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Stifling Our Children
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The Obama Watch
If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Strasbourg
How do you say big bore in Austrian?
Barack Obama is now in the second week of his second overseas tour in less than a year. Not content with being the President of the United States, it seems, the chosen one has seen fit to share his oratorical munificence with the rest of humanity. Right before his last trip across the pond, where he oddly sought American votes, he famously said: “It’s embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is ‘merci beaucoup.’”
Well, some of us think it’s embarrassing when our president makes gaffe after gaffe in his alleged native tongue and continues to be trumpeted as one of the world’s greatest orators. Unlike his predecessor, whose every misspoken word was grist for derision, the media is willfully ignoring the fact that Obama’s greatest ability seems to lie in reading speeches rather than making them.
Consider this gushing report from the TimesOnline: “Yesterday he showed how to dazzle Europe as no President has done since John F. Kennedy. A young student insisted on kissing him as he moved through the streets of Strasbourg. He later led his audience through a faltering rendition of the revolutionary ‘Liberté! Egalité! Fraternité’!” Faltering? After uttering the word egalité, he froze like a deer in the headlights — no doubt due to a faulty teleprompter — before stuttering embarrassingly to the finish.
And while the crowd of German and French students robotically cheered in all the right places, to watch the video is to look on the face of utter boredom. But don’t take my word for it; blogging for the UK’s Telegraph, Iain Martin cites Obama’s mastery of “cadences,” and asks, “But beyond that, am I alone in finding him increasingly to be something of a bore?”
Not only a bore, but a man who can err in ways never dreamed of by Dan Quayle, such as the invention of the “Austrian” language. Now, there are those on the left who will accuse us of being petty, of trying to demean their hero by focusing on his insignificant gaffes, much as they did to George Bush for eight long years. But the difference is that no conservative ever tried to sell the idea that Bush was a great orator. And he himself certainly never lectured his countrymen on the embarrassment he felt at their ignorance of foreign languages.
But it’s not just his delivery that is so disconcerting to many here at home; even those who are convinced that his message is full of soaring rhetoric should concede that some of his overseas words and actions are just a bit creepy. Take his bowing to Saudi King Abdullah. Not just a curt lowering of the head, but a full-waist bow that I’ve only seen done by Catholics in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Now many think that Obama bowing to a foreign potentate was an expression of his willingness to show humility and respect for other nations, although this charity of motive was not extended to President Bush when he kissed the Saudi prince last year in Texas.
But it’s funny how the liberal mind works. Americans of European descent — especially Christians — are never allowed to forget the crimes of their forefathers, ancient or recent. Indeed, in Turkey on Monday, Obama was glad to point out: “I say this as the president of a country that not too long ago made it hard for someone who looks like me to vote.”
Yet, he also had no problem saying, “We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world — including in my own country.” Now, this is a statement that is true; Islam has shaped the world. It’s just that it rolled back centuries of civilization and progress and reduced most of those forced to live under its law of Sharia to lives of crushing poverty and despair.
But perhaps the president’s most infamous remark on foreign shores has been his contention that America has been guilty of “arrogance.” Now, my dictionary defines arrogance as “offensively exaggerating one’s own importance.” Sounds like a pretty fair description of one — whose experience in running things is virtually nonexistent — who not only seeks to rule this country but also, it seems, the world.
Merci beaucoup, mon President!
Letter to the Editor View all comments (57) | Leave a comment
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Rocco| 4.8.09 @ 7:06AM
One might properly say "ein grosser Langweiler," but my preference is "ein grosses Arschloch."
dukas| 4.8.09 @ 7:17AM
My, read David Mathews blog above, if you can. If you do not mind swimming in the disturbed muck of someone’s twisted anger and hate. Davey boy probably uses cocaine and lusts after perverted sex, because by puking demented logic onto others as if were the truth, he uses his public catharsis as a masturbatory experience.
You go Davey boy, you just let it out, we understand. I’m sure there is a nurse somewhere that would hold your hand.
Robert Rosencrans| 4.8.09 @ 7:21AM
Obama is part of a transnational movement that believes western culture, and perhaps, the American Constitution, should be destroyed. Part of that philosophy calls on Obama to genuflect before other world leaders and cultures stating "I'm sorry" over and over in reference to America.
The following passage explains this misguided thought process and shows what's in store for America's children if Obama is re-elected.
Obama is sounding more and more like the past political failure called Jimmy Carter. Former President Carter appeared to enjoy pissing all over America during his term and continues to do so to this day.
http://amerpundit.com/2008/02/01/british-schools-told-dont-teach-kids-patriotism/
Patriotism should be avoided in school lessons because British history is “morally ambiguous”, a leading educational body recommends.
History and citizenship lessons should stick to the bare facts rather than encouraging loyalty to Britain when covering subjects such as the Second World War or the British Empire, the Institute of Education researchers said. Teachers should not instill pride in what they consider great moments of British history, as more shameful episodes could be downplayed or excluded.
The slave trade, imperialism and 20th century wars should be taught as controversial issues while students are deciding how they feel about their country, the report says.
Three quarters of teachers felt obliged to tell students about the danger of patriotism. The survey suggested neither pupils nor teachers wanted patriotism endorsed by schools.
Historians said last night, however, that it was impossible to teach the subject without patriotism or a recognition that British values were rooted in the past.
The report criticises the current drive to use citizenship lessons as a way of promoting pride in being British and developing a sense of belonging. It said: “To love what is corrupt is itself corrupting, not least because it inclines us to ignore, forget, forgive or excuse the corruption. And there’s the rub for patriotism.
“Countries are morally ambiguous entities: they are what they are by virtue of their histories.”
The authors added: “It is hard to think of a national history free from the blights of warmongering, imperialism, tyranny, injustice, slavery and subjugation, or a national identity forged without recourse to exclusionary and xenophobic stereotypes.”
JamesJ| 4.8.09 @ 7:24AM
Like most liberals, Dave Mathews has no job
Rocco| 4.8.09 @ 7:31AM
Well, the moron is back. Problem is, he'd never have the courage to spew his idiocy to my face.
Rocco| 4.8.09 @ 7:35AM
Damn right. And I still maintain Matthews is a coward hiding behind a computer screen.
Marko| 4.8.09 @ 7:42AM
Rocco:
Matthews, just like his putative TV pundit 'relative', delights in spewing abusive half-truths and insults at ideas and thoughts that apparently he/she feels threaten his fantasy world.
Ignore it.
Rocco| 4.8.09 @ 7:46AM
Like I said, the idiot doesn't have the courage to say it to my face. My 30 years in uniform and being a veteran of several military campaigns make his contentions sound ridiculous. I won't dignify his bullshit with any further response until he meets me in front of the Iwo Jima statue at Quantico and confesses his admiration right then and there.
Rocco| 4.8.09 @ 7:47AM
Marko,
Point taken. Particularly since he will never show.
Mike| 4.8.09 @ 8:06AM
"Like most conservatives, JamesJ has no education nor any sort of intelligence. "
David, I am a conservative Marine Corps veteran with three degrees, and eligible for Mensa membership. i.e., not uneducated, unintelligent, or cowardly. Obviously you see these attributes in yourself and no doubt have many accomplishments to back up your self-esteem. Your attacks on Fabrizio, Bush, Christianity, Limbaugh, are very enlightening. Could you please list the good results from Obama's tour?
Timothy L. Pennell| 4.8.09 @ 8:15AM
The 'BOW' was NOT a mistake. And of course, the SPIN from his people, is just more of the same. Flat out LIES, trying to cover for the IDIOT. The King of Saudi Arabia, as the 'Caretaker' of the 'HOLY SITES', Mecca and Medina, is the DeFacto Leader of all the worlds' MUSLIMS. You can all say what you want, but you can't change the FACTS. In the Jewish Faith, if you are born to a JEWISH MOTHER, you are a JEW. In the Muslim Faith, if you are born to a MUSLIM FATHER, you are a MUSLIM. He's a MUSLIM by BIRTH. He KNOWS this. (READ HIS BOOK about his DEADBEAT DRUNK of a Father) And, as a Muslim, it was his DUTY, to bow to his King. Did he bow to the QUEEN of ENGLAND? Of course not. No Muslim would.
P. Aaron| 4.8.09 @ 8:21AM
The president, his supporters in the press, and Mr. Mathews all have explaining to do. Such as, how did you get rolled by such an ass of a president?
Mathews; find your own blog and leave this place. We want intelligent and reflective commentary that ADDS something to the conversation. Yet you only wish to cloud the target, which is the RESULTS of the Messiah's overseas trip. It is typical liberal-BOHICA behaviour to do this. It is the same song you have played over and over again. You are boorish and are probably not invited to cool parties where the hot chicks & good booze is.
Obama; like Mathews, has worn thin...quickly. There is no substance there.
Bill Hussein| 4.8.09 @ 8:27AM
Each time you respond to idiocy, you make the idiot look intelligent, and yourself, not so good.
aware| 4.8.09 @ 8:29AM
These posts should be moderated so as to block comments by the DM types. They are paid "volunteers" who AstroTurf to poison debates and substitute name calling for dialogue. They do this to hijack the discussion and make people angry.
And don't bother with a witty "hello" reply because there will be no response.
Observer| 4.8.09 @ 9:24AM
May I suggest, that rather than replying to the dark dimensions of this poor, lost soul, to silently pray for him. Only God knows the obviously dysfunctional upbringing and "educational" agenda that helped to mold this obviously resentful person, and made him so distrustful of his fellow man.
I find it distressing how a particular segment of our culture, relentlessly promoted and cultivated by those on the Left, has raised up an army of brainwashed, miserable kids who are apparently most angry at those they subconsciously believe "let them down." In other words Christians and Conservatives---if you've got all the answers and compassion, why did you abandon us and leave us to a pack of wolves, who have raised us in your absence (broken homes, public school indoctrination, availability of drugs, etc.) and taught us to hate you?
Doctor Right| 4.8.09 @ 9:34AM
I LOVE the comments put forward by "dave matthews", and I'd be against any effort to block them. In fact, I think they should be collected into volumes and published! They are plu-perfect examples of the level of left-liberal thought and discourse. There's absolutely no substance to them whatsoever; they're basically the intellectual equivalent of "I know you are, but what am I?"
davey-boy is a gem! He's not only ignorant, but self-righteously ignorant - a FANTASTIC combination!
The amount of time he has on his hands to keep click-clacking away on TASOnline clealry indicates that he's either:
1. A high school student, or...
2. A government employee
Both of those are CRITICAL liberal constituents! The first, because they know nothing, have done nothing, and are clueless about how the world actually works - so they're perfect for reciting the left-wing talking points they hear from their teachers, and on MTV.
The second, because most of them are mindless drones who continually want more money for less and less work. Additionally, most of them BARELY have high-school educations, so they never really progressed in intellectual development from the 1st group - So, again, perfect liberal mouthpieces!
In summaton, PLEASE, don't ban davey! He's PRICELESS! And' he's utterly dispossessed of any recognition of his value to the Conservative movement. His every post serves only to solidify our resolve, and to serve as a warnng to others:
THIS is what liberalism brings - stupidity!
In short, davey may be a "useful idiot", but he's OUR "useful idiot"!
dukas| 4.8.09 @ 9:46AM
Little coward Davey boy; For a person who preaches fear and loathing of the Republicans you have no problem coming onto a Conservative site and spewing your stupidity. Why don’t you leave this site and go onto a Jihadist site where you’ll do some good?
I too will not repond to this freakazod anymore, he gets off by the liberal axiom; "I don't care what you call me as long as you call." And I will not pray for him, he'll get what he deserves.
*| 4.8.09 @ 9:47AM
David Mathews,
How do you have so much time to troll this board? By collecting welfare checks and surfing the net from your mother’s basement, presumably.
Robert| 4.8.09 @ 10:32AM
David Matthews,
A questionable fool should silence himself before his utterings confirm the question.
Robert| 4.8.09 @ 10:32AM
David Matthews,
A questionable fool should silence himself before his utterings confirm the question.
JeffW| 4.8.09 @ 10:40AM
Okay Davey, I have read your post for some time now with some (very little) amusement. Your hate filled tirades so far have been directed at Christians, Conservatives, Global Warming deniers, and today Patriotism. Please forgive me if I missed a few, it is hard to keep up with the number of subjects you hate as you keep switching them and can not seem to stay on one track. Then again, I guess you do stay on one track, a hate filled one. I have yet to see anything besides talking points and insults. You do not mind looking like a one trick pony. I admire someone who knows his limitations but in order to grow you should try stretching them. Present your arguments in a intelligent fashion and let your arguments speak for themselves. It is obvious you do not intend to sway anyone to your way of thinking so why do you always submit post after post to this website? I can't decide if your paid to do so, a attention starved drama queen, or just enjoy ruffling peoples feathers for no good reason. You call Rocco a coward becuase he demands you say your points to his face but I see someone safely hiding behind his terminal spewing insults as the coward. Be brave and back your arguments up with facts. I'll even give you something to start with. You say Christians have started wars and are evil. Granted their have been many so called Christian wars. Yet, you jump to the defense of Muslims. Have they started no wars in the name of religion?
Jack| 4.8.09 @ 10:53AM
Lisa is dead on in this piece. Obama has everything backwards (the way he wants it). Bowing to the Saudi King-as if a subject?
DM-yawn. 2 hours monitoring a conservative site and spewing bile. Better than a few cups of coffee eh?
Lisa Fabrizio| 4.8.09 @ 10:54AM
Mr. Matthews,
Can you please explain to me just where in my piece you find any incitements to "hatred and warfare?" Christianity, as practiced properly, condemns hatred and endorses warfare only to render unto Caesar what belongs to his realm.
Christianity also recognizes that sin abounds, even within its leadership. It was Jesus Christ who said that He came, not to call the just, but sinners to repent. This work continues today.
One of the main differences between Christianity and Islam is that Jesus does not call his followers to violence by the Sword, as does the prophet Muhammed. That Christians have committed sin was anticipated by our Lord when he gave His Church the power to forgive sin in His name.
As far as Europe and America prospering because they have rejected Christianity, I suggest you pick up any history book or simply look around you to know that this is an inane and uninformed statement.
May the joy of Easter and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ open your eyes to His Truth.
Freudor| 4.8.09 @ 11:08AM
Exactly on the money.
Obama is a fraud.
David Mathews is a Kool-Aid swilling, ACORN lemming soldier.
The Lemming Empereror has no clothes and is even more an embarrasment than both Bushes put together.
And that is saying something coming from this independent.
This better government through affirmative action plan has not worked out so well for America over the last couple decades.
The Obamamessiah is the crown jewel of why we need to start thinking 1776 all over again.
Pingback| 4.8.09 @ 11:30AM
Topics about Crimes » If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Strasbourg links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
lulu| 4.8.09 @ 12:03PM
It's best to ignore ACORN trolls like Mathews.
Mathews has his marching orders that tell him to take up space on conservatives sites. Mathew's sorry posts seem computer generated--I don't think there's a human David Mathews.
Big J| 4.8.09 @ 12:11PM
Lisa,
I appreciate your comments to little david, but you are certainly wasting your time. That is time much better spent on writing inciteful articles like the one you submitted today. Excellent job!
Teleprompter Messiah| 4.8.09 @ 12:34PM
Lightworker thinks that the job of being President of the United States is the same as being president of a university. This tour was pure amateur hour with nothing to show for it other than the adoration of cretinous European university students.
This presidency is and will continue to be like an upper level political theory course taught by a collossal pompous ass.
Frank Marschino| 4.8.09 @ 1:18PM
Lisa, you have cut through the garbage and nailed it. The bow was bad enough, but then to lie about it exposes BO for what he is...which is not much.
I wonder if the teleprompter had a sketch that showed him how far down to bend over???
Gary| 4.8.09 @ 1:33PM
Hey Matthews, if Muslims settled America instead of Christians you wouldn,t be allowed to open your big trap. You despise Christians, well go to Saudi & live in that enlightened land where US presidents bow to tyrannts. All cultures & religions are not the same. I don't see Christians in America storming Mosques as do gay anti christians do churches. You sicken me man. I am not that religious but when I hear the crap that comes out of your pea brain I may get religion again. Christians & Jews built this country, its' constitution & laws & we unlike many Muslim countries do not live in the 11th century.
Richard Szathmary| 4.8.09 @ 2:22PM
I think Ms. Fabrizio was, as usual, right on the money. When I first heard that bit by Obama semingly praising the "influence" of Islam upon American history, I cringed. And I'm quite sure that he wasn't referring to the turnbacks at Tours, Malta, Lepanto and Vienna which, in a roundabout sort of way via defeats to Islamic armies, allowed America to grow and prosper. Really, this is a President who says some very dumb things and also some very pandering things. But his praise of Islam's supposed influence on US history was also a very scary interpretation.
Harold Theisen| 4.8.09 @ 2:35PM
I have been reading the comments of David Matthews on this website and other conservative websites. Does this idiot spend all his waking hours at the computer writing his drivel? I've learned to scroll past his name whenever it pops up on the screen. He contributes nothing to the discussion but his own preposterous viewpoint which is laughable for the lack of reasoning power.
JJ JR| 4.8.09 @ 3:14PM
Y'all,
As I've become accustomed to doing lately, David Mathews is a seminar-trained liberal troll assigned to sow dissension and confusion on this site. IGNORE HIM (HER/or IT).
He advances the same stereotypical liberal themes that conservatives are the following: 1) hate filled; 2) war-mongering; 3) homophobes; 4) mind-numbed Rush Limbaugh listening dolts, etc. It doesn't matter what the subject, he advances these inanities.
Again, IGNORE HIM.
Cheers
Max| 4.8.09 @ 3:19PM
So getting past all this petty argument between you folks on this board and getting back to actually talking about Obama's tour. He was talking about the Muslim influence on the United States, alluding to his family with Islamic connections when, during the campaign he was doing all he could to separate from that part of his family, more on the story here, http://www.newsy.com/videos/obama_s_charm_offensive_tour/
Anthony| 4.8.09 @ 3:59PM
Excellent point, Mr. Pennell, the fact that Obama bowed to his Saudi Muslim king and not to the Queen of England, escaped my notice, good for you that it didn't escape yours. It is a chilling and telling moment, America is in very deep trouble.
HotPat| 4.8.09 @ 4:32PM
Dr. Right:
I am insulted by your disparagement of Government workers. I am one, and I'm busy right now trying to master my brand new edition of Rosetta Stone in Austrian. Show some respect, please.
Angel| 4.8.09 @ 5:37PM
I'm surprised Obama didn't bend over and kiss the Saudi King's azz. What a tool! How embarassing for our country--Obama looks like he just fell off the turnip truck. Snark.
Daphne| 4.8.09 @ 6:55PM
TeamObama at the White House tried to deny that Obama 'bowed' to his master--but look at the photo up on Drudge: Obama is clearly bowing to the Saudi King. Dude's just not ready for prime-time; he should go back home to Chicago and do some more community organizing. What a loser.
ben| 4.8.09 @ 7:08PM
Concerning Dave Mathews, Jharp and the other trolls.
These people don't want to debate, rather they want to discourage it. They come on here and call people names while offering no arguments, evidence or facts. Their sole purpose is to stop the discussion of ideas. They want you to fight with them because then you aren't talking about the issues. One of the best things about this site is the informed, well thought out comments by many readers. The trolls like Dave and Jharp don't want us to have these discussions because people may actually learn something from them. To Dave Mathews and Jharp learning is the problem they seek to dissuade, indoctrination and blind faith in liberalism is all that matters to them. Mature, thought out, informed discussion will bring about the destruction of liberalism. Ignore their posts. Let them say whatever they want, but don't respond until they can come on here and present an informed, well thought out, rational argument. Until then reading their posts and arguing with them is just a tiresome waste of time, which is exactly why they do it.
Anthony| 4.8.09 @ 7:50PM
The Queen of England is a far more dimunitive person than the Saudi King, so how does Axelrod & Co. explain the obvious bow to him? They LIE about it bold face. We are up against hard core America haters, and they run our government now!!
CS Lewis| 4.8.09 @ 8:14PM
The comment section could use an ignore feature. With a few updates here we could just put DM on ignore. Problem solved.
Cookie| 4.8.09 @ 9:29PM
Oh, hell no--don't bow to the Queen of our most loyal ally--bow to the King of Saudi Arabia, home of many of the 9/11 terroists. Obumbler, so smug and such a joke.
Interested Conservative| 4.9.09 @ 2:18AM
I've been following TAS for a long time, online and in print, and the recent appearances of jharp and DM are curious, but not unexpected.
It's a rather common "spoiling the commons" effect, and if anything, it simply took a while to reach the comments section here at TS online.
What's really interesting, though, is that their style seems to be changing in some obvious ways. I wonder if we've got overlapping or shared trolls here? Only the webmaster could tell, and it's probably not worth trouble to investigate it as opposed to start filtering.
Regardless, if you haven't read them before, the first encounter is a bit infuriating, the second intriguing, and the remainder mostly desultory.
There's really not much there, and certainly nothing you wouldn't find on DKos, Huffpost or similar left sites.
whiterb| 4.9.09 @ 8:09AM
This Matthews is probably a trial lawyer who would sue you for defending your boat against a pirate attack. There are a few million like him. They are the ones who spawned from the pods. They hate us because we are too strong to be co-opted and transformed to a new state of being as we sleep. Sadly, the majority of our citizens are too weak to resist.
Heather| 4.9.09 @ 5:00PM
Anyone who has been reading TAS a long time would have mentioned Jeremiah and Obama Rules as trolls, too. I don't believe some posters when they claim to have been TAS supporters for a long time. What's your agenda, Int. Conservative? You're a Romney troll, aren't you? I don't trust you.
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