Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:

        America this evening is a Nation called to great responsibilities.  And we are rising to meet them. 

        As we gather tonight, hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror.  By bringing hope to the oppressed, and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure. 

        Each day, law enforcement personnel and intelligence officers are tracking terrorist threats; analysts are examining airline passenger lists; the men and women of our new Homeland Security Department are patrolling our coasts and borders.  And their vigilance is protecting America.

        Americans are proving once again to be the hardest working people in the world.  The American economy is growing stronger.  The tax relief you passed is working.

        Tonight, Members of Congress can take pride in great works of compassion and reform that skeptics had thought impossible.  You are raising the standards of our public schools; and you are giving our senior citizens prescription drug coverage under Medicare.

        We have faced serious challenges together – and now we face a choice.  We can go forward with confidence and resolve – or we can turn back to the dangerous illusion that terrorists are not plotting and outlaw regimes are no threat to us.  We can press on with economic growth, and reforms in education and Medicare – or we can turn back to the old policies and old divisions. 

        We have not come all this way – through tragedy, and trial, and war – only to falter and leave our work unfinished.  Americans are rising to the tasks of history, and they expect the same of us.  In their efforts, their enterprise, and their character, the American people are showing that the state of our Union is confident and strong.

        Our greatest responsibility is the active defense of the American people.  Twenty-eight months have passed since September 11th, 2001 – over two years without an attack on American soil – and it is tempting to believe that the danger is behind us.  That hope is understandable, comforting – and false.  The killing has continued in Bali, Jakarta, Casablanca, Riyadh, Mombassa, Jerusalem, Istanbul, and Baghdad.  The terrorists continue to plot against America and the civilized world.  And by our will and courage, this danger will be defeated.    

        Inside the United States, where the war began, we must continue to give homeland security and law enforcement personnel every tool they need to defend us.  And one of those essential tools is the PATRIOT Act, which allows Federal law enforcement to better share information, to track terrorists, to disrupt their cells, and to seize their assets.  For years, we have used similar provisions to catch embezzlers and drug traffickers.  If these methods are good for hunting criminals, they are even more important for hunting terrorists.  Key provisions of the PATRIOT Act are set to expire next year.  The terrorist threat will not expire on that schedule.  Our law enforcement needs this vital legislation to protect our citizens – you need to renew the PATRIOT Act. 

        America is on the offensive against the terrorists who started this war.  Last March, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a mastermind of September 11th, awoke to find himself in the custody of U.S. and Pakistani authorities.  Last August 11th brought the capture of the terrorist Hambali, who was a key player in the attack in Indonesia that killed over 200 people.  We are tracking al-Qaida around the world – and nearly two-thirds of their known leaders have now been captured or killed.  Thousands of very skilled and determined military personnel are on a manhunt, going after the remaining killers who hide in cities and caves – and, one by one, we will bring the terrorists to justice.   

        As part of the offensive against terror, we are also confronting the regimes that harbor and support terrorists, and could supply them with nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons.  The United States and our allies are determined:  We refuse to live in the shadow of this ultimate danger. 

        The first to see our determination were the Taliban, who made Afghanistan the primary training base of al-Qaida killers.  As of this month, that country has a new constitution, guaranteeing free elections and full participation by women.  Businesses are opening, health care centers are being established, and the boys and girls of Afghanistan are back in school.  With help from the new Afghan Army, our coalition is leading aggressive raids against surviving members of the Taliban and al-Qaida.  The men and women of Afghanistan are building a nation that is free, and proud, and fighting terror – and America is honored to be their friend. 

        Since we last met in this chamber, combat forces of the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Poland, and other countries enforced the demands of the United Nations, ended the rule of Saddam Hussein – and the people of Iraq are free.  Having broken the Baathist regime, we face a remnant of violent Saddam supporters.  Men who ran away from our troops in battle are now dispersed and attack from the shadows.

        These killers, joined by foreign terrorists, are a serious, continuing danger.  Yet we are making progress against them.  The once all-powerful ruler of Iraq was found in a hole, and now sits in a prison cell.  Of the top 55 officials of the former regime, we have captured or killed 45.  Our forces are on the offensive, leading over 1,600 patrols a day, and conducting an average of 180 raids every week.  We are dealing with these thugs in Iraq, just as surely as we dealt with Saddam Hussein’s evil regime.

        The work of building a new Iraq is hard, and it is right.  And America has always been willing to do what it takes for what is right.  Last January, Iraq’s only law was the whim of one brutal man.  Today our coalition is working with the Iraqi Governing Council to draft a basic law, with a bill of rights.  We are working with Iraqis and the United Nations to prepare for a transition to full Iraqi sovereignty by the end of June.  As democracy takes hold in Iraq, the enemies of freedom will do all in their power to spread violence and fear.  They are trying to shake the will of our country and our friends – but the United States of America will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins.  The killers will fail, and the Iraqi people will live in freedom. 

        Month by month, Iraqis are assuming more responsibility for their own security and their own future.  And tonight we are honored to welcome one of Iraq’s most respected leaders: the current President of the Iraqi Governing Council, Adnan Pachachi.  Sir, America stands with you and the Iraqi people as you build a free and peaceful nation.  

        Because of American leadership and resolve, the world is changing for the better.  Last month, the leader of Libya voluntarily pledged to disclose and dismantle all of his regime’s weapons of mass destruction programs, including a uranium enrichment project for nuclear weapons.  Colonel Qadhafi correctly judged that his country would be better off, and far more secure, without weapons of mass murder.  Nine months of intense negotiations involving the United States and Great Britain succeeded with Libya, while 12 years of diplomacy with Iraq did not.  And one reason is clear:  For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible – and no one can now doubt the word of America. 

        Different threats require different strategies.  Along with nations in the region, we are insisting that North Korea eliminate its nuclear program.  America and the international community are demanding that Iran meet its commitments and not develop nuclear weapons.  America is committed to keeping the world’s most dangerous weapons out of the hands of the world’s most dangerous regimes.

 
        When I came to this rostrum on September 20th, 2001, I brought the police shield of a fallen officer, my reminder of lives that ended, and a task that does not end.  I gave to you and to all Americans my complete commitment to securing our country and defeating our enemies.  And this pledge, given by one, has been kept by many.  You in the Congress have provided the resources for our defense, and cast the difficult votes of war and peace.  Our closest allies have been unwavering.  America’s intelligence personnel and diplomats have been skilled and tireless.

        And the men and women of the American military – they have taken the hardest duty.  We have seen their skill and courage in armored charges, and midnight raids, and lonely hours on faithful watch.  We have seen the joy when they return, and felt the sorrow when one is lost.  I have had the honor of meeting our servicemen and women at many posts, from the deck of a carrier in the Pacific, to a mess hall in Baghdad.  Many of our troops are listening tonight.  And I want you and your families to know:  America is proud of you.  And my Administration, and this Congress, will give you the resources you need to fight and win the war on terror.

        I know that some people question if America is really in a war at all.  They view terrorism more as a crime – a problem to be solved mainly with law enforcement and indictments.  After the World Trade Center was first attacked in 1993, some of the guilty were indicted, tried, convicted, and sent to prison.  But the matter was not settled.  The terrorists were still training and plotting in other nations, and drawing up more ambitious plans.  After the chaos and carnage of September 11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers.  The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States – and war is what they got.

        Some in this chamber, and in our country, did not support the liberation of Iraq.  Objections to war often come from principled motives.  But let us be candid about the consequences of leaving Saddam Hussein in power.  We are seeking all the facts – already the Kay Report identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations.  Had we failed to act, the dictator’s weapons of mass destruction programs would continue to this day.  Had we failed to act, Security Council resolutions on Iraq would have been revealed as empty threats, weakening the United Nations and encouraging defiance by dictators around the world.  Iraq’s torture chambers would still be filled with victims – terrified and innocent.  The killing fields of Iraq – where hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children vanished into the sands – would still be known only to the killers.  For all who love freedom and peace, the world without Saddam Hussein’s regime is a better and safer place.  

 
        Some critics have said our duties in Iraq must be internationalized.  This particular criticism is hard to explain to our partners in Britain, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Italy, Spain, Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, the Netherlands, Norway, El Salvador, and the 17 other countries that have committed troops to Iraq.  As we debate at home, we must never ignore the vital contributions of our international partners, or dismiss their sacrifices.  From the beginning, America has sought international support for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and we have gained much support.  There is a difference, however, between leading a coalition of many nations, and submitting to the objections of a few.  America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our people.

        We also hear doubts that democracy is a realistic goal for the greater Middle East, where freedom is rare.  Yet it is mistaken, and condescending, to assume that whole cultures and great religions are incompatible with liberty and self-government.  I believe that God has planted in every heart the desire to live in freedom.  And even when that desire is crushed by tyranny for decades, it will rise again.  

        As long as the Middle East remains a place of tyranny, despair, and anger, it will continue to produce men and movements that threaten the safety of America and our friends.  So America is pursuing a forward strategy of freedom in the greater Middle East.  We will challenge the enemies of reform, confront the allies of terror, and expect a higher standard from our friends.  To cut through the barriers of hateful propaganda, the Voice of America and other broadcast services are expanding their programming in Arabic and Persian – and soon, a new television service will begin providing reliable news and information across the region.  I will send you a proposal to double the budget of the National Endowment for Democracy, and to focus its new work on the development of free elections, free markets, free press, and free labor unions in the Middle East.  And above all, we will finish the historic work of democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq, so those nations can light the way for others, and help transform a troubled part of the world. 

America is a Nation with a mission – and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs.  We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire.  Our aim is a democratic peace – a peace founded upon the dignity and rights of every man and woman.  America acts in this cause with friends and allies at our side, yet we understand our special calling:  This great Republic will lead the cause of freedom. 

        In these last three years, adversity has also revealed the fundamental strengths of the American economy.  We have come through recession, and terrorist attack, and corporate scandals, and the uncertainties of war.  And because you acted to stimulate our economy with tax relief, this economy is strong, and growing stronger. 

        You have doubled the child tax credit from 500 to a thousand dollars, reduced the marriage penalty, begun to phase out the death tax, reduced taxes on capital gains and stock dividends, cut taxes on small businesses, and you have lowered taxes for every American who pays income taxes.

        Americans took those dollars and put them to work, driving this economy forward.  The pace of economic growth in the third quarter of 2003 was the fastest in nearly 20 years.  New home construction: the highest in almost 20 years.  Home ownership rates: the highest ever.  Manufacturing activity is increasing.  Inflation is low.  Interest rates are low.  Exports are growing.  Productivity is high.  And jobs are on the rise.   

        These numbers confirm that the American people are using their money far better than government would have – and you were right to return it.

       
        America’s growing economy is also a changing economy.  As technology transforms the way almost every job is done, America becomes more productive, and workers need new skills.  Much of our job growth will be found in high-skilled fields like health care and biotechnology.  So we must respond by helping more Americans gain the skills to find good jobs in our new economy.  

        All skills begin with the basics of reading and math, which are supposed to be learned in the early grades of our schools.  Yet for too long, for too many children, those skills were never mastered.  By passing the No Child Left Behind Act, you have made the expectation of literacy the law of our country.  We are providing more funding for our schools – a 36 percent increase since 2001.  We are requiring higher standards.  We are regularly testing every child on the fundamentals.  We are reporting results to parents, and making sure they have better options when schools are not performing.  We are making progress toward excellence for every child. 

But the status quo always has defenders.  Some want to undermine the No Child Left Behind Act by weakening standards and accountability. Yet the results we require are really a matter of common sense:  We expect third graders to read and do math at third grade level – and that is not asking too much.  Testing is the only way to identify and help students who are falling behind. 

        This Nation will not go back to the days of simply shuffling children along from grade to grade without them learning the basics.  I refuse to give up on any child – and the No Child Left Behind Act is opening the door of opportunity to all of America’s children. 

        At the same time, we must ensure that older students and adults can gain the skills they need to find work now.  Many of the fastest-growing occupations require strong math and science preparation, and training beyond the high school level.  So tonight I propose a series of measures called Jobs for the 21st Century.  This program will provide extra help to middle- and high school students who fall behind in reading and math, expand Advanced Placement programs in low-income schools, and invite math and science professionals from the private sector to teach part-time in our high schools.  I propose larger Pell Grants for students who prepare for college with demanding courses in high school.  I propose increasing our support for America’s fine community colleges, so they can train workers for the industries that are creating the most new jobs.  By all these actions, we will help more and more Americans to join in the growing prosperity of our country. 

        Job training is important, and so is job creation.  We must continue to pursue an aggressive, pro-growth economic agenda. 

Congress has some unfinished business on the issue of taxes.  The tax reductions you passed are set to expire.  Unless you act, the unfair tax on marriage will go back up.  Unless you act, millions of families will be charged 300 dollars more in Federal taxes for every child.  Unless you act, small businesses will pay higher taxes.  Unless you act, the death tax will eventually come back to life.  Unless you act, Americans face a tax increase.  What the Congress has given, the Congress should not take away:  For the sake of job growth, the tax cuts you passed should be permanent. 

Our agenda for jobs and growth must help small business owners and employees with relief from needless Federal regulation, and protect them from junk and frivolous lawsuits.  Consumers and businesses need reliable supplies of energy to make our economy run – so I urge you to pass legislation to modernize our electricity system, promote conservation, and make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy.  My Administration is promoting free and fair trade, to open up new markets for America’s entrepreneurs, and manufacturers, and farmers, and to create jobs for America’s workers.  Younger workers should have the opportunity to build a nest egg by saving part of their Social Security taxes in a personal retirement account.  We should make the Social Security system a source of ownership for the American people. 

And we should limit the burden of government on this economy by acting as good stewards of taxpayer dollars.  In two weeks, I will send you a budget that funds the war, protects the homeland, and meets important domestic needs, while limiting the growth in discretionary spending to less than four percent.  This will require that Congress focus on priorities, cut wasteful spending, and be wise with the people’s money.  By doing so, we can cut the deficit in half over the next five years.

       
Tonight I also ask you to reform our immigration laws, so they reflect our values and benefit our economy.  I propose a new temporary worker program to match willing foreign workers with willing employers, when no Americans can be found to fill the job.  This reform will be good for our economy – because employers will find needed workers in an honest and orderly system.  A temporary worker program will help protect our homeland – allowing border patrol and law enforcement to focus on true threats to our national security.  I oppose amnesty, because it would encourage further illegal immigration, and unfairly reward those who break our laws.  My temporary worker program will preserve the citizenship path for those who respect the law, while bringing millions of hardworking men and women out from the shadows of American life.

        Our Nation’s health care system, like our economy, is also in a time of change.  Amazing medical technologies are improving and saving lives.  This dramatic progress has brought its own challenge, in the rising costs of medical care and health insurance.  Members of Congress, we must work together to help control those costs and extend the benefits of modern medicine throughout our country. 

        Meeting these goals requires bipartisan effort – and two months ago, you showed the way.  By strengthening Medicare and adding a prescription drug benefit, you kept a basic commitment to our seniors:  You are giving them the modern medicine they deserve.  

        Starting this year, under the law you passed, seniors can choose to receive a drug discount card, saving them 10 to 25 percent off the retail price of most prescription drugs – and millions of low-income seniors can get an additional 600 dollars to buy medicine.  Beginning next year, seniors will have new coverage for preventive screenings against diabetes and heart disease, and seniors just entering Medicare can receive wellness exams.

        In January of 2006, seniors can get prescription drug coverage under Medicare.  For a monthly premium of about 35 dollars, most seniors who do not have that coverage today can expect to see their drug bills cut roughly in half.  Under this reform, senior citizens will be able to keep their Medicare just as it is, or they can choose a Medicare plan that fits them best – just as you, as Members of Congress, can choose an insurance plan that meets your needs.  And starting this year, millions of Americans will be able to save money tax-free for their medical expenses, in a health savings account.

 
        I signed this measure proudly, and any attempt to limit the choices of our seniors, or to take away their prescription drug coverage under Medicare, will meet my veto.

        On the critical issue of health care, our goal is to ensure that Americans can choose and afford private health care coverage that best fits their individual needs.  To make insurance more affordable, Congress must act to address rapidly rising health care costs.  Small businesses should be able to band together and negotiate for lower insurance rates, so they can cover more workers with health insurance – I urge you to pass Association Health Plans.  I ask you to give lower-income Americans a refundable tax credit that would allow millions to buy their own basic health insurance.  By computerizing health records, we can avoid dangerous medical mistakes, reduce costs, and improve care.  To protect the doctor-patient relationship, and keep good doctors doing good work, we must eliminate wasteful and frivolous medical lawsuits.  And tonight I propose that individuals who buy catastrophic health care coverage, as part of our new health savings accounts, be allowed to deduct 100 percent of the premiums from their taxes. 

A government-run health care system is the wrong prescription.  By keeping costs under control, expanding access, and helping more Americans afford coverage, we will preserve the system of private medicine that makes America’s health care the best in the world. 

        We are living in a time of great change – in our world, in our economy, and in science and medicine.  Yet some things endure –

courage and compassion, reverence and integrity, respect for differences of faith and race.  The values we try to live by never change.  And they are instilled in us by fundamental institutions, such as families, and schools, and religious congregations.  These institutions – the unseen pillars of civilization – must remain strong in America, and we will defend them. 

        We must stand with our families to help them raise healthy, responsible children.  And when it comes to helping children make right choices, there is work for all of us to do. 

One of the worst decisions our children can make is to gamble their lives and futures on drugs.  Our government is helping parents confront this problem, with aggressive education, treatment, and law enforcement.  Drug use in high school has declined by 11 percent over the past two years.  Four hundred thousand fewer young people are using illegal drugs than in the year 2001.  In my budget, I have proposed new funding to continue our aggressive, community-based strategy to reduce demand for illegal drugs.  Drug testing in our schools has proven to be an effective part of this effort.  So tonight I propose an additional 23 million dollars for schools that want to use drug testing as a tool to save children’s lives.  The aim here is not to punish children, but to send them this message:  We love you, and we don’t want to lose you.      

        To help children make right choices, they need good examples.  Athletics play such an important role in our society, but, unfortunately, some in professional sports are not setting much of an example.  The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and other sports is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message – that there are shortcuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important than character.  So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches, and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough, and to get rid of steroids now. 

        To encourage right choices, we must be willing to confront the dangers young people face – even when they are difficult to talk about.  Each year, about three million teenagers contract sexually transmitted diseases that can harm them, or kill them, or prevent them from ever becoming parents.  In my budget, I propose a grassroots campaign to help inform families about these medical risks.  We will double Federal funding for abstinence programs, so schools can teach this fact of life:  Abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases.  Decisions children make now can affect their health and character for the rest of their lives.  All of us – parents, schools, government – must work together to counter the negative influence of the culture, and to send the right messages to our children.

   
        A strong America must also value the institution of marriage.  I believe we should respect individuals as we take a principled stand for one of the most fundamental, enduring institutions of our civilization.  Congress has already taken a stand on this issue by passing the Defense of Marriage Act, signed in 1996 by President Clinton.  That statute protects marriage under Federal law as the union of a man and a woman, and declares that one state may not redefine marriage for other states.  Activist judges, however, have begun redefining marriage by court order, without regard for the will of the people and their elected representatives.  On an issue of such great consequence, the people’s voice must be heard.  If judges insist on forcing their arbitrary will upon the people, the only alternative left to the people would be the constitutional process.  Our Nation must defend the sanctity of marriage. 

The outcome of this debate is important – and so is the way we conduct it.  The same moral tradition that defines marriage also teaches that each individual has dignity and value in God’s sight.

 
        It is also important to strengthen our communities by unleashing the compassion of America’s religious institutions.  Religious charities of every creed are doing some of the most vital work in our country – mentoring children, feeding the hungry, taking the hand of the lonely.  Yet government has often denied social service grants and contracts to these groups, just because they have a cross or Star of David or crescent on the wall.  By Executive Order, I have opened billions of dollars in grant money to competition that includes faith-based charities.  Tonight I ask you to codify this into law, so people of faith can know that the law will never discriminate against them again.

        In the past, we have worked together to bring mentors to the children of prisoners, and provide treatment for the addicted, and help for the homeless.  Tonight I ask you to consider another group of Americans in need of help.  This year, some 600,000 inmates will be released from prison back into society.  We know from long experience that if they can’t find work, or a home, or help, they are much more likely to commit more crimes and return to prison.  So tonight, I propose a four-year, 300 million dollar Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative to expand job training and placement services, to provide transitional housing, and to help newly released prisoners get mentoring, including from faith-based groups.  America is the land of the second chance – and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.

        For all Americans, the last three years have brought tests we did not ask for, and achievements shared by all.  By our actions, we have shown what kind of Nation we are.  In grief, we found the grace to go on.  In challenge, we rediscovered the courage and daring of a free people.  In victory, we have shown the noble aims and good heart of America.  And having come this far, we sense that we live in a time set apart. 

        I have been a witness to the character of the American people, who have shown calm in times of danger, compassion for one another, and toughness for the long haul.  All of us have been partners in a great enterprise.  And even some of the youngest understand that we are living in historic times.  Last month a girl in Lincoln, Rhode Island, sent me a letter.  It began, “Dear George W. Bush.”  “If there is anything you know, I Ashley Pearson age 10 can do to help anyone, please send me a letter and tell me what I can do to save our country.”  She added this P.S.:  “If you can send a letter to the troops … please put, ‘Ashley Pearson believes in you.’” 

        Tonight, Ashley, your message to our troops has just been conveyed.  And yes, you have some duties yourself.  Study hard in school, listen to your mom and dad, help someone in need, and when you and your friends see a man or woman in uniform, say “thank you.”   And while you do your part, all of us here in this great chamber will do our best to keep you and the rest of America safe and free.

        My fellow citizens, we now move forward, with confidence and faith.  Our Nation is strong and steadfast.  The cause we serve is right, because it is the cause of all mankind.  The momentum of freedom in our world is unmistakable – and it is not carried forward by our power alone.  We can trust in that greater power Who guides the unfolding of the years.  And in all that is to come, we can know that His purposes are just and true. 

        May God bless the United States of America.  Thank you.   

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT BUSH-CHENEY 2004 RECEPTION

0 COMMENTS

WINNING THE WAR

0 COMMENTS

Date Added: Monday, September 29th, 2003
Contributed by: RCN Administrator

Help Iraq to Help Itself. We’re not there to stay. We are there to get the job done. -- BY DONALD H. RUMSFELD
Monday, September 29, 2003 12:01 a.m. EDT

If you are like most Americans, the news you see on television and read in
the press from Iraq seems grim--stories of firefights, car bombs, battles
with terrorists. It is true that Coalition troops are serving in difficult
and dangerous circumstances. But what is also true, and seems to be much
less often reported, is that the Coalition has--in less than five
months--racked up a series of achievements in both security and civil
reconstruction that may be without precedent.

I recently visited our forces in Tikrit, Mosul, Baghdad and Babylon. Their
spirits are good, because they know their mission is important and they know
they are making progress. Many recently got access to satellite television
from the U.S.--and their first glimpse of the news coverage back home. Some
expressed amazement at how few of their accomplishments are reflected in the
news on Iraq. As one solider we met in Baghdad put it, "We rebuild a lot of
bridges and it's not news--but one bridge gets blown up and it's a
front-page story."

Their successes deserve to be told. Consider just a few of their
accomplishments:

. Today, in Iraq, virtually all major hospitals and universities have been
re-opened, and hundreds of secondary schools--until a few months ago used as
weapons caches--have been rebuilt and were ready for the start of the fall
semester.

. 56,000 Iraqis have been armed and trained in just a few months, and are
contributing to the security and defense of their country. Today, a new
Iraqi Army is being trained and more than 40,000 Iraqi police are conducting
joint patrols with Coalition forces. By contrast, it took 14 months to
establish a police force in post-war Germany--and 10 years to begin training
a new German Army.

. As security improves, so does commerce: 5,000 small businesses have opened
since liberation on May 1. An independent Iraqi Central Bank was established
and a new currency announced in just two months--accomplishments that took
three years in postwar Germany.

. The Iraqi Governing Council has been formed and has appointed a cabinet of
ministers--something that took 14 months in Germany.

. In major cities and most towns and villages, municipal councils have been
formed and are making decisions about local matters--something that took
eight months in Germany.

. The Coalition has completed 6,000 civil affairs projects--with many more
under way.

All this, and more, has taken place in less than five months. The speed and
breadth of what Ambassador Paul Bremer (and his predecessor Gen. Jay
Garner), Gen. John Abizaid and Gen. Rick Sanchez, and the Coalition team,
both military and civilian, have accomplished is more than impressive--it
may be without historical parallel. Yet much of the world does not know
about this progress, because the focus remains on the security
situation--which is difficult, but improving. Baath remnants and foreign
terrorists are opposing the Coalition, to be sure. But the Coalition is
dealing with them.

This does not mean dangers don't exist. The road ahead will not be smooth.
There will be setbacks. Regime loyalists and foreign terrorists are working
against the Coalition. Increasingly they do so by targeting Coalition
successes. Yet the Iraqi people are providing intelligence for our forces
every day. Division commanders consistently report an increase in the number
of Iraqis coming forward with actionable intelligence. With Iraqi help, the
Coalition has now captured or killed 43 of Iraq's 55 most wanted, as well as
thousands of other Baath loyalists and terrorists, and seized large caches
of weapons. As Iraqis see Coalition forces act, their confidence grows--and
they are providing more information.

In Baghdad, a reporter asked why we don't just "flood the zone"--double or
treble the number of American troops in the country? We could do that, but
it would be a mistake.

First, as Gens. Abizaid and Sanchez have stated, they do not believe they
need more American troops--if they did, they would ask and they would get
them. The division commanders in Iraq have said that, far from needing more
forces, additional troops could complicate their mission--because it would
require more force protection, more combat support, and create pressure to
adopt a defensive posture (guarding buildings, power lines, etc.), when
their intention is to remain on the offense against the terrorists and Baath
party remnants.

That is why, at the end of May, Gen. Jim Mattis, the Marine division
commander in the south central area, decided to send home 15,000 of his
23,000 troops. As he recently explained: "If at any point I had needed more
troops, I could have asked for them. But I have not needed them. The enemy
over there, once we get the intelligence on them, \[is\] remarkably easy to
destroy. My way of thinking: If we needed more people on our side, enlist
more Iraqis."

That is precisely what Coalition forces are doing--training tens of
thousands of Iraqis to serve as police, border guards, a new facilities
protection service, a new Iraqi National Army, and an Iraqi Civil Defense
Corps. Iraqis are eager to participate in their own security. The commanders
in Iraq report that they are exceeding recruitment goals for these forces.

The Coalition is not in Iraq to stay. Our goal is to help Iraqis so they can
take responsibility for the governance and security of their country, and
foreign forces can leave. That is why the president has asked for $20
billion to help the Iraqis get on a path to self-government and
self-reliance. He's requested $15 billion to speed repairs to Iraq's
dilapidated infrastructure so Iraq can begin generating income through oil
production and foreign investments. And he's requested another $5 billion to
help the Iraqis assume the responsibility for the security of their own
country. The goal is not for the U.S. to rebuild Iraq. Rather, it is to help
the Iraqis get on a path where they can pay to rebuild their own country.
The money the president is requesting is a critical element in the
Coalition's exit strategy. Because the sooner we help Iraqis to defend their
own people the faster Coalition forces can leave and they can get about the
task of fashioning truly Iraqi solutions to their future.

In Baghdad, I met with members of the Governing Council. One message came
through loud and clear: They are grateful for what Coalition forces are
doing for their country. But they do not want more American troops--they
want to take on more responsibility for security and governance of the
country. The goal is to help them do so. Those advocating sending more
Americans forces--against the expressed wishes of both our military
commanders and Iraq's interim leaders--need to consider whether doing so
would truly advance our objective of transferring governing responsibility
to the Iraqi people.

Iraqis will have to overcome the physical and psychological effects of
living three decades under a Stalinist system. But the ingredients for
success are there. Iraq has oil, water and vast wheat and barley fields. It
has biblical sites, and great potential for tourism. It has an educated,
intelligent and industrious population. We should resist the urge to do for
the Iraqis what would be better done by the Iraqis. We can help--but only if
we balance the size of our presence to meet the military challenge, while
putting increasing responsibility in Iraqi hands.

Mr. Rumsfeld is secretary of defense.

Results Page:

IRAQ ADDRESS TO THE NATION BY PRESIDENT BUSH

0 COMMENTS

Date Added: Monday, September 8th, 2003
Contributed by: RCN Administrator

The Cabinet Room -- President Bush Addresses the Nation to Outline Iraq Strategy Address of the President to the Nation THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. I have asked for this time to keep you informed of America's actions in the war on terror.   Nearly two years ago, following deadly attacks on our country, we began a systematic campaign against terrorism. These months have been a time of new responsibilities, and sacrifice, and national resolve and great progress. America and a broad coalition acted first in Afghanistan, by destroying the training camps of terror, and removing the regime that harbored al Qaeda. In a series of raids and actions around the world, nearly two-thirds of al Qaeda's known leaders have been captured or killed, and we continue on al Qaeda's trail. We have exposed terrorist front groups, seized terrorist accounts, taken new measures to protect our homeland, and uncovered sleeper cells inside the United States. And we acted in Iraq, where the former regime sponsored terror, possessed and used weapons of mass destruction, and for 12 years defied ! the clear demands of the United Nations Security Council. Our coalition enforced these international demands in one of the swiftest and most humane military campaigns in history. For a generation leading up to September the 11th, 2001, terrorists and their radical allies attacked innocent people in the Middle East and beyond, without facing a sustained and serious response. The terrorists became convinced that free nations were decadent and weak. And they grew bolder, believing that history was on their side. Since America put out the fires of September the 11th, and mourned our dead, and went to war, history has taken a different turn. We have carried the fight to the enemy. We are rolling back the terrorist threat to civilization, not on the fringes of its influence, but at the heart of its power. This work continues. In Iraq, we are helping the long suffering people of that country to build a decent and democratic society at the center of the Middle East.! Together we are transforming a place of torture chambers and mass gra ves into a nation of laws and free institutions. This undertaking is difficult and costly -- yet worthy of our country, and critical to our security. The Middle East will either become a place of progress and peace, or it will be an exporter of violence and terror that takes more lives in America and in other free nations. The triumph of democracy and tolerance in Iraq, in Afghanistan and beyond would be a grave setback for international terrorism. The terrorists thrive on the support of tyrants and the resentments of oppressed peoples. When tyrants fall, and resentment gives way to hope, men and women in every culture reject the ideologies of terror, and turn to the pursuits of peace. Everywhere that freedom takes hold, terror will retreat. Our enemies understand this. They know that a free Iraq will be free of them -- free of assassins, and torturers, and secret police. They know that as democracy rises in Iraq, all of their hateful ambitions will fall like! the statues of the former dictator. And that is why, five months after we liberated Iraq, a collection of killers is desperately trying to undermine Iraq's progress and throw the country into chaos. Some of the attackers are members of the old Saddam regime, who fled the battlefield and now fight in the shadows. Some of the attackers are foreign terrorists, who have come to Iraq to pursue their war on America and other free nations. We cannot be certain to what extent these groups work together. We do know they have a common goal -- reclaiming Iraq for tyranny. Most, but not all, of these killers operate in one area of the country. The attacks you have heard and read about in the last few weeks have occurred predominantly in the central region of Iraq, between Baghdad and Tikrit -- Saddam Hussein's former stronghold. The north of Iraq is generally stable and is moving forward with reconstruction and self-government. The same trends are evident in the south, des! pite recent attacks by terrorist groups. Though their attacks are localized, the terrorists and Saddam loyalists have done great harm. They have ambushed American and British service members -- who stand for freedom and order. They have killed civilian aid workers of the United Nations -- who represent the compassion and generosity of the world. They have bombed the Jordanian embassy -- the symbol of a peaceful Arab country. And last week they murdered a respected cleric and over a hundred Muslims at prayer -- bombing a holy shrine and a symbol of Islam's peaceful teachings. This violence is directed not only against our coalition, but against anyone in Iraq who stands for decency, and freedom and progress. There is more at work in these attacks than blind rage. The terrorists have a strategic goal. They want us to leave Iraq before our work is done. They want to shake the will of the civilized world. In the past, the terrorists have cited the examples of Beirut and Somalia, claiming that if you inflict harm on American! s, we will run from a challenge. In this, they are mistaken. Two years ago, I told the Congress and the country that the war on terror would be a lengthy war, a different kind of war, fought on many fronts in many places. Iraq is now the central front. Enemies of freedom are making a desperate stand there -- and there they must be defeated. This will take time and require sacrifice. Yet we will do what is necessary, we will spend what is necessary, to achieve this essential victory in the war on terror, to promote freedom and to make our own nation more secure. America has done this kind of work before. Following World War II, we lifted up the defeated nations of Japan and Germany, and stood with them as they built representative governments. We committed years and resources to this cause. And that effort has been repaid many times over in three generations of friendship and peace. America today accepts the challenge of helping Iraq in the same spirit -- for the! ir sake, and our own. Our strategy in Iraq has three objectives: destroying the terrorists, enlisting the support of other nations for a free Iraq and helping Iraqis assume responsibility for their own defense and their own future. First, we are taking direct action against the terrorists in the Iraqi theater, which is the surest way to prevent future attacks on coalition forces and the Iraqi people. We are staying on the offensive, with a series of precise strikes against enemy targets increasingly guided by intelligence given to us by Iraqi citizens. Since the end of major combat operations, we have conducted raids seizing many caches of enemy weapons and massive amounts of ammunition, and we have captured or killed hundreds of Saddam loyalists and terrorists. So far, of the 55 most wanted former Iraqi leaders, 42 are dead or in custody. We are sending a clear message: anyone who seeks to harm our soldiers can know that our soldiers are hunting for them. Second, we are committed to expanding international cooperation in the reconstruction and security of Iraq, just as we are in Afghanistan. Our military commanders in Iraq advise me that the current number of American troops -- near! ly 130,000 -- is appropriate to their mission. They are joined by over 20,000 service members from 29 other countries. Two multinational divisions, led by the British and the Poles, are serving alongside our forces -- and in order to share the burden more broadly, our commanders have requested a third multinational division to serve in Iraq. Some countries have requested an explicit authorization of the United Nations Security Council before committing troops to Iraq. I have directed Secretary of State Colin Powell to introduce a new Security Council resolution, which would authorize the creation of a multinational force in Iraq, to be led by America. I recognize that not all of our friends agreed with our decision to enforce the Security Council resolutions and remove Saddam Hussein from power. Yet we cannot let past differences interfere with present duties. Terrorists in Iraq have attacked representatives of the civilized world, and opposing them must be ! the cause of the civilized world. Members of the United Nations now ha ve an opportunity -- and the responsibility -- to assume a broader role in assuring that Iraq becomes a free and democratic nation. Third, we are encouraging the orderly transfer of sovereignty and authority to the Iraqi people. Our coalition came to Iraq as liberators and we will depart as liberators. Right now Iraq has its own Governing Council, comprised of 25 leaders representing Iraq's diverse people. The Governing Council recently appointed cabinet ministers to run government departments. Already more than 90 percent of towns and cities have functioning local governments, which are restoring basic services. We're helping to train civil defense forces to keep order, and an Iraqi police service to enforce the law, a facilities protection service, Iraqi border guards to help secure the borders, and a new Iraqi army. In all these roles, there are now some 60,000 Iraqi citizens under arms, defending the security of their own country, and we are accelerating the trai! ning of more. Iraq is ready to take the next steps toward self-government. The Security Council resolution we introduce will encourage Iraq's Governing Council to submit a plan and a timetable for the drafting of a constitution and for free elections. From the outset, I have expressed confidence in the ability of the Iraqi people to govern themselves. Now they must rise to the responsibilities of a free people and secure the blessings of their own liberty. Our strategy in Iraq will require new resources. We have conducted a thorough assessment of our military and reconstruction needs in Iraq, and also in Afghanistan. I will soon submit to Congress a request for $87 billion. The request will cover ongoing military and intelligence operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, which we expect will cost $66 billion over the next year. This budget request will also support our commitment to helping the Iraqi and Afghan people rebuild their own nations, after de! cades of oppression and mismanagement. We will provide funds to help t hem improve security. And we will help them to restore basic services, such as electricity and water, and to build new schools, roads, and medical clinics. This effort is essential to the stability of those nations, and therefore, to our own security. Now and in the future, we will support our troops and we will keep our word to the more than 50 million people of Afghanistan and Iraq. Later this month, Secretary Powell will meet with representatives of many nations to discuss their financial contributions to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Next month, he will hold a similar funding conference for the reconstruction of Iraq. Europe, Japan and states in the Middle East all will benefit from the success of freedom in these two countries, and they should contribute to that success. The people of Iraq are emerging from a long trial. For them, there will be no going back to the days of the dictator, to the miseries and humiliation he inflicted on that good count! ry. For the Middle East and the world, there will be no going back to the days of fear, when a brutal and aggressive tyrant possessed terrible weapons. And for America, there will be no going back to the era before September the 11th, 2001 -- to false comfort in a dangerous world. We have learned that terrorist attacks are not caused by the use of strength; they are invited by the perception of weakness. And the surest way to avoid attacks on our own people is to engage the enemy where he lives and plans. We are fighting that enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan today so that we do not meet him again on our own streets, in our own cities. The heaviest burdens in our war on terror fall, as always, on the men and women of our Armed Forces and our intelligence services. They have removed gathering threats to America and our friends, and this nation takes great pride in their incredible achievements. We are grateful for their skill and courage, and for their acts of decency, w! hich have shown America's character to the world. We honor the sacrifi ce of their families. And we mourn every American who has died so bravely, so far from home. The Americans who assume great risk overseas understand the great cause they are in. Not long ago I received a letter from a captain in the 3rd Infantry Division in Baghdad. He wrote about his pride in serving a just cause, and about the deep desire of Iraqis for liberty. "I see it," he said, "in the eyes of a hungry people every day here. They are starved for freedom and opportunity." And he concluded, "I just thought you'd like a note from the 'front lines of freedom.'" That Army captain, and all of our men and women serving in the war on terror, are on the front lines of freedom. And I want each of them to know, your country thanks you, and your country supports you. Fellow citizens: We've been tested these past 24 months, and the dangers have not passed. Yet Americans are responding with courage and confidence. We accept the duties of our generation. We are active! and resolute in our own defense. We are serving in freedom's cause -- and that is the cause of all mankind. Thank you, and may God continue to bless America. President Bush's Strategy for Meeting Objectives in Iraq

Results Page:

PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS PLAYS A PART AT VFW CONVENTION

0 COMMENTS

Date Added: Wednesday, August 27th, 2003
Contributed by: RCN Administrator

From The Norwich [CT] Bulletin -- SAN ANTONIO -- Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, one of nine Democratic presidential candidates, received a "polite" response from delegates to this year's national Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in San Antonio earlier this week. The only candidate scheduled to address the 12,000 veterans attending the convention, Kerry's appearance was an issue of some concern prior to Monday's opening session. On Sunday, VFW leaders asked delegates to withhold any personal opinions during his address. A gunboat captain in the Mekong Delta, Kerry was awarded the Silver and Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts. However, during an anti-war rally in Washington, Kerry threw his medals on the steps of the Capitol in protest of the war. "For someone who went to Vietnam, I think it was disrespectful to take those medals, medals that he rightly earned, and do that," said Raymond Elliot, commander of the Jewett City VFW Post 10004. "I think that was a disgrace to every Vietnam veteran." … For many, however, the speech fell short of addressing the issues many veterans consider important. "I was at the (Vietnam Memorial) Wall last year when he spoke on Memorial Day," said Robert Cornell of Willimantic, "and he wasn't well received there either. I don't follow him politically, but would I vote for him? No. I understand everybody has the right to protest, but to turn around and do what he did, to me, that was a slap in the face to everyone who fought in that war." … President Bush sent a videotaped message to the convention. He was represented by several members of his administration, including Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi, all of whom received a far warmer reception than Kerry. -------------------------------------------------------------------- A Publication of the RNC Research Department Paid for by the Republican National Committee.  Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee. 310 First Street SE, Washington, DC 20003 - (202) 863-8614 - www.rnc.org Unsubscribe

Results Page:

PICK A TITLE . . .TITLE 1: WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION EXIST ONLY IF DEMOCRATS SAY THEY DO...TITLE 2: SENATORS CARL LEVIN AND JOHN KERRY ARE LYING

0 COMMENTS

Date Added: Wednesday, July 16th, 2003
Contributed by: RCN Administrator

Commentary by Nina May -- Every time I hear a democrat claim that President Bush deceived us about Weapons of Mass Destruction being hidden in Iraq, I think of my son’s 8th birthday. Isn’t the mind a wonderful thing . . . two totally unrelated issues are drawn together on one common thread. While we were passing out party hats and serving ice cream, almost five years ago, the Senate Armed Services Committee was sending a letter to President Bill Clinton containing a resolution supporting military action “if diplomacy did not succeed in convincing Saddam Hussein to comply with the United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning the disclosure and destruction of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.”
The letter goes on to say, “Despite a brief interval of cooperation . . . Saddam Hussein has failed to live up to his commitments. On August 5, Iraq suspended all cooperation with UNSCOM and IAEA. . . . Iraq has consistently sought to limit, mitigate, reduce and, in some cases, defeat the Security Council’s resolutions by a variety of devices.”
It further states that they are happy the Security Council is taking action, but doubt that Saddam will heed the message. They also said . . . “More deeply, we are concerned that without the intrusive inspections and monitoring by UNSCOM and the IAEA, Iraq will be able, over time, to reconstitute its weapons of mass destruction programs.” They then urged President Clinton to take action by saying . . . “After consulting with Congress and the US Constitution and laws, [we urge you] to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraq sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq’s refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction program.”
So . . . what happened to that program that they and the UN were so convinced existed in 1998? Are they now saying it was a lie then and there was no threat from Iraq posed to the American people? Did they lie to the American people like they are claiming President Bush did by including a 16-word intelligence phrase about uranium sales from Niger to Iraq that is still being confirmed by British Intelligence?
This letter to President Bill Clinton, in 1998, constitutionally authorizing him to attack Iraq was signed by 27 senators, including . . . Chris Dodd, Carl Levin, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Mikulski, Tom Daschle, Daniel Inouye, Mary Landrieu and . . . John F. Kerry.
And in December of that same year, details emerged revealing Iraq’s con-compliance with getting rid of its WMDs. Clinton responded by saying, “Iraq repeatedly blocked UNSCOM from inspecting the sites, they restricted their ability to obtain necessary evidence, and they tried to stop the UNSCOM biological weapons team from videotaping a site and photocopying documents and preventing Iraqi personnel from answering their questions.” He pointed out that Iraq had failed to turn over virtually all documents requested by the inspectors. Documents that they obviously all agreed existed.
At the time of his statement, there were 15 U.S. warships, 97 aircraft . . . 70 aboard the USS Enterprise, and more than 12,000 military personnel in the area near Iraq. The ships were within easy striking distance of Baghdad, and were carrying more than 300 cruise missiles. So why did we have that much fire power in the area if we weren’t seriously concerned about what Saddam was up to? And as history will remind us, on the eve of the Impeachment vote against Clinton, for lying under oath and breaking his oath to uphold the Constitution, he orders a military strike against security targets in Iraq to “attack Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors. . . . Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison or biological weapons.” So, let me see if I understand . . . there WERE nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in 1998, and one strike by Clinton destroyed them ALL? Amazing.
Clinton goes on to explain the timing of the attack stating that while it is true there are many other nations that “possess weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles, with Saddam, there is one big difference: He has used them. Not once, but repeatedly . . . unleashing chemical weapons against Iranian troops . . . civilians, and Kurdish civilians in Northern Iraq.”
He went on to justify his unilateral, preemptive attack on Iraq by saying, “The international community had little doubt then, and I have no doubt today, that left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will use these terrible weapons again.” He then outlines, in detail, the failings of Iraq to comply with the UN inspectors, and the decision he made to attack them, militarily, hitting innocent civilians, and projecting the imperial powers of the United States on this poor, defenseless country. Oh . . . sorry, we never heard any of that rhetoric from the left when Clinton dropped bombs did we?
This was about weapons of mass destruction that every Clinton liberal believed existed in Iraq, who now insist were never there. What is it with liberals? Can facts change that quickly to justify an attack to hide one President’s indiscretions, but then vaporize when another President relies on the same intelligence to do precisely the same thing but for entirely different motivations? Remember . . . and we must continue to remind Clinton liberals who love to readjust history to suit their needs . . . September 11, 2001 occurred after 8 years of winking and nodding at terrorist acts and eviscerating our CIA and overseas intelligence ops. The CIA, FBI, NSA and other security agencies were riddled with Clinton appointees that had not yet been replaced on September 11, including the new head of the CIA. The vast majority of the intelligence that President Bush was receiving, was from Clinton holdovers. Are we to assume that they deceived the American people with the same mischievous intentions that they trashed the White House, stole the keys from computer key pads, and totally rewired the phone system so that it cost taxpayers millions of dollars to sort out the mess and clean up their vandalism?
Any lack of verifiable and accurate information that President Bush was receiving or not receiving at that time has to be placed on the door step of Clinton’s intelligence sources who, for eight years, continually lied to the American people about everything from the nuclear program in North Korea, to the secrets being sold to China.
But when there is proof that comes out of Iraq, that there are, or were, weapons of mass destruction, the Clinton liberals deny it and say that it is not enough to justify the liberation of those people. They ignore the pictures of the gassed Kurds, and the buyback plans for the nuclear waste barrels that the citizens were dumping out and using to store their food and water in. We have Iranian diplomats confessing that these weapons are now being sold on the black market because many were smuggled out . . . probably during the negotiating process with the UN and the world community. They have found mobile units with traces of biological weapons. Think about it . . they are developing weapons that are so powerful, even a few grains can kill you. Do you think they are storing them in a way that a few grains will be escaping? And what about the chemical experts they have captured that have verified, that yes, they were responsible for the production of such chemicals?
So what is it? Are there weapons or not? Was Clinton lying once again to cover himself and dropped bombs on innocent people to distract from his indiscretions? What about the silence from the usually vocal war protesters could be heard around the socialist circles of the world back in 1998. And are all these senators who signed that October 9, 1998 letter, seasonal in their concern for the safety of America and the world? Do they only rally to the cause of defeating tyranny when a fellow democrat is in power? Can they be trusted again? So who is being deceptive now?
But I think a very important question to ask every one of the democrat spokesmen who blindly follow the talking points they are handed is . . . ok, what do you want us to do? Let’s say there are no WMDs . . . if that is your big issue. Let’s say that Clinton, the democrat members of the US Senate, and even the current administration were all lying about the weapons of mass destruction. Let’s just have a do-over. Let’s invite Saddam and his sons back in, let’s re-open the prisons and roundup all those little kids we freed and put them back in the blood-soaked chains. Let’s re-hang the people from the meat hooks and plug in the plastic shredding machine. Let’s rebury all the victims of his tyranny back in those mass graves, let’s put all the ammo back in the schools were we found it and reinstate all the Republican Guard so they can now round up every person who waved at a US soldier, held and American flag, received a piece of candy or played soccer with one and have them all shot.
Let’s pull all the Iraqis off the USS Comfort and take out their IVs and remove their bandages and send them home. Let’s unplug the information system that for the first time brings real news to the people, and gives them the freedom to think for themselves. And let’s disband the diverse group of leaders who for the first time will provide democratic representation for all Iraqis.
Oh, and for all the liberal democrats who had no problem with Clinton doing exactly what Bush is doing, I want you to visit the homes of each one of the brave men and women who lost their lives to liberate these people and tell them they died in vain. Tell them that we are replacing the people they died to liberate, under the same tyrannical rule and shutting the door to their future and freedom. I want these compassionate liberals to look these grieving parents in the eye and tell them, because they don’t think we have moved fast enough to discover weapons, that they agreed were there before, that their son or daughter died in vain, because according to liberal democrats, it was only about the weapons.
Clinton stated in his address to the UN on September 21, 1998 that, “First, terrorism has a new face in the 1990s. Today terrorists take advantage of greater openness and the explosion of information and weapons technology. The new technologies of terror and their increasing availability, along with the increasing mobility of terrorists, raise chilling prospects of vulnerability to chemical, biological, and other kinds of attacks, bringing each of us into the category of possible victim. This is a threat to all humankind.”
Well I guess it is not that big a threat now, even though we have proof in the way of a gaping hole in New York City, a scarred Pentagon, and over 3,000 lost lives. Perhaps a bigger threat to mankind is a political party that is so consumed with power that it will do anything, say anything, believe anything, even if it means allowing murderous dictators to roam the earth and threaten our very existence, while claiming they want them destroyed, only if they are the ones doing it. The democrat party has become so desperate, so duplicitous, so riddled with hypocrisy that the only cause they have in any election is to destroy who is in power, at any cost, get elected, spin and distort history with double standards by denying they did or said what they did to get to power. Gee . . .that sounds a lot like tyranny.

Results Page:

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

0 COMMENTS

Date Added: Wednesday, June 25th, 2003
Contributed by: RCN Administrator

"Roe" Files Motion to re-open ROE V. WADE, The Landmark Case Legalizing Abortion --
DALLAS, June 17, 2003 - Norma McCorvey, the former "Roe" of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized abortion, is filing an historic motion today to re-open her case and request that it be overturned. The filing is based on changes in law and factual conditions since the high court handed down its decision 30 years ago.

As a party to the original litigation, Norma McCorvey may petition the court to re-open the original case based on changes in factual conditions and/or changes in law that make the prior decision "no longer just," said Allan E. Parker, Jr., lead attorney for the Texas-based Justice Foundation.

The motion will be filed and a news conference held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Ferris Plaza Park on the corner of Houston and Record Streets - just blocks away from the Earl Cabell Federal Building, where the motion will be filed. The motion attacks the judgment that was first entered exactly 33 years ago today by the Dallas Federal Court. McCorvey is asking that the judgment in the original Roe case be set aside.

"I long for the day that justice will be done and the burden from all of these deaths will be removed from my shoulders," McCorvey said. "I want to do everything in my power to help women and their children. The issue is justice for women, justice for the unborn, and justice for what is right."

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned its own precedents using Rule 60(b)(5) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (Rule 60), most recently in the 1997 decision of Agostini v. Felton. In that case, the high court used a post-judgment motion by a party to overturn two of its own 12-year-old precedents.

Parker said the legal question in the case is, "Is it just to continue giving Roe v. Wade future application?"

Using Rule 60, there are three major arguments to re-open and overturn the case on the basis of changed facts and law:

1. Norma McCorvey, and more than 1,000 women who have actually had abortions, have signed affidavits that attest to the devastating emotional, physical, and psychological trauma of abortion. These affidavits are the largest body of sworn evidence in the world on the negative effects of abortion on women. It is more than a thousand times more evidence from women than the Court heard in Roe.
2. The unanswered question in Roe’s former case, "when does human life begin?" was treated by the Court as a philosophical question when the case was first heard in 1973. Since then, an explosion of scientific evidence on human life conclusively answers the question that life begins at conception.
3. The state of Texas in 1999 enacted a law in which it agreed to provide for any woman’s unwanted child from the child’s birth to 18 years of age with no questions asked. Legally, because the state has agreed to take responsibility for all unwanted children, women should no longer be forced to dispose of "unwanted" children by ending a human life. Forty states have similar Baby Moses laws.

" The result of granting the motion would be to set aside and annul Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, its companion case. This would return the issue of protecting women and children to the people with Baby Moses laws serving as a safety net", Mr. Parker said.

Norma McCorvey will be joined at the press conference by her lead attorney, Mr. Parker, by co-counsel Harold Cassidy of New Jersey, and by post-abortive women, who will provide testimony about how abortion has harmed them. These women, many of whom are witnesses in the Rule 60 Motion, want others to know how abortion has negatively impacted women’s lives, including their physical and emotional health.

The San Antonio, Texas-based Justice Foundation will represent Norma McCorvey in the case. To view the press kit, legal documents, scientific research and some of the more than 1,000 affidavits, please visit www.operationoutcry.org.

The Justice Foundation is a San Antonio-based 501(c) 3 organization, which provides free legal representation in landmark cases to protect individual rights and to limit government to its appropriate role.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Editors Note: For interviews with Norma McCorvey or Allan Parker, and post-abortive women, please contact Giles Hudson at A. Larry Ross Communication at 972-267-1111 x223 or 469-774-6377.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Legal Evidence Entered Into Court

The following are excerpts from the more than 1,000 women who have filed sworn affidavits as part of this Rule 60 court challenge. A copy of the entire record is available in Dallas federal court. (Cities and dates are for abortion, not current residence).


o "If I imagine what hell is then I say that is how my life was before I found counseling and healing. I became an alcoholic, lost my will to live, hated life in general." Lisa. Eugene, OR, June 1976, 1980 and 1980.

o "It has affected me emotionally. I was unable to bond with anyone. I have suffered depression. It caused years of self-destructive behavior." Paula. Cleveland, OH, July 1978.

o "Inability to form deep relationships, guilt, anxiety attacks. For a long time inability to hold or be near babies." Shirley. Los Angeles, CA, 1982; and, Norway, 1970.

o "I have had many medical problems that I attribute to having the abortion including pre-term pregnancies, abnormal paps, and abnormal periods." Susan. Fort Worth, TX, March, 1977.

o "Had a replacement child in 1979, who recently had her own abortion (06/15/01), also affected my self-esteem and eventually became promiscuous." Kathleen. Port Chester, NY, May 12, 1975; and, Mamaroneck, NY, December 3, 1975.

o "Emotionally I feel rejected by all. I feel alone." Grace. Jacksonville, NC, 1976.

o "Years of mood swings, eating disorders, promiscuity, low self-esteem and relationship with my other children." Reatha. Baltimore, MD, November 1979.

o "I spent years going from relationship to relationship and I became more sexually active. Alienated from family, problems in school, old friends became distant." Maureen. Bridgeport, PA, January, 1978, March, 1979; and, Philadelphia, PA, March, 1979.

o "Daily sorry and regret over death of my children caused by my own actions." Beverly. Atlanta, GA, 1974 and 1977.

o "Severe depression, especially in January, knowing my child would be another year older." Wendy. Howell, NJ, 1985.

o "I have panic disorder, low self esteem which led to promiscuity. I drank and got involved with snorting cocaine. I got HPV, which damaged my cervix - had surgery to remove pre-cancerous cells. I have colon problems and at risk for breast cancer." Christina Grace. Newark, DE, 1986; and, Dover, NE, 1988.

o "Ten years after the abortion I almost had a nervous breakdown. Have suffered emotionally for twenty-five years." D.E., Atlanta, GA, August 1975.

o "I felt empty inside for quite some time. I also began the spiral of compulsive eating which has led to extreme obesity." A.D.C.H., San Antonio, TX, February 22, 1984.

o "I went from being on the Dean’s List in college to getting F’s, incompletes, and withdraws. I attempted suicide. I was depressed. The guilt was overwhelming." H.A.K. Knoxville, TN, May 12, 1984.

o "I have been suicidal, depressed, had extreme anxiety, had nightmares, suffered from grief and self destructive behaviors." Candice. San Diego County, California, March, 1996.

o "Guilt - lack of ability to deal adequately with true love and sex in marriage." L.D.M. England, September 1970.

o "Depression, nightmares, divorce." Darla. Memphis, TN, April 1986.

o "My abortion took away my sense of self-worth and self confidence. It has made me question my ability to make competent decisions." A.C.N. New Orleans, LA, 1981.

o "It is my biggest regret. It has caused depression and thoughts of suicide. Also, complications in becoming pregnant and carrying a child." Kathryn. Kansas City, MO, 1981, 1982, and 1983.

o "It has left an emptiness and pain that never goes away." Dianne. New Jersey, January 15, 1979.

o "I’m always thinking about my unborn child." Niria. Houston, TX, 1995 and 1999.

o "I have been in therapy for rages of anger. I was also treated for an eating disorder that has affected me physically as well." Rexene. Montgomery, AL 1991.

o "Emotional pain and torment for years until God forgave and healed me. It has affected me physically as well. I cannot have children." Dorothy. San Antonio, Texas, February 1975.

o "If abortion was illegal, I would have never had to go through all of the pain and the guilt. I (might) have graduated from college instead of dropping out. The pain and guilt of abortion caused me to attempt suicide…maybe the only reason I survived was so that I could make a difference by telling my horrifying story." H.A.K. Knoxville, TN, May 12, 1984.

o "Abortion kills. Not only the child, but the human spirit. The mother and father are victims as well. I tried to take my own life because of the guilt and remorse. I felt I was a walking tomb." Sheila Lynn. Tallahassee, FL, June 7, 1985.

o "Listen to those voices of those who have experienced the physical and emotional consequences. A whole segment of society - men and women - are suffering because they did what was wrong even though it was legal." Shirley. Los Angeles, CA, 1982; and, Norway, 1970.

Results Page:

THE CANADIAN PARLIMENT

0 COMMENTS

Date Added: Friday, June 6th, 2003
Contributed by: RCN Administrator

The Canadian Parliment is
getting ready to vote on two issues on Friday.  One,
to legalize same sex marriage and to penalize those
pastors who refuse by fining them an exorbitant
amount.  The other is even more horrorfying!  They
want to deem the Bible as containing hate material
and have it banned.  We would appreciate your
getting this out to your praying friends and
intercede for Canada.  What is even more frightening
to me is that we in US are just on the brink of
allowing something like this to happen in our own
country.