neurotwitch

Hey, W: What would Jesus do?

Frank Rich’s next column, Washington’s New Year War Cry: Party On!, focuses on the lack of sacrifice being made by this Administration, and consequently by the vast majority of Americans, in supporting our war. Washington parties hearty while soldiers are blown to pieces because their vehicles are not armored. Instead of an all-out effort to supply troops with what they need, the Bushies party and pretend everything is ok.

Roosevelt decreed that the usual gaiety be set aside at his wartime inaugural in January 1945. There will be no such restraint in the $40 million, four-day extravaganza planned this time, with its top ticket package priced at $250,000. The official theme of the show is “Celebrating Freedom, Honoring Service.” That’s no guarantee that the troops in Iraq will get armor, but Washington will, at least, give home-front military personnel free admission to one of the nine inaugural balls and let them eat cake.

I wonder how many humvees could be armored for $40 million?

Then, in the December 30, 2004 editorial, New York Times asks, “Are We Stingy?”

President Bush finally roused himself yesterday from his vacation in Crawford, Tex., to telephone his sympathy to the leaders of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia, and to speak publicly about the devastation of Sunday’s tsunamis in Asia. He also hurried to put as much distance as possible between himself and America’s initial measly aid offer of $15 million, and he took issue with an earlier statement by the United Nations’ emergency relief coordinator, Jan Egeland, who had called the overall aid efforts by rich Western nations “stingy.” “The person who made that statement was very misguided and ill informed,” the president said.

And goes on to point out how little we spend on foreign aid, especially compared with Europe. On Nightline last night, Powell said the US gives more than any other nation. I’d like to see the per capita numbers.

Whatever the numbers, the $35 million promised is still less than the Bushies are going to spend on the coronation inauguration. That’s an awful lot of money to spend on nine parties (and it doesn’t include the bill for security), especially when there’s a war on and especially when the world is trying to deal with a disaster of the magnitude of the tsunami. I’m just wondering how the Compassionate Conservative and his also Christian wife could enjoy a ball while soldiers and children are being murdered in Iraq at his instigation and hundreds of thousands of people need help. How many water purification units, or shelters, be provided with that $40 million?

If the Bushies and other so-called Christians are really Christians, they should demonstrate this by calling off the parties, sticking to a simple swearing-in ceremony, and donating the $40 million to disaster aid. I would actually admire them for that. But I suspect their Christianity is professed for political expedience and is fundamentally bullshit. Hey, George: What would Jesus do?

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