Language used by politicians is often vague, contradictory and elusive.  Students of language have much to learn from examining sentence structure and word usage in political speech.  As a short example, lets examine a quote from James Connaughton, Bush's senior environmental adviser, that ran in many newspapers in August 2007: "The emerging consensus is that the solution to climate change is the advancement of technology.  And there is also consensus that you need growing economies to pay for that technology."

In the politics of immigration, what the pro-enforcement and pro-human rights groups have in common is huge: both are concerned with problems created by mass-migrations of people from Mexico and Central America.  If the two groups were able to join to take on the root causes of immigration, they could be a powerful force for change.  However, as long as pro-enforcement groups support militarization of the border and mass arrests of immigrants, human rights activists will react, spending vital energy attempting to undo the injustices that necessarily come with enforcement policies. Meanwhile, little is done by either side about the sources of the problems.

Once again, here are my translations for Bush's speech...

> Seven years have passed since I first stood before you at this rostrum. In that time, our country has been tested in ways none of us could have imagined.

And we got an F.

> We have faced hard decisions about peace and war, rising competition in the world economy and the health and welfare of our citizens.

When I say "we" I mean both of us, me and Cheney.

> These issues call for vigorous debate, and I think it's fair to say we've answered that call.

We did?  Who won the debate?

traducción por Julita

Cuando se trata de política migratoria, los grupos en pro de derechos humanos y organizaciones de orden publico tienen en comun un acuerdo muy amplio: es que ambos están preocupados por los problemas creados por las grandes migraciones de México y Centroamérica. Si ambos grupos unieran fuerzas para combatir la raíz del problema, tendrían el poder para lograr un cambio. Sin embargo, mientras que los grupos a favor de reforzar la vigilancia del cumplimiento de las leyes sigan apoyando la militarización de la frontera y los arrestos masivos de migrantes, los activistas de derechos humanos tendrán que continuar reaccionando y gastando energía vital al intentar evitar las injusticias que cometen las fuerzas policiacas. Mientras tanto, la raíz del problema continua intacta por ambos grupos.

    On July 31, and again on September 20, people arrived in Jena, Louisiana from all over to protest. In July, several hundred arrived, but by September there were between 20 and 60 thousand. Within those weeks, mainstream America had heard of this small town. The case caught the public imagination because of many factors, especially the indelible image of the nooses.

When I attended the rally in July, I was impressed by the racial diversity, but in September, I was depressed by its absence. While the protesters and alternative media focused on the not so shocking statistic that Jena is 85% white, the movement for justice in Jena had become close to 99% black. A more racially diverse protest in Jena could have shown Jena, the media, and the protesters themselves a vision of what an alternative to racial separation looks like.

Sure, you've heard of the Patriot Act, and you know about the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy.  Many Americans are cynical about the human rights record of the Bush administration.  But, what do you know about these directives and acts Bush signed into law  in the past few months -- The John Warner Defense Appropriation Act, The Military Commissions Act, The National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directives?  These acts and directives give dictatorial powers to the President of the United States, and leave open the question -- are these guys planning to leave office?

> Madam Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens: This rite of custom brings us together at a defining hour - when decisions are hard and courage is tested.

Hey how else could I ignore the advice of the whole world if I didn't pass my courage test.  

> We enter the year 2007 with large endeavors underway, and others that are ours to begin. In all of this, much is asked of us. We must have the will to face difficult challenges and determined enemies - and the wisdom to face them together.

Which shows about how much wisdom I show by facing things alone.

> Good evening. Tonight in Iraq, the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged in a struggle that will determine the direction of the global war on terror ­ and our safety here at home.

I'll leave that in future tense since it hasn't started yet.

> The new strategy I outline tonight will change America's course in Iraq, and help us succeed in the fight against terror.

Or at least put off failure until I'm out of here.

> When I addressed you just over a year ago, nearly 12 million Iraqis had cast their ballots for a unified and democratic nation.

What, you're not still willing to applaud about that?  Rough crowd in here tonight.

Janitors in Houston won an important victory on Monday Nov. 20th, under direction of their union, the SEIU. Now, for the first time, Houston's downtown janitors will be under a contract. Over the next three years, their pay will go up gradually from minimum wage to $7.75, and they will get more benefits and hours. These were people trying to live in Houston on $20 a day, as most janitors were limited to four hours of work, so that the employers could avoid paying benefits. They fought injustice and won, demonstrating to Latinos and others the value of unity and organization. For a period of three weeks, the janitors dominated downtown, with marches, rallies, press conferences, civil disobedience, chanting and drumming. Other oppressed groups can learn from their example.

see the video

We were seen quickly and allowed to deliver a letter. The Cónsul General of México accepted, and signed the letter agreeing to pass it on, and thanked us for not obstructing his building this time.