speaking to you from the Middle East, where Laura and I are on a trip to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
     When Air Force One touched down at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, I was greeted by Israel's President and Prime Minister. I joined them in celebrating an historic milestone: Israel's 60th anniversary as an independent nation. And I assured them that Israel could count on America as a strong and steady ally long into the future.  (continued below)


How the President Differs from the American vision of "Liberty Under God":

  1. The Nation-State called Israel is not a force for "Liberty Under God."
  2. There was more liberty for a greater percentage of all the people living in the Holy Land before 1948 (the founding of the nation-state of Israel) than there is now.
  3. The United States government was founded on a policy of non-intervention in foreign affairs:
    The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations to have with them as little political connection as possible."

    — Washington, Farewell Address (1796) [Washington’s emphasis]

    I deem [one of] the essential principles of our government, and consequently [one] which ought to shape its administration,…peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.

    — Jefferson, First Inaugural Address (1801)

  4. This policy would preclude U.S. intervention in Arab-Israeli affairs.
  5. No human being has a divine right to forcibly dispossess someone of his property.
  6. No Jewish person, nor the "government" of the "nation" of Israel has the right to use violence or initiate force against non-Jews to take possession of their real estate.
  7. "Democracy" was not a goal of America's Founding Fathers.
  8. Nobody who signed the Declaration of Independence (1776) would have high praises for any government in the Middle East, including that of Israel; none are "democratic" in the best sense of that word.

President Bush's
Saturday Morning Radio Address

Another Perspective:
"Liberty Under God"

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I'm speaking to you from the Middle East, where Laura and I are on a trip to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.  
When Air Force One touched down at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, I was greeted by Israel's President and Prime Minister. I joined them in celebrating an historic milestone: Israel's 60th anniversary as an independent nation. And I assured them that Israel could count on America as a strong and steady ally long into the future. Who Owns the Holy Land?

Jewish National Fund: JNF Centennial Celebration - 100 Years, not 60

Myths of the Middle East compare this article with:
Palestinian-Israeli Conflict For Beginners

During our visit I had conversations with Israel's leaders about their efforts to forge peace with the Palestinians, and our shared belief that a peace agreement is possible this year. I also had the opportunity to address members of the Knesset, Israel's elected legislature. I reminded these democratic leaders that America was the first nation in the world to recognize Israel's independence. I told them that 60 years later, America is proud to be Israel's best friend in the world. I reaffirmed the principles that make our alliance strong: a love of liberty, a devotion to justice, and a respect for human dignity. And I said that standing firm on these ideals is the surest way to defeat the extremists and build a future of peace for people throughout the Middle East. What is a Palestinian?

Isn't it true that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East?

Half a Democracy -- Ha'aretz Daily

Quiz Yourself on 'Israeli Democracy' - I do not know if all these statistics are true.

If "extremist" views are the majority in the Middle East, shouldn't they be the government policy in a "democracy?"

The Myth of "Democracy"

For Laura and me, this visit to Israel was an especially moving experience. We toured the Bible Lands Museum, saw the Dead Sea Scrolls, and visited Masada -- an inspiring shrine to Jewish courage and sacrifice in the first century. From the window of our hotel room we had a magnificent view of the Old City of Jerusalem, home to some of the holiest sites in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. And on our final morning in the city we met some of Israel's young people, talented and hopeful citizens who gave me confidence in Israel's future. This belongs on "the Travel Channel."
On Friday we visited another of America's friends in the Middle East -- Saudi Arabia. I had a series of productive meetings with King Abdullah at his farm. We celebrated the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia. We reaffirmed our shared objectives of peace in the Holy Land, a secure and united Iraq and a sovereign, independent Lebanon that is free of outside interference. We talked about oil production and gasoline prices. We discussed the King's efforts to diversify his nation's economy, and the importance of political reform.

And I thanked him for Saudi Arabia's strong commitment to fighting terror.

 

 

 

The king pointed out that America's gas price problems are a result of the U.S. federal government, not Saudi Arabia. Bush was completely impotent in his attempt to compel Saudi Arabia to bail out the Bush Administration

17 out of 19 of the alleged 9-11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.

Our final stop is Egypt, where we are visiting the beautiful resort city of Sharm el Sheikh. I am meeting with a number of key leaders from the region, including President Mubarak of Egypt, President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, King Abdullah of Jordan, President Karzai of Afghanistan, Prime Minister Gilani of Pakistan, and several senior officials from Iraq's democracy. Iraq is an Islamic theocracy.
I will also address the World Economic Forum in the Middle East. I will stress the importance of building dynamic and diverse economies that unleash the creativity and enterprise of citizens throughout the region -- especially women and young people. I will make clear that the only way to ensure true prosperity is to expand political and economic freedom. And I will urge leaders across the region to reject spoilers such as the regimes in Iran and Syria, move past old grievances and embrace the changes necessary for a day when societies across the Middle East are based on justice, tolerance, and freedom.  

What if a majority of the people in the Middle East do not want the creativity of women "unleashed?" Should their creativity be unleashed by forcing the majority against their will?

Bush is correct to say that true prosperity is ensured only by expanding political and economic freedom. Not a single person who signed the Constitution would agree that Bush has expanded political and economic freedom during his 8 years in office.

Reaching that day will not be easy. But with continued leadership from America and our friends in the region, I am confident that it can happen. And when that day arrives, the Middle East will be more hopeful, the world will be more peaceful, and the American people will be more secure.  
Thank you for listening.  

Kevin Craig's Platform:

Other Resources

There are many resources on the Arab-Israeli conflict, some of which have interesting information, but many of which are polluted with stereotypes and violent prejudices. This is a very emotional issue on both sides. People are killed over this issue. If the United States had followed the prescriptions of her Founding Fathers, and had remained a City Upon a Hill, and a Christian nation, we would not be perceived as a global bully, but might be seen as a respected voice of mediation and conciliation.

  • Bush Blusters, Iran "Appeases"
    Bush is the one who sounds like Hitler; U.S. Warships Stalk Poland Iran, Iran takes no action
  • John J. Mearsheimer, co-author, with Stephen Walt, of The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy, interviewed by Macclean's magazine:
    "Imagine a situation with a Palestinian state where there's now the state of Israel. Instead of Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories, you have Jews living in the Occupied Territories, with the Palestinian state taking land away from the Jews, treating them in brutal ways and denying them a state of their own. There would be a huge outcry in the West, especially in the United States and Canada. We would go to enormous lengths to put pressure on the Palestinian state to stop exploiting and brutalizing the Jews, and to allow them to have a state of their own. But here we have a situation where the roles are reversed, and the United States and Canada support Israel."
  • The American Holocaust: Reducing the Jewish Population
    Israel is now home to the largest concentration of Jews anywhere on earth.
    Israel became home to the largest Jewish population on earth in part because American Jews in the 1990s fell in number from 5.5 million to 5.2 million, a loss of 300,000, or 6 percent of the U.S. Jewish population.
    According to Charles Krauthammer, by 2050, the U.S. Jewish population will have shrunk another 50 percent to 2.5 million. American Jews are slowly vanishing. How and why is this happening?
  • Israel at 60: The cost of U.S. support
  • Baptist Press - Israel celebrates 60th year | reflecting the thought of millions of conservative Christians
  • Israel at Sixty - by Ran HaCohen | Is the State of Israel more important than the religion of Israel?
  • WhatReallyHappened.com: ISRAEL Archives
  • Israeli Spying: The Mother of all Scandals | The U.S. can be a friend to Jews without being a friend to Mossad

Communicating with Government and Media

  • Contact Congress -- this is from the JBS website, powered by "CapWiz," from Capitol Advantage. Lots of organizations use capwiz. If you don't want to go through the JBS, search for capwiz on Google and find another organization that uses it.
    Notice that you can also contact media through this webpage.
  • Action E-List
    Sign up for the JBS Action E-List and be notified when you can make a critical difference on important issues.

John Adams once wrote that the American Revolution began in 1761, when Massachusetts attorney James Otis began legal challenges to the Writs of Assistance. He lost the case, but "American independence," Adams wrote, "was then and there born." Now do the math. That means it took 15 years to convince the rest of America to declare Independence (1776). Then another seven years of war was required before a Peace Treaty was signed (1783), and then six years before the Constitution was finally ratified (1789). That's almost 30 years. (And Jefferson said we shouldn't go 20 years without another rebellion!) How can we hope to convince Americans to fight for principles they were never taught in government schools? We need to be in this battle for the long term. "Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty."


The Democrat Party Radio Address:

Los Angeles Congressman Xavier Becerra delivered the Democratic Radio Address.

A tribute to Roosevelt's G.I. Bill, Homes for Veterans, a plea for benefits for Iraq War Veterans

Libertarian Response:

The Democrats' G.I. Bill is another welfare program.

Our priority should be "Liberty Under God," not government welfare programs.

  1. The War in Iraq has not served the interests of "Liberty Under God."
  2. The government does not serve the interests of veterans.
  3. Veterans are victims of government cult propaganda, and have come to believe the lie of #2 above: that signing up for war would be in their own best interests.
  4. Veterans need to be "de-programmed." They need to understand that the government is not their friend, and war is not a legitimate career option.
  5. Using the government to serve the interests of veterans does not serve the interests of "Liberty Under God."
  6. This is true even if the government is in some important sense the cause of Veterans' problems.
  7. Re-phrasing #5: Using compulsion and threats of violence to redress government wrongs against veterans does not serve the interests of "Liberty Under God."

Click here for a replay of this edition of the Ozarks Virtual Town Hall