Three Strikes: You’re Outta Here!

Thank you to the esteemed and right honorable Funk for providing me strikes 1 and 2 against our disgraceful and dishonorable president.

Strike 1: As quoted from Funk’s previous entry, Harold Schaitberger, the firefighter union’s president, said: “We’re not going to stand for him [putting] his arm around one of our members on top of a pile of rubble at Ground Zero during a tragedy and then…watch him cut money for first responders.”

Strike 2: “It’s a slap in the face of the murders of 3,000 people,” Monica Gabrielle, whose husband died in the twin towers, told the New York Daily News. “It is unconscionable.” If that’s not disturbing enough, “I understand that there's a corpse shown coming out of Ground Zero [on President Bush’s new campaign ads],” said Breitweiser, whose husband, Ronald, was killed in the trade center attack. “I just think it's in poor taste, particularly from someone who has stonewalled the 9-11 commission.”

Strike 3: The Bush administration opposed a Senate addition to the Iraq supplemental bill that would have added $1.3 billion to veterans’ health care [Air Force Magazine, 10/02; OMB Director Joshua Bolton to Rep. David Obey (D-WI), 10/21/03], this as he was amassing troops to fight an unjust war. Also, “We can never repay the veterans—we hear those words a lot,” Veterans of Foreign Wars State Commander Ron Hornsby told a stadium crowd in Waco, TX. “At times like this [during the proposed closing of a VA hospital], those words become very hollow, very meaningless.” [San Antonio Express-News, 8/17/03; Associated Press, 10/20/03, 10/28/03]

President Bush is slowly proving his worth as a leader. He focuses not on his accomplishments, but instead evokes painful memories of the past. He hides behind ephemeral slogans like “the war on terror,” and “war president,” but he’s unable to quantify or qualify his contributions in tangible ways. What has he done for our country?

His publicity is built on exploitation of images and events. It’s founded on the principles of grief and unearned honor. He cuts first responder’s funding while flashing the image of firefighters. His images rekindle feelings of fear and grief while he refuses to cooperate with investigations into the causes of 9/11. Finally, he wallows in the pride and camaraderie reserved for soldiers and sailors while cutting funding for their children’s education and VA benefits.

Everytime he swings, the breeze of confusion grows stronger and stronger. And to the fan’s dismay, there’s never connection with the ball. Just a constant anticipation of the promised hit. Mr. President, you’ve made a mess of the world, and now your tarnishing baseball! When will the madness end!?