Books for Bush (taken from the Green Dragon)

This was posted over at the Green Dragon, and a lot of people thought it belonged here instead. So I am copying the original post, and offering it for your entertainment, hoping that it generates some other good suggestions.
AS


I was thinking it might be interesting, as an alternate form of protest, to send George Bush a bunch of anti-war novels. Stuff like Johnny Got His Gun and others, asking Bush to read them and think about what his actions over the past eight years have done. How he's destroyed families, ruined lives, and directly caused the murders of thousands of innocent people. I'm not sure, however, that he would actually read any of the books we were to send him, or even if they'd get to him. I've heard he's got a college education, but from the way he speaks and acts, I'm tempted to question that, so I wonder if he even possesses the intellectual capacity to understand what such books are trying to say. Anyway, if you were to send a collection of anti-war novels to president Bush, what would you include in the box?

Interesting--talking to another poster once here--one who lives in Canada--he was telling me how the Canadian Booker Prize winning author Yann Martel had set up a regimen to get the Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper up to speed--Every two weeks or so he sends the Prime Minister a new book and outlining the positives he can take from it--Martel also posts it on his website. I don't believe though that Harper is all that interested.

The best book IMO to send Mr. Bush first--although it's a little late now would be The seven pillars of wisdom by T. E. Lawrence aka Lawrence of Arabia which recounts the World War I era conflict in the region which is now mainly Iraq and is filled with a lot of cultural and historical insight. Nothing like knowing something about a place you're going to invade--at least before you take the plunge.

I think I would have sent him A Savage War of Peace about the French/Algerian conflict. THIS is what you have to do to win. And even then, you lose.

I'm not sure that Bush has the patience to read a book, but I would send him a DVD of The Wind That Shakes the Barley. It's a movie about Irish vs. British conflicts in the ealy 20th century and it does absolutely nothing to glorify war for either side. It's an amazing film, though one which GWB would probably not understand.

#3--that looks very interesting. I recently read a book titled My battle of Algiers by Ted Morgan who was a Frenchman who raised partly in France and partly in the United States which recounts his own experiences in that war. I liked it a lot and recently bought a novel by Assia Djebar Children of the new world which I hope to get to very soon. I will look that book you recommend up.

#4--I bought that particular DVD as a christmas present to myself but sent it out to my brother in Seattle who was taking chemo treatments and was looking for things to keep him occupied. It was based on a book as well. I liked the movie and I like Ken Loach a lot but there is usually a political component to his work that a lot of people don't appreciate so I always warn others.

I would send The Brothers K as a reflection of how a war can change and destroy a family, and all the problems it can cause even to the most well intentioned people.

I am not sure that Bush actually can read, goddess knows he can't speak.

This is what I posted there.

The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder
By: Vincent Buglios

To give him all the reasons he made a mistake, and then I would begin to daydream that it will really happen.

Is this one of those "I don't like the guy, so therefore he's stupid" threads?

Stupid people who can't read don't become presidents. Connections and favors will only get you so far, but if you don't have any underlying intelligence to back up those connections and favors, you won't get very far.

I'm interested to see W. the Oliver stone movie. If nothing else than to see how hollywood depicts him.

Books like Enemy women & Cold Mountain that describe how war affects civilians behind the lines.

#8--I suppose it can be seen that way. FWIW Codyed the question Arctic originally posed did bring to mind Martel's book gifts to the Canadian Prime Minister so Mr. Bush is not the only one being pointed at here. There is no question in any case that we went into Iraq with very lofty ambitions and hardly any cultural/religious background information and it was all of his administrations decision--as well many other questionable moves during the past 7 years. He more often than not seems to have been in over his head.

Anyway I would rephrase your one sentence to read 'Stupid people who don't read can become president.' I mean--why can't they? It's not necessarily a disqualification for the job.

I would give George W. a copy of The Iliad. The story of how hubris and arrogance coupled with the mightiest army ever assembled and the greatest navy ever to sail the wine dark sea sabotaged a war fought for pride. How the supposedly invincible, the mightiest warrior on earth was himself destroyed by his own childishness and how the code of the Hero destroyed the great Achylleus and nearly everyone around him, his best friend Petroclus, Ajax the Mighty, Agamemnon, the greatest ruler on earth, and Hector, the Trojan Hero.

Would George W. shed a tear with Priam, I don't expect he would, but...

I have no expectation that he would 1) read it, 2) begin to fathom it if he did, and 3) take any of it to heart.

MAdcow... I just heard about that a few days ago.. I too an looking forward to seeing that.

#12

"Anyway I would rephrase your one sentence to read 'Stupid people who don't read can become president.' I mean--why can't they? It's not necessarily a disqualification for the job."

I agree