"It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him."
-- George W. Bush 9-13-2001
"I don't know where he (bin Laden) is. I have no idea and I really don't care.
It's not that important. It's not our priority."
-- George W. Bush 3-13-2002
As the Native Americans reminded us; "No tree has branches so foolish as to fight among themselves."
To allow the terrorists to define our lives for us, to "hop" to their commands and live in fear of their threats, is to give them too much power. In fact, by focusing on fighting our enemies, is to empower them and bring them to life. Bush, who calls himself a Christian, should know this, especially if he's the leader of the free world. Anyone with any sense knows this.
Why don't modern-day pharisees get it? Why can't they see themselves? Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Tom Delay, Tim LaHaye, Bush, Cheney, Coulter are bogged down in primitive eye-for-an-eye Old Testament thought. This will get us nowhere but to chaos and hatred. Whatever you fight becomes larger. What you focus on GROWS.
FIRST THIS TRAGIC NEWS: 16,000 HOMELESS CHILDREN in L.A. including 5,000 infants, toddlers and preschoolers. There are over 88,000 homeless people here, altogether, on any given night. "Take care of the orphans and widows," Christ said. Today at church I could not stop crying hearing our pastor, Mark Brewer, along with Bobby Shriver (Mayor of Santa Monica and Maria's brother) speak about the tragic situation. God Bless these poor little souls. They suffer from malnutrition, depression, suicide and despair. "What does it say when a society as rich as ours allows our most vulnerable people — our children — to live on the streets?" Pastor Brewer founded IMAGINE LA.ORG to make sure every single child has a permanent bed to sleep in. I am getting my children involved in helping homeless children, instead of yearning for "the new Nintendo or a mansion with a tennis court." The values of our culture are pathetically upside down.
Ancient Indians believed Sedona was a sacred land. It must be, for there is no other explanation for the bliss I feel whenever I think of Sedona's majestic beauty. What is it about this place? Our family spent an entire day at a vortex, where there are no cell phone waves in the air, and we enjoyed nature all day together without having to speak. I also loved Flagstaff; it's like driving through the past, a simpler time, through endless pine trees and crisp clean air. Dennis Taylor sent me some amazing photos of the Grand Canyon too, which I'll post later. What Bush and his administration is capable of is bone-chilling. Torture? Are they kidding? If we are to win hearts and minds, we have to abide by the principle of "attraction, not promotion." How can we sell our brand of democracy if we are no better than the barbarians who torture? And how can we expect our own soldiers to be treated humanely, if we ourselves violate this most basic moral code?!! These terrorists are no different than any other enemy in history. Why is it okay for the U.S. to break the Geneva convention codes just because these are Muslim terrorists?
Now THIS is UNBELIEVABLE!! Bush was asked point blank why don't we go into Pakistan to get Osama Bin Laden, since Pakistan has admitted giving Bin Laden and his Taliban friends a safe haven, and Bush shockingly said, "We can't send troops into Pakistan — its' a sovereign nation." WHAT?!! Osama Bin Laden, "the baddest terrorist" in the world, is responsible for the Sept. 11 massacre on America — and Bush takes a "hands off" approach? Is he insane or just a blatant liar? WHY DID HE INVADE IRAQ, A SOVEREIGN NATION? Bin Laden was never in Iraq. It makes no sense. Sometimes I think Bush is actually working against America. Maybe he's a double agent and he's really a Muslim extremist in disguise! He seems to do everything to destroy us, and ruin our good name in the world. And he has no moral compass; he does not abide by principle. If we torture we are no better than the heathen and barbarians. And breaking the Geneva convention will only put our own soldiers at risk... an eye-for-an eye anyone?
The reason we are the greatest country in the world is BECAUSE of our moral integrity, our freedom of religion and speech, our democratic values, and our MORAL HIGH GROUND, BASED ON JUDEO-CHRISTIAN ideals, which would never, ever, ever allow torturing a prisoner of war.
Anyone who thinks it's okay to concentrate power in one branch of government or to spy on citizens or torture prisoners in secret prisons is not pro-American and is ruled by fear.
What parent, when their child expresses a fear of ghosts, says: "Yes you should be very afraid of ghosts?" A good, strong parent dismisses fear as "there is nothing to fear but fear itself." This government has exploited American's fears in order to gain power and control. WE NOW HAVE PROOF OF THIS. The mere fact that Bush will not make a deal to get Bin Laden, and will not protect our borders, is enough evidence that he is not really interested in anything but fear-mongering for political gain.
George Bush is the opposite of a Christian, or what a real Christian is supposed to be. This is the most shameful administration in the history of our great country.
Here are excerpts from the letter sent to the Senate Armed Services Committee by 29 retired military leaders, pleading with the Senate to NOT LET BUSH GET AWAY WITH HIS INHUMANE DESIRE TO TORTURE HUMAN BEINGS. I cannot believe we are even discussing this; I can't believe we have a president who is so amoral (and claims he's a Christian) and a Congress who even debates this issue!
Dear Chairman Warner and Senator Levin:
"As retired military leaders of the U.S. Armed Forces and former officials of the Department of Defense, we write to express our profound concern about a key provision ... that violates the core principles of the Geneva Conventions and poses a grave threat to American service-members, now and in future wars...."
** We supported your efforts last year to clarify that all detainees in U.S. custody must be treated humanely. That was particularly important, because the Administration determined that it was not bound by the basic humane treatment standards contained in Geneva Common Article 3."
Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions provides the minimum standards for humane treatment and fair justice that apply to anyone captured in armed conflict.... The United States military has abided by the basic requirements of Common Article 3 in every conflict since the Conventions were adopted. In each case, we applied the Geneva Conventions -- including, at a minimum, Common Article 3 -- even to enemies that systematically violated the Conventions themselves.
We have abided by this standard in our own conduct for a simple reason: the same standard serves to protect American servicemen and women when they engage in conflicts covered by Common Article 3. Preserving the integrity of this standard has become increasingly important in recent years when our adversaries often are not nation-states. Congress acted in 1997 to further this goal by criminalizing violations of Common Article 3 in the War Crimes Act, enabling us to hold accountable those who abuse our captured personnel, no matter the nature of the armed conflict.
If any agency of the U.S. government is excused from compliance with these standards, or if we seek to redefine what Common Article 3 requires, we should not imagine that our enemies will take notice of the technical distinctions when they hold U.S. prisoners captive. If degradation, humiliation, physical and mental brutalization of prisoners is decriminalized or considered permissible under a restrictive interpretation of Common Article 3, we will forfeit all credible objections should such barbaric practices be inflicted upon American prisoners.
This is not just a theoretical concern. We have people deployed right now in theaters where Common Article 3 is the only source of legal protection should they be captured. If we allow that standard to be eroded, we put their safety at greater risk.
Our servicemen and women have operated for too long with unclear and unlawful guidance on detainee treatment, and some have been left to take the blame when things went wrong. The guidance is now clear.
Moreover, were we to take this step, we would be viewed by the rest of the world as having
formally renounced the clear strictures of the Geneva Conventions. Our enemies would be
encouraged to interpret the Conventions in their own way as well, placing our troops in jeopardy in
future conflicts. And American moral authority in the war would be further damaged....
As the United States has greater exposure militarily than any other nation, we have long emphasized the reciprocal nature of the Geneva Conventions. That is why we believe – and the United States has always asserted -- that a broad interpretation of Common Article 3 is vital to the safety of U.S. personnel. But the Administration’s bill would put us on the opposite side of that argument. We urge you to consider the impact that redefining Common Article 3 would have on Americans who put their lives at risk in defense of our Nation. We believe their interests, and their safety and protection should they become prisoners, should be your highest priority as you address this issue. With respect,
General John Shalikashvili, USA (Ret.)
General Joseph Hoar, USMC (Ret.)
General Merrill A. McPeak (Ret. USAF)
Admiral Stansfield Turner, USN (Ret.)
Lieutenant General Robert G. Gard, Jr., USA (Ret.)
Vice Admiral Lee F. Gunn, USN (Ret.)
Lieutenant General Claudia J. Kennedy, USA (Ret.)
Lieutenant General Donald L. Kerrick, USA (Ret.)
Vice Admiral Albert H. Konetzni Jr., USN (Ret.)
Lieutenant General Charles Otstott, USA (Ret.)
Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan, USN (Ret.)
Major General John Batiste, USA (Ret.)
Major General Eugene Fox, USA (Ret.)
Major General John L. Fugh, USA (Ret.)
Rear Admiral Don Guter, USN (Ret.)
Major General Fred E. Haynes, USMC (Ret.)
Rear Admiral John D. Hutson, USN (Ret.)
Major General Melvyn Montano, ANG (Ret.)
Major General Gerald T. Sajer, USA (Ret.)
Major General Michael J. Scotti Jr., USA (Ret.)
Brigadier General David M. Brahms, USMC (Ret.)
Brigadier General James P. Cullen, USA (Ret.)
Brigadier General Evelyn P. Foote, USA (Ret.)
Brigadier General David R. Irvine, USA (Ret.)
Brigadier General John H. Johns, USA (Ret.)
Brigadier General Richard O’Meara, USA (Ret.)
Brigadier General Murray G. Sagsveen, USA (Ret.)
Brigadier General Anthony Verrengia, USAF (Ret.)
Brigadier General Stephen N. Xenakis, USA (Ret.)
Ambassador Pete Peterson, USAF (Ret.)
Colonel Lawrence B. Wilkerson, USA (Ret.)
Honorable William H. Taft IV
You can read the entire letter here: MILITARY and the article at: US NEWS WIRE
The TRUTH can never be destroyed, because it is real. A lie has to ride "piggyback" on the truth. It can’t exist without the truth.
This administration’s sick attempts at propaganda is despicable. This is the most telling thing, the worst thing. How can they hoist blatant propaganda on an unsuspecting people? How can they declare America is a democracy, if the very government put in place to protect us from totalitarianism, is using propaganda to win elections!
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Met John Dean recently at a C-SPAN Progressive Dems event, and he told me that these Bush-Cheney-Rove-Coulter neoconservatives will stop at nothing to gain power. They are beyond corrupt; they are amoral, malicious and sociopathic. In his new book “Conservatives without Conscience” he describes another book published by St. Martin’s Press which completely fabricated and rewrote the entire Watergate history, including making up lies out of whole cloth and accusing his wife Mo of knowing about a DNC call-girl ring, responsible for the Watergate break-ins. Total lies, yet a major publisher put a great deal of money into it — and Time and 60 Minutes believed it too! All because Gordon Liddy had a vendetta, among other things.
I have recently been slandered, smeared and threatened repeatedly by several right-wing hackers as well. These people must be stopped at every level. Truly sick people. They and the hackers who have tried to destroy my family’s life, need our prayers.
For SPIRITUAL SOLUTIONS to the world crises, along with some amazing prayer miracles in the next few weeks, please check out RADICAL PRAYER at my other blog THE PEACEMAKERS* LIGHT OF TRUTH
You can reach my Home page at: LYDIA CORNELL
And we uncover the truth about Ann Coulter like no one has ever done before at: COULTER KAMPF where you can also find breaking news about hate-speak, extremism, propaganda and smear tactics.
"We all have built into us the capacities for kindness and creativity and beauty. It's a matter of perspective. As Einstein said, "The single most important decision any of us will ever make is whether or not to believe that the universe is friendly." It's our choice.
