"George Bush never looked into Nick's eyes"

[Downhome 0]

The following is from The Guardian and I simply found it, well, interesting.

 

Shocking really.

 

George Bush never looked into Nick's eyes

 

Even more than the murderers who took my son's life, I condemn those who make policies to end lives

 

Michael Berg

Friday May 21, 2004

The Guardian

 

My son, Nick, was my teacher and my hero. He was the kindest, gentlest man I know; no, the kindest, gentlest human being I have ever known. He quit the Boy Scouts of America because they wanted to teach him to fire a handgun. Nick, too, poured into me the strength I needed, and still need, to tell the world about him.

 

People ask me why I focus on putting the blame for my son's tragic and atrocious end on the Bush administration. They ask: "Don't you blame the five men who killed him?" I have answered that I blame them no more or less than the Bush administration, but I am wrong: I am sure, knowing my son, that somewhere during their association with him these men became aware of what an extraordinary man my son was. I take comfort that when they did the awful thing they did, they weren't quite as in to it as they might have been. I am sure that they came to admire him.

 

I am sure that the one who wielded the knife felt Nick's breath on his hand and knew that he had a real human being there. I am sure that the others looked into my son's eyes and got at least a glimmer of what the rest of the world sees. And I am sure that these murderers, for just a brief moment, did not like what they were doing.

 

George Bush never looked into my son's eyes. George Bush doesn't know my son, and he is the worse for it. George Bush, though a father himself, cannot feel my pain, or that of my family, or of the world that grieves for Nick, because he is a policymaker, and he doesn't have to bear the consequences of his acts. George Bush can see neither the heart of Nick nor that of the American people, let alone that of the Iraqi people his policies are killing daily.

 

Donald Rumsfeld said that he took responsibility for the sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners. How could he take that responsibility when there was no consequence? Nick took the consequences.

 

Even more than those murderers who took my son's life, I can't stand those who sit and make policies to end lives and break the lives of the still living.

 

Nick was not in the military, but he had the discipline and dedication of a soldier. Nick Berg was in Iraq to help the people without any expectation of personal gain. He was only one man, but through his death he has become many. The truly unselfish spirit of giving your all to do what you know in your own heart is right even when you know it may be dangerous; this spirit has spread among the people who knew Nick, and that group has spread and is spreading all over the world.

 

So what were we to do when we in America were attacked on September 11, that infamous day? I say we should have done then what we never did before: stop speaking to the people we labelled our enemies and start listening to them. Stop giving preconditions to our peaceful coexistence on this small planet, and start honouring and respecting every human's need to live free and autonomously, to truly respect the sovereignty of every state. To stop making up rules by which others must live and then separate rules for ourselves.

 

George Bush's ineffective leadership is a weapon of mass destruction, and it has allowed a chain reaction of events that led to the unlawful detention of my son which immersed him in a world of escalated violence. Were it not for Nick's detention, I would have had him in my arms again. That detention held him in Iraq not only until the atrocities that led to the siege of Fallujah, but also the revelation of the atrocities committed in the jails in Iraq, in retaliation for which my son's wonderful life was put to an end.

 

My son's work still goes on. Where there was one peacemaker before, I now see and have heard from thousands of peacemakers. Nick was a man who acted on his beliefs. We, the people of this world, now need to act on our beliefs. We need to let the evildoers on both sides of the Atlantic know that we are fed up with war. We are fed up with the killing and bombing and maiming of innocent people. We are fed up with the lies. Yes, we are fed up with the suicide bombers, and with the failure of the Israelis and Palestinians to find a way to stop killing each other. We are fed up with negotiations and peace conferences that are entered into on both sides with preset conditions that preclude the outcome of peace. We want world peace now.

 

Many have offered to pray for Nick and my family. I appreciate their thoughts, but I ask them to include in their prayers a prayer for peace. And I ask them to do more than pray. I ask them to demand peace now.

 

· Michael Berg is the father of Nick Berg, the US contractor beheaded on video in Iraq this month by a group believed to be linked to al-Qaida. This is an extract from his message of support for the Stop The War Coalition's demonstration, End the Torture - Bring the Troops Home Now, which will be held at 11am tomorrow at the Embankment in London

 

stopwar.org.uk

 

I feel for the family, I believe that all of us here do. This article though, wow. This isn't anything we haven't heard before, the source just seemed noteworthy to me.

 

Sincerely,

...Downhome...

[Guest Ram]

I am sure, knowing my son, that somewhere during their association with him these men became aware of what an extraordinary man my son was. I take comfort that when they did the awful thing they did, they weren't quite as in to it as they might have been. I am sure that they came to admire him.

What an odd point of view. When would they have come to know the man? Between throwing him in a dark cell and beheading him, I doubt there was much time for small talk and crumpets.

[Guest Anglesault]

I stopped reading after he babbled about how much his son's killers loved him or whatever he was trying to say.

 

What a disgusting piece of shit excuse for a human being.

[Downhome 0]

I don't blame this guy wanting to blame someone, but he's obviously twisted up here on who he should be placing the blame on. He thinks even for a second they didn't enjoy, love what they were doing? They basicly celebrated what was going on, and held up the severed head to the camera for all of the world to see...as if it were their prize.

 

I hear George Bush is behind cancer as well.

[Guest Anglesault]

I hear George Bush is behind cancer as well.

He's not behind cancer, but he's for it.

 

George Bush: For Cancer?

 

Yes, I actually watched Head of State

Edited May 21, 2004 by Anglesault

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Haha. So did I.

[Guest Brian]

I saw it on HBO just because I like Bernie Mac.

[Styles 0]

I was at the O's game when they taped him throwing out the first pitch. We got to come down to the front and hold up signs and everything. Pretty cool.

Oh, and it has a TNA spot in there, got to love that too!

[2GOLD 0]

The guy is just grieving and its not uncommon to misplace anger.

It happens.

 

I'm just letting this go, he is obviously still in pain and that should be well understood that he'll be in that pain for a very long time.

[Styles 0]

The guy is just grieving and its not uncommon to misplace anger.

It happens.

 

I'm just letting this go, he is obviously still in pain and that should be well understood that he'll be in that pain for a very long time.

Actually I read that he belongs to a radical left group and has always hated Bush. I'm too lazy to look that up but I'm sure someone else will...

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

What a fucking numbnut this guy is. Bush is more to blame than the killers because the killers grew to love the guy they beheaded and were praising Allah for killing. When are idiots like him going to wake up and see this scumbags for the savages they are.

[Downhome 0]

When are idiots like him going to wake up and see this scumbags for the savages they are.

I would respond to that with "only when the terrorists actually kill their loved ones and make it personal", but obviously not even that is enough to get some twats to open up their eyes.

 

I wasn't going to say anything bad about this guy, but after hearing more and more about it, reading this entire thing again and again, it's just really mind numbing.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

It's a shame that his son is dead and all but blaming someone not involved with the murder and taking this naive look at the situation just makes me see red. I'm sick of all the excuses that people make for these pieces of shit.

[Vern Gagne 0]

The guy is just grieving and its not uncommon to misplace anger.

It happens.

 

I'm just letting this go, he is obviously still in pain and that should be well understood that he'll be in that pain for a very long time.

Actually I read that he belongs to a radical left group and has always hated Bush. I'm too lazy to look that up but I'm sure someone else will...

Berg is a member of ANSWER. A marxist organization.

[Guest MikeSC]

Even more than the murderers who took my son's life, I condemn those who make policies to end lives

 

Michael Berg

Friday May 21, 2004

The Guardian

 

My son, Nick, was my teacher and my hero. He was the kindest, gentlest man I know; no, the kindest, gentlest human being I have ever known. He quit the Boy Scouts of America because they wanted to teach him to fire a handgun. Nick, too, poured into me the strength I needed, and still need, to tell the world about him.

 

People ask me why I focus on putting the blame for my son's tragic and atrocious end on the Bush administration. They ask: "Don't you blame the five men who killed him?" I have answered that I blame them no more or less than the Bush administration, but I am wrong: I am sure, knowing my son, that somewhere during their association with him these men became aware of what an extraordinary man my son was. I take comfort that when they did the awful thing they did, they weren't quite as in to it as they might have been. I am sure that they came to admire him.

While that is nice and all to think --- they did HOLD HIS SEVERED HEAD UP TO A CAMERA. Somehow, I'm not sure they were not that "into it".

I am sure that the one who wielded the knife felt Nick's breath on his hand and knew that he had a real human being there. I am sure that the others looked into my son's eyes and got at least a glimmer of what the rest of the world sees. And I am sure that these murderers, for just a brief moment, did not like what they were doing.

They then got over that brief moment and HELD UP THE SEVERED HEAD TO A CAMERA.

 

You know, I fully grasp that he's grieving and all --- but he's crossed the line from grieving father to pissing on his son's memory to advance his political ideaology.

 

I hope he feels better for it --- but I doubt he will in the long run.

-=Mike

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Fuck Mike Berg. I'm surprised he didn't take his son's head and put a sign next to it saying "Look what George W. Bush did to me"...

[Guest MikeSC]

Fuck Mike Berg. I'm surprised he didn't take his son's head and put a sign next to it saying "Look what George W. Bush did to me"...

Man, I'd bet Lindy Englund would skull-f*** the guy.

 

SHE'S A MAN!!! AIIEEEEE!

-=Mike

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

The guy is just grieving and its not uncommon to misplace anger.

It happens.

 

I'm just letting this go, he is obviously still in pain and that should be well understood that he'll be in that pain for a very long time.

Actually I read that he belongs to a radical left group and has always hated Bush. I'm too lazy to look that up but I'm sure someone else will...

Berg is a member of ANSWER. A marxist organization.

Source, please.

[Guest MikeSC]

The guy is just grieving and its not uncommon to misplace anger.

It happens.

 

I'm just letting this go, he is obviously still in pain and that should be well understood that he'll be in that pain for a very long time.

Actually I read that he belongs to a radical left group and has always hated Bush. I'm too lazy to look that up but I'm sure someone else will...

Berg is a member of ANSWER. A marxist organization.

Source, please.

What, these he's a member of ANSWER? That's rather common knowledge, Tyler.

-=Mike

[Guest Cerebus]

I take comfort that when they did the awful thing they did, they weren't quite as in to it as they might have been. I am sure that they came to admire him.

 

I'm sure Jeffery Dahmer admired the people he hacked to death too, what a nice guy.

 

Did this asshole READ the shit these fucktards said before they beheaded his son? I honestly don't know what drugs this guy is on.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

I'm asking for a source because it sounds like one of those things where someone speculates on it to someone else once, and then they repeat it, and that person repeats it, and it suddenly becomes "true"

 

So, by all means, back up the claim. I'm not saying you're not right, but I do prefer proof over speculation.

[Vern Gagne 0]

marxist.com

 

A sign on the Berg’s lawn read: ‘‘War is not the answer.’’ Berg said it belonged to an organization called ANSWER, which is an acronym for Act Now to Stop the War and End Racism.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

And should we blame every President who made a decision to send troops overseas to die? Give me a fucking break.

[Vyce 0]

While that is nice and all to think --- they did HOLD HIS SEVERED HEAD UP TO A CAMERA. Somehow, I'm not sure they were not that "into it".

 

Now, now, Mike, I hear that in the Arab world, showing the decapitated head of an infidel up to the camera is a big show of admiration.

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

The guy IS a fucking idiot but saying that Bush doesn't have anything to do with Berg's death would be incorrect.

 

Yes it's silly but if you look far enough back and follow chains of events then yes Bush had something to do with Berg's death.

 

But that would be the same thing as blaming Hitler's parents for breastfeeding him for too long or something.

 

I'd ignore it. It's the ranting of a father who outlived his son.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I'd ignore it if it weren't bullshit that degrades his son's life, trivializing it into a political statement.

[Guest MikeSC]

The guy IS a fucking idiot but saying that Bush doesn't have anything to do with Berg's death would be incorrect.

 

Yes it's silly but if you look far enough back and follow chains of events then yes Bush had something to do with Berg's death.

 

But that would be the same thing as blaming Hitler's parents for breastfeeding him for too long or something.

 

I'd ignore it. It's the ranting of a father who outlived his son.

It's even remotely Bush's fault that his son refused offers and requests to get out of Iraq?

-=Mike