VELVET REVOLVER frontman SCOTT WEILAND has accused GEORGE W BUSH of ‘taking advantage’ of public grief following the September 11 attacks by leading his country into war.
Today (November 2), Americans head out to the polls and decide whether or not to keep their President. And last night Weiland – former singer with Stone Temple Pilots – released a statement urging his fans to vote against Bush.
He wrote: “I remember the weeks following 9/11. The tragedy, the sadness, and that overwhelming feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop; then something else happened. America came together and rose out of the ashes like a Phoenix for the first time in my life. The ideals, hopes, and common bonds that once were the bedrock of this nation rose again to the surface and we let the world see what we were made of – our unity, brotherly love, and honour, even if brought together by tragedy.
“I feel that George Bush took advantage of us. Took advantage of our loss. Took advantage of our pain. Took advantage of our grief, and used it for his own selfish designs. The question is not whether or not this happened, but if we’re going to do something to change it. Please make a vote that shows America does not belong to George Bush. That the White House is not an heirloom of the Bush dynasty. Place a vote to restore honour and pride back to America and the presidency. Vote for John Kerry.”
Elsewhere, Weiland slams the war in Iraq and the subsequent handling of the country’s affairs: “The initial argument for war in Iraq was to rid the region of weapons of mass destruction and remove Saddam from power, making the region and the world safe from a maniacal dictator. Somehow the motive has blurred into something completely different altogether: ‘A free and democratic society for the people of Iraq,’ most of whom don’t want what we’re selling them, and never will.”