Gary Johnson – 9/15/06

This page was last updated on September 16, 2006.

Bush’s narrow vision; Gary Johnson; Beaver County Times; September 15, 2006.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“The Aug. 22 editorial ‘Bad Call’ on George Bush’s mentality concerning the Middle East finally arrived. Now, I only lament that we average Americans let a person of his questionable loyalty to our values take office.”

[RWC] Where’s the evidence to support the allegation that President Bush has “questionable loyalty to our values?” Mr. Bush may have “questionable loyalty” to Mr. Jones’ values, but I don’t believe that’s true for the nation’s values.

“The result is the crisis of dangerous instability in the world. From the day his administration began, no mention was made of the disengagement and the subsequent implicit license he engendered in allowing the Israeli’s [sic] to begin taking further liberties with the Palestinians.”

[RWC] Mr. Johnson failed to note the Palestinians began their Second Intifada during September 2000, four months before President Bush took office.

Note Mr. Jones didn’t describe the “further liberties” Israel was taking with the Palestinians. He also failed to note Israel proceeded to leave southern Lebanon and the so-called occupied territories.

“Looking back at the events that followed, the escalation of activities against Palestine within merely days of Bushes [sic] seating, the blatancy of which anyone of a passing interest could interpret as cause for serious concern, one would ask why couldn’t we have been just a little prescient.”

[RWC] Again, Mr. Jones failed to describe Israel’s “escalation of activities against Palestine.” From the beginning, this letter has made one drive-by accusation after another.

“We forget that Palestine has been the loser to Western influences and to the Zionist power brokers since the beginning of the Jewish state.

“Can’t we grasp the fact that they might bear some animosity to those who stole their land?”

[RWC] For the record, the United Nations partitioned the area referred to as Palestine in 1948.

Mr. Jones appears to want us to believe there were few Jews in Palestine prior to 1948. At the time of the partitioning, Jews made up about 35% of the population.

You may be surprised to learn I personally believe it was wrong to partition Palestine. That said, it was done and that was nearly 60 years ago.

Since then, Israel has tried to live in peace and make itself an economically viable state. Arab Palestinians, on the other hand, seem focused on violence and as a result live in poverty.

By the way, I believe this situation has little to with “stolen land.” It’s all about eradicating non-Muslims from the Middle East.

“And what do we have? This new phenomenon of terrorism is but a desperate act to strike back with the only means available, including suicide bombing. Is it possible that the Palestinians and their Arab supporters have an issue?”

[RWC] In case you missed it, Mr. Jones just justified the actions of Middle East terrorists with regard to Israel.

“Up to the time of Bush and the ‘religious right,’ we had a policy of mediation and amelioration in the Mid East. We talked. We used diplomacy. We recognized the value and ethic of sovereignty for nations, cultures and religions. There might have been token progress, but we were committed to peaceful solutions.”

[RWC] This paragraph is amazing. Mr. Jones concedes there was no progress prior to President Bush taking office, but that’s OK because “we were committed to peaceful solutions.” As a good liberal, Mr. Jones believes results don’t count as long as your intentions are good.

“Bush has been the antithesis of that honorable idea. His so-called nation building is a narrow vision of power entrenchment for the self-interested that led to deaths in New York and is causing further disaster around the world.”

[RWC] Mr. Jones saved the “best” for last. President Bush was responsible for 9/11.