"The Slaves came to America to be FREE"

Sava · July 12, 2003, 00:05

Remarks by the President to Embassy Personnel

July 8, 2003

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

TO EMBASSY PERSONNEL

Leopold Sedar Senghor International Airport

Dakar, Senegal

THE PRESIDENT: I thank you all very much for coming out to say hello. Laura and I are honored to be here with you all. I'm also, as you could see, traveling with quite distinguished company -- our great Secretary of State Colin Powell is with us, as well. (Applause.) I want to thank Ambassador Roth and his wife, Carol, for their service to our country.

I'm here to thank our fellow citizens who are serving a great land. Thank you for your dedication and your love of country. I want to thank the foreign nationals who are helping our fellow citizens make sure the embassy runs so well. (Applause.)

This is an historic trip -- oh, there's the Ambassador. (Applause.) But we are so honored to start our trip to this continent here in Senegal. I had the opportunity to go out to Goree Island and talk about what slavery meant to America. It's very interesting when you think about it, the slaves who left here to go to America, because of their steadfast and their religion and their belief in freedom, helped change America. America is what it is today because of what went on in the past. Yet when I looked out over the sea, it reminded me that we've always got to keep history in mind. And one of the things that we've always got to know about America is that we love freedom, that we love people to be free, that freedom is God's gift to each and every individual. That's what we believe in our country.

I'm here to spread that message of freedom and peace. Where we see suffering, America will act. Where we find the hungry, we will act. We're here not only on a mission of mercy, we're also here on a mission of alliance. And I want to thank you all for helping make that come true.

May God bless you all. And may God continue to bless Senegal and America. Thank you all very much. (Applause.)

END

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the slaves who left here to go to America, because of their steadfast and their religion and their belief in freedom

Is this man absolutely f*cking stupid?

DinoDoc · July 12, 2003, 00:10

Issues has an issue and she wants it to be everyone's issue. The discussion could be about fondue pots and Issue would rage about the multinational corporate conspiracy to exploit fondue pot workers. Of course, Issues is found among all ideological persuasions - anti-gun mothers, gun totin' mothers, bloodthirsty feminists, troglodyte misogynists, politically correct, politically incorrect, lefties, righties, vegetarians, carnivores, radical Rotarians - it doesn't matter. HINT: An effective tactic to employ against Issues is indifference.

Imran Siddiqui · July 12, 2003, 00:10

Hey troll, why don't you bold quote the entire sentance:

It's very interesting when you think about it, the slaves who left here to go to America, because of their steadfast and their religion and their belief in freedom, helped change America.

I know the left likes to selective quote for their own goals, but this is ridiculous.

Btw, he's 100% correct.

GePap · July 12, 2003, 00:11

I agree, moronic statement: and the sentence does not even make sense: "their steadfast [what??] and their..."

Who writes this tuff?

GePap · July 12, 2003, 00:12

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Hey troll, why don't you bold quote the entire sentance:

It's very interesting when you think about it, the slaves who left here to go to America, because of their steadfast and their religion and their belief in freedom, helped change America.

I know the left likes to selective quote for their own goals, but this is ridiculous.

Btw, he's 100% correct.

Hey Imran..the problem is, the slaves were involuntarilly taken to America.

DinoDoc · July 12, 2003, 00:12

Originally posted by GePap
I agree, moronic statement: and the sentence does not even make sense: "their steadfast [what??] and their..."

Who writes this tuff?

How do you write tuff?

GePap · July 12, 2003, 00:14

Just like that.

You guys aren;t worth spell check, but I would like the Prez. to use better grammar, no, check that, grammar.

Zylka · July 12, 2003, 00:14

Originally posted by Sava

Is this man absolutely f*cking stupid?

YOU ARE NOT ME

Imran Siddiqui · July 12, 2003, 00:15

Hey Imran..the problem is, the slaves were involuntarilly taken to America

No duh... he didn't say they were taken because of all that stuff, he said that that stuff helped change America.

Again:

It's very interesting when you think about it, the slaves who left here to go to America, because of their steadfast and their religion and their belief in freedom, helped change America.

A. It's very interesting when you think about it, the slaves who left here to go to America,

B. because of their steadfast and their religion and their belief in freedom, helped change America.

I don't see how you can say Bush is saying they left to go to America because of their belief in freedom, unless you are being deliberately foolish.

GePap · July 12, 2003, 00:18

Either the sentiment is a stupid one, OR ths is yet another Bushism, and wonderful example of Presiential poor grammar, becuase that is exactly how the sentence is constructed:, oh, and "steadfast" is still left orphaned there.

Kidicious · July 12, 2003, 00:19

I saw the sound bite on the news. I couldn't help but to think that Dubbya would have been pro-slavery in that era. He's just full of crap.

Q Classic · July 12, 2003, 00:20

i can say, however, that he needs to find a better speechwriter, one who will not be as prone to make easily botched lines (if that's the case here) or not as ambiguous statements when they're unneeded/uncalled for.

Imran Siddiqui · July 12, 2003, 00:21

Yeah, I never said it was a perfectly grammatical sentance, but Sava is making it out to be that he meant that slaves came over because they wanted to be free

.

Because it couldn't be a Bushism, right?

I also think the punctuation is wrong. I'd write it like:

It's very interesting when you think about it, the slaves who left here to go to America... because of their steadfast... and their religion and their belief in freedom, helped change America.

With pauses and then starting on a new path... which is sometimes how I speak.

Sava · July 12, 2003, 00:22

I know the left likes to selective quote for their own goals, but this is ridiculous.

oh bullsh1t... I posted the entire f*cking article. What's next Imran? The left invented slavery, too?

I guess there's no cure for "stupid"....

DinoDoc · July 12, 2003, 00:25

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
I also think the punctuation is wrong. I'd write it like:

It's very interesting when you think about it, the slaves who left here to go to America... because of their steadfast... and their religion and their belief in freedom, helped change America.

With pauses and then starting on a new path... which is sometimes how I speak.

Personally I'd consider dropping and thier religion and replacing it with the word faith. That way steadfast doesn't stand out so much.

Imran Siddiqui · July 12, 2003, 00:25

I guess there's no cure for "stupid"....

Yes, as you show with every single post you make

.

I posted the entire f*cking article.

And then selectively bold quoted a part of a sentance determined to make your point.

Nothing but a two-bit troll

.

GePap · July 12, 2003, 00:25

That "steadfast" is still wrong, and should he not note that these people were taken there, and did not leave of their own volition?

Wouldn't

"It is very interesting, when you think about it, the slaves who were taken to America, thanks to their steadfastness, their faith, and their belief in freedom, helped change America"

be much better?

EDIT: Hey! hadn;t seen DD's post before I posted this. Sorry DD, but you seem to think a bit like me, poor you!

Imran Siddiqui · July 12, 2003, 00:28

That "steadfast" is still wrong, and should he not note that these people were taken there, and did not leave of their own volition?

He has before. Calling one of the greatest crimes in history a few days back.

be much better?

Yes it would, but you've noted yourself that the President can sometimes trip over sentances.

GePap · July 12, 2003, 00:30

Yes, but not in this short speech to this one staff. Bush has a Quaylesque quality when speaking.

Sava · July 12, 2003, 00:31

And then selectively bold quoted a part of a sentance determined to make your point.

sorry for trying to make the relevant part easier to read... maybe I should start using smaller words for you too...

I don't know what's worse... the apologist behavior, the denial, or the flat out stupidity that some conservatives display when defending Bush and his dumbass antics.

Imran Siddiqui · July 12, 2003, 00:31

Yes, but not in this short speech to this one staff.

Um... why couldn't he trip over his words in this short speech?

GePap · July 12, 2003, 00:33

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Um... why couldn't he trip over his words in this short speech?

No, NO, while he may have said some other time that slavery was a great crime, in his little speech to this staff that does not appear, so he might as well make it lcear he knows slaves did not leave voluntarilly.

mrmitchell · July 12, 2003, 00:47

As long as you realise and go along with it, Sava is humourus and means no harm.

If you take his bait, you're an idiot.

Drake Tungsten · July 12, 2003, 00:59

Jesus, GePap, what the hell are you doing? Back away from this thread and it's completely absurd attack on President Bush while you still can. Do you really want to be viewed as intellectually on par with Sava? God help you if you do.

molly bloom · July 12, 2003, 01:24

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
Jesus, GePap, what the hell are you doing? Back away from this thread and it's completely absurd attack on President Bush while you still can. Do you really want to be viewed as intellectually on par with Sava? God help you if you do.

Could be worse. Could be on the same level as Bush Baby or Quayle D-Minus...

If anyone needs me, I''ll be learning Latin for a trip to South America, whilst peeling some potatoEes

Let's face it, Republican presidents from Reagan onwards have hardly been stellar intellects or linguistic giants have they? Despite their batteries of speech wrters, spin doctors, and poison ivy league ejjerkashuns (apologies to Ezra Pound)...

Drake Tungsten · July 12, 2003, 01:32

George H.W. Bush was a very intelligent man.

Q Classic · July 12, 2003, 01:39

George W. Bush isn't quite as bright as his father.

Berzerker · July 12, 2003, 01:57

Hey Imran..the problem is, the slaves were involuntarilly taken to America.

Yup, they didn't come here, they were sold into slavery mostly by other Africans and brought here primarily by European slave traders. Of course, Imran knows that too so I'm not sure why you think he didn't.

But Sava, they didn't come here to be free as your title says. Bush said they helped change America with their beliefs, seems accurate to me...

Kidicious · July 12, 2003, 02:04

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
George H.W. Bush was a very intelligent man.

I think VERY smart is a little bit of an overstatement, but he certainly was smart for a Republican.

GePap · July 12, 2003, 02:06

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
Jesus, GePap, what the hell are you doing? Back away from this thread and it's completely absurd attack on President Bush while you still can. Do you really want to be viewed as intellectually on par with Sava? God help you if you do.

What are you talking about? DD and Imran and I agreed that the senetnce was very poorly written. Do you disagree that it wasn;t poorly written?

Bush is not dumb, he has his strenghts, but speaking in public does not happen to be one of them, or there would not be so many books filled with his verbal mistakes.