November 22, 2005

"Deferred Success" is new term for failure -report
Fri Nov 18, 2005 LOS ANGELES - In 2005, some people wanted the word "brainstorming" replaced by "thought shower" so as not to offend people with brain disorders, and they also wanted "deferred success" to replace "failure" so as not to embarrass those who don't succeed..."deferred success" the euphemism for "fail" that the Professional Association of Teachers considered using to bolster students' "self-esteem."

Both phrases appear on a tongue-in-cheek list released on Thursday of the year's most politically correct words and phrases issued by Global Language Monitor, a nonprofit group that monitors language use.

The phrase that topped this year's list was "misguided criminals," one of several terms the BBC used so as not to use the word "terrorist" in describing those who carried out train and bus bombings in London that killed 52 people in July, according to Paul JJ Payack, the head of Global Language Monitor.

He added, "The BBC attempts to strip away all emotion by using what it considers 'neutral' descriptions when describing those who carried out the bombings in the London Tubes."

...words and phrases that either de-Christianise the Christian holidays or neuter their genders. For example "God Rest Ye Merry Persons" replaces "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Seasons Greetings" replaces "Merry Christmas."

...a move aimed at the heart of Australian culture when security staff were banned from using the word "mate" to address members of parliament. The MPs rebelled and said not being called "mate" was unpatriotic...
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2005-11-18T014425Z_01_MCC806199_RTRIDST_0_OUKOE-UK-WORDS.XML

Families of Beheaded Indonesian Girls Forgive Killers
POSO, Indonesia - The three families who suffered the loss of their young daughters when they were brutally murdered, are still in shock and grief, not only because they were too young to die -- Alfita was 19, Teressia was 18, and Yarni was 15 -- but because of the horrible way they were murdered.

Their bodies were found headless in a coconut field, while their heads were found in different parts of Poso, wrapped in black plastic bags.

...the three victims were very active Christian leaders in school prayer meetings and church. Pastor Mastin says the deaths of Alfita, Teressia, and Yarni are not in vain. She calls them martyrs because their deaths have brought unity to the Christian churches in Poso, and their lives encouraged them to be strong in the faith.

...Difficult as it is, Yarni's father and the parents of Alfita and Teressia have released forgiveness to the murderers of their daughters. They believe that it is God who will judge them.

Markus Sambuwe, the father of one of the girls, remarked," I am really angry, but the Holy Spirit touched my heart and changed me. I forgive them just as Jesus has forgiven my sins."

Several suspects have been arrested in the Christian school girl beheadings, but just a week after those brutal murders, two other Christian girls were shot by snipers.

While tensions remain high here, so far, Christians are remaining true to their faith. They are responding in a spirit of forgiveness and restraint, by turning the other cheek.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/news/051118d.asp

Having Bible Still a Danger in N. Korea
November 19, 2005- SEOUL, South Korea ... "Once you read the Bible, you stop believing in Kim Il Sung," said Choi, who is now 19 and living in Seoul, the South Korean capital. (Like many defectors, she is living under an assumed name to protect relatives in North Korea.)

...In the study, released Tuesday, the commission found that the practice of religion is increasing inside North Korea, prompting a counterattack from the regime... "there is renewed government interest in ensuring that North Koreans coming back from China are not `infected' . . . by any form of religious belief."

...In 1996, five middle-aged men who were accused of running an illegal church were forced to lie on the ground and were crushed by a steam roller, according to a 30-year-old North Korean defector, who says he witnessed the incident while in the army.

Before the 1950-1953 Korean War, Christians were a powerful political force in North Korea and potentially a challenge to the ascent of Kim Il Sung. By some accounts, the population of Pyongyang was as much as 30 percent Christian, giving the city a nickname as the "Jerusalem of the East."

...The starkest lesson about religion was the execution that she and her friends witnessed in 1998. The accused, a woman in her 20s and her father, about 60, apparently had had their legs broken and had to be dragged out like dolls before they were tied to poles and shot. Choi said the pair had gotten in trouble when the daughter accidentally dropped a Bible with some laundry she was washing by the river.

...Human rights advocates suspect, however, that public executions are making a comeback. There are unconfirmed reports of 12 executions Oct. 25 in Onsong, another town just inside the border..."
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051119/NEWS/511190316/1021

Granny deserves self-defense
Nov 16, 2005- ...last Wednesday when Susan Buxton realized all was not well in her Arlington, Texas home. The 66-year old was getting ready to let her dogs out before she went to bed when she noticed her 28-year old granddaughter was still awake. “I asked her, ‘What are you doing up?’ and she says, ‘Gigi, I heard glass breaking.’” ...armed with her .38 and a flashlight, Susan Buxton went through every room in her home...Pointing her pistol at the intruder, she told him to get down on the floor. Then she yelled for her granddaughter to call police. When Lessner tried to grab the gun, Susan Buxton shot him. He fled the home, bleeding from the leg...Police later found him cowering under a neighbor’s backyard deck.
...just twenty four hours later, 60-year old Thomas Morganstern woke up to noises in his Roselle, Delaware home...when he opened his eyes he saw two strange men in his bedroom. Morganstern grabbed a handgun and followed the pair as they ran down his stairs. In the living room, the two fired at Morganstern, missing him. He returned fire, and hit both assailants. They fled the house, and police found them hours later. One was hiding near Morganstern’s detatched garage. The other was lying under bushes across the street, dead.

Just a day after Thomas Morganstern saved his life,65-year old Roland Burns woke up to find a stranger in his home in Rush, Kentucky. He too grabbed a firearm. He too told the intruder to leave. And he too eventually had to defend himself when 32-year old Shannon Conley refused to obey that order. According to Kentucky State Police Trooper Ed Ginter, “"Mr. Burns ordered the man to leave the home. A struggle ensued, and Mr. Conley was fatally wounded."

What chance would a 66-year old grandmother have against a bigger, stronger, man a third of her age? What chance would a 60-year old man have against two men, armed and in their 20’s? And what chance would a 65-year old have against a man half his age? Without an equalizer, these individuals would have no chance. Because that equalizer was a firearm, all three are alive today.

...And yet, proponents of gun control continue to insist that these seniors are putting themselves more at risk by simply owning a gun.

...Appearing on Fox’s ‘Hannity and Colmes” last week, Michael Beard of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence said, “The privatization of public safety is a dangerous situation in our society.” He also revealed he doesn’t have a gun in home. Of course, he can’t legally own one. He lives in Washington, D.C., home to a firearms ban since 1976 and the nation’s murder capitol 14 of the last 15 years. Still, Beard says he doesn’t need a gun. He has a telephone.

89-year old Lois Cannady had a phone. She used it to call 911 in Durham County, North Carolina on June 5th, 2002 to report an intruder in her home. By the time police arrived, four minutes later, she had been murdered. Michael Beard can perhaps take comfort in the fact that he’s not an octogenarian, and could possibly fend off an attacker for four minutes. But the average response time in Washington, D.C. in 2004 was 8 minutes and 25 seconds. Are you prepared to go almost three rounds with a criminal who may be armed with a gun? http://townhall.com/opinion/columns/CamEdwards/2005/11/16/175857.html

Senate Bill would give Puerto Rican child-credit refunds
Nov. 21, 2005- In what critics could likely call a "vote-buying” move, Hillary Clinton has proposed a bill that would provide some Puerto Rico residents with child-credit refunds on their Social Security and Medicare taxes. Puerto Ricans pay no federal income tax.

The bill – sponsored solely by Clinton – could pay out more than $50 million over the next 10 years. the New York Post reports: "Puerto Rican support is crucial to her re-election – and a potential White House run in 2008…
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/21/160848.shtml

FLIP
Speaking in Dubai and continuing his tradition of criticizing the United States while abroad, impeached former-president had this to say about the war in Iraq last week: "Saddam is gone. It's a good thing, but I don't agree with what was done. It was a big mistake.”

FLOP
Now that he's back in this country, Bill Clinton is waffling on the war in Iraq. He says it could still work. Last night however, he told an audience of 700 in Valhalla, New York 'It could still work'

[Hmmm... it was "a good thing... but it was a big mistake but now it could work" ?!? Has Willie been taking those John Kerry pills again?]

Al-Qaida Operative Nabbed Near Mexican Border
Nov. 20, 2005- An al-Qaida operative who was on the FBI's terrorist watch list was recently captured near the Mexican border, housed in a Texas jail and turned over to federal agents, Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, said on Friday.

...Rep. Culberson said the detainee had been living in Mexico for up to a year, where the terrorist "was taking careful notes on the movement of people, police officers, wildlife, etc."

The Iraqi national "had apparently aggravated a neighbor in Mexico, who turned him in to Mexican authorities," he explained. Mexican officials then turned him over to the U.S. officials, who temporarily housed him in the Brewster County jail.

"And these are clearly Arab terrorists," Rep. Culberson added, "from countries like Yemen, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. They're crossing the border, pretending to be Hispanic immigrants, and then disappearing."
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/20/151654.shtml

New Documents Reveal Saddam Hid WMD, Was Tied to Al Qaida
Nov. 16, 2005 -Recently discovered Iraqi documents now being translated by U.S. intelligence analysts indicate that Saddam Hussein's government made extensive plans to hide Iraq's weapons of mass destruction before the U.S. invasion in March 2003 - and had deep ties to al Qaida before the 9/11 attacks.

The evidence was discovered among "millions of pages of documents" unearthed by the Iraq Survey Group weapons search team, reports the Weekly Standard's Stephen Hayes.

Topics headlined in the still embargoed Iraqi documents include:
• Chemical Agent Purchase Orders (Dec. 2001)
• Formulas and information about Iraq's Chemical Weapons Agents
• Locations of Weapons/Ammunition Storage (with map)
• Denial and Deception of WMD and Killing of POWs
• Ricin research and improvement
• Chemical Gear for Fedayeen Saddam
• Memo from the [Iraqi Intelligence Service] to Hide Information from a U.N. Inspection team (1997)
• Iraq Ministry of Defense Calls for Investigation into why documents related to WMD were found by UN inspection team
• Correspondence between various Iraq organizations giving instructions to hide chemicals and equipment
• Correspondence from [Iraqi Intelligence Service] to [the Military Industrial Commission] regarding information gathered by foreign intelligence satellites on WMD (Dec. 2002)
• Cleaning chemical suits and how to hide chemicals
• [Iraqi Intelligence Service] plan of what to do during UNSCOM inspections (1996)

Still other reports suggest that Iraq's ties to al Qaida were far deeper than previously known, featuring headlines like:

• Secret Meeting with Taliban Group Member and Iraqi Government (Nov. 2000)
• Document from Uday Hussein regarding Taliban activity
• Possible al Qaeda Terror Members in Iraq
• Iraqi Effort to Cooperate with Saudi Opposition Groups and Individuals
• Iraqi Intel report on Kurdish Activities: Mention of Kurdish Report on al Qaeda - reference to al Qaeda presence in Salman Pak
• [Iraqi Intelligence Service] report on Taliban-Iraq Connections Claims
• Money Transfers from Iraq to Afghanistan

Hayes also notes that an additional treasure trove of evidence on Saddam Hussein's support for al Qaida may be lost forever.

"When David Kay ran the Iraq Survey Group searching for weapons of mass destruction, he instructed his team to ignore anything not directly related to the regime's WMD efforts," he reports.

"As a consequence, documents describing the regime's training and financing of terrorists were labeled 'No Intelligence Value' and often discarded, according to two sources."
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/16/122915.shtml

Cal Thomas takes a look at the comparison of the war in Iraq with the war in Vietnam. He recalls an interview with a North Vietnamese General many years later...who admitted they couldn't beat the Americans without the media: Sounding the Trumpet of Retreat:
http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/calthomas/2005/11/21/176434.html

The drive to ban all torture in Congress exposes their all-or-nothing reasoning, says Thomas Sowell, reminding us that these terrorists may soon have nuclear weapons. Still want to ban torture? Read Tortured reasoning http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/thomassowell/2005/11/22/176427.html

November 17, 2005

Ma & Pa Go Banking
Pa was recently engaged in one of his many hobbies, specifically that of persuading the local bank as to the merits of doing business his way. As his success in this area has been limited, he determined to take his trade elsewhere and accordingly took up a discussion with a teller at the competing bank. Unfortunately, Pa had neglected to consider that his leverage with the institution might be limited if he had never done business there before.

Explaining their policy on not cashing checks for people who don't have accounts with their bank, the teller said, "Why if he didn't have an account here, I wouldn't cash a check for my own brother."

Pa's irate response was, "Well ... you know your family a lot better than I do ..."

LAWS OF THE NATURAL UNIVERSE
Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch.
Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
Law of Mechanical Reproduction: If you disassemble and re-assemble a mechanical item enough times, you'll have enough parts left over to make a second one.
Law of the Telephone: When you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal.
Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.
Variation Law: If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now. (works every time)
Bath Theorem: When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.
Law of Close Encounters: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.
Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.
Law of Biomechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.
Theatre Rule: At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.
Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.
Murphy's Law of Lockers: If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.
Law of Dirty Rugs/Carpets: The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich of landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.
Law of Location: No matter where you go, there you are.
Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about. Brown's Law: If the shoe fits, it's ugly. Oliver's Law: A closed mouth gathers no feet.

Dear President
“I wonder how well you have been sleeping these last nights? Mothers and fathers all over our beloved land are spending sleepless nights worrying again over their boys being sent to fight wars on foreign soil—wars that are no concern of ours.” —Letter to the President from the parent of a U.S. soldier

Talk about discouraging. All year long the negative numbers about the war rolled in like the tide. The President’s approval rating in the Gallup poll bottomed out at 23 percent. Another poll showed that 43 percent of Americans thought it was a mistake to have entered the war. The enthusiasm from early victories quickly evaporated.

Opposition party members spared no effort in blasting the President and his Administration. One senator called the Secretary of Defense a “living lie,” and another called for the Secretary’s resignation. The most bombastic senator went so far as to call the Secretary a traitor. Another senator began using the President’s name when referring to the war, and his intention wasn’t to honor the Commander in Chief.

Newspapers and magazines also joined the frenzy. A New York Times editorial characterized the Administration’s war misjudgments “a colossal military blunder.” A front-page editorial in the Chicago Tribune called for immediate impeachment proceedings against the President. Time said he was “responsible for one of the worst military disasters in history.”

The pessimism was not confined to the opposition. Members of the President’s own Administration shared the negative mood. His Secretary of Defense conceded, “We were at our lowest point.” The British Prime Minister believed that the conflict should be abandoned in order to focus resources on protecting Europe. The British leader flew to Washington to lecture the American leader on how to run the conflict after the President performed badly at a news conference.

That president was Harry Truman and the war was in Korea.

http://www.taemag.com/issues/articleid.18832/article_detail.asphttp://www.michellemalkin.com/

CNN: Clinton: Iraq has abused its last chance
December 16, 1998- From the Oval Office, President Clinton said Iraq's refusal to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors presented a threat to the entire world.

"Saddam (Hussein) must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons," Clinton said.

Clinton also stated that, while other countries also had weapons of mass destruction, Hussein is in a different category because he has used such weapons against his own people and against his neighbors.

...The president said the report handed in Tuesday by Richard Butler, head of the United Nations Special Commission in charge of finding and destroying Iraqi weapons, was stark and sobering. Iraq failed to cooperate with the inspectors and placed new restrictions on them, Clinton said. He said Iraqi officials also destroyed records and moved everything, even the furniture, out of suspected sites before inspectors were allowed in.
"Instead of inspectors disarming Saddam, Saddam has disarmed the inspectors," Clinton said.

...Timing was important, said the president, because without a strong inspection system in place, Iraq could rebuild its chemical, biological and nuclear programs in a matter of months, not years.

"If Saddam can cripple the weapons inspections system and get away with it, he would conclude the international community, led by the United States, has simply lost its will," said Clinton. "He would surmise that he has free rein to rebuild his arsenal of destruction."

Clinton also called Hussein a threat to his people and to the security of the world. "The best way to end that threat once and for all is with a new Iraqi government -- a government ready to live in peace with its neighbors, a government that respects the rights of its people," Clinton said. http://www.cnn.com/US/9812/16/clinton.iraq.speech/

Sen. Reid says Alito Fails to Diversify Court
Nov. 16, 2005 -Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on Wednesday said he has "significant concerns" about Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito saying "The appointment of Judge Alito largely fails to diversify the court."
(Excuse me but where is the requirement to diversify the court? How much you want to bet if President Bush had nominated Judge Janice Rogers Brown or a host of other minority canidates Reid would be screeching just as loud)
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/16/110526.shtml

Former GE Chairman: Bush Should Brag About The Economy
Nov. 15, 2005 -Former GE Chairman and business management guru Jack Welch has some advice for President George W. Bush: Start bragging about the economy.

"President Bush put a tax bill through that supported capital formation and risk taking,” Welch said. "We’ve created 2 million jobs a year after the 9/11 attacks. That’s a remarkable accomplishment. Bush has to get out there and talk about it.”

Despite the recent natural disasters, such as Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, the U.S. economy continues to grow, and the stock market seems to weather every storm.

Welch has certainly noticed. Most business people have noticed. Investors noticed. But, according to the recent polls – which show the president’s approval rating at its lowest level of his presidency – the majority of Americans have not been persuaded of the "good news economy."

"One in five kids born in the U.S. are going to start their own business,” Welch said. "We are raising entrepreneurs. They want to start their own businesses and now there are tax laws that are in place to encourage them to do it.”

If there are doubters about the success of the U.S. economy, Welch suggested they look overseas – or simply at the TV news – to measure that success.
"Go to France and see the riots in the streets,” Welch said. "They have massive unemployment and rising percentages of non-citizens who can’t find work.

"Our unemployment rate is less than 5 percent after the 9/11 attacks. Bush ought to be standing on a soapbox talking about that accomplishment.”
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/15/164901.shtml

Floor Statement of Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman on Iraq Amendments to the FY06 Defense Authorization Bill
November 15, 2005- ...It is no surprise to my colleagues that I strongly supported the war in Iraq. I was privileged to be the Democratic cosponsor, with the Senator from Virginia, of the authorizing resolution which received overwhelming bipartisan support. As I look back on it and as I follow the debates about prewar intelligence, I have no regrets about having sponsored and supported that resolution because of all the other reasons we had in our national security interest to remove Saddam Hussein from power – a brutal, murdering dictator, an aggressive invader of his neighbors, a supporter of terrorism, a hater of the United States of America. He was, for us, a ticking time bomb that, if we did not remove him, I am convinced would have blown up, metaphorically speaking, in America's face...

...We will come to another day to debate the past of prewar intelligence. But let me say briefly the questions raised in our time are important. The international intelligence community believed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction...He would not, in response to one of the 17 U.N. Security Council resolutions that he violated, declare he had eliminated the inventory of weapons of mass destruction that he reported to the U.N. after the end of the gulf war in 1991.

...If we successfully complete our mission, we will have left a country that is self-governing with an open economy, with an opportunity for the people of Iraq to do what they clearly want to do, which is to live a better life, to get a job, to have their kids get a decent education, to live a better life. There seems to be broad consensus on that, and yet the partisanship that characterizes our time here gets in the way of realizing those broadly expressed and shared goals.

...I worry the partisanship of our time has begun to get in the way of the successful completion of our mission in Iraq...
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-11_15_05_Lieberman_pf.html

What's inflation?
Nov 16, 2005 by Dr. Walter E. Williams

First, let's decide what is and what is not inflation. One price or several prices rising is not inflation. When there's a general increase in prices, or alternatively, a reduction in the purchasing power of money, there's inflation. But just as in the case of diseases, describing a symptom doesn't necessarily give us a clue to a cause. Nobel Laureate and professor Milton Friedman says, "[I]nflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon, in the sense that it cannot occur without a more rapid increase in the quantity of money than in output." Increases in money supply are what constitute inflation, and a general rise in prices is the symptom.

Let's look at that with a simple example...
complete article at http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/walterwilliams/2005/11/16/175724.html

Is Wal-Mart a Problem?
November 16, 2005 By John Stossel
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-11_16_05_JS.html

State Senator Proposes Pink Tags For DUI
November 16, 2005- A Bay area senator wants Floridians to think pink before they have a drink.

Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, has filed a bill that would require "bright pink" license plates on vehicles driven by people with restricted driving privileges resulting from a conviction for driving under the influence.

...If passed, Florida would join Ohio and Michigan as a state with a punitive license plate law for DUI offenders. Many states have considered similar legislation, including Tennessee this year, but most bills have died after debate about privacy issues.

"Pink plates would hold out individuals for punishment as well as ridicule. We are very opposed to it," said Larry Spalding, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Florida.

...The Ohio General Assembly passed the license law in 1967. But issuance of the plates has increased dramatically in the past two years after lawmakers approved the tags for two-time offenders, Stratmann said. Before 2003, the plates were issued only to people with five or more convictions.

Florida made national headlines about 20 years ago when Sarasota County judges ordered convicted DUI offenders to place bright red bumper stickers on their vehicles as a term of their probation. The stickers read "Convicted DUI, Restricted License."

"The number of DUI arrests in Sarasota went way down after we started this," Titus said Monday. "First-time offenders had told us that the worst part of their DUI experience was their names appearing in the newspaper, and that led us to decide to use the bumper sticker as a roving advertisement against DUI ... to get people to worry about it happening to them."
http://www.tampatrib.com/MGBLB8IQ1GE.html

November 16, 2005

Ma & Pa
While Ma & Pa were sitting on the porch, Pa was engaged in a serious whittling session. A young man walked up with a pad and pencil in his hand approached the house.

"What are you selling young man," said Pa.

"I'm not selling anything," the fellow said. I'm the Census Taker."

"A what ?" Pa asked.

"A Census Taker. We are trying to find out how many people are in these United States."

"Well," Pa replied, "you're wasting your time with me--I have no idea whatever."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happiness keeps you sweet,
Trials keep you strong,
Sorrows keep you human,
Failures keep you humble,
Success keeps you glowing,
God keeps you going!
-Anonymous
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This should go great with the fish flavored ice creams I told you about
Drink Your Thanksgiving Meal Through A Straw
November 15, 2005: SEATTLE - For beverage connoisseurs tired of turkey-and-gravy or green-beans-and-casserole-flavored sodas or Mashed potato-flavored soda, there's a new choice being offered this year by specialty U.S. soda manufacturer Jones Soda Co.: salmon.

"When you smell it, it's got that smoked salmon aroma," said Peter van Stolk, chief executive of Jones Soda.

...While those bottles will be offered locally, Jones Soda is also selling its similarly-priced "holiday pack" of turkey and gravy, wild herb stuffing, brussels sprouts, cranberry and pumpkin pie sodas across the country.

...Asked whether he liked his new salmon soda, van Stolk said: "I cannot finish a bottle, I just can't."
http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/15/news/funny/salmon_soda.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes
http://money.cnn.com/2004/11/12/news/funny/jones_soda/index.htm
http://money.cnn.com/2004/11/16/commentary/wastler/wastler/index.htm

Sauerkraut could fight bird flu, say scientists
11/13/2005- Sauerkraut…could prove to be a secret weapon against the threat of bird flu, experts revealed yesterday. Scientists believe that the traditional recipe, which is made from chopped cabbage that is fermented for at least a month, contains a bacteria that may combat the potentially fatal disease.

Their findings follow a study in which kimchi - a spicy cabbage dish popular in South Korea and similar to sauerkraut - was fed to 13 chickens infected with bird flu. Just one week later, 11 of the birds showed signs of recovery from the virus...

Prof Kang's team claims that lactobacillus, the lactic acid bacteria created during the fermenting process, is the active ingredient that could combat bird flu...

Whether or not sauerkraut does cure bird flu, the dish is said to have a number of other health benefits, among them cancer-fighting and detoxifying properties.

It is also a rich source of vitamins. One serving, which contains only 32 calories and has four grams of fibre, provides 102 per cent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K, 12 per cent of iron and 35 per cent of vitamin C.

Prof Richard Mithen, from the Institute of Food Research, in Norwich, said: "Eating kimchi or sauerkraut may be good for your health and help fight off infections.

"I wouldn't recommend anyone rushing out to stock up on sauerkraut specifically to fight off bird flu, but it may help your immune system."

A further study on sauerkraut, carried out recently by Polish and American scientists, concluded that the meal might be the reason for the lower breast cancer rate observed among Polish immigrants in America.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/13/nsauer13.xml

Retail sales perform better than expected in October...
Nov 15 - Retail sales performed far better than expected in October as consumers took encouragement from falling gasoline prices to head back to the shopping malls...Excluding autos, retail sales rose a solid 0.9 percent last month. The strength in sales last month was led by big gains at specialty clothing stores and department stores, lifting the outlook for the upcoming holiday sales season.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/11/15/D8DSU9PG7.html

Better Trauma Care Major Factor In Best-Ever War Survival Rate
November 14, 2005- The survival rate for U.S. service members wounded in Iraq has reached 90 percent, higher than in any previous war.

The major reason, says the general in charge of Army medical training, is improved trauma care being delivered moments after injury by medics and a growing number of soldiers trained as combat lifesavers.

...Better body armor, forward deployed surgical teams and swift medical evacuations are factors that have raised the survival rate. But the most significant change, Weightman said, has been the performance of medics and combat lifesavers in applying trauma care techniques.
http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/11/12/100bus_philpott001.cfm

School offering pregnancy tests to girls aged 11
15th November 2005 England -A school is offering pregnancy tests to girls as young as 11 - without telling their parents...the headmaster did not consult parents - a move being seen by critics as further evidence of families being denied a say over their children's sexual wellbeing.

...Rising numbers of clinics at secondary schools already offer condoms and the morning-after pill. They have the power to do so without seeking parental permission...headmaster Simon Viccars defended his move. "We have decided to offer pregnancy testing for those young girls who have a need," he said. "We have not consulted parents on this. We have taken the lead."

...Hugh McKinney, chairman of the National Family Campaign, said: "Schools need to be reminded that sexual relations with children under 16 is a criminal offence."

School matron Heidi Thomson, a registered nurse who supplies the tests to pupils, said: "If girls ask for pregnancy tests they are already having sex and need help and advice."

But family campaigner Mr McKinney added: "Schools should not be in involved in issues like pregnancy testing. This is a subject for medical practitioners and parents to discuss, not for schools to provide."

Nick Seaton, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: "Children go to school to learn English, maths and science, not to have pregnancy tests. "It is sending out the wrong message. Teachers are being turned into social workers and schools into social services departments."

...In April last year, the Daily Mail told how 14-year-old Melissa Smith of Mansfield had an abortion arranged by her school without her mother's knowledge... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=368637&in_page_id=1770&in_a_source=

Saudi jailed for discussing the Bible
November 14, 2005- RIYADH, Saudi Arabia-- A court sentenced a teacher to 40 months in prison and 750 lashes for "mocking religion" after he discussed the Bible and praised Jews, a Saudi newspaper reported yesterday.

with promoting a "dubious ideology, mocking religion, saying the Jews were right, discussing the Gospel and preventing students from leaving class to wash for prayer," the newspaper said.

...In Saudi Arabia, the public practice of any religion other than Islam is illegal; only Muslims can be Saudi citizens.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20051114-015138-3548r.htm

Bill Clinton to Israel: Iran No Threat
Nov. 14, 2005- Impeached ex-president Bill Clinton urged Israelis over the weekend not to overreact to comments by newly elected Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recommending that Israel be "wiped off the map."

Speaking at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem on Saturday, Clinton acknowledged that the remark was "outrageous," he also warned Israel not to act unilaterally when reacting to terrorist threats, saying that "true peace and security can only come through principled compromise."

On Oct. 27, President Ahmadinejad told a "World Without Zionism" conference that Israel is a "disgraceful blot" on the Middle East that should be "wiped off the map."
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/14/225144.shtml

Palestinians Taste Their Own Medicine...and don't like it
By Daniel PipesNovember 15, 2005
http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20184

Library forced to drop limit on 'controversial' speech
Barred 'biblical marriage' forum unless it included 'opposing view'
November 15, 2005- An Ohio library dropped a policy that barred a public interest group from holding a forum on traditional marriage without also inviting someone to argue for "same-sex marriage."

The agreement by the Newton Falls Library Board of Trustees settled a lawsuit filed by Florida-based Liberty Counsel, which applied to the library to hold a meeting last spring that would include prayer and Scripture reading.

The library denied Liberty Counsel's application, citing a policy that said, "If a program deals with a controversial subject, then all sides of the issue must be presented."

The policy made the room available to "nonprofit organizations" for "programs of a civic, cultural or educational nature."

Mathew D. Staver, president and general counsel of Liberty Counsel, said the old policy violated the First Amendment's right of free speech.

"Under the former policy, Liberty Counsel would have been required to invite a proponent of same-sex marriage before we could address our viewpoint that marriage is the union of one man and one woman," he said. "Such a policy invites dispute and ends up censoring the speaker."
Library forced to drop limit on 'controversial' speech Barred 'biblical marriage' forum unless it included 'opposing view'

Wall Street Journal: Who Is Lying About Iraq?
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110007540

Colin Powell's Tape Shows Iraqis 'Evacuating' WMDs
11/14/2005- ...Former Secretary of State Colin Powell keeps apologizing for his speech to the United Nations on the eve of the Iraq war. But at least one chilling bit of evidence he introduced there has never been refuted.

Here's how Powell introduced his case on Feb. 5, 2003:

POWELL: Let me begin by playing a tape for you. What you're about to hear is a conversation that my government monitored. It takes place on November 26 [2002], on the day before United Nations teams resumed inspections in Iraq.

The conversation involves two senior officers, a colonel and a brigadier general, from Iraq's elite military unit, the Republican Guard.

TAPE TRANSCRIPT:

IRAQI COLONEL : About this committee that is coming with [U.N. nuclear weapons inspector] Mohamed ElBaradei.

IRAQI GENERAL : Yeah, yeah.

COL: We have this modified vehicle. What do we say if one of them sees it?

GEN: You didn't get a modified... You don't have a modified...
COL: By God, I have one.

GEN: Which? From the workshop...?

COL: From the al-Kindi Company

GEN: Yeah, yeah. I'll come to you in the morning. I have some comments. I'm worried you all have something left.

COL: We evacuated everything. We don't have anything left. [END OF POWELL TAPE EXCERPT]

What type of "modified vehicle" do Iraq war critics think Saddam's general was worried about? A souped-up 1967 Mustang?

And what, pray tell, do they think Saddam's colonel was referring to when he said, "We evacuated everything. We don't have anything left"?
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/14/233507.shtml

November 15, 2005

1 Square Inch of Land for Sale at $1,500
November 12, 2005 -SPENCER, Ind. -- Owen County officials are trying to sell a 1-square-inch plot of land for $1,500. At that rate, an acre of land would cost nearly $7 billion.

… the tiny piece of land west of Bloomington was deeded to someone in the 1960s, when people had to own property to use a nearby lake. First National Bank foreclosed on the property owner's mortgage, which covered the entire 1.12-acre tract, and the land was up for bid at the tax sale. There is a minimum bid of $1,500 for tax sale parcels.

County attorney Richard Lorenz said he wants to find a way for the county to get rid of the land and the responsibility of selling it, perhaps by giving it away.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/12/AR2005111200636_pf.html

Not on the Menu
November 11- Diners at a Shelby, Mississippi restaurant are questioning the mystery meat in their Chinese food. Police say they became suspicious after they confiscated a poisonous reptile from their kitchen. Customers thought they were eating beef fried rice; instead it could've been a slithering surprise.

...City worker Eddie Boone killed the snake with a pipe while cleaning the streets, then took it to the market to show it off. The owner of James Quality Market, Frankie Wong, decided to buy the dead cottonmouth [water] moccasin.

Chief William's thought the story was strange, so he went to the store. There he saw the skinned snake with the rest of the restaurants meats.

"I said what you gonna do with the snake? He said cook it. I said cook it? I said I needed to confiscate," explained Williams.

Shelby customers who shop at James Quality Market are now wondering what is in Mr. Wong's special meats. Chief Williams says there have been no prior complaints against the store, which remains open...

The Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks says it is a violation of state law to buy or sell a non-game species. The market owner could face a fine and jail time.
http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=4108783&nav=2CSf

Time to eat crow
Norway- A restaurant in Østre Bolærne, an archipelago on the outer fringe of the Oslo Fjord, has decided on menu innovation to attract new diners…additions of crow and seagull to the menu...

...The restaurant has already advertised their 'Christmas buffet with a difference', and the chef has prepared both crow and seagull in a variety of sauces. Sund checked long ago that it was legal to hunt the common birds...
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1154580.ece

Wedding painting of bride and groom signing register offensive to homosexuals
November 13, 2005 -Couples looking to tie the knot in Liverpool, England, no longer have an image of a traditional marriage overseeing their wedding, as the painting has been deemed potentially offensive to homosexual couples.

This portrait of a bride and groom was removed from the Liverpool Wedding Registrar's office, as it was ruled potentially offensive to same-sex couples

Starting Dec. 21, same-sex weddings, officially termed civil partnerships, will allow homosexual couples to sign documents in front of a registrar and witnesses, and have new pension and inheritance rights.

...Dr. Adrian Rogers, ex-director of the Conservative Family Institution, told the Sun newspaper: "This is ludicrous and the worst example of political correctness. This is an insult to every heterosexual couple that have been married at Liverpool register office."
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47384

'In God We Trust' to come off coins?
November 14, 2005- Michael Newdow, perhaps America's best known atheist, has a new target in his personal war against God in the public domain: "In God We Trust" on U.S. money.

"I am about to file to get 'In God We Trust' off the front of our currency," he told the Oklahoman. "I plan to do that this week."

Newdow, of Sacramento, Calif., made the remarks Saturday night shortly before addressing the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oklahoma Foundation Bill of Rights Celebration.

..."People say, 'Are you an atheist activist?' And I'm not," he continued. "I couldn't care less what anyone believes. I just care that our government treats everybody equally."
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47387

Kurds Campaign Thanks U.S. for Liberation
10 Nov 2005- A group representing Kurdistan thanks America for liberating that nation from Saddam Hussein's dictatorship of terrorism.

"The Kurds of Iraqi Kurdistan just want to say ‘thank you for helping us win our freedom. Thank you for democracy. Thank you America.”

The ad campaign began Monday in the United States with ads in The Wall Street Journal and on Fox News Channel. Ads begin airing Nov. 14 airing in Europe.

The group describes Kurdistan as a place "where peace and prosperity have reigned since liberation from Saddam Hussein.”

Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Chairman of the Kurdistan Development Corporation and Kurdistan’s High Representative to the UK, says the commercials are necessary to counter the American media’s largely negative coverage of Iraq.

"We feel the mainstream media,” she tells Newsmax, "is focusing on the negative stories coming out of Iraq and very rarely highlighting the good news.”

"The truth is that while there is violence,” she continues, "there are big strides being taken towards democracy in Iraq, particularly in Kurdistan. There are vast sections of Iraq, and again particularly Kurdistan, where the region is safe, stable, and people are getting on with their lives, doing business, trying to build a future.”

Indeed, not a single coalition soldier has died in Kurdistan since March 2003.

Rahman worries, however, about suggestions that the United States should pull out of Iraq.

The current peace and prosperity is a welcome change from conditions under Saddam Hussein, who targeted the Kurds throughout his rule.

Among other atrocities, Hussein ordered the use of chemical weapons against the Kurdish village of Halabja in 1988, killing an estimated 5,000 Kurds, a majority of which were women and children.

..."The people of Kurdistan and the government of Kurdistan,” she gushes, "admire President Bush’s courage in fighting Saddam Hussein despite some of the doubts of America’s international partners.”

In addition to the advertisments, the group maintains a Web site, www.theotheriraq.com , expressing its gratitude to the U.S. and the value of Kurdistan to the world community.
http://web.krg.org/articles/article_detail.asp?LangNr=12&RubricNr=&ArticleNr=7385&LNNr=28&RNNr=70

Military Recruiting Up...Despite Media...
11/10/2005- The Army got off to a strong start in the new budget year by exceeding its October targets for the active-duty Army as well as the National Guard and Reserve.
The other military services also met their goals for active-duty enlistments in October, the first month of the budget year. The Air National Guard got barely half the recruits it wanted and the Navy Reserve met 89% of its goal.

The Army said it signed up 4,925 for active duty, or 105% of its goal. It was the fifth straight month of meeting or exceeding its goal, following a severe slump last spring that prevented the Army from reaching its full-year goal for 2005.

...The Army National Guard signed up 102% of its October goal and the Army Reserve got 103%.

Re-enlistments, which were strong last year while recruiting slipped, got off to a weaker start in October. The active Army re-enlisted 91% of its goal for the month; the National Guard and Reserve both got 98%.

An Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, said re-enlistments typically are lower in the early part of the budget year. In October 2005, for example, the Army got only 83% of its goal but finished the budget year with more than 100%.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-10-military-goals_x.htm

Al Qaida acquires Russian surface-to-air missiles
November 11, 2005 -LONDON — Western intelligence sources said Al Qaida-aligned cells have procured the SA-18 anti-aircraft missile from the former Soviet Union. The sources said the missiles were smuggled into Turkey and acquired by Al Qaida-aligned cells in the Middle East.

...On Oct. 28, the French daily Le Figaro reported that Al Qaida-aligned cells have obtained SA-18s for attacks against French airliners. The daily said the cells acquired the missiles in 2002 from the so-called Chechen mafia.

...In 2004 France foiled a plot to destroy passenger jets with the SA-18 Igla missile. An Al Qaida-aligned cell composed of Algerian and French nationals planned to shoot the missiles from near Strasbourg.

...Information on the missile plot reportedly came from an aide to Al Qaida network chief Abu Mussib Al Zarqawi. The aide, identified as Adnan Sadiq, is imprisoned in Jordan in connection with an Al Qaida plot in the Hashemite kingdom.
Le Figaro said French investigators interrogated Sadiq in prison. Sadiq told the investigators that the SA-18s were acquired from Georgia and transported to France. The missiles have not been recovered.
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/front2453686.1305555557.html

Pro-Family Leaders: STD Facts Belie Condom Crowd's Safe-Sex Rhetoric
November 11, 2005 (AgapePress) - The director of the Culture and Family Institute says the rise in a couple of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is proof that so-called "safe sex" does not work to prevent the spread of venereal diseases. Federal health officials say syphilis and chlamydia infection rates are on the rise.

The federal experts say part of the reason for the rise in syphilis cases -- 81 percent since 2000 -- is the cyclical nature of the disease. However, they also attribute the increase to a reported rise in risky sex among homosexual men. The report from the Centers for Disease Control says 64 percent of last year's reported early-stage syphilis infections occurred among that group.

Bob Knight of the Culture and Family Institute says these statistics show the failures of the condom promotion done by "safe sex" advocates among the homosexual community. "They've spent millions of dollars in federal funds on safe-sex programs," he says. "They're basically telling these guys, 'Go on, do whatever you want with whomever you want, as long as you use condoms."

...Linda Klepacki is Focus on the Family's Analyst for Sexual Health. She says the new FDA regulations regarding the consumer information provided on condom packages still do not ensure truth in advertising on the part of the condom manufacturers.

"Up to this time, condom labeling has been notoriously misleading about the efficacy of preventing the spread of STDs, particularly the spread of HPV -- the leading cause of cervical cancer," Klepacki asserts. "Unfortunately, the guidelines released ... remain medically inaccurate."

...Even more disturbing, the Focus on the Family analyst asserts, is the knowledge that children are being "indoctrinated with this deception" in schools in the name of comprehensive sex ed. "Our kids are being assured that they should place their faith in a piece of latex -- never knowing that they are jeopardizing their own lives if they do so," she says.
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/112005b.asp

Battle Brewing Over Parental Notification Measure in Massachusetts
November 11, 2005 (AgapePress) - A Massachusetts pro-family leader says a new parental notification bill in the state legislature is the "worst nightmare" of Planned Parenthood and the homosexual movement.

Currently under Massachusetts law, parents are permitted to "opt-out" their children from public school programs dealing with homosexuality or sex education. However, a new bipartisan bill would change the law to an "opt-in" for parents who want their children involved in such program. Senate Bill 316, known as the "School Survey Consent Bill," would require schools to obtain prior written consent from parents or guardians before subjecting students to surveys, analyses, or evaluations that deal with such issues as sex behavior and attitudes, political affiliations, and "anti-social, self-incriminating, and demeaning" behavior. (See entire wording of bill below.)

...Article 8 offers as an example the questions comprising the "Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey," in which children are asked to assign themselves a sexual orientation ("Heterosexual (straight), Gay or lesbian, Bisexual, Not sure") and to admit on paper to sexual activities, criminal conduct, and thoughts of suicide and self-mutilation. The survey has reportedly been given to thousands of children in Massachusetts.

...According to Camenker, homosexual activists as well as representatives from Planned Parenthood turned out in force at the hearing to argue against parent notification -- and both groups, he says, have already begun a campaign to get the measure killed.
In April a Massachusetts parent was arrested and jailed for protesting a school's refusal to notify him before his kindergarten-age son is exposed to classroom discussions about homosexuality and transgender. Charges against David Parker were dismissed in October when the county district attorney decided not to prosecute him. However, the Lexington School District continues to bar him from setting foot on any school property.
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/112005a.asp

Peter Schweizer: Clintons Underpaid Taxes
Nov. 13, 2005 -Just last week, Bill Clinton decried the Bush tax cuts as "unethical" and "immoral," because they allowed wealthy folks like himself to avoid "paying their fair share."

"I must be the only person in America that every time - I pay the maximum tax rates - every time I sign that tax form, I smile," Clinton recently explained. However…

"A study of their income tax returns reveal that, since 1991, the Clintons paid on average about 7 percent less to the IRS than others in their income group," he writes. "While most Americans in their bracket were paying 27 percent in taxes, the Clintons were bumping along at 20 percent."

How did Bill and Hill keep their taxes so low? According to a Money Magazine report unearthed by Schweizer, "The Clintons appear to have repeatedly overstated their charitable contributions."

What's more, according to Gaines Norton, the former first couple's one-time accountant, some of the Clintons' deductions were "probably illegal" Norton told Whitewater probers that when he urged Mr. Clinton to pay his fair share, the then-Arkansas Governor told him: "Back off and leave the issue alone."

Other creative ways of lowering their taxes:

Not reporting as income Hillary's $100,000 in profits from commodities trading. Instead, says Schweizer, they actually claimed a loss.

The Clintons also failed to report as income "$74,234 in loans, payments, and forgiven debts that the IRS code counts as income."

Then there's the personal property tax that was due on a sportscar Hillary owned, which first couple declined to pay.

They also took thousands of dollars in deductions on their Whitewater investment that "Hillary admitted at the time she knew they were not entitled to."

In a bid to further reduce their tax exposure, the Clintons set up a contract trust, which "among other things will allow them to substantially reduce the amount of inheritance tax their estate will have to pay when they die."
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/13/192614.shtml

November 14, 2005

Pittsburgh professor's team unearths earliest alphabet yet found
November 10, 2005- Ron Tappy, a professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Highland Park, announced Wednesday that an excavation that he led in Israel this summer unearthed a complete alphabet inscribed on a stone set inside a building.

The building, which dates to the 10th century B.C., is in an Israeli archeological site called Tel Zayit, about 35 miles southwest of Jerusalem. It would have been on the outskirts of ancient Judah.

For years, scholars have debated whether the kingdoms of David and Solomon, who the Bible says reigned about the 10th century B.C., were as advanced as the Bible describes them.

Tappy said he believes the alphabet proves that a civilization comparable to the one described in the Bible existed during the time of David and Solomon. "This was not an embryonic kingdom," Tappy said. "It has to have been quite advanced. They had the ability to write at remote, outlying cities."

The alphabet was carved into a 38-pound limestone boulder embedded in the wall of a ground-floor room. Tappy said that the position of the boulder made it impossible for someone to carve the alphabet after the stone went into the wall.

"Early writing systems used hundreds of pictures to mean things, and eventually those pictures were distilled down into 22 individual marks," Tappy said. "This was an enormous step forward for the human race: You could record things, any expression, any idea. That is what made the alphabet powerful."

…The 22-letter alphabet eventually was picked up by the Greeks, more letters were added, and it became the 26-letter alphabet used today, he said.
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/pittsburgh/s_393076.html

Help persecuted Christians by writing to them and/or their governments
http://www.prisoneralert.com/
Your involvement can result in better treatment for a prisoner. The authorities in many nations are very sensitive about their image abroad. When they realize that outsiders are monitoring a prisoner’s situation, conditions may be improved.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:3

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 1 Peter 4:12-16

Alternatives to the AARP
There are senior citizen's organization that offer the benefits of AARP membership without spending membership funds on leftist political causes:
-The National Association for Senior Concerns (NASCON): http://www.nascon.org/
-National Project of United Seniors Association, Inc (USA Next): http://www.usanext.org/

Oil Prices Fall Below $58 a Barrel As Reports Ease Supply Concerns
- Crude oil futures fell by more than $1 Thursday, settling below $58 a barrel for the first time since late July in a selloff fueled by reports of rising supply and falling demand.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration released data that showed natural gas in storage grew more than expected last week, surpassing a level that many analysts believe is necessary to meet winter demand.

Also, the Paris-based International Energy Agency said in a monthly report that global oil demand growth in 2005 would be slightly lower than previously expected.

The reports gave momentum to a price decline already underway due to a moderation in gasoline demand and warmer-than-usual weather in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest.

With energy prices falling despite the continued loss of output of oil, natural gas and gasoline in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Cordier said it is a clear indication that the market is being driven by a dropoff in demand.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/print?id=1300654

Pistol-Packing Grandmother Shoots Intruder
November 9, 2005- ARLINGTON, Texas -- A woman found evidence on her porch that someone might have broken into her house when she let her dogs out for a walk early Wednesday morning. The woman's granddaughter also said she heard noises from inside the house.

Susan Gaylord Buxton, 66, retrieved her .38 caliber handgun and searched her house. She found a man hiding in a closet, covered by a coat. The man, 22-year-old Christopher Lessner, lunged for the gun, and, police said, Buxton shot him once in the leg. She fired a second shot, which missed, according to police.

Buxton, who was a license for the weapon, said she feared for her safety and that of her 28-year-old granddaughter. "He was 6 feet tall," she said. "He could have done something horrible my granddaughter and me. That's exactly the reason you need to learn how to handle (a firearm) and keep it with you."
http://www.nbc5i.com/news/5289996/detail.html

Experts: Saddam's Uranium Enough for One Nuke
Nov. 12, 2005 -…experts say that Saddam Hussein had stockpiled enough partially enriched uranium to produce at least one full-fledged nuclear bomb. Commenting on Saddam's enriched uranium stash after the U.S. Energy Department removed it to Oak Ridge, Tenn., in June 2004, top physicist Ivan Oelrich told the Associated Press:

"[Saddam's] 1.95 tons of low-enriched uranium could be used to produce enough highly enriched uranium to make a single nuclear bomb."

…Bryan Wilkes, a spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, told the New York Times that Saddam's partially enriched uranium "could have been further enriched to make it useful in a weapon."

…Even Saddam's 500-ton un-enriched uranium stockpile, which he stored at the same nuclear weapons research facility where inspectors found his partially enriched stash, posed a potential threat…In a March 2003 op-ed piece for London's Evening Standard, Norman Dombey, professor of theoretical physics at the University of Sussex, calculated that Saddam's yellowcake could have yielded a staggering nuclear arsenal.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/12/103450.shtml

Europe's 'disaffected youths' conspiracy
…For two weeks roaming bands of "youths" have rampaged across France, burning buildings and cars and daring police to intervene...According to the mainstream media, the rioters are "disaffected youths" who feel "alienated" from French society. The mainstream fiction is that they are rioting because of high unemployment and unfavorable social conditions.

…[then] explain why "disaffected youths" are also rioting in Belgium and Denmark. (In Denmark, the rioters chanted, "This land belongs to us.") Denmark "belongs" to disaffected immigrant youths suffering from high unemployment and unsatisfactory social conditions? OK. Then why the Belgian riots? Sympathy pains?

What do all these "disaffected immigrant youths" have in common? Apart from being Muslims, that is? Wait! The rioters are Muslims? …Could this have somehow escaped the attention of government spokespersons and the mainstream media of the Western world? …One would think that is a relevant connection, especially given that the rioters in Denmark were chanting "this land belongs to us." The "us" the chanters were referring to wasn't the "disaffected immigrant youths" who were claiming Denmark for the unemployed. They were claiming it for Islam.

...While the West nervously looks past the rioters' Islamic identity to find an explanation that blames the victims, the Islamic government of Iran says the riots are because of European "suppression" of Islam...So, why are the Europeans (and the mainstream media on both sides of the Atlantic) blaming themselves and giving Islam a pass? It's simple...If it is the government's fault, the people can always change governments. But if it is part of a coming Islamic war for what's been dubbed "Eurabia" – well, that is just too terrible a thought to consider.

And if Islam is moved center stage as the main culprit, it might stoke the fires of Islamic rage and bring down the wrath of Islamic terror on them now, rather than in some nebulous "later."

The jihadists' sense that Western Europe is ripe for plucking. Hamstrung by the liberal doctrines of multiculturalism and political correctness, Western Europe is unprepared for a determined jihad from within...
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47350

FDA Proposes More Specific Condom Labeling
WASHINGTON - The FDA wants condom packages to warn that condoms are less effective at stopping some sexually transmitted diseases, such as herpes and human papilloma virus, than others. The agency also wants packaging to advise that condoms that use a common spermicidal lubricant should not be used by people at risk of catching HIV.

...Under the proposed rules, condom packages would say that they are thought to be less effective against certain STDs, including herpes and human papilloma virus, because those diseases can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact in places not covered by a condom…
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051110/ap_on_he_me/fda_condom_labels

More Moore
Nov. 4, 2005 - Filmmaker Michael Moore has made a career out of trashing corporations and said he doesn't own any stocks due to moral principle…IRS documents showing that Moore's very own foundation has bought stocks in some of America's largest corporations – including Halliburton, other defense contractors and some of the same companies he has attacked.

…Publicly, Moore has claimed he wants no part of these companies and won't own stock. In his book "Stupid White Men," he wrote: "I don't own a single share of stock."

...The year that Moore claimed in "Stupid White Men" that he didn't own any stock, he told the IRS that a foundation totally controlled by Moore and his wife had more than $280,000 in corporate stock and nearly $100,000 in corporate bonds.

Over the past five years, Moore's holdings have "included such evil pharmaceutical and medical companies as Pfizer, Merck, Genzyme, Elan PLC, Eli Lilly, Becton Dickinson and Boston Scientific," writes Schweizer."

"Moore's supposedly nonexistent portfolio also includes big bad energy giants like Sunoco, Noble Energy, Schlumberger, Williams Companies, Transocean Sedco Forex and Anadarko, all firms that 'deplete irreplaceable fossil fuels in the name of profit' as he put it in ‘Dude, Where's My Country?'

"And in perhaps the ultimate irony, he also has owned shares in Halliburton. According to IRS filings, Moore sold Halliburton for a 15 percent profit and bought shares in Noble, Ford, General Electric (another defense contractor), AOL Time Warner (evil corporate media) and McDonald's...

Does Moore share the stock proceeds of his "foundation" with charitable causes? …Schweizer found that "for a man who by 2002 had a net worth in eight figures, he gave away a modest $36,000 through the foundation, much of it to his friends in the film business or cultural organizations that later provided him with venues to promote his books and film."

Moore's hypocrisy doesn't end with his financial holdings…In "Stupid White Men," he proclaimed his plans to "hire only black people."

But when Schweizer checked the senior credits for Moore's latest film "Fahrenheit 911," he found that of the movie's 14 producers, three editors, production manager and production coordinator, all 19 were white. So were all three cameramen and the two people who did the original music.

On "Bowling for Columbine," 13 of the 14 producers were white, as were the two executives in charge of production, the cameramen, the film editor and the music composer.

His show "TV Nation" had 13 producers, four film editors and 10 writers – but not a single African-American among them...
http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/11/3/150518.shtml

want to know why your kid can't read?
Staff supports kids' anti-Bush 'walk out'
November 4, 2005- The Los Angeles Unified School District enabled 800 high-school students from 10 schools to walk out of class and attend an anti-Bush rally, providing staff to accompany the minors and buses to shuttle them back to school after the event.

...Katharine DeBrecht, author of "Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed" …"It is reprehensible that public school teachers and administrators would actually encourage students to leave the classroom to attend a Bush-bashing event…Not only are these educators ignoring their duty to teach our children, but apparently they care much more about turning them into props for their political causes…This is just one more example of how liberals have taken over our public schools and turned them into hot beds of left-wing activism."
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47211

Study: Preschool harms children's development
November 10, 2005- A new study on the effects of preschool on children finds attendance harms kids' emotional and social development. The study, conducted at UC Berkeley, found that while youngsters gained cognitive abilities via the preschool experience, behavioral problems also increased – especially among kids from wealthy families.
…On average, the report finds that the earlier a child enters a preschool center, the slower his or her pace of social development, while cognitive skills in pre-reading and math are stronger when children first enter a preschool program between the ages of 2 and 3… The study found that children who attended preschool at least 15 hours a week displayed more negative social behaviors when compared with their stay-at-home peers.
…Fuller says those elected officials pushing for compulsory preschool should rethink the idea…"The report's a bit sobering for governors and mayors – including those in California, Florida, Georgia, New York, North Carolina and Oklahoma – who are getting behind universal preschool," Fuller said.
…The report, entitled "The Influence of Preschool Centers on Children's Development Nationwide: How Much Is Too Much?" looked at 14,000 kindergartners across the nation… http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47322

WMDs Found in Iraq
Nov 9, 2005 - Contrary to ongoing reports by mainstream media outlets, WMDs have been found in Iraq, so reports New York Times best-selling author Richard Miniter in his new book, Disinformation.
• Found: 1.77 metric tons of enriched uranium
• Found: 1,500 gallons of chemical weapons
• Found: Roadside bomb loaded with sarin gas
• Found: 1,000 radioactive materials--ideal for radioactive dirty bombs
• Found: 17 chemical warheads--some containing cyclosarin, a nerve agent five times more powerful than sarin

This is only a partial list of the deadly weapons Miniter reveals in his new book, Disinformation. Miniter systematically dissects the "No-WMD Myth" (how it started, and why it continues), as well as 21 other War-on-Terror myths perpetuated by the media.

Bush Approval Rating on the Rebound
Nov. 13- Rasmussen's latest three day rolling survey shows that 46 percent of Americans approve of the way Bush is handling his job - with 53 percent giving him a thumbs down…Meanwhile, a new Newsweek poll shows Bush continuing to slide…

Both surveys relied on samples of more than 1000 "adults" - as opposed to more accurate samplings of "registered" or "likely voters." Surveys relying on "adults" almost always favor Democrats, while "registered voters" lean more towards the GOP. "Likely voters" tend to trend even more Republican still than "registered voters."
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/13/100427.shtml

November 11, 2005 Armistice Day-Veterans’ Day

November 11th
Armistice Day-Veterans’ Day

'Eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month'
World War I involved 35 countries and lasted five years, from 1914 to 1918. It was called "The War to end all wars."

November 11, is the anniversary of the Armistice which was signed in the Forest of Compiegne by the Allies and the Germans in 1918, ending World War I.

…the armistice was signed at 5 a.m. on the morning of 11 November 1918, and came into effect six hours later at 11 a.m. (hence the oft-quoted 'eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month'). This day began with the laying down of arms, blowing of whistles, impromptu parades, closing of places of business. All over the globe there were many demonstrations…

World War I veteran Andrew Johnson remembered how his regiment stationed in northeastern France welcomed the end of the war:
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/wpa:@field%28DOCID+@lit%28wpa221070510%29%29

…In November of 1919, President Woodrow Wilson issued his Armistice Day proclamation. The last paragraph set the tone for future observances:

To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nation.

In 1921, President Warren Harding had the remains of an unknown soldier killed in France buried in Arlington Cemetery. He requested that:

"All devout and patriotic citizens of the United States indulge in a period of silent thanks to God for these valuable valorous lives and of supplication for His Divine mercy and for His blessings upon our beloved country."

Inscribed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are the words:

"Here lies in honored glory an American soldier know but to God."

In 1927 Congress issued a resolution requesting President Calvin Coolidge to issue a proclamation calling upon officials to display the Flag of the United States on all government buildings on November 11, and inviting the people to observe the day in schools and churches...But it was not until 1938 that Congress passed a bill that each November 11 "shall be dedicated to the cause of world peace and ...hereafter celebrated and known as Armistice Day."

After World War II, there were many new veterans who had little or no association with World War I. The word, "armistice," means simply a truce; therefore as years passed, the significance of the name of this holiday changed. Leaders of Veterans' groups decided to try to correct this and make November 11 the time to honor all who had fought in various American wars, not just in World War I.

In Emporia, Kansas, on November 11, 1953, instead of an Armistice Day program, there was a Veterans' Day observance. Ed Rees, of Emporia, was so impressed that he introduced a bill into the House to change the name to Veterans' Day. After this passed, Mr. Rees wrote to all state governors and asked for their approval and cooperation in observing the changed holiday. The name was changed to Veterans' Day by Act of Congress on May 24, 1954. In October of that year, President Eisenhower called on all citizens to observe the day by remembering the sacrifices of all those who fought so gallantly, and through rededication to the task of promoting an enduring peace. The President referred to the change of name to Veterans' Day in honor of the servicemen of all America's wars.

In 1968, a law changed the national commemoration of Veterans’ Day to the fourth Monday in October. People protested that November 11th was a date of historical significance. Finally, in 1978, Congress returned the observance to its traditional date.

In Flanders Fields
by Colonel John McCrae, MD (1915)

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

An explanation of the poem and significance of poppies:
Wild poppies flower when other plants in their direct neighbourhood are dead. Their seeds can lie on the ground for years and years, but only when there are no more competing flowers or shrubs in the vicinity (for instance when someone firmly roots up the ground), these seeds will sprout.

There was enough rooted up soil on the battlefield of the Western Front; in fact the whole front consisted of churned up soil. So in May 1915, when McCrae wrote his poem, around him bloodred poppies blossomed like no one had ever seen before.

November 10, 2005

Application
A young man from Ohio named Murphy applied for an engineering position at a firm based in Ohio. A man from West Virginia named Fred also applied for the same job and both applicants, having the same qualifications, were asked to take a test by the department manager.

Upon completion of the test both men had only missed one of the questions. The manager went to Murphy and said, "Thank you for your interest, but we've decided to give Fred from West Virginia the job."

Murphy asked "Why? We both got 9 questions correct. I thought since I was from in state I’d get the job."

Manager: "We have made our decision not on the correct answers, but on the question you missed."

Murphy: "And just how would one incorrect answer be better than the other?"

Manager: "Simple. On question #5 the West Virginian put down, 'I don't know' and you put down 'Neither do I.'"

Words of a Senior Citizen
*I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising. I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over.

*Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman: "And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?" the reporter asked. She simply replied, "No peer pressure."

*I've sure gotten old! I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees. Fought prostate cancer and diabetes. I'm half blind, can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92. Have lost all my friends. But, thank goodness I still have my driver's license.

*My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

*THE SENILITY PRAYER : Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

Seafood ice cream enjoys sweet success in Taiwan
Nov 10- ...Hsueh's "Dr. Ice" brand offers ice cream, "snowflake ice" (shaved ice) and "bubble ice" (thinly shaved ice) made from shrimp, cuttlefish, tuna, seaweed and laver (purple seaweed) combined with fruits, mint, wasabi, peanut and wine.

Salty, pungent seafood does not seem ideally suited to traditionally sweet and soft ice cream, yet Hsueh has managed to find a harmony between the two to create the island's only seafood flavoured frozen desserts line.

...The 13 flavours on offer include pineapple shrimp, wasabi cuttlefish, strawberry tuna and mango seaweed, all in stark colors from orange to green to black.

All are served in white or blue shell on fish-shaped plates and bowls, and some also come with a sprinkle of small dried fish, roe or chopped squid...
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/11/10/051110161957.7pmi7bxq.html

This is just down the road from us
Five-Foot Gator Pulled Out of Farm Pond
Nov 09 RHODESVILLE, Ala.- Johnny Clemmons, who lives in Muscle Shoals, sees lot of critters on his farm at Rhodesville, but he said he was stunned when a friend checking on his cows told him that a five-foot alligator was living in a pond on his property.

"He called and asked what I wanted him to feed my alligator. I told him I didn't have an alligator, and he said I did," Clemmons said.

No one is quite sure how the 4- to 6-year-old North American alligator got into the pond in Lauderdale County, but Clemmons suspects the reptile likely moved from a nearby swamp that dried up about two months ago.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/11/09/D8DP7IPG6.html

Appalachian mountains buzz with oil drilling
Nov 10- The Appalachian mountains are buzzing with the sounds of oil drilling. Most of the 900 or so wells drilled in Kentucky this year won't produce more than a barrel or two of oil a day. But with prices around 60 dollars a barrel, those little wells are pulling in big profits, especially when they also pump natural gas.

...for Kentucky cattle farmer Billy Carroll, 70, who has two oil and natural gas wells on his property that he leased out in exchange for an eighth of the profits, it means retirement is a lot easier than he had expected.

"The gas well sure has been good to me because I don't have to feed it," he said as he leaned against his truck parked beneath a mountain speckled with fall colors. "I don't do anything. Just get the check."

Two of Carroll's sons also have wells on their farms and many of his neighbors would like to get in on the boom. The problem is there aren't enough rigs to drill them.

...Nestled among Kentucky's famed coal mines are about five billion barrels of oil reserves, Nutall said. Most of the oil is in small fields that sit relatively close to the surface which makes for cheap drilling and long production cycles.

The fields are too small to interest big oil companies, but that hasn't stopped nearly 2,000 small ones from registering to operate in the state.

...Bill Daugherty runs one of the larger companies, NGAS Resources Inc., which was recently ranked the third fastest growing small business in the United States by Fortune magazine.

"We're risk takers as individuals -- how else would you describe people who like to look down 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) into the ground and see what's there?" Daugherty said.

"What you don't see are the wildcat guys with boots and hats and a cigar. We use technology like computer graphics and we monitor gas flows from our wells by satellite and we maximize production by projecting trends in individual wells. It's a very scientific business but it's also a lot of fun."

...He's drilling about three new wells every week and expects to get 170 online this year.

At a cost of about 350,000 dollars a well, it used to take about three years to pay off the investment. It's now taking about half that time, and Daugherty expects prices could go even higher.

The demand for natural gas has been increasing steadily over the past few years as electrical companies switched their power plants from dirty coal to clean-burning gas.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/11/10/051110150119.4418n1qz.html

More Moslem Destruction of Temple Mount Feared
Nov 09, '05 / 7 Cheshvan 5766- The Committee to Prevent Temple Mount Artifacts Desecration warns that Muslim Waqf construction works are once again underway - this time at the Temple entrance path taken by Jews 2,000 years ago.

The Committee sent a letter on the matter this week to the Prime Minister and to the Director of the Antiquities Authority. The letter states that new information has been received indicating the Waqf's intention to continue its "refurbishing" works on the Mount.

Yisrael Caspi, an active member of the Committee, told Arutz-7, "For some years now we have been standing guard to try to have the Waqf stop its destruction works. The Waqf is trying to take over the Mount and make it a totally Moslem site, with no Jewish presence."

...Caspi said that the latest information indicates that the Waqf plans to begin work at the site known as the Hatunya, adjacent to the Southern Wall excavations and the Dung Gate entrance to the Western Wall.

"A staircase leads from the Temple Mount plaza downward under the Al Aksa mosque [south of the Dome of the Rock]," he said, "to two tunnels built by King Herod 2,000 years ago. The tunnels served the Jews who entered the Holy Temple from the Hulda Gate on the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount. Today, we see the Hulda Gate, but just to the left is a building called the Hatunya, built several hundred years ago. The Waqf wants to excavate the tunnels and the Hatunya, and, based on past experience, turn it into yet another mosque - while hiding or destroying Jewish artifacts."

...Caspi said, "Our past experience has shown that the Waqf does not exactly have an interest in preserving the archaeological findings there, and especially not the Jewish ones. On the contrary: They want to hide and even destroy all Jewish findings. This is our concern. We demand that the Antiquities Authority - which is not taking a strong enough position on this issue - be responsible once again for what goes on there."

"In the past," Caspi said, "the government of Israel gave a permit for Waqf renovations in the Solomon's Stables area of the Temple Mount and under the Al Aqsa mosque [just south of the Dome of the Rock]. The bottom line was that the works were done without supervision, archaeological findings are feared hidden and destroyed, new mosques were built on the Temple Mount, and Jews are prevented from visiting the most important Jewish sites in history."http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=92684

Top SE Asian Terrorist Believed Dead
November 10, 2005- In what could be the biggest breakthrough in Southeast Asia's counter-terror campaign in more than two years, Indonesian police are set to confirm that the man behind the region's deadliest terrorist bombings is dead.

Australia, scores of whose citizens have been killed in Indonesian terror attacks, welcomed the news that Azahari bin Husin, a Malaysian, apparently committed suicide during a standoff with police at a house in East Java Wednesday.

...The death of Azahari, described as the master bomb maker for the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah (JI) network, would be a major coup for Indonesia and the most significant success in Southeast Asia's fight against the group since the 2003 arrest in Thailand of JI operations chief, Hambali.

Azahari, a geophysics professor who trained at terrorist bases in Afghanistan and the southern Philippines, is believed to have succeeded Hambali, who is in U.S. military custody.

Indonesia and Australia hold him responsible for bombings in Bali in 2002 and again last month; on a Marriott Hotel in Jakarta in 2003; and outside the Australian Embassy in the city last year.
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=\ForeignBureaus\archive\200511\FOR20051110a.html

Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald Ignored Witnesses who Contradicted Wilson
Nov. 9, 2005- Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's Leakgate investigation is coming unraveled, as witness after witness steps forward to challenge a key premise of his controversial probe…The number of witnesses now saying "No" has climbed to four - and none of them have apparently been interviewed by Fitzgerald's investigators.

On Wednesday, Wayne Simmons, a 27-year veteran at the CIA, told Fox News Radio: "As most people now know, [Plame] was traipsed all over Washington many years ago by Joe Wilson and introduced at embassies and other parties as 'my CIA wife.'"

Last week, Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely told WABC Radio's John Batchelor that during a 2002 conversation with Wilson while the two waited to appear on a TV show, Wilson casually mentioned that his wife worked at "the Agency."

In Oct. 2003, NBC's diplomatic correspondent, Andrea Mitchell, told CNBC that Plame's occupation "was widely known among those of us who cover the intelligence community and who were actively engaged in trying to track down who among the foreign service community was the envoy to Niger... So a number of us began to pick up on that."

And in Sept. 2003, NationalReviewOnline's Cliff May wrote that when Plame's CIA connection was mentioned in Novak's column - "That wasn't news to me." The day his report appeared, May told the Fox News Channel's John Gibson: "I knew this, and a lot of other people knew it."

In fact, rumors now swirl around Washington that Plame used to take her friends to lunch at the CIA's cafeteria…

… Fitzgerald made a big show of interviewing two of the Wilsons neighbors just four days before he announced his indictment of Lewis Libby - in a bid to establish whether Ms. Plame's occupation was indeed secret...Now, with four witnesses on the record saying they knew what the Wilsons' neighbors didn't - and two of those witnesses coming forward even before the Leakgate investigation began - it's beginning to look like Mr. Fitzgerald deliberately ignored critical testimony that would have compelled him to close up shop well before he ever got to Mr. Libby.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/9/115114.shtml

Manipulation
Nov. 9, 2005 Senator John Cornyn took to the Senate floor Monday to dispel allegations that the White House "manufactured and manipulated evidence in order to sell the war in Iraq."

...He cited the Web site of Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), architect of last week's political stunt to hold a closed session of the Senate to discuss alleged manipulation of intelligence.

"What is my position on Iraq?" Reid asks on his own Web site. "Saddam Hussein is an evil dictator," he answers, "who presents a serious threat to international peace and security. Under Saddam's rule, Iraq has engaged in far-reaching human rights abuses, been a state sponsor of terrorism, and has long sought to obtain and develop weapons of mass destruction."

Cornyn noted the statement was still up on Reid's Web site as of Monday, November 7. Cornyn agrees with Reid's statement, but laments that Reid has changed his tune.

"Today," Cornyn pointed out, "we are told by the same Democratic leader that somehow this administration was responsible for manipulating intelligence to authorize the war in Iraq when, in fact, he took the same position at the time that force was used."

Cornyn also cited President Clinton. "The hard fact," Clinton warned in 1998, "is that so long as Saddam remains in power, he threatens the well-being of his people, the peace of the region, the security of the world. The best way to end that threat once and for all is with the new Iraqi government, a government ready to live at peace with its neighbors, a government that respects the rights of its people."

If Saddam defies the world and we fail to respond," Clinton continued, "we will face a far greater threat in the future. Saddam will strike again at his neighbors; he will make war against his own people. And mark my words, he will develop weapons of mass destruction. He will deploy them, and he will use them."

"No one," Cornyn said, "attempted to manipulate intelligence leading up to the war in Iraq – not President Clinton, not Members of the Senate, not his administration, all of whom, based upon the same intelligence, concluded that Saddam represented an imminent threat to the national security of the United States. Instead, we found that while some of our intelligence was wrong on Hussein, it was obvious, and is obvious today, that he was a threat to the civilized world." http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/11/8/172916.shtml