Thank you, President Bush - Paulo Coelho

[Kodzoquo]

From the world's most popular novelist, Paulo Coelho, an open letter of praise for President Bush

Thank you, great leader George W. Bush.

Thank you for showing everyone what a danger Saddam Hussein represents. Many of us might otherwise have forgotten that he used chemical weapons against his own people, against the Kurds and against the Iranians. Hussein is a bloodthirsty dictator and one of the clearest expressions of evil in today’s world.

But this is not my only reason for thanking you. During the first two months of 2003, you have shown the world a great many other important things and, therefore, deserve my gratitude.

So, remembering a poem I learned as a child, I want to say thank you.

Thank you for showing everyone that the Turkish people and their parliament are not for sale, not even for 26 billion dollars.

Thank you for revealing to the world the gulf that exists between the decisions made by those in power and the wishes of the people. Thank you for making it clear that neither José María Aznar nor Tony Blair give the slightest weight to or show the slightest respect for the votes they received. Aznar is perfectly capable of ignoring the fact that 90% of Spaniards are against the war, and Blair is unmoved by the largest public demonstration to take place in England in the last thirty years.

Thank you for making it necessary for Tony Blair to go to the British parliament with a fabricated dossier written by a student ten years ago, and present this as ‘damning evidence collected by the British Secret Service’.

Thank you for allowing Colin Powell to make a complete fool of himself by showing the UN Security Council photos which, one week later, were publicly challenged by Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector in Iraq.

Thank you for adopting your current position and thus ensuring that, at the plenary session, the French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin’s anti-war speech was greeted with applause – something, as far as I know, that has only happened once before in the history of the UN, following a speech by Nelson Mandela.

Thank you too, because, after all your efforts to promote war, the normally divided Arab nations were, for the first time, at their meeting in Cairo during the last week in February, unanimous in their condemnation of any invasion.

Thank you for your rhetoric stating that ‘the UN now has a chance to demonstrate its relevance’, a statement which made even the most reluctant countries take up a position opposing any attack on Iraq.

Thank you for your foreign policy which provoked the British foreign secretary, Jack Straw, into declaring that in the 21st century, ‘a war can have a moral justification’, thus causing him to lose all credibility.

Thank you for trying to divide a Europe that is currently struggling for unification; this was a warning that will not go unheeded.

Thank you for having achieved something that very few have so far managed to do in this century: the bringing together of millions of people on all continents to fight for the same idea, even though that idea is opposed to yours.

Thank you for making us feel once more that though our words may not be heard, they are at least spoken – this will make us stronger in the future.

Thank you for ignoring us, for marginalising all those who oppose your decision, because the future of the Earth belongs to the excluded.

Thank you, because, without you, we would not have realised our own ability to mobilise. It may serve no purpose this time, but it will doubtless be useful later on.

Now that there seems no way of silencing the drums of war, I would like to say, as an ancient European king said to an invader: ‘May your morning be a beautiful one, may the sun shine on your soldiers’ armour, for in the afternoon, I will defeat you.’

Thank you for allowing us – an army of anonymous people filling the streets in an attempt to stop a process that is already underway – to know what it feels like to be powerless and to learn to grapple with that feeling and transform it.

So, enjoy your morning and whatever glory it may yet bring you.

Thank you for not listening to us and not taking us seriously, but know that we are listening to you and that we will not forget your words.

Thank you, great leader George W. Bush.

Thank you very much.

http://www.opendemocracy.net/other_content...=1033&type=sati (http://www.opendemocracy.net/other_content/article.jsp?id=1033&type=sati)


(Edited by Kodzoquo at 12:32 pm on April 7, 2003)

[El Barbudo]

great post. your absolutely right.

[Sinistra]

*Thank you America*

Thank you america for fighting the fights of others . for sacrefising your own sons and daughters in sake of the worlds freedome .

Thank you for freing europe , and the world , from one of the biggest terenies and horors of history , for giving the world a new chance to reburth .

thank you for taking on your self the job of fighting for thr worlds liberty , even when those who you saved just 60 years ago dont understand what are you doing .those whom you have lost hundred of thousands of your youngs to liberate , forget what you have done for them .
I just want to know how they would have felt like , when there grandparents were being slaughtered by the Nazis , and somwhere in a safe rich country , were every body drinks espresso all day , there is a demonstration incourging the u.s not to fight the nazis , because many of germans will be killed .

The americans have given the europeans what they are now , freedome , liberty , stabel economy ... why don't the Iraqies , and other countries , deserve the same what the europeans got .

I want you to understand that the americans who saved the world yesterday , are the same americans who are freing the world today and tomorow . like it or not , it doesnt matter if you capitalst or socialist , black ,white , european , amreican , asian , arab , muslim , jewish , christian ... what realy matters is if your a himan or not , if you care for the sake of your brothers or not . if you want a better world or not , were there are no dectators , slaughters , holocaust ...
This is my dream , i hope that it is the dream of all of you .
What i realy hope is that my dream , our dream will come true .

[Blasphemy]

yes, american is once again liberating the world. it is liberating hundreds of iraqis from the hardships of life by butchering them with fighter jets and missiles. it is emancipating the citizens of bagdhad from running water and electricity in their homes.

[praxis1966]

Sinistra, I don't know where your from, but I hope that English is your second language. Otherwise, you don't have any excuse for a post chocked so ridiculously full of spelling and grammatical errors.

BTW, I happen to be an American who is extremely sick of this martyr syndrome that people in power seem to be so fond of. What I mean is, I get nauseated every time I hear some pompous ass start whining, "Woe be unto me. I am America, and once again I have to liberate the world..." Shut the fuck up with that shit. Ask yourself this: Maybe the rest of the world doesn't want your help. Maybe, just maybe, the rest of the world actually reads once in a while and realizes that an America has probably had equally as bad a human rights record as China.

[praxis1966]

(Edited by praxis1966 at 10:19 pm on April 7, 2003)

[Blasphemy]

Quote: from praxis1966 on 6:16 pm on April 7, 2003
Sinistra, I don't know where your from, but I hope that English is your second language. Otherwise, you don't have any excuse for a post chocked so ridiculously full of spelling and grammatical errors.


english is a second language for many people here, and there is no reason to point out grammatical and spelling errors in one's posts. it doesn't add any respect to anyone, so please refrain from doing so.

(Edited by Blasphemy at 6:46 pm on April 7, 2003)

[Sinistra]

so , praxis1966 , as i understand from you , the US shouldt have interfered in the second world war .
blasphemy , i know that there are many casualties by the iraqi citizens , but this is war . there were milions of german women and children who were killed in the secnd world war , and still nobody demonstrated on there behave .

one more thin , praxis1966 . who the hell are you to redecule my english , for your information ebglish is my third language , out of four ( hopfuly soon out of six ).
and i would be realy happy to see you writing a post in Arabic .

[Zombie]

The americans have given the europeans what they are now , freedome , liberty , stabel economy ...
Yes that's why they are boycotting the French and any other "free and stable" European country who won't go suck their dicks and play Gulf War 2.1 with them.

Funny you claim such an imperiaist capitalist country has goals such as "saving the world". ha!

About WW2,
the Americans waited 2 years to get into WW2 sinistra.
I'd suggest you go back to your history books, if they are credible, and read WHY the Americans went to war against Hitler in the first place. WHY, sinistra WHY. I'm asking WHY.

Good reading,

Z.

[Rodneo]

I really like Paulo Coelho, I’ve read almost all his books, and I do recommend

[dopediana]

fuck america. some flipping fuck messed up the sign in front of my mom's business just because she's french.

fascist bastards.......


you know what i REALLY REALLY HATE?

those bumper stickers that say "first iraq...then france"

we all know that bombing kills innocents. iraqi freedom my ass. that's not what bush is after. he wants a unipolar world. a unipolar american world. heaven forbid france wants to keep him from that goal.

what is it with these selfish, prideful, unyielding patriots?

[Fever]

I agree completely. What the fuck is up with "freedom fries and liberty toast?" Its so stupid. Oh my god that pisses me off!

[Blasphemy]

Quote: from Sinistra on 8:25 pm on April 7, 2003
blasphemy , i know that there are many casualties by the iraqi citizens , but this is war . there were milions of german women and children who were killed in the secnd world war , and still nobody demonstrated on there behave .


you'd be surprised. in the UK there were demonstrations against the incessant killing of german citizens during WWII. you should hit your history books, and learn a bit more about WWII.

of course this is a war, but saying "it's a war, and people get killed, and there's nothing you can do about it", is nothing but sickening. we are not soldiers, who suppose to accept anything brought upon them without questions. were are citizens. are job is to resist when things aren't right, and when an iraqi hospital is bombed, it isn't right. when iraqis citizens are massively killed, it isn't right. when the US starts a war for oil, money and domination, it isn't right. stop being so passive about everything. the US isn't god, and when it does something so terrible wrong, it is our job to make our voice heard and say "NO!".

[Sinistra]

There is a big difrents between the UK boombing in ww2 and those of these days , see the bombings in ww2 were directed to the german society , unlike today when the boombs are directed to milatery areas , not counting accidents . se diference between Dresden and Baghdad .

[Blasphemy]

oh yes, the "accidents". how i love that term. every time a hospital is bombed it's, of course, an "accident". every time a school is bombed it's an "accident". every time a family is shot at, it's an "accident". the humane and man-loving american president will never dream about bombing civilians. he is such a good person, with a warm heart, that the idea of bombing innocent people never even occured to him. but despite that, there are way to many "accidents".

[Sinistra]

so you think that the americans realy want to kill those citizens ... i am desapointed , how ignorant of you ... your talking like they dont have enough problems with the world's apinion . they want to be seen as liberaters not as terorists .

[Blasphemy]

they want to be seen as liberators, and it's working in many cases. they made you believe that all these iraqi citizens were killed by "accident", didn't you?

[Sinistra]

blasphemy . you fucked up "shalom akhshav" .
can you tell me the intrest of the americans in killing those iraqi citizens .

[Sabocat]

Quote: from Sinistra on 2:15 pm on April 8, 2003
so you think that the americans realy want to kill those citizens ... i am desapointed , how ignorant of you ... your talking like they dont have enough problems with the world's apinion . they want to be seen as liberaters not as terorists .



Liberators? You mean like the millions we liberated in Vietnam with cluster bombs and napalm. The millions in Loas and Cambodia? The unexploded ordinance is still killing civilians there today, yet the US won't sign the pact on land mine use, or the requests to stop using cluster bombs.

Maybe you mean the liberators of the United States when they almost completely wiped out the Native American Indians.

Maybe you mean the 100's of thousand CIVILIANS that were liberated with the Atomic Bombs on Japan.

Or perhaps you mean the liberation of 1.5 - 2 million Iraqis that died from either starvation or disease during the last 12 years of embargoes.

I think perhaps you need to read a little more "history" about American Liberation.

I've got some news for you. The US govt. doesn't care about civilian casualties. Thats why they give it the sterilized name "collateral damage".

[Boris Moskovitz]

First, I shall apologize, because I can't think of anything sarcastic.

Now, I will also talk myself about the American so-called, liberation. I will first talk about the Spanish revolution. You know that there was a war in Spain, about the Republicans against the Fascists, right? That was still a war, and not a very good one either. I remember Mussolini, or Italy, that was supporting the dictator Franco. And on the other side, there was the Brittish, French and Russians who supported the people of Spain... I think. All that I remember is that at least one of those nations supported the rebels. Those rebels were mostly Communists and Anarchists. America would be supposed to help... am I right?

NOOOOOOOOOOOO! They just sitted on their weiner-butts. And they just sat back doing nothing. That revolt was one of the most interesting things in history, because I am sick and tired of looking at World War II and the Vietnam War all the time. The Americans did nothing in Spain to stop the madness because they knew it would not go to their benefice. They didn't even help a bit.

And if some of you say that the Vietnam War is liberating the people, may I say, plain and simple %@&* you. I am a Vietnameese, and I can't see how an embargo actually helped. And it was completely barbaric, I still remember some scums who entered a village, and killed all the civilians, everyone, including the women and children. Is that liberating? That's bullshit if you ask me.

So, my thesis statement here is, the Americans "help" only when it gets to their benefits.

PS: Haha! Chiak can't post here! Haha!

[Sabocat]

Quote: from Boris Moskovitz on 8:04 pm on April 11, 2003
First, I shall apologize, because I can't think of anything sarcastic.

Now, I will also talk myself about the American so-called, liberation. I will first talk about the Spanish revolution. You know that there was a war in Spain, about the Republicans against the Fascists, right? That was still a war, and not a very good one either. I remember Mussolini, or Italy, that was supporting the dictator Franco. And on the other side, there was the Brittish, French and Russians who supported the people of Spain... I think. All that I remember is that at least one of those nations supported the rebels. Those rebels were mostly Communists and Anarchists. America would be supposed to help... am I right?

NOOOOOOOOOOOO! They just sitted on their weiner-butts. And they just sat back doing nothing. That revolt was one of the most interesting things in history, because I am sick and tired of looking at World War II and the Vietnam War all the time. The Americans did nothing in Spain to stop the madness because they knew it would not go to their benefice. They didn't even help a bit.

And if some of you say that the Vietnam War is liberating the people, may I say, plain and simple %@&* you. I am a Vietnameese, and I can't see how an embargo actually helped. And it was completely barbaric, I still remember some scums who entered a village, and killed all the civilians, everyone, including the women and children. Is that liberating? That's bullshit if you ask me.

So, my thesis statement here is, the Americans "help" only when it gets to their benefits.

PS: Haha! Chiak can't post here! Haha!

Dude...I was being sarcastic. I never intended to make it look like I thought the US liberated Vietnam. I was trying to make a point with Sinistra.

[redstarshining]

Quote: from Sinistra on 4:09 pm on April 7, 2003

*Thank you America*

Thank you america for fighting the fights of others . for sacrefising your own sons and daughters in sake of the worlds freedome .

Thank you for freing europe , and the world , from one of the biggest terenies and horors of history , for giving the world a new chance to reburth .

thank you for taking on your self the job of fighting for thr worlds liberty , even when those who you saved just 60 years ago dont understand what are you doing .those whom you have lost hundred of thousands of your youngs to liberate , forget what you have done for them .
I just want to know how they would have felt like , when there grandparents were being slaughtered by the Nazis , and somwhere in a safe rich country , were every body drinks espresso all day , there is a demonstration incourging the u.s not to fight the nazis , because many of germans will be killed .

The americans have given the europeans what they are now , freedome , liberty , stabel economy ... why don't the Iraqies , and other countries , deserve the same what the europeans got .

I want you to understand that the americans who saved the world yesterday , are the same americans who are freing the world today and tomorow . like it or not , it doesnt matter if you capitalst or socialist , black ,white , european , amreican , asian , arab , muslim , jewish , christian ... what realy matters is if your a himan or not , if you care for the sake of your brothers or not . if you want a better world or not , were there are no dectators , slaughters , holocaust ...
This is my dream , i hope that it is the dream of all of you .
What i realy hope is that my dream , our dream will come true .




I wonder, if America entered WWII out of altruistic motives, to "liberate" Europe, then why did they enter the war after their trade routes to western Europe were blocked, and after one of their trade ships had been destroyed by Hitlers minions?
Why didn't they enter the war when millions of people in Poland were slaughtered by Hitler's Blitzkrieg?
You know that the great liberator of Germany ( General Patton ) was a fascist, and that he said "we have been fighting the wrong enemy" after the war was over, and that he wants go to Valhalla after he dies, right?
Not to mention the close ties between Henry Ford and Hitler, before the war started...

Also, I don't understand what you mean by "[...] are the same americans who are freing the world today and tomorow. [...]". I didn't see any 90 year old GIs fighting in Iraq. Seriously, I guess you were referring to american foreign policy.

Do you know about Iraqs history, and who supplied Saddam with weapons of mass destruction and money, and thus helped him to stay in power ( and maybe even helped him to get there )?
If this war is for the benefit of the Iraqi people, then why is the oil being DENATIONALIZED BY THE U.S., and why are almost only big US corporations "rebuilding" the country? Yet again Iraq's OIL gets stolen by US corporations. Now after the U.S. is almost indepent from OPEC you will see the oil price dropping dramatically inside of the US. Anyway, since you support this war, I would like to know what you think are Bush's motives to attack Iraq, and not any other country with a dictatorship? Please don't tell me anything about national security...

But to get back to your main thesis that we should be thankful to the U.S.:

If I had lived during Hitler's rule I would have been VERY happy if _anyone_ had removed Hitler from power, by force or otherwise, that's for sure. But that's not the point.
Look at what happened after WWII. The U.S. pushed their agenda on my country, they used the country as a military buffer zone and to agress russia. Their troops are STILL here ( 60 fucking years after the war ended !!!! ). And a few months ago, their braindead government even announced that they will do ANYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO SUPPORT THE OPPOSITION in Germany.
Yankee GO HOME and liberate YOURSELF!!*.

If a third party gets involved in a military conflict to "liberate" someone by force, it should always make you suspicious.
There is no "freedom" there are only different kinds of freedom and different perspectives. My idea of freedom is obviously different from Bush's, or your idea of freedom. So why should I be forced to adopt yours?
By denationalizing the Iraqi economy they are taking first steps to introduce american-style "cowboy-economy" in Iraq, but the american way of life is NOT universal!

WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE!

*DISCLAIMER: I'm refering to those Americans who like to lick Bush's arse. I have nothing against the american people of course.