Patriot\'s Day, Friday, *April 19, 2002

[Terri]

<span style='font-family:comic sans ms'><span style='color:#BDBE7A '><span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'>http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sunflower.gif *Good Morning http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/gopusa.gif </span></span>

TGIF already! This sure was a fast week for me.

http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag17.gif Patriot's Day is a state holiday in Massachusetts and Maine, marking the anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.

&quot;Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.&quot;

The Link of the Day will take you to the complete poem.

Last week many of us were very unhappy with the President's stand on the Middle East. Secretary of State Powell has been to the Middle East and returned home. Arafat is still a prisoner in his compound. Israel is still talking about a pullout but they are also still cleaning out terrorists. Powell did manage to stop the shelling of Israel by the Hezbollah guerillas and he made Arafat very angry which indicates that Arafat didn't get much of what he wanted.

Yesterday, our President spoke out far more strongly in favor of Israel. Some people think this may have been a very carefully orchestrated plan to prepare the way for an eventual solution. I'm wondering if your opinions have changed at all?

<span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'>Words of Wisdom:</span>
&quot;It should be the highest ambition of every American to extend his views beyond himself, and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country, and his immediate posterity; but that its influence may be co-extensive with the world, and stamp political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn. &quot; ~~ George Washington ~~ *

<span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'>Link of the Day:</span>
Concord Hymn (http://www.noblenet.org/year/concord.htm)

Please remember to pray for our President and for our servicemen and women who are in harm's way.
God Bless our great country. http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag19.gif *May Freedom ever ring![/color]</span>

[pRIMrose]

<span style='color:purple' >GOOD MORNING http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sun1.gif Terri &amp; GOPUSA!

My thoughts on the prez seem to be falling into place. I originally thought he was saying one thing for the press and another to Sharon. I believe he has a plan, and part of it was having Powell go to Israel and prove that you cannot negotiate with terrorists. He had to make the effort or be highly criticized. Also, he may have been surprised at how much support the American people are giving Israel. Of course you have to discount liberal holes like Berkeley and such. Thank goodness they are in the minority. Just my http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/twocents.gif

Well, only six more hours and &quot;free at last, free at last&quot; http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/elefant.gif http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/elefant.gif I'll worry about the &quot;new chick&quot; http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif when I get back. I've heard she is a type &quot;A&quot; and a workaholic. :shocked: Oh well, only six months till medicare and if things get really bad I can go on COBRA from now till then. :rolleyes:

Aberfoyle ~ I just can't quite thinking about the tragic loss of those brave Canadian troops in Afghanistan. I'm so sorry this happened and I know that Canada is getting many prayers from us right about now. Just know that we love you all very much and how sorry we are. http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

Well, gotta run get ready for T-6 hours and counting. Will check back after work. Have a marvelous day all!</span>
~~~~
RIM http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/bird16.gif

[Bobby]

Good Morning!

As you probably know, the Senate killed an amendment to open up drilling in the ANWR. --&gt; <a href="http://gopusa.com/news/0419_anwr.shtml

I" target="_blank">http://gopusa.com/news/0419_anwr.shtml

I</a> was wondering if our fine Alaskan correspondent could give us a sense of what Alaskans feel about this.

Have a great day!

Bobby

[Terri]

Jim Hayden! *Welcome to http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/gopusa.gif ! *Jump right in anywhere!

The news is strange today.

Italian reports seem to be leaning toward suicide in the plane crash yesterday. That makes more sense to me than an accident. I don't see how you could accidentally hit that building when it's the only tall one there.

There was a major Amtrak derailment last night. At least 4 people are dead and many injured.

Several new stories are posted in the forums and don't forget that you can start a new thread on any subject you wish to discuss.

RIM, I just know you are going to have a good time on your vacation next week. Glad to hear your thoughts on Bush and I hope others will share theirs.

Bobby, good idea! Aknauta should be along later. I have a feeling that many in the Great White North may not be too happy.

Good morning Bobby, Terri, and GOPUSA. This is my first post. I am a conservative, Republican activist in Florida, and have enjoyed reading the &quot;Eagle&quot; for some time now. I know Bobby E. from his days in the Texas YRs, and a few trips he took to FL a few years back. I live in the future Congresswoman Katherine Harris' district, and home of a few other famous Republicans here. I am proud to the the Vice Chairman of my county Republican Executive Committee, and active in numerous Republican, conservative, political, and civic groups. Let me know what other information you would like on me. I look forward to reading the other posts and threads. GOPSRQFloridaguy http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag19.gif

[Aberfoyle]

<span style='color:crimson '>A Canadian Speaks Out</span>

Listening to our news today on both the TV and the radio stations gives me the idea that many here in Canada are pretty upset with Mr. Bush. *I tend to agree with many of them.

Certainly, Mr. Bush telephoned Mr. Chretien after this action where our men were killed but not once on TV in his many photo ops during the day did he thank Canada for helping out in the war in Afganistan or say how deeply sorry he was that this happened to four of our own precious boys and maybe two more that may not make it.

Many Canadians are remembering that in his brilliant speech to Congress last fall where the whole world seemed to be behind him in what he was doing after that horrendous day of Sept.11, he thanked so many countries for their help but he &quot;forgot&quot; to include Canada--Canada who opened all of her airports to the planes in the air and the people in the cities where these planes landed opening their homes to the stranded passengers (and there were thousands), Canada who was one of the first countries to offer aid and help. *I forgave him as did countless others and thought this was an &quot;overlook&quot; by the speech writers but yesterday, I guess was the icing on the cake so to speak and Mr. Bush has to do some re-thinking on how he treats one of his closest alies. *The people up here were waiting for him to go on TV quickly to say something about this catastrophe and it was a horrendous catastrophe for sure and he's not done it that we've seen. * Telephone calls between leaders aren't for public hearing and it's the general public that need to be told how sorry he is that one of his own let loose a bomb killing *people who were helping the USA.

How do I feel personally? *I'm upset over this. *Some of you know how I've felt for a long time about your President and I've had nothing but praise but now, he's dropped down a few more notches in my books. *First his speech to Congress and now this.

I'm also very happy about the decision about drilling oil in Alaska. *


What Was He Thinking? (http://www.canada.com/national/story.asp?id={0D58A6 9D-3D02-444B-B16E-BF0C97D9F722})

[Terri]

Floridaguy, how good to see you posting. You are right in the heart of the last election's battlescene. It's going to be good getting to know you and hearing some of your war stories. I wish Katherine Harris the best in her run for office. She stood firm for us and I'd certainly give her my vote if I could. http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Aberfoyle, I can hear how upset you are and again I will say that I'm sorry that Canadian servicemen were killed by friendly fire. It was an accident and we don't yet know why it happened. It's unfortunate that people make mistakes under stress but they do. It will be fully investigated with an eye toward preventing such tragedies in the future and the cause will be found. Unfortunately, that will not prevent all such future incidents as we in the US know only too well. We have lost our own servicemen in Afghanistan to our own so called friendly fire.

Unfortunately, it is part of the cost of preserving freedom and that is a burden that the United States has willingly taken on both for our own country and for others. I'm sure there were Canadians in the WTC and we fight the terrorists to prevent such attacks from happening not only in the United States but anywhere in the free world. It is war and the US has accepted the risks that always accompany war. We mourn the loss of your soldiers along with the loss of our own.

[Aknauta]

Good morning everyone http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wavey.gif

* Dr. Eberle, Alaskans are generally skeptical of anything the government does in relation to us. To start with only .03% of Alaska is in private hands. 99.7% of the state is in government hands of one type or another.
* Among all the irritations one of the most egregious (on the surface) is the depiction of our state by maps showing the U.S. Usually Alaska is placed on the left side in a teeny weeny scale. Probably so as not to scare the rest of the nation. Check out the actual size of the state at: <a href="http://www.bodymap.com/alaska_onmap.html

" target="_blank">http://www.bodymap.com/alaska_onmap.html

</a> *We could have had a slightly better chance of passage of ANWAR drilling if anyone in the lower 48 actually knew the real size of the state. The drilling area is so small that it would not be visual on a map of the whole state.

*Because citizens do not have ownership of any of the subsurface lands, we need government approval to take anything from the land. In the past 20 years this has been slowed to nearly a halt. *
* But politically the state has been slowly turning more conservative and this year we stand a chance of having the first conservative governor in the history of the state. Senator Murkowski is going to retire from Congress and be our next governor. If he serves two terms we may be able to substantially turn the state of Alaska around.

Aberfoyle, sorry about Canada's loss.

(Edited by Aknauta at 9:16 am on April 19, 2002)


(Edited by Aknauta at 9:18 am on April 19, 2002)


(Edited by Aknauta at 9:22 am on April 19, 2002)

[Terri]

Aknauta, thanks for that info on Alaska. I'm glad to hear that there is a conservative trend there. The ANWR battle is not over. We'll continue fighting because we have no choice. I believe drilling can take place without substantial damage to the environment. If I did not believe this, I would not be for it. I am staggered that those in our Senate who should want to reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern oil want to keep us dependent instead. John McCain was among them and voted with the Democrats as usual. The good news is that public opinion is shifting in the US. Here's a site where we can see how our Senators voted. (http://www.senate.gov/legislative/vote1072/vote_00071.html)

For those of you voting in Florida, Floridaguy has given you some great resource pages in the Activism Forum. http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sunflower.gif

There has been another homicide bomber explode in the Gaza Strip at an Israeli checkpoint. Hezbollah guerrillas also fired two rockets at Northern Israel this morning and missed. Yes, missed the entire country. The rockets landed in Lebanon. :turquoiserolleyes:

Ashcroft has issued a vague alert to financial institutions in the northeast regarding an elevated threat.

[Terri]

The President has spoken out to Canadians publicly about the accident in Afghanistan. I've posted a link to the article and some excerpts from his remarks in Current Events.

[pRIMrose]

Good afternoon all!

Terri ~ I agree about the airplane crash. *I was thinking exactly the same thing ~ it just doesn't make sense that this guy couldn't miss the tallest building in the area. *I must admit that I haven't read the whole story ~ but it certainly doesn't sound like an accident. *If it was a suicide, it was surely a poor choice. *Innocent people were killed. http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

Aberfoyle ~ I guess conservatives can't agree on everything. *I am truly sorry about what happened, and hopefully it won't have a lasting negative impact on the friendship between our peoples. *Bad things do happen go good people. *I hope President Bush will say something to show you his regret and sorrow over this tragedy. *You must admit, however, he has had more on his plate over the first year of his presidency than Clinton had in eight. *He not only has to lead the nation in war, but he must try to do the best he can for our people here at home ~ which is no small task given the hostility in the senate. *As for ANWAR, I just don't see how drilling on 2000 acres out of 19,000,000 will have that much of an impact on the environment. *

FloridaGuy ~ Katherine Harris is one classy lady. *She really took some abuse during the election. *I sent her an email to show my support. *She returned an email thanking me. *I was very proud of her and very glad that I was a Floridian. (even if we do have to include WPB) http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mdr11.gif

Aknauta ~ thanks for the link to the map of Alaska. *I guess I didn't realize how really big Alaska is compared to the US. *It looks to be almost half the size of the contiguous states. WOW! *

Terri ~ I just watched a Congressman from Colorado (can't remember his name) but he was really telling it like it is about the INS and illegal immigration. *You'd have been very proud. http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/twothumbsup.gif

Have a great evening all!
~~~~
RIM http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/bird16.gif

[angelus]

Sen Kerry et al keep telling us that 2% means nothing when it comes to Alaska and drilling for oil, so we should not bother. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/4/18/112157.shtml
This is a recent Neal Boortz article. Read what he thinks of 2%. And then, see which side you agree with (though I'm sure that most here will not be siding with Kerry)

[Terri]

Hi Rim! http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif Maybe suicide by crashing into a building is going to be the trendy thing for unbalanced pilots. I hope not. I agree with you that our President has a lot on his plate. He is a genuine and kind man.

The congressman was probably either Tancredo or McInnis. They are both very strong spokesmen for immigration and border control.

Aberfoyle, after I posted the link to the article concerning our President's apology to the people of Canada, I actually saw and heard the clip. I'm don't think anyone could doubt his sincerity once they have heard his words.

Angelus, I copied and pasted your link but it didn't work for me.

[Aberfoyle]

Hi Everyone...

I've heard Mr. Bush. *As I have said in another place in the Forum, it was the timing that has almost the entire population of Canada incensed. *Absolute silence about this till today is just not acceptable. * I'm certain that he is very sorry that it happened and I hope that nothing like this ever happens again for any of our countries or by any of our military. &quot;Friendly Fire&quot; is certainly something that must be dealt with no matter who is the instigator of it.

Yes, RIM, I guess Conservatives don't have to agree on absolutely everything! *LOL *I hope that we agree on most things though. *

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"> As for ANWAR, I just don't see how drilling on 2000 acres out of 19,000,000 will have that much of an impact on the environment. * [/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
It isn't the number of acres or hectares that is the problem. It is what is living in those acres or hectares *that is the problem and who is dependent on what is living in those areas.

Facts on The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (http://www.wwfcanada.org/en/news_room/pdf/01_04_10_ANWR_facts. pdf)

We've seen oil companies systematically destroying the lands along the Amazon River in South America and they will never be replaced in a few generations and I don't think that we should just brush off these facts. *We've had some terrible oil spills along the Pacific Coast of Canada in the past few years and they are very serious to deal with.

Everyone, I'm truly sorry to be the &quot;wet blanket&quot; in here today but I'm sure that you might like to see things from a Canadian's perspective. *If this isn't allowed in here then please tell me and I'll refrain from doing this in the future.

[Aberfoyle]

By the way, RIM, have a great vacation! *This should give you time to get that flag finished! *http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mdr11.gif

[Terri]

Aberfoyle, I assured you on the other thread that all opinions are welcome here. You have said what you wanted and everyone else is free to agree or disagree, as they choose.

We have few rules. We simply expect everyone to debate courteously. We've had absolutely no problems so far. http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Unfortunately, friendly fire incidents will happen again. It's the nature of war and even the nature of training for war. Our country knows from bitter experience that no matter how we try they will happen. I hope that others will offer their opinions here or in the News thread.

We have offered our apologies as a President, as a country, and as individuals. Whether they are accepted is not up to us. We don't yet know how the system failed, only that it did.

As to ANWR, please feel free to open a thread on it if you'd like or if someone wishes to respond to you here of course they may do so.

[angelus]

OK, if the link doesn't work, then here is the pertinent part of the article:

Sen. John Kerry was speaking yesterday in opposition to President Bush's idea of drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). He spouted the same objection we have heard from so many others (including our lovely Belinda), that the oil we receive from ANWR would only amount to about 2 percent of the oil we import from foreign sources.

The message here is that 2 percent just isn't meaningful. It's not important. It's not enough to worry about.

This &quot;2 percent is meaningless&quot; nonsense is dangerous. This is the attitude that has brought us a huge federal government, runaway federal spending, massive personal debt and reduced personal savings.

Two percent counts. It counts a lot more than most of us realize.

A Few Tiny Percentage Points Do Make a Difference from NewsMax (http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/4/18/112157.shtml)
-- End excerpt

So, what do you think?

[Terri]

Well angelus, sometimes we just can't win. The url is working now. It must have just been down temporarily. I'll shorten the piece and post the url in it so that we will be in compliance with copyright laws. http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

What do I think? I think that oil is very important and not only that oil. I believe we are going to have to drill in other places where there will be opposition and one of them will probably be my own state.