- "None are more unjust in their judgments of others
than those who have a high opinion of themselves."
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- --Charles Haddon Spurgeon, British Baptist Preacher
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- An old English Proverb tells us of sleep, "Six hours
for a man, seven for a woman, and eight for a fool." I think this
says that intelligent people cannot achieve sleep with ease and peace of
mind, as their psyches are overburdened with self-doubt over every little
decision. Insomnia is the curse of people of wisdom, because the truly
wise are never certain of their own RIGHTNESS. They may believe themselves
to be closer to the truth than most, but in the background of their internal
dialogues, an ever-present voice urges caution, always asking the most
important question of all: "What if I am wrong?"
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- When I've looked into the eyes of George W. Bush, I have
never seen evidence of a poor night's sleep. His baby blues sparkle with
a mirthful iridescence that can only be present after eight solid hours
of blissful shuteye. Indeed, one would never suspect that he is a man with
whom life and death decisions are made on an hourly basis. Fretfulness
and regret seem not to exist in the mind of President Bush. The man is
as sure of himself as an old school gunfighter in a spaghetti Western.
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- Bush's preternatural self-confidence is the key to whatever
popularity he still has. If we learned anything from the most recent elections,
it is that Americans prefer self-assured alpha males to wimpy intellectuals
and idealists. The hell with skinny, sad sacks like Ralph Nader and Dennis
Kucinich. Americans want leaders with barrel chests and shiny biceps that
unrepentantly blow up "bad guys" while uttering slick catchphrases
like, "Talk to the hand," and "You're fired."
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- Shockingly few Americans care whether or not Bush is
an honest or ethical person. If Ronald Reagan was the Teflon President,
George W. Bush is more like a giant sieve. Allegations don't stick, they
just sluice right through. If a reporter asks him about the non-existent
WMDs in Iraq, or the U.S. body count (which has officially swelled to nearly
1,300), or the tens of thousands of dead Iraqi civilians, he grins blankly,
blaming the CIA for "faulty intelligence," and insisting that
the war was "the right thing to do." This "explanation"
has been more than sufficient for a majority of Americans, not because
it is supported by fact or logic, but because Bush seems so damn SURE of
himself when he says it.
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- That's the interesting thing about George W. Bush. Many
people ascribe Machiavellian motivations to his every action, but the man
does not possess a wit of cunning or guile. I suspect this is because whatever
remains of Bush's brain IS a giant sieve. His neural processor probably
lacks the tools necessary to tell right from wrong, and truth from fiction.
His conscious mind genuinely believes in the honesty of every word that
comes from his mouth, even though somewhere in the darkest regions of his
ravaged cerebellum, he surely knows it's all a lie.
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- Bush can kill indiscriminately without a shred of doubt
or remorse, because he "knows" that he is doing the right thing.
This is a man under whom 155 souls were executed during his reign as Texas
Governor. Did Bush lose a moment's rest agonizing over his LAWFUL DUTY
to ensure that each of those executions was a just one? Then Governor Bush
answered that question in a resounding negative, when he sadistically "impersonated"
death row inmate Karla Faye Tucker, making a puppy-dog gesture and uttering,
"Please don't kill me."
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- George W. Bush continued killing people even as the revolution
of forensic science and DNA testing raised enormous doubt about the validity
of countless death sentences. He continued the execution machine even after
the U.S. Supreme Court pointed out flaws in Texas jury instructions, which
did not instruct jurors to consider mitigating evidence when sentencing
people to death. As recently as November 16th of 2004, the Supreme Court
threw out two Texas death sentences, including that of Laroyce Lathair
Smith, a mentally retarded man with an IQ of 78. Of course, if Dubya had
his way, Smith and everyone like him would be burnt nice and toasty in
a public cookout.
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- I suspect that Bush's rationalization for his wanton
use of capital punishment can be found in "The Bible." Yes, the
Old Testament seemingly supported death for murderers (Leviticus 24:17-22:
"And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death") Unfortunately,
one can easily argue that Bush's Bible, which he describes as the underpinning
of his entire "thought process," also calls for the death of
adulterers, prostitutes, thieves, and homosexuals. But even if one believes
that the Old Testament is the word of God, I'm pretty sure that it doesn't
advocate killing wrongfully convicted, INNOCENT people.
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- Hey George, how do you sleep at night with the knowledge
that you almost certainly allowed at least ONE innocent person to be executed
under your watch? Has a pang of guilt or regret ever jolted you awake in
the witching hour, cold sweat beating down your brow, your heart fluttering
in a flight of panic? No, of course not. Every morning, you rise from bed
with a spring in your step and smirk on your lips, bounding through your
morning jog like a brainless greyhound chasing a rabbit.
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- U.S citizens are not offended by Bush's staggering body
count, because he is fulfilling their expectation of a manly "leader."
Mercy, compassion, and forgiveness are not qualities that most of us want
in a President. If Americans cared about those things, they would not have
thronged in front of a Modesto, California courthouse when Scott Peterson
was convicted, holding up signs that said "Burn in Hell Scott"
and actually BOOING Peterson's mother.
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- Can you say President Schwarzenegger? There is a guy
who will skewer his enemies with a pitchfork, nail 'em to a wall, and say
something really clever like, "Stick around."
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- Slumber restfully tonight, President Bush. Sleep in blissful
ignorance and hear not the haunting voices of the countless humans you
have heartlessly killed.
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