From A Virginia Tech Alumnus to President Bush-"Stay In Washington DC & Let VA Tech Community Heal"

[kpete]

From A Virginia Tech Alumnus to President Bush
by DWG
Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 04:37:02 AM PDT

I find your desire to attend the memorial service on Virginia Tech to be just another callous and manipulative act. Do these people suffering from an inexplicable tragedy the favor of staying in Washington. You have nothing but empty sentiment to offer. However, to accommodate and protect your monstrous ego, security procedures will destroy the emotional sanctity of the memorial service. You know that, but you cannot resist the temptation to distract people from your failed foreign and domestic policies, not to mention the corruption threatening the survival of your terrible tenure as the president.

You have a history of the cheap political stunts to encourage people to think you are capable of caring about others. Your many visits to the destroyed Gulf Coast are perfect examples. You politicized and gutted FEMA. You were warned Katrina was a serious threat, but did nothing. You visited devastated areas time and again, but your administration accomplished little to clean up the mess. The least fortune and most vulnerable suffered the most from Katrina. Your words and sympathy did not translate into action.

You now want to pretend to grieve the loss of young lives. Before you bring your security circus to my alma mater, please explain your failure to attend the funerals of the 3300 young men and women killed in Iraq and 380 killed in Afghanistan. You made the decisions to send those soldiers to their deaths, but do everything possible to keep the deaths out of public conscious. You should stay in Washington to figure out how to end the humanitarian crisis YOU created in Iraq.

You are expert at little more than transforming tragedy into carefully crafted political theater. Now you want to intrude upon the memorial service. I know God is dead in you, but do try to imagine for a nanosecond how the security might prevent the university community from coming together in grief. Your words will ease no one’s pain.

..................

Stay in Washington, D.C., and let the Virginia Tech community heal.

Class of '79 (BS), '82 (MS), '90 (PhD)
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/4/17/72925/5946

[Donnachaidh]

1. what? Deny the ghoul another photo-op?

How un-american! :sarcasm:

[wakeme2008]

2. the last thing VT needs is security and traffic jams for a fucking

photo op :grr:

[Straight Shooter]

61. Hear, hear!

Someone should tell him there will be no bullhorn at the memorial service.

[hlthe2b]

3. This VT alumna agrees absolutely

Damn him and his photo op grabbing efforts...

[TZ]

32. I didn't know you went to Tech...

Seems like everyone I have worked with in the last few years has been either A) from Maryland (like me) or B) Va Tech grads.
My friend Lizerdbits went there too. I have never been there but heard my fair share of stories about Blacksburg...Lizerdbits told me that she lived in the dorm that the rampage started in!:hide:

[hlthe2b]

59. Yup... sometimes college seems like a million years ago...

All the various graduate programs tend to blur the undergrad years, but they were very happy times...

I loved Blacksburg.

[maggiegault]

65. *shiver* I still haven't heard from my old friend and former boss, Fred

[lizerdbits]

38. So does this one.

It will be interesting to see what he says. I'll wait for the news report on it, I don't plan on actually listening.

[librechik]

49. wow, hlthe2b

condolences...

[hlthe2b]

60. I probably don't know many folks there anymore... but

just seeing those scenes from campus, no matter how many years have intervened, and the dormitory (West Ambler Johnson Hall) that I lived in-- mixed with this horror-- is really wrenching. It surely could have happened anywhere and thankfully, I don't believe I have friends or family involved, but it does still hit a bit harder nonetheless.

Thanks, though librechik
The community embraces and cares for its students... I know they will now...

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bdamomma]

40. hey you never know, aren't the police still checking out the

shells left at both scenes of the crime?

[global1]

5. Who Is Advising This Guy?........nt

[mwb970]

6. Maybe the Twerp could give a speech about gun rights.

He could discuss the Second Amendment, the way he did in his initial reaction to the tragedy.

[rurallib]

7. Wouldn't you just love it if they booed his ass out of Blacksburg?

[xxqqqzme]

63. hey, he's there representing ALL the American people!

AS IF!

That's what I heard anyway. There is no way in heaven, hell or on earth that rat bastard could ever represent me, any where, any time.

[Raven]

8. Boy, you can feel the pain and anger in this letter. Why doesn't

GWB lead a prayer service at the National Cathedral today rather than upending everything in VA? Can you see local police who should be concentrating on this tragedy having to direct traffic for Bush's motorcade? Can you see grief stricken students and their parents being frisked before they can enter the memorial service? A service at the National Cathedral would allow members of the House and Senate to pay their respects. I guess that's just too decent for this President.

[annabanana]

21. That would, of course, have been the compassionate choice...

and one far beyond the reach of B*sh's understanding.

[saltpoint]

9. Wow. That letter cuts to the chase in a hurry and drives the nail home.

Thank you for posting this.

[woodsprite]

34. Eloquent and powerful letter. You can feel every word.

And that was MY first thought when I heard * was going to go to the memorial service. Why would he go there if the area is not "secured" if a second gunman existed AND why would he interrupt these people in their time of mourning. He didn't travel to Lancaster for the girls memorial services, he hasn't gone to the servicemen's memorial services. All I could come up with was that it's a photo-op. I hope many Americans see thru it.

[saltpoint]

37. Hi, woodsprite. Yes -- as you put it, "You can feel every word."

A visceral letter, and I hope someone in the damn White House puts it in front of Dubya's nose and reads it to him before he gets on the airplane.

The campus needs to be left alone to its own calm and comfort today. They have enough to deal with and think about without the president's security team swarming the joint.

[marylanddem]

10. An outrageous publicity grab

He is shameless.

[TheCowsCameHome]

11. Agreed. Stay in DC and skip the photo-op, you stupid bastard.

Leave the folks at VT alone and let the healing process begin.

[stellanoir]

12. He allegedly goes no where without

more that 1000 security personnel.

How disruptive must that be to a grieving community?

Utterly thoughtless.

Compassionate conservatism. . .my butt.

[Virginia Dare]

13. Agreed, keep your monkey ass out of Blacksburg you hypocritical cretin...

does assault weapon ban ring any bells?

[autorank]

14. Not a good idea, not at all. K&R

I mean this guy wiped out about 3% of the Iraqi civilian population. What's the point.

Virginia Tech is a great school with a great community. I've never met anybody attending or
who graduated form Tech who didn't love the place. They will take very good care of the
each other. The State of Virginia and it's citizens will do the rest.

[global1]

15. I Guess He Wants To Make It A 'Three Ring Circus'......

law enforcement is there in a big way. Don't forget that the media - probably from all over the world - has descended on the campus. So * completes the third ring. He'll supply the clown car.

[saltpoint]

16. Evidently Dubya's heading down there, plus word that Fred Phelps is

on the way to picket at the victims' funerals...

I feel a deep sorrow for anybody anywhere NEAR Blacksburg, Virginia.

Duck, good people! Incoming cretins!

[SaveAmerica]

41. Are you serious about Phelps?

[KamaAina]

51. Unfortunately, yes.

Read it and weep -- or shout with rage...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=678200&mesg_id=678200

[Bucky]

57. Forgive me in advance for saying this, but...

If Fred Phelps is going there, I'm thinking Mr Cho died a day too soon.

[Lasher]

17. I guess Dr. DWG will be locked up in a free speech zone during the ceremony

Now the only thing left to decide is who to use for Junior's billboard - Tech students or SWAT teams.

This link works a little better, kpete:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/4/17/72925/5946

Thanks for sharing this one.

[kpete]

22. thanks Lasher

and peace to you...kp

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

18. I agree, but for a different reason.

Quite frankly, no President should come close, but he/she should offer to. The reason is simple - Secret Service sweeps will create chaos in an already chaotic environment. The local focus should be on investigating and healing, and going through the process of creating a secure location for the President should not be interfering with that.

If Bush had any class, he should offer with the acknowledgment that it's probably not a good idea.

[onenote]

19. question: Should Clinton have stayed away from OK City?

I don't think so. And so I'm not going to say chimpy is wrong to go to Tech. What matters is how he comports himself, what he says. That's what I'll base my judgment on.

[Raven]

24. Good point!

And a fair question. We'll have to wait and see how he does.

[Lasher]

26. Clinton didn't have Junior's history of collecting soldiers and policemen to use as billboards

And Clinton's words were not empty.

Clinton's performance as president was far superior to Junior's in every single way that matters.

[TZ]

33. you don't think the fact that this happened in a very red state

has anything to do with this do you? Oklahoma never voted for Clinton, but he never thought that way. You just KNOW that was part of Chimpy's thought process

[Virginia Dare]

29. Federal employees were targeted in OKC, it was appropriate..n/t

[Bridget Burke]

31. A Federal office building was destroyed in OK CIty.

So the President's visit was quite suitable.

Then--how would Bush comport himself? With a nervous grin & hypocritical comments. (Not to mention a distracting amount of security.)

[Sequoia]

46. Jumping in here, but did you notice the shelf of books behind Chimp

in yesterday's speech on TV? You're probably thinking, what has this to do with anything, but I'm thinking, it was a university and Bush wants to set the tone, like he's a well read reader and likes college kids. I'm just surprise he didn't have a handy slogan above the book case.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

36. OK City is big enough to handle it, Blacksburg is not.

Big, big difference.

[Double T]

20. Letter drives home the truth about the worst and most shameless president........

in american history; it is ALL about politics, campaigning and diversions from the criminal activities that permeate HIS administration.

[understandinglife]

23. Let us hope that the VT community informs Bush just how criminal and crass he is.

Peace.

[quiet.american]

25. Hear, hear. n/t

[EnviroBat]

27. So well said!

I loved that. Not much "grey area" there. That rat-bastard should just keep his stupid ass in Washington.

[EnviroBat]

28. If I were there, I'd turn my back on him as he stammered through

his meaningless drivel. "Terrah, 9/11, Safety of all Americans, Democracy, They're fighting us over here, blah, blah fucking blah..." They should all just turn their backs to him in protest of his very existence...

[malaise]

30. Beautifully stated

I had the precise thoughts this morning. He will make a bad situation much worse with his over-bearing presence and security goons.

[Hubert Flottz]

35. "callous and manipulative" in the flesh.

Arrogant, callous and manipulative. The Man-Child in a nutshell.

[bdamomma]

39. Wonderful and truthful letter, but do you think Bush will stay away

I think he will go just to be spiteful. Great letter.

[Lasher]

43. He's The Decider and he's decided to go

It doesn't make any difference what anybody else says. The Decider doesn't have to explain what he does. Other people have to explain themselves to the Unitary Executive.

[Bucky]

42. Right! Whenever national tragedy struck when Clinton was president, you didn't see him going there!

Oh wait, maybe he did go and comfort the grieved.

In fact, didn't we get upset about Bush not going to New Orleans soon enough and not often enough ever since?

[geomon666]

45. No we got upset at Bush...

Because he didn't send help soon enough and was out having parties and raising money while people were drowning.

And then we get really pissed off when he finally showed up and made a lot of empty promises which is the same crap he'll do here.

I mean who the hell is Bush going to comfort with his presence? The Grim Reaper? "Sorry, Grimmy, you must be all tuckered out after all this reaping."

[Bucky]

56. At the risk of sounding sour

"Heck of a job, Grimmy"

[disndat]

44. K.O. last night

He reported that Bush lifted the ban on the re-loadable cartridge gun used by the shooter, soon after taking office.

[kwolf68]

53. I think

they just let it expire correct?

[SaveOurDemocracy]

55. That's my understanding ...

They let it expire.

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

47. Everything he touches turns to shit

That's Chimpy's Midas touch. Hasn't V.T. suffered enough? Please, stay away.

[Cha]

48. Just WOW! How could this

have been written any better to describe the chimp over the years as our 1st Deceiver?

[Decruiter]

50. Peace. I am sorry to live in Texas and be associated in any degree

of Bush calling himself a Texan. I'm 50 and leaving Texas as soon as possible. Especially now being faced with Bush's library at SMU. Dallas just truly has gone to hell.

[Oilwellian]

52. The king has landed!

Hail to the king...Roanoke airport is shut down and traffic surrounding the airport has been cordoned off. Blacksburg is even worse...my son couldn't get to work today because his majesty was arriving and the peons can't be anywhere near his greatness. The community is pissed that he's here. Bush and his entourage are like a second wave of darkness to hit. The energy is awful.

[Balbus]

54. And if he stayed away, there'd be a number of hateful letters...

accusing him of having no sympathy for not taking the time to go there. He can't win in this situation.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

58. I disagree ...

we may have remarked upon his UNUSUAL good sense in allowing the VT community the dignity of sharing their grief without turning it into a political opportunity. A few may have raised the issue ... but I believe the vast majority would have applauded his NOT forcing himself on them.

[Balbus]

72. You obviously don't come here often.

[jwirr]

62. Especially since he make such a point of NOT attending any of the

funerals of our soldiers killed in Iraq. It is so obvious that it is another photo op that he will not get by with it.

[maggiegault]

64. Absolutely. Were it my alma mater, I would feel exactly the same way.

One afternoon giving a speech that he didn't even write does not negate years and years of public policies that encourage this kind of madness to happen.

The very fact that he did not fire Cheney after Cheney drunkenly shot someone in the face is all the proof that I need that * has no business being there, as his heart lies with the gun nuts and ammo lovers.

[tlsmith1963]

66. I Agree

Bush should have stayed away. The convocation was going on on TV while I was on a break at work, & I was disgusted that Bush was there. And his comments were the usual empty crap. Who writes his speeches, anyway?

[orleans]

67. i thought bush was allergic to memorial services and death in general. n/t

[stevietheman]

68. *: "Those whose lives were taken did nothing to deserve their fate....

They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now they're gone -- and they leave behind grieving families, and grieving classmates, and a grieving nation."

Was Shrub talking about the VT dead or our fallen soldiers in Iraq? I couldn't tell.

Oh, that's right, if it's college kids, he mock-grieves, but if it's soldiers, he avoids them like the plague.

[sofa king]

69. I must have reached another stage of grief....

...Because tonight, I saw three things that pissed me off beyond belief: Greta Van Susteren, Geraldo Rivera, and George Bush, all soiling my goddamned sacred maroon and orange colors.

All three of them are fucking vultures, come to tear at the carcass of my wounded school for their own perverted gain, but what pisses me off the most is that my proud institution had to prostrate itself before the most criminal President in our nation's history.

He wasn't there to help us heal; he was there to lap the blood from my school's hallowed halls before it dries. He was there to do what he does best: to capitalize upon the nation's fears in order to gain more power and make us surrender more of our civil liberties, and to distract us from his litany of wrongdoings.

At least Greta won't be around too long. The weather in Blacksburg is too shitty, and there's no gambling.

[peacetheonlyway]

70. wow a gutsy appeal

too bad he came anyway and managed to laugh his way along with Brian Williams
in a newscast. He could not even suppress his laughter.

you are right about Bush staying at home.

he kills an average of 185 iraqis and americans a day in Iraq. 32 is nothing compared to this Bush killer's roster.

it would be like hitler visiting a jewish massacre and pretending to care.

you were bold and gutsy to write this I only wish he stayed the hell home.

all life is sacred, iraqi, american soldier, college student... it's all senseless violence when anyone dies.

[bluemarkers]

71. what? he's not a good christian?

one who isn't afraid afraid to pray in public?

I have been beside myself with his using this as a political moment. Young children die everyday in Iraq. Our military is in ruins. Over 30,000 Americans killed and injured, Over 600,000 Iraqis killed. Where is their moment of silence? Where is their respect?