Archive for September 11th, 2011
How I Will Always Remember George W. Bush
I’m a libertarian, so I’ve always had plenty of policy differences with George W. Bush. But no matter his big-spending failings, I have never for a moment doubted that George W. Bush and his luminous wife Laura love the United States of America with their whole hearts and souls.
This news story encapsulates everything that was right about President George W. Bush, and everything that is wrong with the current Narcissist-In-Chief.
They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. This is that picture:
George W. Bush hugs Ashley Faulkner. (Photo by Lynn Faulkner via the Cincinnati Enquirer)
As reported in the Cincinnati Enquirer on May 6, 2004,
“In a moment largely unnoticed by the throngs of people in Lebanon waiting for autographs from the president of the United States, George W. Bush stopped to hold a teenager’s head close to his heart.
Lynn Faulkner, his daughter, Ashley, and their neighbor, Linda Prince, eagerly waited to shake the president’s hand Tuesday at the Golden Lamb Inn. He worked the line at a steady campaign pace, smiling, nodding and signing autographs until Prince spoke: “This girl lost her mom in the World Trade Center on 9-11.”
Bush stopped and turned back. “He changed from being the leader of the free world to being a father, a husband and a man,” Faulkner said. “He looked right at her and said, ‘How are you doing?’ He reached out with his hand and pulled her into his chest.”
Faulkner snapped one frame with his camera. [...]
“The way he was holding me, with my head against his chest, it felt like he was trying to protect me,” Ashley said. “I thought, ‘Here is the most powerful guy in the world, and he wants to make sure I’m safe.’ I definitely had a couple of tears in my eyes, which is pretty unusual for me.”
“I’m a pretty cynical and jaded guy at this point in my life,” Faulkner said of the moment with the president. “But this was the real deal. I was really impressed. It was genuine and from the heart.”"
Thank you, Mr. President, for your concern, compassion and human decency.
HillBuzz Open Thread: Sunday September 11th, 2011
Please use today to do something good in the world. Be there for someone who needs you.
Call up a friend you’ve lost touch with. Reach out to someone you’re estranged from. Go outside, feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, walk across the street and introduce yourself to a neighbor you’ve never met. Be human and real and loving and unapologetically American.
If you want to use this thread to remember where you were when you heard about the 9/11 attacks, you can — but I’m going to use this 10th anniversary of that horrible day to create a new 9/11 tradition.
I’m going to celebrate a beloved friend who was murdered that day by pumping as much good into the world today as I possibly can. Justin and I are going to help take meals to people who need them, and we’re going to spend some time helping people who are sick and need some cleaning done. We’ll work hard, put our energy into bringing a little order to some clutter and chaos, and will think about all the people who aren’t around today to do things like this because of what happened ten years ago — including all the children who were never born because their parents were murdered ten years ago today when Islam brought down tall buildings and cut thousands of lives short.
Next year, I want to be in New York City for the next anniversary, when I want to find my friend Jane’s name on the memorial plaque, and touring the new museum on the site.
But today, before Justin and I get going on our volunteering, I want to spend a few hours writing not about the 9/11 attacks themselves, but about my amazing friend who is not here anymore because of them. I want to tell Justin all about Jane and how much she meant to me and how much of an impact she had on my life, that I can see so clearly today.
I want to channel just a little bit of Jane by going out into the world today with just a little bit of Jane’s can-do spirit, because that’s, frankly, what she’d be doing herself if she had the chance.
Please pray for everyone out there who’s having it rough today, remembering loved ones murdered and lives destroyed.
I don’t want to talk about any politics today. I don’t want to do anything but remember my friend and use her memory to brighten the lives of as many people as I can.
But, I do want to know what you are doing today and what this anniversary means to you, so please share below.
