# Bush is Frightening **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 6, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564 "2003-03-06T20:32:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BeatenMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@BeatenMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeatenMan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/61 "2003-03-08T00:28:51Z")
You say Bush is Frightening. Lets hope the terrrorists think that too. Like Ronald Reagan with his finger on the nuke button. I look at this as a positive. ---
**Author:** ![avalongod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@avalongod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/avalongod)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/62 "2003-03-08T00:39:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ElJeffe \* > \*\*Since you feel qualified to declare them all incompetent, I must assume that you have a body of experience that puts the collective credentials of Bush’s advisors to shame. Surely you wouldn’t be so arrogant as to claim they don’t know what they’re doing, unless you’re some sort of reknowned expert in foreign relations - especially when you consider that they’re privvy to a helluva lot more information than you’ll ever be. So, may I see _your_ credentials? Or would you care to withdraw that incredibly assinine cheap shot? > Jeff \*\* ah, so long as I agree with you, I need no foreign policy credentials, but to disagree with you I need to be Henry Kissinger. Come on, I hope that you’re not serious. All I need to do is look around and see everything in shambles, and I can forumulate my own opinion without needing specific credentials. that is what this board is about right,…sharing opinions? Or has that changed? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/63 "2003-03-08T00:53:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 2Thick \* > \*\*He called the Pakistani people “Pakis.” > > How much more insutling can he be? \*\* That term is used here in the UK and is **very** insulting. Probably worse than ‘nigger’. ---
**Author:** ![Skid\_Row](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/779978/32.png) [@Skid\_Row](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skid_Row)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/64 "2003-03-08T00:54:56Z")
We as Americans were _ **that** _ close to having John McCain as president and we let it slip right through our fingers! Dammit ! Dammit!! DAMMIT!!! I shudder to think where we would be with Al Gore, but think about our status if McCain was Commander in Chief. Is it too late to ask for a do-over? […sniff…] ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/65 "2003-03-08T00:55:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 2Thick \* > \*\*He called the Pakistani people “Pakis.” > > How much more insutling can he be? \*\* That term is used here in the UK and is **very** insulting. Probably worse than ‘nigger’. If this is true about bush, then my opinion of him, already very low, just got a whole lot lower. To think - there was a time when I thought he was a good man!! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/66 "2003-03-08T01:11:19Z")
That’s ok, **Lobsang** , I used to think he was a centrist. (By the by, is your name related to famous nutbar T. Lobsang Rhampa?) ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/67 "2003-03-08T01:18:36Z")
> [@](#): > > (By the by, is your name related to famous nutbar T. Lobsang Rhampa?) huh? My name is a character from a Terry Pratchett book. Does it mean something else? (something not nice) ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/68 "2003-03-08T01:29:17Z")
No, there was a writer from the Theosophist era named T. Lobsang Rampa, an Englishman who claimed to be in contact with the ascended Masters in Tibet, etc. Quite a harmless goof. That may be where TP got the name. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/69 "2003-03-08T01:42:44Z")
“Its not the man’s ignorance that scares me, it’s the things he knows for certain that just ain’t so.” Mark Twain ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/70 "2003-03-08T13:55:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elucidator \* > \*\*“Its not the man’s ignorance that scares me, it’s the things he knows for certain that just ain’t so.” > Mark Twain \*\* Absolutely. What frightens me the most is that I believe GWB really believes that God is telling him what to do. I fear that he is actually hearing voices inside his head. Plus, he has seen way too many John Wayne movies. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/71 "2003-03-08T15:19:44Z")
The trouble with this thread is that it isn’t really a debate. Someone posts that “Bush is frightening” because someone else, who was not present at the occasion, reports that Bush needed to have explained to him some of the sects contained in Islam. Others point out that the report is third-hand, and damn near worthless, and also incorrect on its face - Arab != Muslim. The response is, essentially, “Bush is stupid”. No cites, no specific accusations, just the reiteration of a position that was unsupported in the first place. Then someone else questions the qualifications of Bush’s Cabinet and staff. I cite their qualifications, and the response is, essentially, “Bush is stupid”. **LouisB** says Bush hears voices and watches John Wayne movies, **avalongod** claims that none of his advisors knows what they are doing, and the usual suspects (hi, **elucidator**!) do what the usual suspects usually do. Can we have a debate about something substantive, or can I ask that this be moved to IMHO? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/72 "2003-03-08T16:21:09Z")
We elect a president, not a “team”. It is a given that the president should surround himself with the ablest advisers he can comfortably work with. But the ultimate responsibilty for _informed_ decision making, the ultimate credit and blame, lies with the president. I don’t expect the president to know the name of every single world leader. I don’t expect him to know of the top of his head what the gross national product of Barhain is, or what is the difference between an Alawi and a Wahabbi, or what caused the schism between Shi’ites and Sunnites in the first place; but I would like to think that before invading another nation, he would have done some reading and research. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/73 "2003-03-08T16:43:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sixseven \* > \*\*As I said before, if you think you know more than the president, the government, the FBI, CIA, etc. etc, and if you are better informed than they are, I challenge you to join them. I know an FBI man who I’m sure would be happy to give you the information on how to join his team. And we’d all benefit! > > Additionally, your “use” “of” “quotation” “marks” of certain words “you apparently” “don’t agree with” “is kind of annoying” \*\* Brilliant! I’ll go you one better. I’ll write to the president, letting him know that I am smarter than he is. Surely that will be successful. Then I’ll be president. Yes. Thanks. If I was more informed than your friend the FBI agent, that would really be a sad state of affairs. Of course, with the news reorganization of our intelligence agencies, that wouldn’t happen. Oh wait, despite the reorganization, Bush has left Tenet as the head of it all, and the Homeland Security people will be provided with secondary analyses. That’s smart! I’m “sorry” you were annoyed by my use of quotation marks. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/74 "2003-03-08T16:56:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\*That term is used here in the UK and is **very** insulting. Probably worse than ‘nigger’. > > If this is true about bush, then my opinion of him, already very low, just got a whole lot lower. > > To think - there was a time when I thought he was a good man!! :eek: \*\* It is not considered a slur in the United States (at least not in any of the circles I’ve been in). I had never heard the term before my senior year of university when I learned it from one of my new hallmates, a Pakistani-American. From that time on I used the term fairly often around him and the other South Asians on the hall. None of them ever commented on my use of the term (and I believe that one of them would have given me a heads up if it was an ethnic slur). Anecdotal, I know, but I hope illustrative. ---
**Author:** ![SpeyFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@SpeyFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeyFly)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/75 "2003-03-08T17:15:40Z")
You guys have danced all around it but you really haven’t put the pieces together. We did not elect a president, we elected an agenda! The group that occupies the White House has been hanging in the wings prior to Bushes Presidential campaign. This group needed a mouthpiece and this is where george comes into the picture. This group consists of neo-conservative powerhouses and think tanks that believe in preemptive aggression and global economic domination. There is a lot of info available but please refer to included link to get you going. [http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article1665.htm](http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article1665.htm) ---
**Author:** ![anonplz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@anonplz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anonplz)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/76 "2003-03-08T17:20:00Z")
> [@](#): > > * * * > > ## When he met with Makiya and two other Iraqis in January, I was told by someone not present, the exiles spent a good portion of the time explaining to the president that there are two kinds of Arabs in Iraq, Sunnis and Shiites. Thank you, Shodan. I caught that immediately. What an ignoramus this Parker guy is - pot calling the kettle black? Seems so. ---
**Author:** ![anonplz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@anonplz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anonplz)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/77 "2003-03-08T17:25:06Z")
FWIW, I’m not Muslim, but I believe the distinction is: Sunnis study the life of Mohammed and try to observe a life based on not just the writings in the Koran, but a life led in a way similar to the life Mohammed led. Shiites, on the other hand, observe lives which are akin to evangelicals here in the US, relying more on a fundamentalist reading of the Koran, and mostly excluding the traditions based on the practices observed by Mohammed. There are other things which complicate the picture, i.e., most Arabs are Sunni, most Shiites are Aryan, etc. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/78 "2003-03-09T11:05:49Z")
Shodan said: > [@](#): > > \LouisB says Bush hears voices and watches John Wayne movies, avalongod claims that none of his advisors knows what they are doing, and the usual suspects (hi, elucidator!) do what the usual suspects usually do. In fact, I didn’t say that he hears voices in his head; I said that I **fear** he hears voices in his head. As to the John Wayne movies, I merely mean that he seems to think of himself as a lone hero of the type so often portrayed by Wayne. Please note this story that is now on MSNBC website–I hope this link works or that a mod will repair it if it doesn’t. > **[MSNBC News - Breaking News and News Today | Latest News](https://www.msnbc.com/)** > > MSNBC breaking news and the latest news for today. Get daily news from local news reporters and world news updates with live audio & video from our team. > [@](#): > > “This is his moment; this is his Omaha Beach,” said Craig Stapleton, a close friend who is ambassador to the Czech Republic. “He knows exactly what to do.” And, from the same story, > [@](#): > > Bush has come to view his leadership of post-9/11 America as a matter of fate, or of God’s will. Further, > [@](#): > > Bush’s religious devotion encourages such distinctions. Bush implies but does not directly assert that he is doing God’s work. Still, those who share his religious beliefs say it is natural to assume that Bush believes he is divinely inspired.\“It seems as if he is on an agenda from God,” said Jim Cody, a Tennessee Christian broadcaster who was at a convention of religious broadcasters Bush addressed last month. “The Scriptures say God is the one who appoints leaders. If he truly knows God, that would give him a special anointing.” I believe that we, the members of the SDMB, know as much about “God’s will” as GWB or **anyone else.** I believe that any sane person, picked at random, knows as much about “God’s will” as GWB or **anyone else.** I personally do not accept that GWB has a divine mission to lead us into a war anymore than I accept that Ossama Bin Laden has a divine mission from Allah to bring America down. People who are willing to go to war because they believe they have a mission from God are fanatics and fanatics are seldom rational. That is my belief, YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![sixseven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9bd4f/32.png) [@sixseven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sixseven)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/79 "2003-03-18T19:44:50Z")
## Posted by Hetor the Barbarian: ## I’m “sorry” you were annoyed by my use of quotation marks. Sir, eh, Barbarian, I don’t accept apologies written in “quotation marks,” so you’d best try again. Regardless, I don’t take your “denial of the world situation” very seriously anyway. I think anyone, including geniuses, would be blind to say there is no “world situation.” ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564/80 "2003-03-19T02:17:03Z")
> [@](#): > > ## \*Originally posted by sixseven \* \*\*Posted by Hetor the Barbarian: > > ## I’m “sorry” you were annoyed by my use of quotation marks. > > Sir, eh, Barbarian, I don’t accept apologies written in “quotation marks,” so you’d best try again. Regardless, I don’t take your “denial of the world situation” very seriously anyway. I think anyone, including geniuses, would be blind to say there is no “world situation.” \*\* Truly you have a dizzying intellect. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-is-frightening/159564.md?page=5)