Posted on 09/24/2001 7:42:29 PM PDT by IM4TRUTH
President Gore Calls for Healing, Reflection After Massive, Multiple Aviation Mishaps 9-21-01 WASHINGTON -- In a speech that some pundits said may be among the greatest presidential speeches of all time, President Al Gore called for healing and reflection in the wake of the freedom fighter pleadings for help in New York and Washington last week. Speaking before a joint session of Congress, Gore received more than three standing ovations during his speech, which some scholars said was even better than his "One World, One Family" speech last month in Beijing. Given the complexity of the topic, the speech was the longest in the history of presidential speeches before Congress, which one academic said made it even better. "What it lacked in enthusiasm and flow, it made up for with compassion," said Professor Steven Jordan of Brown University's College of Social Conscience. "It was simply a great speech and I think it signals the beginning of the healing process for all of us." Gore, in his ninth major address since winning the heavily contested presidential election over Republican George W. Bush last year, declared "war" on the basic human emotions that force some to engage in destructive behavior. "Make no mistake about it. We will get to the root of this problem," Gore said in the 268-minute speech. "I call for war -- a war against hate." Even before this historic speech, administration officials had quietly said that Gore had ruled out any military action because of the inevitable damage to the environment. FBI officials still haven't fingered any particular group with the massive aviation mishaps that occurred Sept. 11. FBI Director Greta Van Sustern said the department "doesn't want to jump to any harsh conclusions." "I think the important thing for us to remember here is that for us to prevent these things in the future, we must find out why they're happening in the first place," Van Sustern said. "At some point we have to ask ourselves 'what have we done to make these people so angry?' " The tragic events of Sept. 11 will go down in history as a "wake-up call" for America the Western World, who must "be sensitive to the pain these people feel inside," Gore said to a standing ovation, even from those members of the media in the control booth down the hall. Instead of guns and bombs, Gore called for a transcontinental "chain of love" that would stretch from one end of the globe to another, with people of all colors and religions joining hands in a sign of global unity. Even Hollywood was getting into the act, with celebrities like Ben Affleck, Warren Beatty and Alec Baldwin leading efforts to stage a benefit for the families of the dead freedom fighters. Secretary of Poverty Rosie O'Donnell said "this is a time to reflect on why good people do bad things. I mean just this morning my youngest child Stephan made his sister cry by calling her a 'big, fat Newt Gingrich' because she wouldn't share the Smuckers." During the historic speech, Gore announced the creation of an all new cabinet-level position to combat global hate. New "Hate Czar" Barbra Streisand said she is ready to hit the ground running. "Hate and violence are very serious things and I plan to use my new powers to find it where it lives," Streisand said. "But first we have get rid of the guns that cause violence in the first place." While FBI Director Van Sustern said there was no evidence that firearms were involved in the hijackings and subsequent aviation accidents, she said there were NRA members and anti-choice activists on each flight that may have contributed to the freedom fighters' anger. Jordan, the Brown University professor, said Gore's speech could go down in history alongside Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech and John F. Kennedy's "ask not what your country" speech. But he was disturbed by the Republican reaction. "There were several of them acting like they were sleeping through the whole thing. I think that's the height of disrespect," Jordan said. Gore spokesman Katie Couric said she would not respond to questions about the Republicans' actions, but House Speaker Denny Hastert defended their behavior. -30-
The whole thing is hilarious, in part because it's so close to what might have been... Thanks for the laugh.
Cheese .
BUMP
If you don't write for a living you have missed your calling.
Did anyone catch Lawrence O'Donnell on Hardball this past week, where he stated that (and I'm paraphrasing) people he knew told him they had voted for algore but NOW are saying they are happy that W was elected instead of Gore. Sounded like O'Donnell's friends don't have any confidence in the "Tree."
Geraldo Rivera!
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