The Final Cog: Part Two - Integration

If the North American Union has Robert Pastor as its architect, his Latino twin brother is none other than Vicente Fox. Mr. Fox has worked tirelessly in Latin America to convince those nations to support ALCA, or as we call it in English - the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) agreement. He has even campaigned in the United States saying, “My vision is to speed up the process of further integration.” That is because work on a free trade superhighway has already begun south of the border and the United States is holding things up.

The Central American Integration System

I discovered the existence of these other trade agreements by accident while I was researching English-language news from my wife’s original country of Costa Rica. Currently there is a war of words between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The Costa Rican president Oscar Arias has recently been very outspoken in regards to Latin America’s obsession with blaming the United States for all of their problems. One article explained that President Arias never attends the presidential summits that are held in Latin America, believing that they are a waste of time and never truly deal with solving any of Latin America’s problems. That’s when I discovered the Central American Integration System (SICA in Spanish). It was created in 1991 and ratified in 1993. The ultimate goal is to reduce trade barriers between the member states in order to stimulate one another’s economies, share resources, etc. It’s very much like how the European Union began. They hope to eventually have a unified currency and passport system just like in Europe. So far they have established a regional court, regional parliament, and a rotating presidency – again, just like Europe. President Arias is about to become the SICA president and this upsets Nicaragua because Costa Rica is the only Latin American nation that still hasn’t joined the court or parliament.

What does this have to do with the United States? I found the answer on a Chinese website. They were reporting that for the first time in history, Central American nations were sharing energy as part of their plans for integration. Towards the end of the article, the reporter mentions something called the Puebla-Panama Plan (PPP). Being naturally curious, I started researching the PPP. The PPP, approved in 2001, is a superhighway system dreamed up by former Mexican president Vicente Fox. The PPP will link nine southern Mexican states with the seven nations of SICA. Two major superhighways are to be built, running roughly from the Texas-Mexico border, around the Gulf of Mexico, over to the Yucatán, and then into Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. The other superhighway will run along the Pacific coast from Mexico City into Guatemala, through the rest of Central America and into Panama.



This vast system of Central American superhighways, power lines, and railways will connect to the North American Super Corridor in the north and the system currently being built by the South American Regional Infrastructure Integration Initiative (IIRSA in Spanish). IIRSA is part of Merco Sur – South America’s version of SICA and the EU. Their goal is also to form a common marketplace, common currency, a regional court, regional passport, etc.

By now, everyone should see a common theme: integration. It is the buzzword of choice for global elitists. They won't say it is a loss of sovereignty; they'll call it integration. After all, integration is a good thing, right? Robert Pastor and Vicente Fox use the term constantly. It is even found in the names of the Central & South American trading blocs. Yet, everyone will deny that our very independence is at stake. They paint it all as a harmless and beneficial means of trade and nothing more. As we continue to dive into what's already happening on this side of the planet just over our southern border, see what the results of integration are already and then you be the judge.

Also, if you think free trade integration only affects immigration and manufacturing, then think again. It even affects our national energy policies. One component of the PPP is dam construction. A total of 25 dams are currently being built in the Central American region that will generate the energy needed for greater industrialization of the area and will also supply the US market. So you should know now that our politicians have absolutely no plans to end our dependence on foreign sources of energy. It'll just be electricity this time instead of oil. After all, we'll need that electricity to power all of those great electric cars GM will be building soon.

In our next series, we'll look into each one of these trade agreements in more detail and we'll find out exactly what it means for our nation's future.

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The Final Cog: Part One - Finding Answers

Why aren’t they doing something about illegal immigration?
Where are all of our manufacturing jobs going?
Why aren't we using our own resources for energy?

The answer to all three questions is free trade. That term gets kicked around a lot lately and on the surface it sounds pretty sweet. The theory is that all nations involved in a free trade agreement can sell their items on an equal playing field - no restrictions, no tariffs, and no protectionism. Why is free trade replacing mercantilism, a practice that has been around for practically the history of the world? With a currency no longer backed by gold, and an economy that is 70% based on consumer spending, the government wants you to spend your money as much as possible. However, we won't buy anything if things are too expensive, right? That's when people will argue that free trade will lower the cost of what we buy, but is free trade really all about cost?

Whenever anyone talks about illegal immigration or having any domestic production, everyone likes to talk about the cost. People say it's too expensive and too cumbersome to manufacture things in America. Is that the entire truth? Let’s look at the government’s plans for your new company, General Motors. Instead of manufacturing cars here in America, it is supposedly cheaper to manufacture the vehicles in China, stack them on a giant barge, and sail them across the biggest ocean in the world. Is it that difficult and expensive to do business here? If it's really only about cost, then why don't we find ways to make the process cheaper in the US? Why is our solution one that gives away nearly our entire ability to manufacture anything? Does anyone else believe there's something else going on here?

I think it goes much deeper than buying things cheaply. It’s not about cost; it’s about power. Americans would probably accept free trade if it would give us cheap stuff while also letting us keep our jobs, but the jobs are disappearing. Manufacturing jobs are going to China, the jobs that stay here are being filled with illegal labor, and high tech jobs are going to India. So what’s left for the middle class American? And why aren’t more Americans angry about this?

I wish I knew the answer to that. Perhaps Americans will finally get angry the day when we become like many Europeans who must travel outside their home country in order to find work; Poles are moving to Germany, Italians are moving to England, and so on. But how do Americans – or anyone in the Americas for that matter – accomplish this movement of labor if so many manufacturing jobs are being lost to Asia? Through the creation of a hemispheric trade union; a border-free land mass, complete with a common passport, unified currency, and a powerful, centralized government.

Many of us have heard about the North American Union. I first heard about it in Glenn Beck’s An Inconvenient Book, where he humorously dubbed it Mexamericanada. Soon after reading that, I picked up a copy of Jerome Corsi’s The Late, Great USA and was astounded at how many people in government and business desired a North American Union. It is important for everyone to realize that the formation of a North American Union is not the beginning of anything; it’s actually the end. The NAU is the last cog in the global machine of the Western Hemisphere. There are actually several free trade unions already formed south of the border and the NAU would merely connect us to them. As it turns out, the United States and Canada are the last dominoes to topple in the game of free trade.

In our next installment, you'll learn that the North American Union is actually the least of our worries.

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Patriotic Bipolar Disorder

I believe I am suffering from a disorder that I just made up: patriotic bipolar disorder. This is where one minute you are nearly in tears over the love you have for your country and then the next minute you are praying that some breakaway republics form that you can move to. You know how some people can’t even be near peanuts? For me it’s politicians. I get hives and itch all over. The only cure is tar-and-feathers. It’s not a fun disease to have, especially because environmentalists keep hounding me to use synthetic feathers next time.

It’s not an easy life to live. I’m hoping to get some of that bailout money since my senators and governor can’t stop bragging about how much New Jersey sucked out of your pockets. With that money, maybe I can find a cure…like a house on thousands of acres of land…with my own flag and currency backed by gold…Ooo, it’s almost like Conservative porno!

Let’s get serious for a moment. I truly believe in PBD because I can’t stop this love/hate thing. I love my country, but my government drives me nuts! Think about what’s going on in this country right now. The Federal Reserve is buying more debt. You see, the Fed prints money out of thin air so that Congress can spend it on great things like train stations named after my senator, which drives up inflation and increases our debt. Congress then borrows money from China to cover what we’ve just printed, which also increases our debt. The Fed then prints more money in order to buy the debt that Congress just created…which also increases our debt and inflation. And on and on and on…

Speaking of the Fed - how come if a credit card company jacks up its interest rate, people flip out and demand action - yet the Fed can keep printing our money until it turns into the peso and almost nobody bats an eye?

What else is happening? Congress is trying to stop alleged detainee abuse photos from being released. When Bush was in office, we needed to show these photos. It was important to show what the evil Bush administration was doing. Now that our lord and savior Barry Obama is in office, well, we can't show these photos. It would harm our troops, damage our nation’s image overseas, and put our nation at risk. Yet, no one sees the hypocrisy here.

What else is driving me crazy? Democrats are submitting the Paid Vacation Act of 2009 (H.R. 2564). Employees that work at least 25 hours a week would be given a mandatory paid week’s vacation. What better way to stimulate our economy than by asking people to not work? The theory is that we will stimulate the economy by having happy, rested, citizens. How about we stimulate the economy by letting us keep our money and jobs? Can we cut to the chase and just change our name to New France already?!

You see, by paying even a small amount of attention to the morons in Washington DC, I continue to suffer from PBD. I think the first step in curing this disease is to build a wall around Washington DC. It’s sort of like how a computer’s antivirus program works. It isolates the code that’s destroying your entire system and keeps it there. While there may be one or two people in Congress that still believe in the principles of our Founders, that is not enough anymore. It’s time to call Lot out of Sodom and wall that baby up.

Then we need to change the name of our capital. I think it is a grave injustice to continue to have that cesspool named after our first president. There is absolutely no resemblance to Washington nor his beliefs in that city. From now on, my essays will only refer to our nation’s capital as ‘DC’ so that I no longer contribute to the slander of George Washington’s good name.

Now let’s see…what should DC stand for, the District of Corruption? Hey, how about the District of Carter? That’s a much more appropriate president to name that city after.

Man, I am soooo itchy…

Saving Us From Ourselves

How come every time I tell everyone that I am done writing for a while, the government does or says something so stupid or damaging that I have to bother you again? They’d be making life so much easier for me if they’d stop doing anything. I’d write a lot less often and you’d have a lot less emails of mine in your inbox (or junk folder, depending on if you hate me or not).

The latest insult to hard-working Americans is President Obama & Congress’ attempt to “fix” the credit card industry. It seems that, much like in the housing industry, too many people spent way too much money. Like always, instead of the problem being reckless spending on the part of the people, the government believes it’s due to reckless lending on the part of the companies. It seems those credit card companies charge way too much interest and their fees are way too high. Now, how can we fix this problem? One way would be to return our economy into one that actually produces something. With 70% of our economy based on you spending your highly inflated money, how can anyone not see the danger of our overspending? Of course, Congress doesn’t know a thing about operating within a budget, so why would they lecture you about yours? Instead, they are doing everything they can to fix things for us.

The president and Congress want credit card companies to reduce the amount of their late fees, over-limit fees, and to lower their interest rates. That sounds much easier than Americans learning to be responsible for their spending or teaching Americans to read the fine print before they accept ‘free’ money. What could go wrong with that, right?

The New York Times reports that “banks are expected to look at reviving annual fees, curtailing cash-back and other rewards programs and charging interest immediately on a purchase instead of allowing a grace period of weeks, according to bank officials and trade groups.”

Like always, the responsible get bent over and “changed” to death in order to bail out the less responsible. Now, you’re talking to someone that has been at the bottom of the credit barrel for most of my life. I’ve only recently gotten better, mostly due to my wife adding much-needed responsibility to my life. The credit mistakes I made were my own and the fees I have paid in my life are of my own fault. It wasn’t from a big bad company trying to take advantage of me and I certainly didn’t need the government to swoop in on their white stallion and save the day.

Frankly, I would be much happier if the government got back to what it was supposed to be doing: protecting our borders, money, and freedoms. Anything else they’re doing is unconstitutional and a waste of our time and taxes.

Mr. Obama and Congress, please…stop helping me already! I'm begging you!

Which Monkey Are You?

Start with a cage containing five monkeys. In the cage, hang a banana on a string and put a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all the monkeys with cold water.

After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result - all the monkeys are sprayed with cold water.

Pretty soon, when any monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it. Now, turn off the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm.

Again, replace a third original monkey with a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four monkeys that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey, but they do it anyway.

After replacing the fourth and fifth original monkeys, all the monkeys that have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs.

Why not?

Because that's the way it's always been around here.

Now, this is something I found hanging up at work. It is an attempt to get employees to challenge company policies that don't make any sense. When I read it, however, the first thing I thought about was the American electorate.

During the presidential election cycle, I started posting the principles of the Constitution Party on message boards. I wanted to explain to others how our Founding Fathers viewed the very same challenges that we face today. These monkeys attacked me for trying to get the banana! They called me names and expressed their shock at my suggestions.

Cut the size of government? Who's going to take care of such-and-such?

Get rid of the income tax? How will we pay for such-and-such?

We can't afford this, we can't manage without that, and so on.

My point is that half of America has now become those monkeys that are trying to keep the other half from climbing the stairs. They attack you with insults, threats, and intimidation. They beat you by rewriting history and dismissing your opinion. Some don't know why they participate; they just do.

Can you see the analogy? For two hundred years, America ran on ways that were tried and true. Our money was backed by gold; now it's just worthless paper. Our money was managed by Congress; now it's controlled by a secretive, banking cartel. The private American citizen never had to pay federal income taxes; now, God help you if you forget to carry the 'one.'

We used to do things in a smarter way, a better way. Then one day socialists and progressives got a hold of our nation and we became those monkeys trying to climb the stairs. Our public schools and the media have contributed to the amount of monkeys attacking the ones trying to reach the banana.

Which monkey are you? Are you one that believes that this is the way it's always been? Are you one of the monkeys getting attacked? Like when you give your opinion and they call you a racist, right-wing, Bible-thumping traitor? Or are you one of the monkeys that just falls in line? Well, why change things? They're just going to beat me. I didn't want that banana that badly anyway...

If we don't do something soon, there won't be anyone trying to climb the stairs anymore.

Those Darn Veterans!

Even though this administration claims it wants to end the War on Terror overseas, it seems determined to bring the war into our own backyard. As President Obama’s pastor said, “America’s chickens are coming home to roost.” The sweeping powers Congress gave to the Executive Branch during the Bush Administration continue to bite our collective behinds. Investigations have revealed that the National Security Administration has exceeded their authority to wiretap Americans. In a recent column by Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin, he pointed out that the Obama Administration is helping to create a massive Internet overhaul that would grant the federal government the authority to monitor and seize your hard drive for suspicion of copyright infringement. It would also give the Executive Branch the authority to shut down or limit Internet access in the name of national security.

A few weeks ago, our Department of Homeland Security released a memo that warned the states of potential domestic sources of terrorism. Many groups were mentioned – tax protesters, pro-life groups, third-party members, and groups advocating limited government. This seemed like an expanded version of the memo the Missouri state government released.

No other group was more shocked to learn they were potential terrorists than our war veterans. They were also on the Homeland Security list and I realized that this means that every generation of my family has contained potential terrorists.

My brother had a long career in the Air Force. One of my uncles was stationed in South Korea during the Korean War. During World War 2, my grandfather on my Dad’s side was drafted from the family farm in North Carolina, sent to Italy, and developed tuberculosis – dying a slow, painful death by the end of the war when my Dad was barely three years old. My Grandfather on my Mother’s side was also drafted and served in Europe in the Army Medical Corps. He saw firsthand the horrors of the Buchenwald concentration camp. His brother served in the Pacific theater of the war, also.

One of my great-grandfathers moved to the United States from the Austrian-partition of Poland and served in the US Army in World War 1. The Nazis, through their destruction of Poland, made sure it would be difficult for me to research further back than this.

I have a great-great-grandfather that was a Confederate veteran that joined the county militia before being mustered into the Army of Northern Virginia. My family was living in a small town in southern Virginia at the time and he was one of 12 children. A cousin of his also served in the same Confederate company. Perhaps this could fall into the government’s definition of a domestic terrorist: someone that believes in the Constitution so much that they’d fight to defend it from federal abuses. That sounds like something they would hate.

The furthest back I have been able to research definitively is my great-great-great-grandfather, a veteran of the War of 1812. I only regret that I have been unsuccessful in my research to uncover the ultimate domestic terrorist: a veteran of the Revolutionary War. These men, whom we have recently demonized as racist, xenophobic, Christian radicals were the ultimate threat to a national government that wanted unlimited power to oppress, to tax, and to control their citizens. Does a government like that sound familiar to anyone?

President Obama was correct when he was a candidate and said he wanted to change America. He's certainly doing his best to warp us into France. His administration is now taking any group that can be associated with patriotism or the principles of our founding fathers and are demonizing them as dangerous. This lie will be told over and over, like much of the version of American history that is being taught today. Future generations will continue to abhor our founders and the people that made America great: our military veterans.

So as you can see, according to the government my family has been chock full of potential domestic terrorists. Through hard work as civilians and as soldiers, my family has done its best to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America from all threats, foreign and domestic. I was raised to be proud of our nation and, even though I heavily disagree with the choices the government has been making, I could never be prouder of our country (well, at least half of it).

Thomas Jefferson, our nation’s third president and primary author of the Declaration of Independence, once said, “When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” As the government continues to make the people its enemy, as they continue to draw lines in the sand for us, create hoops for us to jump through, and continue to label many of us as terrorists, remember those words of one of the most patriotic and dedicated Americans we ever had.

For a short while longer, they may still fear us. Keep in mind though, thanks to President Bush’s decision to repeal posse comitatus, that fear may be quickly disappearing forever.

Now, the government might have spit on our troops just in time for Memorial Day, but to our veterans I want to say thank you for everything that you've done to defend us. May God deliver you out of harm's way and may all of our soldiers stationed in 130 different nations return home soon.

A Prophetic Quote

This is a quote that I want to carry on to future generations. It is the opinion of a man who lived during the War Between the States. His words are eerily prophetic:

"But the consequences of success on our part will be very different from the consequences of success on the part of the North. If they prevail, the whole character of the Government will be changed, and, instead of a federal republic, the common agent of sovereign and independent States, we shall have a central despotism, with the notion of States for ever abolished, deriving its powers from the will, and shaping its policy according to the wishes, of a numerical majority of the people; we shall have, in other words, a supreme, irresponsible democracy....

On the other hand, we are struggling for constitutional freedom. We are upholding the great principles which our fathers bequeathed us; and if we should succeed, and become, as we shall, the dominant nation of this continent, we shall perpetuate and diffuse the very liberty for which Washington bled, and which the heroes of the Revolution achieved. We are not revolutionists; we are resisting revolution. We are upholding the true doctrines of the Federal Constitution. We are conservative... We shall have a Government that acknowledges God, that reverences right, and that makes law supreme. We are therefore fighting, not for ourselves alone, but, when the struggle is rightly understood, for the salvation of this whole continent."

[Life and Letters of James Henley Thornwell, pp. 582, 583]

This Country is so, like you know, unfair and stuff

At this time in my life, I was struggling to find the job I wanted to do and took a part-time position as a custodian in my old high school (a job Americans just won't do). We found a letter on the floor that prompted this essay. While I have since agreed that the Pledge of Allegiance was created by a socialist for socialist reasons, much of this letter remains a valid critique of our childrens' lack of understanding about the Constitution. This article contains offensive language (of course, it was written by a high schooler).

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Hello.

In today's SRJ, I have typed out a letter that a student at Lacey High School wrote. It was found on the floor and a member of the staff found it. I was given a copy of it by a good friend that works in the school. This letter makes my blood boil. It was written by a stupid, illogical GIRL (the handwriting is 100% female - you can tell) and I have no reason why her family and/or the school has raised her to hate the country so much. One thing though - she's too much of a coward to sign her name.

After her letter, I was going to type up a rant that would blow her away, but I thought of something 80 times more powerful and so much better. I would research the facts of the matter and prove her 110% wrong on EVERY ONE of her points. That was fun!

The goal of this assignment was to write what the Pledge of Allegiance means to you and here is what she wrote:

"It is simply unconstitutional. The pledge instills a sense of Nationalism which can be likened to such fascist institutions as Nazi Germany, Italy under Mussolini, and Stalin during his Communist Dictatorship (an oxymoron in itself). I, personally, don't pledge allegiance to our country. Fuck our country. Name one thing that our country has done for me. JFK once said, "Ask not what your country can do for you - Ask what you can do for your country." But the fact of the matter is, why would you want to do something for your country if it does jack for you? I'm sure JFK was talking to white, middle-class Americans when he made that speech, but white, middle-class Americans don't make up the majority of America. Our Country has slaughtered millions, keeps minorities, women & homosexuals under its heel, and generally does a good job shitting on foreign countries. But even if our country WAS a fair, decent, trustworthy country, wouldn't that make the pledge unnecessary?

We wouldn't need to pledge allegiance to our country because no one would want to go against it. If we truly felt that what our country did was right, we would go along with everything it did. This is why we have the pledge in our schools, to make everyone give their pledge to stand by the unjust things our country does. Now, our country is pretty fucked up, but out schools do some pretty fucked up actions also. One is how our school enforces the pledge. Some teachers don't pester you if you don't stand up. They see it as your right to stand or not stand, depending upon your beliefs. Some teachers don't even stand up themselves. Yet, there are far too many who yell at you to stand up if you are not and if you disobey with the retort that you have."

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Well, I have done some research for this girl and here's some items she may have missed about this country:

Her quote is: "...white, middle-class Americans don't make up the majority of America."

The 2000 U.S. Census says the following:
"Out of 281,421,906 people, nearly 217 million people, or 77.1 percent of the total population, reported as White, either alone or in combination with one or more other races."

"103,610,899 Americans are Private wage and salary workers."

"Out of 104,724,456 households, 50,540,235 Americans are in the $25,000-$75,000 income level, or MIDDLE CLASS - ALMOST HALF OF ALL HOUSEHOLDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The U.S. Census states that 13.3% of the people in America are in the poverty level. Which means that 86.7% of Americans are in the Middle or Upper Class levels.

So, we have proven the fact that America, statistically, is mostly made up of white, middle-class Americans. That's ONE thing she had wrong.

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Her quote is: "Our Country has slaughtered millions, keeps minorities, women & homosexuals under its heel, and generally does a good job shitting on foreign countries."

The 2000 Census states the average wage for households went up for many groups:

"Family households maintained by women with no husband present experienced a 4.0 percent increase in real income between 1999 and 2000."

"The median income of foreign-born households with a householder who was not a U.S. citizen increased by 9.8 percent in real terms between 1999 and 2000."

Also, according to the Census, the average yearly wage for Black and Hispanic families are at an ALL-TIME HIGH and the Black and Hispanic poverty rates are at an ALL-TIME LOW!

Speaking of minorities, here's some stats about minority-owned businesses:

"Minority-owned businesses grew more than four times as fast as U.S. firms overall between 1992 and 1997, increasing from 2.1 million to about 2.8 million firms, according to a report released by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. The 30 percent growth rate exceeded the 7 percent increase for all U.S. firms, which jumped from 17.3 million in 1992 to 18.4 million in 1997.

Receipts of all minority-owned firms (excluding C corporations) rose 60 percent to $335.3 billion in 1997, compared with a 40 percent increase for all U.S. firms over the same period."

So that means that women and minorities are doing the BEST THEY HAVE EVER DONE right now.

There are no present stats for homosexuals, but based upon the fact that now in most - if not all - states it's a hate crime if the crime is based upon someone's sexuality, the establishment of the equivalent of marriage for homosexual unions, and the success of gays in Hollywood, the fashion industry and in the regular working class, I'm sure most homosexuals are doing as well as the population demographics have specified.

Now, the slaughtered millions part:

In World War 1, the U.S. and its Allies caused an estimated 15,468,664 total casualties. The World Powers (the bad guys for you Lacey students) caused an estimated 36,928,698 total casualties.

In World War 2, the U.S. and its Allies caused an estimated 6,294,964 deaths. The Axis powers (Mainly Germany, Japan, & Italy) caused an estimated 13,277,295 deaths. These figures do not even include the wounded. The Axis-caused deaths do not include the almost 7,000,000 Jews, Slavs, homosexuals and Christians killed in the Concentration Camps.

In all of America's major wars, from the Revolution to the Gulf War, the U.S. has had an estimated 1,189,412 deaths and another 1,431,290 wounded - all so this girl, and anyone else, could write this horrible letter and not get arrested, shot, or beaten for it. These War stats do not include the countless people lost in non-combat situations, in peace-keeping roles, etc.

So far I only see the AMERICAN MILLIONS that were slaughtered. If she can list for me the MILLIONS we slaughtered, then I'll list it. I don't think we can compete with the 13,000,000 people Hitler killed in non-military deaths from 1939-1945, the estimated 20,000,000 people that Stalin had killed, the 1.5 million Armenians Turkey executed, the 20 million people China killed, the 100,000 Mayan Indians Guatemala killed, the 300,000 Christians Uganda killed, or the 1 million people Cambodia killed, but if she has the numbers for me, I'll shut up.

Now, shitting on other Countries? This stupid girl has it backwards. Here is part of a newspaper article from May 13, 1996. Of course, the amount of money has surely gone up, but see if you notice a trend: "Nearly two-thirds of the countries that received U.S. foreign aid in 1995 voted against the United States a majority of the time in the United Nations, according to a new analysis by The Heritage Foundation. All told, 75 of the 118 countries that received foreign aid in 1995 voted against the United States more than half of the time, reports Heritage Policy Analyst Bryan Johnson.

The 10 countries that voted against the United States most often -- an average of 73 percent of the time -- will pocket more than $212 million in foreign aid in 1996. And of the 10 countries that will receive the most money, only three of them voted with the United States a majority of the time."

How much money have we given out in just the last year in foreign aid?

Well, it is VERY hard to find that out. I did find out just a tiny bit, but the numbers are staggering:

"In 1998, the United States gave $30 million in aid to Nicaragua. The U.S. allocated nearly $29.7 million for fiscal year 2000 to add to the $1.379 billion Nicaragua has received in foreign aid already."

"On March 20, 2000, President Bill Clinton announced that the United States would give $8.6 million in aid to Bangladesh to eliminate child labor, in addition to $97 million in food aid and $30 million for a clean energy program for the country."

That's just TWO COUNTRIES!!!

So, we have proved that minorities, homosexuals and women are doing better now than they have ever in U.S. history, that the U.S. has indeed NOT slaughtered millions but the rest of the world has, and that the U.S. pours out TONS of money to other Countries, even though two-thirds of those Countries constantly vote against us in the U.N.

That's TWO things she has wrong.

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He quote is: "...likened to such fascist institutions as Nazi Germany, Italy under Mussolini, and Stalin during his Communist Dictatorship..."

Hmm. Well, let's use a handy-dandy device I call a dic-tion-ary.

1) fascism - A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.

2) nazism - a form of socialism (Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy) featuring racism and expansionism.

3) communism - A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.

Ok, now - is there anything that is alike between these three? Well, all three are a centralized form of government, controlled by a totalitarian ruler or ruling class, and the dictator controls all aspects of the country.

Now, the United States has elected leaders that are checked by the two houses of Congress. So, how is the U.S. just like fascism, nazism, or communism? Also, I listed them separately because, unlike the political novice that wrote that letter, all these methods of government are different even though they may have similar traits.

That's THREE things she has wrong.

-------------

Her quote is: "Name one thing that our country has done for me."

Her country has allowed her and the rest of its citizens to do or have the following:

* Freedom of Speech
* Freedom of Religion
* Freedom to Protest
* The right to vote for our leaders - local, state, and federal
* Freedom to Arm Oneself
* Freedom to invest in our Companies
* Freedom to go to public school and a chance for secondary school
* Ability to learn to drive
* The Right to public trial
* Freedom to work
* ANYTHING ELSE SHE CAN DO LEGALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She also lives in a country that is a rare one indeed - one that treats women better than garbage. Take, for instance, the Taliban of Afghanistan. It is illegal for women to work, go to school, read, wear makeup, show their face, and walk next to or in front of a man. And that's not all. We have seen video footage of a man beating a woman many times with a rod - her crime: her viel ACCIDENTALLY fell from her face in public. One woman got shot in the back of the head during a public soccer game. Her crime - adultery (which is not just an affair; it is also adultery to have sex out of wedlock there). That means death for all of you sex addicts out there.

So, I've named many things her country has done for her. Our country has received 2,620,702 casualties in our major wars for these rights.

So, that's FOUR things she has wrong.

------------

Her quote is: "One is how our school enforces the pledge."

Here she compares the U.S. to the school. She just got done saying how the U.S. is f***ed up (after mentioning the lies about our country) and then said how the school's do some f***ed up stuff to. ONE IS HOW OUR SCHOOL ENFORCES THE PLEDGE! She is proving her inability to reason and think by comparing the enforcement of the pledge to slaughtering millions, shitting on other countries, etc. This is just a girl that has obviously been disappointed with life in America. Maybe she doesn't have many friends. Maybe Daddy made her pay for her car or at least her insurance. Maybe she has to work when she is out of school. Whatever her delusional reasons are, they are not founded in fact, reason, or maturity. Her comparison proves that.

So, that's FIVE things she has wrong.

------------

Her quote is: "It is simply unconstitutional."

Since she so far has proven to be politically illiterate, I will take this quick time-out to tell her that there is no part in the Constitution protecting citizen's rights to not be LOYAL to America. If she HAD read the Constitution she would have seen all the rights we have been given and wouldn't have written this essay.

So, that's SIX things she has wrong.

------------

Her quote is: "Some teachers don't even stand up themselves. Yet, there are far too many who yell at you to stand up if you are not and if you disobey with the retort that you have."

The teachers that don't even stand up themselves are the Liberals that I have mentioned in previous letters, most notably, my rant from a couple days ago. They share in her belief that you shouldn't show any gratitude for the freedoms we have fought for and defended in our 225 year existence. She also complains about the "far too many" teachers that show authority and gratitude for their Country.

It's obvious she has resentment for authority and she hates doing anything she doesn't feel like doing. So how about in life if she doesn't feel like raising her kids right or anything else she doesn't want to do. Does she hate the school's authority when they teach her about the dangers of driving drunk or being sexually promiscuous?

I have taken her entire letter and proven that she is wrong on EVERY point she raised. The Liberal mindset cannot compete with FACTS. I have the numbers and truth on my side to prove her wrong. She is a sad, angering example of the youth in America that does not care worth a damn what happens to this Country. This isn't all youth, but it is a dangerous trend. She should fit in well in today's college life.

Hey, Liberal, ungrateful stupid girl - Since you hate this Country so bad, here's your ticket to Afghanistan, your target hat, and I hope we never see you again. Make sure you take everyone who agreed with your letter. They are just as dangerous as Bin Laden, because we can possibly kill Bin Laden - we have to let you and your kind live. That's another thing this Country has done for you.

9/11

This is a special SRJ. This is a documentation on what has occurred today as of 10:39pm. The thing that is additionally angering is the joy that others around the world find in the fact that so many innocent people have perished.

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Terrorists strike United States
Two hijacked jets topple World Trade Center in NYC; Pentagon also hit

In the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history, two hijacked commercial jetliners crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday, toppling both 110-story towers, where thousands of people had just arrived for work. An hour later, a third plane smashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Both the White House and the Capitol were evacuated as were other federal office buildings in Washington. “The United States will hunt down and punish those responsible,” President Bush vowed.

MILITARY JETS patrolled the nation’s skies and the FAA grounded all civilian aircraft — but not before another plane crashed in Pennsylvania. The images of devastation struck at the heart of two of the nation’s most prominent symbols of power and commerce. A senior New York police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said thousands could be dead or injured.

Bush, who was in Florida at the time of the attacks, flew to the Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, La., instead of returning to Washington. He later left aboard Air Force One for an undisclosed destination.

The commander in chief announced that the U.S. military was on “high-alert status.”

“Freedom itself was attacked this morning and I assure you freedom will be defended,” he told the nation in a brief statement. “Make no mistake. The United States will hunt down and pursue those responsible for these cowardly actions.”

Authorities in Washington immediately called out troops, including an infantry regiment. Authorities went on alert from coast to coast, the U.S. and Canadian borders were sealed, all air traffic across the country was halted and security was tightened at strategic installations.

“This is the second Pearl Harbor. I don’t think that I overstate it,” said Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.

ATTACKS MINUTES APART

In New York, the aircraft struck minutes apart, starting fires and sending smoke billowing out of the skyscrapers. Crews were evacuating people when the first tower collapsed, trapping rescuers and workers. Much of lower Manhattan was later evacuated. The first crash happened shortly before 9 a.m. ET. The top of the south tower later collapsed onto the street below.

“I was on the 81st floor of 2 World Trade Center,” Felipe Ayala told MSNBC. “I ran down to 78 — the main concourse — and met wife and coworkers… I was asked to go back upstairs because it was safe, … I left my wife and returned to the 81st floor. I was looking out the window with a co-worker when the entire room just collapsed on me. I can’t find my wife and I’m looking around for her.”

MSNBC.com reporter Martin Wolk, who was inside one of the towers, said the lights flickered and there was a loud bang. People panicked and started to flee the building. When they reached the lobby, smoke started to fill the building and people could see debris falling. “It was sheer pandemonium, people were screaming and crying, afraid to go outside because of the falling debris,”

Wolk said. “We looked up and it looked like the top 20 floors were in flames.”

Shortly after 9 a.m., a second aircraft was seen crashing into the other tower. Broadcast cameras already watching the scene filmed the second plane as it slammed into the tower and exploded in a huge fireball.

Across the country, high-rises like Chicago’s Sears Trade tower were being evacuated as a precaution. Buildings were also being evacuated in London.

All Major League Baseball games were canceled nationwide.

HIJACKING DETAILS

American Airlines and United airlines both said two of their planes had earlier been hijacked and crashed. American said its two aircraft were carrying a total of 156 people. One was a Boston-Los Angeles Flight, the other Washington-Los Angeles. Two United airliners with a total of 110 aboard also crashed — one outside Pittsburgh, the other in a location not immediately identified. The one near Pittsburgh was a Newark to San Francisco flight.

An emergency dispatcher in Westmoreland County, Pa., received a cell phone call at 9:58 a.m. ET from a man who said he was a passenger locked in the bathroom of United Flight 93, said dispatch supervisor Glenn Cramer. “We are being hijacked, we are being hijacked!” Cramer quoted the man as saying. The man told dispatchers the plane “was going down. He heard some sort of explosion and saw white smoke coming from the plane and we lost contact with him,” Cramer said.

BIN LADEN TIES?

Suspicion for the attacks immediately fell on Osama bin Laden, a Saudi terrorist thought to be living in Afghanistan. An Arab language newspaper in London recently said he had been planning an unprecedented attack on the United States.

A spokesman for Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban denied bin Laden was behind the attacks, saying the sophistication of the coordinated assault required the expertise of a government. U.S. officials believe bin Laden was the mastermind of the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, and had ties to last year’s bombing of a U.S. navy ship in Yemen.

In June, a U.S. judge had set this Wednesday as the sentencing date for a bin Laden associate for his role in the 1998 U.S. embassy in Tanzania that killed 213 people. The sentencing had been set for the federal courthouse near the World Trade Center.

Washington had earlier offered a $5 million reward for bin Laden’s capture. And George Tenet, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, said this week that bin Laden was the most immediate and serious threat to U.S. security.

The World Trade Center was the scene of an earlier terrorist attack: the Feb. 26, 1993, bombing that killed six people and injured more than 1,000 others. Terrorist Ramzi Yousef and three others were convicted of orchestrating the attack. Three other indicted co-conspirators remain at large.

Some news commentators have estimated over 50,000 deaths in this terrorist attack.

---------------------

Gas Price Shocker:

KMBZ radio in Kansas City, Missouri, is reporting $5 a gallon for gas...

MO atty gen Jay Nixon says that the prices up to $5 a gallon in KC are the result of opportunistic gouging and are illegal and that he will prosecute...

Rumors of $5.00 per gallon in Detroit...

Gas lines formed all afternoon throughout Tulsa, blocking major streets and intersections. Tulsa County Sheriff had to ask for calm...

----------------------

"Bullseye," say Egyptians as they celebrate anti-US attacks
CAIRO, Sept 11 (AFP) -

Egyptian students, taxi drivers and shopkeepers crowded round television sets stacked up in electrical store windows in downtown Cairo Tuesday evening, celebrating a string of elaborate attacks on New York and Washington.

"Bullseye," commented two taxi drivers as they watched footage of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York shrouded in plumes of smoke after two presumably hijacked planes slammed into them earlier in the day.

Another Egyptian man, Gawish Abdel Karim, told AFP he was pleased with the wave of violence in which another plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, the heart of the US defence establishment.

"Nice work," said Abdel Karim, who drives a car for an Asian embassy.

"The Americans have forgotten that God exists. They have us by the throat and now they find themselves in a science fiction film scenario, but this time Rambo's not there to save the White House."

Anti-US sentiment has mushroomed on the streets of Egypt and other Arab countries over its widely-perceived support for Israel over the Palestinians in the past 11 months of violence in the Middle East.

As with other US facilities around the world, workers at US government offices and Egyptian citizens were taking security precautions, with only "non-essential" operations set to be covered on Wednesday.

However, US officials said there had been no credible or specific threat against US citizens or interests here.

Abdel Karim hailed the attacks as "the best thing that's happened since the October War," referring to the October 1973 Arab-Israeli war when Egyptian forces made a surprise attack on the Israeli army across the Suez Canal.

"Mabruk! Mabruk! (congratulations)", shouted a crowd of people huddled round the shop window.

Egypt, considered one of the "moderate" countries in the Middle East, is one of the United States' strongest allies in the region, being the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979.

But people on the streets do not necessarily see themselves as US allies.

"The Americans are cowards. They use other countries to hit us. They don't have the courage to meet us face to face," said Khalil Matar, 43, who works in a state-run soap factory. "The myth of the indestructible United States has gone up in smoke."

Polytechnic student Amira Ryad also vented her anger.

"We saw the tower crash down," she said, referring to one of the two towers of the World Trade Center, both of which were razed by the attack.

"I only wish (US President) George Bush and his dear little baby (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon had been buried in there too," she added.

Fellow student Murad went as far as speculating that the United States was behind the attacks, "to find an excuse for the National Missile Defense system" that Bush wants to deploy to protect the United States from so-called rogue states, despite widespread global opposition.

"Those people are capable of killing their own people to prove they're right," he said.

Egyptian President Hosni "Mubarak should know that the people can no longer be humiliated, but of course he'll never declare war" on Israel, the student said.

Another taxi driver said he was going to make special prayers to thank him for the attacks against the US.

--------------------------------

Ashcroft: Hijackers were armed with knives

Washington (dpa) - U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said Tuesday the hijackers of one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Centre were armed with knives.

Ashcroft, speaking from the White House, confirmed that four U.S. commercial jetliners were hijacked before being crashed into the New York twin towers and the Pentagon.

``The determination of these terrorists will not deter the determination of the American people,'' he said. ``We are survivors, and freedom is a survivor.

``A free American people will not be intimidated, nor will we be defeated. We will find the people responsible for these cowardly acts, and justice will be done''.

Thousands of FBI agents throughout the country had been deployed in response to the attacks in New York and Washington.

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U.S. Suspects Bin Laden in Attacks
By Kathy Gannon

Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001; 8:29 p.m. EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan –– Highly coordinated and unprecedented in scale, Tuesday's attacks in the United States called to mind the man suspected of orchestrating some of the world's worst terrorist acts: Osama bin Laden, U.S. officials said.

No one has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attacks, and the Afghan government that plays host to bin Laden rejected speculation he was involved. One expert cautioned against assuming bin Laden could pull off such a complex operation.

But Bush administration officials and other experts said the millionaire Saudi exile was their top suspect.

"This apparently was well-planned over a number of years, planned by real pros and experts," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said in Washington after speaking with FBI and intelligence officials. "Their belief is, at least initially, that this looks like Osama bin Laden's signature."

One administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said authorities had received a fax during the morning from unknown individuals representing themselves as being part of bin Laden's group.

A London-based Arab journalist said Tuesday that bin Laden's followers warned his newspaper by telephone three weeks ago of a major attack.

"They said it would be a huge and unprecedented attack but they did not specify," said Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor of the Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper.

The callers had made similar threats previously "but this time it seems his people were accurate and meant every word they said," he said in London.

But the Taliban, Afghanistan's ruling Islamic militia, said bin Laden lacks the resources for such an operation.

"We have tried our best in the past – and we are willing in the future – to assure the United States in any kind of way we can that Osama is not involved in these kinds of activities," Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil said in Kabul.

Anthony Cordesman, a terrorism expert from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, warned against assuming bin Laden is to blame.

"There is a level of sophistication and coordination that no counterterrorism expert had ever previously anticipated, and we don't have a group that we can immediately identify that has this kind of capability," he said.

The United States has called bin Laden the architect of some of the worst acts of terrorism against Americans: the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa and last year's bombing of the USS Cole.

The FBI has a $5 million bounty on bin Laden's head. The State Department calls him "one of the most significant sponsors of Islamic extremist activities in the world today."

Stripped of his Saudi citizenship, bin Laden has been hiding for five years in Afghanistan under Taliban protection.

He has repeatedly called on Muslims worldwide to join in a jihad, or holy war, and has declared war on the United States in religious edicts faxed to the outside world. All U.S. citizens are legitimate targets, he has said.

"I'm fighting so I can die a martyr and go to heaven to meet God. Our fight now is against the Americans," bin Laden was once quoted by Al-Quds Al-Arabi as saying.

Last spring, bin Laden instructed activists attending a Muslim convention in Afghanistan to prepare the next generation for the jihad.

"Issue a call to the young generation to get ready for the holy war and to prepare for that in Afghanistan because jihad in this time of crisis for Muslims is an obligation of all Muslims," he said in a statement read at the May gathering. Bin Laden's group met earlier this year with the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad and the Egyptian al-Gamma al-Islamiya "to put in place a common strategy against the United States," Middle East expert Antoine Sfeir noted Tuesday, citing European intelligence sources.

But if he is involved, bin Laden and his followers probably acted alone Tuesday, Sfeir said in Paris.

"Bin Laden is the one with the financial means and the human needs and the logistic means," Sfeir said.

Bin Laden came to prominence fighting alongside the U.S.-backed Afghan mujahedeen – holy warriors – in their war against Soviet troops in the 1980s.

But former friends and followers say he turned against the United States during the Gulf War, and began campaigning against America from Saudi Arabia.

Disowned by his family, bin Laden – believed to be in his 40s – is said to have moved in early 1996 with a band of followers to Afghanistan, where is allegedly operates several training camps.

Earlier this summer, a federal jury in New York convicted four alleged bin Laden associates in connection with the 1998 embassy bombings in Africa, also a coordinated attack.

In retaliation for the bombings, President Clinton ordered missile strikes on bin Laden's suspected hide-out, and Washington and the United Nations have exerted diplomacy and sanctions to get Afghanistan to hand him over.

It refuses, saying the United States has no evidence linking bin Laden to terrorism.

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Palestinians in Lebanon fire with joy at anti-US attacks
AIN AL-HELWEH, Lebanon, Sept 11 (AFP) -

Dozens of Palestinian refugees fired into the air with joy Tuesday at news of apparent anti-US terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, AFP correspondents witnessed.

Guerrillas in military fatigues from various factions fired assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades into the air in the Ain al-Helweh refugee camp at the outskirts of the southern port city of Sidon, one correspondent said.

Camp residents, some still in pyjamas, interrupted afternoon rests to rush down to the streets and fire assault rifles into the air, they said.

At the Shatila refugee camp in Beirut, Palestinian fighters also went out to the streets as soon as they heard the news from their television sets to fire into the air with joy, an AFP correspondent said.

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Passenger phoned husband moments before Pentagon crash

A passenger managed to reach her husband on her mobile phone moments before American Airlines flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon.

Barbara Olson, a commentator for CNN and wife of US Solicitor General Theodore Olson, was one of 58 passengers on the Boeing 757.

They had been herded to the back of the plane along with the four flight attendants and two pilots.

In two brief and furtive conversations with her husband, Olson, 46, gave a few details about the plane's hijackers, CNN reported.

She mentioned that there was more than one, but the only weapons she described were knives and cardboard cutters, the network said.

"What do I tell the pilot to do?" a frightened Olson pleaded.

Theodore Olson was able to alert the Justice Department's command centre of the hijacking in progress, but it was too late to help his wife and the other people aboard the plane.

They were all killed when the airliner smashed into the Pentagon.

Why We'll Be Dead Before Anything Changes

9/7/01

Ahh, the Mtv music awards. I'm still trying to get the smell out of my clothes.

I decided to turn it on last night, after it was aired the second time, to see how much of it was how I said it would be. I only had it on for about 15 minutes before I realized how right I was.

First, that abyss of 'talent', Jamie Fox, opened the show singing 'opera' versions of popular 'music'. Then he decided to tell 'jokes' (I better not break my quote keys in this article). They ranged from tasteless jokes to jokes that not even the pea-brained fans in the audience found funny. Of course, these jokes had to do with sex and the usual knocks at politics. He made comments on how everyone is changing their names to be 'street names'. Then came one that I knew was coming up. He said that George W. Bush changed his name to 'P. Dummy'. Wah-hah-hah. Wait! I'm not done holding my sides! Ha-ha.

Anyway, Jamie Fox decided to see how funny he could be by offering an open bottle of champagne to the Backstreet Boy that had just announced to the audience he had been sober for over 60 days.

Not to be outdone, the audience decided to show they are more tasteless than that once Will Ferrel climbed up a prop (to satire what happened in last year's awards). Once at the top, the audience started to chant "Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!", ala that woman in Seattle.

I chose to turn off the set at that point to avoid choking on my own bile. This is the awards show that all the news stations are raving about today? Were we watching the same show? I don't think so. Maybe they saved all the tasteful, talented stuff for later in the show.

This is all to show to everyone that we are in for some deep trouble over the next 100 years. Sure, we won't be around, but the unfair thing is that we'll be around for most of it. The people who started this brand of entertainment, the baby boomers, are now in power. They are the ones trying to make it so you can't discipline your children, but they can get abortions without your knowledge. They are the ones that want to ban video games, movies and music, but have no problem burning you alive if you happen to have too many guns. I guess that's 'selective violence'. We can hope for the day when they are put out of office by people that can actually think, but we're not out of the clear yet. In today's time, the group of people that vote in record numbers is the senior citizen population - which is what the present people in power shall become soon. So, even though we won't have them in power, they will continue to vote for their clones to take over after them. I would like to say that the people won't stand for this, but the people I am counting on are these people that thought the Mtv awards show was funny and entertaining. That the groups on the show are talented. That shows like 'Jackass' and 'Temptation Island' is REAL television.

Our only hope is to start the newest generations on a course where they will see these other groups for what they are - cancers of society. That if given a chance, these group will remove all that's sacred and that we hold dear. This is a generation that hates guns, but loves drugs. That hates AIDS, but doesn't mind having sexual partners amounting in the double digits. After all, if you save yourself for marriage or at least keep your promiscuity to a minimum, you're such a loser. I mean, you don't have to worry about abortions, unwanted pregnancies, STDs, AIDS; what kind of loser are you?

We are in deep trouble here, folks, and I don't know if there's anything we can do about it. We could move. We could start a society that doesn't accept things like this. Oh, wait, that can't be done today. Only in the olden days could a group of people with common values start out to some territory, call it there own, and build a society off of their beliefs. It could be a society based on responsibility, pride, courtesy, morals, law, order, and logic. Oh, how I long for the old days.

Lord knows I dread the future.

New Random Thoughts

Upon posting some old essays from my States’ Rights Journal days, I remembered how on occasion I would write a “Random Thoughts” essay that would contain two or three short subjects. I thought I would take a page from the old days and release another Random Thoughts essay.

A New Hate Crimes Bill

It seems like every few months the government finds new ways to use tragedies in order to erase our freedoms. The new “hate crime” bill is one such case. Latching itself onto a controversial case from the 1990s, this bill is designed to treat crimes against gays and “transgender” people as hate crimes. Of course, any crime is a hate crime and all crimes should be prosecuted equally under the law. If a rich man is treated differently than a poor man, it’s an injustice. If one murder or assault is treated differently than another murder or assault – with just the targets being different – then this is just as much of an injustice. We continue to Balkanize ourselves in every way possible and this will further contribute to the dissolution of our Union.

This new hate crimes bill can – and will – be abused in order to prevent the public and religious discussion of sexual immorality. It will be one further example of the government’s abuse of free speech and yet another attack on the religious liberties of the people.

All people have equal protection under the law. All hate crime laws need to be repealed or we will always retain a “separate, but equal” status for millions of Americans.

Exporting Evil

We are committing the most grievous act of violence towards women and children that has ever been conducted by a modern-day nation. President Obama, in his obsession over unrestricted abortion, continues to pump his support – and our tax dollars – into every cause aimed at advancing the crusade of abortion. Poor nations, desperate to alleviate themselves from the burden of their lower classes, will now be able to receive millions of dollars to build abortion facilities and to purchase birth control for their people. For every dollar that Americans earn, a portion of that dollar will now be paying to violently shred an unborn baby into pieces before it’s vacuumed up and thrown away. Millions of future doctors, lawyers, husbands and wives will have their lives snuffed out thanks to Uncle Sam and the nations desperate for US funds will be forced to comply with US conditions – which brings us to my final random thought:

Thou Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me

Religious or not, most of us have heard of the Ten Commandments. One of them states that we should not have any other gods except for the True God. The term “idol” has been typecast to mean a carved image of some sort that can be worshipped, but the Church has expanded upon that throughout modern history. An idol can actually be anything that takes our focus away from God. Some people “worship” sex. For others, it’s money or possessions. For others still, it could be drugs or alcohol. Any number of things can be our “false idol.”

I don’t think anyone can deny how dangerous an obsession of money can be. It changes people and corrupts them. People that dedicate their lives to protecting others can find themselves working for the other side, like in Mexico. Others can find themselves as a proverbial ‘Ebenezer Scrooge”, miserable, alone and shutting out the entire world.

In no other place is this idolatry more dangerous than in the hands of government. Worshipping the god of federal funding, states grovel for handouts, companies & banks beg for bailouts, and churches silence themselves. The policies of the federal government, no matter how noble or obscene, are dangled in front of the public like a carrot on a stick. Some people, like the governors of South Carolina and Texas, have been able to resist the temptation to sell out their principles. Others, like countless Protestant and Catholic churches, refuse to get involved in the world of politics for fear of offending and losing their tax-exempt status.

Early Christians of the Church were gutted and their intestines burned while they were still alive. Others would be crushed, tortured, or have their limbs ripped off by wild animals. Still others were dipped in tar, tied to posts, and lit on fire to be used as street lamps in Rome. Would all of these martyrs be proud of today’s Christian refusing to stand up against the crimes of the federal government and the endorsement of abortion…all to protect their tax level? All in order to keep people in the pews? What would these martyrs say?

And what would our founders say to Americans - and especially Christians? Would they be proud of our voluntary slavery to a beast stronger than King George? I’ll let Patrick Henry answer for all of them:

“Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.”

All Americans need to stand up against this idolatry. Are federal funds worth more than your freedom? Are they worth more than a human soul? Are they worth more than our very lives?

Again, I leave you with the words of Patrick Henry:

“The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

How Far We've Come

A coworker of mine recently gave me an old stamp collection she found in her attic. Sure, there's some cool historic stamps - like ones from Nazi Germany - but I wouldn't say I've had anything valuable dropped in my lap. However, there is something extraordinary about the storage binder that came with this stamp collection.

The binder has its pages separated by nation or territory. Some nations are historic and no longer exist (even by the standards of the early 1960s when this binder was printed). As I flipped through the pages, I couldn't help but notice that except for the USSR and some of their satellites, there wasn't any mention of communist countries! The China listed in this book was the China that we now call 'Taiwan.' They only listed South Korea and South Vietnam. I thought this was amazing, especially in the light of today's society.

I wrote an entry shortly after Obama's election that quoted Eisenhower's Secretary of Agriculture. Listen to how he characterized the communists: I have talked face to face with the godless communist leaders. It may surprise you to learn that I was host to Mr. Kruschev for a half day when he visited the United States, not that I'm proud of it. I opposed his coming then, and I still feel it was a mistake to welcome this atheistic murderer as a state visitor.

Godless. Atheistic murderers.

Stalin killed more people that Hitler. Mao killed more people than Stalin. But here we are today begging Communist China for scraps, normalizing relations with Cuba, and even becoming socialists ourselves.

After all, we must remember what Kruschev said to the Secretary of Agriculture during that historic visit. He said: You Americans are so gullible. No, you won't accept communism outright, but we'll keep feeding you small doses of socialism until you'll finally wake up and find you already have communism. We won't have to fight you. We'll so weaken your economy until you'll fall like overripe fruit into our hands!

Communism and socialism are immoral. They stifle freedom, liberty, and God's natural law. I don't care what dog & pony show those governments show the world - I remember the forced abortions of Communist China (of which the American taxpayer is now paying for). I remember the North Koreans working in Soviet-style prison camps as their leader continues to hold world superpowers in his hands. I think of the socialist dominoes falling in Latin America, where presidents are celebrated and churches are being bombed and burned to the ground.

Flipping through this stamp collection, I see that these atheistic murderers may not have changed very much, but we sure have.

And I couldn't be more ashamed.

Wars & Rumors of Wars #2

Our war on terror has a good chance of stopping very soon. It won’t be from lack of support. It won’t be from politics at home. It might actually be from the upcoming war in Pakistan. As we’ve reported in the States’ Rights Journal, Pakistan & India have been staring each other down, with the occasional massacre, for quite a few months now – which is just another stage in the increasing tensions the two nations have had with each other over the last few decades. Now, with about a million troops looking at each other across their border, the world holds its breath.

Did you notice how the war on terror stopped almost dead in its tracks during the latest Middle East crisis? I don’t mean it literally stopped, but all thoughts of advancing upon a new enemy ceased to be during the latest trouble. It will more so if India & Pakistan explode. Cries to President Bush to “do something” will be heard from almost every media outlet. Powell will get warm and fuzzy with the sights and sounds of both nations for quite some time. Our war will take a back seat to the India/Pakistan war & no future advance will occur until that conflict has been reasonably resolved. This is one time I hope I’m wrong. I hope India and Pakistan cool off and things fall back into place. As long as Pakistan is fighting India there’s less troops on the border with Afghanistan. Less troops means more lunatics can slip back and forth across the border almost undetected – which is what al-qaeda wants.

Either I missed it or it was never said (it could be one or the other), but the moment I read about the attacks by Pakistani militants, my first thought was al-qaeda. Usama can stop Pakistan from siding with America by starting an incident with India. After all, Pakistan had TONS to gain from cooperating with America. Their cooperation lifted sanctions, took Pakistan temporarily off the ‘Terrorist Nations’ list, & legitimized the military dictatorship as an official government of the state. Pakistan’s cooperation, although, was a betrayal to Usama bin Hiding, so it would be really easy to send militants to start an incident in India (or Israel) to change the world’s focus from the war on terror. Be prepared, if war occurs, to be shown slideshow after slideshow or carnage, destruction, and grotesque images of what used to be people – all the while with demands for Bush to stop this war.

Now, even if war is avoided in India/Pakistan, we’re still not in the clear to invade Iraq because of the Israeli/Palestinian situation. Benyamin Netanyahu, a man I deeply respect, is slated to run for Prime Minister in 2003. If he wins, the Likud Party will continue its stance on no Palestinian state. Mr. Netanyahu and I share common feelings. He said, “I have no problem with them having complete self-determination. They should have their own flag, their own passports, but they cannot have the right to destroy the state of Israel. Palestinians should not be given the power to build an army, strike arms deals with other countries or control air space that would limit Israel’s ability to defend itself. If you use the word ‘state’, you have just conceded these powers. It is much harder to take something back than not to give it in the first place.”

Agreed. With Palestinians being granted Israeli land to use as an official state, and with groups like Islamic Jihad & Hezbolah refusing peace EVEN IF ISRAEL GIVES THE PALESTINIANS A HOMELAND, how can Israel conduct a war on terror or any police action to apprehend these terrorists if they have to invade an independent state? It would be akin to Israel invading Syria or Egypt whenever they needed to – can you see Syria or Egypt allowing Israel to have that right? Can you see them allowing Israel to do that to a new, ‘independent’ arab state? So how is Israel to defend itself after granting the Palestinians their independence? Ask the U.N.? On the same day as the pool hall bombing a couple weeks ago, several hours after the bombing took place, the U.N. voted to officially condemn Israel for their war on terror. So the truth of the matter is that Israel will find it even harder to defend itself. So Palestinian statehood – if Israel wishes to exist in this world – is absolutely out of the question.

The U.S. State Department leaked a notice (probably unreliable) that we will pursue Iraq in 2003. Arafat has promised democratic elections by 2003. By Palestinians voting, this gives the guise to the bleeding hearts of the world that the Palestinians are an independent people, capable of making their own decisions. This will purposely put pressure on Israel, thus causing another wave of ‘incidents’, thus causing us to stop an invasion of Iraq just in time for that 2003 artificial deadline. It’s all a calculated scheme. Does anyone with a brain actually believe Arafat would set up democratic elections if he believed he’d lose? Even if he did “lose”, does anyone think he’ll retire quietly and leave political life? Of course not! So what will he do? Give speeches for lots of cash? Become a political analyst for CNN? Or continue his reign of terror behind the scenes? Can you guess my pick?

It was reported that dead people in Chicago voted for Kennedy when he ran for president and we’re usually the model for a democratic society. Does anyone believe the Arafat regime would do a better job at democracy than we would? Do you think Arafat’s neighbors in the arab world would want the demand for democracy to sweep through their firmly-held dictatorships?

Whether it’s in Pakistan, Israel, or Afghanistan, we will have to continue to deal with deceptions and sidetracks before we can go after Saddam. The world is a little hesitant this time because 1) we haven’t officially, on paper, linked Saddam to 9/11 (at least publicly), 2) Saddam didn’t invade anyone this time, and 3) Europe feels that is something goes wrong, they would be hit first because they’re closer to the action than we are. Too bad – if you’re already fearful, that gives Saddam more clout, and how much more do we want to test his bluff before we do something about it? In President Bush’s (41) address to the Nation on the first day of the Gulf War, he listed all the steps he and his administration took before getting to the point of having to use military action. Right now, we are almost halfway through that original list. Saddam & Arafat know this. Are we going to call the shots, or are we going to allow low-life, murderous dictatorships to call the shots for us?

Wars & Rumors of Wars #1

05/19/02

We’re still trying to find Bin Laden & Mullah Omar. We have suspicions that they are in either Pakistan or Iran. Since Bin Laden is a guerilla fighter, I’m sure they’re not together, that they’ve split up, if they’re alive at all. Donald Rumsfeld expressed that America has the military capability to fight wars on more than one front. This is a message to us and Iraq – to let America know that we’re not going to sit around for a decade in Afghanistan, waiting for that conflict to be resolved before making a move to another campaign and to let Saddam know his days are numbered. It is true that until Saddam, along with his demented son and murderous regime, are removed – and removed by death and/or imprisonment – the Middle East will remain a dangerous place. Saddam has promised to raise an army to “liberate Palestine” and he’s vowed he’ll send it if we attack him. He’s been able to work on his military & missiles unchecked since 1998. He’s dangerous. He’s lost to America and its Allies before, so we have to wonder why he’s so confident. Is there something up his sleeve or is he hoping we’ll blink? We’ll have to wait and see – hopefully we won’t have to wait too long.

After Saddam, what will we do? One of the most dangerous dictatorships besides Saddam is the puppet-master regime of Saudi Arabia. They are pouring money into the Palestinian-controlled areas of Israel, giving it to the families of the homicide bombers. This brings incentive to kill people – people that they’ve been taught to hate all their lives. Most of the murderers of about 3,000 Americans came from Saudi Arabia. This country is dangerous and even if we knock out Iraq & Iran (Iran has pledged its support to Iraq), we’ll still need to crush the Saudis. We may not be able to pursue this for two main reasons: 1) we’re already having a hard enough time dealing with the other nations crying about the war, but more significantly 2) the Muslims of the world would probably not like a war being fought in their holy land. Usama is angry with us because we are infidels on their holy soil – that, and his pride was hurt. After the future Taliban sent the Soviets packing, Usama felt that his troops would be Islam’s defending army and was furious when the Allies were called up to fight for Kuwait instead of him. Maybe a Saudi war wouldn’t cause a Muslim war, but again, we’ll have to wait and see.

So, what’s worse than the U.S. trying to fight a war with an uncooperative group of Allies? The U.S. trying to fight a war with an uncooperative Senate. You’ve read in the SRJ & elsewhere the unmatched obstructionism at the hands of the Senate Democrats. The DNC is fighting a campaign against the Bush Administration. I believe that they are pretending they won the 2000 election. It’s obvious that even though Bush had the most electoral votes & a majority of America was the “red section” on that election map, the DNC are running things like they are protesting a Bush win and won’t stop until Bush is out.

Greta Van Susteren said on Friday, “Isn’t it sad that the President had to say to the press that he would’ve tried to stop an attack if he knew about it? Do we have any doubts about that? How did things get so ugly that he needed to make this statement?”

Greta, it is because the Democrats would push the President in front of a bus if they could. They hate his politics, they hate what he stands for, and if they can make his life a living Hell until a loss in 2004, the DNC would be very happy. They believe the American people will abandon the GOP as ineffective, which they hope will guarantee a DNC majority in both houses of Congress, with a democrat president. Then, may God help us. Goodbye tax cuts, goodbye Israel, hello more terror and taxes.

We have a war that will last us for years and years. We know of terrorists and terrorist threats in AT LEAST Chechnya, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yeomen, Qatar, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian areas, Egypt, Afghanistan, Spain, Pakistan, India, China, the Philippines, Mexico, France, and the United States. This will go on for a very long time, so there will be ‘wars & rumors of wars.’

People are demanding to know why the President didn’t say anything. Not that the warning being too general makes any difference – but let’s say it did. Let’s say we jumped on this warning. Could you imagine the Hell breaking loose with the Bush Administration’s “racial profiling” of seemingly innocent Arabs who are only trying to learn to fly? Plus, think of the post-9/11 world. We demand people take things seriously when it comes to terrorism, right? Then why do so many people roll their eyes and joke whenever Homeland Security gives us another terror warning? Would we have taken a pre-9/11 terror warning seriously if we do not even after September 11th?

We can have differences in opinions, but when the Democrats (and some “Republicans”) reenact Watergate by demanding, “What did the President know and when did he know it,” then our determination to think in the Nation’s best interests is severely compromised. If certain members of Congress are wondering what the President knew, then they can ask their colleagues in the Senate or House Intelligence Committees, who receive all the security briefings the president does. Plus, remember when Daschle swore he and his staff knew nothing of our “shadow government”? It turned out he did know, but was lying for political purposes. Is he now? This pre-9/11 report everyone’s flipping out about – it came from Phoenix, which is in Arizona. What senator is from Arizona? Now, what senator might co-chair the committee to investigate this ‘intelligence failure’? Uh-huh.

This is ugly. Can the American people see through this? It’s strange, but as I get more cynical, I also get more hopeful. I’m hoping America heeds the warnings, pays attention to these Democrats and Republicans, and sends them packing in November! We can’t get rid of all the lousy ones this election, but every time we can – then we should. We have a long war to fight and legitimate questions and concerns are necessary in our Republic – but childish, partisan lies in Congress are a danger to our concentration on the difficult tasks ahead. We need to rid ourselves of these distractions as much as we need to rid ourselves of terrorists – anything less would be defeat.

Wars & Rumors of Wars #5

03/23/03

I write this as our Allied troops, from 45 heroic Nations, are fighting to free the people of Iraq, and the world, from terror. Most of us cannot relate to having a government that rapes women as a form of punishment. Most of us do not know what it’s like to get dragged out of our house and be tortured and killed because we cursed at the President while he was on our television. No, we do not know what it is like to live in a true land of oppression. We have our disagreements and some of us do believe the power of the federal government is at an all-time dangerous level, but can we really say that we have it as bad or worse than the people of Iraq, China, Saudi Arabia, & North Korea? I thank God that we cannot.

The ease and simplicity of this War worries me. I have every confidence in our troops and the troops of our dear friends. I swelled with joy at the sites of American soldiers and Iraqi citizens together ripping down posters of the wall stain once known as Saddam Hussein. But there’s something amiss here. Is this simplicity based upon the Iraqi populace and military truly refusing to support Saddam’s dying regime? Is this simplicity based upon the Allie’s superiority in military equipment and tactics? Or is this something sinister – a dying regime’s last hurrah?

It is no secret that Saddam is a big fan of Joseph Stalin. The way Stalin controlled his people, formed a strong, loyal military (after a purge or two), and the way Stalin evoked fear in the world are all things that made Saddam warm and fuzzy inside. It was his dream to do the same. To have the new Babylon, Saddam would do anything. All that was keeping him at bay were the Israelis and Americans, together with our Allies. But what can Saddam learn from his hero? Is history about to repeat itself in a catastrophic fireball?

The point of this essay is to play Devil’s Advocate. I would love to see the War over in the next few days and I truly believe it to be a possibility. But a thought occurred to me the other day that gave me a nervous feeling in my gut. It was the Nazi campaign into the Soviet Union. In a nutshell, the Soviets let the Nazis come further and further into the Soviet territory, all the while putting up little resistance. As the Nazis got outside of Moscow, the Soviets let the Nazis have it with everything they had. Since the supply lines were stretched so far into Russia, the Nazis had trouble with supplies once the battles occurred. The weather and the determination of the Soviet troops crushed the Nazi advance. Now, could this lack of opposition be a repeat of this successful defense against a much superior force? Could it very well be do to the fact that Saddam is wrapped up like a mummy in some hospital somewhere? I do not know. But would we not believe that, with his life and regime hanging in the balance, Saddam would pull any trick that he could? Could we believe that, as the Allies got to the capital, Saddam or one of his cronies could push that button, delivering a crushing blow to us and causing us to retreat with the Republican Guard finally coming out of hiding?

Or could this be a simple, fast, war that will deliver peace and friendship between us and the Iraqi people? God Almighty, I pray that it’s the scenario of peace. We will find out in the next couple days.

May God protect the innocent in the lands of our enemies. May He guide us and protect us. May He deliver the evil to us or to their final judgment and may we all experience peace before our final days.

Amen.

Wars and Rumors of Wars #3

10/27/02

The war on Iraq is part of the war on terror. Maybe some people need pictures or small words to understand this obvious fact, but nonetheless – the war on Iraq is part of the war on terror.

The Taliban oppressed its citizens, made their citizens live in fear, made their citizens live in poverty, allowed terrorist camps to flourish within its borders, and distributed money to outside terrorist organizations for the purpose of funding terror pet-projects of foreign enemies. Saddam has more money, more hidden secrets, and more dangerous weapons, but other than that – and having an actual national infrastructure – there’s barely a difference between the two foes. The world begrudgingly “gave” us permission to take on the Taliban, but they are flop sweating into their croissants, crumpets, and borsch over a war with Iraq. What part of “threat to humanity” don’t our “allies” understand?

People are saying that we need to destroy al Qaeda before we worry about Saddam. While some of Saddam’s massive oil fortune is going to paying for terrorism, how can you effectively fight terrorism? To just concentrate on al Qaeda and not do anything to Saddam is like being in a sinking boat and instead of plugging up the hole in the boat, you’re just throwing buckets of water over the side. Your boat is going to sink unless you plug that hole. Saddam is giving money to Palestinian terrorists, families of Palestinian terrorists, and to other foreign terrorist cells. We can pretty much assume that al Qaeda is one of those foreign terror cells, since there are al Qaeda camps in Iraq. And since our Nation is above “profiling”, I’m sure we shouldn’t be worried about another Buffalo Terror Cell getting a ‘Made In Iraq’ dirty nuke, anthrax, or smallpox.

Recently, the people are expressing shock that North Korea has admitted to having a nuclear program. I guess President Bush had a reason for naming North Korea in the Axis of Evil. Nah, it couldn’t be that – that would mean that some people would have to admit that President Bush knows what he’s talking about. That would be close to treason for the Leftists in Hollywood and in the press. I was not fooled into thinking that the people who hated Bush before September 11 would all of a sudden like the man after September 11. As we get further away from the death and destruction of that day, the people are falling in line with their pre-destruction philosophies. When September 11 occurred we had numerous people demanding to know what the President knew, what the FBI and CIA knew, why no one said anything, and demands of ‘Never Again’ bellowed from every couch in America. So now we are doing what we didn’t do before – we’re warning people with the color-coded warning system. How many people rolled their eyes and made comments with every “warning” that we were getting? But isn’t this what they wanted? We’re also trying to avoid another September 11 for us, our allies, and other Nations by wanting to go after Saddam. How many people are saying that this is for oil and not security? How many people are saying this is just us being bullies and we’re not doing anything worthwhile? We’re telling the public the dangers that Saddam poses to the free world and what do we hear? Everything from “That’s old information” to “There’s still no threat from Saddam to justify a war.” So everything that people wanted the government to do pre-September 11 is being done, yet many people in the US and the Nations of our Allies are refusing to listen. I’m not surprised.

As for the Congressional Resolution on Iraq, I draw your attention to the Constitution. “Article 1, Section 8: The Congress shall have power to…declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water.” The president has no constitutional authority to declare war on another nation – only Congress has that power. Congress just recently gave the President authority to use military force against Iraq, if needed. So Congress, in effect, is using their power to declare war on Iraq, since President Bush could not go into Iraq without Congress’ authority. So why do we have so many yahoos out there swearing up and down that the President is usurping the Congress’ authority and that the President is removing Congress’ say in a military conflict? Congress declaring war does not have to be like World War 2 – a declaration is a declaration and Congress has the full authority to word and limit the declaration any way they see fit, which is what they did! They preformed the duties of Article 1, Section 8 – there is no doubt in my mind.

What is coming after Iraq? Who can tell? We have North Korea, so in a sense, we have China along with them. We have Saudi Arabia using money to fund terror as well. Barbara Walters’ beau Fidel Castro has pledged solidarity with the Nation of Iraq. Indonesia and the Philippines are being bombed, there’s al Qaeda entrenched in Iran, Chechnya, France, Germany and America to name only a few places. If the US, Israel, and who knows who else can get bombed with the help of the Iraqi “dollar” and a war with Iraq is this tough to win support for, can we imagine even two or three years from now how hard it will be to get support for another campaign? How about ten years from now? Iraq’s nuclear program doesn’t necessarily have to be housed within the borders of Iraq, does it? If people are already tired of the War on Terror slightly over a year after the worst terrorist attack in our history, then I’m sure 20 years from now the War on Terror will be a lost memory.

But the terrorists won’t forget. They are still angry over the Crusades. They will remember this. They will remember this for a long time. I just don’t think that we will. At least until the second September 11 – but I’m sure that will be blamed on the CIA, FBI, and Bush Administration for not telling us sooner.

Thus, the circle returns full.