Whistler

Possibly because 99.9825% of the world will never possess those ‘futuristic’ sucking errrr vacuum weapons any time soon.

Try to hang in there. As unpleasing as it may seem, President Bush won’t stay long. Maybe he won’t even make any statements regarding appreciation, friendship or support.

Nova, If guaranteed not to be attacked from neighboring countries I’m confident Israel would enjoy the opportunity to try just that.

It’s an election year so of course the Democratic Party is going to pick at the fringes ignoring the total. That’s just good politics. However, who outside of New England listens to Teddy anyway. When Teddy talks, the Democratic Party suffers. He’s just too easy of a mark. Why do the good have to die young.

So the inspectors would not find them and make President Bush look like a warmonger harassing poor little Iraq. Moreover, UN nations would kindly lift scansions.

Sense we’re now talking about the entire Palestinian / Israel conflict I’m going to attempt to summarize my whole philosophy on the subject as simple minded as it might be. A little background (not that anyone here needs it): Some people forget that the Jewish National Fund established in the early 1900 was collecting money and buying land around Jerusalem in hopes of establishing their own homeland. Israel was partitioned after WWII out of Transjordan with both self-owned and annexed land in such a fractured geographic manner the boarders were indefensible. The size of which did not allow for the expansion the Jewish nation was striving for. Israel, attacked the day after its birth by Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, not only beat those armies back they captured lands that would allow the boarders to be better defended and allowed for expansion. Try as they might Israel’s neighboring countries could not match Israel’s grit, determination and most of all fire power in their quest to rid what they considered Arab land of the Israelis. The PLO is formed. Palestinians are not allowed to buy now Jordanian land. Yadda, yadda, yadda. The Arabian people as a result now have a point of focus, in Israel, to release all their anger and despair. ‘Rulers’ of these weak mostly family dictator welfare countries exploit that sentiment. Every year Arab League nations gather and pledge great sums of money in a game of one-us-man-ship to the Palestinian cause to satisfy their people and keep the focus on Palestine’s plight and away from the true cause of the peoples despair. If anyone other than the Palestinians themselves truly wanted a Palestinian homeland, they would have had one many years ago or been absorbed into other populations as second-class citizens. God /Allah knows billions upon billions of dollars has been thrown at this problem from both sides for many years. As a result, the Arab people focus away from their true problems allowing the ‘Rulers’ to maintain leadership while appearing to fight ‘the cause’. Israel now has a defensible boarder large enough to expand within and is very reluctant to relinquish any part. It is also fighting, for the most part, only the Palestinians. A smallish unorganized population, on one front in lieu of multiple countries on multiple fronts in a major conflict. Sadly, until the Arabian people are helped into the twenty-first century and able to see hope in their own future, will continue to be the way things have to be. http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Orgs/jnf.html http://www.mideastweb.org/arableague.htm

In an exclusive interview today with ABCNEWS' Bob Woodruff, Arafat responded to the Bush administration's accusation that he is not doing enough to stop attacks on Israeli civilians. Woodruff: Is it international pressure that has kept the Israelis from moving against you? Arafat: I have been elected by my people under international supervision. Even President Carter was one of the observers who was supervising the election campaign. Woodruff: But the [israeli government] did make a threat against you. Do you take it seriously? Do you fear for your life? Arafat: For your information, I am here under siege for about three years. And not only that, the damage and what we have faced from their airplanes, from their tanks. But the most important thing is not what we are facing here, although it is against international law, but what our people are facing. <snip> Woodruff: President Bush said yesterday, on Thursday, that you are a failed leader. Arafat: This is what he's saying, but he has to remember that President Clinton was dealing with me, his father was dealing with me. And he was in the beginning with me. Woodruff: Are you saying you are the only one who can make peace for the Palestinians? Arafat: No, the Palestinian leadership, which I am one of them, [is] making the peace, and I've been accepted to make the peace with the Israelis. Woodruff: Are you able to control the street? Arafat: I am doing my best. Woodruff: Does Hamas have more control than you? Arafat: You have to know we are the authority of the Palestinians — that has been recognized by all the Palestinians. Woodruff: If you want to control suicide bombers, can you stop them? Arafat: We have stopped them and we've succeeded. Woodruff: Can you stop them again? Arafat: Yes, and yesterday they had called, they are ready to return back to truce. Woodruff: Do you want to stop them now? Arafat: What? Woodruff: Do you want to stop the suicide bombers now? Arafat: Ask them and ask your American representatives how many times we have succeeded to stop the suicide bombers and arrest them. Woodruff: But do you have the power now to stop them? Arafat: You are not fair and thank you. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/World/a...afat030919.html "You have to know we are the authority of the Palestinians..." Is he reveling with this dodge that Hamas are not Palestinian? “Yes, and yesterday they had called, they are ready to return back to truce.” Yeah, Arafat is a player...not.

I am having a little trouble understanding why people don’t understand that Saddam destroyed his chem. / bio weapons without providing documentation in an attempt to have the “war mongering Bush Administration” look like fools in front of the world again. He might not have destroyed it all and we might actually find some but rest assured he did have them. Saddam was so cock sure world / UN opinion would hold the President at bay that he never made the first defensive plan to protect himself of the party.

KK, being in the transportation field, have you read about the President’s ‘Clean Skies Initiative’? “First, this administration is taking a strong stand when it comes to air pollution that comes from diesel vehicles. We made a bold step and a bold proposal. Before we made the proposal, we wisely sought advice from environmental groups, from agricultural concerns, from manufacturers, from energy companies, to develop a strategy that will reduce emissions from diesel use. Oil companies will now lower the sulfur in diesel fuel. There will be tough new limits -- emission limits on diesel truck engines. And we're putting forward sensible new rules that will control pollution from off-road vehicles, like heavy construction equipment. We put together a good plan to deal with this important issue, a plan supported by a lot of interests.” http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/20...20030916-7.html

“Politics makes strange bed fellows” Any way you perfume this, it stinks to high heaven. Saddam and the rise of the Baath party was nothing short of brutal. Anyone in their right mind would not have trusted these people with a squirt gun. It was a bone-head attempt to influence world politics and proof some form of UN must bet strengthened.

I’m afraid the Caucasian women have followed African American men with respect to rights through US history. Latinos have surpassed African Americans as the majority minority in this country. It will be very interesting watching these people rise through the ‘ranks’ ... any bets on how well these hard working people fair.

I agree, greed has overcome some US corporate execs. and we are starting to put them in jail. What country still backs its currency with anything other than the strength of their economy? (floating) You may certainly trade currency at what ever rate you wish, you must then however, find a sucker.

I could run a 3 second 40 spotted 20 yards. Spot me 20 feet and I could pitch for Boston. Pro sports is exactly the same...best players play; black, white, yellow or green. One arm or two.

The UN as now assigned is a peace keeping institution not a peace making one.

Make no mistake Saddam had biological weapons. We know that because he used them. He just dumped them with out documenting in hopes to make the Bush Administration look foolish again. It appears to have worked, just not before the invasion.

Well said Nova. (certainly not an attack just thoughts) After investigation and we are told that all non-Muslim peoples are not welcomed in Arabia and they want to raise the price of oil by 500% what happens? Do we just pay the price and give British Columbia to the Israelis? What happens when North African Countries war amongst them selves and threaten world oil supplies? Oh, and human rights? Should these ‘Rulers’ be able to treat civilians as they wish? I wonder how soon another Baath Party would seize power from those paper-thin family Rulers. These poor, oil rich seventh century countries, by no fault of their own, have become too important in world affairs to be left to their own devises in their present beliefs. I fear the U.S. is held in contempt more for what we have and what we represent than what we have actually done. Not that we are innocent but for the most part the U.S. has stood on the side of good verses evil in world affairs and human rights. Are we to apologize for being a 200 year young Republic that has come as close as any other world power to “getting it right” and bend to the will of the very countries that we put on the economical map? Edit - oops I ment 'human rights' and not 'civil rights'

Can Bush be beaten? Of course he can. Anything number of things can happen from now until the election. God forbid if we are hit again on his watch on our soil, for example. (Aren’t you glad Hillary is not running now?) It’s when you think your invincible you’re at your most vulnerable. ‘That’s why they play the game.”

And their picking apples in Washington State because no one else will do it. Small business is reaping far more than the 50K over the lifetime of that worker. I have worked with Mexicans of questionable green card status and let me tell you they flat out work.

Yep, I’m afraid there is a whole lot more at stake now. If we could only, focus on the President’s Bush. It is coming up to election time of course parties are going to tear into each other. I think the President needs to come clean and tell the American People why we are really in Iraq. “To stabilize the region, give those people hope for a better life, hoping in return they will stop aiding terrorists and fukcnig with Israel so we can maintain our way of life comfortably with all the low price oil we can drink.” What's so wrong with that?

Hey great news!!! Let’s bring our boys and girls home!!!!! This whole blame game is plain lame. We are there now and that is the only fact we can all agree on. We must see this ‘nation building’ through period. We can not afford to half azz this. Colin Powell is doing his darndest to get other countries on board. Go General go.

I suggest affirmative action in all college endeavors right up to football.

Exactly Malone. And about the Amateur athlete reference. Amateur hockey athletes instilled American pride like we have never seen before. When else are we able to reverse world power and play David? A character al Qaeda plays to its advantage.

I have not read all the responses so forgive me if this is redundant. Socialism breeds slackers. Why work harder then the person next to you and reap the same rewards? You’ll die first and he wins.

And who hasn’t broken a UN resolution? I do see validity in: 1. Trying to help end the suffering of the Iraqi people. 2. Attempting to bring that region to some type of normalcy. But don’t piss on my foot and tell me it’s raining.

I see a lot more poor intelligence in our future. I used to like being the country that walked softly, but then again I think Olympic athletes should be armatures. Times are changing; the terror has crossed the ocean. Our best natural defense is less effective now.