FOXNews.com - Politics - Transcript: Bush News Conference

FOXNews.com - Politics - Transcript: Bush News Conference

Interesting juxtaposition in President George W. Bush’s speech today; while answering a question about the recent conviction of Michael Kodorkovsky for fraud and tax evasion in Russia, President Bush said,

I expressed my concerns about the case to President Putin because, as I explained to him, here you're innocent until proven guilty, and it appeared to us, or at least people in my administration, that it looked like he had been judged guilty prior to having a fair trial. In other words, he was put in prison, and then was tried. I think what will be interesting — and so we've expressed our concerns about the system…

Later, President Bush had the following response to a question about Amnesty International’s charge that the US established “a new gulag,”

I'm aware of the Amnesty International report, and it's absurd. It's an absurd allegation. The United States is a country that is — promotes freedom around the world. When there's accusations made about certain actions by our people, they're fully investigated in a transparent way. It's just an absurd allegation.

In terms of the detainees, we've had thousands of people detained. We've investigated every single complaint against the detainees. It seemed like to me they based some of their decisions on the word of — and the allegations — by people who were held in detention, people who hate America, people that had been trained in some instances to disassemble — that means not tell the truth. And so it was an absurd report. It just is. And, you know — yes, sir.

The people that President Bush is talking about have been in detention for as long as 3 years without trial and many without formal charges. The US government put them in prison assuming they are guilty and will try them later. President Bush takes for granted that terrorist organizations trained the complaining prisoners to lie and damage America’s reputation. Maybe we should think twice about talking down to President Putin and reconsider freedom and due process in America.

On the other hand, if the US government locked me up for 3 years without formal charges, I would hate America and would take every opportunity to disparage its reputation. Of course, I would not need to lie to do so.

Remember by Roger Young

Remember by Roger Young

Roger Young writes,

Remember the irresponsible who jump at the opportunity for conflict, forgetting reason, composure, and diplomacy. Remember how they delegate to others the duty to lead the engagement…

Remember the irreconcilable conflict within the hearts of Christians whose testament instruct "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." and "If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also (Luke 6:27–29)" Remember their befuddlement when finding serving their state (be it the U.S.A and/or Israel) requires disregarding these principles. Remember the ideological clash when told serving their "country" preempts faithfulness to their God…

Remember how, when living, all sides were compelled by opposing views of righteousness but now all are colleagues in death.

Do not only grieve for their loss but remember the lies and liars that killed them.

I have had the opportunity to speak with many parents of soldiers fighting in Iraq. Often, the story is the same. Their children reenlist out of loyalty and a sense of responsibility to their fellow soldiers. They cannot bear the thought of allowing their colleagues to risk their lives alone, so they run off to kill and/or be killed. These men and women have honorable intentions, which is why they are perfect victims of the State. The true evil of the State is that it turns people’s virtues against them.

There Goes the Neighborhood

My name is August Ecklund and I decided to throw my hat in the ring of bloggers. Each week, I will use this blog to post my thoughts on the world around me. Most of the time, I will focus on politics and economics, but occasionally I will probably discuss religion and sometimes even digress into sports and entertainment.

As a word of warning, I am a Libertarian so my thoughts dwell on individualism and the need for smaller government. I believe that every individual life is valuable; therefore, no political end can justify a means that tramples on the life and liberty of even one individual. I came to this conclusion through my understanding of my Christian faith. In other words, I take the Golden Rule very seriously and apply it at the macro as well as the micro level. We must judge every law or public policy by its adherence to basic moral principles, if it fails to hold up, the law or policy will be destructive. Furthermore, I believe that the State is the largest murder and thief in history, and its actions routinely destroy the lives of individuals all around the world. Therefore, only by severely limiting government and its actions can we come closer to achieving the goal of Peace, Prosperity, and Virtue.

For now, I am naming this blog, “The Great Oak Forest,” mostly because I cannot think of another more appropriate name. Historically, forests, mountains, and other geographic boundaries protected small villages and cultures from incursion. These civilizations maintained their liberty through isolation. As I have grown older, I have begun to fear that finding isolation is the only way to gain liberty. I hope that in time, this will change and I will think of a better name for my blog. Maybe someone out there will produce the arguments that change my mind. Until then, thank you for reading, I look forward to hearing your comments.

Grace, Love, and Peace
August Ecklund