Here is a game you can play between (or during) the speeches at the conventions. Read the following quotes and guess who said them. Answers are at the bottom of the article. (Please don't peek; it would ruin the fun.)
- 1. "America under George Bush is rushing headlong toward war."
- 2. "Many wonder what is driving Bush so headlong into war that he is pushing other issues -- the dismal economy, the stock market meltdown, corporate greed and skyrocketing health care costs -- off the table."
- 3. "There is no credible evidence that Iraq poses any real threat to the United States."
- 4. "With layer upon layer of misrepresentation, exaggeration, and outright lies, George W. Bush and his war cabinet have recklessly flung our nation into an illegitimate, illegal, and unnecessary war. The costs and consequences of this will be enormous, for our country and the world."
- 5. "Iraq poses no real danger to the United States, but an Iraq war poses great dangers to American interests here at home and abroad... As badly as this war will hurt our economy (far from the stated purpose of protecting America) this war will make us far less secure."
- "President Bush still stubbornly refuses to recognize that there is no connection between 9/11 and Iraq."
- 7. "We were told that Saddam Hussein was connected to the horrible 911 attacks, that he was an ally to Al Qaeda, and that he had huge stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. We were told that he was an imminent danger to America. I could go on and on. In reality, none of this was true."
- 8. "The United States invaded Iraq based on false premises. The administration orchestrated a public relations drive to prove that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and connections to the 9/11 terrorists - both proved false."
- 9. "I believed it was a grave mistake to allow ourselves to be distracted from the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban by invading a country that posed no imminent threat and had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks."
- 10. "If the war is widened, it will not save us from terrorism; it will make certain that we suffer from it. It would radicalize and motivate millions of people around the world to support terrorism against America."
- 11. "This war could well destroy American prosperity and our most sacred, fundamental freedoms."
- 12. "Many national corporations that once had minor branches overseas have now become truly international, and their own loyalties have gone beyond their own national origins. Profit is their one flag, their one loyalty."
- 13. "A top priority among labor unions is the struggle for democratic rights, and, conversely, against corporate globalism. Certainly, in the United States, organized labor constitutes the best organized, most prominent, and most responsive voice speaking for all working persons."
- 14. "Decades of trade deals like NAFTA and China have been signed with plenty of protections for corporations and their profits, but none for our environment or our workers who've seen factories shut their doors and millions of jobs disappear."
- 15. "A new vision is emerging in Latin America that is inspiring the world with its strength and vitality. It is a vision of real democracy, social justice, anti-imperialism, national sovereignty, community-based development, and international solidarity. It is a vision that challenges the U.S. corporate lust for natural resources, and rejects the rampant privatization that is undermining national sovereignty and the people's right to make democratic decisions regarding resource development."
- 16. "Do we really want the Third world to be made into to economic colonies for the New World Order and the new globalism? What will this do to them, to their own cultures, to the well being of the world's ecology?"
- 17. "Cut off trade with countries that refuse to establish strict environmental laws. We should promote a fair system that allows for a clean environment in our own country."
- 18. "Our world is threatened by the ravages of capitalist globalization, by relentless efforts to drive wages down to the lowest possible level, by attempts to destroy unions and all protections won by workers through struggle, by the spread of toxic wastes, and by imperialist war."
- 19. "Repeal the NAFTA and GATT treaties. These ‘laws' given to us by the Democrats and Republicans is [sic] damaging to the American worker and will eventually put millions upon millions into desperate poverty."
- 20. "I think that NAFTA and CAFTA did not reflect the interests of American workers but reflected the interests of the stock owners on Wall Street, because they did not contain the sorts of labor provisions and environmental provisions that should have been embedded and should have been enforceable in those agreements."
- 21. "We will work with others to defeat the Republican nominee and to end right-wing control of the new Congress."
- 22. "My paramount concern is to prevent a Republican victory in November."
- 23. "Barack Obama's campaign has so far generated the most excitement, attracted the most votes, most volunteers and the most money. We think the basic reason for this is that his campaign has the clearest message of unity and progressive change, while having a real possibility for victory in November."
- 24. "What we are witnessing is not just a candidate but a profound, massive public movement for change. My endorsement is more for Obama The Movement than it is for Obama the candidate."
- 25. "But today I see across the generational divide the spirit, excitement, energy and creativity of a new generation bidding to displace the old ways. Obama's moment is their moment, and I pray that they succeed without the sufferings and betrayals my generation went through."
- 26. "This election can begin to turn the tide: it can help bring universal health care, save the environment and start the restoration of our democratic rights. This election can strengthen democracy for all."
- 27. "But what's going on is bigger than him at this point, and that's a good thing for the country. Because, when he wins in November, that Obama Movement is going to have to stay alert and active. Corporate America is not going to give up their [sic] hold on our government just because we say so. President Obama is going to need a nation of millions to stand behind him."
Answers:
Acknowledgements. I would like to thank several of my email "fans" for alerting me to David Duke's web site. They noted that
one of my articles was posted there . As one fan said, "You've been blogged on David Duke.com. Congratulations, I guess. Personally, I'd be ashamed and ask myself what I had done to go so wrong that my work was showcased in such a bigoted place." I now see that all sorts of people's views coincide with David Duke's. You might notice that (1) my article posted to his web site was based on FBI crime statistics, and (2) the quotes I used above were direct from David Duke himself, not something he posted from somewhere else. Before my "fans" pointed it out, I was not even aware Duke had a web site, much less had I ever visited it. Funny how my critics seem so attuned to it.
Randall Hoven www.kulak.worldbreak.com
