Post by TRIPWIRE on Mar 22, 2004 23:03:55 GMT -5
January 22, 2004
The State of the Union Address
Written by David M. Hickerson.
Originally posted at tripwire.hickersonfamily.net/2004_0122.html
Tuesday night pretty much every broadcast station was transmitting the State of the Union message between 9 and 10pm EST. I didn't get to actually witness it live, but I did hear some of it over the phone while my wife spoke with me a bit and I have watched in on MSN video. I have observed a few things over the past few years tho, and this particular variation of the message didn't seem to be much different.
Have you ever noticed how it doesn't really matter what the man at the podeum says? Every couple minutes, regardless of the content of the speech, everyone applauds, occasionaly even giving a standing ovation. I think the word "terrorist" set them off on one occasion while I listened over the phone. I just found it particularly amusing, kinda like they had one of those light-up applause things that tell everyone to clap on que.
Also, I wonder if most people realize that the president (as do most political figures if I recall correctly) pays someone to write his speeches for him... and I wonder how many people understand that it comes out of the taxpayers pockets to write those speeches. Why can't our president take the time to write his own damned speech? Bush attempts to come off as the common-man's president, but if you aren't writing your own speech, why the heck would I believe that to be the case?
Hell, I figure the "common-man's" speech would sound a lot like talking to one of your buddies while you have a couple beers and watch a football game. Thats the kind of speech I'd like to hear. All of this crap that is spoken on TV by our politicians is just a parade to get people's attention and make them ooh and ahh.
Not that I necesarily dislike Bush, or at least to say, if I do, it isn't for any reason that anyone would know much about. I don't hate the man, and I think he is a decent president considering it is a complicated job. I just don't particularly care for lairs... and I havn't read about or listened to a politician that I didn't believe was a liar yet.
I did learn something interesting in my research about the State of the Union message... There was century-long period of time where it was not an oral message, but instead, a written letter to both houses of congress. Thomas Jefferson aparently thought that speaking in person in front of congress was too much like the old Monarchy that they deposed in the revolution. The next 24 presidents after him continued this practice until Woodrow Wilson decided to change it.
Any comments to share with me? Godbless!
Reference:
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3096434/
www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/history.html
clinton4.nara.gov/WH/SOTU00/history/address.html
The State of the Union Address
Written by David M. Hickerson.
Originally posted at tripwire.hickersonfamily.net/2004_0122.html
Tuesday night pretty much every broadcast station was transmitting the State of the Union message between 9 and 10pm EST. I didn't get to actually witness it live, but I did hear some of it over the phone while my wife spoke with me a bit and I have watched in on MSN video. I have observed a few things over the past few years tho, and this particular variation of the message didn't seem to be much different.
Have you ever noticed how it doesn't really matter what the man at the podeum says? Every couple minutes, regardless of the content of the speech, everyone applauds, occasionaly even giving a standing ovation. I think the word "terrorist" set them off on one occasion while I listened over the phone. I just found it particularly amusing, kinda like they had one of those light-up applause things that tell everyone to clap on que.
Also, I wonder if most people realize that the president (as do most political figures if I recall correctly) pays someone to write his speeches for him... and I wonder how many people understand that it comes out of the taxpayers pockets to write those speeches. Why can't our president take the time to write his own damned speech? Bush attempts to come off as the common-man's president, but if you aren't writing your own speech, why the heck would I believe that to be the case?
Hell, I figure the "common-man's" speech would sound a lot like talking to one of your buddies while you have a couple beers and watch a football game. Thats the kind of speech I'd like to hear. All of this crap that is spoken on TV by our politicians is just a parade to get people's attention and make them ooh and ahh.
Not that I necesarily dislike Bush, or at least to say, if I do, it isn't for any reason that anyone would know much about. I don't hate the man, and I think he is a decent president considering it is a complicated job. I just don't particularly care for lairs... and I havn't read about or listened to a politician that I didn't believe was a liar yet.
I did learn something interesting in my research about the State of the Union message... There was century-long period of time where it was not an oral message, but instead, a written letter to both houses of congress. Thomas Jefferson aparently thought that speaking in person in front of congress was too much like the old Monarchy that they deposed in the revolution. The next 24 presidents after him continued this practice until Woodrow Wilson decided to change it.
Any comments to share with me? Godbless!
Reference:
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3096434/
www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/history.html
clinton4.nara.gov/WH/SOTU00/history/address.html