Bush spectacle at Scout jamboree had little to do with reality

[fgoodwin]

Bush spectacle at Scout jamboree had little to do with reality

 

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2005/082005/08052005/mercier

 

Bush at the jamboree: Please tell me it was all just a bad dream

 

August 5, 2005 12:00 am

By RICK MERCIER

The Free Lance-Star

 

Editor's note: The following column is an Opinion column published in the Editorial pages of The Free Lance-Star.

 

SOMEBODY PLEASE tell me Im not the only one who saw the coverage of the Boy Scout Jamboree arena show Sunday night and thought: Yikes, thats a bit too much like some of the scary weirdness that torments me in my sleep.

 

I mean, isnt there something nightmarish about our misleader swooping down on a steaming pit of sweat and testosterone and whipping a throng of brown-shirted youths into a nationalistic frenzy?

 

And whats not surreal about the author of an unnecessary, costly, and wholly counterproductive war claiming that his policies are laying the foundations of peace for decades to come?

 

But President Bushs appearance at the jamboree was more than just a bad dream. It was one of those grandiose expressions of state power that, at least briefly, transforms a bumbling and dishonest politician into protector of all that is good and true in the fatherland.

 

Despite the patriotic fervor, theres actually little about these kinds of events that marks them as distinctly American. Swap out the little American flags for little Cuban flags, and Bushs visit with the Scouts would have seemed a lot like one of those government-orchestrated rallies in Havana over which Fidel Castro presides (although if el jefe had been speaking Sunday, hed have gone on for hours and hours, precipitating another rash of heat-related illnesses at the jamboree).

 

The extravaganza featuring our commander in chief felt especially creepy coming on the heels of a weeklong effort by the military to turn the jamboree into one big recruitment fair.

 

But I guess its fitting that this president would be flown in to wrap up the recruiting blitz. Its thanks to him that the military is in such desperate need of warm bodies.

 

And theres always more democracy-spreading to be done. Its no secret that some of the ideologues who whisper in the presidents ear subscribe to the notion that everyone wants to go to Baghdadreal men want to go to Tehran.

 

Not that any of these chickenhawks would be leading the charge into Persia. That task would be left to some hapless schmucksincluding those who once upon a time attended a Boy Scout jamboree and decided then and there (after getting the hard sell) that they would serve their country by signing up for the Army.

 

But these hard facts of life were to be ignored Sunday night. Like all good spectacles glorifying state power, Bushs performance worked only insofar as reality could be suppressed.

 

So when the president boasted of laying the foundations of peace, no one was supposed to contemplate the horrors of Iraqa real-life nightmare for sure.

 

No one was supposed to be aware of new Saudi and Israeli research concluding that the overwhelming majority of foreign fighters in Iraq werent terrorists before the war but became radicalized by the war itself.

 

And no one was supposed to hear the voice of terrorism experts like Peter Bergen telling them: To say we must fight them in Baghdad so we dont have to fight them in Boston implies there is a finite number of people, and if you pen them up in Iraq you can kill them all. The truth is we increased the pool by what we did in Iraq.

 

Nor would it have been at all patriotic to recall the CIAs conclusion that Iraq could provide recruitment, training grounds, technical skills, and language proficiency for a new class of terrorists who are professionalized and for whom political violence becomes an end in itself.

 

Likewise, when Bush said Americans could count on the Eagle Scout who runs the Pentagon to be prepared, everyone was obliged to overlook the fact that U.S. forces were anything but prepared as they headed into combat in Iraq. Thanks to the Eagle Scout, there werent enough troops, or enough armored vehicles, or enough dependable flak jackets. Thousands of dead and maimed Americans are the result of his preparations.

 

These truths were too much for some Scouts to suppress. Amid the flag-waving and the USA! USA! chants Sunday evening was one young Scout leader who disagreed with Bushs Iraq policies and had taken off his uniform shirt to protest the presidents appearance.

 

I dont want to show respect by wearing the Scout uniform, the 19-year-old from Jupiter, Fla., explained to a Free LanceStar reporter.

 

But the teen did show respect for the values espoused by the president.

 

Bush told the Scouts he hoped theyd always strive to be men of conviction and character. The kid from Jupiter appears to take such rhetoric seriously, and the thought that there could be others like him might just help me sleep a little better.

 

RICK MERCIER is a writer and news editor for The Free LanceStar.

[Prairie_Scouter]

I suspect that the author didn't vote for Bush in the last election.

 

I thought the comparisons to the Hitler youth and Castro demonstrations were somewhat over the top. Was this a photo op for the President? Sure it was. But events like this, where large groups meet to see a public figure, happen all the time. The Pope does them.

 

I would just as soon that the military didn't use Jambo as a recruiting tool, myself. I just get a bad feeling about getting all these youth together at an impressionable age and putting "the sell" on them from their hosts and from the president. Especially since they're only getting one side of the story. "Come and protect your country" sounds a lot better than "the military is sometimes called upon to fulfill political missions that may have nothing to do with the national defense."

 

Reality is, tho, that if the military is going to give BSA the use of one of their bases, they're going to expect something in return (I guess the days of altruism are gone).

 

 

[Bob White]

The author is evidently unaware of the longstanding tradition of the President of the United States speaking at national Jamborees. While he is entitled to his opinion he was not there and he did not personally witness the overwhelming acceptance and approval of the President that was displayed by the over 70,000 people in attendance.

[Kahuna]

I would say the author is a Bush-hater to the extent that HE is out of touch with reality. "Over the top" is a milder expression than I would use. People, kids included, can certainly disagree with the President and his policies (as do I in some issues), but I doubt that any of the kids there were inspired to strap themselves with dynamite and go blow up a mosque.

[morainemom]

I read this piece on their website a few days ago.

 

I wonder why it took so long for the writer to share his views. Why didn't he immediately file this story after the President's visit to the Jamboree?

 

Instead he and the newspaper waited until AFTER the scouts had departed Fort AP Hill, after the majority of the parents quit perusing the website on a daily basis, after I order several prints from them (at a greatly inflated price, I might add!).

 

There's another story from a female reporter - this one just went up yesterday - regarding her thoughts on Jamboree, which mainly seemed to consist of her view that the Scouts stunk (No? Really? Walking around in 100+ weather for 12 hours a day should have those boys smelling fresh as a daisy.... )

 

She also thought the boys were a little cheeky or fresh (so did my daughter when we went to Jambo in '01, but wow did she and her friend score the swaps!!!) And the reporter seemed to be amazed that one Scout actually shot a bus driver the bird.

 

Again - this story also never hit the website until almost a week after the Scouts departed. I guess there are a lot of Geraldo Riveras wannabes out there.....

[acco40]

I am not a Bush II supporter. I never voted for him. I don't like many of his policies. His "smirk" drives me up a wall.

 

However, I respect the office of the presidency and actually shed a tear during his speech at the Jamboree. Look at what he said - he had condolences for the Scouters who lost their lives at Jambo, thanked the hosts, praised Scouts and their program. Not very political in my book.

 

The military supplied the base, much needed manpower in the form of MPs and others, supplied many vehicles and supplies and were great hosts. In return we (Scouts and Scouters) supplied them with a training opportunity. They learned that when they tell 12 to 17 year old boys to do something it does not alway occur!

 

The military or more correctly, the armed services(Army, Army National Guard, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard) all had displays which varied from a display of vehicles and technology, Q&A, simulators, etc. But just like the relationships tents where many religions were represented and information could be had - no overt recruiting occurred that I witnessed by either the military or the various religious organizations.

[SR540Beaver]

Everyone is entitled to make an ass (pardon my French) of themselves at least once in life. I can only assume that this reporter has over extended his privilege on numerous occasions.

[concerned_scout66]

>"overwhelming acceptance and approval of the President that was >displayed by the over 70,000 people in attendance"

 

As part of 2005 Jambo staff, I was sitting there that day in the crowd for Bush's visit. The audience responded loudly to the specific references he made to Scouting but to little else. Bush spoke neutrally about most things avoiding his platform, politics, and the war. His statements supporting the families of the fallen Scout leaders and the Defense of Scouting bill were the biggest applause getters.

 

I'm sure that some people were awed by the view of the President but it would be quite a reach to infer from this that the audience was showing "overwhelming acceptance and approval of the President."

 

IMHO, the only good parts of that show were the lasers and fireworks.