And now I bring you this cut and paste job from my wingnuts watch.
The following piece of drivel is brought to you courtesy of your friends on the right. It seems that they have pretty much run out of things to rip the chosen one for just a little over two months into his presidency.
"Posted by Shawn MallowPublished: March 5, 2009 - 7:30 PM
Camelot it's not.
Upon heads of state meeting for the first time in official capacity, it is customary to exchange gifts as tokens of friendship between the countries involved.
Camelot it's not.
Upon heads of state meeting for the first time in official capacity, it is customary to exchange gifts as tokens of friendship between the countries involved.
Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of Great Britain seemed to get the sincerity and solemnity of the occasion.
Mr. Brown gave Obama an ornamental pen holder constructed from the timbers of the anti-slavery ship HMS Gannet, once also named HMS President.
He also gave a framed commission for the HMS Resolute. The desk in the Oval Office is itself made from the timbers of the HMS Resolute. The Resolute has symbolic history between the two countries.
Lastly, Mr. Brown gave Obama a first edition set of the seven-volume classic biography of Winston Churchill, written by Sir Martin Gilbert.
The thoughtfulness and symbolism of these tokens of friendship given by our most treasured ally cannot be understated.
Of course, President Obama would have to reciprocate with something uniquely special to underscore our uniquely special bond to Great Britain, no?
Apparently not.
President Obama's well thought out gesture was a 25 DVD set of classic American films.
Go ahead.. Read that again.
Obama gave the Prime Minister of England something which probably could be purchased from Amazon.com, or found at a flea market.
Now just imagine if George Bush had done this."
Which begs the question: what should his O ness have given the British Prime Minister as a token of good will? If I was his O ness I would have given the guy a Coltrane Box set, and an autographed first edition copy of "The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou." But that's just me. Still, I can't find anything wrong with a 25 DVD set of classic American films. What the hell were these clowns looking for? I mean are these churlish losers on the right (not to mention some of the folks across the pond) actually sweating this gift thing? I guess that's how the repubs roll. They are used to getting real expensive gifts from their foreign friends, and they don't want his O ness to mess that up.
"Now just imagine if George Bush had done this".
Trust me Shawn, we were so busy trying to keep track of all the frat boy's screw ups that we wouldn't even have noticed.
69 comments:
Hmm. If the facts are as they are stated to be, I'm gonna say that the O man could have done better. But really, he ought to have sonme kind of protocol secretary who knows how to handle this shit. Maybe that dude fucked up?
Anyway, GB needs us a lot more than we need them, so I'm sure Brown will get over it.
The Prime Minster will be fine. We have more pressing problems in America to worry about. The republicans are disgusting at this point their pettiness is sad and pathetic.
However, I do understand why they are doing this only to stay irrelevant. Cause lord knows half the country hate there guts.
These must be the same "churlish" people who complained about Mrs. Obama's portrait done while she was wearing a sleeveless dress. Maybe some people just don't have enough to keep them busy so they get into these useless complaints. I would have voted for music by Duke Ellington, but then that's just me.
Really? this is what they consider worthy of criticism?..... latest polls show Obama's approval rating higher than when he took office.... this is just killin these fools.
I'm embaressed with the gift he offered but maybe he'll learn. Protocol is important. So anyway, GM is going to restructure. What a freaking waste of money that was, just delaying the inevitable. 6 trillion is a lot of money to me. I'm giving him time but it had better be good. Jody, depends of the poll I guess. Rasmutton has him down 15 points or so.
szpork
I think I would have given him Pauline Maier's "American Scripture"; An excellent book that, among other things, points to the synthesis of the English Declaration of Rights from 1689 and the Declaration of Independence. It shows that even among the conflict and animosity of the Revolution, the ideas that founded this country were partly inspired by the English. Either that, or the collective works of John Locke would have been a good symbolic gift.
One more thing. If he does cap-n-trade, card check, and heath care all in the next 6 months, you can forget about a recovery. Ain't gonna happen.
szpork
"These must be the same "churlish" people who complained about Mrs. Obama's portrait done while she was wearing a sleeveless dress."
Yes anon. those would be the same ones.
classical one, a classy gift to go with the name. :)
"I would have voted for music by Duke Ellington, but then that's just me."
Anon. 9:28PM, you can't go wrong with Jazz. That is uniquely A-merry-can. But then I bet the wingnuts would have complained about that. *Just another black man trying to be hip*
How about an original wax record of Robert Johnson? Not sure how many exist though, and the players are hard to find.
szpork
Not so fast. Have you ever seen the kitschy crap Brits love to see, buy and take back when they come here? And the American films they watch? Hahaha. This was right on the mark.
I had to do a search for myself, just to make sure it was true. I love this quote from The Evening Standard: "The Prime Minister's reaction to getting DVDs is not known. Mr Brown is not noted for his love of cinema, although he once claimed on a trip to India that he was an admirer of Bollywood."
I don't know what to give Gordon Brown, but I love how the wingnuts get all frothy in the mouth over the most trivial things.
For eight years, I've always wanted to tell them, "Your turn."
Now it is. :)
Let's see, the President gets a pen holder, a framed piece of musty yellow paper and a biography of a person who advocated dropping poison gas on people in order to "spread a lively terror".
I think the PM came out ahead in the deal.
I would have asked Mr. Brown for the Benny Hill box set in exchange.
president obama is obviously a frugal man which is good because had he given something more expensive in this climate the press would have been all over him for 'wasting' your hard earned dollars...
@ mr chambers.. all tourists buy souvenirs everywhere - it is a money spinning industry the world over - you are obviously not that well travelled... tourism keep some countries off the poverty line..
i for one collect snow globes... i love them and have quite a collection...
Maybe he should have presented the PM with the chains that held the slaves from that ship. Symbolism in kind, as it were.
How about an original wax record of Robert Johnson? Not sure how many exist though, and the players are hard to find.
Easy to find,expensive as hell if you want near cd sound on play back!
You cant go wrong with classic vynle these days!
Film along with weapons are the biggest American exports.
I think it was a nice gift. If he had spent more money or given him some jazz the wing nuts would have said Obama is elitist.
Bush would have given the Prime Minister a ten-gallon hat worn by Willie Nelson, a pair of boots worn by Johnny Cash, an ornate silver buckle on a tooled-leather belt, worn by him, of course, and an autographed, framed copy of the Declaration of Independence.
Hell, Bush wouldn't have been outdone!
Here's an idea--we could "supplement" our president's gift with token of our own, sent to the Brits in the name of all of us to all of them. Lots of potential flava there, and any possibly perceived slight would be ameliorated...I'm in for a Nina Simone CD.
"I think it was a nice gift. If he had spent more money or given him some jazz the wing nuts would have said Obama is elitist."
Co-sign.
Mrs. C, the Nina Simone CD would work for me as well.
Black Rose,can you imagine how outraged the wingnuts would be with that gift? **See, I told you he is just like the rest of those black americans. He just won't let the slavery thing go.**
I'm beginning to worry about Field. Lately these posts are grammatically perfect and all the spelling is correct. On top of that, the vocabulary is advancing. Has Mrs. Field secretly staged a blog coup?
Or perhaps, now that Field is a mentor, he fears that the students
might discover some little flaws.
All the same, I have noticed some new level of quality control, and I like it.
It's fascinating to watch the GOP fellate the 400lbs. junkie and pedophile, Rush Limbaugh, as if he can provide oxygen to the moribund Republican party.
They really are in bad shape.
What I'm hoping to see is a Jindal/Palin ticket in 2012. This promises to be the ultimate freakshow.
These two religious lunatics embrace the crazy "Young Earth" dogma that says all life began on earth 6,000 years ago and humans and dinosaurs co-existed.
Jindal can attend rallies and speak in tongues and Palin can flash her money maker at horny conservative men for coin.
Of course, this means President Barack Obama will sail into a second term.
sz pork......From Real Clear Politics:
President Obama's Job Approval Rating:
RCP Average 02/25 - 03/04 -- 61.3 28.0 +33.3
FOX News 03/03 - 03/04 900 RV 63 26 +37
Diageo/Hotline 02/28 - 03/02 803 RV 67 27 +40
Quinnipiac 02/25 - 03/02 2573 RV 59 25 +34
Gallup 02/27 - 03/01 1551 A 63 25 +38
Cook/RT Strategies 02/27 - 03/01 880 RV 57 28 +29
Rasmussen Reports 02/27 - 03/01 1500 LV 60 39 +21
NBC News/Wall St. Jrnl 02/26 - 03/01 1007 A 60 26 +34
Anyway you cut it, with an average of 61%.... he is UP from the election.
It was probably a congratulatory gift on Brown's behalf dealing with the recent election. With wingnut mentality, you should be handing out presents to the guests at your suprise b-day party...SMH!!!
"Mr. Brown gave Obama an ornamental pen holder constructed from the timbers of the anti-slavery ship HMS Gannet...
Oh gee, the debris from a so call ANTI slave ship, wow. What a well symbolic gesture, and I'm sure it was thought out just for the O-ness.
Well, I think if Obama had only known beforehand, he could have at least gotten Brown the Roots special edition DVD set. That way the two gifts would be in line with each other. Just a thought.
Hey Field - Interesting stuff here on how the Bushsquats tried to suspend the First Amendment -
http://pr.thinkprogress.org/2009/03/pr20090305/index.html
A memo written by Yoo on Oct. 23, 2001, contained one of the most surprising revelations: the Bush administration considered suspending First Amendment rights. "Freedom of speech is integral to a free society," President Bush said in May 2008. However, seven years earlier, Yoo wrote, "First Amendment speech and press rights may also be subordinated to the overriding need to wage war successfully. ... The current campaign against terrorism may require even broader exercises of federal power domestically." After reading the memos, Harpers' Scott Horton wrote, "We may not have realized it at the time, but in the period from late 2001-January 19, 2009, this country was a dictatorship."
BT
haa-haa, good one LaIncognia. Excellent idea. After all we have done for them, they are gonna get all chippy about a gift. 25 DVD's would cost quite a bit. Sheesh. As I pointed out to an English kid I knew who always used to put the US down (not in substantive ways just, 'you stupid Americans") if it weren't for us, you'd be speaking German. That shut him up. I think GB has bigger fish to fry and I'm sure when O-man makes his first trip to the UK he'll get him something nicer and then the GOP will complain about the price, as many of you pointed out, or say something like it was a poor substitute for doing the "wrong" thing in the first place. Shoot, I wouldn't mind getting the 100 best films according to the AFI. And though Brown's gifts sound nice and all, it isn't like he paid for it himself or anything and I'm sure his staff thought it up and he said, "I say, capital idea" I know he is Scots and most Brits don't talk like that any more. :-)
The Brits lost their empire, and now they're losing their economy. Obama should have given him a month's supply of MREs and left it at that.
If Mr. Brown doesn't want the DVDs, I'll take them!
In case you haven't noticed Grinder, we are losing our economy and empire as well. And England has pretty nice things we don't: they have health care, social safety nets, better schools, and a generally better educated populace. For example, in 2005 a study of the belief in evolution involving 34 economically advanced countries was conducted. Great Britain finished sixth in percentage who believed in the theory, and America was second to the last!
We did save England from the Germans, but without England, this country wouldn't even exist. All the founding fathers were English and they cribbed most of the philosphy on the founding of this country from English philosphers; Whig oppositionists; and revolutionaries from the English Civil War. Even English hater Thomas Jefferson used many of the ideas of 17th century English thinkers to pen the Declaration.
Filed,
The Coltrane Box set would have been a much better idea. As far as what another poster wrote, I'm not sure jazz is considered hip anymore; unfortunately, I don't know anyone my age who could even name a Coltrane song.
Protocol is important. Brown took time in selecting gifts, his wife took time selecting gifts. This may not seem important to us but it is with these officals, PM Brown doesn't watch much tv anyway. Sure its not a big deal, remember presents you get for Christmas, its not a big deal either 'the thought that matter'. This is simply embarrassing, Obama could have done much better then this. I guess he just didn't know better.
Obama could have done much better. The gift should have had the same uniqueness and historical currency as the gift given by Brown.
I suspect Obama delegated the task of acquiring a gift for Brown.
It's not the end of the world.
I would've voted for a box set of The Wire, but that's just me.
It was my understanding that Berry was going to "restore" our image across the pond?
Seems he's going to have to try ALOT harder......LOL
Perhaps PM Brown is a movie bluff in the way that President Obama loves to read about historical figures. If the Prime Minister did not complain about his gift from the President, then why should anyone else. Things are bad and the GOP in exile have nothing else better to do. Does anyone want to take any bets to see how long Michael Steele will remain as a chairman of the RNC?
"Shoot, I wouldn't mind getting the 100 best films according to the AFI.""
I would have thought that was about being a proud "American". People need to get with the times, please. (What is it with Europeans and their pieces of sacrilegious timber.)
"The gift should have had the same uniqueness and historical currency as the gift given by Brown. "
Yeah, but not everybody cares to take wood as a unique and suitable gift. :)
They gave Nikita Khruschev an American hotdog one year and he was delighted with it. Debating over a gift is not solving one single problem that we're having in America and it's petty as well as nitpicky. That President Obama was able to give him anything with the way our economy is, is truly a blessing. If we don't get our economy problem solved, next year he won't be able to give him even a Snickers candy bar. I don't think Brown was offended or thought less of what Obama gave him. I would hate to think that Brown is ungrateful because that is exactly what it would show if he is offended by it, which I doubt very seriously.
Besides which, if he wants to get technical about the gift he received, I know how to get technical about the gift he gave President Obama made from SLAVES.
Whelp, I guess that is all white folks have ever learned about black folks is slavery and oppression due to the lily white history books. That's why they should make a bill to integrate all minorities history in with all of American history instead of making it lily white. Blacks history from the beginning of time up to the present is not just all slavery, Jim Crow, and oppression. Their history consist of more than that and so does the history of Indians, Asians, Hispanics, Jewish, Philippinos, etc, etc. Every race on this earth has acchieved and contributed something, but no one would know that the way they whited out history. I thank God for the griots in my family and my love for the library and bookstores, or I probably wouldn't know that either, because I sure wouldn't have learned about other races achievements and accomplishments in schools.
It would seem to me that conservatives will take every single opportunity that the can to repudiate Obama. In a time when the country is in so much trouble you would think that they would have the good sense to stand behind the president.
*achieved*
Renee:
That's just it, they don't have good sense. Sad ain't it!
Just wanted to add that another great First Lady, (and I have no doubt that Michelle Obama will be great), also had her official portrait done in a sleeveless dress - Eleanor Roosevelt.
p.s. agree that Obama could have done better with the gift
GrannyStandingforTruth:
Reading what you have to say is always worth every trip I make to Field's forum.
I have told my own children that you cannot understand the history of the United States with knowing the history of our people of color.
Obama should have done better.But considering Obama's market decline--
The market had its worst January in 113 years.
This was followed by the worst February for the stock market since 1933.
Let don't forget ythe record unemployment rates either.
So who could blame Obama for being cheap?
I think TJ and the Founding Father's got their ideas from LOTS of sources, not just the English, i.e, the Continental Enlightenment thinkers, Ancient Romans, Ancient Greeks. Also, I hate to break it to you but there are people in this country now and who were here at the founding who were from places other than England and finally, if they had been a little bit more giving in terms of how they treated their colonists we might have stayed with the Brits for longer, or even have been in the Commonwealth. I think they owe us big time and we've saved their butts several time in the past century and that counts a lot more. Plust how exactly was Obama supposed to know how nice of a gift GB was going to give him AND considering the fact that O-man took a bust of Old Winnie that was in the Oval Office down means he is not much of a fan and might not have been thrilled to get a book about him. They reported that on the BBC News America, so I'm sure they reported on it in the UK so maybe that second gift was a ding back on O taking the bust down. And maybe the slave ship pen was supposed to be a reminder of just "where you came from boy!" or maybe they were both genuine heartfelt thoughtful gifts. Who knows, sometimes when you need someone more than they need you, you think about them more and put more thought into what you give them. Education aside, and health care aside, the Brits need us way more than we need them. They even said on the BBC America News that there was much hand-wringing in the UK about whether our "special" relationship with them would be as intense under Obama. I REALLY doubt anyone here cares all that much about it the other way around.
GRANNYSTANDINGFORTRUTH, have you heard of the website called (CONSERVATIVE BLACK WOMAN) if not, check out her WEBSITE, this BLACK WOMAN is smearing the OBAMA'S! I tried to help her with her confused mindset, I have no PROBLEM with her being a CONSERVATIVE, but, I have a problem with her daily PERSECUTION of the OBAMA'S, she say's she is a CHRISTIAN!
I left three comment's, I post under PROPHETESS, I was light on her considering!!!
"I'm beginning to worry about Field. Lately these posts are grammatically perfect and all the spelling is correct. On top of that, the vocabulary is advancing. Has Mrs. Field secretly staged a blog coup?"
RC, thanks for the compliment.(Hey,even a broken clock is right twice a day) But I will continue to fight the good fight against the grammer and spppellling police (Mrs. Field included)until us not so smart people have equal footing and all that grammar stuff becomes irrelevant. :)
Anon 4:52PM, is there any chance that the previous administration had a little to do with our current economic state? Let's see now; 8 years vs. 2 months....yeah I am going with 8 years.
All of the major players in the founding were English, but a few on the periphery were Scottish or Irish. We rely on the English as our only real ally in Europe. The British will also be very important as Obama ramps up the war in Afghanistan. We should listen to all of our allies, especially one as important as England. This past fall the supreme commander of British forces in Afghanistan said: "The Taliban cannot be defeated in Afghanistan". Now there is some English advice Obama needs to heed, if not, many more of our boys will die for nothing.
Amen, I'm going with the 8 years + the other 8 that Reagan was in office as well, which in reality makes it 16 years total. Trickle down economics my foot! What it really should have been called is the fleecing of the American people.
Anonymous 5:59:
If I'm not mistaken she has posted her thoughts on here a few times. Nope, I've never visited her Web Site. I can imagine what's being said on it if her blog is anything like LaShawn Barbers. I've encountered worst than that on AOL. I'm surprised she hasn't barred you from coming, since that is usually what they do. They tend to bar people with other points of view. The blogs I visited don't do that.
The Brits are....well....to quote Politico:
It's worth noting that the Brits have a bit of a history of being thin-skinned about presidential gifts, most recently in 2007, when President Bush gave Brown a bomber jacket.
"The powers that be at Downing Street were unamused when this entirely unsuitable gesture came to public attention. The mere acceptance of such a multi-layered faux pas will no doubt make the British Prime Minister blush for years to come. Would Mr Brown ever, in his wildest dreams, wear such a thing?" wrote the Independent.
Andrew Sullivan, proud Brit and King of All Bloggers, dismissed this a few days ago as the kind of neurotic bullshit that's built into the British psyche. Go figure.
Oh and for the record, I would've given Brown a burned CD and a box of dutches. I'd be nice enough to make sure they were Grape flavored though.
My apoligies, Jody. I was using last weeks data.
szpork
Granny,I love you like my own. But please don't mention that woman's name [LB] so late on the blog again. It's hard to get a good nights sleep with that image in my head. :)
Swiff, great point about Sullivan. I too will defer to him on this one. He is, after all, a Brit.
Classical one, I sort of agree with you on Afgan. We're done there pretty soon. we could beat them but Pakistan would just send more.
szpork
Field:
Sorry about that and I pray that you a peaceful nights rest with pleasant dreams. Please forgive me. I truly understand because I got a bad taste in my mouth just mentioning them. Ugh!
GRANNY, this is anon:5:59, yes, I know they have the nerve to get angry, when you post your opinion, but these women better be careful, GOD see's everything, and trust me, the the PRESIDENT is trying to do positive work's and yet, these women are spreading DISCORD in the LAND, they are no better than KKK women.
*GOD BLESS*
The gifts are supposed to "symbolic" and perhaps have historical connotations.
Those three gifts will have school kids pressing their nose against the glass to look at them in the future Barak H. Obama Presedential Library. The gifts back are supposed to be something similar representative or symbolic of either the U.S.A., or the relationship with the U.K. or something like. I would think that the movies would be a great personal gift to the prime minister and can just picture him putting his feet up and watching them to take his mind off of this helacious mess we have. Movies are one of the things we Yanks do well.
Speaking of "messing up"...
The HNIC, Michael Steele is now under investigation by the DOJ and FBI for fraud...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KufnyLl_hQU
Apparently he paid a company called "Brown Sugar", which was owned by his sister - a whole bunch of money from his campaign funds...
For nothing.
He also paid a company, "Allied Berton" (which shouldn't be confused with Allied BArton which is a legitimate and well respected company), $65,000 - supposedly for political work.
Problem is... Allied Berton describes themselves as "commodity traders".
Kos does a pretty good background on "Allied Berton" - but there is a lot more
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/3/5/75133/93266
I'd bet...a LOT more.
BT
They hope change fails? Because the status quo is worth maintaining?
We were called un-American for opposing Bush's foreign policy. Knowing it would fail didn't mean we HOPED it would fail. Why aren't these wingnuts getting behind their president during this time of crisis, just as they did after 9/11?
A kente cloth coat might have made a nice gift, but I'm sure they would have had a problem with that too.
If George Bush were to give movies to a foreign leader, it would be the complete "Ernest Goes To..." series, and most likely they would be on VHS.
@ Classical One. So the French, and the Germans aren't our allies? I also didn't say we don't need the Brits at all but they need us more than we need them and that has been true for quite some time. Also, I didn't say that the majority of "official" founding fathers weren't English, I said they had other influences beyond England and there were people here in the then colonies, that were not English or Scottish or Irish at the founding who played a role, even if not in a leadership position. Also note that the Scots and Irish are not descended of Germanic stock as are the English, they are Celtic and were horribly treated and colonized by the English in the past and generally don't have a great love of the English, especially in the case of the Irish.
If you are an Anglophile, great, but don't confuse that with who has the upper hand in this situation, who is the bigger player, and who today and NOW needs whom more. I think they'd suffer more without us than the other way around and if they are going to get bent out of shape over such minutae when they need us today and have gotten more from us in the past 100 years than the other way around, then they and you need to get a grip.
Just Shaking my head.
If we gave them a Kinte Kloth coat, they'd think it was voodoo drenched
Ever heard what wont kill us will make us stronger damn the man has not been in the office long give him a chance last time I checked he didn't have power to make shit better over night were in a world of shit right now and it's going to take some time to get out of it so be patient shut the F_ck and waite dame pissing me off I need a drink now.
where can i get one of those shirts?
SILIGURI ESCORTS
SILIGURI ESCORT
SILIGURI ESCORT SERVICE
SILIGURI ESCORTS SERVICE
SILIGURI INDEPENDENT ESCORTS
SILIGURI INDEPENDENT ESCORT
SILIGURI CALL GIRLS
SILIGURI CALL GIRL
KOLKATA ESCORTS
KOLKATA ESCORT
KOLKATA ESCORT SERVICE
KOLKATA INDEPENDENT ESCORTS
CALL GIRL
CALL GIRLS
ESCORT
ESCORTS
HOUSEWIFE ESCORT
HOUSEWIFE ESCORTS
MODEL ESCORT
MODEL ESCORTS
RUSSIAN ESCORT
Post a Comment