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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
1.) The hurricane that hit New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama was an astonishing tragedy. The suffering and loss of life and peace of mind of the residents of those areas is acutely horrifying.
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And the sky is blue. NO ONE IS SUGGESTING THIS IS ANYTHING BUT A TRAGEDY. Ben Stein is trying to get the sympathies of the reader. This 'truth' has nothing to do with Bush. Moving on...
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
2.) George Bush did not cause the hurricane. Hurricanes have been happening for eons. George Bush did not create them or unleash this one.
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Is this guy for real?! No sh%t. George W. Bush does not have the power to control the weather. That's a tough argument.
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
3.) George Bush did not make this one worse than others. There have been far worse hurricanes than this before George Bush was born.
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How do we measure 'better' or 'worse' hurricanes? 65 people died in hurrican Andrew. 235 confirmed dead in Katrina so far.
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
4.) There is no overwhelming evidence that global warming exists as a man-made phenomenon. There is no clear-cut evidence that global warming even exists. There is no clear evidence that if it does exist it makes hurricanes more powerful or makes them aim at cities with large numbers of poor people. If global warming is a real phenomenon, which it may well be, it started long before George Bush was inaugurated, and would not have been affected at all by the Kyoto treaty, considering that Kyoto does not cover the world's worst polluters -- China, India, and Brazil. In a word, George Bush had zero to do with causing this hurricane. To speculate otherwise is belief in sorcery.
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Ben Stein isn't a scientist. There is no clear cut evidence that Ben Stein is qualified to teach us about global warming. Speechwriter, lawyer, political editorial writer, actor, and flipping off Arianna Huffington (and he was sometimes smarter than gameshow contestants). I don't see any scientific credentials there. I have more scientific credentials than he does, and I won't presume to tell peopel whether global warming does or does not exist or what is causing it.
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
5.) George Bush had nothing to do with the hurricane contingency plans for New Orleans. Those are drawn up by New Orleans and Louisiana. In any event, the plans were perfectly good: mandatory evacuation. It is in no way at all George Bush's fault that about 20 percent of New Orleans neglected to follow the plan. It is not his fault that many persons in New Orleans were too confused to realize how dangerous the hurricane would be. They were certainly warned. It's not George Bush's fault that there were sick people and old people and people without cars in New Orleans. His job description does not include making sure every adult in America has a car, is in good health, has good sense, and is mobile.
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George W. Bush is not in charge of the disaster plans. Well, I guess he can wash his hands of the whole thing, then. Oh, wait. There are other aspects to the disaster than planning. In fact, some people take stock in what the president says. If the president does on TV and says "We're coming, try to stay safe", people would know that help is on the way. There is no presidential job description, btw. You'd think someone who worked for several presidents and went to Harvard law would know that.
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
6.) George Bush did not cause gangsters to shoot at rescue helicopters taking people from rooftops, did not make gang bangers rape young girls in the Superdome, did not make looters steal hundreds of weapons, in short make New Orleans into a living hell.
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He was too busy fishing to do any of that.
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
7.) George Bush is the least racist President in mind and soul there has ever been and this is shown in his appointments over and over. To say otherwise is scandalously untrue.
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Yikes. Has Ben stein ever met George W. Bush? What about the policies against Arabs?
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
8.) George Bush is rushing every bit of help he can to New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama as soon as he can. He is not a magician. It takes time to organize huge convoys of food and now they are starting to arrive. That they get in at all considering the lawlessness of the city is a miracle of bravery and organization.
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Wait, I though Bush wasn't in charge of organizing the relief?! Make up your mind, Stein. Double edged sword. If he is in charge, he was grossly neglegent. If he was not in charge, he can't take the credit for sending in relief.
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
9.) There is not the slightest evidence at all that the war in Iraq has diminished the response of the government to the emergency. To say otherwise is pure slander.
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BULLSHIT. How many soldiers are overseas who would be in America right now without this war?! I can't giv e you specific figures because they aren't available to the public, but it's more than 100,000.
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
10.) If the energy the news media puts into blaming Bush for an Act of God worsened by stupendous incompetence by the New Orleans city authorities and the malevolence of the criminals of the city were directed to helping the morale of the nation, we would all be a lot better off.
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Pfft. The news FINALLY takes a realiztic shot at Bush, and Stein crys foul. It's about time he takes some responsibility for vacationing so much. Get off your horse, put down your guitar (you probably aren't that good anyway), and go back to work.
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
11.) New Orleans is a great city with many great people. It will recover and be greater than ever. Sticking pins into an effigy of George Bush that does not resemble him in the slightest will not speed the process by one day.
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It will be greater than ever? Has Ben Stein ever built a house on mud? I have. It sinks. This is not only not a fact, it's a lie.
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
12.) The entire episode is a dramatic lesson in the breathtaking callousness of government officials at the ground level. Imagine if Hillary Clinton had gotten her way and they were in charge of your health care.
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We might be able to afford our medicins, and our medical system might not be outsourced. That'd be terrible.
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
God bless all of those dear people who are suffering so much, and God bless those helping them, starting with George Bush.
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God be with those who are suffering. Including those who have to put up with George W. Bush.
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
Why is it that the snipers who shot at emergency rescuers trying to save people in hospitals and shelters are never mentioned except in passing, and Mr. Bush, who is turning over heaven and earth to rescue the victims of the storm, is endlessly vilified?
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Because idiots like Stein insist on bringing partisan issues into EVERYTHING.
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
What church does Rev. Al Sharpton belong to that believes in passing blame and singling out people by race for opprobrium and hate?
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I don't know what church Al Sharpton belongs to. He was ordained by Bishop F.D. Washington, if that helps.
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
What special abilities does the media have for deciding how much blame goes to the federal government as opposed to the city government of New Orleans for the aftereffects of Katrina?
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The abilities normally bribed for by the government?
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
If able-bodied people refuse to obey a mandatory evacuation order for a city, have they not assumed the risk that ill effects will happen to them?
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What happened to the 'astonishing tragety' angle? So now it's their fault for wanting to stay in their homes? Has Ben Stein ever been afraid of anything?
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
When the city government simply ignores its own sick and hospitalized and elderly people in its evacuation order, is Mr. Bush to blame for that?
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No. There is plenty of blaim to go around.
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
Is there any problem in the world that is not Mr. Bush's fault, or have we reverted to a belief in a sort of witchcraft where we credit a mortal man with the ability to create terrifying storms and every other kind of ill wind?
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How about Ben Stein starts acting like a professional and stops trying to make it seem like people are blaming the president for the weather. Is that asking too much?
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Originally Posted by Ben 'comedy central smart' Stein
Where did the idea come from that salvation comes from hatred and criticism and mockery instead of love and co-operation?
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I don't love George W. Bush. If he's on vacation when he should be doing his job, I have the right to critisize him. I cooperated by donating $5k. I wonder how much of Ben Steins money is floating around down there.