One of my students cited a quote from GB:
"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda--"
in response to a discussion we're having about repetition and the villanelle form. Never have I been more pleased to hear from our illustrious leader. Now, it'd be interesting if he did adhere to more closely to the constraints of form (villanelle, sestina, pantoum.....) rather than just mocking them.
I did a little cutting up and stanzifying from the beginning of his 2001 state of the union...
ReplyDeleteWe have seen
it in the courage
of passengers,
who rushed terrorists
to save others
on the ground
passengers like
an exceptional man
named Todd Beamer.
We have seen
the state of our Union
in the endurance
of rescuers,
working past
exhaustion.
We have seen
the unfurling of flags,
the lighting of candles,
the giving of blood,
the saying of prayers
in English,
Hebrew,
and
Arabic.
We have seen
the decency of a loving
and giving
people who have made
the grief of strangers
their own.
For the last nine days,
the entire world
has seen for itself
the state of our Union.
And it is strong.
Tonight
we are a country
awakened to danger
and called to defend
freedom.
Our grief has turned
to anger,
and anger
to resolution.
Whether we bring
our enemies to justice,
or bring
justice to our enemies,
justice will
be done.
Reach outside the monastery.
ReplyDeletemore refining capacity
the engine that drives
take these children
displaced by storms
The heart of America is big enough.
They send to my desk --
Question: Are you still a conservative?
(Am I a what?)
Question: Is there any truth?
(Look, please, please)
they send to my desk --
Question: OFF-MIKE
Question: OFF-MIKE
(the heart is big, the heart)
That last one is taken from the press conference the other day. Anyone want to play with Bush poetry? This could be excellent.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! Please continue!
ReplyDeleteFrom The Speech in 2002...
ReplyDeleteThe threat comes from Iraq.
Its history of aggression,
and its
drive toward an arsenal of terror.
It possesses
and produces
chemical and biological
weapons.
It is seeking nuclear
weapons.
It has given
shelter and support
to terrorism.
The entire world
has witnessed
Iraq's eleven-year history
of defiance, deception
and bad
faith.
Iraq's
weapons
of mass destruction
are controlled
by a murderous tyrant
who has already used chemical weapons
to kill thousands
of people.
Some ask
how urgent this danger is
to America
and the world.
If we know
Saddam Hussein has dangerous
weapons
today -- and we do --
does it make any sense
for the world to wait
to confront him as
he grows even
stronger and develops
even more dangerous
weapons?
We know
that the regime has produced
thousands of tons of
chemical agents,
including mustard gas,
sarin nerve gas,
VX nerve gas.
We know
that Iraq and the al Qaeda
terrorist network
share a common enemy
-- the United States of
America.
We know
that Iraq and al Qaeda
have had high-level contacts
that go back
a decade.
We've learned
that Iraq has trained al Qaeda
members
in bomb-making
and poisons
and deadly gases.
And we know
that after September the 11th,
Saddam Hussein's regime
gleefully celebrated the
terrorist attacks on
America.
Many people have asked
how close Saddam Hussein is
to developing a nuclear
weapon. Well,
we don't know
exactly,
and that's the
problem.
The inspectors discovered
that Iraq
had an
advanced nuclear
weapons
development program,
had a
design for a workable nuclear
weapon
and was pursuing several
different methods of
enriching uranium for a
bomb.
Saddam Hussein has held
numerous meetings with
Iraqi nuclear scientists,
a group he calls his
"nuclear
mujahideen"
-- his nuclear
holy
warriors.
Some citizens wonder,
after 11 years of living
with this problem,
why do we need
to confront it now?
And there's a reason.
We've experienced
the horror
of September the 11th.
We have seen
that those who hate
America
are willing to
crash airplanes
into buildings
full of innocent
people.
Facing clear evidence of
peril,
we cannot wait
for the final proof
-- the smoking gun --
that could come in the form
of a
mushroom
cloud.
The world has tried
economic sanctions
The world has tried
limited military strikes
The world has tried
no-fly
zones
the end result is that
Saddam Hussein
still has
chemical and biological
weapons
and is increasing
his capabilities to
make more. And he is
moving ever closer
to developing a nuclear
weapon.
Failure to act
would embolden
other tyrants,
allow terrorists access to new
weapons
and new resources, and make
blackmail
a permanent feature
of world events.
And through its inaction,
the United States
would resign
itself
to a future of
fear.
That is not the
America
I know.
That is not the
America
I serve.
We refuse to live in fear.
(Applause.) This nation,
in world war and
in Cold War,
has never permitted
the brutal and lawless
to set
history's course.
Now, as before,
we will secure our nation,
protect our freedom,
and help others to find
freedom
of their own.
We did not ask for this
present challenge,
but we accept
it.
Like other generations of
Americans,
we will meet the
responsibility of defending
human liberty
against violence and aggression.
By our resolve,
we will give
strength to others.
By our courage,
we will give
hope to others.
And by our actions,
we will secure
the peace,
and lead the world
to a better
day.
May God
bless
America.
War on Terror Villanelle
ReplyDeleteby G.W. Bush
Nations are either with us or against us
in the War on Terror.
Too long we’ve lived in the midst
of death and fear. Take the test
and show you’re serious about peace.
You’re either with us or against us.
When I say, “I have set before you life
and death”--choose
life. We’ve lived in the midst
of the forces of extremism.
We’ve been treated like pawns
(you’re either with us or against us)
too long. As violence subsides,
We’ll see who is serious
About peace. We live amidst
Terrorists, trained and determined killers,
who attack progress and peace.
We live in the midst of those
who are not with us but against us.