FastNed

Craig, come on, my friend - "shut up" doesn't work except to lessen the frustration of attempting to insert information into a closed mind. And it makes trolls very happy to elicit such a response. His name selection speaks of his politics and his world-view so why surprise at his inability for rational discourse?

What Canada 'lacks' in education is the N.E.A., the National Educational Association. Give thanks that this one American institution has not infected Canadian education - although the 'multicultural' disease is also spreading among Canadian educators. While American Third Graders should be learning the 3 R's, they are instead reading about how Heather has two moms! Education has been politicized and has a fatal multicultural disease. Plus, we have badly mishandled "Special Education". If 7,000 is spent on average, ten times that is expended to allow Special Ed kids to attend the same classes as other children. It is not working. That is my complaint - it does not work! American Education in its present form fails badly the needs of the "Outliers" - The Top and Bottom one or two percent. All the attention has been directed at the bottom and much needs to be done there but lowering the level has not worked. The question I can not get answered is if we must have "Gay" High Schools because of their special needs (I'm not being judgmental) why don't we have "Special Needs" Schools for those with special needs? Educators are insisting that one group of special needs require seperate (but equal, one presumes) educational opportunities while the other must be integrated, no matter the cost or overall ineffectual results to date? But Canadians should not get too complacient, I suspect that if Canadian Schools were compared to the top 8 or 10 percent of American Schools (and the population numbers are about identical) the results would be different. And SirRiff, of course American Firms solicit the best and brightest from Canada, it's what we do and a large part of the reason we lead the world in accomplishment.

First, Arafat is not the leader of a nation. The Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Territories were created under the Oslo Accord. The quid pro quo was that there would be elections and that terrorism would be renounced. On this basis, Israel allowed the creation of this pseudo Palestine. Arafat allowed one election, can anyone advise when the next one (rather overdue) is scheduled? And could anyone who has bothered to read transcripts of Arafat's speeches in Arabic tell me with a straight face that he has renounced terrorism? For fifty years, the Palestinians have been the brainwashed pawns and victims of Arab Leaders and Arafat and his ilk - Arafat has become a billionaire playing his games and he will never give them up while he lives. Denounce Oslo, clear out the Palestinian Territories, expel or kill Arafat and his Tunesian thugs and give the Palestinian people a clear choice - live in peace if you wish to live! There comes a point where additional debate is pointless, we are past that point. It ended on 9.11 - like it or lump it.

KK, after Clinton took office, it was an episode of "The Flower Kids meet the Military" - the anti-military feeling among his closest aides was no secret and straight talking military men were retired, in significant numbers. What quickly evolved was a relationship between the "Politicals" (mainly Army pukes) at the Pentagon and the Klinton Kiddie Kamp. National Security was "Verboden", the new buzz word was "Nation Building". The Warriors do not battle Command Authority, not in the American military and their choice was to keep a low profile while attempting to maintain some sort of Defense Department or get rifed. This is when Shinseki, Clark (The Perfumed Prince) and their ilk came to the forefront. The timebomb is that every year several hundred Majors, fifty or so Col's and a dozen or so lower level Generals were selected by the "Politicals" as fellow travelers and promoted - Shinseki protected them. Now that a Fighter is back in charge we can hope they will be quietly rifed or dead-ended or a core infection will remain. Clinton choose to make the military command political - like calls to like. He selected his advisors, blocked promotion or retired those he didn't like and did substantial damage to our military. He decided who to put in charge and whom to listen to, his call, his responsibility.

Luigi, you would not be quite so assured were you to do some research on Canadian Immigration practices. Taliban, Arab terrorist, etal are all welcome under the present Canadian Governments "Multicultural" policies. Damn near every terrorist group in the world has found refuge in Canada due to an idiotic "catch & release" policy. If they get their feet on the ground within Canada, they claim refuge and the Canadian response is to register them, release them with the address of the Welfare Office and they are home free. I kid you not!

Hey, KK, looks like we got a live sucker - can I get a piece of the action with you? I bet he also believes in "Double up and catch up!" Barnum was right - there is one born every minute.

The one that really fries me the most is Slick Willie venting tears of frustration that it's too bad that 9.11 didn't happen on his watch so 'he' could have shown how 'he' would have responded! It is still all about 'him'! During his Watch, there were three terrorists actions against America, any one of which presented him with an opportunity to show his response - and he did! He responded to Somalia, the first WTC and the Embassy bombings in typical Clinton fashion - he fired a few million dollar missles (which missed their point) and talked, and talked and talked and talked. He felt their pain, not the pain of dead Americans or the pain of the Nation which had elected him and presumed national survival would be his primary concern. No, he blew it (pun intended)! Where Clinton bears the responsibility is in the low opinion held for America by the Terrorists and their Arab cohorts. He responded as an Euro-wenie, all talk and no action and no one other than he is responsible for that. He engaged in a course of conduct which said, in no uncertain terms, that there was NO price to be paid for attacks upon America.

Oh yes, the Toothless Tiger, the UN, with just a 'few more' months would have achieved what it did not in twelve years - ended Saddam's frantic attempts to gain WMD with which to threaten America. You predicate your opinion on 'no war would have occured' on a dubious foundation, that the status quo would have continued and Saddam and various terrorists groups he assisted would have made no attempts against America. That is doubtful. But it doesn't matter. Clear warning was given to the World, to Saddam and his ilk after 9.11 - get out of the terrorism business or pay the price. He didn't bother to listen, pity that! America has given adequate notice of its post 9.11 intentions. Leave no live enemy behind!

Hello, Luigi, welcome to the Forum. First, let's get some facts straight about American Constitutional Law so the conversation has some relation to reality. Upon the Founding of America, a revolutionary concept was introduced: That all "rights" reside in the people and that no government has any powers except those ceeded and/or assigned by the people to the government. To make it quite clear, to insure that certain rights were never claimed by the government, the first TEN Amendments were written as specific limitations on the power of the FEDERAL government. These ten are commonly called the Bill of Rights and you must keep in mind they are limits on the power of the Federal Government. For those who are interested, here is the LINK. Note: Article I also forbids laws prohibiting the Free Exercise of any religion so this is not a slam dunk for those who wish all religious speech prohibited. Note that there is a legitimate question of the power of a Federal Court to prohibit the exhibit of the Ten Commandments in a STATE Court. Roys Rock may make it to the US Supreme Court and this Constitutional question is expected to be the primary issue in contention. Until a decision is issued, the Law remains uncertain.

Refined down to the bare essence, Nova, if you can conceive of any connection of any evil to America, it's America's fault. To connect the colonial policies and actions of Belgium to America is demented, to put it mildly!

Obviously, Nova, good manners were neglected at yours.

Hello, Bushmustgo - welcome to the Forum - from the tone of your postings, however, that may be the last nice thing I have to say to you. Please describe and identify the "WMD" you state were 'given' to Saddam & Osama in the 80's? Obviously, Nova, you were taught to have 'shame' for the version of American History you learned. What you call "World Opinion" is simply the views of self-selected Elitists and we could care less for their opinions.

Lost, as I said in my reply to Greg, it's been quite some time since I read about this and I do not have the cite but much of this Passport business is to force Governments to update their Data Banks quicker - worst offender a while back was the Dutch, as I remember it. They were several years behind in posting listings of lost or stolden Passports. Most of this is transparent to the individual who isn't aware that the Passport "Bar Code" is swiped as it is being examined. If you have "Wants and Warrants", a criminal record or a number of other "issues" both Customs Canada and US Customs get a quick response from their integrated data base and you go "Tilt"! This is not Total Informational Awareness or anything near that. There are some measures taken when your passport is issued, call them checks and balances, of which you will never be aware and I will not spread that type of information on a public forum but much of what is being proposed is simply to get Government Data Sytems up to speed. They are a dozen years behind and the best these measures will do is to bring them to within a generation of our latest computers. A single thumbprint can be laser inscribed into a passport upon issuance which is a great deal more secure than a paste on photo. Much of what is proposed are actions of this nature - steps which add to the complexity of falsifying a document and/or which make it easier to spot an alteration.

Hello Sov - kela, welcome to the Forum. First, lets put a fact upon the table - 66% of the Palestinian people support terrorist acts against Israel. Look it up, you'll learn something in the process. For ten years, the Palestinians have had all the benefits of the Osla Accords yet have failled and refused to end terrorism against Israel. They believe they are winning the PR War in the West; their Leaders such as Arafat speak to them in Arabic and promise to drive every Jew from "Palestine". It is time to end OSLO! And Yes, Nova - I've been there and done that, I have spoken and debated with a number of Palestinians and while I agree with their statement that everyone deserves a home, I was unable to obtain any significant response to my statement that if you attempt to establish one with violence, you had best be the most violent kid on the block. It is then that the Palestinial delusion is expressed: Their Arab brothers will come to their aid; their friends in Europe and the UN will not let this happen; and, most pathetically, "World Opinion" will stop the Jews! Remembering that these are the self-same Jews who have been persecuted for thousands of years based upon "World Opinion" - yup, these Israeli's are going to be real impressed by World Opinion! We are suposed to be concerned about Palestinian anger over Arafat being "Offed"? Forget it - the Palestinians are pawns and will continue to be such. So long as they embrace violence, they will harvest what they sow.

Black Dog, there is an interesting article in the latest issue of Foreign Policy perhaps it could add to your knowledge of reality. There are dozens of other quotes and cites which could be listed but the one simple fact is this: You project a leftist litany of so-called causes as your opinion of the justification for the attacks upon us. Plain and simple - you are projecting your views onto other who do not hold them. But it doesn't matter. Islam may have been involved in a struggle over modernisation since the 19 Century and could well have been so occupied until the 25th Century. Their business, I agree - excepting one small fact - these fanatics made the fatal error of involving America in their controversy, made the fatal error of coming into our home and killing our women and children. Islam no longer has the luxury of several centuries to bicker over their religious doctrine. They have elected to involve and kill Americans as part of their religious dispute. We have reserved judgment on the ultimate fate of Islam and have concentrated upon the fanatics, the only question being if it is only a fringe element which has perverted the teachings of Islam. Should we be forced by events to conclude the religion has been perverted beyond redemption, those few who survive will have their Seventh Century life - amidst the ruins and slag that once was their homes. Yes, in response to the choice presented to us we are forced to think the unthinkable! Did they (or you) believe we would lift our throats for halal? You grow weary of my message but the stakes are so high, so gigantic it must be repeated again and again until it is understood what is at stake. If they continue to cast this as a question of the survival of Islam or America, we will take them at their word, we could do no less.

Hello Achilles - welcome to the Forum. Mr. Farrius, you stated: Without meaning to be personal, nothing you have said establishes a legal reason for liability of the airline(s) or of the World Trade Center. Hindsight is 20/20 perfect and that is the standard being applied here.

Nova, if you think Syria is cooperating in the War on Terrorism, I have some ocean front land in Kansas I'd like to sell you! Iraq was D-Day - a battle in our war, intended to establish a beachhead in the midst of our enemies. It ain't over 'til the Fast Lady sings and she hasn't even put on her makeup yet!

Hello Malone, Hi Demosthenes - welcome to the Forum. Malone, you said: Congress spoke when it established a Federal Payment Program for the Families of the victims. While they could not, constitutionally, bar suits against the Airlines, they did make it impossible to take the Federal money and also sue the Airlines. They wanted to exclude exactly what is happening now. It will be devisive, fruitless and expensive to no point. The Airlines are not insurance companies, they do not offer "All Risk" coverage for travel. Bluntly, this could not only bankrupt every airline involved, it will break the ReInsurance Market and then, ground every airline in America. Who, even Lloyds, will write insurance on Air Travel in America after the first verdict of these lawsuits? Destruction of an essential part of the infrastructure of America is nor an appropriate response to terrorist acts - it just assists them.

Hi Whistler, welcome to the Forum. I will only point out that the Joint Chiefs are appointed by the President and Clinton is notorious for appointing politicians rather than fighters. The Army is top heavy with political Generals and Colonels that's why Rummy went to a retired Special Forces fighter, in hopes he can weed out the politicals.

Nova, SirRiff -you two keep projecting your 'angst' over events which occured prior to your birth as motivation for these terrorist attacks. And time and time again, statements from the terrorists and those associated with them have made it plain that religion (and only religion) is the basis for their actions.

Greg, many things have been put in place to attempt to supervise the unguarded areas of our common border. They range from the simplistic, such as rewards to locals for tips on 'odd' activity to the complex, such as allowing cigarette smugglers a free 'pass' for informing on people who wish to be transported with 'untaxed' goods. Plus there is technology which is a different bag of tricks. Bottom line, anyone attempting a non-traditional crossing point is at great risk. The only safe passage is to hide in plain sight among the rest of the traffic. It seems that the people of interest in this area change identities the way the rest of us change socks with a half dozen ID's and as many different drivers licenses. The Passport business is an attempt to make that more complex and slow them down. While there are many places around the World where you can buy a valid Third World Passport, each additional level of complexity reduces the number of sales outlets. I do not have the cite but there is some sort of International Passport agreement which calls for such Passports by the end of 04 or 05 - it's been a while since I read the article and I don't remember the effective dates. What America is attempting is to advance the timetable requiring such passports for those who wish to enter America. While America has never required a fingerprint in its passports, it's common in a number of other Nations. I believe the combination of a picture and a thumbprint qualify as a biometric document. That, together with a machine readable printing format and encoded info will enable real-time verification of legitimacy. As to your body being scanned, I believe that should a question exist you would be asked to place your thumb against a piece of glass to verify the fingerprint. Not too invasive. In practice, I suspect it's going to be like travel to many areas of the Caribbean - no passport is mandatory but if a question comes up, that passport is a 'get in free' card. The wisdom of it all can be argued but two thoughts for you: first, as so many Canadians love to point out, Canada isn't America. Because that is so, those who wish to enter as a guest must follow the rules of the host. Second, to the point - since Canada insists (as is its right) on admitting Taliban and other Islamics who are declared enemies of America, then Canadians must bear the burden of protective measures adopted by America in response to your immigration policies.

Not too sure of the political result but this may just enfuriate Cali residents even more. From a legal point of view, I suspect a quick reversal. Paper ballots can be printed in no time flat which resolves the problem.

Hello Black dog, you said: This Forum has never been a place to speak about our personal lives, it's just not that kind of Forum. Nevertheless, I will say this much: I do regret that I am now a member of the Over The Hill Gang and too old to contribute directly in our War against these fanatics. More years ago than I like to remember, at age 17, I enlisted. I learned things I wish no young person would ever have to learn, and somehow by the grace of God survived. I wish we had a better world where no other American youth would ever have to risk their life as I once did to preserve America. But every other generation or two, there is a challenge to America and now, as then, the youth of America - the real America, not that projected by leftist media types - responds to the call as did the generations before them. May it always be so. May we continue to pass that vision of America, that vision of a land of the free down to the waiting hands of a new generation. So long as we do, America will prevail.

No, the fact that millions of South Americans and Mexicans are on our Border attempting to sneak into America is not our fault. It is our pride! To be known throughout the World as the Land of the Free, a shining beacon to the poor and oppressed. These are among the ideas that the fanatics are attempting to end. How dare we have lives superior to their Seventh Century vision! Not to say that these numbers are not themselves a problem; or the illegal status of these people is not a problem. It's a complex matter without easy answers.

Time to revoke and rescend the sick facade of "Oslo". There was never compliance by Arafat or the Paslestinians so end it, reoccupy the territories ceeded to the Palestinians. Kill or drive out the terrorists, which most definately includes Arafat.