Sarasota principal defends Bush from "Fahrenheit 9/11" portrayal

[Scairp]

I looked and didn't see this one so I hope it's not a dupe.

SARASOTA — Michael Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9/11" criticizes President Bush for listening to Sarasota second-graders read a story for nearly seven minutes after learning the nation was under attack on Sept. 11, 2001.
<snip>

"I don't think anyone could have handled it better," Tose'-Rigell told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in a story published Wednesday. "What would it have served if he had jumped out of his chair and ran out of the room?"
<snip>

Tose'-Rigell, who was at Bush's side, did not hear what White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card whispered when he squeezed past her to tell the president of the attacks, but "I knew it was something serious."
<snip>

She said the video doesn't convey all that was going on in the classroom, but Bush's presence had a calming effect and "helped us get through a very difficult day."

http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/florida/article/0,2071,NPDN_14910_2985640,00.html

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Someone needs to tell her

to lay off the Kool Aide. All W had to do was to politely excuse himself and leave the room as quickly as possible.

How many 1000's of kids lost there fathers or mothers that day because W and the other leaders at the top of the chain of command sat on their hands and refused to respond?

[mac56]

10. Not to mention -

remaining in the room as long as he did made all those kids PART OF A POTENTIAL TARGET. Clearly, no one knew what was going to happen next. It's completely realistic to consider that Dubya & co. may have been a target that day - along with whoever was unlucky enough to be sitting near him. Did the Kool-Aid drinking principal consider that?! I think not.

[Citizen Daryl]

12. Putting children at risk ... yep, sounds wise to me. n/t

Seriously - 44% of our nation are political Moonies.

[Geo55]

18. lay off the Kool Aide

Amazing indeed , defending the lame with lame excuses...
if Bush destroys America to save it....well he was a couragous man of character trying to do an impossible job.
some folks have to be introduced to the concept of critical thought.

[DemBones DemBones]

2. Wonder if she's seen the film?

Her memory of the events and tape of the events might differ, after all. And why assume that the only alternative to sitting there like a zombie was to jump out of his chair and run out of the room? Or, as others have suggested, that his action would had to have meant frightening the children?

Bush could have stood and said, "Boys and girls, my chief of staff has just told me some important news and I have some work to do now. I was looking forward to being with you today and I hope I can come back to see you soon."

Easy, non-scary way to make an exit and do the Commander in Chief thing right away. I'd imagine Card expected him to do this, not to do the zombie act. (No offense to Zomby Woof, of course.)

[alarcojon]

34. Typical BushCo approach

The teacher presents a false choice - sit there like an idiot, or jump up and scare the children.

But this is what they do all the time - Remember when Bush suggested that the reason we oppose his war is because we don't believe brown people want or can handle democracy? Either you favor Bush's approach, or you are a racist scumbag.

Then, of course, there is the biggest false choice of all - If you don't support our policies, then you are un-American and don't support our troops.

[Bob3]

3. Typical gibberish.

"What would it have served if he had jumped out of his chair and ran out of the room?"

That's not the flipping question. He could simply have said "Boys and Girls something has come up that as president I have to deal with. I apologize. I promise I will visit you again as soon as I can." And then WALKED OUT. But then I'm thinking of a human being not *.

And as for his calming effect. He's the president not a f-king therapist or fluffy bunny. He has things he should be doing when the country is under attack. But again I keeping thinking about the reactions of real human being.

[section321]

15. But Bush* couldn't put a coherent sentence like that together.

He had two choices:

1) Wait for the speech writers to tell him how to say goodbye.

2) Stick to the script.

He obviously chose option 2.

[LizW]

30. Remember the sign?

Someone, I think Fleischer, was holding up a makeshift sign that said, "DON'T SAY ANYTHING YET."

Bush was instructed not to say anything, so he didn't say anything. He sat until someone told him to get up.

Remember the Marine who keeps up with Bush's cellphone who said, "Let's get him out of here. Get everyone ready." He got overruled by someone.

Bush was not the President that day. Someone else was in charge.

[yardwork]

29. Straw man fallacy. Suggest something ridiculous

point out how ridiculous it is, and claim to have won the argument.

That's all these guys have left - fallacies and lies. Truth is not on their side.

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. Seems Tose-Rigell has the same memory problems

that Sandra Daniels, the 2nd grade teacher had of that days events, except that their memories of events don't even agree with each other or reality for that matter.


NY Post

Sept. 12, 2002


SARASOTA, Fla. - At Emma E. Booker Elementary School, teacher Sandra Daniels recalled yesterday how she and her class learned of the terror attacks - when a federal agent rushed into the room to inform the president of the United States.

President Bush had been presiding over her reading class last 9/11, when a Secret Service agent interrupted the lesson and asked, "Where can we get to a television?"

"The president bolted right out of here and told me: ?Take over,' " Daniels told The Post yesterday. "I knew something serious had happened, and then a short while later he came back and said, ?What we thought was an airline accident turned out to be a terrorist hijack.'

"My kids were so happy that morning - imagine the president of the United States sitting there shooting the breeze, and then poof, suddenly he's gone. What do you say to a bunch of second-graders?"


http://web.archive.org/web/20020916070647/http://www.nypost.com/09112002/56883.htm

What I don't understand is why these women are so willing to try to help W with their revisionist versions of the events of that day?

[0007]

5. Look who printed this bull shit story. The New York Post is as creditable

as FAUX news.

I believe these stupid educators believe Ron Paige is doing an excellent job as Education Secretary and junior appointed him because he liked the way he cooked the books in the Texas educational system.

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. No matter, the story is based on direct quotes

Daniels actually made these statements. It's like she never even saw the video? No less, that she was actually there?

[nolabels]

23. WHO OWNS WHAT

http://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/scripps.asp

The E.W. Scripps Company Headquarters
312 Walnut Street
2800 Scripps Center
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Ph: 513-977-3000
Fax: [phone]
www.scripps.com
Television

* KJRH (Tulsa)
* KMCI (Lawrence, KS)
* KNXV (Phoenix)
* KSHB (Kansas City, MO)
* WCPO (Cincinnati)
* WEWS (Cleveland)
* WFTS (Tampa)
* WMAR (Baltimore)
* WPTV (W. Palm Beach)
* WXYZ (Detroit)

Cable

* DIY — Do It Yourself Network
* Fine Living
* Food Network
* Home & Garden Television
* Shop At Home Network

Newspapers

* Abilene Reporter-News
* The Albuquerque Tribune
* Anderson Independent-Mail
* Birmingham Post-Herald
* The Cincinnati Post
* The Commercial Appeal (Memphis)
* Corpus Christi Caller-Times
* Daily Camera (Boulder)
* Evansville Courier & Press
* The Gleaner (Henderson)
* The Knoxville News-Sentinel
* Naples Daily News
* Redding Record Searchlight
* Rocky Mountain News (Denver)
(snip)

[susu369]

9. Money is the answer

"why these women are so willing to try to help W"

she says she will be writing a book.....she is so stupid she thinks people would buy her "important" version.

[alphafemale]

32. That was when they were trying to send the video down the memory hole

It had been scrubbed from various websites and they were trying to spread this revisionist version which they later used in that rediculous movie.

I don't even remember the name of it.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

7. Well it's about time!

Because, of course, in all critical matters of national security, don't we all find ourselves wondering, "I wonder that the Principal of Booker Elementary School thinks?"

Note to the Principal: Shut the hell up.

[Shadder]

13. Hey, watch that.....

The correct note to the Vice Prncipal as approved by our glorious Vice President should read: Go Fuck Yourself.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

31. This is going to go on my permanent record, isn't it...

.

[Stuckinthebush]

8. "What would it have served if he had jumped out of his chair...?"

Let's see Ms. Tose'-Rigell....how about the interests of the United States of America? I'm so glad that his stupefied look was calming to elementary students, but frankly, we needed his ass to get off of the chair and assume command of the situation.

[Mixxster]

11. The link is no longer working

I get an Error 404: Page not found. I did a search on the site but that link also took me back to the page with the error message.

[Citizen Daryl]

14. Another link

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8993122.htm

[leesa]

16. With this kind of brainless response, I wonder if she wasn't part of the

game. A die-hard neocon who would help facilitate the fantasy of Bush as hero. She should be OUTRAGED that Bush put her life and those of her children in danger.

How can so many educators be so stupid??

[Democat]

17. If she defended a Democratic president, right wingers would get her fired!

Our side is too nice.

[Tight_rope]

19. Damn are all Republicans liars...because it certainly seems so! n/t

[Geo55]

20. "What would it have served if he had jumped out of his chair

The very least.....serve to demonstrate that there was a commanding presence in the

"COMMANDER IN CHIEF"

position of our government.

[daleo]

21. This is truly stupid

It is hard to believe someone this stupid can become a principal of a school. As others have pointed out, his mere presence at that time endangered everyone in the school, as it also prevented him from performing his constitutional duties. It doesn't take much of a stretch to think that terrorists, if that was who was truly behind the attack, could well have attacked the school in a suicide attack (by air or ground) at the time he was concentrating on a pet goat.

The fact that this possibility didn't occur to him or his handlers is another small, but telling, bit of evidence in favor of LIHOP/MIHOP. Either that, or they are all clueless idiots.

[dArKeR]

22. Rate Moore's yahoo pic a '5'!

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040624/photos_en/mdf604615

[eek]

24. some nits I must pick

1. "What would it have served if he had jumped out of his chair and ran out of the room?"
Nice grammar, Principal.
So much for aWol's "reading program that works " :dunce:

2. This dame was obviously a smoking gun for the White(wash)House from the git-go.
She was most likely given a good deal of encouragement (ie: threats and money) to drink the yummy Kool-Aide (tm) a looooong ago.

We have all seen the footage enough, well before F911 has brought it to a wider audience. If we know "what time it is" with the Booker school, so, certainly, must the busheviks.
Keeping folks quiet and on message is easy for them.:eyes:

[KurtNYC]

25. Bush saw the first plane hit before

he even went into the classroom for the photo op. At least that is what Bush said. Maybe, just maybe, he means that he heard about it so when Card whispers to him, he has to be telling him about the 2nd plane. As if it is not bad enough that he sat still for 7 minutes, it was way more time than that as far as doing nothing that a CIC should do in that situation. Few seem to keep the timeline straight. Personally, I was hit by pieces of the ceiling when the WTC was attacked in 1993 (I was in an office about 1 mile from the WTC) so when I saw the first tower smoldering my first thought was "another attack." How better informed people (WH staff) could have reached other conclusions until the 2nd tower was hit is beyond me.

[Whoa_Nelly]

26. Yes, so easy to revise how and when

Bush learned of that "one bad pilot", and then later claiming he had to fly to several location on AF1 because he was targeted...but the children/school were not in danger?

Welcome to DU, KurtNYC! :hi:

[mike1963]

27. Zackly! And welcome to DU!

:toast: :D

[progressivebydesign]

28. "What would it have served if he had jumped out of his chair...?"

NATIONAL SECURITY???? INTERCEPTING THE SECOND PLANE???? That was incredibly stupid for her to ask. He had a calming effect on them? Hmmm... considering the kids had NO idea what was going on at that point.. how could she say that? GOPidiot.

[calimary]

33. More evidence of the simplistic "it's either black or white" thinking that

is the hallmark of bush and anybody who supports him. They CANNOT (or maybe they just REFUSE TO) think in terms of shades of gray. It's either - he sits there, squandering precious minutes during a national emergency when he could have gotten the ball rolling on a few VERY essential things (just imagine what he could at least have gotten a head start on - in six and a half of those seven minutes, if he'd chosen to MAKE GOOD USE OF THEM) or JUMP UP AND RACE OUT OF THE ROOM IN NEAR-HYSTERICS. Hasn't ANY ONE of them ever had to make a discreet exit at any time in their lives, or are they just simply hostages to their rigid thinking? Are they not aware that it IS actually possible to leave a room filled with kids because you know there's trouble to deal with, and do it in such a way that it still appears relaxed and casual and you don't alarm anybody? Has ANYBODY heard of a behavior demonstration called ACTING?????? JEEZ, the lengths these people will go to - so they can save face.

Now if this were Clinton...

[stickdog]

35. THE BIG STORY HERE

NOBODY IN CORPORATE MEDIA HAS EVER ASKED THE BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT BUSH'S "RESPONSE" THAT DAY!

Then, when somebody finally points out the obvious -- that the time to spring into action was when the words "America is under attack" were spoken and that staying at that school for 29 more minutes senselessly endangered the lives of the school kids -- THIS IS WHAT OUR MEDIA RESPONDS WITH!!!!!!



*****


9/11 - Curious George Goes Grammar School:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1849873

[DoYouEverWonder]

36. Nor will they ever ask what did the rest of them do?

All the key people, Rummie, Cheney, Tenet, Myers, and the rest tried to pretend nothing was going on for as long as possible, up until after the Pentagon was hit. Even when they did respond, they did as little as possible in the way of a real response. For example, Condi was too busy preparing Bu$h for his first statement from the school.

The delay of Flight 77 blew their cover. Once the attack began, they had to wait for NY and DC to get hit before they could respond. For 35 minutes they had to stall.

If the attack had gone without a hitch, all of the planes would have hit their targets within 15 minutes of each other. No one would have ever noticed that they all deliberately sat on their hands until the attack was over. They were supposed to look and act heroic, instead they ended up looking like blubbering idiots. Sometimes even the best laid plans don't go right. Thank god.

[SW FL Dem]

37. You have to remember this is the area that elected Katherine Harris

aka Cruella DeVille.

[lfairban]

38. Dan Quayle would have handled the situation better.

n/t