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Hey Susie...(edit again)
Those numbers could be correct...the article I read stated otherwise...but I have been unable to confirm the those numbers...still looking though...
See Susie's message msg# 124088
tis
Afternoon Ergo...
No one (officials)apparently took this hurricane seriously...
They saw what it did to Fl...had days to better prepare...had days to take people elsewhere then the superdome...
The coastal wetlands that acted as buffer's for storm surge have been disappearing (one article stated 500,000 acres since 1965)...the levee's flawed for anything over a cat 3...
From the get go...La's/our elected officials screwed up...
tis
Afternoon Bull...
The figure I have seen is approx. 11,000 Guards in La...a number of 3,000 has been given as being in Iraq...
I have read where fewer then half of the Guard in La were on duty the day Katrina hit...
I am by no means taking up for Fema...Bush...or any of the political lackies...
One can understand that casualties may arise from a natural disaster...but nobody...from the mayor/gov...continuing up the ladder...should be excused from BS the people of La has went/going through...
tis
Morning Ergo...
I must disagree with your comment "The problem here clearly sits on the shoulders of the executive branch of the Federal government."
The problem started when the officials of the state failed in their duties...
Utility companies here in NC had people on standby...ready to go to the effected areas...prior to Katrina even making landfall...
Do you know how many of La's Guard the Gov had on duty the day Katrina struck?
If Fema deserves blame for one thing...it is for thinking the elected officials of La had a plan/or could react in a worst case scenario...
tis
Maine...
Please ask her why she...as the Senator of La...as well as the local/state politicians failed the people of her State...
Peace...
tis
Evening RR...
Good talking with you again...
As always...
Peace...
tis
Evening Haps...
I simply hope common sense prevails somewhere/sometime within the two parties that run this country...
Have a great weekend...
tis
Evening RR...
Personally...I see the Rep's losing alot of ground/seats in the next elections...sad part is...the moderates of the party who are actually working for the people's best interest will possibly be throwed out with the bath water...
If the Dem's run moderate candiate's...move away from the moveon crowd...they'll take the next one easily...
Just my thoughts for the evening...
Peace...
tis
Evening Star...
5 names I recognize...
Robert Jennens
Phillip Viggianni
David Downes
Juan Mabanta
Lau Tein Mui
Other five I do not...
Running a search on the Corp. listed...
tis
Afternoon Star...
Per a conversation we had last week...
I was only able to retrieve the Case Summary from Pacer...I will apparently have to wait for the court to issue a docket number...maybe then more details will be shown concerning the case...
Brief summary...
Nature of Suit: 320
Jurisdiction: Diversity]
Cause: 28:1332 Diversity-Libel,Assualt,Slander
You can run a google search on each line to get an idea of their meaning...
11 defendants named in the suit...
Shall try to post more later tonight...
tis
Low volume...
stock...
his/her comments on insider's buying big time was laughable...
He/she will be whining to sec about that one eventually...
tis
ssty have updated...
the video...
http://www.suretrace.com/video/SSTY-DEMO-050818-MPEG-1.mpg
tis
Found this older article...
to which then ceo (of ssty) Peter Leeuwerke was interviewed...interesting read...
HOMELAND INSECURITY
Counterfeit products
funding al-Qaida
Agents fear fake pharmaceuticals could be vehicle for terrorism
Posted: November 5, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern
Editor's note: WorldNetDaily is pleased to have a content-sharing agreement with Insight magazine, the bold Washington publication not afraid to ruffle establishment feathers. Subscribe to Insight at WorldNetDaily's online store and save 71 percent off the cover price.
By Timothy W. Maier
© 2003 Insight/News World Communications Inc.
Is it real or is it fake? And if it's fake, it could be funding terrorism.
These days it's hard to tell what's real or fake because counterfeiters are becoming increasingly sophisticated and daring as they have moved their wares from sidewalk pushcarts to shopping malls to prey upon the unsuspecting. If you think you got a "steal" on that Coach purse or Rolex watch, look again. It is you who may have been ripped off.
FBI and customs and border agents estimate sales of counterfeit goods are lining the pockets of criminal organizations to the tune of about $500 billion in sales per year. By midyear for fiscal 2003, the Department of Homeland Security already had reported 3,117 seizures of counterfeit branded goods including cigarettes, books, apparel, handbags, toys and electronic games with an estimated street value of about $38 million – up 42 percent from last year.
For the fiscal 2003 midyear report the top five offending countries of origin are the People's Republic of China ($26.7 million), Hong Kong ($1.9 million), Mexico ($1.6 million), Korea ($1.4 million) and Malaysia ($1 million).
The International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition, or IACC, estimates that counterfeiting results in more than $200 billion a year in lost jobs, taxes and sales. Fortune 500 companies spend an average of between $2 million and $4 million a year each to fight counterfeiters.
The problem is so bad in Asia that the Bangkok law firm of Tilleke & Gibbins built a museum of counterfeit goods in 1989 in Thailand. Today, it has a collection of more than 20 categories of such goods, including shoes, perfumes, watches, household appliances, stereos, car and machine parts, decorative ornaments, foods, drugs, alcohol, chemical products and stationery.
"We need to keep in mind that counterfeiters are business people," says IACC president Tim Trainer, whose organization is an association of more than 150 companies fighting product counterfeiting. "Their sole objective is to make money. They don't care about laws and rules. We are talking about people whose sole mission is to profit off the back of successful companies that have successful products. There is no product exempt from counterfeiting – sunglasses, shirts, purses. But counterfeiting has impacted home appliances, electrical products and [parts] for cars."
In fact, in a recent U.S. case, a customer who took his car in for a brake job found out the hard way that his brake pads were made of sawdust. And product fraud is spreading worldwide. For example, there was a mass poisoning in Armenia in 2001 when fake Stolichnaya and Kristall vodka poured into the market. Two people were blinded after drinking the poison.
The global counterfeit market accounts for 9 percent of world trade and likely will double in the next two years, according to Carratu International PLC, a leading investigator of abuses of intellectual property. These London-based investigators repeatedly have warned that the innocent purchases from Internet sites and street markets of counterfeit products ranging from knockoffs of Nike and Tommy Hilfiger merchandise to electrical parts are funding terrorist and criminal organizations, including al-Qaida, the Mafia and the Irish Republican Army. In a statement released to the press earlier this year Carratu International also claimed to have unearthed links between counterfeiting and Hezbollah, Basque ETA, Chinese Triad gangs, the Japanese Yakuza crime syndicate, the Russian Mafia and the drug cartels.
"The bogusly branded clothes people are buying off the Internet might be helping to prop up terrorist or criminal gangs," reports Spencer Burgess, director of Carratu International's Intellectual Property Investigations division. "Every major terrorist group in the world is into counterfeiting one way or another. It is a fairly straightforward way to raise funds. It does not have to involve the sale of anything sinister. It's easy to make money from something as bland as a T-shirt. The perception many people have that counterfeiting is run by small groups that are just trying to make a few dollars on the side is completely misplaced. It is very much more organized and malicious."
Counterfeit products increasingly have moved into discount shops and shopping malls, where overzealous store managers are trying to push for a quick profit, says Peter Leeuwerke, chief executive officer for Sure Trace Security Corp., which manufactures and sells proprietary security products.
"Senior-level management may not be aware, but the local store manager is pushing for profits," he says. "Sometimes they may get about 200 [boxes] of jeans in and they hold this incredible sale. In some of these cases the store managers know exactly what they are doing."
In a Greenbelt, Md., shopping mall Insight asked an Asian retail clerk about whether an obviously faked "Prada" purse was indeed authentic. She panicked and ran out of the store. At another shop in the same mall this reporter asked the store manager if the hats made in Vietnam were actual Nikes, and he said with a laugh, "No, they are not." Asked how he could sell them as Nike hats, he refused to answer.
Those caught selling or manufacturing counterfeit brands can face fines ranging into the millions of dollars and long prison sentences, but neither of these establishments ever has been raided. Arrests are rare because, unless the name-brand companies complain, local police are clueless about the counterfeiting trade.
But victimized companies can do more than press charges. In 2000, Adidas America Inc. and Nike announced that they and Adidas affiliates, Adidas-Salomon AG of Germany and Adidas International BV of the Netherlands, had filed suit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville, Ark., in federal district court in New York. They alleged Wal-Mart had been selling several styles of counterfeit Adidas and Nike T-shirts at its Sam's Club stores.
The action followed a series of similar lawsuits against the chain by branded manufacturers including Tommy Hilfiger, Polo by Ralph Lauren and Nautica Enterprises. Tommy Hilfiger settled for $6.4 million, while Ralph Lauren and Nautica settled for undisclosed amounts. Wal-Mart says it is looking into the latest allegations.
Counterfeiters are ingenious about pawning off faked products, notes Sandy Beattie, a member of the U.S. enforcement team for Oakley Inc., a California designer of eyewear.
"When tourists are in town, so are the counterfeit Oakley sunglass vendors," Beattie says. "These vendors are even on tour buses, trying to convince teen-agers to buy cool Oakley sunglasses for $5 to $20. We have seen vendors actually sell the counterfeit glasses out of confection carts as they sell ice cream." She says the counterfeits are not safe because they do not offer UV (ultraviolet) protection and shatter when struck.
"The counterfeit glasses not only cheapen but also degrade our name and reputation," she says.
Sometimes the criminal organizations backing the knockoffs are so sophisticated that they are all but impossible to stop. For example, Calvin Klein's famous cologne, Obsession, had to be pulled temporarily from the shelves to identify and stop the counterfeits, Leeuwerke notes. Last summer golf clubs appeared to be the big-ticket item for counterfeiting.
"Consumers who never bought a high-end club were easily victimized," says Leeuwerke, whose company found 35 golf clubs bearing a brand name that were not what they were supposed to be. "All of them fell apart," he says.
Leeuwerke adds that counterfeit operations started in a garage can be expanded quickly to a factory with hundreds of employees.
"In some situations, manufactured goods are part real, part fake," he says. "Brand owners use independent manufacturing plants to manufacture component pieces, which are later assembled into the final product. In some cases these independent manufacturers use overruns to create fake goods. The labels or logos may be real, but the material is fake."
A steady increase in counterfeited brands since Sept. 11, 2001, has created deep concern among intelligence agents who fear many of these criminal organizations are tied directly to al-Qaida. For example, late last year authorities raided a souvenir shop in midtown Manhattan and seized a suitcase of counterfeit watches. The faked timepieces were the least of their concerns because the counterfeiters also possessed copies of flight manuals from Boeing 767s that contained handwritten notes in Arabic.
In a similar raid last year at a handbag shop in New York City, authorities discovered faxes relating to bridge-inspection equipment. Two weeks after that raid, New Jersey police investigated an assault on a Lebanese member of an organized-crime syndicate. While searching his apartment police found fake driver's licenses and a list of al-Qaida – along with the names of some of those working in the New York handbag shop.
Federal authorities say they have linked sales of counterfeit computer software, T-shirts and handbags to terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas and involving worldwide schemes reaching from Paraguay to Pakistan.
Of special concern to authorities is such activity in South America, where counterfeit operations are flourishing along the borders of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina, which have large and growing Arab populations. While this region long has been associated with arms and drug trafficking, as well as counterfeit documents and money laundering, the State Department now considers this area to be a hotbed for Hezbollah and Hamas counterfeiting operations.
In particular, law-enforcement officials continue to investigate reports that a multimillion-dollar counterfeit-software operation based in Ciudad del Este in Paraguay diverted large sums of money to Middle Eastern terrorist cells. Authorities arrested several Lebanese suspects in connection with the software scams.
Besides concern about counterfeit organizations financially supporting terrorist cells, say authorities, they also are worried about use of counterfeit products as a potential means of attacking the United States. Consider the story of a 35-year-old woman who purchased and consumed a diet drug from Mexico. She suffered multiple organ failure and eventually died. Whether or not this was a terrorist act, the woman is one of several dozen Americans known to have died from taking counterfeit drugs, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The World Health Organization, or WHO, estimates that 50 to 60 percent of all drugs sold in parts of Africa and 25 percent or more of drugs sold in Mexico now are counterfeit, which may be due partly to the fact that Mexico allows its pharmacists to work without any formal training and does not require prescriptions. On an average worldwide, WHO estimates, 5 to 7 percent of the medicines currently being sold are fakes.
Other studies have suggested that nearly one-quarter of "e-pharmacies" selling medicines on the Internet are illegal, and many of the medicines they sell are either outright fakes or repackaged products that outlasted their original shelf life. Some of the Internet pharmacies, for example, are selling "sugar pills" as drugs to lower cholesterol. Intelligence experts warn that just because a product is being sold under a brand name does not mean that it is as advertised.
IACC President Trainer points to his organization's white paper that says counterfeit pharmaceuticals have become a serious health threat as customers have received spam e-mail to sell cheaper drugs online. The Internet and secondary wholesale markets, he says, go unchecked and may be uncheckable.
The report, International/Global Intellectual Property Theft: Links to Terrorism and Terrorist Organizations, suggests that terrorists using counterfeit drugs easily could launch attacks with dire consequences: "In the event of such an attack, it could take days or perhaps weeks for the problem to come to light. Any efforts at containment would be severely complicated if the tainted drugs were distributed and sold over a wide geographic area. The Tylenol deaths from the early 1980s would pale in comparison to the utter devastation that could be wrought with today's deadliest poisons and toxins."
What can be done to stop the growing counterfeiting of brand-name products? In October, Rep. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., persuaded Congress to provide $300,000 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture – and expects to get another $1 million from the Department of Commerce – to develop a tagging system to help customs agents identify fakes in the textile industry. The technology is rather new, but more and more companies are entering the field with the idea of embedding "mechanical encrypted DNA" into branded products.
Leeuwerke's Sure Trace Security recently launched through its subsidiary, I.D. OLOGY Laboratories Inc., a synthetic DNA, taggant, which is embedded in the authentic product and its presence confirmed with a handheld scanner.
Applied DNA Science spokeswoman Julia Hunter says her California company has a mechanically encrypted DNA product on the market and is working with edible inks to authenticate pharmaceuticals. Its products for validating the origin of textiles employ a coding system to assist customs agents with checking the origin of the fabric, down to the mill that produced it.
"We can put it right in the fabric and guarantee that Ralph Lauren is really Ralph Lauren," Hunter says.
Even if the latest technology fully were in place, the consumer still might be duped this holiday season. The Better Business Bureau says a few telltale signs that a branded product might not be the real thing include missing notice of the country of origin or if the original packaging is unavailable or substandard. And if the price is too low, be wary. Chances are that "going-out-of-business" sale is a phony – and so is the product.
Subscribe to Insight
Timothy W. Maier is a writer for Insight.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35429
tis
Drunk With Power, Spending Out of Control
Thursday, August 25, 2005
By Radley Balko
The Washington Post reports that in 1987, President Ronald Reagan vetoed a transportation bill passed by Congress because it had 157 "earmarks"— money set aside for Congress members' pet projects that would ostensibly be considered too wasteful to pass as laws on their own merit.
Reagan made a show of his veto. It was a symbolic stroke against government waste, against the Democrats’ tradition of, for example, diverting every federal highway through West Virginia, then naming it after Sen. Robert Byrd.
Fast-forward to 2005. Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress. Early on a Saturday morning in August — the day of the week, and the month of the year, least likely to attract media attention — President Bush signed into law a highway bill passed by his own party with more than 6,000 earmarked projects.
Bush signed the bill after sternly telling his party he'd veto any highway bill that spent more than $256 billion. He promptly "adjusted" that figure to $284 billion after complaints from party leaders. The bill Bush ultimately signed came at a price of $286 billion, $295 billion if you count a few provisions disguised to make the bill look cheaper than it actually is. Not exactly holding the line.
The Republican Party's wholesale abandonment of limited government principles has been on display since President Bush took office. Government spending under the GOP's reign has soared to historic highs, any way you want to measure it. And in stark contrast to President Reagan — or even the president's own father—President Bush refuses to rein in spending. He hasn’t used his veto a single time since taking office — the longest such streak in U.S. history.
What continues to amaze, however, is the sheer arrogance and hubris with which the Republicans have chosen to govern. As Congressman Jeff Flake — one of the few principled Republicans in Washington — told the Washington Post, "Republicans don't even pretend anymore."
Consider that highway bill. The bill calls for nearly half a billion dollars to build two bridges in Alaska. One will connect the Alaskan mainland with a tiny island called Gravina (population: 50). It will cost U.S. taxpayers $230 million. In fact, when it comes to pork barrel politics, Alaska is the new West Virginia. That's because Alaska Rep.Don Young chairs the transportation committee. The transportation bill is named after Young's wife. The second bridge the bill appropriates money for — another $230 million — will be called "Don Young Way."
Robert Byrd would be proud.
You'd think that a Republican like Young would at least be embarrassed about all of this. He isn't. He's shameless. Upon hearing that only one other lawmaker in the entire Congress had outdone him in securing pork barrel projects, Young told the New York Times, "I'd like to be a little oinker, myself. If he's the chief porker, I'm upset."
Consider the case of Sen. Tom Coburn, another of the few in Congress willing to stand up to unrestrained spending. After a six-year career fighting waste in the House, Coburn won election to the Senate, and began putting administrative holds on his colleagues' wasteful projects. That didn't sit well with his fellow Republicans. Coburn's own party soon filed an ethics complaint against him.
His transgression? Coburn continues his medical practice in Oklahoma in addition to his duties as a U.S. senator. That apparently, is a violation of Senate ethics. Diverting millions of taxpayer dollars to pet projects that bear one's name and help one get reelected is not an ethical violation, but practicing medicine is. The chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee who will hear Coburn's complaint is Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott. Lott recently told Roll Call that after 30 years as a U.S. senator, he has learned how to work around pesky do-gooders like Coburn. "I fold [pork projects] into bills where you can't find them," Lott boasted. "I've been around here long enough to know how to bury it."
But perhaps the single member of Congress most afflicted with arrogance-of-power syndrome is Virginia Rep. Tom Davis. Davis headed up the GOP's campaign to retain control of the House in 2004, and today chairs the House Government Reform Committee. Earlier this spring, it was Davis' committee that began investigating the use of steroids in Major League Baseball. Of course, Congress has no constitutional authority to tell a private organization what its rules ought to be. No matter. When MLB asked Davis what jurisdiction he had to hold hearings, Davis sent a letter in reply asserting that his committee has jurisdiction “at any time, over any matter.” Any time, any matter. So much for limited government. And this from the chair of the committee in charge of keeping government in check!
Davis later threatened sanctions against MLB if it allowed an ownership group, in which billionaire leftist George Soros held a minority stake, to purchase the Washington Nationals — a stunning, possibly illegal threat to impose legal sanctions against a private organization for doing business with someone Davis opposes politically. Just last month, Davis stuck a provision into a funding bill that would prohibit development of a housing complex in his home district. The congressman told Washington Post columnist Marc Fisher he feared “urban kind of people” moving into his district. This is exactly the kind of federal government edict over local affairs Republicans are supposed to oppose.
Local officials told Fisher that Davis has said privately he fears too much development in his district will attract too many Democrats, which could one day imperil his reelection.
Republicans swept into office in 1994 on a radical platform promising to dramatically scale back the federal government, bring accountability to Capitol Hill, and put a check on the power and arrogance that runs rampant in Washington. Today, they embody that power and arrogance.
If you’ll remember, it was Hillary Clinton’s plan for universal health care that inspired much of the backlash that put the Republicans in power. Today, the leader of the Republican revolution — Newt Gingrich — has publicly aligned himself with Hillary Clinton to call for a larger government role in health care. That’s about as apt a metaphor for what’s happened to the “Republican Revolution” as any.
Radley Balko maintains the The Agitatorweblog.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166682,00.html
Hope these Rep's aren't getting too comfortable...
tis
I wish to ask...
Has the Gorelick/9-11 commission/wall been discussed here in any detail...
Seems I am behind in the news a bit...
tis
Hey Data...
I do believe crap-on (rb)is tooting on another site...
Trying to find my password to my old rb screen name...
I am going to have some fun with this one :)
tis
Ch*t...
Guess I need to turn the tube on more often...
All is okay with the family I take it...
tis
Morning Irish...
I haven't been keeping up with this one...heading your way?
tis
Hey Star...
PACER is where one can access the actual details of the lawsuit...
I will let you know my opinion once I read the contents of the lawsuit...
Peace...
tis
Morning Star...
I am attempting to retrieve the details of the case through PACER...however...One must register first...and then PACER will only send the account name/password via US mail...
Hopefully...sometime next week I can access it...
tis
Noticed...
That the Trade Trend (ameritrade streamer) was working today with SSTY...
I don't recall it showing a reading since SSTY has been on the grey market...maybe someone can verify...
Peace...
tis
Evening Frankie...
Actually...the gov is using biodiesel...US military uses it...school districts are using it...many cities are requiring it...
http://www.distributiondrive.com/customers.html
The first diesel engine was actually designed to run off vegetable oil...
http://www.distributiondrive.com/technology.html
Have a great evening...
tis
I disagree...
concerning your comment on "Bio diesel stinks"...
"State facilities already use 2 percent biodiesel fuel in accordance with an executive order issued by the governor in 2004, according to the governor’s office. Early this summer, Blagojevich approved legislation that gives rebates to drivers using fuels with a minimum 20 percent biodiesel blend."
http://www.truckflix.com/news_article.php?newsid=2818
I will let Willie explain the rest :)
http://www.wnbiodiesel.com/index.html
Other links...
http://www.profusion.com/results?queryterm=biodiesel&querytype=all&rpe=50&timeout=240&am...
Peace...
tis
Evening to the room...
I sent the following email to Sure Trace today (short/to the point)concerning the pink sheet issue/possible moving back to the otc...
The response (short/to the point)...
"We are currently working with the SEC on both issues and hope to have them resolved asap."
Guess we shall see...
Peace...
tis
Evening Harry...
Hope this finds you and yours well...
I wish to think that many see through the media bias on both sides...
Concerning Soros/Moore...I view both at the bottom of the ch*t barrell...I need no network to confirm/change my view concerning these two...
The events since my post has explained much to me in concerns to C Sheehan...therefore...I shall no longer comment on her...
tis
Evening Merci...
I simply wish to comment on your signature...Amen!
The Fairtax book written by Boortz and Linder is number 1 on the NY times bestseller list (according to boortz.com)...so the Fairtax idea is gaining steam...
Best to You and Yours...
tis
Evening Harry...
I found the following article the other day while scrolling through boortz.com...
I am not attempting to discredit Cindy Sheehan...or the purpose to which brought her to Crawford, Tx...
If posted prior...my apologies...
Bush, Sheehans share moments
By David Henson/Staff Writer
Since learning in April that their son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, had been killed in Iraq, life has been everything but normal for the Sheehan family of Vacaville.
Casey's parents, Cindy and Patrick, as well as their three children, have attended event after event honoring the soldier both locally and abroad, received countless letters of support and fielded questions from reporters across the country.
"That's the way our whole lives have been since April 4," Patrick said. "It's been surreal."
But none of that prepared the family for the message left on their answering machine last week, inviting them to have a face-to-face meeting with President George W. Bush at Fort Lewis near Seattle.
Surreal soon seemed like an understatement, as the Sheehans - one of 17 families who met Thursday with Bush - were whisked in a matter of days to the Army post and given the VIP treatment from the military. But as their meeting with the president approached, the family was faced with a dilemma as to what to say when faced with Casey's commander-in-chief.
"We haven't been happy with the way the war has been handled," Cindy said. "The president has changed his reasons for being over there every time a reason is proven false or an objective reached."
The 10 minutes of face time with the president could have given the family a chance to vent their frustrations or ask Bush some of the difficult questions they have been asking themselves, such as whether Casey's sacrifice would make the world a safer place.
But in the end, the family decided against such talk, deferring to how they believed Casey would have wanted them to act. In addition, Pat noted that Bush wasn't stumping for votes or trying to gain a political edge for the upcoming election.
"We have a lot of respect for the office of the president, and I have a new respect for him because he was sincere and he didn't have to take the time to meet with us," Pat said.
Sincerity was something Cindy had hoped to find in the meeting. Shortly after Casey died, Bush sent the family a form letter expressing his condolences, and Cindy said she felt it was an impersonal gesture.
"I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis," Cindy said after their meeting. "I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith."
The meeting didn't last long, but in their time with Bush, Cindy spoke about Casey and asked the president to make her son's sacrifice count for something. They also spoke of their faith.
While meeting with Bush, as well as Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, was an honor, it was almost a tangent benefit of the trip. The Sheehans said they enjoyed meeting the other families of fallen soldiers, sharing stories, contact information, grief and support.
For some, grief was still visceral and raw, while for others it had melted into the background of their lives, the pain as common as breathing. Cindy said she saw her reflection in the troubled eyes of each.
"It's hard to lose a son," she said. "But we (all) lost a son in the Iraqi war."
The trip had one benefit that none of the Sheehans expected.
For a moment, life returned to the way it was before Casey died. They laughed, joked and bickered playfully as they briefly toured Seattle.
For the first time in 11 weeks, they felt whole again.
"That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together," Cindy said.
http://www.thereporter.com/republished
Best to You and Yours...
tis
Niters Irish...Hops...
I shall be spending the week in/near Mrytle Beach...much needed vacation...
See you both soon...
tis
Morning Niteowl...
I had posted this at an earlier date...
Bear in mind...there may be flaws in the writers words/thinking...
saying/posting such does not intend to discredit her/his/your thoughts...just simply something to consider...
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=7038822
tis
Thanks Hops... :)
tis
Sounds kewl...
Take your time :)
tis
Hey Hops...
Tis or Pole dancers... :)
tis
And a couple...
of "pole dancers" too lol
tis
Hey Bro...
Any Molly Hatchet in your play book :)
tis
Interesting read...
If posted prior...my apologies...
Columbus, Ohio, native, Sunni Muslim fights in Global War on Terrorism
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200572741650
Story by Cpl. Ken Melton
HADITHA DAM, Iraq (July 27, 2005) -- As the Marines with 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment continue their fight in the Global War on Terrorism, most of them think of it as business and not personal.
However, for some Marines who are of the Islamic faith, the war in Iraq hits a personal note. Cpl. Mohammed N. Rahman, who is a Sunni Muslim, fights not only to free the people of Iraq from the insurgents grip and to protect his country (America), but also to redeem his beloved religion.
“This is a personal offense, not only to me but others who share my faith,” said the 23-year-old infantryman with 2nd Platoon, Company L. “The insurgents have scarred the image of my religion.”
Rahman was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh where he learned to speak Bangla, Hindi, Urdu, and Arabic during his childhood, before moving the United States with his family at age 12.
Upon arriving in America, he strove to learn the English language while adjusting to the busy and culturally different society.
He joined the Marine Corps in 2001 because of its discipline and its tradition that closely mirrored the practices of his beliefs.
Rahman was shocked to learn later in the year that the terrorists of the Sept. 11 attack announced that they were Sunni Muslims and that their faith had led them to attack.
“I was outraged by this ludicrous image that the insurgents portrayed about my faith,” the Columbus, Ohio native said. “No one really feels the same way they feel.”
Now Rahman is working to redeem his faith and putting his linguistic skills to good use while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
On missions, Rahman, in addition to being a rifleman, acts a linguist for his squad. As a linguist he informs the local community he comes in contact with about the Marines mission here and helps them understand that the service members are here to help them.
“Most of these people don’t know or understand things outside their society,” the 2000 Worthington-Kilbourne graduate said. “Most people don’t understand that the reason we are here is to help them have a better life and to remove these dangerous insurgents.”
Many of the people he talks to do not follow the insurgents’ belief in a jihad (holy war) on America and they do not believe in any religious wars between the Sunni and Shia.
Sometimes people even give him useful information that they think could help them, because of their shared religion.
Even though he is a Sunni Muslim, he is not allowed in the local mosques, which are of the same faith as he is for political reasons. Instead, he finds time to worship in his own way.
“As we go on missions during prayer times I go through the prayer process in my head,” Rahman said. “I try to find time to pray when I’m back at the dam.”
Rahman understands the importance of the missions he goes on and he knows that his small part in a bigger war is not overlooked and he hopes it will be over soon.
“I trust in our leaders’ decisions,” Rahman said with a smile. “I will continue to do my job the best I can, through my actions, my faith will be redeemed, and my country will be safe.”
tis
Morning BB...
ssty...last sale is showing some nice action...
tis
Evening Niteowl...
I am curious to know if you have ran across any article's concerning Omar Bakri Mohammed...
Hope all is well...
tis
Evening Mlsoft...
I appreciate your response to the question I asked of you...
I am still reading/questioning what is written within the text...as well what has been written pertaining to those considered Essene...
Peace...
tis
Evening CnP...
I do not know if such has been discussed/mentioned here...I will post the link since the article is long...
http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/spies/ames/1.html?sect=23
The reason I post such...is that it has been said/proposed that the reason Plames had a desk job in the CIA was due to the fear that AA had mentioned/given her name to Russia...since I was not there...I cannot state such as true...
Please bear in mind...I am not attempting to make Rove/others appear to have done nothing wrong...it is more less my way of questioning everyone involved...
If nothing else...an interesting read on AA...
If posted prior...my apologies...
Best to you and yours...
tis
Evening Mlsoft...
Are you familiar with/researched the Gnostic texts...
Best to you and yours...
tis