One of the important messages of 9/11 is "we must not forget", this is also a very important message in remembering this current administration.
As liberals try to change what our history books say, it is important to record history the way we see it (not the liberal view). I have compiled a list of "talking" points, please add to this list. This will come in handy some day (and in 2010/2012!)
Ask your Representatives why THEY haven't spoken up regarding the list below...are they not there to represent US?
Just as we are coming up on 9/11 and rememberances of an event that has changed our country...we are also currently living an event that is changing our country...Obama as the president of the United States.
One of the important messages of 9/11 is "we must not forget", this is also a very important message in remembering this current administration.
As liberals try to change what our history books say, it is important to record history the way we see it (not the liberal view). I have compiled a list of "talking" points, please add to this list. This will come in handy some day (and in 2010/2012!)
Ask your Representatives why THEY haven't spoken up regarding the list below...are they not there to represent US?
• If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?
• If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?
• If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky?
• If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would the liberals have approved?
• If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the non-existent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?
• If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current on their income taxes, would you have approved?
• If George W. Bush had raised a (Communist) Chinese flag in recognition of the Chinese anniversary to celebrate the founding of their country on the south lawn of the White House! (Sept. 20, 2009), would liberals have disapproved?
• If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to “Cinco de Cuatro” in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the fourth of May (Cuatro de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment?
• If George W. Bush had mis-spelled the word advice would you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potatoe as “proof” of what a dunce he is?
• If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on “Earth Day”, would you have concluded he’s a hypocrite?
• If George W . Bush had been the first President to need a teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how he inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?
• If George W. Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans , would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?
• If George W.. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would the liberals have approved?
• If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would the liberals have approved?
• If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would liberals have approved?
• If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan’s holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would the liberals have approved?
• If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would liberals have approved?
• "There are people who will go to their grave swearing Obama is not a legitimate President, and I dont think there is a burden of proof that can be met in their minds because they are predisposed to disliking and mistrusting this man unto death." Yet they are the very same people that whined for 8 years that Bush "stole" the election.
• If George Bush had elected 34 Czars that are not held accountable and do not answer to anyone would liberals have approved?
• If George Bush had achieved a 9.7 percent unemployment rate (September 4, 2009) would the liberals have complained.
• If George Bush had placed a self admitted Communist Czar (Van Jones) in the White House would the liberals have complained?
• If George Bush had apologized to ALL of our enemies for being America would liberals have complained?
• If George Bush had fired the CEO of GM and put the government in charge would liberals have complained?
• The White House raised the 2009 budget deficit projection to a staggering $1.8 trillion. For context, it took President Bush more than seven years to accumulate $1.8 trillion in debt. It also means that 45 cents of every dollar Washington spends this year will be borrowed. (as of 5/11/09)
• Could George Bush have moved forward with government managing our Health Care system when they can't handle Medicare, Medicaid, Veteran's Hospitals, the Post Office and Social Security, or would liberals have tried to stop him?
• Would liberals have been alright with every ones energy bill going up at least $800 per year due to cap and trade? Would they have said that it was due to the Iraq war and special interests?
• If George Bush had appointed a tax cheat for the head of the U.S. Treasury would liberals have complained?
• What would the liberals have done if George Bush had apologized to our enemies?
• If George W. Bush had promised detailed tracking of the spending from a $785 Billion Stimulus Bill and then postponed that oversight until 2010, would you approve or would you think something "smelled fishy"?
• If Bush had promised 48 hour advance posting of the same bill on the internet and only released it two hours before congressional approval, would you wonder what was being hidden from the public?
• If George W. Bush’s administration had spent over $300,000 flying Airforce One low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually “get” what happened on 9-11? Would you have expected Bush to make the pictures public? Obama won't give them up, but he will release the secret "torture memos".
• If George W. Bush had a Republican Congress allocate 5.6 Billion dollars for a civilian volunteer security force, as strong and well equipped as the regular Army and under his personal authority, would you have been concerned?
• If George W. Bush had a pre-approved list of reporters allowed to ask questions at his press conferences and refused to call on the correspondents from certain news organizations, would you have approved? Is that a Fair and Balanced news conference?
• If George W. Bush’s administration had begun using its government blog to directly attack a news organization would you have questioned the priorities of the White House?
• If school children replaced the words of a religious song with “George W. Bush” would you have approved?
• If George W. Bush gave more than $2 million directly to the NEA, after meetings of artists and political activists at the White House explicitly discussed how to keep the arts community in campaign mode to back the president’s legislative agenda would you have complained?
TOP 10 Obama Apoligies
1. Apology to France and Europe ("America Has Shown Arrogance")
Speech by President Obama, Rhenus Sports Arena, Strasbourg, France, April 3, 2009.[1]
"So we must be honest with ourselves. In recent years we've allowed our Alliance to drift. I know that there have been honest disagreements over policy, but we also know that there's something more that has crept into our relationship. In America, there's a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive."
2. Apology to the Muslim World ("We Have Not Been Perfect")
President Obama, interview with Al Arabiya, January 27, 2009.[2]
"My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect. But if you look at the track record, as you say, America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that."
3. Apology to the Summit of the Americas ("At Times We Sought to Dictate Our Terms")
President Obama, address to the Summit of the Americas opening ceremony, Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17, 2009.[3]
"All of us must now renew the common stake that we have in one another. I know that promises of partnership have gone unfulfilled in the past, and that trust has to be earned over time. While the United States has done much to promote peace and prosperity in the hemisphere, we have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations; there is simply engagement based on mutual respect and common interests and shared values. So I'm here to launch a new chapter of engagement that will be sustained throughout my administration."
"The United States will be willing to acknowledge past errors where those errors have been made."
4. Apology at the G-20 Summit of World Leaders ("Some Restoration of America's Standing in the World")
News conference by President Obama, ExCel Center, London, United Kingdom, April 2, 2009.[4]
"I would like to think that with my election and the early decisions that we've made, that you're starting to see some restoration of America's standing in the world. And although, as you know, I always mistrust polls, international polls seem to indicate that you're seeing people more hopeful about America's leadership."
"I just think in a world that is as complex as it is, that it is very important for us to be able to forge partnerships as opposed to simply dictating solutions. Just to try to crystallize the example, there's been a lot of comparison here about Bretton Woods. "Oh, well, last time you saw the entire international architecture being remade." Well, if there's just Roosevelt and Churchill sitting in a room with a brandy, that's an easier negotiation. But that's not the world we live in, and it shouldn't be the world that we live in."
5. Apology for the War on Terror ("We Went off Course")
President Obama, speech at the National Archives, Washington, D.C., May 21, 2009.[5]
"Unfortunately, faced with an uncertain threat, our government made a series of hasty decisions. I believe that many of these decisions were motivated by a sincere desire to protect the American people. But I also believe that all too often our government made decisions based on fear rather than foresight; that all too often our government trimmed facts and evidence to fit ideological predispositions. Instead of strategically applying our power and our principles, too often we set those principles aside as luxuries that we could no longer afford. And during this season of fear, too many of us--Democrats and Republicans, politicians, journalists, and citizens--fell silent."
"In other words, we went off course. And this is not my assessment alone. It was an assessment that was shared by the American people who nominated candidates for President from both major parties who, despite our many differences, called for a new approach--one that rejected torture and one that recognized the imperative of closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay."
6. Apology for Guantanamo in France ("Sacrificing Your Values")
Speech by President Obama, Rhenus Sports Arena, Strasbourg, France, April 3, 2009.[6]
"Our two republics were founded in service of these ideals. In America, it is written into our founding documents as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." In France: "Liberté"--absolutely--"egalité, fraternité." Our moral authority is derived from the fact that generations of our citizens have fought and bled to uphold these values in our nations and others. And that's why we can never sacrifice them for expedience's sake. That's why I've ordered the closing of the detention center in Guantanamo Bay. That's why I can stand here today and say without equivocation or exception that the United States of America does not and will not torture."
"In dealing with terrorism, we can't lose sight of our values and who we are. That's why I closed Guantanamo. That's why I made very clear that we will not engage in certain interrogation practices. I don't believe that there is a contradiction between our security and our values. And when you start sacrificing your values, when you lose yourself, then over the long term that will make you less secure."
7. Apology before the Turkish Parliament ("Our Own Darker Periods in Our History")
Speech by President Obama to the Turkish Parliament, Ankara, Turkey, April 6, 2009.[7]
"Every challenge that we face is more easily met if we tend to our own democratic foundation. This work is never over. That's why, in the United States, we recently ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. That's why we prohibited--without exception or equivocation--the use of torture. All of us have to change. And sometimes change is hard."
"Another issue that confronts all democracies as they move to the future is how we deal with the past. The United States is still working through some of our own darker periods in our history. Facing the Washington Monument that I spoke of is a memorial of Abraham Lincoln, the man who freed those who were enslaved even after Washington led our Revolution. Our country still struggles with the legacies of slavery and segregation, the past treatment of Native Americans."
"Human endeavor is by its nature imperfect. History is often tragic, but unresolved, it can be a heavy weight. Each country must work through its past. And reckoning with the past can help us seize a better future."
8. Apology for U.S. Policy toward the Americas ("The United States Has Not Pursued and Sustained Engagement with Our Neighbors")
Opinion editorial by President Obama: "Choosing a Better Future in the Americas," April 16, 2009.[8]
"Too often, the United States has not pursued and sustained engagement with our neighbors. We have been too easily distracted by other priorities, and have failed to see that our own progress is tied directly to progress throughout the Americas. My Administration is committed to the promise of a new day. We will renew and sustain a broader partnership between the United States and the hemisphere on behalf of our common prosperity and our common security."
9. Apology for the Mistakes of the CIA ("Potentially We've Made Some Mistakes")
Remarks by the President to CIA employees, CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia, April 20, 2009.[9] The remarks followed the controversial decision to release Office of Legal Counsel memoranda detailing CIA enhanced interrogation techniques used against terrorist suspects.
"So don't be discouraged by what's happened in the last few weeks. Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge potentially we've made some mistakes. That's how we learn. But the fact that we are willing to acknowledge them and then move forward, that is precisely why I am proud to be President of the United States, and that's why you should be proud to be members of the CIA."
10. Apology for Guantanamo in Washington ("A Rallying Cry for Our Enemies")
President Obama, speech at the National Archives, Washington, D.C., May 21, 2009.[10]
"There is also no question that Guantanamo set back the moral authority that is America's strongest currency in the world. Instead of building a durable framework for the struggle against al Qaeda that drew upon our deeply held values and traditions, our government was defending positions that undermined the rule of law. In fact, part of the rationale for establishing Guantanamo in the first place was the misplaced notion that a prison there would be beyond the law--a proposition that the Supreme Court soundly rejected. Meanwhile, instead of serving as a tool to counter terrorism, Guantanamo became a symbol that helped al Qaeda recruit terrorists to its cause. Indeed, the existence of Guantanamo likely created more terrorists around the world than it ever detained."
"So the record is clear: Rather than keeping us safer, the prison at Guantanamo has weakened
American national security. It is a rallying cry for our enemies."
In alphabetical order - Just Europe
1. The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne, France = A total of 2289 of our military dead.
We Apologize.
2. The American Cemetery at Ardennes , Belgium = A total of 5329 of our military dead.
We are arrogant.
3. The American Cemetery at Brittany, France = A total of 4410 of our military dead.
Excuse us.
4. Brookwood , England American Cemetery = A total of 468 of our military dead.
5. Cambridge , England A total of 3812 of our military dead .
6. Epinal , France American Cemetery. A total of 5525 of our Military dead.
7. Flanders Field , Belgium A total of 368 of our military dead.
8. Florence , Italy A total of 4402 of our military dead.
9. Henri-Chapelle , Belgium A total of 7992 of our military dead.
10. Lorraine , France A total of 10,489 of our military dead.
11. Luxembourg , Luxembourg A total of 5076 of our military dead.
12. Meuse-Argonne. A total of 14246 of our military dead.
13.. Netherlands , Netherlands A total of 8301 of our military dead.
14. Normandy , France A total of 9387 of our military dead.
15. Oise-Aisne , France A total of 6012 of our military dead.
16. Rhone , France A total of 861 of our military dead.
17. Sicily , Italy A total of 7861 of our military dead.
18. Somme , France A total of 1844 of our military dead.
XXX----------XXX
19. St. Mihiel , France . A total of 4153 of our military dead.
20. Suresnes , France . A total of 1541 of our military dead.
IF I ADDED CORRECTLY THE COUNT IS 104,366.
Apologize to no one. Remind those of our sacrifice and don't confuse arrogance with leadership.
As Americans, let's all look forward to the next elections - to find a President who doesn't think we need to be ashamed.
May God have mercy on us until this presidential term is over!
Just as we are coming up on 9/11 and rememberances of an event that has changed our country...we are also currently living an event that is changing our country...Obama as the president of the United States.
One of the important messages of 9/11 is "we must not forget", this is also a very important message in remembering this current administration.
As liberals try to change what our history books say, it is important to record history the way we see it (not the liberal view). I have compiled a list of "talking" points, please add to this list. This will come in handy some day (and in 2010/2012!)
Ask your Representatives why THEY haven't spoken up regarding the list below...are they not there to represent US?
• If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?
• If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?
• If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky?
• If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would the liberals have approved?
• If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the non-existent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?
• If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current on their income taxes, would you have approved?
• If George W. Bush had raised a (Communist) Chinese flag in recognition of the Chinese anniversary to celebrate the founding of their country on the south lawn of the White House! (Sept. 20, 2009), would liberals have disapproved?
• If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to “Cinco de Cuatro” in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the fourth of May (Cuatro de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment?
• If George W. Bush had mis-spelled the word advice would you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potatoe as “proof” of what a dunce he is?
• If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on “Earth Day”, would you have concluded he’s a hypocrite?
• If George W . Bush had been the first President to need a teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how he inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?
• If George W. Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans , would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?
• If George W.. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would the liberals have approved?
• If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would the liberals have approved?
• If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would liberals have approved?
• If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan’s holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would the liberals have approved?
• If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would liberals have approved?
• "There are people who will go to their grave swearing Obama is not a legitimate President, and I dont think there is a burden of proof that can be met in their minds because they are predisposed to disliking and mistrusting this man unto death." Yet they are the very same people that whined for 8 years that Bush "stole" the election.
• If George Bush had elected 34 Czars that are not held accountable and do not answer to anyone would liberals have approved?
• If George Bush had achieved a 9.7 percent unemployment rate (September 4, 2009) would the liberals have complained.
• If George Bush had placed a self admitted Communist Czar (Van Jones) in the White House would the liberals have complained?
• If George Bush had apologized to ALL of our enemies for being America would liberals have complained?
• If George Bush had fired the CEO of GM and put the government in charge would liberals have complained?
• The White House raised the 2009 budget deficit projection to a staggering $1.8 trillion. For context, it took President Bush more than seven years to accumulate $1.8 trillion in debt. It also means that 45 cents of every dollar Washington spends this year will be borrowed. (as of 5/11/09)
• Could George Bush have moved forward with government managing our Health Care system when they can't handle Medicare, Medicaid, Veteran's Hospitals, the Post Office and Social Security, or would liberals have tried to stop him?
• Would liberals have been alright with every ones energy bill going up at least $800 per year due to cap and trade? Would they have said that it was due to the Iraq war and special interests?
• If George Bush had appointed a tax cheat for the head of the U.S. Treasury would liberals have complained?
• What would the liberals have done if George Bush had apologized to our enemies?
• If George W. Bush had promised detailed tracking of the spending from a $785 Billion Stimulus Bill and then postponed that oversight until 2010, would you approve or would you think something "smelled fishy"?
• If Bush had promised 48 hour advance posting of the same bill on the internet and only released it two hours before congressional approval, would you wonder what was being hidden from the public?
• If George W. Bush’s administration had spent over $300,000 flying Airforce One low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually “get” what happened on 9-11? Would you have expected Bush to make the pictures public? Obama won't give them up, but he will release the secret "torture memos".
• If George W. Bush had a Republican Congress allocate 5.6 Billion dollars for a civilian volunteer security force, as strong and well equipped as the regular Army and under his personal authority, would you have been concerned?
• If George W. Bush had a pre-approved list of reporters allowed to ask questions at his press conferences and refused to call on the correspondents from certain news organizations, would you have approved? Is that a Fair and Balanced news conference?
• If George W. Bush’s administration had begun using its government blog to directly attack a news organization would you have questioned the priorities of the White House?
• If school children replaced the words of a religious song with “George W. Bush” would you have approved?
• If George W. Bush gave more than $2 million directly to the NEA, after meetings of artists and political activists at the White House explicitly discussed how to keep the arts community in campaign mode to back the president’s legislative agenda would you have complained?
TOP 10 Obama Apoligies
1. Apology to France and Europe ("America Has Shown Arrogance")
Speech by President Obama, Rhenus Sports Arena, Strasbourg, France, April 3, 2009.[1]
"So we must be honest with ourselves. In recent years we've allowed our Alliance to drift. I know that there have been honest disagreements over policy, but we also know that there's something more that has crept into our relationship. In America, there's a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive."
2. Apology to the Muslim World ("We Have Not Been Perfect")
President Obama, interview with Al Arabiya, January 27, 2009.[2]
"My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect. But if you look at the track record, as you say, America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that."
3. Apology to the Summit of the Americas ("At Times We Sought to Dictate Our Terms")
President Obama, address to the Summit of the Americas opening ceremony, Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17, 2009.[3]
"All of us must now renew the common stake that we have in one another. I know that promises of partnership have gone unfulfilled in the past, and that trust has to be earned over time. While the United States has done much to promote peace and prosperity in the hemisphere, we have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations; there is simply engagement based on mutual respect and common interests and shared values. So I'm here to launch a new chapter of engagement that will be sustained throughout my administration."
"The United States will be willing to acknowledge past errors where those errors have been made."
4. Apology at the G-20 Summit of World Leaders ("Some Restoration of America's Standing in the World")
News conference by President Obama, ExCel Center, London, United Kingdom, April 2, 2009.[4]
"I would like to think that with my election and the early decisions that we've made, that you're starting to see some restoration of America's standing in the world. And although, as you know, I always mistrust polls, international polls seem to indicate that you're seeing people more hopeful about America's leadership."
"I just think in a world that is as complex as it is, that it is very important for us to be able to forge partnerships as opposed to simply dictating solutions. Just to try to crystallize the example, there's been a lot of comparison here about Bretton Woods. "Oh, well, last time you saw the entire international architecture being remade." Well, if there's just Roosevelt and Churchill sitting in a room with a brandy, that's an easier negotiation. But that's not the world we live in, and it shouldn't be the world that we live in."
5. Apology for the War on Terror ("We Went off Course")
President Obama, speech at the National Archives, Washington, D.C., May 21, 2009.[5]
"Unfortunately, faced with an uncertain threat, our government made a series of hasty decisions. I believe that many of these decisions were motivated by a sincere desire to protect the American people. But I also believe that all too often our government made decisions based on fear rather than foresight; that all too often our government trimmed facts and evidence to fit ideological predispositions. Instead of strategically applying our power and our principles, too often we set those principles aside as luxuries that we could no longer afford. And during this season of fear, too many of us--Democrats and Republicans, politicians, journalists, and citizens--fell silent."
"In other words, we went off course. And this is not my assessment alone. It was an assessment that was shared by the American people who nominated candidates for President from both major parties who, despite our many differences, called for a new approach--one that rejected torture and one that recognized the imperative of closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay."
6. Apology for Guantanamo in France ("Sacrificing Your Values")
Speech by President Obama, Rhenus Sports Arena, Strasbourg, France, April 3, 2009.[6]
"Our two republics were founded in service of these ideals. In America, it is written into our founding documents as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." In France: "Liberté"--absolutely--"egalité, fraternité." Our moral authority is derived from the fact that generations of our citizens have fought and bled to uphold these values in our nations and others. And that's why we can never sacrifice them for expedience's sake. That's why I've ordered the closing of the detention center in Guantanamo Bay. That's why I can stand here today and say without equivocation or exception that the United States of America does not and will not torture."
"In dealing with terrorism, we can't lose sight of our values and who we are. That's why I closed Guantanamo. That's why I made very clear that we will not engage in certain interrogation practices. I don't believe that there is a contradiction between our security and our values. And when you start sacrificing your values, when you lose yourself, then over the long term that will make you less secure."
7. Apology before the Turkish Parliament ("Our Own Darker Periods in Our History")
Speech by President Obama to the Turkish Parliament, Ankara, Turkey, April 6, 2009.[7]
"Every challenge that we face is more easily met if we tend to our own democratic foundation. This work is never over. That's why, in the United States, we recently ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. That's why we prohibited--without exception or equivocation--the use of torture. All of us have to change. And sometimes change is hard."
"Another issue that confronts all democracies as they move to the future is how we deal with the past. The United States is still working through some of our own darker periods in our history. Facing the Washington Monument that I spoke of is a memorial of Abraham Lincoln, the man who freed those who were enslaved even after Washington led our Revolution. Our country still struggles with the legacies of slavery and segregation, the past treatment of Native Americans."
"Human endeavor is by its nature imperfect. History is often tragic, but unresolved, it can be a heavy weight. Each country must work through its past. And reckoning with the past can help us seize a better future."
8. Apology for U.S. Policy toward the Americas ("The United States Has Not Pursued and Sustained Engagement with Our Neighbors")
Opinion editorial by President Obama: "Choosing a Better Future in the Americas," April 16, 2009.[8]
"Too often, the United States has not pursued and sustained engagement with our neighbors. We have been too easily distracted by other priorities, and have failed to see that our own progress is tied directly to progress throughout the Americas. My Administration is committed to the promise of a new day. We will renew and sustain a broader partnership between the United States and the hemisphere on behalf of our common prosperity and our common security."
9. Apology for the Mistakes of the CIA ("Potentially We've Made Some Mistakes")
Remarks by the President to CIA employees, CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia, April 20, 2009.[9] The remarks followed the controversial decision to release Office of Legal Counsel memoranda detailing CIA enhanced interrogation techniques used against terrorist suspects.
"So don't be discouraged by what's happened in the last few weeks. Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge potentially we've made some mistakes. That's how we learn. But the fact that we are willing to acknowledge them and then move forward, that is precisely why I am proud to be President of the United States, and that's why you should be proud to be members of the CIA."
10. Apology for Guantanamo in Washington ("A Rallying Cry for Our Enemies")
President Obama, speech at the National Archives, Washington, D.C., May 21, 2009.[10]
"There is also no question that Guantanamo set back the moral authority that is America's strongest currency in the world. Instead of building a durable framework for the struggle against al Qaeda that drew upon our deeply held values and traditions, our government was defending positions that undermined the rule of law. In fact, part of the rationale for establishing Guantanamo in the first place was the misplaced notion that a prison there would be beyond the law--a proposition that the Supreme Court soundly rejected. Meanwhile, instead of serving as a tool to counter terrorism, Guantanamo became a symbol that helped al Qaeda recruit terrorists to its cause. Indeed, the existence of Guantanamo likely created more terrorists around the world than it ever detained."
"So the record is clear: Rather than keeping us safer, the prison at Guantanamo has weakened
American national security. It is a rallying cry for our enemies."
In alphabetical order - Just Europe
1. The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne, France = A total of 2289 of our military dead.
We Apologize.
2. The American Cemetery at Ardennes , Belgium = A total of 5329 of our military dead.
We are arrogant.
3. The American Cemetery at Brittany, France = A total of 4410 of our military dead.
Excuse us.
4. Brookwood , England American Cemetery = A total of 468 of our military dead.
5. Cambridge , England A total of 3812 of our military dead .
6. Epinal , France American Cemetery. A total of 5525 of our Military dead.
7. Flanders Field , Belgium A total of 368 of our military dead.
8. Florence , Italy A total of 4402 of our military dead.
9. Henri-Chapelle , Belgium A total of 7992 of our military dead.
10. Lorraine , France A total of 10,489 of our military dead.
11. Luxembourg , Luxembourg A total of 5076 of our military dead.
12. Meuse-Argonne. A total of 14246 of our military dead.
13.. Netherlands , Netherlands A total of 8301 of our military dead.
14. Normandy , France A total of 9387 of our military dead.
15. Oise-Aisne , France A total of 6012 of our military dead.
16. Rhone , France A total of 861 of our military dead.
17. Sicily , Italy A total of 7861 of our military dead.
18. Somme , France A total of 1844 of our military dead.
XXX----------XXX
19. St. Mihiel , France . A total of 4153 of our military dead.
20. Suresnes , France . A total of 1541 of our military dead.
IF I ADDED CORRECTLY THE COUNT IS 104,366.
Apologize to no one. Remind those of our sacrifice and don't confuse arrogance with leadership.
As Americans, let's all look forward to the next elections - to find a President who doesn't think we need to be ashamed.
May God have mercy on us until this presidential term is over!
May God bless you for your work!
ReplyDeleteOn March 21, 2012 the Obama Adminstation suspended talks with North Korea over the repration of MIAS from the Korean War-according to DOD estimates 3,067 to 3,828 of 7,860 MIAS ARE STILL IN NORTH KOREA.
ReplyDeleteOn October 2014 the North KOREANS announced they would move the remains of 5,000 MIAS en masse
AS CONGRESS IS THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE, LET YOUR CONGRESSMAN KNOW OF THIS LEGACY_AND HAVE TALKS BEGIN AGAIN