From: Dehede011@aol.com
Date: Fri Jan 31 2003 - 16:41:05 MST
Damien,
I think that sometimes Aussies, Europeans and non Southern Americans
fall into an error when listening to Bush and other Christian
Fundamentalists. Heck, I've even heard one person that I postively identify
as a southern fundamentalist in origin make the same mistake -- and worse
than you or some others.
The explanation goes like this: It is an old joke from the American
South. "Do you know why liquor stores have a light over the back door down
south?" "So Southern Baptists can buy their liquor." I can assure you that
regardless of the reason when I was a boy and a teener liquor stores in small
southern towns had a light over the back door.
The lesson I would like you to take from that joke is don't get so
uptight. On one level he means every word of what he is saying. On another
he is very familiar with the fact that most don't agree with him. If you are
willing to forgive him his little ways he can live with yours.
Now, would you go one step more with me? If you read St. Paul you
will find he has considerable latitude that is left to individual
interpretation but believes firmly that it is wrong to tempt others. That
leaves him with a set of public manners that are stricter than his private
ones. There is no double dealing here. He honestly believes that his public
behavior should not temp others. When he is alone and with others that see
eye to eye with him conditions ease up a little.
On the other hand when it comes to his love of country and willingness
to defend the US there is probably no more slack in him than he says up
front.
Some see his service in the Texas Air National Guard as betraying a
faint hearted patriot. I know something of military aviation and I think the
total package of facts betrays the unwillingness of the American Air Force to
trust him with one of its best aircraft. There is a fair amount of evidence
to make me think he just wasn't a good enough pilot to hand him a front line
fighter and let him take it into any arena that required a good pilot. I
flew one airplane that was fairly high performance but not nearly up to the
F4 Phantom. That airplane I flew would kill a neophyte in a heartbeat and it
was just a trainer. That trainer did kill guys.
I just get the idea from looking at the airplane they put George into
that they didn't want him in a Phantom or one of the other front line
aircraft. George Sr. had a reputation as a very good pilot. But I heard
once that he was scared to death every time George the younger took off.
Ron h.
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