Bully Bush
Bully Tactics and Consequences
Usually it is on the playgrounds of elementary schools that children learn to identify bully characters. Sometimes the bully is confronted, gets his nose bloodied and put to shame. Other times a teacher may admonish or punish him. But, one way or the other, the bully usually is taught a lesson and comes to understand that bullying practices don’t work.
There are bullies who are brazen enough, strong enough or have rich, protective parents who are able to reach adulthood without being cured of the ‘bully’ curse. These persons usually develop attitudes of superiority along with a feeling of inspired guidance. They come to feel they were destined to lead, to command. They believe that the ‘others’ are supportive of their attitudes or actions whether they are right, fair or ethical or not. This often leads to a feeling that they are above the rules and free to do as they please.
It would be interesting to learn how George W. Bush acted on the playgrounds during his early school days. The published reports of his days at Yale reveal a carefree reckless character who was reluctant to listen to criticism and had a feeling of superiority. However, we shall have to wait for a detailed critique of his character development to learn where and when he acquired the attitude that he is immune to making mistakes and has been endowed with superior knowledge and management skills.
It is far beyond my educational and political skills to explain how Mr. Bush was elected Governor of Texas or President of the United States. The fact that he is serving a second term as President is sufficient.
The purpose of this paper is to enumerate some of the attitudes and actions which indicate that George W. passed through childhood into full adulthood without learning why it is shameful to be a bully and why it is disgraceful to use bullying tactics in dealing with employees, politicians or world leaders. It is anticipated that he will deny having used such tactics at any time.
He decided to invade Iraq long before the occurrence of events he later used to justify going to war. Having made up his mind, he required his underlings to find [manufacture, if necessary] evidence to justify the attack. Later he blamed poor intelligence in spite of the fact that his office knew the intelligence was false prior to the attack.
He belittled the United Nations organization with false accusations and criticized and alienated former loyal allies for their refusal to join him is a war they knew was unjustified. The world was led to believe that a large coalition was organized to crush the evil dictator in Iraq while the coalition, in fact, was only United States, England and a small group of lesser nations, most of whom sent only token forces or no forces at all.
Reluctantly he admitted Iraq had played no part in the 9/11 attacks, and that there were no Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. With these facts refuted there was no justification for a war that has devastated an independent nation and killed uncounted thousands of people. Yet, he still mentions the 9/11 attacks when speaking of the war in Iraq.
The purpose of this paper is not to enumerate the causes of the war in Iraq. Rather, we wish to deal with the Bullying style of tactics used by the president in getting the war started and to recruit allies in the venture. Mr. Bush’s pressure did not convince some nations, but rather than accepting their decisions as responsible responses of free nations, the president belittled or ridiculed them.
In view of the continuation of the war, the absence of a plan of ending it and with the terrorist forces growing stronger it is time to face the fact that we are being led by a bully president who has failed to learn that bully tactics won’t work. It is time to acknowledge that George W. failed to learn the basic lessons of negotiation, of give and take, needed to get along with other people.
Further shame accrues to the American people for electing him to a second term. It is as if we stood by watching silently as the bully cowed the nation into participating in a disgraceful program designed to enhance his ego as the leader of an inspired ‘calling’ to bring freedom to all people. As we share this shame the news reports and polls are reminding us, over and over, that our bully leader does not know how to lead a nation and that his ignorance is staining every aspect of American life and our relations with other nations around the world.
Jerry Clements 7/6/05
Usually it is on the playgrounds of elementary schools that children learn to identify bully characters. Sometimes the bully is confronted, gets his nose bloodied and put to shame. Other times a teacher may admonish or punish him. But, one way or the other, the bully usually is taught a lesson and comes to understand that bullying practices don’t work.
There are bullies who are brazen enough, strong enough or have rich, protective parents who are able to reach adulthood without being cured of the ‘bully’ curse. These persons usually develop attitudes of superiority along with a feeling of inspired guidance. They come to feel they were destined to lead, to command. They believe that the ‘others’ are supportive of their attitudes or actions whether they are right, fair or ethical or not. This often leads to a feeling that they are above the rules and free to do as they please.
It would be interesting to learn how George W. Bush acted on the playgrounds during his early school days. The published reports of his days at Yale reveal a carefree reckless character who was reluctant to listen to criticism and had a feeling of superiority. However, we shall have to wait for a detailed critique of his character development to learn where and when he acquired the attitude that he is immune to making mistakes and has been endowed with superior knowledge and management skills.
It is far beyond my educational and political skills to explain how Mr. Bush was elected Governor of Texas or President of the United States. The fact that he is serving a second term as President is sufficient.
The purpose of this paper is to enumerate some of the attitudes and actions which indicate that George W. passed through childhood into full adulthood without learning why it is shameful to be a bully and why it is disgraceful to use bullying tactics in dealing with employees, politicians or world leaders. It is anticipated that he will deny having used such tactics at any time.
He decided to invade Iraq long before the occurrence of events he later used to justify going to war. Having made up his mind, he required his underlings to find [manufacture, if necessary] evidence to justify the attack. Later he blamed poor intelligence in spite of the fact that his office knew the intelligence was false prior to the attack.
He belittled the United Nations organization with false accusations and criticized and alienated former loyal allies for their refusal to join him is a war they knew was unjustified. The world was led to believe that a large coalition was organized to crush the evil dictator in Iraq while the coalition, in fact, was only United States, England and a small group of lesser nations, most of whom sent only token forces or no forces at all.
Reluctantly he admitted Iraq had played no part in the 9/11 attacks, and that there were no Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. With these facts refuted there was no justification for a war that has devastated an independent nation and killed uncounted thousands of people. Yet, he still mentions the 9/11 attacks when speaking of the war in Iraq.
The purpose of this paper is not to enumerate the causes of the war in Iraq. Rather, we wish to deal with the Bullying style of tactics used by the president in getting the war started and to recruit allies in the venture. Mr. Bush’s pressure did not convince some nations, but rather than accepting their decisions as responsible responses of free nations, the president belittled or ridiculed them.
In view of the continuation of the war, the absence of a plan of ending it and with the terrorist forces growing stronger it is time to face the fact that we are being led by a bully president who has failed to learn that bully tactics won’t work. It is time to acknowledge that George W. failed to learn the basic lessons of negotiation, of give and take, needed to get along with other people.
Further shame accrues to the American people for electing him to a second term. It is as if we stood by watching silently as the bully cowed the nation into participating in a disgraceful program designed to enhance his ego as the leader of an inspired ‘calling’ to bring freedom to all people. As we share this shame the news reports and polls are reminding us, over and over, that our bully leader does not know how to lead a nation and that his ignorance is staining every aspect of American life and our relations with other nations around the world.
Jerry Clements 7/6/05
posted by Jeremiah | 4:36 PM
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