Red Tigress' Lair

Hamas claims Israeli bus explosions: 16 killed, more than 80 wounded in twin suicide attack 08.31.04 (2:14 pm)   [edit]
This is devastating. Evil people rejoice in the streets. I am mournful and disgusted with all who support this.

This is a very sad day. :cry:
[line]
=http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/m...
[i]Image: Israeli police officer gathers evidence.
Tsafrir Abyov / AP
An Israeli police officer gathers evidence at the scene of a double-bombing in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba on Tuesday.[/i]

BEERSHEBA, Israel - Palestinian suicide bombers exploded two buses almost simultaneously in southern Israel on Tuesday, killing 16 people and wounding more than 80 in the first major Palestinian attack inside Israel in nearly six months.

The Islamic militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were revenge for Israel’s assassinations last spring of its spiritual leader, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, and his successor Abdel Aziz Rantisi.

The two buses blew up 15 seconds apart, about 100 yards from a busy intersection in the center of Beersheba, the largest city in southern Israel, 25 miles west of Gaza City. "People were screaming and yelling. Everybody was running," said witness Tzika Schreter, a 50-year-old college lecturer.

Rescue workers scoured the scene, cleaning up body parts and scattered pieces of the wreckage as dozens of onlookers gathered nearby. A hand with a ring lay on a charred seat, and blood was splattered on the walls of the mangled buses.

Well, I'm true my sign!

08.31.04 (12:08 pm)   [edit]
This is too funny. See, I actually am an Aries. I guess I look and act the part! :wink:

Your True Sign Is Aries

Daring

Friendly

Energetic

Risk Taking

Dynamic Daredevil

Always on an Adventure

Without a Care in the World

Quick-Witted and Quick-Tempered




What's Your True Zodiac Sign? Take This Quiz :-)



Find the Love of Your Life
(and More Love Quizzes) at Your New Romance.

What's Been My Experience With The Sides Of The Spectrum?

08.31.04 (8:59 am)   [edit]
I was browsing tblog this morning after I posted my last entry and I happened to look in the politics section. If you're new here or you don't know what the politics section is like, let me tell you a little bit about it.

Basically, it's just one big "shouting" match. People post things, then if this one group of "people" don't like the person who posted, they spam the section and mock the post the other person made. My guess is that they don't even really read the post, they just mock it and the person who wrote it.

There's no real reason to do this, they just do it. I've been told by one of the people that they do it on perpose to shout down the "Neo-Cons." My question has always been that I thought politics was not about shouting the other person down, but rather listening to what the other person has to say and work it out together. These are all fundamental principles that we learn in pre-school. Well, some of us.

At any rate, my last post was mocked for the same reason. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. I honestly don't think there was anything wrong with it.

In any case, this got me thinking about the different sides of the political spectrum and my entire interactions with people from them, not just on tblog. It came to me that there are all kinds of people with all kinds of ideas from all political followings.

Generally, the conservatives (from what I've seen) will talk to you about things. They'll do so one on one. They'll listen to you so long as you also give them the same respect.

The same is also true for many middle of the roaders. Generally, Libertarians fall under this catagory (according to the spectrum I have worked out) because, though they take a [i]laissez faire[/i] approach to thoughts and ideals, they generally seem to be pretty middle of the road. No matter what their views, be some of them radically on the left or radically on the right, middle of the roaders and Libertarians are usually willing to give respect and that makes me ultametly respect them very much.

So then, what have I had the insight to observe in the strong leftists or liberals as many of them call themselves.

My findings are pretty shocking actually. Perhaps ironic is a more appropriate word. Usually, people from the liberal side of the spectrum will talk and talk and talk but they won't really listen. And if you expect them to respect your opposing view, oh there'll be hell to pay.

I say this is ironic because these are the people that preech freedom of speech ad nausium and they often are champions of the idea that there is no true answer of right or wrong. It's all subjective. The irony in that is many of them generally take free speech to mean they are the only ones free to speak.

If you have a more conservative idea, you're a facist and you are called more ugly names in a childish manner and you are shouted down. Aparantly, there are no absolute rights or wrongs, in less your talking about a leftist idea. Then those are, of course, correct.

I would like to point out right now that all of these examples are gross generalizations and no one should stereotype anyone on first impression. No matter who you are, you should treat everyone with a clean slate, for you don't know them and preconceived notions cloud your ability to see the true individual. Please also know that there are great exceptions to every generalization.

But getting back to the last issue, why is it that this happens so often? Why is it the "acedemic elite" don't like to learn from other people with opposing views?

My thought was trouble with authority. Perhaps it is a psychological thing that some people hate rules because of the family life they had as children. Thus, anyone who likes rules or represents an authority figure is fair to be subject to ridicule and worse.

What I don't understand is the hypocracy in that.

It makes it hard for me to identify with groups to the left because of this. I'm always willing to hear someone's side of the story so long as the discourse is respectful. That goes for anyone from anywhere on the spectrum. What I have no patience for is people who don't do that.

To me, people who are so hypocritical in that way and just plain mean and nasty to those who are different drive me to the other side, where people are willing to respect and discuss. When I see people like that, it makes me not want to vote for Kerry because why would I want to be associated with that kind of behavior many of his followers subscribe to.

I know really shouldn't think that way because, after all, it's not John Kerry's fault that some people have a pre pre-school mantality. I try and work really hard to seperate the two. Whoever I vote for or where I stand on issues must be because of what I think and feel, not because of other people. That's why we must all keep our heads and not get sucked into that mantality.

The more we actually listen to each other and respect one another, the more peace we'll have.

Everyone from the spectrum needs to realize that.

All That Glitters Isn't Always Gold

08.31.04 (7:18 am)   [edit]
In pondering the latest cultural shift, I began to notice the peer pressure of politics. I was driving home the other day and I saw a bumper sticker, "Friends don't let friends vote Republican." Witty perhaps, but do you really care about your friends that much if you won't let them have their own opinion? It's not like I've never seen that bumpersticker before. To be fair, I've also seen stickers that say the same, except about Democrats. Neither of these sticker scenarios are nice nor fair when it comes to true friendship. I dislike both of them.

And in glancing at the Democratic convention and contrasting it to the Republican convention, it seems that everyone from side D wants you to think it's cool to be a Democrat. It's like a click or something.

Think about it. All the cool people are doing the Democrat thing! Bruce Springstein, Dave Matthews, the list goes on. Heck, even the candidate for the party can play the guitar!

And MTV loves for you to think that you'd be a member of the "in crowd" when you vote Kerry for prez. Why do you think they invited his daughters to the VMAs and not Bush's equally attractive and intelligent offspring?

Billions are being spent right now to razzle and dazzle the newest voting force into choosing the cool, hip, new president! The one whose name doesn't begin with a B!

But is it always just one big party with the donkey? Is all that glitters really gold?

The answer is no.

When it gets down to the knitty gritty and you actually have to think about your actions and where you stand on issues, all that glitters isn't really gold after all.

At least that's my perspective...

Why is it uncool to believe in God and want to pray to him when or where you please? I think that's very cool.

Why is it uncool to want to keep the money you earned and not be forced to give it away to someone? I think it's very cool to look out for your best interest first. Charity can be given, but that's a choice not to be forced on anyone to make.

Why is it uncool to get into college based on your merits rather than what race you are? Being smart and earning your place is very cool.

Better yet, what makes killing unborn children cool?

What makes terrorists who blow up innocent people for not being fanatical Muslims cool?

Why is it cool to hate Jews and try and try to push them out of their homeland and destroy them?

Sure many of the people who want you to do what they do will make it all look real nice and real chic with guitars and big names with all the glitz and glamour that Hollywood has to offer.

But, I'm afraid that is all it is: glitz and glamour. No, my friends. All that glitters isn't really gold.

Examine what's inside yourself and find out your own answers. Don't let anyone (not even me) pressure you to be misled. If you vote Kerry this November, make sure you find out what he represents. Make sure you're doing it because you believe in what he represents. Not what some big name like Michael Moore tells you to do or because MTV wants you to think you'll get laid if you vote for him. Do it because of your views. If you vote Bush this November, do so for the same reasons: your own.

If you vote for anyone this November do it because of what you believe, not who you want to impress.

And don't let anyone tell you you're not cool for being true to yourself.

Sticking to your convictions is VERY cool!

"Friends let friends vote according to their conscience."

THE BOOS THAT ROCKED THE VOTE: KERRY DAUGHTERS RECEIVE RUDE AWAKENING AT MTV AWARDS

08.30.04 (9:25 am)   [edit]

Shame on MTV for trying to brainwash the youth further and turn the VMA's into a political soapbox for MTV's agenda. Shame on them. And mad props to the youth who saw through it and thought for themselves!!!

Check out my Behind Enemy Headlines Column about MTV's dishonest program to get you brainwashed, entitled MTV and Your Vote: You're Being Duped!

---

THE BOOS THAT ROCKED THE VOTE: KERRY DAUGHTERS RECEIVE RUDE AWAKENING AT MTV AWARDS
Sun Aug 29 2004 23:36:31 ET

MTV, ROLLING STONE and the rock and roll establishment -- past and present -- have cast their vote, and their man is John Kerry.

So on Sunday night when John Kerry's daughters were announced to speak at the annual MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS, the MTV youth were expected to welcome his daughters as pop culture princesses.

Instead, in an era of the unexpected, the daughters of the Democratic candidate were met with cheers -- AND JEERS -- during the live broadcast in Miami.

From the moment Alexandra and Vanessa started speaking, the boos outweighed anything close to cheers, and the reaction turned worse when the daughters asked the VIACOM youth to vote for their father. So shocked by the reaction, the taller of the two daughters tried to 'shhhhhh' her peers to no avail.

Developing... http://drudgereport.com/kerrymtv.htm" title="http://drudgereport.com/kerrymtv.htm" target="_blank"http://drudgereport.com/kerry...

Study: Chocolate Improves Vessel Health 08.30.04 (9:12 am)   [edit]
[b][i]By EMMA ROSS, AP Medical Writer [/i][/b]

MUNICH, Germany - There's more good news for chocolate lovers. Scientists have found that eating dark chocolate appears to improve the function of important cells lining the wall of blood vessels for at least three hours.

The study, involving 17 healthy young volunteers who agreed to eat a bar of dark chocolate and then get an ultrasound, found that eating dark chocolate seemed to make the blood vessels more flexible, which helps prevent the hardening of the arteries that leads to heart attacks.

But experts cautioned that the weight gain from eating a lot of chocolate probably would cancel out the apparent benefit.

Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids, which act as natural antioxidants — chemicals that combat the damage oxygen does to the body. However, that does not mean that chocolate binges will ward off a heart attack, experts warn.

Cacao, the plant that chocolate comes from, has for centuries been used for everything from medicine to currency. Although enjoyed worldwide, until recently it was considered a treat that provided fat and calories but no substantial nutritional value.

Studies recently have indicated that it releases the happy chemical seratonin in the brain.

However, during the last few years, studies have suggested — much to the delight of chocoholics — that it is rich in flavonoids.

The latest study, conducted by cardiologists at Athens Medical School in Greece, set out to test whether chocolate affected the functioning of the so-called endothelial cells in the walls of the blood vessels, which are believed to be affected by oxygen damage and are considered a mirror of the overall health of the cardiovascular system.

The scientists, who presented their work Sunday at Europe's most important cardiology conference, gave 3.5 ounces of either dark, bittersweet, chocolate or fake chocolate to 17 healthy volunteers.

On another day, the volunteers were switched. They had no chocolate outside of the study, and investigators did not know what each volunteer ate during the study.

An ultrasound was taken of each volunteer's upper arm to see the functioning of the endothelial cells in the main artery. The cells accomplish their goal of controlling the stiffness of the blood vessel by secreting several active substances that regulate the flexibility of the vessel and influence clot formation.

"During the chocolate session, endothelial function was improved, whereas during the placebo day there were no such changes," the study concluded. "The favorable effects of dark chocolate lasted for three hours at least."

By improving the blood vessel flexibility in apparently healthy people, dark chocolate emerges as perhaps a power food, the scientists said.

"At this time, we do not know whether regular intake of dark chocolate or other cocoa beverages could result in a reduction of total cardiovascular" problems or death, the study said.

Experts warned against gorging on chocolate as a way to ward off heart trouble, reminding that excess calories lead to weight gain, which is a powerful trigger of heart problems. Any benefit to blood vessel flexibility would probably be wiped out by the danger of the weight gain, they advised.

Also, while antioxidants in theory help keep the heart healthy and looked promising in early research, recent rigorous studies investigating whether antioxidant pills such as vitamins A, C and E ward off heart attacks have shown them to be useless.

Dr. Michael Gibson, associate chief of cardiology at Harvard University-linked Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, said the chocolate study was "interesting."

"There are a few basic science reasons why this might be good, but keep in mind that antioxidants also improved forearm blood flow but that didn't necessarily pan out as an effective treatment," said Gibson, who was not associated with the study.

US official: 'Franklin is an idiot, but no spy'

08.29.04 (9:47 am)   [edit]
[b][i]By JANINE ZACHARIA AND ARIEH O'SULLIVAN, The Jerusalem Post[/i][/b]

WASHINGTON

The FBI is broadening its investigation into whether a mid-level Pentagon official in the Office of the Secretary of Defense passed classified material regarding internal policy deliberations on Iran to two staffers at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), who in turn provided the information to Israel.

According to the Los Angeles Times, a US official with knowledge of the case expressed doubts Saturday that Larry Franklin's alleged actions rose to the level of espionage. Instead, he said it was more likely that Franklin, who maintains close ties with Israeli officials, passed documents to Israel without knowing the seriousness of his actions.

"From everything I've seen, the guy's not a spy," the official told the LA Times. "The guy's an idiot." The Pentagon analyst could be charged with lesser offenses such as improper disclosure or mishandling of classified information. Or he could be exonerated, the official said.

Government officials told the New York TimesThe paper also reported that a government official who has been briefed on the investigation said FBI officials had earlier expressed an interest in interviewing two of Mr. Franklin's superiors, Douglas Feith, the under secretary of defense for policy, and Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy defense secretary, although there is no sign that they are a focus of the investigation. It could not be learned whether the FBI had decided to go ahead with those interviews.

According to the Washington Post, officials in the Pentagon say that it is not yet clear whether the case will develop into a charge of espionage, or whether investigations will result in lesser charges such as improper release of classified information or mishandling of government documents.

Sources in Jerusalem vehemently denied any Israeli espionage in the US, terming as an "internal US political story" reports that a mid-level Pentagon official is under investigation for allegedly passing classified material to AIPAC, which in turn allegedly passed it on to Israel.

Uzi Arad, a former senior official in the Mossad spy agency, said the allegations were leaked to hurt the pro-Israel lobby in Washington.

"The way it was reported, they pointed at people like Doug Feith or other defense officials who have long been under attack within the American bureaucracy," Arad told Israel Radio.

Larry Franklin, the alleged informant, worked as a mid-level Pentagon official in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Franklin had reportedly traveled to Israel a number of times, and spent a period of time during his service in the US Air Force Reserve in Israel working as a specialist in foreign political-military affairs.

Security sources in Israel confirmed Sunday morning that Larry Franklin, the suspected "mole" in the Pentagon, did in fact have work ties with Jerusalem, but declared that the relationship most certainly did not deviate from standard diplomatic contact, Israel Radio reported.

CBS Evening News led its broadcast Friday night saying the FBI has a "full-fledged espionage investigation underway" and that the FBI believes it has "solid evidence" that a "suspected mole" in the Pentagon "supplied Israel with classified materials that include secret White House policy deliberations on Iran."

Full story: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/...

Holocaust Memorial to Open in Oregon 08.29.04 (9:33 am)   [edit]
[i][b]By SARAH LINN, Associated Press Writer [/b][/i]

PORTLAND, Ore. - For years, Chella Kryszek had nightmares about the dark, crowded cattle cars that shuttled her from concentration camp to concentration camp as a Dutch Jew during the Holocaust.

She remembers stepping out of one such car in 1943 outside the notorious Auschwitz-Berkenau death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. Smoke and flames painted the sky and there was "a terrible smell," Kryszek said.

"We had arrived in hell," the 76-year-old Portland woman said. "There were no tears.... You could not cry because you were in shock."

Six decades after Kryszek's journey, and after 10 years of often-contentious planning, the Oregon Holocaust Memorial is set to open on Sunday, honoring the roughly 130 Holocaust survivors living in Oregon and southwest Washington.

The memorial, which is located in a quiet corner of Portland's heavily wooded Washington Park, is also dedicated to the local survivors' friends and relatives who were killed by the Nazis.

"This memorial, for us, means everything," said Kryszek, who, with the exception of her older sister, Flora, an aunt and two cousins, lost her family to the Holocaust.

Visitors first see a replica of a European town square, strewn with cast bronze artifacts representing what was left behind — a tattered teddy bear, a pair of broken eyeglasses.

A path of Belgian cobblestones leads to a 9-foot-tall stone wall bearing quotations from interviews with regional Holocaust survivors on one side, and the names of their lost relatives on the other.

On one end, buried beneath a 12 1/2-ton basalt boulder, is a vault filled with soil from the six major extermination camps used during the Holocaust.

"This is a public statement against hate and intolerance," said Lisa Kaner, chair of the Oregon Holocaust Memorial Coalition.

A group of survivors proposed the memorial a decade ago. Most were members of the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center, based at Pacific University in Forest Grove, which provides speakers to middle schools and high schools.

"Many (survivors) look at this as a way to fulfill some promises that were made to remember and to tell," said Fern Winkler Schlesinger, first vice president of the resource center. "In order to teach the lessons of the Holocaust — acceptance, respect, the need to work together — it really had to come now."

In 1995, the city designated 23,850 square feet as the site of the memorial. Some people in the adjoining Arlington Heights neighborhood opposed the idea at first, worried it would increase traffic and parking problems.

"It was more a question of land use" in a space once used for tai chi lessons and Easter egg hunts, said Doris Carlsen, a member of the Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association board.

She said the memorial's gray basalt-and-granite wall tends to cast a pall over the park.

"When you get up now to get the morning paper, the first thing you see is a memorial to the Holocaust," said Carlsen, who lives across the street from the site.

Local organizations and individuals donated most of the $1.5 million to build the memorial, Kaner said. The Annenberg Foundation provided a $400,000 grant.

One of the memorial's strongest backers is Portland Mayor Vera Katz, who escaped Nazi Germany as a young girl. She said she was drawn to the project because of Portland's reputation as a diverse, tolerant city.

"It just seemed immediately important to commemorate this uniquely evil historical event so that it's never forgotten," she said.

Laureen Nussbaum, a 76-year-old Holocaust survivor and a childhood friend of Anne Frank, is among those who opposed the plan.

"What happened over 50 years ago and thousands of miles away should not be the first concern here (in Oregon)," said Nussbaum. "Let's look what happened to the Japanese, to the Indians, to the blacks."

Remarks By President Bush at 'Ask President Bush' Event

08.29.04 (9:29 am)   [edit]
WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a transcript of remarks by President Bush give at the 'Ask President Bush' event earlier today --
Lima Senior High School
Lima, Ohio

1:36 P.M. EDT


THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. I've got a lot of work to do today. See, I'm here in Lima asking for the vote. (Applause.) I'm here to tell you I've got a reason to seek the presidency again. There is a reason to want to serve, and that's to keep the country safer and stronger and better. That's why I want to be your President. (Applause.)

And I believe you've got to get out amongst the people and ask them for the vote. So that's what we're doing here in Ohio on this Saturday. And thanks for coming. Thanks for giving me a chance to -- (applause.) We've got a -- I've got a different way of talking about what's on my mind and talking about our agenda. I've actually asked some of your fellow citizens to join me today to talk about what it means to own a business, or what it means to own a health savings account, what it means to -- what tax relief meant. It's a way of explaining why we have done the things we've done and what we intend to do to make sure this country is a strong country.

I want to talk a little bit about foreign policy. I want to talk about how to spread peace. And then I'm going to answer some of your questions, if you've got some. Before I do so, I want to tell you that I'm really proud of Laura. She is a wonderful wife. (Applause.) I was a lucky fellow when she said, yes. (Laughter.) She was a public school librarian when I asked her to marry me. She said, I'll marry you just so long as I don't have to give any speeches. (Laughter.) It's the only political promise I've ever broken. (Laughter.) And thankfully, I broke it. What a fabulous, articulate woman she is. She's a great mom, a wonderful wife. There's a lot of reasons why I think you ought to put me back in, but perhaps the most important one is so that Laura is the First Lady for four more years. (Applause.) She's working on her convention speech. I better get working on mine. (Laughter.)

I'm proud to be running with Dick Cheney. He is a really solid man. (Applause.) He is a -- I like to tease, I like to tease my Vice President by saying, you know, he's not the prettiest face in the race. (Laughter.) But I picked him because of his sound judgment, his expertise, and the fact that he can get the job done. That's why I picked Dick Cheney. (Applause.)

I appreciate my friend Mike Oxley. I call him Ox. (Laughter.) He's the congressman from this part of the world. He's a really good man. He's a great chairman of an important committee, he's a decent American. I appreciate you coming, Mike. (Applause.) I'd have thought you'd have gotten a better seat but, you know -- (laughter.) And standing with Mike is United States Senator Mike DeWine. He is doing a fine job for Ohio. (Applause.) He's got another fine senator serving with him in George Voinovich. Put him back in there for six more years; he's a good man to work with. (Applause.) Governor Taft is traveling today. Thank you for coming, Governor. Kenny Blackwell is with us. I'm honored you both are here. Appreciate you being here. (Applause.)

Carol Oxley -- (applause.) The superintendent of schools. Thank you for opening up this beautiful school to this dialogue we're having. And, more importantly, thanks for serving your community. You know, I like superintendents of schools, so much so that I picked a superintendent of the Harris County School System in Texas to be the Secretary of Education, Rod Paige. The reason why is I believe in local control of schools and I wanted somebody in Washington who understood all wisdom about education is not in the bureaucracies of Washington, it's actually found in the local communities of our states and cities. (Applause.)

I want to thank the Lima High Marching Band for performing. I'm honored that you're here. I appreciate it. (Applause.) I also want to thank the grassroots activists who are here. We have a duty in America to vote. One of the amazing facts about what is taking place in the world is the fact that there are over 10 million people who have registered to vote in Afghanistan. Now, think about that for a minute -- 10 million citizens have said, let me participate in democracy, after having lived under the clutches of a barbaric regime. (Applause.) It speaks to the power of liberty, doesn't it?

Now, we have a duty here to register to vote, as well. That's -- one of my purposes in taking this bus trip throughout Ohio is to remind citizens from all political parties, register. And do your duty, and vote. And I've got an idea who I think you ought to vote for, regardless of your political party. (Laughter.) But you ought to be participating in the system. And there are people here in this hall who are helping to register. And I want to thank you for it. I want to thank you for convincing your fellow citizens to do their duty.

We've got Becky Brown on the bus today. Becky is the one millionth volunteer for the Bush-Cheney campaign. Beck, congratulations for being the one millionth. She is -- (applause) -- she is from Miami County, Ohio. Our first stop was in Troy, Ohio. A little over 20,000 people came out to say, hello, I want you to know, which is pretty darn heartening. (Applause.) It's a good way to start your morning if you're looking for votes. (Laughter.)

But I do want to thank you. You can get on the Internet at GeorgeWBush.com. It's pretty easy to remember, not all that original, I must admit. (Laughter.) But it's a way where you can figure out how to help. And we need your help, is what I'm telling you. We need your help. We're going to carry Ohio again in 2004. (Applause.) Thank you all.

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thank you all. Thanks. That's what I'm here to tell you. I'm here to tell you, I've got the energy, the desire, the vision to serve this great country for four more years. That's what we're here to talk about. (Applause.)

You know, it's going to sound probably a little strange for me to tell you this, but I wouldn't be asking for the vote if I wasn't comfortable in telling you that this has been a fabulous experience for my family. It probably seems counter-intuitive, doesn't it? All the spotlight and the fish bowl and the pressure and the decision-making. But it's been great, it really has. And I am grateful and thankful that I've got a wonderful life and two fabulous daughters who are by my side during these moments in our nation's history. And it's been really a fascinating experience.

I have a deep desire to continue to rally the armies of compassion. See, the strength of this country is the hearts and souls of our citizens. We have a strong military, we'll keep it that way. (Applause.) We're the greatest economic engine in the world. And yet the true strength is the fact there are loving citizens in America who are willing to interface with somebody who hurts and say, I love you, brother or sister, what can I do to help you. (Applause.)

And this country of ours -- this country of ours -- it's very important to recognize that government is limited in its capacity to heal and help. Government can hand out money, but government cannot put hope in a person's heart or a sense of purpose in a person's life. And so one of the callings for the next four years is to continue to call upon those soldiers in the armies of compassion to help heal those who hurt.

The faith-based and community initiative which we've started in Washington is a vital part of helping change America one heart and one soul at a time. People often say, well, tell me about the faith-based initiative and why you've started it. Well, I'll tell you one reason why. Take, for example, a person who's hooked on drugs. Sometimes that person can get off drugs by a counselor, a kind of a psychological counseling -- sometimes it works. Sometimes, in order to get off drugs, it requires a change of heart. See, if you change a heart, you change a person's habits. (Applause.) And so therefore, if part of my job is to get the job done and solve problems, and a problem in our country is the fact that some people are hooked on drugs and alcohol, it seems to make sense to me to call in all aspects of American society to help save lives, including those programs based upon faith which change a person's heart. And so we ought to be welcoming all faiths into the compassionate healing of broken hearts in America, so everybody can realize the great promise of America, everybody in this country. (Applause.)

So when I'm talking about a better America, I'm talking about an America so everybody can realize the great promise of America, everybody in this country. So when I'm talking about a better America, I'm talking about continuing to rally the armies of compassion. I'm also talking about making sure everybody gets an education. I'm glad we're having this meeting in a school house. I was just with John Boehner. He's the Chairman of the Education Committee. He's from the district right down south of here. We changed the whole attitude about schools in America. See, when I got into Washington, I was convinced that too many children were just being shuffled through the schools grade after grade, year after year, without learning the basics. So I'm working with the Mikes who are here, and Boehner, and others, I said, look, let's increase funding to the extent we can afford it, but for the first time, why don't we ask a simple yet profound question: Can the child read? Why don't we start with that? Why don't we make sure -- (applause.)

I call it -- I call it challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations. You know what that means? It means when you believe certain children can't read and write, guess what's happens? It's exactly what happens. Certain children just get moved through the system. And guess who we're talking about? We're talking about inner-city kids; we're talking about children whose parents may not be able to speak English as a first language. It's so easy to quit on them.

That's not my vision or your vision of the future of this country. Our vision says, every child can learn to read, and we expect it. Therefore, in return for extra federal money, you measure. You show us. You tell us whether your curriculum is working. It's your choice to choose the curriculum, but I just want to know. As a man in charge of spending federal money, along with Congress, I want to know whether or not this money we're spending is making sense. And if we're not teaching the kids early enough to read, let's correct it early before it's too late. That's what we're talking about, about a hopeful America. And it's working. (Applause.) This program is working. By measuring, we know. And guess what's happening. By having high standards, local control of schools, extra money to help, the achievement gap in America is closing, because we measure -- that's how we know.

And there's more to do. I want a high school diploma to mean something. I want to make sure we emphasize math and sciences so the rising generation will have the skills necessary to compete in a global economy. We've got a lot to do on education. But a better America is to have the right vision and the right focus on how to improve public education for every single child. And that's exactly what this administration has done, and that's what we'll continue to do over the next four years. (Applause.)

A stronger America is an America in which people are able to find work. And, listen, I understand Ohio -- I've been here a lot and I will come back a lot. (Laughter and applause.) This economy of ours has recovered from recession, corporate scandal and attacks. And yet there are parts of your state that are lagging behind the national economy. I understand that. I understand that. Which means you better have somebody in office who has a plan to continue economic growth, a plan that says, here's how we're going to continue the momentum of the economy. And that's what I want to talk to you about. A stronger America is an America in which this economy continues to grow.

The role of government is not to create wealth; the role of government is to create an environment in which the entrepreneurial spirit can flourish, in which small businesses grow to be big businesses. (Applause.) That's why when we were in the recession that showed up at our doorstep after the Vice President and I got sworn in, I said to Congress, let's cut the taxes on the people, let's let them have more of their own money to spend, to save or invest. (Applause.) And it's working. It's working. The economy is strong and getting stronger. The national unemployment rate is 5.5 percent. That's lower than the average in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The economy is getting stronger. (Applause.)

A couple of things about the tax relief plan that will fit into some of our discussions with some of the entrepreneurs here. First of all, when it came to providing tax relief, remember how we did it. We said, if you pay taxes, you ought to get relief. It sounds pretty simple, but that's not always the way Washington does things. So we said, if you're paying taxes -- so, therefore, we reduced all rates, which was fair.

We also did some other things inside the code. We increased the child credit. Why? We want it easier for moms and dads to raise their children. (Applause.) We reduced the marriage penalty. (Applause.) Think about the logic of a tax code that penalizes marriage. It's backward. We ought to be encouraging marriage, not penalizing marriage in a tax code. (Applause.)

We helped small businesses a lot in the tax relief. For two reasons -- one, most small businesses in America are what's called an S corp or sole proprietorship. And they pay tax at the individual income tax level. See, here, a small business called an S corp, but their taxes are paid based upon the individual rates. And by far, most businesses in America are either of those two legal forms. And so when you reduce all rates, individual rates, you've got to make the connection -- it's important for the American people to understand we're really reducing the rates on small business owners. And that's important because most jobs -- most new jobs in America are created by small business owners. One reason our economy is coming back is because the small business sector is vibrant and strong. (Applause.)

The other thing we did is we provided incentive for small businesses to invest. And we'll talk to some small business owners that took advantage of the incentive program that said, if you invest you get a little tax break.

There's more to do to keep the economy going, and let me tell you right quick what I think we ought to be doing. First, one way to say this is that the best way to keep jobs here in America is to make sure America is the best place in the world to do business. (Applause.) I mean, if you want jobs here, it's got to be the kind of environment in which people are willing to risk capital. So what does that mean? It means we got to have tort reform. There's too many junk lawsuits that are making it hard for business owners to create jobs. (Applause.) That's one thing it means. (Applause.)

It's tough to get it done in Washington. The plaintiffs bar is one of the special interests that are hard to move, to be frank about it. That's why you need to put me back in there. I'm not afraid of them. I want to continue to push for legal reform that will help our businesses. (Applause.)

I'll tell you another area where we need legal reform, and that is in medicine. Too many junk lawsuits and frivolous lawsuits hurt our docs and hurt our patients. (Applause.) And that's an important issue. By the way, this is a national issue. It's a national issue because junk lawsuits and the defensive practice of medicine as a result of junk lawsuits run up our budgets. They run our VA budget, they run up our Medicare budget, they run up our Medicaid budgets. It's costly to the taxpayers. But more significantly, it's costly to the communities because docs are being run out of business.

Most people get their insurance through their businesses. Most -- and since most new jobs are created by small businesses, it seems like to me that good health policy focuses on the small business sector. Many small businesses are having trouble affording health care. It's a problem. It is an issue that we must deal with. One way to deal with that issue is through medical liability reform. Another way to deal with that issue is to use technologies in medicine to wring out excessive costs and to cut down on medical error. A third way to do so is to allow small businesses to pool risk across jurisdictional lines. That means a restaurant in Texas and a restaurant in Ohio can buy policy and -- with other restaurants around the country and spread risk across a greater number of employees so as to reduce the cost of health care to -- those are called, association health plans. (Applause.) That's what that's called. They're being resisted in Washington, D.C. But it's a mistake not to allow small businesses to be able to pool risk so they can afford insurance at the same discount that big businesses are able to afford insurance.

Another way to keep jobs here in America is to make sure we've got an energy policy. You see, if you want workers to be here, we better have a reliable and affordable supply of energy. Two years ago, I submitted a plan to the United States Congress that said, let's encourage conservation. Let's encourage research into how to make sure renewable forms of energy are more cost-effective -- that means corn, for example, or soybeans. (Applause.) It means -- look, we ought to be exploring the technology and the know-how to expand the use of ethanol.

Can you imagine, someday -- and I believe it's going happen -- someday a President is going to walk in and the ag-type advisor is going to say, hey, Mr. President, the corn crop is up, and now we're less dependent on foreign sources of energy. That's what I'm telling you. We also need to be using Ohio coal. We need to be using Ohio natural gas. If we want to keep jobs here, we've got to be less dependent on energy sources from overseas. (Applause.)

I'm winding down here.

AUDIENCE: Nooo!

THE PRESIDENT: No, no, I'm just getting started. Excuse me. (Laughter.) Getting cranked up. When people start dropping out on the front row, I'll quit. (Laughter.)

Let me talk about trade. That's a vital issue. And if we get it wrong, it's going to hurt jobs in America. My position on trade is this: First, we have opened up our markets for goods from overseas for a reason. It's not just me; other Presidents have done so, as well. The way the economy works is that if you have more products to choose from, you're more likely to get a better quality product at a better price. That's the way the economy works. So, therefore, when you open up your markets to foreign goods, it's good for U.S. consumers.

Now all I'm telling you on trade is that the policy ought to be saying, we've opened up our markets, you open up yours. See, that's the best trade policy. (Applause.) We treat you one way, you treat us the same way. And that's -- and we're making progress there. (Applause.)

Now, I've got tools at my disposal to call to account unfair trading practices and I'm using them, I'm using them -- without creating a climate of economic isolationism. See, it's so easy to say, we'll just isolate ourselves from the world, that's how we'll deal with unfair trade. That's a mistake, that's a big mistake. A lot of capital comes into the state of Ohio from overseas that employs people. But, as importantly, a lot of people in Ohio are selling goods overseas.

I'm going to tell you something. The farm economy is good here in this state. You might remember what it was like before I came in. Any farmers here? You remember, it wasn't so good. Well, one reason the farm economy around this country is strong is because we're selling soybeans to China, we're selling corn around the world. We've opened up markets. We can compete with anybody anytime, anyplace, so long as the rules are fair. (Applause.)

Let me talk about one other thing -- aspect about keeping jobs here in America. It's a very important aspect, and that is I believe we ought to have this concept of a lifetime of learning for all citizens. And let me tell you what that means. It means, first, get it right early. It means make sure the high school diploma means something. We're expanding Pell grants, by the way, to help low-income families afford college. We've added a million -- a million students on Pell grants since I've been the President, so we can get people going to college. But what I'm talking about, a lifetime of learning,


is to help workers gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st
century.

I'm a big believer of community colleges, and I'll tell you why. Community colleges are available around the state of Ohio and America, they're accessible. In other words, if you've got a desire to go, you can go. And they're affordable. Plus we're spending your federal money to help make it even more affordable. I mean, there's a lot of trade adjustment money that helps workers that might have lost a job as a result of trade policy. There is displaced worker money. In other words, we have made money at the federal level -- and I think it's money well spent, by the way -- to say to a worker, if you've lost your job, here is some help to go to a community college to gain new skills.

See, what's happening in a lot of parts of our country is that old jobs are leaving and there's new jobs being created, new higher-paying, better jobs, but there's a skills gap. And we've got to help people fill the skills gap. Let me be specific what I'm talking about.

The textile industry has lost jobs over the last couple of decades, particularly in the South. And yet, the health care industry is vibrant and strong. And so one of the programs that we put in place is to take -- is to help textile workers become nurses, or textile workers to become health care technologists.

I remember going to Mesa Community College in Arizona. And a lady stood up and she said, I was a graphic design artist for 12 years making X. And I went back to my Mesa Community College. She got a little help -- I think it was a Pell grant -- she got a little help from the government. She went back and got an associates degree. And she made more money in her new job in her first year than she made in her old job in the 12th year. See, when you go back and gain new skills, it makes you a more productive worker. And when you increase your productivity as a worker, not only does it help you meet the jobs that require new skill sets, but you make more money.

And so the challenge in this economy of ours is to grow it, but to make sure the workers have got the necessary skills. We can't make somebody go back to school. We can't say, we'll pass a law that says you're ambitious. But we darned sure can help with federal funding -- and we will, and we will. To keep jobs in America, we must provide workers with a lifetime of learning opportunity. (Applause.)

We've got Pat O'Connor with us. Ready? Give the man his mic. Pat O'Connor is the president of a small business. Name?

MR. O'CONNOR: Range Clean Manufacturing. I've got a couple of associates up there.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, you've got a couple associates up there. Now is your chance to tell him you need a pay raise -- (laughter) -- anyway.

First, let me start by telling you how he's organized. Or you can tell me how you're organized. S corp?

MR. O'CONNOR: We're an S Corp. In fact, talk about the tax break, it was actually two-and-a-half years ago I actually bought my father out from the company. He started the company 33 years ago.

THE PRESIDENT: I followed my father, too. (Laughter and applause.) Just cost me a little time. But other than that -- (laughter.) Go ahead.

MR. O'CONNOR: An S corp. And any of the profits flow directly down to the owner.

THE PRESIDENT: See, S corp means that when he has profit, he pays at the individual income tax rate. So when we're cutting tax on individuals, guess what? He got tax relief. I think it's important. You know why? How many people did you hire this year?

MR. O'CONNOR: We brought back six jobs from the Orient. We had a couple items that we're selling to Wal-Mart stores and we worked with our friends down in Bentonville to create a product that had better quality and better pricing and bring those jobs back to the United States. And we brought six jobs back to the United States. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: How many did you hire? I mean, how many people have you hired this year?

MR. O'CONNOR: We've hired 30 so far. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Thirty new workers. Look, part of the economic recovery is taking place right here in companies like this. It's -- 70 percent of new jobs are created because the entrepreneurial spirit is strong and people like Pat are hiring 30 here, 10 here, and that's what's happening. The small business sector of this economy, of this country, is leading the economic recovery.

Outlook? Surely it's not going to be dismal.

MR. O'CONNOR: I just sat down -- actually, funny you say that -- yesterday with our CFO looking at our pro forma for 2005. And we've got an aggressive, double-digit projection for sales increases. So we're looking at reinvesting more money in plant, equipment, people.

THE PRESIDENT: Good. Let me ask you a question. Investing. That's a word that you hear a lot of. What are you investing in, what are you buying? When you hear investing, they're investing in, generally, equipment, is that right?

MR. O'CONNOR: A great example is we bought a pretty substantial piece of equipment called a pick module.

THE PRESIDENT: Pick module, yeah. (Laughter.) It sounds like dental equipment. (Laughter.)

* * * *
THE PRESIDENT: Somebody has to make the pick module. So the tax really says to him, you invest, you get a little extra ticker on your tax relief. Right? So, in other words, we're trying to make -- we're trying to help influence his decision-making through good tax policy. So he says, okay, I'm going to buy a pick module. He's got to pick up the phone and order a pick module. Somebody has got to make it. And so when he makes the decision, I'm going to increase demand for capital goods because of the tax code, it helps somebody else find work. So that's what I want people to understand.

When we say tax relief makes a difference, we're affecting past decision- making. The tax code says, do something wise, because there's incentive to do so -- buy something. And he decided to do a pick module. More importantly, though, it makes his business more productive, I guess.

MR. O'CONNOR: You got it. Your tax breaks two years ago -- our CFO, Dave Link (phonetic) and I looked at the numbers -- since you and Cheney have taken the administration in office, we've made more money, more sales, paid more in wages, have paid more in taxes, and have pushed more dollars back into the company under this administration -- (applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: I appreciate that.

One other thing that's important to know -- and Pat may explain this, as well, but if he invests in new equipment, it makes his own work force more productive. The newer the equipment that he's got in his plant, not only the more efficient his company becomes, but the more productive his work force is. And I just told you that if you're a more productive worker, you make more money. So you read about productivity increases in America. A lot of it has to do with encouraging investment. A lot of it has to do with education. And a lot of it has to do with the modernization of plant floors, like Pat has done.

I appreciate you coming. I love the entrepreneurial spirit of America, don't you? (Applause.) Good job. (Applause.) There's nothing better. There is nothing better, is it, to be in an ownership society. Don't you love the idea of somebody saying, this is my business? How about the fact that home ownership rates in America are at an all-time high. More people -- (applause.) And it's a fantastic statistic. It is a fantastic statistic of our society. It means more people are opening up that front door, saying, welcome to my home. Come into my piece of property.

See, I love an ownership society. It's a hopeful society. It's a society that provides stability in times of change. An ownership society is one where people have a vital stake in the future of this country. And that's important. It's important for people to buy into the future of America. And when you own something, you have a -- you have this vital stake on how this country grows and develops.

We've got another owner with us, Rich Rudolph. Welcome. Appreciate you coming, buddy. Thanks for being here. (Applause.) You're not going to believe what this guy makes. They know -- they know you. (Laughter.) So does my old man. He knows you. (Applause.) Pork rinds. (Applause.)

Go ahead. Welcome.

MR. RUDOLPH: Thank you. Welcome here, as well.

THE PRESIDENT: I'm proud you're here. Tell us about your -- everybody knows your business. What a great marketer you are.

MR. RUDOLPH: Well, we make the best-tasting pork rinds in the world, my mother's recipe.

THE PRESIDENT: Fantastic. (Applause.) Are you listening to your mother?

MR. RUDOLPH: Well, most of the time.


THE PRESIDENT: Yes, see, you and I do - you and I do the same way. (Laughter.) My mother tells me, your mother tells you, and we listen most of the time. (Laughter.) How's your business?

MR. RUDOLPH: We've been booming. The high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets are helping. (Laughter.) Your dad helped a lot in '87, '88.

THE PRESIDENT: He's a pork rind man.

MR. RUDOLPH: Since your administration, we've added over 50 jobs.

THE PRESIDENT: Really? How about this year?

MR. RUDOLPH: We're right at above 30 this year.


THE PRESIDENT: You added 30 people. You heard one small business guy add 30, he's added 30. So when you hear these statistics, a lot of times the small business add-ons aren't showing up. But what you're seeing is the entrepreneurial spirit is strong. That's what people ought to be looking at when it comes to electing the President. How do you make sure the small business sector is growing? Are you investing at all?

MR. RUDOLPH: Absolutely. We invested last year over $3 million, this year, again, over $3 million.

THE PRESIDENT: That's great.

MR. RUDOLPH: And are putting that in to equipment to become more efficient, more competitive, and keep being the largest producer of pork rinds in the world.

THE PRESIDENT: Good. Yes, see, what he's telling you is -- (applause.) What did you buy, by the way? Pork scrapers. (Laughter.)

MR. RUDOLPH: We bought cooking equipment, packaging equipment, things that will make us more effective and look down in the future.

THE PRESIDENT: See, what he's telling you is, is that he wants to stay in business. If I'm working for that company, I'm saying, I want the person making decisions for this company to be making decisions necessary so I can keep my job. And so what he just said is, he said he's buying equipment so he can be more competitive. That's the kind of environment we want in America, an America where there's competition that -- and a tax code that encourages people to make the right decisions like they have in this important company, so that people have job stability.

And one of the reasons I've asked these small business owners to come is because they are -- it's just important to realize there are millions of people making decisions that affect how this economy grows. It's not the government that makes decisions. It's the individuals in the society making the decisions. And the government's job is to encourage decision-making that leads to job creation. And that's what we're here to talk about. (Applause.)

You know, I'll tell you -- I'll tell you -- looking at these two owners and knowing that they had purchased their businesses from family members reminds me of another part of the tax code that we have got to change, in my judgment, to enhance the entrepreneurial spirit. And that is, we've got to get rid of the death tax in America. (Applause.) You for that?

AUDIENCE MEMBER: All these kids are for that.

THE PRESIDENT: The whole family is for it. That's good.

You know, think about this. It's an old tax system. More and more wealth is being spread throughout our society. And now the government is saying they're going to tax you twice, while you live and pay your taxes. And then they're going to tax you after, when you die. We did pretty good about getting rid of the death tax. We got it on the way to extinction. Unfortunately, it pops back up to life in the year 2011. Another reason to put me in the office is because I'm going to continue trying to get rid of the death tax forever. for the sake of our farmers, ranchers and small business owners. (Applause.)

Appreciate you coming. Good job.

One of the interesting opportunities we have is through what I call health savings accounts. And we've actually got a health savings account owner here. One of the things I'll tell the American people is that whatever happens on health care reform, I will make sure that the patient and doctor are central to the decision-making process in health care, not bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.

It's an important philosophical difference in this campaign. And one way to encourage that is to encourage new products. And we've got an interesting product called a health savings account. These accounts will be very good for individuals and very good for small businesses. Many of the working uninsured work for small businesses. I would strongly suggest small businesses look at this product.

Scott Williams, with us right here today, in Lima, Ohio, is an owner of a health savings account. You want to try to explain how it works?

MR. WILLIAMS: It's pretty simple. It's a high-deductible health insurance program that I'm able to put savings away, pretax, to use for that deductible and keeps my premiums extremely low.

THE PRESIDENT: Okay, yes, let me see if I can help him here. He buys an insurance policy for catastrophic health care. In other words, the first $2,000, say, he is responsible for. Any health care costs above the deductible, or this, maybe $2,000, whatever your deducible is, the insurance company pays, which means your premiums you pay are really low compared to additional health care plan.

Tell us what your premiums were before you bought a health savings account.

MR. WILLIAMS: Right before I moved to Ohio, I was out in Kansas City. My wife had been a nurse. We just had a daughter. And she decided to go part- time as a nurse, and so we came off of her health program, and we -- right before we came here, we got our statement that said our insurance for the three of us was going to be about $1,100 a month.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, $1,100 a month. Now what do you pay?

MR. WILLIAMS: I pay $270. (Applause.)


THE PRESIDENT: So what he's done is -- we're not quite sure -- we're not quite through filling up his health care plan. We've got -- so far, we've got the insurance aspect. The cost per month has gone from $1,100 to $279. But he's obviously got to worry about the zero to $2,000. If the insurance kicks in at $2,000 and above, something has got to happen between zero and $2,000, which means you, essentially, self-insure, or your employer puts money tax- free into what they call a health savings account that you, then, earn money tax-free inside and you spend it tax-free. But it's your money, see.

So, go ahead. Does your employer put the money, or do you put it in?

MR. WILLIAMS: I work for a church, Church of the Nazarene -- I'm the youth pastor. I've got a couple of my kids here.

THE PRESIDENT: Good. Thanks for coming, guys. It's pretty cool. Right in front of national TV. There he is. (Laughter.)

MR. WILLIAMS: And it's great because -- they add an additional $600 a quarter in there for me, which covers everything if I want to get over-the- counter medications, to going to the dentist, to doctors visits. They will -- I just send my receipt -- my bills into them, and they write them a check out of that savings account. And it's all pre-tax dollars.

THE PRESIDENT: If he doesn't spend the money in his savings account, it's his. And it rolls over the next year, tax-free. And so what this does is -- think about what -- think about the different kind of system this is. It's an interesting system, isn't it? It says, first of all, it's up to you to make good choices with your body, because if you do, if you make good choices, if you live a healthy life, you save money. It's your money. You see it grow.

Secondly, as you make decisions, you're making the decisions, not a bureaucrat somewhere else. It's your decisions to make. You just heard him. He said, he's going to go and try to buy -- he gets the price, all of a sudden. It matters. It starts to matter whether somebody is going to charge him more money. If you've got somebody who's writing the check, like the old insurance system, who cares what the price is, right. Just as long as your premiums seem to seem reasonable, but they keep creeping up year after year.

What I'm telling you is, here's a product that enables the doctor and the patient to be central to the decision-making process, a product he calls his own, see. He takes this with him wherever he goes. It's his for life. And it's earning money tax-free, plus it covers major medical expenses for him. Listen, I'm telling you to look into these things. And I want our small business owners who are out there to take a look, to take a look at this kind of system to help you provide your employees insurance. Plus, guess what happened when we had the tax cut? His family saved $1,100 in tax relief. (Applause.) Isn't that right?

MR. WILLIAMS: Yes. I didn't mention a second ago, but my premium is that much lower, and I've added a son. And so --

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, congratulations.

MR. WILLIAMS: Thank you.


THE PRESIDENT: Child credit -- raising that child credit helps. (Laughter.) So look, he's got $1,100. You know what my theory on government


is? We meet priorities and then let the people spend their own money. They
can spend it far wiser than the federal government can. (Applause.)

What did you do with your tax relief?

MR. WILLIAMS: Because my wife stays home, it allowed us to keep her home more. It just, literally, let her stay home with our kids.

THE PRESIDENT: Made you -- let's you make more choices. See, part of government has got to empower people to make more choices, to give people -- stand beside, side-by-side with people, not be so onerous with people that it makes it difficult to realize dreams. The tax relief was a vital part of not only helping this economy recover, but the reason I asked Scott here, it's a part of a philosophy that says, we trust people with their own money. We think Scott can spend that money better than the federal government can spend his money. (Applause.)

Thanks for coming.

MR. WILLIAMS: Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Jodie Arnold. Jodie Arnold is a physical therapist. I said, I kind of feel a little stiff here, you know? (Laughter.) After all, I am 58. She works part-time. Her husband, Brian, is the varsity football coach.

MS. ARNOLD: And, unfortunately, they had a rain-out last night and he had to play today.

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming.

MS. ARNOLD: Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Let's hope he wins.

MS. ARNOLD: Yes, me too.


THE PRESIDENT: The reason I asked Jodie to come, representing Brian, is see it's important to put tax relief in the context of individuals. She and her husband saved $1,700 in tax relief, because of the tax relief, in 2003 and 2004. That's like $1,700 more dollars in their pocket on an annual basis. I know in Washington, that may not sound like a lot. I'm not a lawyer, so you'll probably accuse me of leading the witness, but did it matter to you?

MS. ARNOLD: The money made a huge difference. We got that money back right after I had my second child, Addison. I was home a week on maternity leave, and we were able to use that money to put a new roof on our home. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: And I asked her, I said, did you hire a roofer? Did you hire a roofer? And she said, only after I figured out Brian couldn't get the job done. (Laughter.) But somebody had to show up to do the work. That's how the economy works. There's an additional amount of demand in our economy in their household because they had a little extra money in their pocket. And so she calls, send me a roofer. The roofer is working. The roofer has now got a better future. That's how the economy works.

People have got to understand that. When we're talking -- you hear all the rhetoric, you know, in the campaign. Oh, they're taxing the rich -- I mean, they're giving breaks to the rich. Here's who is getting the tax breaks, folks -- $1,700 is making a big difference in her life. (Applause.)

Now that you've got the floor, you need to say anything? Guess what? She refinanced her home, too. That was positive. Things are looking up for the American consumers. And here's the issue -- want to say something?

MS. ARNOLD: I just want to say that with refinancing our house, we were able to drop our payments $150 a month and also take 10 years off of our loan, as well, and that's a big difference.

THE PRESIDENT: That's great. Thanks, you did great. (Applause.) Makes it affordable for her home.

And here's the issue, is that if we don't act, taxes are going to go up on these people, because much of the tax code we passed, much of the tax relief we passed was done on a temporary basis. The child credit goes down, the marriage penalty goes up, the 10-percent bracket we created goes away, and so the fundamental question is, do we raise taxes on the American people or do we keep them low? I believe we ought to keep taxes low. Congress needs to hear from you. (Applause.) And the way you keep taxes low is you make all the tax relief we passed permanent. You don't let it go away. You're not raising the money on the people. (Applause.)

See, I'm going to go walking around the country, riding around the country in a bus. I'm going to remember Jodie, and I'm going to remind the people in -- I don't need to remind those members of Congress; there are some others we need to remind -- if you've we don't act, you're running up her taxes. You heard what she said. She said, we're able to refinance the home, I'm more comfortable owning my home, I made some home improvements. If her taxes go up, it's less like she's going to make those decisions.

If we start running up the taxes on these small business owners, it's less likely they're going to be making investment decisions. So when you hear me talking about keeping taxes low, I hope you're getting a better feel for why I am. And it's a campaign issue. We're out there, we've got two months to go, and my opponent has already put out about $2 trillion worth of new promises. And we haven't come down to the big promise period in politics yet. That's $2 trillion. So I said, how are you going to pay for it? And he said, well, I'm going to tax the rich. Now, we've heard that before in politics. The rich dodge and you get stuck with the bill. But we're not going to let him tax you, because we're going to win the election in November of '04. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Okay, hold on.

I need to talk about peace. I need to talk about how to make this world a peaceful place. I never thought I was going to be a war President when I campaigned in 2000 in Ohio and around the country. You know, it's just something that I never thought about. And then all of a sudden, I became one because of one day. And I want to share with you some lessons of September the 11th. And they are vital lessons, and they're lessons that I believe this country should never forget, because the most solemn duty of government is to protect the people.

First, we are in a war. It's a different kind of war. It's a war that -- it's a war in which the enemy is an enemy that has a dark ideology that is opposite of what we believe in America, is the best way to put it. If you don't agree with them, you get whipped in public squares. If you don't agree with them, you'll be killed. They don't believe in human freedoms. They don't believe you can worship freely the way you see fit. They have a single point of view. I believe they've hijacked a great religion. I don't believe they are religious people, because religious people don't kill the innocent. Religious people don't behead people.

The nature of this enemy -- it's important to understand the nature of the enemy -- they are cold-blooded. You cannot negotiate with these kind of people. (Applause.) It doesn't do any good to try to hope for the best with them. They are patient, they are determined, and they must be defeated by being resolute and strong and never wavering. (Applause.) Our strategy is clear: We will stay on the offense. We will defeat them elsewhere so we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)

Secondly, we will work to spread liberty around the world. And I'll talk to you about that in a minute. So the first lesson is, know your enemy. And once you fully understand the enemy, it drives policy. And these are people that will behead somebody and get on TV and brag about it, hoping to shake our will, because we're decent people. We're loving people. We've got a conscience. They don't. And therefore, there must be a steadfast resolve.

Secondly, any time America says something, we better mean it, for the sake of peace. And when we speak -- (applause.) When this country speaks, we better mean what we say, in order to make sure that there is a firm resolve.

By the way, I forgot to mention one other aspect. Once you figure out the nature of the enemy, and know that they hide in caves and dark resorts (sic) of the city, it requires a universal effort to find them. And we put together a universal effort. I mean, we got intelligence-sharing which is strong and good. We've got people trying to cut off their money. We've got law enforcement looking for them, and we're using our military to find them, too. We're going to use all assets to run these people down. There's no need to hold back, we will chase them down. (Applause.)

The second aspect of the war on terror is, because they can lurk and hide, it's important to say to those who might provide them safe harbor, if you harbor them, if you provide them safe haven, you're just as guilty as they are. That was -- I said that, and I meant that. (Applause.) I first said that when I was talking about Afghanistan. You might remember that Afghanistan was the safe haven for these people. They went in there, and the Taliban was running the country. This is a group of people that didn't even let young girls go to school. They'd take their mothers out in the public square and whip them if they thought they were kind of out of line. They were barbarians as far as I was concerned. And al Qaeda came in there and became a parasite. They kind of got inside their country and they trained thousands of people.

And right after we got attacked, I said, listen, you're harboring them; give them up, or face serious consequences. I meant every word I said. And they didn't, and we have removed the Taliban from power. (Applause.)

America and the world are safer because Afghanistan is a rising democracy. I told you there's 10 million people have registered to vote. That's amazing. Do you remember four months ago -- I'm telling you about the power of liberty -- four months ago, they pulled those poor ladies off the bus, the voter registrars, the Taliban did, and killed them because they were working on the vote. A lot of people said, gosh, this is going to be a dim day for democracy, it's going to intimidate people. The power of liberty cannot be stopped. It is a powerful, powerful part of the soul of every citizen. Ten million people have registered to vote for their presidential elections coming this October. Think about the change.

I was in Cleveland and the Children's International Games. I'm giving a speech to welcome them there, the children from around the world, and there's the Afghan girls soccer team. Man, I nearly broke down in tears, taking a look at those young girls there. (Applause.)

Liberty is important. It's important to be proud of the fact that we have freed them, but in so doing, we've made ourself more secure. That's what the American citizens must understand. By securing ourself, we're helping others realize the great freedoms of the world. And freedom is peace. Free societies aren't going to harbor al Qaeda. Free societies aren't going to breed resentment. Free societies are peaceful societies.

The third lesson of September the 11th is we must deal with threats before they fully materialize. When we see a threat overseas -- (applause.) You know, prior to September the 11th an American President wouldn't say that, necessarily, because we thought oceans protected us. We were -- we've lived for a long time before there was an attack on America the likes of which we saw. Pearl Harbor I guess was the last significant attack like that. And we felt, gosh, we're pretty well immune from threats. And sure enough, we aren't. And it's a vital lesson. It's a tough lesson for a country that felt protected for a long period of time, but it's a lesson we cannot forget. So when we see a threat, we must deal with it.

The last option for the President must always be the military option. The last option before a President makes the difficult decision to put somebody in harm's way is the military. And so, therefore, I tried diplomacy. I wanted to solve this threat diplomatically. I felt like we could, maybe, pull the world together and convince Saddam Hussein to disarm. I saw a threat -- let me tell you why I saw the threat. Let me just review the history right quick. This guy had actually used weapons of mass destruction before. Secondly, he was a sworn enemy of America. You might remember during that period of time, he was shooting at American airplanes that were enforcing sanctions. Thirdly, he harbored terrorists. Zarqawi was in and out of this country. Remember Abu Nidal? He's the guy that killed Leon Klinghoffer because he was Jewish? He found safe haven in Iraq. In other words, terrorist groups were in this guy's country. He paid the families -- he subsidized the families of suiciders who may go blow somebody up, generally, an American or a Jewish person, Israeli. He'd pay them. That's terror. He killed thousands of his own citizens. I mean, this guy was a threat.

And so I went to the United Nations, and I remember standing up there in New York City, and I said, this guy's a threat. And you've passed a lot of resolutions before; why don't we pass one that means something to make the world a safer place and to protect us. In a post-9/11 -- (applause.) In the post-9/11 environment, we have to take the man seriously.

And so we went to -- we went to the U.N. and I -- we also went to the Congress, by the way. Members from both political parties looked at the same intelligence I was looking at. They had the same memory I had of Saddam Hussein. They voted overwhelmingly to say that Saddam Hussein was a threat, and authorized the use of force, including the man I'm running against for President. He voted, "aye," when it came to say, I see a threat, you can use force. (Applause.) He looked at that same intelligence, and so did the U.N., and they voted 15 to nothing in the U.N. Security Council. And here's what they said. They said, disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences. That's what the -- basically the resolution said. The United States of America, under my instruction, voted, "aye." We said, you bet, disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.

He refused to disclose. He basically ignored the demands of the free world. He had done this, by the way, for over a decade. We had tried diplomacy long before I arrived. And he said, I'm not interested. He was hoping the world would turn a blind eye. He was hoping we would look the other direction.

And then when we sent inspectors in -- I agreed, I thought the inspectors made sense to go in there. I want to try to solve things peacefully before we ever commit troops. He systematically deceived the inspectors. And that was clear, and that's been documented. In other words, all we're saying is, show us what you've got. And he said, no way.

So I had a choice to make, a choice that only comes to the Oval Office. The choice was whether to trust a madman who hated America and forget the lessons of September the 11th, or take action necessary to do my duty and defend this country. Given that choice, I will defend America every time. (Applause.)

Thank you all. A couple other points. We did not find stockpiles of weapons we all thought we would. Saddam Hussein had the capability of making weapons of mass destruction. He could have passed that capability on to an enemy. It is a risk that we could not afforded to have taken after 9/11. Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same decision. (Applause.) The world -- the world is a safer place. The world is a safer place with Saddam Hussein sitting in a prison cell.

And now we're doing the hard work. And now we're doing the hard work of helping Iraq and Afghanistan become democracies. And that's one of the interesting parts of this debate, is can they become democracies. I believe they can. I believe that liberty and the desire for liberty has the power of transforming societies. Tell you one reason I believe that. I've -- I was sitting down with my friend Koizumi. He's the Prime Minister of Japan. You know, it wasn't all that long ago in the big scheme of things, in the long lineage, in the long time frame of history, that my dad and your dads were fighting the Japanese as a mortal enemy. It wasn't all that long ago. And here I am having dinner with this fellow and we're talking peace. We're talking about how to work together to make the world a more peaceful place.

See, what happened after World War II, my predecessor and others said that liberty can transform an enemy into a friend, that freedom has got the capacity to take a group of people with whom we have fought, viciously fought, and transform an attitude into one that was hostile to peaceful. (Applause.) It's a part of history we must never forget in this country. And so here I am, sitting with Prime Minister Koizumi, talking about how to deal with Kim Jong- il, the North Korean tyrant, how best to surround him with nations saying the same message, to get rid of his nuclear weapons programs.

Now, I'm telling you something. I believe that liberty can transform lives, and I believe people want to be free. And I believe, if given a chance, people long for freedom. That's what I believe. It's a core of my belief system. I'll tell you why I believe it. I believe that freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman on this Earth. (Applause.)

So our policy in Afghanistan and Iraq is to provide enough security so the political process can get going, so they can have the 10 million people vote in Afghanistan. It's been three years since they were run by the barbaric people called the Taliban. Iraq is going to have elections next January. Imagine the transformation of a society.

I'll tell you another story real quick, now that I've got you here. (Laughter.) I may just say this next week -- it's a powerful story. So I'm in the Oval Office. The Oval Office is the kind of place where people stand outside the door saying, I can't wait to get in and tell him what for. And they walk in, open up, and they go, man, you're looking pretty, Mr. President. (Laughter.) It's a powerful place. The only person not affected that way has been my mother. (Laughter.)

The door opens up and in walks seven Iraqi men, all of whom had their right hands cut off by Saddam Hussein, and an X carved into their foreheads -- because the dinar, the Saddam dinar, had devalued and he was looking for scapegoats. I asked the one guy, why you? He said, I was a small business guy, small businessman. He wasn't making pork rinds; he was making jewelry. He needed to sell dinars in order to buy another currency to be able to buy the gold to make his jewelry. And he did so, unfortunately, when the dinar started to devalue, and this thug was looking for a scapegoat. And they pulled these seven guys out -- in order to justify his currency devaluation, I guess, in his own mind, they chopped these guys' hands off.

And so they walk into the Oval Office. The good news was that Marvin Zindler, a Houston newsman, and others provided money for them to get new hands. (Applause.) And they're coming to see me. And it was an unbelievable, incredibly emotional moment, because the contrast between a society in which somebody can summarily cut off a hand, and a society in which people are willing to restore hands was vivid and real. These guys understand the stakes about what it means to live in a free society. They told me, they said, we long for freedom. And if just given a chance, they will -- our strategy is to help Iraq move toward a free society. Our strategy is to help train Iraqis so that they can stand up and defend themselves against the few, the tyrants, the terrorists, those with dark vision, so that they can stand up against them and defend themselves, and that's what you're seeing.

What you're seeing is a strategy that's working; a strategy that recognizes the power of liberty to transform societies; a strategy that says people do want to be free, and a strategy that says, people are willing to stand up and defend their freedom.

Prime Minister Allawi, who is now running Iraq, is a tough, strong guy who believes in the aspirations of the Iraqi people. He's a guy who one night woke up in London and saw a -- people with an axe try to axe him to death -- and Saddam had sent him. And the axe hit his wife and it really severely affected her. But he's a guy who saw firsthand what it means. And now he's in the midst of that country saying, follow me, we're headed to democracy. (Applause.)

A free and peaceful Iraq is going to be the kind of place where a tyrant can't summarily cut somebody's hand off. And some day an American President is going to sit down and talk to a duly-elected official from Iraq, talking about how to keep the peace in a volatile part of the world. And he or she as President is going to say, thank God my predecessor and the American people had great belief in liberty to transform the world.

I want to make two other points and then I'll answer questions. Then I've got to get on the bus.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: God bless you, Mr. President!

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. He has.

Two other points. I want to emphasize again, free societies are peaceful societies and freedom in the heart of the Middle East is going to serve a powerful example for Palestinians who are wondering whether or not there's a - - a free state can emerge. And that's important. That's important, especially for our ally and friend, Israel, that there be a peaceful state grow up. A peaceful Iraq and Afghanistan serve as powerful examples. There's a lot of people in that part of the world who are watching us like hawks. They want to know whether or not we're willing to live out our beliefs. There are reformers -- there are women in the Middle East who want to hear their -- have their voices heard and to realize their potential. No, it's important for America to lead and to lead with our values.

The second thing I want to tell you is I want to thank the military people who are here. I want to thank the military families, and I want to thank -- (applause) -- and I want to thank our veterans who have served as such a great example. Thank you all. (Applause.) The loved ones need to hear from the Commander-in-Chief. We will continue to work to make sure your loved one has all the resources necessary to do his or her job. (Applause.)

That's an issue in this campaign. It's an issue in this campaign. By the way, I have fulfilled my pledge. We have the largest defense increase since Ronald Reagan was the President. Military pay has gone up 21 percent over the last three years. Military housing is improving. (Applause.) When we had our troops in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, I went to the Congress and said, look, we need $87 billion additional dollars to support them in their mission. This is important money. It was body armor and spare parts and fuel and ammunition, that which you expect to maintain a military operation. It was necessary. And we got great bipartisan support. I was very impressed by both Republicans and Democrats who strongly supported it. As a matter of fact, the bipartisan support was so strong that only 12 members of the Senate voted against it, two of whom are my opponent and his running mate. It's a difference in the campaign.

When you're out there rounding up the vote, I think it's important to remind people of the facts. So they pressed him. They said, why did you do? He said, well, I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it. (Laughter.) That's not the way they talk here in this part of Ohio, I don't think. (Applause.)

I'll support our troops. I met with a lot of moms and dads and wives and husbands of people who have lost their life in Iraq. And I told them this, I said, I want you to know that history will look back upon the actions that your loved one has taken in a way that will be powerful for your family members because we're changing the world. The sacrifices that they made not only helped make America more secure, but it helped spread the peace. And the best way to honor the memory of those loved ones is to complete the mission, is to not grow weary, it's to not tire, it's to be resolute and strong in our belief that we will succeed. (Applause.)

I'm here to tell you, I want to be your President. I know where I want to lead the country. I have the energy to lead the country. And I want to thank you for your help in helping we win four more years. God bless. (Applause.)

Let me answer some questions. All right, we've got a little more work to do. Then I'm going to get on the bus. I'll be glad to answer some questions. We've got five or six more minutes.

Yes, sir. Yell her out.

Q: I would very much like to thank you on behalf of all of the people from the Right to Life. (Applause.) I also want -- that people would like to know I'm a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. And Mr. Kerry and Edwards have got F minuses, and they said, you're the only man.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you.

Q: And also, too, that I'm really sorry, on your behalf, of the fact that they're trying to bring this issue up about the National Guard. I have many, many good friends that served in the Guard during the highlight of the Vietnam War. (Applause.) And they -- there is eight of them that are changing parties because they've had it with the Democrats, and they said that they owe us an apology. And Mr. President, what military branch did Mr. Clinton serve in? (Laughter.) Exactly,

THE PRESIDENT: Okay, never mind. Okay. (Applause.) Look, thank you. I appreciate your strong defense. I'm proud of my service. The question is who best to be the Commander-in-Chief to lead us to peace. That's the question. The question in this campaign is who understands what it takes to defend America during these troubling times. That's the real issue. I've just explained to you my position. I hope everybody is listening out there. They'll be able to make up their mind about who best.

Let me talk about guns right

DMB concert! WOOO!

08.27.04 (8:50 am)   [edit]
So last night I attended the Dave Matthews Band live and in concert and it was sooo frikkin' awesome!!

This was my second time going to see DMB (I went last summer) and (even though this time they didn't play 'two step') I think this show was way awesome!

He played at least 4 new songs that I'd not heard before. I'm a hard core fan (They're my favourite band of all time, I have all their albums, etc...) so for me this was pretty awesome getting to hear some new material live.

We almost didn't make it in time because of the traffic due to road construction. It was so infuriating. We were an hour late to the show. Fortunatly, since there were so many people having the same problem we did with the road construction, they delayed the main attraction so that everyone could get their money's worth. That was really great.

I don't remember who the opening band was because by the time we got there, they had already been on stage and gone. We got there just in time to grab a margherita and find our seats.

Now the seats, what was awesome. We were right above the pit so it was easy to see everything!

By the way, here's the set list from last night:

#41
Joy Ride
One Sweet World
Best of Whats Around
Crazy Easy
Fool To Think
Hello Again
Everyday
The Stone
Sugar Will
Drive In Drive Out
Typical Situation
Crash
When The World Ends
Too Much

(encore) Rapunzel

I thuroughly enjoyed myelf last night! :)

=http://members.lycos.nl/roadn...%20Matthews%20Band%20Roll ing%20Stone%20Cover.jpg

You gotta love the Dave! :wink:

New Glasses --> PICS! :)

08.26.04 (1:50 pm)   [edit]
So I got new glasses. Thank heavens for Wal-Mart. :P They don't really look much different than my last pair. They're black instead of brown plastic frames so I like them a lot better in that respect. It adds less of a redish contrast to my face (something I have a lot of) and kind of cools down my colouring.

I'm so happy with them (and the clearer vision they provide) that I thought I'd post a pic here. :)




So wutcha think? I think I'm going to keep it posted up here!

Gal Fridman wins Israel's first gold 08.26.04 (12:09 pm)   [edit]
[i]Gal Fridman's gold medal Wednesday in windsurfing becomes a shiny chapter in Israel's somber Olympic history

[b]By MICHELLE KAUFMAN mkaufman@herald.com[/i][/b]

ATHENS - Windsurfer Gal Fridman swears he felt all of Israel -- and the 11 Israeli athletes killed by terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics -- pumping his board for him on a brilliantly sunny Wednesday afternoon. ``As if I was somewhere else, and the board was moving by itself in the final meters.''

When he crossed the finish line and realized he had just won Israel's first gold medal in any sport, he wrapped himself in the Israeli flag and plunged into the water, his tears mixing with the salt water of the Saronic Gulf.

More tears would come six hours later during the waterfront medal ceremony, when several hundred Israelis packed a gulf-side arena and belted out HaTikvah (The Hope) as the Israeli flag rose to the top of the middle flagpole. Fridman, whose first name means ''wave'' in Hebrew, was mobbed by fans afterward, and security guards had to escort him to safety.

''I didn't expect to see so many Israeli people, it was amazing,'' said Fridman, 28, who won a bronze medal in Atlanta. ``I feel inside the happiness of my country. I sang the anthem as loud as I could, but nobody could hear me because everyone was screaming.''

Fridman's victory is a happy chapter in what has been a somber Olympic history for Israel, and he said he knows exactly what he will do with his medal when he returns home. He will take it to the memorial for the murdered 11 Olympians, and ``show it to them, to show they are always with us, to show that we have moved on, and that we are winning.''

The victory over Greek Nikolas Kaklamanakis reached far beyond sports. Israel had won one silver and three bronze medals in 12 previous Olympics, and Ariel Zeevi won a bronze last week in judo, but this gold medal meant so much more.

''A lot of people in Israel will cry, and for a change, the tears will be for a good reason,'' said Fridman's younger brother, Yuval, who jumped into the water and celebrated the victory with Gal. ``This medal will lift our spirits as a country. It is very important for the world to see that there is not only fighting in Israel, that it is a very nice country with quiet places and good people and sportsmen, and not only what you see on television.''

To understand just how significant Fridman's victory is to Israel, one needed only to see the pained expression on the face of Oded David Kramer, a columnist for the daily Yediot Aharanoth, who was having a hard time coming up with words special enough for this story.

''I am sitting here two hours, staring at my blank computer screen and I don't know where to begin,'' Kramer said. ``This is the most important story I've ever written, and I'm supposed to be the man with words, and I cannot find the words. You see, Israel only knows how to suffer. We don't know how to be happy. Every time we have a happy day like this, it is a victory over terrorism and the suffering that dominates our lives.

``This is anything but a gold medal story. This is about Israel trying to be a normal country, just once. We have 5,000 years of history in Israel, and this is a day that will be remembered. I will be able to tell my children I was here while this happened.''

Fridman's race was huge news in Israel. Businesses and government offices took a break from 1 to 3 p.m. to watch the race, which was broadcast live. Israelis from Haifa to Jerusalem to Tel Aviv ran into the streets to celebrate. And the afternoon news bulletin, which usually leads with terrorist attacks, led with Fridman and made only a brief mention of world news.

Limor Livnat, Israeli minister of sport and education, was overwhelmed during the anthem. ``We are such a small country with so many troubles to get through in our lives, the terror, the economic situation, so it is a great day when we show we can make it in the sports field like other countries.''

That sliver of gold is also a message to terrorists, Kramer said -- that Israel will not give up. ''We in Israel don't talk too much about the 11 [who were killed in 1972], but it is always in our minds . . . ,'' Kramer said. ``But this medal proves that life goes on, that we are still competing, and that terrorism will not prevail.''

Three Indicted in Raising Funds for Hamas 08.21.04 (7:52 pm)   [edit]
[b][i]By The Associated Press [/i][/b]

A look at the three men charged with financing terrorist activities in Israel:

_Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, 53, is deputy chief of the Hamas Political Bureau. The U.S.-educated Abu Marzook holds a Ph.D. in industrial engineering and lived in the United States for 15 years, in Louisiana and Virginia. In 1995, he was detained by U.S. authorities on suspicion of involvement in terrorism. He was expelled to Jordan, and later sent by Jordan to Syria. He lives in Damascus and is considered a fugitive from U.S. justice.

_Muhammad Hamid Khalil Salah, 51, is a naturalized U.S. citizen who lives in Bridgeview, Ill. He was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Jerusalem and moved to Chicago in 1970, where he studied chemical engineering. He pleaded guilty to helping funnel $650,000 to Hamas in 1995 and served five years in an Israeli prison. Salah returned to the Chicago area and worked at City Colleges of Chicago's Olive-Harvey College, but was fired last year for not disclosing his Israeli conviction. Salah was arrested Thursday night.

_Abdelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar, 46, of Alexandria, Va., originally is from the Palestinian West Bank. He entered the United States as a graduate student at the University of Mississippi in the 1980s and later worked as a business professor at Howard University in Washington. He earlier was indicted on charges of criminal contempt for refusing to testify before a Chicago grand jury investigating fund-raising activities on behalf of Hamas. Ashqar was arrested Thursday night.

Brazil President Condemns Anti-Semitism 08.21.04 (7:49 pm)   [edit]
SAO PAULO, Brazil - President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a petition Friday condemning anti-Semitism and its resurgence and calling for the U.N. General Assembly to adopt a resolution denouncing anti-Jewish acts.

The petition was signed in Brazil's capital, Brasilia, during Silva's meeting with Israel Singer, the chairman of the World Jewish Congress. The New York-based organization is campaigning to get world leaders to sign the petition and support a resolution condemning anti-Semitism at its general assembly next month.

"It was the first time ever that a Brazilian president signed an official declaration condemning anti-Semitism," Rabbi Henry Sobel of Sao Paulo's Jewish Congregation said by telephone. Sobel was part of the 13-member delegation accompanying Singer.

For Singer, the meeting with the Brazilian president was "an historic victory in our ongoing global struggle against anti-Semitism," according to a statement issued by the organization in New York after the meeting with Silva.

"President Lula's (as Silva is often referred to) support on behalf of his country will no doubt have reverberations throughout the region and around the world," Singer's statement said.

Why Kerry's Vietnam Record Doesn't Matter To Me

08.20.04 (10:35 am)   [edit]
I remember I was in highschool. I was in 11th grade and talking to my US Hist teacher, Mr. Burkett. Mr. Burkett (or Gary) had faught in the Vietnam War. His story was very unique. He had lost his family to a car accident before the war started. His wife and child both died. He was not in the car and was crushed when he learned of the tragic news. He wished he could have been there. He wished he'd died too.

Broken hearted and depressed, Mr. Burkett enlisted to go to Vietnam. He wanted to die. Once there, he was assigned to swiftboats and marches in the jungle. One of his friends was squired alive by a metal pike that was put out by the vietkong to slow down U.S. soldiers. They guy was standing right next to Mr. Burkett when it happened. He lost his leg.

All throughout my mentor's time in Vietnam, he was shot at, targetted, and well in his words "should have died". There were some things he never told me about and would get too emotional when we would talk after school and he'd help me with my homework. I'd often see tears in his eyes.

Eventually, Mr. Burkett did come home. He was not the same after his first wife and child died and he definatly wasn't the same after Vietnam. "Sometimes we had to do things that were completely disgusting and wrong. But we had to do them. And if a buddy got killed and you were right next to them, you wondered why it wasn't you. You wondered why God had spared you because you had done the exact same things your buddy did by commendment of your superiors. It must have been some kind of punishment."

Time passed and Mr. Burkett married again and had a daughter who is my age. Not that long ago they were divorced. Mr. Burkett still has flashbacks and nightmares to this very day.

Vietnam should have never happened. None of those people who went, be it by choice or by draft, should have had to die or be wounded or psychologically scarred for life. They served their country and all of them are heros. Each and every one of them, just for being there at all.

And anyone who trys to take that heroic prestige away from them needs to get a clue.

So when you ask me what's important to me in a president, don't ask me about Kerry's war record. If you had gone, would you want someone to try and make you sound evil for opposing an unjust and immoral war when you returned? You went anyway, you followed orders. Dont' ask me about Bush not going to Vienam. Would you have gone? Would you have been in those trenches? Would you have risked your life for a war that had no foundation?

My president will know how to deal with the issues. My president will make our country strong.

War Records Don't matter. Let us get on with our lives and move forward into the future.

Arab teams refuse to play Israel 08.20.04 (9:58 am)   [edit]
Them Jews musta did sumfin really bad to deserve that. ... Like LIVE!
[line]
Special Olympics in Ireland tainted by Middle East politics

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

Athletic teams from Arab nations are refusing to play games against Israeli teams at the International Special Olympics in Dublin, Ireland, news agencies report.

According to the Irish Times, athletes from Saudi Arabia and Algeria refused to play Israel in soccer and table tennis Sunday, citing "political reasons." Teams refusing to compete could face disqualification from competition, the paper said.

In reporting the development, Israel National News stated, "While some Israeli leaders continue to speak of the new Middle East, and living in peace with our neighbors, Israeli athletes at the Special Olympics in Ireland are getting a taste of the true feeling of our Arab neighbors toward Israel."

The Irish paper Mayo News reported that the boycott is being blamed on government officials in the Arab countries, rather than the team coaches and players. Negotiations reportedly were ongoing to reach a resolution in the standoff.

No Punishment for Overweight Judo Athlete 08.19.04 (8:51 pm)   [edit]
Also see the article I wrote about the Olympics: http://www.tblog.com/template...
[line]
ATHENS, Greece (AP) - International judo officials won't penalize a two-time champion from Iran who reportedly said he wouldn't fight an Israeli opponent, then showed up overweight for the bout.

Arash Miresmaeili, a favorite in the under 146-pound (66 kg) class, failed to meet the weight requirement Sunday for a bout with Israel's Ehud Vaks and was disqualified.

The International Judo Federation investigated and concluded Thursday that he didn't miss his weight to avoid the bout. The federation has no rule for penalizing an overweight athlete.

Iran does not recognize Israel and bans any contact with the Jewish state.

Miresmaeili was world judo champion in 2001 and 2003 and finished fifth at the Sydney Olympics. He carried the Iranian flag at the opening ceremonies in Athens and was considered a favorite to win Iran's first gold medal in judo.

Iranian athletes have refused to compete against Israelis in the past. At the 2001 judo world championships, Mahed Malekmohammadi of Iran did not compete again Yoel Razvozov.

Miresmaeili has not participated in any major international tournament this season, although he did participate in training at a tournament in Paris in April. The last time he competed internationally was at the world championships in 2003 in Osaka.

Feminists For Life Of America!

08.19.04 (8:29 pm)   [edit]
I just joined! You should too!

Check out: http://www.feministsforlife.o...

Here's what they're all about:

Feminists For Life Of America recognizes that abortion is a reflection that our society has failed to meet the needs of women. We are dedicated to systematically eliminating the root causes that drive women to abortion -- primarily lack of practical resources and support -- through holistic, woman-centered solutions.

[b]WOMEN DESERVE BETTER THAN ABORTION.[/b]

Established in 1972, Feminists For Life Of America is a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, grassroots organization that seeks real solutions to the challenges women face. Our efforts are shaped by the core feminist values of justice, nondiscrimination, and nonviolence. Feminists For Life Of America contunues the tradition of early American feminists such as Susan B. Anthoney, who opposed abortion.

Feminist Leader: Right to Vote, Not Abortion, Gives Women Equality

08.19.04 (8:08 pm)   [edit]
Swiped this from [url=http://rcarter8766.tblog.com/...]rcarter8766's blog[/url] Very good article! Have a read!
[line]
[b][i]by Serrin Foster[/i]
http://www.lifenews.com/nat732.html" title="http://www.lifenews.com/nat732.html" target="_blank"http://www.lifenews.com/nat73...
August 18, 2004[/b]

LifeNews.com Note: Serrin Foster is the President of [url=http://www.feministsforlife.o...]Feminists for Life of America[/url].

Recently, I was asked by a student if abortion was necessary for women to achieve equality in the workplace. Absolutely not. Consider for a moment all the landmark reforms that our feminist foremothers, who opposed abortion, achieved in their struggle for equality the last half of the 19th century.

In a peaceful revolution led by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, women won the right to keep their own earnings, sign contracts, sit on a jury, testify on their own behalf, to secure a divorce if a husband drank the family's income away or physically abused his wife and share custody of their children.

When these two feminist foremothers were born, no women were admitted to college. By the time they died, colleges and universities opened their doors to women, and they started down the path to equal opportunities in the workplace.

Even less well known, anti-abortion laws enacted in the latter half of the 19th century were a result of the advocacy efforts by feminists who worked in an uneasy alliance with the male dominated medical profession and the mainstream media. The early feminists understood that, much like today, women resorted to abortion because they were abandoned or coerced by boyfriends, husbands or parents and lacked the financial resources to have a child on their own. So they sought legal protection from abortion.

Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton passed the torch to two more generations before women's suffrage -- their most cherished goal -- was realized. By the time the struggle ended, women had suffered greatly for what too many today take for granted -- or sadly, don't exercise at all.

In 1913, Alice Paul, author of the original Equal Rights Amendment, organized a magnificent pageant to parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Women dressed all in white were led by New York attorney Inez Milholand Boissevain, who was dressed like Joan of Arc on a white horse.

At the end of the parade women were pulled off their horses, grabbed by jeering men as police stood by smirking. By the time the cavalry had been brought in to restore order, 100 people were hospitalized -- but not one man had been arrested.

Later, a perpetual delegation of dignified, silent, peaceful protesters were organized by Paul to hold vigil outside the White House -- just a few blocks from FFL's current office. Angry men tore their banners down. Alice Paul was knocked to the ground by a sailor and dragged down the street. Another man tore a woman's blouse off in order to remove her purple and yellow suffrage sash as the police looked on.

Later the women were arrested and forced to remove all their clothing -- one by one -- in front of a company of men, and incarcerated for days, weeks, or months at time. Their mail was cut off and they were made to perform hard labor. They were terrorized by the guards, some tossed like dolls headfirst into their prison cells and rendered unconscious. One political prisoner was left handcuffed above the cell door all night long.

Women became more resolved than ever to win the vote -- and men in ever increasing numbers began to support the fight for women's suffrage.

By the time the 19th amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920, Inez Milholand Boissevain had died of exhaustion from traveling the country with her message of "votes for women." She is known as a martyr for women's suffrage. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were long deceased, but their legacy lives on today in each of us who cherishes the right of women to vote, and peacefully defends the right of children to be born.

Live the legacy.

"WHAT?!? You dont' like the OLYMPICS?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?????"

08.19.04 (10:23 am)   [edit]
That's right I don't.

There, I said it.

What is it about people that they get so excited about the Olympics? They wait SO long for them to happen either in summer or winter. Then when the Olympics finally come, they're about ready to explode.

I

don't

get

it.

I was never that interested by sports in general. To me, the Olympics are just incredibly boring. Sure, I like baseball. I think the last time I actually sat down and watched a game was when I was about 10ish.

But what is even funnier to me is the reaction people give you when they're all excited like little tarriers when the owners come home and they're going a mile a minute about the pole vaulting or something and you are just staring at them.

"What?"

"Aren't you excited too?"

"No. Should I?"

"Well, yes. It's the OLYMPICS!!!"

"So? I really don't like nor watch them. I think they're boring and kind of a joke."

"WHAAAAAAAAAATT?? NOOOOOO!"

Give me a break. I guess you must be a really horrible person if you don't like nor watch the Olympics. People go bonkers! What's the point?

I guess I'm cynical and non-receptive to these international games because of all that's wrong with them. The Munich Massacre of the 70s, the recent hooplah with Iran's bastard of a judo champ and his bigoted and unsportsmanly attitude, the fact that the Olympics commission said that the capital of "Palestine" was Jerusalem and Israel's was Tel Aviv (The capital of Israel is Jerusalem and there is no "Palestine"). Forgive me for being so jaded, but all that is just a load of stinky crap.

Not only that, everyone's on frikkin' steroids! And if they're not, they're on pot or they've got a "nuskin" swimsuit made by speedo to make you faster when swimming.

It's not real! Where's the effort, where's the human aspect of the Olympics??? If you're on a substance or using the aid of something other than your own body to compete, what kind of a competition is that? It's not. It's a big bloomin' joke.

And everyone thinks that the Olympics are a time for UNITY among nations where all the people of the world can set aside their differences to compete in a friendly competition. After that, they sit around the fire and sing "koombiyah."

YEA RIGHT!

There's always some king of crap going on to sheit on the happy parade. Americans in Athens right now have been advised not to tell people they're American!! Like I mentioned, an Irani judo champ wouldn't compete against an Israeli out of bigotry!! And that's just this year alone!

During WWII, Hitler wouldn't give a medal to a Black athlete! The Israeli team was MURDERED in Munich in the 70s! They kept on with the games as if NOTHING had happened. "Oh almost the entire team from Israel was MASSACRED but we're just gonna pretend nothing happened." WHAT???

There is something wrong here. Something stinks in utopia!

Not to mention it's SO over comercialized! It once was "We're going to compete and show our own athletic abilities." Now its, "We're going to compete using everything but our own abilities and, oh yea, drink Coca Cola!"

So do I care about a bunch of boring games that are a farce? No. Do I watch them? If I want to fall asleep. Do I truly expect the whole world to come together for the Olympic games and sing "we are the world?" No.

Pardon me for not being so naive.

"Species"

08.18.04 (7:35 pm)   [edit]
While surfing around the blogs in the politics section, I saw a post by a blogger who basically made a case that Bush supporters are a different species and, therefore, lesser than human. Shocked at this, I went to go see who left the only comment. Someone who I have had many nice discussions with and had much respect for was claiming that perhaps the inferiority of this "species" was due to a brain abnormality.

Amazing.

These are the same people who call Bush a Nazi at every chance they are given and they claim to fight for the rights of all humans. I guess when you claim that Bush supporting conservatives are "less than human" you're exempt.

There were people once upon a time and not too long ago in our planet's past who thought the same way about another group. Those people were the Nazis and that group was the Jews. And we all know what happened with that story.

Have we learned nothing from the crimes of the Holocaust that we deminish the true history of what happened and also commit the same crimes in theory?

I for one am truly disgusted by CheckItOut's post and am in total disbelief over the good DrForBush's positive comment about the post and the ideals behind it.

I guess the shame is on me for having such higher expectations of my fellow human beings. And, yes, they are my fellow human beings. Though I disagree with them and they have many different ideals, they are humans just like me. Though their ideas on the superiority of "their kind" are sickening, they are still my human brothers.

I just wish they'd be a little smarter about things. No doubt I will get comments about how I'm the bad gal and a facist zionist pig. I guess those are all words used in order to pretend I'm not human also. If I'm a facist zionist pig then I can't be human and therefore they don't have to have respect.

Truly sad.
~*~UPDATE~*~
Well, I had left a comment on checkitout's blog in reply to DrForBush. If you would like to see the name-calling and rudness that insued from CheckItOut and my kind reaction, you can look here:

[url=http://www.tblog.com/comments...]wow[/url]

At least someone is trying to be civil. Too bad I'm the only one. It must be due to my "inhumanity."

eBAY Blues

08.18.04 (6:45 pm)   [edit]
Today I was totally bummed when a package arrived at my home that contained something I got from ebay. It was totally ruined! It came from Israel. Don't let this discourage you or anyone from buy from Israel.

Case in point, a beautiful (or so it seemed on the auction) kiddush cup that I purchased a few weeks ago. For those of you who do not know what a kiddush cup is, it's the cup that we use to make blessings over wine on the Jewish sabbath and holiday festivals. It was [i]supposed[/i] to look like this:

=http://i11.ebayimg.com/02/i/0...

And I payed $9.99 for shipping from Israel. Unfortunatly, this is what I recieved in the mail today in flimsy and almost laughable packaging:

=http://img.photobucket.com/al...

=http://img.photobucket.com/al...

=http://img.photobucket.com/al...

So now, I have contacted the seller and I am seeking a refund. Somewhere between Israel and here (due to the poor excuse for packaging) this thing got totally smashed.

This is definatly something that has ruined my eveining.

~*~Update~*~
I'm getting another cup. The seller is being very easy to deal with and I am to ship the item to his NY headquarters at his expense. I hope this works out well!

Making better prisoners

08.18.04 (11:23 am)   [edit]
[b][i]By Jeff Dunetz[/b][/i]
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com" title="http://www.JewishWorldReview.com" target="_blank"http://www.JewishWorldReview....

It finally happened! Usually, I assume that the press coverage of Israel is going to be biased and unfair. Sometimes during my morning commute into the city I begin to display a knee-jerk reaction, angrily muttering to myself, just from reading headlines. But no more! Today an important lesson was learned. There are cases where the press can be right about its Middle-East coverage.

This morning as I sat alone on the 6:59 to Penn Station (getting the usual strange looks from the other passengers) I began to read the headlines describing the hunger strike being waged by Palestinian terrorists being held in Israeli jails. I began to fume as usual.

"Here we go again with the unbalanced coverage," I thought. "Terrorists go on a hunger strike and newspaper editors give it as much space as the disaster of Hurricane Charlie, the deadly showdown going on between U.S. troops and the troops loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr in Najaf Iraq, the Presidential elections or even the Olympic Games. These prisoners already receive a number of privileges including access to television (the Israeli government buys the tier with several channels from Arab countries), radio, newspapers, university education, additional special food (spices, types of meat, canteen goods), electronic games etc. They are even allowed to petition the Israeli courts (and win). How can the press take so much interest in 1,600 Palestinians refusing to eat, protesting what they feel are horrible conditions in Israeli jails?" With each headline, I got angrier.

Then it struck me, the media is right. This IS big news…it should be getting even MORE coverage. These Palestinians imprisoned for participating in acts of terrorist murder have had a change in heart, are all of a sudden they are turning into Mahatma Gandhi clones, staging a hunger strike. In addition, they are even participating in the Israeli national sport — strikes. No wonder why this is a major story.

What these nouveau-pacifists want? Apparently, there is a list of 200 demands, including: public telephones, no more strip or cell searches, no partitions for visitors, facilities to cook their own food, access to cell-phones, computers, photo copiers, fruit knives, cell and karate classes.

Prison authorities say that the Palestinians want these goods so that they can participate in terrorist operations from jail. They point to examples of prisoners using smuggled cell phones or passing plans to visitors as reasons why many of these demand cannot be met. Israel is even thinking of setting up barbeques outside of the prison gates, hoping that the smell of burning knockwurst, and a few Kosher dills, will make the prisoners so hungry that they will give up their strike demands.

The Israeli government is wrong on this. It is obvious that the years of harsh prison life has caused these prisoners to reform. Watching Arab TV and playing video can make even the most thick-skinned terrorist atone. Look at the demands. Sure, they are asking for items that can be used for terrorist activity, but killing civilians is the only job they know. Of course, they want to become better terrorists.

Israel should be looking for a way to compromise before it is too late. Soon France will demand that each prisoner be allowed to take bomb-building classes or Kofi Annon will ask, "How is it possible for Israel to be right and 1,600 prisoners wrong?" The World Court may even soon rule that depriving prisoners the ability to become better terrorists is against International Law. Any day now, Britain's Lord Snow or France's Dominique de Villepin may begin a hunger strike in sympathy with the terrorist protesters, demanding that Israel give them the ability to reach the top of their profession.

There is a middle ground here, a way to give the prisoners a chance for more independence and self-fulfillment. For example, instead of giving prisoners their own kitchens, why not offer each prisoner free food and delivery from the Kosher Burger King in Jerusalem? Even let them order their happy meals super-sized. This is the essence of compromise; no kitchens — no danger, and each prisoner will still have it their way with Burger King. No need for fruit knives…this is finger food!

Photocopiers and computers can be a bit expensive, and folks who run the prisons are afraid that they will be used to copy and transmit plans and ideas for new terrorist actions. Well instead of the heavy electronics, how about giving the terrorists some nice crayons and tracing paper?

Whenever I used to fight with my siblings, mom used to give us crayons and tracing paper. It always kept us calm for a while. Tracing paper will help the prisoners remain calm. To help this cause, I will call mom she must have some left.

The toughest demand is the Karate classes. Here the Palestinian terrorist must be looking for some physical and mental challenges. Ultimatel this is probably a good thing. I do however agree with the Israeli government, when they say that it is probably best not to train terrorists in the Martial Arts. Today at lunch, I stumbled upon the perfect solution.

Munching down a brisket sandwich, I overheard the conversation of two women who had flown to New York to escape the hurricanes in Florida. The two women, Toby and Sadie, were talking about a killer game of mahjong that they played in Boca last year. What a great idea, and who would appreciate a killer game of anything more than 1,600 Palestinian terrorists. The neat part is that Toby and Sadie are available. They have offered to go to Israel to help the prisoners become better killers. The killer mahjong classes start as soon as we can arrange airfare. Not only will this help defuse the situation but it will go a long way in improving Israel's world image.

After all, everyone knows that helping the Palestinians become better killers will make France, the EU, and the World Court, very, very happy.

Lone Wolf vs. Lone Tigress

08.17.04 (4:48 pm)   [edit]
"You are either with us or against us" -- George W. Bush (Nov. 2001)

The above statement by our President was said in the context of the War on Terror. I found that very interesting at the time and continue to do so to this very day. It is rather profound, don't you think? Sure, it's cliche, but it also is very profound when one thinks about it.

It also has a seperatist feel to it. When taken wildly out of context one can postulate that this is something only a bafoon would say because we are all people and we should all hold hands and sing "koombiyah" 'round the fire. You should always remember the context it was said in order to understand what the president meant. To paraphraise: If you want to kill innocent people (including us) then you're against us because we don't want you to murder innocent people and especially ourselves.

What's wrong with that? Sounds reasonable. Don't try to kill or hurt us or we'll fight you.

I guess it's all a matter of context and how someone understands it. For me, I understand issues and try to look at them realistically. I guess that's what sets me apart from many people in the party I identify as well as other parties.

When speaking in terms of individuality, I don't agree with everything and I blindly follow nothing. I ask questions because I want to gain a better understanding. Many people don't do that. Which is why I suppose that makes me a different animal all together, then.

Being a student of life, I'm always eager to learn and to understand. However, once I make up my mind I'll not be afraid to share my opinion. And if you don't like it, sorry. Not my problem. You can either hear me out and be receptive or you can blankly write me off. Though the latter would be entirely your loss.

Do I care about the issues or do I care who won more purple hearts? I care about the issues and how a leader intends to fix them. Do I care if you think you should be handed the world on a silver platter because you're such and such race? No. Fact is, if everyone is created equal, why should you get a leg up on everyone else just because you're White or because you're Black? Either way you slice it, it's bullsheit.

Basically, anyone can choose to come with me. You don't have to agree with everything I say, but you do have to listen. If you choose not to, then you best leave because that's really not going to help anyone. I got my way of doing things, thinking things, and reacting to things. If anyone doesn't like it, they can step off. Everyone should be free to debate in a kind and friendly manner. It's when the kind and friendly part goes buh-bye that it breaks down.

Just some musings from my end. Thanks.

The Munich Massacre

08.17.04 (2:39 pm)   [edit]
Here's some info on what happened at the 1972 Olympics...
[line]
[i][b]By Mitchell Bard[/b][/i]

It was 4:30 in the morning on Sept. 5, 1972, when five Arab terrorists wearing track sweat suits climbed the six-foot six-inch fence surrounding the Olympic Village. Although they were seen by several people, no one thought anything was unusual since athletes routinely hopped the fence; moreover, the terrorists' weapons were hidden in athletic bags. These five were met by three more men who are presumed to have obtained credentials to enter the village.

Just before 5, the Arabs knocked on the door of Israeli wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg. When Weinberg opened the door he realized something was wrong and shouted a warning to his comrades. He and weightlifter Joseph Romano attempted to block the door while other Israelis escaped, but they were killed by the terrorists. The Arabs then succeeded in rounding up nine Israelis to hold as hostages.

At 9:30, the terrorists announced that they were Palestinians and demanded that Israel release 200 Arab prisoners and that the terrorists be given safe passage out of Germany.

After hours of tense negotiations, the Palestinians, who it was later learned belonged to a PLO faction called Black September, agreed to a plan whereby they were to be taken by helicopter to the NATO air base at Firstenfeldbruck where they would be given an airplane to fly them and their hostages to Cairo. The Israelis were then taken by bus to the helicopters and flown to the airfield. In the course of the transfer, the Germans discovered that there were eight terrorists instead of the five they expected and realized that they had not assigned enough marksmen to carry out the plan to kill the terrorists at the airport.

After the helicopters landed at the air base around 10:30 p.m., the German sharpshooters attempted to kill the terrorists and a bloody firefight ensued. At 11, the media was mistakenly informed that the hostages had been saved and the news was announced to a relieved Israeli public. Almost an hour later, however, new fighting broke out and one of the helicopters holding the Israelis was blown up by a terrorist grenade. The remaining hostages in the second helicopter were shot to death by one of the surviving terrorists.

At 3 a.m., a drawn and teary-eyed Jim McKay, who had been reporting the drama throughout the day as part of ABC's Olympic coverage, announced: "They're all gone."

Five of the terrorists were killed along with one policeman, and three were captured. A little over a month later, on Oct. 29, a Lufthansa jet was hijacked by terrorists demanding that the Munich killers be released.

The Germans capitulated and the terrorists were let go, but an Israeli assassination squad was assigned to track them down along with those responsible for planning the massacre. According to George Jonas in [i]Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team[/i], eight of the 11 men targeted for death were killed. Of the remaining three, one died of natural causes and the other two were assassinated, but it is not known for sure if they were killed by Israeli agents.

Meanwhile, the mastermind of the massacre remains at large. In fact, in 1999, Abu Daoud admitted his role in his autobiography, [i]Memoirs of a Palestinian Terrorist[/i]. He claims his commandos never intended to harm the athletes and blamed their deaths on the German police and the stubbornness of then-Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (JTA, May 4, 1999).

The massacre of 11 Israeli athletes was not considered sufficiently serious to merit canceling or postponing the Olympics. "Incredibly, they're going on with it," Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote at the time. "It's almost like having a dance at Dachau."

Source: http://www.jewishvirtuallibra...

~*~JOHN KERRY UPDATE~*~

08.17.04 (10:18 am)   [edit]
If you didn't see my entry below where I emailed a Mr. Vizcaino at the Washington D.C. headquarters for John Kerry and asked him some questions, check that out! It's right below this post!

What has happened now is Mr. Vizcaino emailed me back telling me that I need to talk to Kerry's foreign policy representatives and he gave me their phone number. I emailed him back in an attempt to cut out the middle man that is the telefone and asked for their email address.

So it seems we're getting closer to who we need to talk to in order to get some answers.

Stay tuned for more! This has been an UPDATE!

Get Ready for it: My Letter To JOHN KERRY's Campaign!!!

08.16.04 (8:05 pm)   [edit]
Alright!

::turnes up the Black Eyed Peas' "Let's Get It Started (In herre)!" song on the stereo::

I have just sent email to a representative from the John Kerry campaign by the name of Luis Vizcaino. You may remember the letter and correspondance I sent to Ralph Nader's campaign. If you're just tuning in, you can find that information [url=http://www.tblog.com/template...]here[/url].

To be fair, I'm doing a series on ALL of the major Presidential candidates and asking them basically the same questions (though my questions vary slightly depending on who I'm talking to).

Below is the letter I have just sent this evening to Mr. Vizcaino at the JOHN KERRY campaign. I will keep everyone posted with new developments. I hope to publish Mr. Vizcaino's responses for Mr. Kerry as soon as I recieve them. Stay tuned!
[line]
Dear Mr. Vizcaino,

I'm writing an article about the candidates' Middle East policies and where they stand on some important issues regarding that. I contacted Kerry's D.C. office and was told to email you at this address.

I am hoping that you can help out with answering some questions as a representative of the Kerry campaign. Thank you for your time.

My questions:

Firstly, what is Mr. Kerry's feeling about Israel? Does he feel that a Jewish State has a right to exist?

Secondly, once in office, what would Mr. Kerry's plan be regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict? Does he feel the US should help try to fix the problem? If so, what is his plan regarding that? If not, what course of action, if any, would Mr. Kerry feel appropriate to
take?

Thirdly, what is Mr. Kerry's response to Islamic terrorism and it's global impact? Not just regarding the global economies, but also regarding global and national security? How does he intend to deal with Islamic terrorism? Basically, what is his plan?

Also, what is Mr. Kerry's response to the security barrier in Israel? Does he support it?

Lastly, is it true that Mr. Kerry plans on sending more troops to Iraq?

Again, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to help shed some light on the elections. I myself will be voting in this Presidential Election for the first time and am very
excited. I look forward to hearing from you!! :)

[my signature]

Iran praises Olympics player for position 08.16.04 (9:22 am)   [edit]

Tehran, Iran, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Iranian President Mohammad Khatami Sunday praised an Iranian judo Olympics player for refusing to compete against an Israeli opponent.

Khatami said Iran's judo champion, Arsh Mir Ismaili, was considered by the Iranian people as "the champion of the 2004 Olympics Games.

The Iranian president sent a letter to Iran's physical education minister about Ismaili's refusal to compete with an Israeli opponent at the Athens Olympics to protest "the Zionist killing of the Palestinian people." Khatami called that refusal a "heroic act."

Ismaili lost his chance of winning an expected gold medal when he refused to compete against an Israeli opponent as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians.

Wrong to attack Kerry war record

08.16.04 (9:06 am)   [edit]

by Bill O'Reilly

The partisans are running wild over this Swift boat business, talk radio is crazy with it, and the smell of blood is in the air. John Kerry has made a major deal of his Vietnam War record, and now his opponents have opened fire on the senator's experiences. It's all tawdry and distasteful, of course, but let's examine things unemotionally.

First off, I believe Jim Rassmann when he says that Kerry saved his life by pulling him out of a Vietnam river while under fire. Rassmann is a former Green Beret, a former police officer and a longtime registered Republican until earlier this year. If he says John Kerry is a hero, nobody should doubt it. Rassmann has earned the right to be trusted, and insulting his testimony is way out of line.

But I also believe Steve Gardner, a former Navy gunner who was also present on one of Kerry's Swift boats. He says the senator wrote up a false report, neglecting to inform the Navy that Gardner had accidentally shot a Vietnamese child during a firefight. This is a tough one. Gardner is implicating himself and has no reason to do so.

But perhaps Kerry was looking out for him by not reporting the incident. Only Kerry knows. It is very possible to perform heroically on some occasions and do less than admirable things on others. All human beings are flawed, and we are capable of both valor and deceit. That's what I think happened here. John Kerry was brave but he was also calculating.

His heroism impressed most of his Swift boat mates, but his civilian anti-war activities and perceived grandstanding also alienated many other Vietnam vets. And so the battle lines are drawn. What should we on the sidelines make of all this? Well, it's a judgment call. It is absolutely wrong for Americans to condemn Kerry's war record because he demonstrated provable valor.

However, those who distrust him do deserve to be heard, although facts, not emotion, should be demanded. I think the Swift boat political advertisement calling Kerry a charlatan is in poor taste, and if this kind of thing continues, it might well backfire on the Kerry haters.

Most Americans are fair-minded, and bitter personal attacks do not go down well with folks who are not driven by partisanship. Remember, Gen. Wesley Clark was knocked out of the presidential sweepstakes when he would not disown Michael Moore's insane remark that President Bush was a "deserter."

Bush received an honorable discharge from the National Guard. Adm. Elmo Zumwalt pinned a medal on John Kerry's chest. The record is the record unless rock-solid proof refutes it.

The lesson here is that blind partisanship is not an attribute. No person or candidate is all good or all bad. In America today, with both sides peddling lies and defamation and spin, it is alarmingly difficult just to get simple facts on which to base a responsible vote.

Somewhere Jack Webb is weeping.

Palestinian Gunman Killed After Shooting 08.15.04 (9:17 am)   [edit]

JERUSALEM - A Palestinian gunman shot and wounded two Israelis near the West Bank Jewish settlement of Itamar on Friday, before being killed by security guards, the army and rescue workers said. The army said the gunman ambushed a car near the entrance to the settlement. One of the wounded, a settlement security guard, was in a serious condition, while the second person was lightly wounded, rescue workers said. Israel Army Radio reported that the gunman tried to flee with the guard's rifle, but was shot by other settlement guards. Palestinian militants have frequently targeted settlers during the last four years of violence.

[line]

[b]Settler Dies of Wounds in West Bank Attack -Radio[/b]

 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Jewish settler has died of gunshot wounds suffered in a Palestinian militant ambush in the West Bank on Friday, Israel Radio said. A Palestinian gunman wounded the settler at the rear entrance of the Jewish settlement of Itamar before being shot dead by the enclave's security guards. An armed group in Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement claimed responsibility for the attack.

Fri Aug 13, 7:57 AM ET
An Israeli settler who was shot by Palestinian gunman receives medical assistance in a Jerusalem hospital, August 13, 2004. The settler died of wounds suffered in a Palestinian militant ambush in the West Bank on Friday, Israel Radio said. The gunman shot the settler at the rear entrance of the Itmar Jewish settlement before being shot dead by the enclave's security guards. (Rubi Castro/Reuters)

The Final Correspondance With Nader's Camp! Check THIS out!

08.12.04 (11:22 am)   [edit]
For the past week and a half, I have been corresponding with a representative by the name of Kevin Zeese from Ralph Nader's campaign. I have asked questions that were to the point and provocative while sometimes getting answers that were not so much in the same light. Recently, I wrote Mr. Zeese some follow-ups and if you missed it, you can find it here: http://www.tblog.com/template...

And here are the first two correspondances:

http://www.tblog.com/templates/index.php?bid=redtigress&static =252541" title="http://www.tblog.com/templates/index.php?bid=redtigress&static =252541" target="_blank"http://www.tblog.com/template...

http://www.tblog.com/templates/index.php?bid=redtigress&static =255040" title="http://www.tblog.com/templates/index.php?bid=redtigress&static =255040" target="_blank"http://www.tblog.com/template...

Below is the answer I was given to the final correspondance. My commentary on this shall follow.
[line]
Keep watching our website http://www.VoteNader.org -- we will soon be putting up a letter Ralph sent to the Anti-Defamation League about
Israel-Palestine. It should go up tomorrow.

Can you name one time when the US has said "No" to Israel? Israel has gotten the most foreign aide of any country each year for my whole lifetime -- they actually have health care for all and we don't! They get ten times the financial aid of all of the continent of Africa despite the starvation, disease, devastation and military conflict in that continent! And they are the size of a very small state. Every "loan" we have given Israel has been forgiven -- they have not had to pay them back. We do not criticize them for demolition of Palestinian homes, putting up a wall that the highest world court found to be violative of human rights, assasinating Palestinian leaders, illegally occupying Palestinian territoriy, violating many UN resolutions - they get a free ride from the US when we would invade other countries who did the same thing!

Re the Islamic anger at the US -- first it is not all Muslims, but
rather those who have specific grievances -- our military control of
the Middle East region, our one-sided support for Israel, funding the illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel and our illegal occupation of Iraq. Those are some of the issues that have been spoken of in public. Those are legitimate grievances that should be discussed. If we did so Muslim extremism would diminish greatly. At least that is what I think we would find if we asked the question of why they hate us honestly.

If we heard the answer maybe we would begin to put as much money into waging peace as we do preparing for war. Maybe we would cut our military budget which equals the whole world's military expenditures combined, and uses half of the operating expenditures of the federal government.

Kevin
[line]
Truth be told, I'm not that surprised at this. In other words, this is all things I have heard before. However, a lie repeated often enough still doesn't become the truth in my eyes.

I will keep watching for the letter to the ADL from Mr. Nader.

As for that one time the U.S. has said "No" to Israel, prior administrations have taken the approach that Israel must give lands won in 1967 to the Palestinians. As of this very day, the U.S. does not recognize "occupied" territory as part of Israel. The entire world, including the United States of America, only recognizes the 1967 borders as being those of Israel. Israel feels differently. The world and the U.S. say no.

As for Israel being the largest recipiant of U.S. foreign aid, that is [b]an outright lie. Egypt is the #1 recipiant of U.S. foreign aid.[/b] After that it's Russia then Israel. Don't believe me? Look here: http://www.globalissues.org/T...

The U.S. does not ask for ANY of it's foreign aid contributions to be paid back. Those Jews are just so rich already, I suppose. And that's why Israel is experiencing economic depression currently. Right.

And I've just been wanting to scream this ever since this guy replied to me the first time:
[b]There is no Palestine!!![/b]

That said, either Israel owns the land it "occupies" and therefore can not make a wall seperating half of it's country, or Israel doesn't own that land and they can make a border to keep themselves safe from terrorist coming from a future Palestinian state! You can't have it both ways! No way no how! One or the other. Choose!

As for their health care being better than ours, is that the fault of our foreign aid contributions? Perhaps we shouldn't give money to the highest recipiant. That would be EGYPT! Why is Israel the target? They're not the highest recipiant! Ah, it is the double standard. If you want to learn more about Israeli health care, check out: http://www.physiciansnews.com...

If America wants similar health care, then the politicians should start talking about it and the people should get the ball rolling. Don't blame Israel for your own stupidity!

The Israel wouldn't exist if not for America shtick only goes so far if you are suggesting that we stop funding Israel in order to destroy it.

[b]Do NOT vote Nader in 2004!!![/b]

Next up: I will ask John Kerry's camp some questions! Stay tuned!

Guts!

08.11.04 (12:55 pm)   [edit]
Check this out -- http://www.seizureandy.com/st...


This is so awesome!

Mass Destruction Lyrics

08.11.04 (12:30 pm)   [edit]
This is one of the mose awesome songs ever!!! I keep hearing it on the radio and I love the words and the beat! Some time soon, I'm going to see if I can get this as my blog background music!!!
[line]
[b][u]Weapon of Mass Destruction[/u]
[i]by Faithless[/b][/i]

Whether long range weapon or suicide bomber
Wicked mind is a weapon of mass destruction
Whether you're a stowaway son or BBC 1
Misinformation is a weapon of mass destruction
You could be a Caucasian or Arab or Asian
Racism is a weapon of mass destruction
Whether inflation or globalization
Fear is a weapon of mass destruction

My dad came into my room holding his hat
I knew he was leaving,
he sat on my bed told me some facts, son.
I have a duty, calling on me
You and your sister be brave my little soldier
And don't forget all I told ya
Your the mister of the house now remember this
And when you wake up in the morning give ya momma a kiss
Then I had to say goodbye

In the morning woke momma with a kiss on each eyelid,
Even though I'm only a kid
Certain things can't be hid
Momma grabbed me
Held me like I was made of gold
But left her inner stories untold
I said, momma it will be alright
When daddy comes home, tonight

Whether long range weapon or suicide bomber
Wicked mind is a weapon of mass destruction
Whether you're a stowaway son or BBC 1
Misinformation is a weapon of mass destruction
You could be a Caucasian or Arab or Asian
Racism is a weapon of mass destruction
Whether inflation or globalisation
Fear is a weapon of mass destruction

Whether Halliburton, Enron or anyone
Greed is a weapon of mass destruction

We need to find courage, overcome
Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction
Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction
Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction

My story stops here, lets be clear
This scenario is happening everywhere
And you ain't going to nirvana or farvana
You're coming right back here to live out your karma
With even more drama than previously
Seriously...
Just how many centuries have we been
waiting for someone else to make us free
And we refuse to see
That people overseas suffer just like we
Bad leadership and ego's unfettered and free
Who feed on the people they're supposed to lead
I don't need good people to pray and wait
For the lord to make it all straight
There's only now, do it right.
Cos I don't want your daddy, leaving home tonight

Whether long range weapon or suicide bomber
Wicked mind is a weapon of mass destruction
Whether you're a stowaway son or BBC 1
Misinformation is a weapon of mass destruction
You could be a Caucasian or Arab or Asian
Racism is a weapon of mass destruction
Whether inflation or globalization
Fear is a weapon of mass destruction

Whether Halliburton, Enron or anyone
Greed is a weapon of mass destruction

We need to find courage, overcome
Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction
Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction
Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction

Car Bomb Kills Two, Wounds 16 Near Jerusalem 08.11.04 (12:10 pm)   [edit]
QALANDIYA, West Bank (Reuters) - A bomb exploded in a car between two Israeli army checkpoints outside Jerusalem on Wednesday, killing two Palestinians and wounding 16 people, in what Israel Radio said was a suicide attack.

The blast, which broke a lull in such bombings, occurred after border police declared a security alert and began combing the area between the Qalandiya and A-Ram checkpoints on a main road between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Medics said seven Israelis and nine Palestinians were wounded in the explosion.

Israel Radio said a Palestinian in a car being checked by Israeli policemen was believed to have detonated a bomb either hidden on his person or rigged to the vehicle.

But the Israeli army said it could not confirm that it was a suicide bombing.

"The car exploded in front of us and our car caught fire," a relative of a dead Palestinian said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

Palestinian militants have carried out dozens of suicide attacks and car bombings against Israelis during a nearly four-year-old Palestinian uprising.

The last suicide bombing inside Israel killed 10 people at the Israeli port of Ashdod in March.

The dissenting Muslim

08.10.04 (7:35 pm)   [edit]
I read this story in the San Diego Jewish Journal. I found it greatly interesting and I hope to have the pleasure of meeting this highly intelligent professor! This is definatly a great read! Have a look!
[line]
[i]SDSU’s Khaleel Mohammed looks to the Quran for his controversial thesis: Palestine belongs to the Jews.

=http://www.sdjewishjournal.co...%20Khaleel%20Mohammed%20p hoto

[b]By Judd Handler[/i][/b]
http://www.sdjewishjournal.com/stories/aug04_4.html" title="http://www.sdjewishjournal.com/stories/aug04_4.html" target="_blank"http://www.sdjewishjournal.co...

Jews have a wealth of sacred passages to point to when arguing for a Jewish right to Palestine. But what about the Quran (Koran)? Does it claim an equal Islamic right to Palestine?

Not according to Dr. Khaleel Mohammed. In fact, according to this professor of religious studies at SDSU, the Quran grants Jews sacred right to the land of Palestine. This controversial thesis has predictably made him few friends in the Muslim community.

Born in the South American republic of Guyana and educated at Montreal’s McGill University, Dr. Mohammed believes that the Quran unambiguously says that the Holy Land belongs to the Jews. He’ll go to any mosque and debate any doubting imam. He hasn’t received any death threats from fanatic Muslims, but he has gotten some bitter emails. Those don’t frighten or deter him from his mission: to combat the growing tide of Islamic political radicalization by teaching what the Quran actually says – not how the Islamic holy text is interpreted by imams.

“We should do everything possible to encourage… moderates like him to step forth and speak out,” says Rabbi Efraim Warshaw, who runs Star Speakers, a speaker bureau that represents Dr. Mohammed. “If they are the majority in the Moslem community, as is so often claimed, America needs to hear from them and learn what they think and believe.”

So what’s the reason for Dr. Mohammed’s support for Israel? Chapter 5, verse 21 in the Quran offers proof of a divine promise to the Jews of a land of their own in the Holy Land:

“Moses said to his people: O my people! Remember the bounty of God upon you when He bestowed prophets upon you, and made you kings and gave you that which had not been given to anyone before you amongst the nations. O my people! Enter the Holy Land which God has written for you, and do not turn tail, otherwise you will be losers.” According to Dr. Mohammed, if God has “written” that the land is for the Jews, what human can erase His handwriting?

Dr. Mohammed also cites chapter 2:40, which says, “O children of Israel! Call to mind My favor which I bestowed on you and be faithful to (your) covenant with Me, I will fulfill (My) covenant with you.”

Although the Quran never says point-blank, “Israel belongs forever to the Jews, Dr. Mohammed thinks these verses are unequivocal in God’s commandment that Israel be the religious homebase for the Jews. Even Medieval-era Islamic scholars such as Ibn Kathir and Muhammad al-Shawkani recognized this right. Al-Shawkani interpreted “That which God has written for you” as “that which God has allotted and predestined for you in His primordial knowledge.”

Furthermore, Dr. Mohammed contends the Quran never mentions Jerusalem as a holy city.

As Dr. Mohammed leans back in a chair in his SDSU office, where the walls are lined with religious texts and posters of Bob Marley and Muhammad Ali, he explains that, contrary to popular opinion, history backs him up. “If you’re going to take it from a secular point of view,” he says, “you must involve history, which states very clearly that in 70 A.D. the Temple burned, and in the year 135 the Jews were exiled. And in 638 the Muslims full well knew whom the land rightly belonged to…. Muslims left the borders of Arabia to enter a land that according to their own scriptures, belongs to the people of Moses.” He likens Muslim occupation of the land – and failure to help Jews reacquire the land – to complacency in the face of a crime.

But a Muslim could claim that Muslims controlled the Holy Land for centuries under the Ottoman Empire, a lot longer than modern Jews have controlled Israel.
Doesn’t matter, according to the professor. “It’s in the Muslim consciousness that the land first belonged to the Jews. It doesn’t matter if the Jews were exiled 500 years or 2000 years, the Holy Land, as mentioned in Quran belongs to Moses and his people, the Jews.” Dr. Mohammed says the conditions of the birth of the State of Israel – which included the violent displacement of some Arabs – are irrelevant.

So why is it that most Muslims, not even the scholars, don’t see things the professor’s way? Naturally, politics and greed play a crucial role in fomenting hate, but a major reason is the hadith, commentaries on the Quran that are somewhat akin to Judaism’s Talmud. Dr. Mohammed says you must look at the context of the hadiths’ origins. They were conceived during medieval times, when Jews were demonized.

Dr. Mohammed doesn’t dismiss all hadith out of hand, but he has problems with inserted comments that change the meaning of the original text. For example, after the passage “Enter the Holy Land which God has written for you,” a hadith adds “…but not after Moses died.” “Allah tells Muslims that the Quran is perfect,” says Dr. Mohammed.

Dr. Mohammed says he has convinced many of his Muslim students to see things his way. But they tell him they are afraid of speaking up at their mosque. “In a mosque, I always win an argument,” he claims.
In essence, Dr. Mohammed sees politics, not religion, as the culprit for the radicalization of Islam. It is not that radical Islam flowers naturally from the Quran, but rather that it was borne out of the resentment and turmoil of numerous Muslim defeats: the end of the Ottoman Empire, the foundation of Israel, the Six-Day War, the fall of Iraq.

In an effort to shift the Muslim consensus, Dr. Mohammed recently started the Foundation for the Abrahamic Study of the Religion. He says he’s gotten interest from students as far away as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. These students, although he’s never met them, seem to possess a more open-minded interpretation of Islam, rather than a strict and violent one.

“Islam sees itself as something of a continuation of the Abrahamic message,” says the professor. “Christianity and Judaism don’t deny democracy. In Quran, the prophet Mohammed says ‘Consult the people’ and therefore, Quran doesn’t deny the development of human thought and a world in which we can respect one another for our differences and come up with new ideas to make a better world.”

[line]

To read the full text of an interview with Dr. Mohammed, see: http://www.frontpagemag.com/A...

For feedback, contact editor@sdjewishjournal.com.

Follow Up Questions For NADER!

08.09.04 (5:14 pm)   [edit]
After the below post about the response I recieved from the Nader camp, I've decided to take this to the next step and ask some follow up questions. Here is the email I sent to Mr. Kevin Zeese in Washington D.C. at the Nader Campaign Headquarters.
[line]
Dear Mr. Zeese,

Thank you so much for your speedy reply and your excellent answers. I need to ask you a couple more follow-up questions in order to get some better clarification.

You mentioned "...believes the US should think for itself on the Israeli Palestinian conflict and not ab [sic] Israeli puppet -- as we currently are."

My question is; how exactly is the U.S. currently an Israeli puppet? What is Israel exactly doing right now to control the American government?

You also mentioned "...instead of putting all the attention on Ariel Sharon and his human rights violation approach."

My next question is; can you be more specific on Sharon's current "human rights violation approach?" What exactly is being done wrong in the opinion of Mr. Nader's position?

Finally, you said "We need to understand why people are willing to kill themselves in order to fight the United States. It is not due to the reason Bush gives 'because we are free.'"

My last question: Is it Mr. Nader's position that Islamic fundamentalist do not wish to harm innocent men women and children because they dislike our culture where we allow a melting pot of people to coexist or even the fact that we are not all Muslims ourselves? Is it Mr. Nader's position that we, the
Unities States, are not being sensative enough to the Islamic fundamentalist cause and we give too much support for Israel as being the culprit to the cause of terrorism? With this question we seek to clarify.

Thank you again for your honest and excellent cooperation! I look forward once more to your reply!

[my signature]

The Response To My Letter From The Nader Camp

08.09.04 (12:42 pm)   [edit]
Last Friday, I wrote a letter to a representative by the name of Kevin Zeese from Nader's campaign headquarters in Washington D.C. You can find the entire letter [url=http://www.tblog.com/template...]here[/url] and the post I made about how no one should vote for Ralph Nader [url=http://www.tblog.com/template...]here[/url].

Below are the questions I asked of where Mr. Nader stands on issues in which I have expressed as well as their answers from Mr. Zeese, a Nader representative. Mr. Zeese's responses are in italics. My comments are in brackets. The questions and answers are there in their entirety. Nothing was edited out.
~*~
TIGRESS: Firstly, what is Mr. Nader's feeling about Israel?
Does he feel that a Jewish State has a right to exist?

ZEESE: [i]Yes, but he also believes in a Palestinian state and believes the US should think for itself on the Israeli Palestinian conflict and not ab Israeli puppet -- as we currently are.[/i]

[So in other words, it's Nader's same rhetoric. I should ask how exactly Israel is controlling our government. Those crazy Israelis and their Jew mind control! That's strike one.]

TIGRESS: Secondly, once in office, what would Mr. Nader's plan be reguarding the Arab-Israeli conflict? Does he feel the US should help try to fix the problem? If so, what is his plan regarding that? If not, what course of action, if any, would Mr. Nader feel appropriate to take?

ZEESE: [i]Yes, the US has a role to play. We need to begin to put more emphasis on the peace movements in Israel and Palestine which are broad and deep instead of putting all the attention on Ariel Sharon and his human rights violation approach. He also believes we should listen to the many Jewish voices for peace in the US. Finally, currently the US gives Israel whatever it wants -- indeed Israel is our largest recipient of foreing aid -- we need to start to think for ourselves and play a more neutral in the peace process.[/i]

[There is so much wrong with this! It's great to put emphasis on the peace movements. It's very pretty sounding like flowers and ponies. What in Mr. Sharon's approach is "Human Rights Violation"? The U.S. does NOT give Israel whatever it wants. On the contrary. Israel would like American forces to help crack down on terror in that region. The U.S. will send weapons, but no people. Give me a break. And Israel is not the largest recipient of foreign aid from the United States. That's strike two.]

TIGRESS: Thirdly, what is Mr. Nader's response to Islamic terrorism and it's global impact? Not just regaurding the global economies, but also reguarding global and national security? How does he intend to deal with Islamic terrorism? Basically, what is his plan?

ZEESE: [i]We are making Islamic terrorism worse with out policies in Iraq and Israel. We need a rapid but responsible withdrawal from Iraq -- Nader's plan for this is on the web site VoteNader.org. I've already discussed Israel. We need to understand why people are willing to kill themselves in order to fight the United States. It is not due to the reason Bush gives "because we are free." When we face the truth about our impact on the world we will minimize terrorism against us rather than maximize it. Of course, he believes we need to take steps to protect our security, but unless we deal with thte root causes we will never succeed in protecting ourself.[/i]

[OH! So because the U.S. supports Israel, that's what causes terrorism! WHAT? What about Islamic fundamentalist hatred of westerners and their cultrue and their idea to mass convert the west to Islam???? That's Israel's fault! In order to stop terrorism, we should give up aid to Israel and give the terrorists what they want! Oh, yea!! What? Strike three you're outta here!!!]

TIGRESS: Lastly, does Mr. Nader support Free Trade between nations? Does he intend to mandate things like global minimum wage?

ZEESE: [i]Nader opposes the current trade agreements because they put profit before people. He also opposes the agreements because they undermine our sovereignty -- by allowing profit to overrrule environmental, labor and consumer protection laws. Nader would support Fair Trade -- and require trade agreemetns that strengthened environmental, labor and consumer protection laws rather than weaken them.[/i]

[That question was really for [url=http://therealspartacus0 07.tb...]therealspartacus007[/url ]]
*END*

So there you have it. Of course, I would also like to point out that these were not direct answers from Mr. Nader, himself. They were responses from a representative, again, by the name of Kevin Zeese.

I am further disgusted and must urge people NOT to vote for Ralph Nader in 2004!

I think perhaps I shall ask Mr. Zeese some folow-up questions.

You've GOT to be kidding me!

08.08.04 (4:16 pm)   [edit]
Now this http://www.foxnews.com/story/...,2933,127106,00.html is just plain silly! I saw "The Village" last week. Either someone didn't see the movie or they were on crack during the whole screening!

Far-fetched and outragious! How could "The Village" be anti-Bush at all, let alone [i]MORE[/i] anti-Bush than "Fahrenheit 9/11."?????

I just found out about this today, post viewing the film (of which I enjoyed very much!) and this article just seems unfathomable!

I think someone was reading [i]a little too much[/i] into a simply awesome movie, that had no partisan nor political subject matter WHAT SO EVER!

Did anyone else hear about this? I think that movie critic must have had a stroke!

Sites I found on the net...

08.08.04 (2:56 pm)   [edit]
So I'm snoopin' around the net this sunday and I find these things:

http://www.suttonsites.co.uk/b3ta/thepiggy.htm" title="http://www.suttonsites.co.uk/b3ta/thepiggy.htm" target="_blank"http://www.suttonsites.co.uk/... -- Hilarious, yet slightly disturbing.

http://www.sticky.tv/game/cyrkam_airtos/" title="http://www.sticky.tv/game/cyrkam_airtos/" target="_blank"http://www.sticky.tv/game/cyr... -- This is frikkin' awesome. You don't even have to goof off at work for real anymore! My high score was 1365. It's tricky, see how well you do!

http://www.hazza316.co.uk/roger.html" title="http://www.hazza316.co.uk/roger.html" target="_blank"http://www.hazza316.co.uk/rog... -- Roger Moore Eyebrow dance. Erm, yea...

http://www.mrandmrswheatley.co.uk/squash.html" title="http://www.mrandmrswheatley.co.uk/squash.html" target="_blank"http://www.mrandmrswheatley.c... -- OMFG! I loved this and can't stop playing it over and over again! The butternut squash is the crappiest of all the vegetables. It's bland and makes pathetic soup. Find out what Ben Wheatley thinks of the Helen Keller of the garden.

http://caseyporn.com/dope_or_wack/" title="http://caseyporn.com/dope_or_wack/" target="_blank"http://caseyporn.com/dope_or_... -- Think you know street slang? Take this quiz and see!

http://www.koit.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/alphabet.html" title="http://www.koit.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/alphabet.html" target="_blank"http://www.koit.pwp.blueyonde... -- Horrid, yet funny. (CAUTION!: graphic nature!)

http://ahpc-jp30.st-and.ac.uk/" title="http://ahpc-jp30.st-and.ac.uk/" target="_blank"http://ahpc-jp30.st-and.ac.uk...~josh/flags/meth.html -- Flag raiting. See how your country measures up. (BTW, Israel got an A!)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8107675 670" title="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8107675 670" target="_blank"http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBay... -- Mother sells kids PS2 as punishment. Kids, listen to your parents!

http://www.youthofbritain.com/chillout/" title="http://www.youthofbritain.com/chillout/" target="_blank"http://www.youthofbritain.com... -- Kittens ... On bikes!

http://www.rathergood.com/sumo_florist/" title="http://www.rathergood.com/sumo_florist/" target="_blank"http://www.rathergood.com/sum... -- Get ready for SUmo Florist!

http://www.rossb.co.uk/wax/" title="http://www.rossb.co.uk/wax/" target="_blank"http://www.rossb.co.uk/wax/ -- Man waxing

Enjoy! I know I did!

Burden of Proof Raised in Fla. Terror Case 08.08.04 (2:39 pm)   [edit]
[i][b]By VICKIE CHACHERE, Associated Press Writer [/b][/i]

TAMPA, Fla. - Prosecutors putting a former professor on trial on charges he raised money for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad will have to prove contributions to the group were used for terrorist attacks rather than for charity, a federal judge has ruled.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge James Moody was applauded Thursday by attorneys for former University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian. They said it will make the government's allegations that Al-Arian used a charity as a fund-raising front for the Islamic Jihad more difficult to prove.

Al-Arian and three others face a 50-count racketeering indictment which accuses Al-Arian of being the North American head of the Islamic Jihad. Al-Arian denies that either the charity or academic think tank he created were fund-raising fronts for the group's terrorist attacks, which have claimed more than 100 lives in Israel.

"It's a monumental victory because the government's posture in this case was all you have to do was be a member of one of these organizations and that was sufficient for them to charge you with conspiracy," said William Moffitt, one of Al-Arian's defense attorneys. "The government has a much tougher row to hoe."

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa declined to comment on the ruling, which was delivered to attorneys late Wednesday.

In March, the judge turned down a request that the case be dismissed. Al-Arian's attorneys had argued that the charges involved acts of fund-raising and freedom of association which are protected under the First Amendment.

But in Wednesday's order, the judge said that to avoid constitutional concerns the government would have to prove Al-Arian and the others sought to support the Islamic Jihad's criminal activities.

Trial for Al-Arian and the co-defendants is scheduled for January. Moffitt noted that none of the defendants is alleged to have personally participated in Islamic Jihad attacks.

The government says the men are linked to the terrorist group through the Islamic Committee of Palestine, a charity, and World and Islam Studies Enterprises, a now-defunct academic think tank once affiliated with the University of Southern Florida.

Al-Arian founded both groups, which sponsored conferences which drew participants later discovered to be terrorists and solicited contributions from audience members. Prosecutors contend those events are evidence that Al-Arian provided financial support for the terrorist group.

Al-Arian's think tank also was once headed by Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, who left Tampa and resurfaced as the head of the Islamic Jihad.

Learn facts to debate our misguided friends & family before election time!!!

08.08.04 (11:55 am)   [edit]
The beloved [url=http://brogonzo.tblog.com]brogonzo[/url] had the following forwarded to him and thought that I might be interested. And oh boy I am! Check this out!

[b][i]There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq during the month of January.....

In the fair city of Detroit there were 35 murders in the month of January.

That's just one American city, about as deadly as the entire war torn country of Iraq.

When some claim President Bush shouldn't have started this war, state the following .

FDR...

led us into World War II. Germany never attacked us: Japan did. From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost, an average of 112,500 per year.

Truman...

finished that war and started one in Korea, North Korea never attacked us. From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost, an average of 18,334 per year.

John F. Kennedy...

started the Vietnam conflict in 1962. Vietnam never attacked us.

Johnson...

turned Vietnam into a quagmire. From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost, an average of 5,800 per year.

Clinton...

went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent, Bosnia never attacked us. He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions.

In the two years since terrorists attacked us

President Bush has ... liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Libya, Iran and North Korea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people.

Some The Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking, but...

It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51 day operation.

We've been looking for evidence of chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton to find the Rose Law Firm billing records. And she "found " those in her closet in the White House.

It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Ted Kennedy to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick.

It took less time to take Iraq than it took to count the votes in Florida!!!!

Our Commander-In-Chief is doing a GREAT JOB!

The Military morale is high!

The biased media hopes we are too ignorant to realize the facts. [/i][/b]

Issues VS. Candidate

08.08.04 (11:16 am)   [edit]
Ever wonder why people get so upset if you say something derogatory about "their" candidate? I'm not talking about only the Kerry backers or only the Bush backers, but both parties. However, I tend to find that 3rd party voters don't get so insulted. Perhaps that is because they focus on something other than who the candidate is. Hrm...

But seriously, does it really matter if Kerry was a war hero or not so much of a war hero? Does it really matter if Bush didn't want to go to the Vietnam War? Most people didn't want to go. Most people were burning their draft cards or escaping to Canada. Were you alive then? Did YOU want to go? If you weren't, would you have wanted to? Why is it that we hold our leaders to a higher standard than we do ourselves?

The Vietnam War was a war very unique in comparison to other wars. Officially, it was a "police action" (though if you ask anyone who went out there, they'll tell you point blank that it was a war). It was a war! A war of which was a terrible mistake. A quagmire, if you will. The thing with the Vietnam War is, you can't truly compare it to say, WWI or WWII or Korea or any other war our country has fought! It's unique!

That said, what a person did in the face of such unique circumstances of that conflict are unable to be compared to any other. It's apples to oranges. But I'm getting off the path...

With this information, who the hell gives a crap what any candidate did? I mean it matters if they were gung ho killing and raping people. But obviously neither of our candidates did that, despite the mud slinging. And I'd hope people would be intelligent enough to recognize whether or not a candidate really was gung ho rape and such and not even give them much of a chance to begin with.

What I find is that people like to contort themselves into groups, separating each other from their fellow Americans. Things aren't that simple.

Which is why for me, though as of now I support Bush for president, I don't really care about extraneous garbage. Do I listen to smear campaigns from either side? Nope. All I care about is the issues. I say, "this is the problem. How does so and so desire to fix it?" and I go from there. Problem A needs fixing. How will you fix it? Tell me how, and if I like your solution, I'll vote for you. That's it. Plain and simple. No mumbo jumbo catch phraises. No crap. Just we have a problem. Tell me how you'll fix it and I'll let you fix it. Done. Problem solved. The end. Good night. Sleep tight!

I find, for me, Bush has what it takes to tackle the issues. Disagree with me what you will, but do it in the voting boothe. But think about the issues themselves, not this character garbage! Sure character matters, but it's not the end all be all!

I wish each and everyone could ask questions of our candidates and get point blank answers. I wish candidates would be more open and have devised plans. I wish politicians would be honest. Perhaps that's just me being romantic, but I mean it.

We should all try not to listen to the baiters and the garbage that springs fourth. We should look for what we want in a candidate and decide who fits OUR needs based on that notion. Politicians and government officials are working for US! Why do we have to fit into their mold?

When we're voting this November, it won't be Kerry or Bush or whomever that we are voting for. We as a people, a republic, are voting for the ISSUES and how best to solve them! The men who shall lead our country are merely people with ideas on the issues. They are not the answer. They are supposed to supply them!

Let us all unite, not partisanly, but individually! Get ready to vote this November and choose wisely

Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)

08.08.04 (9:11 am)   [edit]
Ok, so I know that this song is kind of old news, but it's still a great song and I've been listening to it a lot lately. Figured I might as well post the lyrics so everyone can see what this song says. I can identify as I'm sure most everyone can. Toby Keith is the man!
[line]
[b][u]Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)[/u]
[i]Toby Keith[/b][/i]

American girls and American guys will always stand up and salute;
Will always recognize
When we see ol' glory flying,
There's a lot of men dead,
So we can sleep in peace at night when we lay down our head.

My daddy served in the army,
Where he lost his right eye.
But he flew a flag out in our yard 'til the day that he died.
He wanted my mother, my brother, my sister and me
To grow up and live happy in the land of the free.

Now this nation that I love has fallen under attack.
A mighty sucker punch came flying in from somewhere in the back.
Soon as we could see clearly through our big black eye,
Man we lit up your world like the Fourth of July.

Hey Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list,
And the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist.
And the eagle will fly,
And there's gonna be Hell,
When you hear Mother Freedom start ringing her bell!
It's gonna feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you...
Brought to you courtesy of the Red, White and Blue!

Oh, Justice will be served and the battle will rage.
This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage
You'll be sorry that you messed with the US of A
'Cuz we'll put a boot in your ass
It's the American way.

Hey Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list,
And the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist.
And the eagle will fly,
And there's gonna be Hell,
When you hear Mother Freedom start ringing her bell!
And it'll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you...
Brought to you courtesy of the Red, White and Blue!

Of the Red, White and Blue..
Of my Red, White and Blue...

My Letter to Ralph Nader's campaign

08.06.04 (11:09 am)   [edit]
Thanks to the brilliant idea by [url=http://dragons5.tblog.com]dragons5[/url], I have decided to contact the Nader campaign to try to get some answers. You may remember my previous post (below) where I talked about why, I feel, no one should vote for Ralph Nader.

To show that I am truly trying to be fair and get as much information as possible, I made a few phone calls this morning. My phone calls led me to Washington D.C. and a Mr. Keven Zeese at the campaign headquarters for Ralph Nader. Mr. Zeese was on the other line when I called, but his secretary took my number and gave me Mr. Zeese's email. So here is the email I sent to Mr. Zeese and some questions I'd like answered about Mr. Nader's agenda. I will keep you posted as to the late breaking developments.
[line]
Dear Mr. Zeese,

I am writing an article for a local paper in my town about Ralph Nader. I called the number on your web site and the woman who answered said you were currently on the phone. I left my phone number and she gave me your email address. Therefore, I am writing to you now with my questions. I truly hope that you will be able to help me out in this matter. :)

Firstly, what is Mr. Nader's feeling about Israel?
Does he feel that a Jewish State has a right to exist?

Secondly, once in office, what would Mr. Nader's plan be reguarding the Arab-Israeli conflict? Does he feel the US should help try to fix the problem? If so, what is his plan regarding that? If not, what course of action, if any, would Mr. Nader feel appropriate to take?

Thirdly, what is Mr. Nader's response to Islamic terrorism and it's global impact? Not just regaurding the global economies, but also reguarding global and national security? How does he intend to deal with Islamic terrorism? Basically, what is his plan?

Lastly, does Mr. Nader support Free Trade between nations? Does he intend to mandate things like a global minimum wage?

I greatly appriciate you taking your time to answer these questions. Your partisipation will help this generation of youth to decide for themselves who they want for President. Many people are unaware of Mr. Nader's plans reguarding the above mentioned. These are concerns of the newest voting force. Thank you
again and I look greatly forward to your reply!

[my signature]

Why I will NEVER vote for the likes of Ralph Nader

08.06.04 (9:48 am)   [edit]
or... [i]Why Jews (or anyone) should NEVER vote for the likes of Ralph Nader[/i]

Aside from the frailty of his forign policy accross the board, why should I be opposed to Ralph Nader? After all, he does have some interesting and valid views when it comes to consumer rights and so on. What on earth could get me or anyone so angry at him? Ah. This shall be interesting.

Here's a heads up. Recently, Ralph Nader told [i]American Conservative[/i] magazine, in an interview, that he believed Congress and successive U.S. administrations, beginning with Ronald Reagan's, have been "puppets to Israeli military police." Here it is: [url=http://www.amconmag.com/2004_...]ugh[/url].

So, what's wrong with that? I'm just going to lay it out on the table and you can disagree with me if you will, but I find that disgusting. That sounds [i]too similar[/i] to the "Jews secretly run the world" thing. I might be acting hyper sensative, but that's what I read into that (with not too much trouble). Aside from the fact that Nader [i]looks[/i] like he should have foil on his head, he also seems to [i]talk[/i] like it. I'm sorry, but anyone who says that is not what I consider to be president material.

It's ok to be critical of Israeli policy. That's fine. I've done it. It's quite another to suggest that Israel (or any group of Jews for that matter) makes world leaders into puppets. It's disgusting, it's distasteful, and it's downright bigoted sounding.

Many Jews have been speaking out about what Nader has to say about the Jews and their state. Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) said, "Nader's diatribes send the wrong message, because there are too many in the Arab world who use any sign of weakness in the U.S.-Israel relationship as a justification for hardening their opposition to the Jewish state."

The [url=http://www.adl.org]Anti-Defamation League[/url] sent Mr. Nader a Letter to tell him how offensive they thought his little comments to be. Here's what that letter from the ADL said:

[i][b]We write to object to your characterization of the White House and Congress as "puppets" of the Israeli government. Reasonable people can and do disagree with American policy related to the Middle East, and specifically American support for Israel.

However, there is a line between thoughtful, reasoned, constructive disagreements and offensive hyperbole. Indeed, one may disagree with America's Middle East approach, but to assert that U.S. policy in such a complex and volatile region is the product of wholesale manipulation by a foreign government fails to take into account important U.S. interests that are involved. Moreover, the image of the Jewish State as a "puppeteer," controlling the powerful U.S. Congress feeds into many age-old stereotypes which have no place in legitimate public discourse.

We would have hoped that you might have made a more positive contribution to this issue.[/b]

For your reference, you can find this letter in the archives at [url=http://www.adl.org]ADL.org[/url][/i]

So, then, how does Mr. Nader intend to deal with the Israeli/Palestinian conflict?

I did a web search on =http://www.google.com/search?...+NaderGoogle to try and figure that question out. I spent hours upon hours going through Nader sites, including his official site, to no avail. The only thing I was able to come up with was this interview and the ADL's response to that interview (above), a speech (below), and a few other tidbits where he basically spews the same rhetoric. Where's the plan? Just what does Mr. Nader intend to do? I think he's being vague on perpose. Either that, or he has not a frikkin' clue.

If my first assumption is correct, why is he being vague on perpose? Is it because he's got some scary master plan that in a Nazi-like fashion he's going to unveil his final solution at a later date, say, post election once he's won? All in favor of voting for that say I! ::crickets chirp::

If the second assumption is correct, why should we vote for someone with no clue and some obvious hatred going on? ::crickets chirp again::

If you find anything as to what his policy truly is reguarding a map of what Mr. Nader intends to to with Israel and the Jews, please let me know.

What else did Mr. Nader say? You can't base things on just one little statment and lack of information on his intentions, Tigress! Can't I? Alright then. You need more?

In the course of a speech on the "Muslim vote" in America, Ralph Nader made some interesting comments on the "special relationship."

[i][b]It is time for the US government to realize that this is not a local conflict anymore; it is not just a regional conflict anymore. It is a conflict that is producing flashpoints throughout much of the world and endangering US Citizens in those countries, US businesses in those countries, US workers in those countries, and endangering our own national security here. It is time for the US government to stand up and think for itself.

What has been happening over the years is a predictable routine from the head of the Israeli government.

The Israeli puppeteer travels to Washington. The Israeli puppeteer meets with the puppet in the White House, and then moves down Pennsylvania Avenue and meets with the puppets in Congress, and then takes back billions of taxpayer dollars. It is time for the Washington puppet show to be replaced by the Washington peace show. In that, we will enhance the freedom and security of both Palestinian and Israeli people, peoples around the world, and the American people here and abroad.[/i][/b]

Here's the full text of that: [url=http://www.cnionline.org/hear...]oy[/url]

Oh [i]REALLY[/i], Mr. Nader? You don't say? Thanks for letting us know your feelings! We are so glad to safe guard ourselves against you!

ANYONE BUT NADER IN '04!!!

Military Joke -- This is funny!

08.04.04 (2:11 pm)   [edit]
USMC Rules for Gun Fighting

1. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
2. Decide to be aggresssive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.
3. Have a plan.
4. Have a back-up plan, because the first one probably won't work.
5. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
6. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not start with a "4."
7. Anything worth shooting is woth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.
8. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)
9. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.
10. Flank your adversayr when possible. Protect yours.
11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
13. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating or reloading.
14. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.
15. And above all ... don't drop your guard.

Navy SEALS Rules for Gun Fighting

1. Look very cool in the latest sunglasses.
2. Kill every living thing within view.
3. Return quickly to looking very cool in latest beach wear.
4. Check hair in mirror.

US Army Rangers Rules for Gun Fighting

1. Walk in 50 miles wearing 75 pound ruck while starving.
2. Locate individuals requiring killing.
3. Request permission via radio from "Higher" to perform killing.
4. Curse bitterly when mission is aborted.
5. Walk out 50 miles wearing a 75 pound ruck while starving.

Army Rules for Gun Fighting

1. Select a new beret to wear.
2. Sew combat patch on right shoulder.
3. Reconsider the color of beret you decide to wear.

US Air Force Rules for Gun Fighting

1. Have a cocktail.
2. Adjust temperature on air-conditioner
3. See what's on HBO.
4. Determine "what's a gunfight."

Navy Rules for Gun Fighting

1. Go to Sea.
2. Drink Coffee.
3. Send the Marines.

"Funny, you don't sound like a Republican"

08.04.04 (12:29 pm)   [edit]
The other night, I went out with some friends. We decided to walk along a beach area with rides and other attractions. It's a similar concept to the famous Coney Island. Except here, it's filthier. At any rate, we were walking along bay side when we spotted some other friends of ours that we hadn't seen in a very long time.

We ran over to them and hugged and started chatting it up and catching up on what one another had been doing for the past 3 1/2 years since we parted ways at the end of high school. My friend Zeke, who had been on the newspaper with me in high school, told me about college and his major (journalism) and what it was like working on two student newspapers. I was telling him about what I'd been up to with school and work and the venues which I've been writing for (here at my Lair and at [url=http://www.behindenemyheadlin...]B.E.H.[/url]) and all that good stuff.

My other friend that we met up with that evening, Marcel, who works for a local paper in town and had done an interview of me for that paper, told Zeke about the interview. This is where it came out that I am a Republican.

Zeke looks at me funny and asks me why I am a Republican: "You're Jewish, right?"

"Yea, so?"

"So, how can you be a Republican and Jewish?"

"What does that have to do with either of those things? Why can't I? The real question is; how could I be Jewish and a Democrat?"

I started to explain to him the reasons (there are many) as to why this is. I told him that I agree with many the party's platforms, however I do not agree with all of them. I started to rattle some examples; such as I'm pro-life and the religious reasoning behind that as well as the scientific. Then I mentioned something about the privatizing of social security and how, once I understood how it worked, I am more for privatizing it.

We snapped into a heated (yet friendly) debate at that time. I started explaining the benefits of which I'm not going to really go into detail here in this article simply because it's incredibly boring and time consuming. Unsurprisingly, he didn't know much about how SS works. I say that not to be insulting. Most people are unaware of how SS works and where the money comes from. I didn't know or understand up until not that long ago. It's very understandable.

Then we somehow switched topics and got on the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Again, unsurprisingly, my dear friend Zeke was ignorant of the history involved. Again, I don't blame him. He's not Jewish and most people, even some Jews, don't care to know about that stuff. That is, they don't care to go into deep research over it. They just listen to what the popular opinion is and that becomes their opinion. Everyone does this with a topic or issue they are not too interested in. I'm sure I do it too with some other issues. It shouldn't really be done but I'm sure it's probably somewhat unavoidable. However, this is one of my many subjects, if not THE subject, that I am passionate about of course.

So I talked to him about that and he said stuff like, "Jerusalem is just as holy to the Muslims as it is to the Jews." Of which is untrue. The Koran makes no mention of Jerusalem while the Torah mentions it over 500 times. When Jews pray, they face Jerusalem. When Muslims pray, they face Mecca. Jerusalem is the Mecca for the Jews. The Muslims have their Mecca; it's in Saudi Arabia.

Therefore, I kindly enlightened my dear friend with this and much more. I definitely gave him a run for his money, as it would seem. I'm one of those rare females who doesn't shut up when men speak over them, you see. I've noticed that men like to do this a lot to women. I will have no part of it. You will speak with me as if I'm one of your man friends or you won't speak to me at all. I'm the kind of woman that, when spoken over will say, "Can I finish my sentance please? Because if I am not allowed to talk, we do not have a discussion or debate. I am allowed equal time." This, I find, is a little shocking to most men because most women will shrink down under that circumstance. It's a true pity, yet a simple fact of gender relations. However, I digress ...

At any rate, though this conversation was heated and though my feminist ways shone through in our discussion, it was all friendly. I made sure to let him know that because I disagreed with him I didn't hate him. He was sure to make it clear that I had brought up some things that he didn't know about and he was pleased to have learned something.

We eventually did part ways and did so on a kind note after it had gotten very late. Everyone walked Marcel and Zeke to their car. Afterwards, Sam (another friend whom we had come to the bay with) had been semi listening, I suppose, to the exchange Zeke and I had been having. Sam said, "You know, you don't sound like a Republican."

"What is a Republican supposed to sound like?" I replied. "That's like saying, 'You don't look Jewish ...'"

"Come to think of it, you don't look Jewish either!"

"What is a Jewish person supposed to look like?!"

I suppose most people are used to the stereotyped white cowboy asshole who hates you and tells you you're hell bound if you don't do what he says, as the Republican. How did that ever become the normal ideal Republican? Who wants to have an intellectual exchange with that? That's just as people still think that a Jew is someone who is short, ugly, has a big nose & black hair, and who also loves money. That's no way to go about things. It's just very small minded to think that way.

I belong to the Republican party. I practice Judaism. However, that does not mean I am a separate species of creature of which is inhuman and rather crotchety. If you are a Republican or a Democrat, this only means that you have similar ideas to the party of which political affiliation you identify.

Start listening to what others have to say, not necissarily what they are! Find out who they really are! That goes for everyone!

Political Leanings EXPLAINED! haha!

08.04.04 (11:03 am)   [edit]
LOL!!!!!! First off, I have to give credit where this is due. My boyfriend, a registerred DEMOCRAT, sent me this in an email. Secondly, if you don't understand that this is a joke, perhaps you should go read something else. Lastly, if you are going to read this, ENJOY! LOL! This is hilarious! :) And most jokes have some truth to them. :wink:
[line]
The division of the human family into its two distinct branches
occurred some 10,000 years ago, a few hundred years after the Flood. Humans coexisted as members of small bands of nomadic hunter/gatherers.

In the pivotal event of societal evolution, beer was invented. This
epochal innovation was both the foundation of modern civilization and the occasion of the great bifurcation of humanity into its two distinct subgroups:

Liberals and Conservatives.

Once beer was discovered, it required grain, and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle or aluminum can had yet been invented, so it was necessary to stick pretty close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.

Some men spent their days killing animals to barbecue at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of the conservative movement.

Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting, learned how to live off conservatives by showing up for the BBQs every night and doing women's work like sewing, fetching and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the liberal movement. Later, some of the liberals actually became women.

Liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, invention of group therapy and democratic voting to see how to divide the beer and meat that the conservatives provided. Women were not interested in democracy at that time because most of them were still women back then, and the conservatives fed them.

Conservatives are symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.

Modern Liberals like imported beer (they add lime), but most prefer white wine or foreign water in a bottle. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are on liberal menus. Their women have more testosterone than the men. Liberals like deviant sex and want others to like it too. Their first successful city governments were Sodom and Gomorrah.

Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, and group therapists are Liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule in baseball because it wasn't "fair" to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink domestic beer. They eat red meat, and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumber jacks, construction workers, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, soldiers, athletes, and generally anyone who works productively outside government. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.

Liberals do not produce anything. They like to "govern" the producers and decide what is to be done with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals just stayed in Europe when conservatives were coming to America. Liberals do not
have principles, except for their dedication to stealing production of conservatives.

The American cowboy, of course, is your basic, full-bore Conservative. A hundred years ago, an Englishman visiting Texas was attempting to find the owner of a huge cattle ranch. He rode up to one of the ranch hands, and inquired, "Pardon me, but could you perhaps tell me where I might locate your master?" To which the cowboy replied, "That sumbitch aint been born yet".

So, what'll it be? Wine or Beer? Domestic or Imported?

Three militants trying to blow up Israeli bulldozer kill fellow Palestinians 08.03.04 (2:23 pm)   [edit]

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Three militants attacking an Israeli armoured bulldozer inadvertently killed three other Palestinians Tuesday during an Israeli operation to destroy weapons-smuggling tunnels from Egypt.

The roadside bomb in the Rafah refugee camp went off a few metres from where the bulldozer was piling up dirt in a crowded residential area, according to Associated Press Television News. No Israelis were injured but three Palestinian men 180 metres away were hit by shrapnel, one so severely it took off half his skull.

Ten people were wounded, including a Reuters TV cameraman, according to witnesses and hospital officials.

The violence came a day after vigilantes killed three Palestinians convicted of collaborating with Israel - two of them in their hospital beds - highlighting the progressive breakdown of law and order in Gaza.

The Hamas militant organization said two of the casualties in Rafah were its members, and the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed one of the dead men. Neighbours confirmed they belonged to militant organizations, but were not involved in combat units.

Moments before, masked militants were filmed putting a detonator in an alley near the road. Palestinian ambulances were already standing by as people in nearby buildings waved white flags to show the Israelis the buildings were inhabited by civilians.

The extensive Israeli army operation in the Gaza-Egypt border area began before dawn Tuesday. A spokesman said the bomb was one of four that went off during the night.

The Rafah border area is strewn with landmines and other roadside bombs planted by militants. The bulldozers and minesweepers scour the area to destroy tunnels used by Palestinians to smuggle arms from Egypt into the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Hamas aired a video on the Al-Arabiya satellite television showing three masked men surrounded by weapons. One of the men read a statement threatening to rain rockets from the Gaza Strip on the Israeli town of Sderot.

On Monday, Palestinian vigilantes killed two collaborators in their beds in a Gaza hospital, where they were taken hours earlier with injuries from a grenade explosion in their jail cell that killed a third spy.

The Wild West-style episode occurred just as Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat ordered a restoration of law and order in the Palestinian territories, where militants outgun the fragmented Palestinian police forces.

The two collaborators killed in Gaza City's Shifa Hospital - the main medical facility in the city of about 300,000 Palestinians - had confessed during their trials to helping Israeli forces kill two top Islamic militants.

The chain of events began just after sunrise in the central prison at Palestinian security headquarters.

Two grenades were thrown into the cell where the convicted spies were held, wounding seven. One of the wounded died of his injuries in Shifa Hospital.

Around noon, five masked gunmen taking part in a funeral procession for three other militants killed in an overnight clash with Israeli forces broke away and raced into the hospital.

The five went straight to the room where Mahmoud al-Sharef, 52, was being treated for wounds from the grenade attack. They shot him twice in the head, killing him, and fled the building. Police detained one militant for questioning.

Just five hours later, it happened again.

At least 20 armed militants raced to the hospital in four vehicles, witnesses said, screeching to a halt at the entrance. Most of the gunmen deployed on the street, closing it off, while five ran into the hospital.

This time their goal was the intensive care unit, where Walid Hamdiyeh, 42, was being treated. They shot him three times in the head and chest, killing him, and escaped.

In a statement, Hamas claimed responsibility for the grenade attack and the killing of Hamdiyeh.

Al-Sharef and Hamdiyeh were considered the prime collaborators held in Palestinian custody because of their roles in Israel's killing of militants.

The 'Tigress Papers' Vol. 1: Dragonbait22

08.02.04 (7:19 pm)   [edit]
Ok, so I mentioned that I'm going to be doing feature interviews of folks around tblog and the net. I'm calling it the [i]Tigress Papers[/i].


Tthe very first interview in the [i]Tigress Papers[/i] shall be [url=http://dragonbait22.tblog.com...]Dragonbait22[/url]!!!

Go to her blog and CHECK HER OUT!

After you do that, you should email or PM [b]me[/b], or leave a note in the comments box below with a question you would like asked of Dragonbait22!

Your questions, together with mine, will be submitted to her and she will answer them right here at the lair!

Times a wasting! Let's get this started!

Get going! GO! :wink:

Student vanguard

08.02.04 (10:04 am)   [edit]
[i][b]By GARY ROSENBLATT[/i]
The Jerusalem Post[/b]

Where do pro-Israel campus activists come from?

I have just returned from one of my most gratifying visits to Israel, a 10-day trip with 27 high school students from the New York area who met with government officials, journalists, and Israeli teens their age, Jewish and Arab. The goal was for these young people, participants in a program called Write On For Israel, to improve their understanding of Israel's position in the Mideast conflict so they will be better prepared to advocate for the Jewish state when they enter college a year from now.

In America, the college campus has become an ideological battleground over the Arab-Israel conflict, especially over the past several years. There is a growing realization that most Jewish students are either ignorant of or disinterested in Zionist history.

A small percentage have embraced the Palestinian cause, but more disturbing is the fact that so many bright Jewish college students are embarrassed or frustrated by Israel's actions.

At some point after talking to college students, it occurred to me that it was too late to make Zionist activists out of young people on campus, and that it would make more sense for the Jewish community to concentrate its efforts on high school students.

Thus was born the idea for Write On, a two-year Israel advocacy program through journalism for a select group of 11th- and 12th-grade students from religious, public, and private schools in the New York area, sponsored by The Jewish Week of New York and funded by the Avi Chai Foundation.

In the course of full-day monthly seminars during the school year, the students study Jewish history, meet with journalists, Israeli officials, Jewish organizational leaders, and hone their writing skills.

Linda Scherzer, a former Jerusalem correspondent for CNN and Israeli Television, is the program director, and Rabbi Yotav Eliach, the principal of a yeshiva high school on Long Island and longtime Zionist educator, is the core educator and primary guide for the Israel trip.

THE FIRST group of 30 students completed the program this spring and will be off for college next month. A number will be attending Ivy League schools, and about one-third of the group will be studying for a year in Israel.

When they get to campus, we are counting on all of them to be among the vanguard of students making Israel's case through school newspapers or radio or television stations, armed with the historical knowledge, communication skills, and moral confidence we've tried to instill in them.

The highlight of the two-year program is the 10 days in Israel in the summer between junior and senior year of high school. Participants from both groups we've taken so far have come back saying that the experience was transformative. One 17-year-old from our most recent trip wrote on her return to thank us and tell us that she told her grandfather she wants to start college "right now because my motivation is high and my information bank deep."

Natan Sharansky, the cabinet minister who deals most closely with Diaspora Jewry, met with our group in Jerusalem and told them they are the hope for the next generation. "The majority of Jewish students choose to be silent," he said, based on his visit to 21 US college campuses this past year. He came back deeply concerned about what he saw, and was convinced that more programs like Write On, focused on high school students, are needed.

Our goal is to have Jewish newspapers around the US embrace the Write On program. Avi Chai has just announced that it will launch the next effort this fall in Chicago through the JUF News, the largest Jewish newspaper in the city.

Other organizations are recognizing the importance of reaching young people before they get to college. This fall, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is starting High School Alert, a weekly e-mailed bulletin with news and commentary about Israel, geared to students. Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice-president of the Conference, said the community "ignored the campus until it was too late. We didn't invest in it. Now we've started to turn things around. It's time we do the same for high school students."

Of course, there is no reason why Zionist history should not be taught in the lower grades, as well. It bothers me that while every youngster knows who Judah Maccabee is, so few high school and college students - even the products of a yeshiva education - could identify Chaim Weizmann, Menachem Begin, or Natan Sharansky. Bible stories are important, of course, but finding time to teach about more recent Jewish history is imperative if we expect the next generation of American Jewry to be knowledgeable and confident supporters of Israel.

[i]The writer is editor and publisher of The Jewish Week of New York and founding director of Write On For Israel [/i](http://www.writeonforisrael.o...).

German baby formula firm pay outs to Israeli victims 08.02.04 (9:57 am)   [edit]
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=52&stor y_id=10158

HERFORD - Humana, a German manufacturer of baby formula, confirmed Monday it was paying financial compensation to children in Israel who became ill with beriberi after being fed a soy-based milk substitute that lacked vitamin B1.

But the company declined to specify the amount, saying this was confidential under the out of court settlement.

On Saturday, Israeli television news said up to 100 million schekels (22.3 million dollars) would be paid to the families.

Humana admitted 10 months ago that it had inadvertently left the vitamin out of the kosher formula, which was sold only in Israel and under another brand name, Remedia. Four staff were sacked for their role in the faulty calculations of the recipe.

Two babies are believed to have died as a result. A lack of vitamin B1 causes the wasting disease beriberi. Humana did not say how many children in all had been affected, but the TV account said 17 families would receive compensation.

Asked about the sum named, a Humana spokesman said, "We don't know where this figure comes from. Confidentiality was agreed about the amount, and on legal grounds I can't say any more." He said the number of families involved was also confidential.

Commentators said that as a farmer-owned dairy cooperative, Humana Milchunion based in the western town of Herford, was not required to publish its accounts. The company's main products are bovine-milk- based formula and other dairy foods.

Humana said separately in a press statement that it accepted its responsibility "in connection with the tragic events in Israel" and would act in the future in conformity with that.

"The management and staff of Humana deeply and sincerely feel for the affected families," the statement added.

Prosecutors in both Germany and Israel have cooperated in homicide inquiries against the four dismissed Humana staff.

Harald Krahmueller, a spokesman for prosecutors in the German city of Bielefeld, said expert reports from Israel had recently been translated and provided to the defence attorny.

The next step would be to compile the defence responses and obtain a German scientific review of the Israeli evidence.

DPA

Israeli olympic team gets own security fence 08.02.04 (9:50 am)   [edit]
[i][b]By ASSOCIATED PRESS[/b][/i]

ATHENS, Greece

Israeli athletes have been given an additional layer of security at the Olympic Village, the public order ministry said Monday.

A fence has been placed around the team's residential compound - adding to the massive security at the site for all 16,000 athletes and officials.

The US team had also asked for a fence, but later withdrew the request, officials said.

Australian Olympic Committee chief John Coates said the Israelis also had an extra fence at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Coates, visiting Athens, said Australian officials are also focusing their attention on athletes living outside the village to be close to the venues.

"There is no question about the Olympic venues being wonderfully secured," Coates said. "People like our sailors, who are not in the Olympic village ... that we are bit concerned, but we respect the sovereignty of the Greeks."

He said Australian guards escorting athletes are not carrying weapons.

The issue of arming overseas security agents in Athens remains sensitive. Authorities fear foreign guards could react inappropriately in an unfamiliar environment.

"Australia did not allow any other countries to come in with armed security personnel (at the Sydney Games) and that's the position here," Coates said.

"We have some security directors in our team, unarmed, and some liaison police outside the village who are assisting us, unarmed, from Australia."

Greece is spending a record 1.2 billion (US$1.5 billion), with 70,000 police and soldiers providing security, and is receiving advice from Australia, Britain, the United States, Israel, Spain, France and Germany.

"They have a very difficult job, but they are well prepared and everything are ready," deputy Defense Minister Yiannis Lambropoulos said, referring to the security personnel.

Hundreds of Olympic athletes arrived at Athens airport Monday, after the Olympic Village opened last week.

The site in Menidi suburb, about 15 kilometers (nine miles) northwest of central Athens, is protected by a double perimeter fence, 24-hour police and army patrols, scores of cameras and sensors and concrete barriers to prevent a car bombing.

Olympic traffic restrictions - cordoning off a lane for games-related vehicles - went into effect Sunday to facilitate the arrivals and last-minute preparations.

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