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KNOW-THIS
Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3694
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Protesters 'drive' Bush from Ireland
 Sat Jun 26, 2004 3:11 pm
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http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/06/26/us.eu.protests.reut/index.html
CLARECASTLE, Ireland (Reuters) -- Irish protesters used Shakespeare to blitz George W. Bush on Saturday, invoking Macbeth, a ghost and a witch to cast a spell on the U.S. president and drive him, symbolically at least, from Irish soil.
Some 500 demonstrators marched on Dromoland Castle, the 16th century turreted mansion in western Ireland where Bush met European Union leaders for a summit.
When they were stopped at a police road block, they staged their own version of Shakespeare's bloody Scottish tragedy.
First, a ghost with a whited-out face read the names of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq. Then a woman dressed as Lady Macbeth read a list of Iraqi victims.
Finally, a woman dressed as a witch with a black pointy hat and a flowing cape cast a spell on a man wearing a Bush face mask. The man crumpled to the floor as the witch ordered him to leave Ireland and end the occupation of Iraq.
The protesters held up a banner adorned with a quote from Macbeth, Shakespeare's powerful drama of death, destruction and ambition in feudal Scotland.
"There's the smell of blood still," read the banner, on which was painted a gory hand. "All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."
Some 50 police officers watched the drama unfold from behind their roadblock, just half a mile from the castle where Bush was staying for the EU-U.S. summit. The protest passed peacefully and the crowd dispersed after around 90 minutes.
The staging of "MacBush" was one of several events organised by demonstrators to show their anger with the president's visit.
Some 10,000 people marched through Dublin on Friday night in opposition to both U.S. policy in Iraq and Ireland's decision to host Bush and allow U.S. jets to refuel at one of its airports en route to the Gulf.
Further protests were expected later on Saturday before Bush leaves for Istanbul, where he will attend a NATO summit.
The Irish have mounted a huge security operation to protect the president, with 6,000 police and troops on the ground backed by planes, helicopters, surface-to-air missiles and tanks.
"One can only assume that if (Irish Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern is prepared to deploy tanks, he is also prepared to use them on the Irish people," said Roger Cole, chairman of the Peace & Neutrality Alliance protest group. "That is a disgrace."
Bush's visit has contrasted sharply with those of previous U.S. presidents who were warmly welcomed in Ireland -- particularly those with Irish roots.
John F. Kennedy was greeted with almost religious fervor in 1963, Ronald Reagan had a pub named after him in his ancestral village in Tipperary when he came in 1994 and thousands of well wishers greeted Bill Clinton when he came to Dublin.
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KNOW-THIS
Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3694
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Sat Jun 26, 2004 3:24 pm
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http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-06-26-bush-europe_x.htm
Facing European differences, Bush brushes off criticism
NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS, Ireland (AP) — President Bush shrugged off criticism in Europe over the Iraq war, saying Saturday he was more concerned about his standing among the American electorate.
As thousands of people demonstrated against him and the war a few miles away from the European Union summit here, Bush was asked at a news conference about his apparent lack of support in Europe.
"I must confess that the first polls I worry about are those that are going to take place in early November this year," Bush said. The presidential election is Nov. 2.
"I will lead and we'll just let the chips fall where they may," Bush said. "As far as my own personal standing goes, my job is to do my job. I'm going to do it the way I think is necessary. I'm going to set a vision," said the president.
The news conference was held outside a 16th-century castle that was heavily guarded against security threats and demonstrators.
Bush stressed the positive, saying that the United States is doing $2.2 trillion in trade with the European Union and that "obviously something positive is happening."
In a reference to the prison abuse scandal involving U.S. soldiers in Iraq, Bush said, "I don't like it when the values of our country are misunderstood because of the actions of some people overseas."
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Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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Mech
Joined: 06 Jun 2001
Posts: 8237
Location: THE 4th REICH USA |
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Sat Jun 26, 2004 3:59 pm
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Bless em' all.
GREAT STUFF. |
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KNOW-THIS
Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3694
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Sat Jun 26, 2004 4:12 pm
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"I must confess that the first polls I worry about are those that are going to take place in early November this year," Bush said. The presidential election is Nov. 2."
MAYBE HE OUGHT TO (OR HAVE ONE OF HIS BABYSITTER ADVISORS) TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THESE POLLS AND REALIZE THAT THE MAJORITY NO LONGER BELIEVE IN THIS WAR THAT WAS SHAMEFULLY SOLD TO US WITH LIES.
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JerseyBluEyz
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 1257
Location: Northeast |
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Sat Jun 26, 2004 6:46 pm
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They didn't like him in Ireland. And they sure don't like him in Turkey!
"Bush is widely unpopular in Turkey, and his arrival Saturday in Ankara was preceded by a series of protests and bomb blasts, including one Thursday that injured three people outside the Ankara hotel where he will stay. Another blast that day on an Istanbul bus killed four people and injured 14. On Saturday, Turkish police fired tear gas as more than 100 left-wing demonstrators hurled rocks and used sticks to try and break down a police barricade during a protest ahead of Bush's arrival."
I was reading an article at MyWay about an hour ago that talked about Bush and his summits. The article originally stated something to the effect - diplomats reached an initial agreement to respond positively to Iraq's request for aid “against the terrorists”. I went back to find the article so I could quote it here, but that statement has been altered! It no longer mentions terrorists. I remember it saying that because when I read it, the first thought that crossed my mind was – terrorists??? I wonder which terrorists they mean? LOL!
[Edited 1 times, lastly by JerseyBluEyz on 06-26-2004] |
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JerseyBluEyz
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 1257
Location: Northeast |
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Sun Jun 27, 2004 12:22 am
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KNOW-THIS
Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3694
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Sun Jun 27, 2004 12:36 am
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The picture rings so true, it's perfect! |
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JerseyBluEyz
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 1257
Location: Northeast |
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Mon Jun 28, 2004 3:28 am
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In continuation of Bush's EU and NATO Summits...
Not that I thought Turkey would welcome Bush with open arms, but WHOA! 40,000 protesters took to the streets! I think they were serious!
Protesters set fire to an effigy of Bush in Ankara.
Members of Turkey's left-wing Labor Party set fire to an effigy of President Bush in downtown Istanbul on Sunday, just hours before Bush's arrival for a NATO summit.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/06/27/turkey.protest.ap/index.html
Anti-U.S. demonstrators clashed with Turkish Police in Ankara.
40,000 protest Bush in Turkey
Sunday, June 27, 2004 Posted: 12:42 PM EDT (1642 GMT)
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- Tens of thousands of Turks chanting anti-Bush slogans demonstrated against the president's visit to their country on Sunday and a NATO summit.
Bush is unpopular in Turkey, where the overwhelming majority of the public opposed the Iraq war.
As the president arrived in Turkey Saturday, supporters of Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said they kidnapped three Turkish workers in Iraq, Arab TV station al-Jazeera reported.
The group has threatened to behead the hostages, an al-Jazeera employee told The Associated Press.
The protest in the Kadikoy district, on the Asian side of Istanbul, attracted more than 40,000 people, mostly members of leftist groups, police said.
There were some 100 foreign protesters from Greece, Britain, The Netherlands, Portugal and Syria.
"We want to throw NATO out of Istanbul," said Dogan Aytac, a Turkish protester with a flag in his hat that read: "Get out Bush!"
A 20-year-old Greek protester, Odysseas Maaita, said, "We are here to express our solidarity with the Turkish people, with the people of the Middle East and all others that are under attack, to say that we are against NATO."
The summit is to be held on the European side of the city, across the Bosporus, about six miles from Kadikoy.
Turkey dramatically boosted security before Bush's arrival and in preparation for the NATO summit, which begins Monday.
F-16 warplanes patrolled the skies of Istanbul on Sunday. AWACS early warning planes dispatched by NATO will help monitor a no-fly zone over the city. More than 23,000 police will be on duty during the summit. Turkish commandos are patrolling the Bosporus in rubber boats with mounted machine guns.
Bush, who will attend the summit along with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac and others, met with Turkish leaders in Ankara on Sunday morning and flies to Istanbul in the early afternoon.
At the protest, demonstrators chanted "Istanbul will be a grave for NATO."
They carried banners, reading: "Down with American Imperialism," and "Go away Bush!"
Greenpeace activists carried signs against nuclear weapons. Others chanted in English: "Yankees Go Home!"
Thousands of policemen, deployed in back streets, watched the crowds from a distance as a police helicopter hovered above.
In Ankara on Saturday, Turkish police fired tear gas at scores of stone-throwing leftist demonstrators, just hours before Bush arrived in the country. Police said 13 officers were injured by rocks hurled during the rally, the Anatolia news agency reported Sunday.
On Sunday, police rounded up some 15 leftist demonstrators in downtown Ankara, saying the group was planning to stage a firebombing in the city.
Bush's arrival was preceded by a series of protests and bomb blasts, including one Thursday that injured three people outside the Ankara hotel where Bush is expected to stay. Another blast that same day on an Istanbul bus killed four people and injured 14.
The bombings has been blamed on militant leftists.
Militant Kurdish, Islamic and leftist groups are active in the country, and security in Istanbul has been of special concern since November, when four suicide truck bombings blamed on al Qaeda killed more than 60 people.
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Swedishoo
Joined: 09 Aug 2000
Posts: 429
Location: NC |
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Mon Jun 28, 2004 5:25 am
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It makes me so sad that the world thinks of us as murderers and thieves. When the Irish hate ya, you know you're in trouble. Take your summer vacation in the US folks.
Christy |
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KNOW-THIS
Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3694
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Wed Jun 30, 2004 3:56 pm
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[url=http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/412043|top|06-29-2004::07:06|reuters.html]http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/412043|top|06-29-2004::07:06|reuters.html[/url]
Bush Defies Chirac, Says Turkey Merits EU Place
Jun 29, 6:50 AM (ET)
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Bush said on Tuesday that Turkey belongs in the European Union and that Europe is "not the exclusive club of a single religion" in what amounted to a rejection of French President Jacques Chirac.
In remarks prepared for delivery at a Istanbul university, Bush refused to back down in the face of Chirac's criticism on Monday that Bush had no business urging the EU to set a date for Turkey to start entry talks into the union.
"America believes that as a European power, Turkey belongs in the European Union," Bush said.
Bush is to use the speech to try to mend relations between Muslims and Americans left tattered relations by the Iraq war.
"We must strengthen the ties and trust and good will between ourselves and the peoples of the Middle East," he said.
Bush held up Turkey as an example of a Muslim democracy and said its entry to the EU would be "a crucial advance in relations between the Muslim world and the West, because you are part of both."
"Including Turkey in the EU would prove that Europe is not the exclusive club of a single religion, and it would expose the 'clash of civilizations' as a passing myth of history," Bush said.
Chirac said on Monday that Bush should not comment on Turkey's EU entry hopes as EU affairs were none of his business.
"If President Bush really said that the way I read it, well, not only did he go too far but he went into a domain which is not his own," Chirac told reporters at the summit.
"It is like me trying to tell the United States how it should manage its relations with Mexico," he added.
Turkey is keen to use the NATO to showcase its credentials as a westward-looking democracy before December, when EU leaders decide if it has met the political criteria to be put on the formal road to EU membership.
Countries such as Germany, Italy and Britain strongly back Ankara's bid, but Chirac's government has expressed wariness about kicking off a formal process to admit the relatively poor country of 70 million people.
[Edited 1 times, lastly by KNOW-THIS on 06-30-2004] |
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