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By Kristin Roberts
Reuters 11 Dec 06 WASHINGTON - A watchdog group that promotes religious freedom in the U.S. military accused senior officers on Monday using their rank and influence to coerce soldiers and airmen into adopting evangelical Christianity.
Such proselytizing, according to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, has created a core of "radical" Christians within the U.S. armed forces and Pentagon who punish those who do not accept evangelical beliefs by stalling their careers. "It's egregious beyond the pale," said Mikey Weinstein, president and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. "We apparently have a radicalized, evangelical Christian Pentagon within the rest of the Pentagon." 
The group asked the Pentagon's inspector general to investigate a video in which some Army and Air Force officers discuss their faith while in uniform. According to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, the video played for reporters was a promotional tool for Christian Embassy, a group that describes itself as a ministry helping national and international leaders blend faith and work. The executive director of Christian Embassy, Bob Varney, did not respond to a request for comment. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the Defense Department does not endorse any religion or religious organization or judge the validity of religious expressions. He confirmed the Defense Department inspector general, the Pentagon's internal watchdog agency, received the letter requesting the probe, but noted it was the inspector general's policy not to say whether an investigation had been opened. "At this point it would be inappropriate to speculate as to what actions might be taken," Whitman said. RELIGIOUS RECRUITING The Military Religious Freedom Foundation said the officers on the video violated military rules by wearing their uniforms while discussing their religious beliefs, giving the appearance of official participation in a religious organization. That appearance, according to the group, is particularly damaging in the military, where rank carries great influence. "It associates the power of office with sectarian ideology," said MeLinda Morton, a Lutheran reverend and former Air Force chaplain who said her military career was hurt because she did not adopt evangelical views. The religious freedom group also raised issues with the content of the video, including a comment from Air Force Maj. Gen. Jack Catton that he would discuss his faith with people who came to his Joint Staff directorate within the Pentagon. Weinstein compared what he said was radical proselytizing within the military with the Islamist militants U.S. troops are confronting in wars overseas. "When we're facing a global war on terror against what we call Islamic extremists, it certainly doesn't help when we have apparently a viewpoint from the cognoscenti and glitterati, the leadership of the Pentagon, pushing a particular virulent worldview down the throats of people who are helpless to argue against it," Weinstein said.  |
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By E&P Staff
11 Dec 06 NEW YORK White House Press Secretary Tony Snow held his first briefing for reporters today since Gordon Smith, the formerly pro-war Republican senator from Oregon, gave a speech in Congress attacking the U.S. handling of the conflict in Iraq, using words like "criminal" and "absurd" and "immoral." Naturally reporters asked Snow about this, as well as other war-related topics.
Referring to Sen. Smith's charges, Snow said that it was the killing of U.S. soldiers, not the conduct of the war itself, that was "immoral." He also responded to Smith's claim that the Americans were getting "blown up," by urging, "do not assume that people are simply being blown up. They are on missions." The relevant part of the transcript follows.
Q Republican Senator Gordon Smith, last week, said, "Our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way, being blown up by the same bombs day after day, it's absurd. It may even be criminal," and that he can no longer support this. What is your reaction to a Republican senator saying that what's going on right now in Iraq is criminal? MR. SNOW: Well, we dispute the "criminal" part, obviously, and at the same time, understand the senator's concern. We share the concern about not doing well enough fast enough. But do not assume that people are simply being blown up. They are on missions. And as General Corelli said last week, "There's not an engagement our people have lost, but it is still important to continue the work of building greater capability and capacity on the part of the Iraqi government and helping them out." People on both sides are going to have disagreements, much as Joe Lieberman, formerly a Democrat, apparently run out of his party for disagreeing with what was seen as orthodoxy at that time, but Gordon -- Q Republican Senator Smith is challenging the strategy. What he basically said yesterday, as well, was, when you do the same thing over and over again without a clear strategy for victory, that is dereliction, that is deeply immoral. Such is the dispute. He's saying what the President is doing is immoral. MR. SNOW: Well, then we disagree. Q You're just going to blow it off? A Republican senator is saying the President's policy may be criminal and it's immoral, and you're just saying, we just disagree? MR. SNOW: And what would you like me to say? Should I do duels at 10 paces? Q Don't you think you should answer for that? You're saying -- you've said from this podium over and over that the strategy is a victory, right? And you have a Republican senator is saying there is no clear strategy, that you don't have a strategy. MR. SNOW: Well, let's let Senator Smith hear what the President has to say. We understand that this is a time where politics are emotional in the wake of an election. And you know what? Senator Smith is entitled to his opinion. But I'm not sure exactly what you would like -- Q Well, how about answering the central thrust about the strategy, not about, like, politics -- MR. SNOW: Okay, the strategy is pretty simple. If you take a look, for instance -- if you take a look at the Baker-Hamilton commission report, what do they talk about? They talk about building greater capability on the part of the Iraqis so that you can have an Iraqi government that governs itself, sustains itself, defends itself, who's ally in the war on terror is a democracy. I don't think it's immoral to be a democracy. I don't think it's immoral to have a state that is able to stand up and defend itself against acts of terror. I don't think it's immoral to defend the Iraqi people against acts of terrorism aimed at Muslims. Q The Senator is not saying that's immoral. He's saying that the U.S. -- he's saying, of course democracy is a great goal -- MR. SNOW: You know what, Ed? Ed, I'll tell you what. You're engaging in an argument and you're trying to fill in the gaps in a -- Q It's not an argument. It's a Republican senator saying it, not me. It's a Republican senator saying it, and he's not -- MR. SNOW: Then tell me exactly what -- Q -- of course he's in favor of democracy. MR. SNOW: Tell me -- Q Are you saying Republican Senator Smith is not in favor of democracy? MR. SNOW: Well, I don't know. You just said he said it's immoral; when I listed the elements of the policy, you said that's not what he was talking about. So please tell me what he was talking about. Q He's saying that day after day, that now U.S. soldiers are patrolling the same streets, that they're caught up in the middle of a civil war -- not about the government there -- MR. SNOW: Okay, here's what's immoral: the killing of American soldiers. We agree. |
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by John in DC
11 Dec 06 Tom Delay just launched a blog. Really. Apparently the initial comments he received from readers weren't very kind, so he removed them. Fortunately, someone saved them. I can't vouch for these being real, but they sure sound real. And in George Bush's America that's enough justification for going to war, so I figure we've met the blogger credibility threshhold.
A lot of the comments are a bit harsh, but a few are priceless, including this one: Everyone already assumes bloggers are unemployed losers... thanks for reinforcing that stereotype... More comments on Delay's Blog WARNING! GRAPHIC LANGUAGE!
High Tom I was just wondering what you thought of certain a Congressman who tried to get a bill passed claiming the war is "unnecessarily and unconstitutionally begun by the President of the United States" December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter doctorsmith Such unmitigated gall. Your 3 First Principles "Order, Justice, and Freedom" obviously don't include Honesty, Integrity, or Ethics. I particularly like the way the House Ethics Committee chairman, Joel Hefley, was removed after rebuking you 3 times. Yes, he was replaced by Delay groupie Doc Hastings, with a couple other groupies connected with your PAC. Sorta make sure no more untoward rebukes occur. It's good that you're no longer a Representative; the stench of the 109th Congress will take a long time to fix. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Wilbur YOUR ARE A FUCKING DISGRACE TO THE IDEAS OF GOLDWATER. CRAWL BACK INTO A HOLE YOU TURD! December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Clayton Hutchinson Zalmay Khalilzad is now resigning as ambassador to Iraq. In my opinion, a staunch supporter of the war such as yourself should volunteer to fill this important post. It would do you some good to get first hand knowledge regarding Iraq, a country in which the situation is said to be "grave" and "deteriorating." December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Larry Talbot What a magnificently, terrifically boring and irrelevant blog. Honestly, who on earth cares what you have to say? December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Miles Coverdale You left Congress disgracefully and you want people to take you seriously? You should be in prison you assclown, piss off Tom. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Tom you suck Tom DeLay is a pussy-ass faggot moneygrubber. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Jar Jar Didn't we already stick a fork in your ass and decide you're done? To paraphrase you: You WERE the Federal Government...now you're a nothing. The fact that you are trying to keep your name alive by starting a stupid blog is actually kind of pathetic and sad. Please just go away. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Meadows You wouldn't know "honesty" if came up and BIT YOU IN THE ASS. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Bill Davis How pathetic you are, Mr. Delay. You are a criminal, and you should be serving time in jail alomg with your buddies Abramhoff and Cunningham. The damage you have done to this country is reprehinsible. Do us all a favor and just disappear, you sorry excuse for a person. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter cosmo Tom, When you're locked up, will you smuggle blog posts out in your visitors' rectums? December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Rick Derris SLeaze bag! December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Joe Aesthetically speaking, this is the most visually bland yet offensive piece of crap to ever find it's way onto a server. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter dfd Tom, you corrupted the conservative cause and brought disgrace to our party. We can never forgive you for that. Please crawl back into your hole. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter American Patriot OK, fuck all you critics, I was the best leader the House of Representatives has ever had. Don't try to smear me, I am the definition of honesty and integrity, so fuck all you liberal commies. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Tom Delay Forget the blog, Tom. Just hook up with OJ and write a book. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Me Too OK, fuck all you critics, December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Tom Delay OK, fuck all you critics, December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Tom Delay Everyone already assumes bloggers are unemployed losers... thanks for reinforcing that stereotype... December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Marc Is this blog serious? And if so, then did you mean it when you said that "unfortunately, many D.C. insiders are simply incapable of looking outside the capital beltway for fresh opinions and new approaches that might otherwise help our nation?" WTF were you doing during those years of gerrymandering and hammering away votes for Bush's rubberstamp 109th Congress? Were you looking outside the beltway for fresh opinions and new approaches then? No wonder your miserable party lost last month. And the longer you act detached from reality, the longer you and your party will suffer a horrible isolation by the American people. And besides, you're a potential criminal. I suggest you focus on that rather than this stupid blogl. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Dookiestix When I go to prison I will have the best bitch in the cellblock so eat your hearts out. His name is Jack Abramhoff and he gives good head. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Tom Delay WoW! America's poster-child for white entitlement, greed, authoritarianism and the exploitation religion for corporate interests finally has a blog! The intertubz are finally complete... Go back to your hole Tom. Your "conservative revolution" is dead. No one cares what a ignorant exterminator has to say anymore, now that we are all pretty sure you're a criminal. Though in all honesty, keep posting. This should be entertaining... in a "rubbernecking a car accident" sort of way. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter raoul duke I am crook and a liar. I only care about my own enrichment. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Tom Delay Oh, fuck all you critics. I was the best Republican leader of the House Majority ever! Now if you'll excuse me, I have appointment to get reamed up the butt by Rev. Ted Haggard, another good conservative Christian. Hey, I gotta practice for when I finally end up in the big house. Toodles! December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Tom DeLay Fuck you all, i am the greatest assfucker ever. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Tom Delay You are a fucking moron December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter john w Tom, Amazon has a new book you should bone up on (forgive the pun) "How to have great sex in the American prison system" I mean while you're there, try to make good memories. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Jim Montague Although I am against Tom having any free and legimate contact with the "normal" folk of the great United States, the responses to this blog just made my Sunday. Hee hee. Thanks Tom!! But seriously, someone should do us a favor and escort Tom to Iraq, outside of the green zone so he can practice order, justice and freedom...for uh let's say 90 seconds. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter SAK Oh, by the way I mostly put the blame on your corrupted,twisted,criminal,phycotic,evil existance on your PARENTS who bought your no-good ass into this world. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Bill Davis Did I mention that you are a fucking moron? December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter john w hahahahaha what a joke. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Muhammed Ali Go drink some ddt you assholes, i am going to church so I can get a blow job from some alter boys. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Tom Delay Just thought I'd mention you are a fucking moron December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter john w You corrupt hypocrite, crawl back to the hole you came out of. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter An American I think I said this but just in case - you are a fucking moron December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter john w I can see you have an adoring public. Don't lose your body guards. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter xoites Take this from a soldier and a veteran: Where is your integrity. You were getting paid while we're dying in Iraq. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter GI Joe Mr DeLay, I'm quite distressed that you are using the f-word in response to these people saying such terrible things about you. Please clean up your language! I'll pray for you, sir. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Suzie Sue may your days in prison be filled with water-boarding, anal sodomy, and eye-liner... to be duke cuuningham's bitch is too good for you, you wretched little man... December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter e coli Nobody wants to hear from you, Tom Delay. Disappear. Suck on some dog eggs while you wait to go to prison. Maybe your pretty little bride will find someone with a little integrity while you're away, but I doubt it. You don't screw America and then expect us to take you seriously. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Terry Olson I like to smother myself in tapioca pudding and play the bongos in front of the fireplace. Looking for S/W/M who shares same interests. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Tom Delay This is a joke, right? December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter BatMan rot in hell bich! December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter mike Oh my, Mr. Delay, I make a killer tapioca, and my brother left his bongos last time he was here. Would you be interested....? I love your hair. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Suzie Sue Oh Tom, just shut this blog down, it is hurting our regressive reputation. If you could've just shown a little more integrity and fucked a couple of page boys you wouldn't be in any trouble but you had to take some money from Jack. I will miss you Tom, we need more crooks like you in Congress, those librul Dems are just gonna get in the way of fucking this country in the ass. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter George W. Bush Thanks,Tom.You had the opportunity to be a good public servant, and you used it to gerrymander and slander and line your own pockets. Great example for the kids. What a prick. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered CommenterBarney Is suzie sue your stage name?? December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Bubba The polling here seems unscientific but i think the overall sentiment is quite accurate. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter xoites My "friends" in the pen called me Sally the Stank. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Bubba Goodness, Bubba, that's my actual name given to me by my daddy. I'm his special girl! December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Suzie Sue When you sign on to start helping Americans and Iraqis outside that green zone, maybe I'll start taking you seriously. Until then you're just another power hungry politico-criminal who has taken my belief system and values and exploited them to achieve your ends. You're about as Christian as a horse's ass, with scarcely a trace of integrity. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Puh-leez Oh so your really a girl....uh nevermind. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Bubba 911 was an inside job. The USA attacked the USA on Sept 11th, 2001 in order to have an excuse to attack other countries. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Atheist Thankfully, Stanley won't replace this hammer free of charge if it ever breaks, rusts, or otherwise can't perform it's duties. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Rick Santorum Tom, you are a disgusting piece of shit. Tom, you are a disgusting piece of shit. Tom, you are a disgusting piece of shit. Tom, you are a disgusting piece of shit. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Wade F. Godot Ever had an inside job Mr. Athiest? You'll never forget your first one! MMmmmm good! December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Bubba Fuck all you libruls, get off Toms back, he is one great American hero and he will get a medal for his great service to our corporations, so just fuck of you libruls. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter George W. Bush Fuck you Tom December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter George W. Bush Oh Bubba, bless your heart. I'm sure Mr. DeLay knows someone in a ministry who could help you with your problem... December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Suzie Sue Building Seven of the WTC fell 47 stories in 6.5 seconds. It was NOT hit by any airplane. It fell at the speed of a billiard ball. EVERY SINGLE SUPPORT COLUMN FAILED AT EXACTLY THE SAME INSTANT! December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Atheist Fuck you Tom December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter George W. Bush Thanks for K Street loser. Have fun in prison and do not drop the soap. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter getalife Fuck you Tom December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter George W. Bush 911 was used as an excuse to kill a half million Iraqis. Have you noticed? We killed a half a million people based on a lie. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Atheist Go back to killing bugs, Tom. You did everything you could while in the House to steal money from the American people and channel it to your friends. You deserve jail time, not public discourse. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Person of Integrity Fuck you W, get off my blog December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Tom Delay hi, tom!!!! so glad you joined the blogosphere! now you can link to my articles and to michelle's too :) speaking of michelle, she just received a new batch of iraqi baby blood from general pace...if you would like to come up to nyc, drop in and you can suck on some of it too! and, to you liberals on here....HAVE I TOLD YOU LATELY HOW MUCH I HATE YOU!!!! December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter ann coulter If your vision was complete the world had been turned into a pile cockroach infested cinders. Remember how much a part you could have played in destroying the world and the American democratic experiment. Thankfully though, you and your Maoist republican friends have been driven back to the Texan prostitutes den...spread your virus amongst yourselves. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Sasquatch President Bush! I am shocked! Surely you and Mr. DeLay support one another! Please reconsider your language. I'll pray for you, too! You are a fine gentleman, and I have encouraged all six of my sons to be just like you. And I have forced all four of my daughters to be just like Jenna and Barbara. Their daddy loves them so... December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Suzie Sue My hairpiece was carefully hand crafted by slave labor using only the best of Ted Haggard's pubic hair. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Tom Delay The USA killed 3000 of its own citizens as an excuse to kill a half a million Iraqis. 911 was a lie. Dov Zakheim and Dick Cheney are responsible for all these murders. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Atheist I hope this works! Wanted: Former discraced yet handsome minister into male backrubs and meth use. Me: A stylish 6'4" male ex-con with several large appendages and a hairy back yet a smooth head looking for a friendship first then LTR. Let's Get It On! December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Bubba I am glad to see the Hammer has found some work. Tom, you best make some good money from your effort blogging as you will soon have to spend some time with your new cell mate. You are a worthless peice of shit that has been puffed up with lobbyuist meals and taxpayer funds. It is because of you that your republican buddies are all leaving DC. Thanks for your help on that you ethically challenged pile of shit. Better yet, FUCK YOU, you nazis bastard. Maybe the buddies you made in the Marianas Islands can help you out You have no business criticizing Jimmy Carter you whacked out nut. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Chris in NM ummm....have you decided on who is gonna be your pimp in jail?..now there is something you can blog about. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter fuckyoutom WOW! The only thing better than all of these posts, is imagining that fucktard sitting and reading these tonight and then trying to "filter" us all out. What a sad sad man. HE HE! :) December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter TiMM4HH! Fuck this, i am the best Congress have ever seen. Soon I will be the best excogressman to take it in the ass, I will be the best bitch, promise, don't you believe me, I would never lie. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Tom Delay hi, tom!!! mmmmm, i have the biggest, blackest, leather strap-on just for you, you bad bad boy... i am going to ream you out until you squeal like a little ann coulter-pig... -this will get you ready for rufus in the big house- December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter michelle malkin I'm beginning to think this blog was a big mistake. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered CommenterTom Delay Haha this comments section is the funniest thing I have seen all day. Looks like things have started off with a bang, Tom! December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Commie Liberal 911 was a bald faced lie used to justify the MURDER of 500,000 people AND COUNTING. www.whatreallyhappened.com December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Atheist I can't help but think of DeLay standing over this web server screaming, "How do you turn this fucking thing off!" Let's hear it for the First Amendment, eh Tommy-boy? December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter devilbush Great blog Tom, you really have some big fans and I hope to start a blog and get the same praise as you are receiving today. Gotta go shoot a pal in the face so have a great day Tom, great blog. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Dick Cheney Eat me, Tom. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Skank How many times did you put your daughter Danielle in a hot tub and feed her to the lobbyists? Is that why they paid her the 500K? December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Mike Here's an idea. Go away! You are a divisive, elitist lack of a human being who cares nothing for the little guy. You claim to be a Christian? Why are you against the poor and publicly funded education, among so many other subjects? Tom, you need to truly find God instead of molding him to your privileged, white upbring. I pray for your soul because I don't think you have one. I have never believed I am righteous in my life. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Paul "There is nothing more important than cutting taxes in a time of war." Or so says the EXTERMINATOR / HAMMER Well, how's this for a corrallary: "There is nothing more important than treating your hemroids in a time of JAIL." December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Atheist Remember this Tom? As the war progressed, DeLay condemned "(President Clinton's) war," and grumbled in April, 1999, that, "There are no clarified rules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our overextended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today." December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Joe Wilson http://iraqwar.mirror-world.ru/ December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Atheist GOD, I HATE YOU PEOPLE!!! mr delay wants a place for all those who love him and miss him to come and visit and leave notes of adoration, and, you, you LIBERAL SWINE, have ruined his opening... if i ever see any of you, i will BITE YOU IN THE NECK and poison you with my saliva... love and kisses, ann coulter December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter ann coulter Haven't you gone back to killing roaches yet, Tom? I know your brain's most likely scrambled due to the use of toxic chemicals (after all, how else could you justify your politics?) but now that you're out of office, what else are you going to do? Oh, right. You're going to become the next Jack Abramoff. Silly me. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered CommenterP. God I am glad Tom is still around so we can continue making fun of just how wrong he is. We owe him a debt of gratitude for helping destroy conservative philosophy and the GOP (Gang of Pedophiles). Keep going you moron, we need more of your help. Maybe you can share a cell with Mark Foley or Jack Abramoff; you could all be butthole buddies. Have Fun December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Honest Would you expect anything different Tom. It will be good to see you in prison garb. Make sure you say Hi to Bubba down there in Texas prison and make sure to drop the soap once in a while, you deserve some bum pumping for what you have done. Sincerely though, you are a piece of shit and no friend of America. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter howie http://iraqwar.mirror-world.ru/ Hey Tom: Save these for your jail sentence, even if you don't have time to read them now. 911 was a lie perpetrated by Republicans FOR Republicans. Delay was at the very least Part of the Cover-Up. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Atheist Hey Tom,, Just reminding you about the old Klan-bible reading party tonight at Rusty's. Don't forget to bring your hood. See you there December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Jack Ruby Hi Tom cool blog. I hope you can cum join me in prison soon, my rectum just gets moist every time I think about you Tom. Just plead guilty because you know you are. Don't bring that soap on a rope, you wont need it, Hugs and kisses ,Jack. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Jack Abramhoff tom don't worry about unsustainable deficits, just keep redistributing the wealth to all the patriots and pioneers don't worry about the bill of rights, the 10 commandments will do just fine, we can sin under either one, you've proved to be able to shit on most of both anyway don't worry about the person, the corporation is much more important don't worry about your crimes, they just have a max sentance of life in prison, someone thought that suborning the vote in a democracy was a big thing, go figure by the way, fuck you and the horse you came with last night December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter tofubo I thought there was a filter? Is this how your friends talk to you, Tom? I finger myself just thinking about you reading your comments sections. Of course, I totally fucking cum when I look at your mug shot. Oh my god!! Maybe you could sign one for me? Please? I'll suck you off. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Skank Tom ! You never call anymore ?! Pastor Haggard wants to Hang out and ya know .... get a massage ;o Hugs & kisses ** Jeff Gannon / Jim Guckert / Johnny Gosch December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Jeff Gannon God, this has got to be tough to hear your friends say this about you: Rep. Zach Wamp: "Our leadership and some of our members grew arrogant in their own power, and with arrogance comes corruption," ---snip--- "If Tom DeLay said it one time, he said it 15 times: 'The most important thing we can do for the American people is keep our Republican majority.' That was just wrong, and it had to catch up to us in the end." December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Rick Santorum Fuck you, Gannon, I was here first. Get lost, fairy. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Skank Come on! "Tom Delay" isn't actually Tom Delay! Eat more fish. Good grief. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Paul Let me see: 98 posts. 98 unanimous posts. You really do have a knack for organizing people. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter xoites As a child, my hamster came to an untimely and unnatural demise in my Easy Bake Oven. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Tom Delay This is a good example of values that I hold dear to my heart. All these great comments, i am just impressed with all these great fans you have Tom, keep up the great work Tom! December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Rick Santorum Ya'll are invited to my house for an orgy tonight. Super discreet! Tom, you come over too, you can have a reunion with all your friends. The fucking is sooooo boring, but I charge admission, so it's all good. I just wish Ricky Santorum would leave my dog alone. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Skank you have killed 500,000 of us .... from the grave we shout FUCK YOU TOM DELAY December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter dead iraqi children hehehehehe silly criminal December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter michael Justice would have you spending a lifetime making clothes in a sweatshop at pennies a day. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter ricky bobby Do I make you horny? Cool, but you are too old for me. December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter Mark Foley Dear Mr. Delay, Please ignore all untoward comments published here. We will take care of you. You have served us well and we do not forget. After you get a little tired of this exercise in free expression please bring your family along and report to the Eunuchizing Station. You and your family will be well cared for, as long as you remember your place in the grand scheme of things. Merry Christmas, Your overseeers in the oilarchcy December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter ExxonMobil burn burn in hell die die you fucker die December 10, 2006 | Unregistered Commenter dead iraqi children |
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By ERIC SCHLOSSER
December 11, 2006 THIS fall has brought plenty of bad news about food poisoning. More than 200 people in 26 states were sickened and three people were killed by spinach contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. At least 183 people in 21 states got salmonella from tainted tomatoes served at restaurants. And more than 160 people in New York, New Jersey and other states were sickened with E. coli after eating at Taco Bell restaurants.
People are always going to get food poisoning. The idea that every meal can be risk-free, germ-free and sterile is the sort of fantasy Howard Hughes might have entertained. But our food can be much safer than it is right now. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 76 million Americans are sickened, 325,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 die each year because of something they ate. Part of the problem is that the government's food-safety system is underfinanced, poorly organized and more concerned with serving private interests than with protecting public health. It is time for the new Democratic Congress to reverse a decades-long weakening of regulations and face up to the food-safety threats of the 21st century. One hundred years ago, companies were free to follow their own rules. Food companies sold children's candy colored with dangerous heavy metals. And meatpackers routinely processed "4D animals" - livestock that were dead, dying, diseased or disabled. The publication of Upton Sinclair's novel "The Jungle" in 1906 - with its descriptions of rat-infested slaughterhouses and rancid meat - created public outrage over food safety. Even though the book was written by a socialist agitator, a Republican president, Theodore Roosevelt, eagerly read it. After confirming Sinclair's claims, Roosevelt battled the drug companies, the big food processors and the meatpacking companies to protect American consumers from irresponsible corporate behavior. He argued that bad business practices were ultimately bad for business. After a fight in Congress, Roosevelt largely got his way with passage of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. The decades that followed were hardly an idyll of pure food and flawless regulation. But the nation's diverse agricultural and food-processing system limited the size of outbreaks. Thousands of small slaughterhouses processed meat, and countless independent restaurants prepared food from fresh, local ingredients. If a butcher shop sold tainted meat or a restaurant served contaminated meals, a relatively small number of people were likely to become ill. Over the past 40 years, the industrialization and centralization of our food system has greatly magnified the potential for big outbreaks. Today only 13 slaughterhouses process the majority of the beef consumed by 300 million Americans. And the fast-food industry's demand for uniform products has encouraged centralization in every agricultural sector. Fruits and vegetables are now being grown, packaged and shipped like industrial commodities. As a result, a little contamination can go a long way. The Taco Bell distribution center in New Jersey now being investigated as a possible source of E. coli supplies more than 1,100 restaurants in the Northeast. While threats to the food supply have been growing, food-safety regulations have been weakened. Since 2000, the fast-food and meatpacking industries have given about four-fifths of their political donations to Republican candidates for national office. In return, these industries have effectively been given control of the agencies created to regulate them. The current chief of staff at the Agriculture Department used to be the beef industry's chief lobbyist. The person who headed the Food and Drug Administration until recently used to be an executive at the National Food Processors Association. Cutbacks in staff and budgets have reduced the number of food-safety inspections conducted by the F.D.A. to about 3,400 a year - from 35,000 in the 1970s. The number of inspectors at the Agriculture Department has declined to 7,500 from 9,000. A study published in Consumer Reports last week showed the impact of such policies: 83 percent of the broiler chickens purchased at supermarkets nationwide were found to be contaminated with dangerous bacteria. Aside from undue corporate influence and inadequate financing, America's food-safety system is hampered by overlapping bureaucracies. A dozen federal agencies now have some food safety oversight. The Agriculture Department is responsible for meat, poultry and some egg products, while the F.D.A. is responsible for just about everything else. And odd, conflicting rules determine which agency has authority. The F.D.A. is responsible for the safety of eggs still in their shells; the Agriculture Department is responsible once the shells are broken. If a packaged ham sandwich has two pieces of bread, the F.D.A. is in charge of inspecting it - one piece of bread, and Agriculture is in charge. A sandwich-making factory regulated by the Agriculture Department will be inspected every day, while one inspected by the F.D.A. is likely to be inspected every five years. Neither agency has the power to recall contaminated food (with the exception of tainted infant formula) or to fine companies for food-safety lapses. And when the cause of an outbreak is unknown, it's unclear which agency should lead the investigation. Last year, Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, both Democrats, introduced an important piece of food-safety legislation that tackles these problems. Their Safe Food Act would create a single food-safety agency with the authority to test widely for dangerous pathogens, demand recalls and penalize companies that knowingly sell contaminated food. It would eliminate petty bureaucratic rivalries and make a single administrator accountable for the safety of America's food. And it would facilitate a swift, effective response not only to the sort of inadvertent outbreaks that have occurred this fall, but also to any deliberate bioterrorism aimed at our food supply. The Safe Food Act deserves strong bipartisan backing. Aside from industry lobbyists and their Congressional allies, there is little public support for the right to sell contaminated food. Whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, you still have to eat. |
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By Joshua Scheer
6 Dec 06 In an interview with Truthdig research editor Joshua Scheer*, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) criticizes the leadership of his own party for announcing Tuesday that it would support a massive increase in spending for the Iraq war.
Truthdig: What was the upshot of [Tuesday's] Democratic caucus meeting? Kucinich: At this point the Democratic leadership-the speaker and the majority leader and Rahm Emanuel-are all recommending that the Democrats support the appropriation that is going to be brought forward in the spring, for the purposes of [continuing to fund] the war in Iraq. Truthdig: Why do you think that is? Kucinich: The leadership feels that they can bring about greater transparency [in spending], that they can bring special committees to look at what's gone wrong with the war, and that there's going to be improved oversight. Truthdig: Were there dissenting opinions ... ? Do you think this will pass? Kucinich: I think this is going to be a serious test of the Democratic Party. We were put in power because people expected a new direction in Iraq. It goes without saying that they expect greater transparency and oversight, but they also expect us to do something to bring the troops home. Now, if Congress goes ahead under Democratic leadership and votes to approve what some are now estimating as an additional $160 billion for the war in Iraq, bringing the total for the fiscal year to $230 billion, the Democratic Congress will have bought George Bush's war. Now, who would buy a used war from this administration? Truthdig: Weren't the Democrats elected because of the war in Iraq? Kucinich: The Democrats came to power because of a strong desire on the part of the voters to get out of Iraq. That's why people voted Democratic. So now, with the Democratic leadership taking a position saying they're going to approve the supplemental budget in the spring, this could be seen by many as a breach of faith. Truthdig: What can people do? Kucinich: People first of all need to know about this. People need to know that there is an attempt by our leadership to support the supplemental, and what the consequences are.... The most difficult part of the challenge is to get members of Congress to understand that they themselves voted for a bill which went into effect on Oct. 1 that appropriated $70 billion, which could be used to bring the troops home. Unfortunately, our leadership is saying they're supporting the supplemental as a way of supporting the troops. So if we continue to ignore the money that's there right now to bring the troops home, we're losing an opportunity to bring the troops home now. People are now saying that they oppose the war, but they're continuing to fund it in the name of supporting the troops. They say they're not going to abandon the troops in the field. We're professing a strange love for these troops by keeping them there, because the money's there to bring them home. So this is going to shape up as a major discussion across this country. People are going to want to know why Democrats would not bring the troops home now, when the money is there now. Truthdig: For me this is really disheartening, because I feel like I have been lied to, and the American people have been lied to, because the [Democratic] Party was so against extra funds for the war. It's almost like the party has done a bait-and-switch. Kucinich: I think there's going to be a concern around the country that this does represent a bait-and-switch. I'm hopeful that this position will be reconsidered and that the Democrats will not vote to keep the war going. But at this point, if the Democrats go forward and support a supplemental which by some accounts is now rising to $160 billion, they'll be providing enough money to keep the war going through the end of George Bush's term. Now, this is a serious moment. I believe the public is largely unaware that this is happening, and I think a lot of people are going to be very surprised to learn that less than one month since this great realignment, that Democrats leaders, who came to power because of widespread opposition to the war in Iraq, are now saying that they will vote to continue funding the war. Truthdig: Is there any hope to end the war now, and not go for this extra $160 billion in supplemental funds? Was there anything that happened in the room that gave you hope? Kucinich: There's a type of thinking which equates staying in Iraq as demonstrating strength. There's a type of thinking which equates support for the supplemental with supporting the troops. This type of thinking is inherently flawed. It is circular in its nature. It will keep us in war. It will damn our troops to the horror of getting shot at from all sides. This is the time for Democrats to be uniting to exit from Iraq. And the exit door is already well lit with a sign that says $70 billion. If we support the troops, why in the world would we not use the money to bring them home, instead of spending more money to keep them in? Why would we, when we have money to bring them home right now, appropriate another $160 billion which would keep them there, possibly through the end of George Bush's term? The Iraq Study Group recognized the perilous nature of this war, and there is no indication that the administration is going to bring the troops home. Every statement that the president has made has been very clear with respect to his intent to continue the U.S. presence. He has basically said, "No timetables," and he hasn't set any call for troop reductions. Now, we have men and women who are dying there, and for what? That's why it's more than disappointing that the Democratic Party is not standing up. Truthdig: So, again, what can people do? Kucinich: I think it's important for people to contact their member of Congress, and to let the member of Congress know how they feel. The people are also going to have to work their e-mail lists to pass the word, because not a lot of people know about this. It's going to be important for people to organize. It's going to take a mass movement to change this situation. It's going to take a mass movement to really create such an uproar that approval of the supplemental will be stopped. Truthdig: Thank you. *Truthdig interviewer Joshua Scheer worked as an entry-level staffer on Kucinich's state Senate campaign and was later a summer associate in his congressional office. In this weekly interview series, Rep. Kucinich gives his take on the goings-on in Congress in the wake of the Democrats' victory. |
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By William Bennett Turner
San Francisco Chronicle December 12, 2006 The United States government consistently undermines democracy by eroding the media's ability to report.
Vladimir Posner, the former Soviet journalist, used to claim the press was freer in the Soviet Union than it was in the United States. This was during Glasnost, as the Soviet empire was disintegrating. Posner explained that the government was dysfunctional, so journalists did not have to worry about the official censors, and the media had not been privatized, so journalists were not accountable to commercial sponsors and advertisers. The result was a kind of anarchic freedom. The press was free, but only for a brief window in time. The window in America once was open wide and, I thought, permanently so. I used to tell my students on the first day of class that we had the freest speech and press in the world. I can't do that anymore. In recent years American press freedom has eroded. Many other countries are now ranked freer than the United States -- all of the Scandinavian countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand and many others. In the most recent survey by Freedom House, an independent American-based organization that assesses liberties around the world, the United States tied for 17th place, with the Bahamas, Estonia, Germany and others. The international free-press advocates Reporters Without Borders ranked us 53rd, tied with Botswana, Croatia and Tonga. These rankings may not be scientifically valid, for a lot of subjective judgment is involved. But it is sobering to see the consensus that the United States is no longer anywhere near the top. By virtue of Supreme Court decisions, the U.S. press remains freer than the press elsewhere in a few respects. First, our law provides significantly greater protection for the press against libel suits, especially by government officials. In many countries, libel is a bullying tool for officials and the powerful to silence dissent. Under the 1964 decision in New York Times vs. Sullivan, insults, parodies and vicious criticism of officials are protected by the First Amendment. Second, our law protects the press against almost any attempt by government to impose a "prior restraint" on what can be published. That is, the government is not allowed to censor, in advance, information the press may wish to publish. The famous "Pentagon Papers" case in 1971 allowed the New York Times and the Washington Post to publish information about a classified Defense Department study on American involvement in Vietnam, despite the government's contention that publication would impair national security. Third, perhaps unique in the world, our law protects the advocacy of dangerous, potentially divisive ideas. One can preach overthrow of the government -- domestic "regime change" -- religious hatred, racial discrimination and even criminal activity. Under the Supreme Court's 1969 decision in Brandenburg vs. Ohio, government may not suppress ideas, however repugnant to most, unless their expression amounts to incitement to imminent unlawful acts. It also is true that American journalists have not been physically attacked based on what they report, at least at home (although overseas, some have been, and one was beheaded). In some other countries, journalists risk harassment or worse for reporting that offends government officials or powerful figures. The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that 47 journalists were murdered last year. But U.S. press freedom has been slipping away since Sept. 11, 2001. Now that we are in a seemingly permanent "war" on terrorism, the government claims wartime powers that result in restricting press freedom. The Bush administration has multiplied exponentially the number of documents it classifies as secret, shielding them from public view. It has classified literally millions of documents "top secret," according to reports filed with the National Archives; and the office of Vice President Dick Cheney claims to be exempt from reporting even the numbers of records it brands with the "classified" stamp. (The administration has also tried to retrieve antique classified documents from columnist Jack Anderson's estate, contending that only the government may possess such documents, however old.) Within weeks after 9/11, President Bush issued Executive Order 13233, allowing him to veto public release not only of his own presidential papers but those of former President Ronald Reagan, Bush's father and former President Bill Clinton. The administration also is aggressively pursuing leaks, not with a Nixonian Plumbers unit but by threatening criminal prosecution. Some Republicans in Congress have called for Espionage Act prosecution of the New York Times for publishing revelations about the National Security Agency's monitoring of communications by U.S. citizens and tracking international financial transactions. Bush himself said it was "disgraceful" for the Times to reveal these government activities and publishing the security agency's leak was "helping the enemy." Pursuing leaks inevitably means pursuing the reporters who received and published the leaks, forcing them to give up confidential sources or telephone records or go to jail. Whatever Judith Miller's motivation and however questionable her arrangement with "Scooter" Libby, she went to jail solely because she refused to reveal communications with her source to the federal grand jury. Although all states (except Wyoming) legally recognize some sort of privilege for reporters to protect the confidentiality of sources, there is no federal shield law, and the Supreme Court held in 1972 that the First Amendment does not itself serve as one, at least where the information is sought by a federal grand jury investigating a crime. So reporters who dare to report leaked information that may be classified, or information about testimony before a grand jury -- as Chronicle reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada did in the BALCO proceeding about steroids in sports -- face subpoenas requiring them to reveal their confidential sources to grand juries or go to jail. And now, Williams and Fainaru-Wada have been ordered to serve as much as 18 months in federal prison, a ruling they have appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco. So far, the courts have refused to protect subpoenaed reporters no matter how important the information they unearthed or how insignificant the alleged crime. It is true that reporters have never had strong protection against federal subpoenas, but they have hardly ever needed it. Until now. One of former Attorney General John Ashcroft's first post-Sept. 11 acts was to issue a directive to federal agencies restricting access to government records under the Freedom of Information Act. Ashcroft's directive effectively reversed the presumption of openness and told agencies not to allow inspection of records if there was any arguable basis for withholding the records, assuring officials that Justice Department lawyers would defend them if sued. Ashcroft's Justice Department also proceeded to round up mostly Muslim immigrants and conduct deportation hearings in secret, not allowing the press or public even to know that any hearing took place, which caused one federal judge to remark that "democracy dies behind closed doors." Ashcroft's moves toward greater secrecy were of a piece with Cheney's refusal when sued under the Freedom of Information Act to disclose even the identity of the corporate executives he met with to determine the administration's energy policy. Unlike in Sweden, where the right of access to government documents is enshrined in the Constitution, our 1966 information act is solely a legislative creation. Unlike in South Korea, where the Supreme Court decided in 1989 that the right of access to government documents was an integral part of the constitutional freedom of the press, the U.S. Supreme Court held (in a case I lost, Houchins vs. KQED) that there is no such thing as a First Amendment right of access to government information or facilities. Consequently, Americans' right to know what their government is up to is not as well recognized as it is in some other countries. Nor is government propaganda healthy for a free press or the citizenry. The Bush administration did not advance press freedom by producing and canning favorable "news" stories with fake reporters and peddling them to television stations, or by clandestinely paying friendly columnists for publishing opinions supporting administration policies. Other recent U.S. government actions also cut into press freedom. The Federal Communications Commission's campaign to stamp out "indecency" and "profanity" in the broadcast media, with congressionally increased fines of $325,000 per violation for allowing a breast to be glimpsed or a dirty word uttered, has intimidated broadcasters. The campaign may initially have been aimed at Howard Stern, but it puts at risk serious programming like a CBS documentary on 9/11 in which strong language escapes from the lips of firefighters and others in the inferno, "Saving Private Ryan" and even Masterpiece Theater's "Prime Suspect." Other countries like Sweden are bemused by American prissiness about sex and impose no comparable restrictions on their broadcasters. The press is free in countries that trust the people to make wise decisions when they're fully informed, countries that remain willing to take the risks of dissent, rude discourse, instability and some insecurity, that tolerate eccentricity and unorthodox ideas. The erosion of press freedom in the United States, relative to other nations around the world, is disheartening. We have always had high expectations of freedom, which we now don't live up to. It is hard to stomach the hypocrisy of claiming to spread democracy abroad while restricting at home the very freedoms that make democracy possible. William Bennett Turner is a San Francisco lawyer who teaches a course on the First Amendment and the press at UC Berkeley. |
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by Robert Reich
November 28, 2006 The five most powerful people in America over the next eighteen months will be:
1. Dick Cheney, because he runs the executive branch and is the closest thing the Republicans have to an ideological rudder. Forget the Baker Commission. Forget Bush (if you haven't already). Cheney will have more say over what happens in Iraq, Iran, and North Korea, during the next eighteen months than any other single person. He will want to American troops to stay in Iraq until the civil war makes that impossible. He will also seek to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. 2. John McCain, because he is the major counterweight in the Republican Party to Dick Cheney and the neo-cons, and is more trusted by the American people than any other person in public life. McCain has the capacity to restrain Cheney's wild ambitions, and quietly bolster the case Robert Gates and Jim Baker will make about changing the direction of foreign policy in the Middle East. It is in McCain's interests to do so. McCain will become steadily more powerful as power ebbs in the White House. McCain's decisions in the next eighteen months about what other issues to take on and how will shape the national debate. 3. Nancy Pelosi, because she is the closest thing the Democrats have to a leader, and the Democrats are the closest thing America has to an opposition party. HRC will not risk getting out in front on any major issue. So Pelosi's decisions about priorities for the Democrats over the next eighteen months - whether getting out of Iraq, setting out an agenda for national health care, or making the tax code more progressive - will do much to determine how the public views what's at stake in 2008. 4. Ben Bernanke, because he will have more influence than anyone over how fast the economy moves. If he is too hawkish on inflation, he could turn the current slowdown into a full-blown recession. That would propel a Democrat into the White House in 2008. 5. Jon Stewart, because he is the closest thing America has to a guide as to what is most laughable in Washington, and effective ridicule is one of the most powerful of all political weapons. Robert Reich is the nation's 22nd Secretary of Labor and a professor at the University of California at Berkeley. Read more of his blog HERE. |
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Posted by Evan Derkacz
December 11, 2006 On January 17, 1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower said goodbye to public office with an address that concluded with the words below [strangely, the Eisenhower Library's version and the audio in the video to the right, differ slightly. Brackets represent the text in the Library version omitted from the audio file...].
You're familiar with the warnings in this speech against the "military-industrial complex," but the subtler parts of the speech are every bit as powerful and refreshing...
As we peer into society's future, we - you and I, and our government - must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without asking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow. During the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. [Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table, though scarred by many past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the certain agony of the battlefield.] [Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative.] Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose. Because this need is so sharp and apparent I confess that I lay down my official responsibilities in this field with a definite sense of disappointment. As one who has witnessed the horror and the lingering sadness of war - as one who knows that another war could utterly destroy this civilization which has been so slowly and painfully built over thousands of years - I wish I could say tonight that a lasting peace is in sight. Happily, I can say that war has been avoided. Steady progress toward our ultimate goal has been made. But, so much remains to be done. As a private citizen, I shall never cease to do what little I can to help the world advance along that road. So - in this my last good night to you as your President - I thank you for the many opportunities you have given me for public service in war and peace. I trust that in that service you find some things worthy; as for the rest of it, I know you will find ways to improve performance in the future. You and I, my fellow citizens, need to be strong in our faith, that all nations, under God, will reach the goal of peace, with justice. May we be ever unswerving in devotion to principle, confident but humble with power, diligent in pursuit of the Nation's great goals. To all the peoples of the world, I once more give expression to America's prayerful and continuing aspiration: We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom may experience its spiritual blessings; that those who have freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibilities; that all who are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; that the scourges of poverty, disease and ignorance will be made to disappear from the earth, and that, in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love. Evan Derkacz is an AlterNet editor. He writes and edits PEEK, the blog of blogs. |
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