I love this time of year; with beautiful lights everywhere, the smell of ginger bread houses cooking in the oven, the prospect of getting gifts from loved ones, and most importantly, the litany of complaints from the politically correct crowd. Remember kids, this year, Christmas trees will be referred to as Holiday trees and Menorahs are now holiday candle holders. Also, Santa should be banned because his being fat and all is a bad message to send to little kids. Let’s just hope your local Santa doesn’t run into Chris Hanson and Dateline this holiday season.

What else? Oh, I know what else drives me nuts – global warming. Well not the actual warming part, but the people who claim it exists. Al Gore Won the Nobel Peace Prize for his movie about the subject, unfortunately the Nobel people did not get the memo that global warming has absolutely zilch to do with peace. Gore actually beat out an elderly woman who saved thousands of children from certain death in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. I’m sure she was thrilled.

But of course, the decision wasn’t political. I mean honestly, if the world was heating up, why is that such a bad thing? Have you people been outside lately? It’s freezing! Seventy degree weather in December sounds pretty good to me. Not to mention we would all save a fortune on traveling to warm places during the winter. Furthermore, if the ice caps melt and the oceans rise, that just means we’re closer to the beach. By the way, Al Gore traveled to receive his Nobel Prize on a private jet, and those don’t pollute the air or anything.
Speaking of politics, I watched the Republican YouTube debate last week on CNN. That’s right, I have no life. Not surprisingly, the Clinton News Network, or the Commie News Network, or Crappy News Network, which ever you prefer, did not disappoint. This debate was for Republicans to make up their minds on which primary candidate they want to vote for next year, so naturally CNN decided to go out of their way to let Democrats ask many of the questions.

In fact, a retired Army general, who turned out to be gay, asked about the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in his video question. After the candidates answered it, the moderator of the debate, Anderson Cooper, turned to the audience where, you guess it, the general was seated. Cooper asked the man if the candidates had sufficiently answered his question, and of course the man said they hadn’t. Afterwards, some research showed that this man was actually working for Hillary Clinton.
So, CNN paid for a Democrat working for a Democrat to fly from California to Florida to attend and ask a question at a debate of Republicans for Republicans. But Fox News is the most biased cable news channel – duh. By the way, the Democrats have boycotted debating on Fox News because they are total cowards.

Lastly, I want to talk a little bit about the situation in Sudan with the teacher who named a teddy bear Muhammed and was actually jailed for it. If that wasn’t bad enough, there were mass protests in the country asking for this poor woman to be executed! I mean you have got to be kidding me. It is stupidity like this that breeds hatred and racism. Remember a year ago when large numbers of Muslims went crazy because of an editorial cartoon? Now, thousands of them took to the street to demand the death of a good woman who is in their country to teach their children because of the name she gave to a stuffed animal. Luckily this story had a happy ending as she was pardond by the Sudanesee president, but the situation still illustrates that some areas on this planet have some serious issues.

Alright, on that note I am going to call it a semester. But I want to thank everyone who has read my column. I especially want to thank those who wrote letters to the paper about me (see Op-Ed). Even though many of you write about how stupid I am, and occasionally use profanity to do so, it means a lot to know you care enough to write in. Thanks again. Have a great and safe break everyone and I’ll see you in January.

Many politicians like Hillary Clinton and John Edwards routinely refer to this as free and universal healthcare. Nothing in life is free, my mother has made that point very clear to me about a million times throughout my short life. The Democrats rarely ever mention that having universal healthcare means a significant raise in federal taxes.

Republicans, on the other hand, feel that our current form of healthcare, while not perfect, is for the most part effective. Allowing the free market to dictate the prices of insurance plans and prescription drugs is just another aspect of living in a capitalist society.
However, Republicans do support programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which help millions of people get healthcare whom otherwise could not afford it. Recently, President Bush was forced to veto a proposal that would vastly expand a program known as SCHIP, which stands for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Many on the left have said that with this veto the president is against giving low income kids healthcare. Don’t believe them.

The president wants to re-authorize SCHIP, but not the way that the Democrats want. Democrats want to give this type of coverage, which is meant for lower class families, to upper class households which do not need it, with an enormous price tag. Vetoing that legislation was the right move and hopefully the Congress and the White House can come to an agreement so that this important program can continue. So, what can we do to maximize the effectiveness of American healthcare? Here are my solutions.

First, socialized medicine is not the answer. Giving every American healthcare that is run and paid for by the government might sound nice, but will be nothing but an expensive disaster. The fact of the matter is that we can barely afford Medicare, and just wait until the baby boomers begin collecting it. Furthermore, in nations like Britain, which have universal healthcare, some people wait almost a year to get vital organ transplants. And that’s in a country with a population of only 60 million. Universal healthcare would not work in the United States, period.

Secondly, we should encourage individuals to purchase their own health insurance, that way they are not dependent on whatever plans are provided by their employers. Anyone can do this, and if more people did, it would create competition between insurance companies which would drive prices down.

Thirdly, all healthcare plans in this country should allow people to choose the physician of their choice. The relationship between doctor and patient is a very important one, and in many cases is very personal. In my experience, you tend to get better care from a doctor who knows you and your history. I hate the fact that I might not be able to go and see someone I have seen my entire life because he or she is not on my particular insurance plan. That stupidity needs to go.

Next, all Americans should be eligible for catastrophic health coverage. What that means is that, if you come down with an illness that a licensed physician says it could kill you if left untreated, the government should foot the bill for the necessary treatments. People in this country should not have to choose between the poor house and the funeral home.

And finally, we need people in this country to care about their health and to take care of themselves. Prevention is a great way for all of us to save a lot of money on healthcare costs. We need to do our best to eat right, exercise frequently, and to make sure we do everything else possible to keep our bodies healthy. For example, I am doing my part by writing this column which might put many of you to sleep. Sleep is vital to our health, so if you find yourself dozing off, you are welcome.

But seriously, the issue of healthcare is incredibly important, and with a presidential election coming up next year, prepare yourself to be bombarded with proposals to fix America’s healthcare system that are both good and bad. In the end, we need our elected leaders to comprimise on a program that will benefit us all – but dont hold your breath.

Prime Minister Erdogan told Secretary Rice that Turkey expected “speedy steps from the U.S.” to crack down on the Kurdish rebels. According to The AP, Rice expressed sympathy and asked for time to work on the problem.The Prime Minister said, “Our anger is great. We have the decisiveness to act on these events in cold-blood, and so we are determined.”

The Kurdistan Workers Party is an armed militant group founded in the 1970s based on Marxism-Leninism and Kurdish nationalism. The PKK’s goal is to create an independent, socialist, Kurdish state on the border areas between Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran. The PKK is known to be one of the most brutal terrorist groups in the Middle East, and has pledged that they will fight until they can reach that goal.

Last month, Turkey and Iraq signed an accord stating that they would cooperate with one another in resolving the terrorist attacks by the PKK against Turkish soldiers. However, the accord specifically said that Turkey could not cross over the border into Iraq in pursuit of the PKK, according to The AP.
Two weeks ago, Iraq sent their second in command to the Turkish capital, Ankara, in a last effort to talk the Turkish government out of a cross border military offense in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

However, on October 16, after additional attacks, the Turkish government received parliamentary authority to send troops into Iraq to hunt down the Kurdish separatists who have been staying in the mountains of northern Iraq across the Turkish border. The parliament overwhelmingly supported allowing troops to cross the border by a vote of 507-19.

“Numerous meetings, talks and memorandums of understanding and agreements have not brought about the elimination of this curse…the curse that we call terrorism is not an issue to end after a one season struggle. It needs continuity, decisiveness and precautions in many directions which we are trying to take,” said government spokesperson, Cemil Cicek.
While Turkey is an important ally for the United States in the ongoing war in Iraq, the U.S. government opposes Turkish invasion into Iraq to pursue the PKK because of the stress that it could put on an already troubled region. “The United States must realize the seriousness of this situation and Turkey’s determination to root out terrorism. Iraq has become a stomping ground for terrorism,” lawmaker Nihat
Ergun said last week.

Matthew Berg, associate professor of history at John Carroll University, said, “Turkish invasion of Kurd-dominated northern Iraq would be a dilemma for Washington.”
Berg continued, “Turkey has long been an important regional ally for the U.S. and a reliable NATO partner. The U.S. can hardly deny the Turkish government the right to defend its sovereignty and preserve its security against Kurdish separatists based in Iraq,” Berg said.

The rebel attacks have been at their worse and most intense as of late, which is why Turkey has been prompted to take such harsh actions. More then two-dozen Turkish civilians have been killed in the past couple of weeks, and the Turkish people are publicly showing their anger.
While action may not be immediate, Sunday’s attack may force the Turkish government’s hand. “With this incident, the arrow left the bow, and no room is left for the government to hesitate, postpone or fail to launch a cross border operation,” said Armagan Kuloglu, a retired Turkish general. If the government holds back from an offensive stance, he said, “such a step would endanger its existence and credibility.”

Gothaum was traveling from her hometown of New York City to Tuscon, Arizona when she was laid over in Phoenix. Having missed her 2:58 P.M. connecting flight, she began to argue with the on-duty gate attendant.

According to police reports, she became combative, and after nearly striking a person with her handheld PDA, left the gate area and entered the concourse. Witnesses say the police apprehended her there, struggling and screaming, “I am not a terrorist.”
Gothaum was placed in a holding room with her hands handcuffed behind her back and shackled to prevent her from moving from the bench. She continued to scream for another six to eight minutes, and then suddenly fell silent.

She was unconscious when the police checked on her. Phoenix police statements said, “initial information indicates that Ms. Gothaum had somehow worked the handcuffs to the front of her body, probably from under her legs, and had pulled the chain from the shackle across her neck area.” Attempts to revive Gothaum proved futile.
According to Phoenix police policy, detainees can be left in holding rooms alone, as long as they are checked on every 15 minutes. No security cameras are permitted inside the rooms in order to protect the individual’s privacy.

Gothaum was flying to Tuscon with the intention of entering an alcohol rehabilitation center. Her husband, Noah Gothaum, claims the situation was a “medical emergency,” not a case of “some lout whose just drank too much.” Nevertheless, toxicology tests were administered during the autopsy, but it could take several weeks to get the results.

Gothaum also is said to have called the airport several times within the course of the day to explain to the authorities the circumstances involving his wife, describing her as suicidal and telling authorities that she should not be left alone.
Sergeant Andy Hill of the Phoenix Police maintains that officers were not informed of Gothaum’s personal issues at the time of her arrest.

The police have not been made aware of any policy violations. According to CNN security analyst, Mike Brooks, “It looks like they did everything they could to calm her down, and then she was still combative. We didn’t see any use of any TASER, no pepper spray, and, in my opinion, no excessive force was used here.”

However, Michael Manning, a Phoenix lawyer representing the family, maintains, “the family has not reached a conclusion as to whether her care and treatment were inappropriate, but the circumstances were highly unusual.” Investigation of the death continues.
Gothaum claimed his wife’s body after the autopsy in Phoenix and returned her to New York for the funeral. They have three children.

The push by Democrats comes after House and Senate Republicans directed some members of the Democratic Party to vote to denounce an advertisement by MoveOn.org in The New York Times last month that referred to General David H. Petraeus as “General Betray Us.” Limbaugh isn’t just getting flack from Congressional Democrats.

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards also criticized Limbaugh’s comments. According to The Associated Press, Edwards called on Republicans to point the finger at Limbaugh in the same way they came down on Democrats after the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org ran the advertisement criticizing General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.

Edwards and the campaign of fellow Democrat Chris Dodd took issue with the radio talk show host’s characterization of Iraq war veterans who have spoken out against the war. Limbaugh was responding to a caller who argued that anti-war groups “never talk to real soldiers.”

According to The AP, Edwards stated that “All these Republicans went running to the mic and the TV cameras when MoveOn.org ran their ad about General Petraeus. Now let’s see if they really mean it. Let’s see if they’ll speak out against Rush Limbaugh. Let’s see if they’ll challenge him about men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States.”

Limbaugh has since said that the phone call conversation where the term “phony soldiers” was used occurred between himself and a current United States soldier and that he was referring only to one soldier: disgraced, convicted former Army soldier-turned antiwar-activist Jesse Macbeth.

Macbeth falsely claimed to have participated in war crimes in Iraq and received a Purple Heart, but in reality, he was discharged after only 44 days of service, never stepping foot in Iraq.

Macbeth was sentenced to five months in prison for fraudulently collecting more than $10,000 in benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to The AP.
United States conservatives have dominated talk radio and its ardent political debate, but Democrats have begun to fight back against popular radio hosts like Limbaugh who may play a role in the 2008 presidential election. Democrats are attacking the conservative radio host and believe that he has crossed the line with recent comments about anti-war soldiers and African Americans.

More than 40 congressional Democrats signed a letter sent to the liberal media watchdog organization, Media Matters, asking that Mr. Limbaugh’s remarks be renounced. Democrats also took to the Senate floor to demand an apology from Limbaugh for his remarks.

Krista Herald, a senior communications major at John Carroll University said, “The Senate should spent it’s time worrying about legislative business instead of criticizing a private citizen.”

According to The AP, Mark P. Mays, president of Clear Channel, the parent company of Limbaugh’s broadcast, responded to the letter where Democrats called on the network “to publicly repudiate” comments made by Limbaugh “that call into question the service and sacrifice of troops who oppose the war in Iraq.”

Mays also came to Limbaugh’s aid by telling Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that while he isn’t certain who Limbaugh was referring to when he used the term “phony soldiers,” the radio talk show host does have a long history of supporting U.S. troops.

A liberal group known as Media Matters has started a rumor about Limbaugh claiming he is anti-military because he used the term “phony soldiers” on his program. Media Matters says that he was calling all U.S. military personnel who disagree with the Iraq war as phony soldiers. That is not true.

Limbaugh was referring to a man by the name of Jesse MacBeth. MacBeth joined the U.S. Army, but was thrown out of basic training after 44 days. MacBeth then went on to join a group called Iraq Veterans against the war, claiming to be an Army Ranger that earned a Purple Heart. This liar was eventually busted and was prosecuted for his work.
Media Matters knows what Limbaugh was saying, but they willingly took his words out of context to try and hurt him and his career. That is what these types of pathetic people do. Remember the Moveon.org attack of General David Petraeus calling him “General Betray-us?” This is the same type of organization and they are even funded by the same people. Go figure.

Now, it’s bad enough that these disgusting Web sites exist, but it is even more disturbing when the mainstream media and even prominent politicians uses sites like Media Matters as a credible source of information. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is perhaps the worst leader in America, took to the Senate floor to denounce Rush Limbaugh over this hoopla.

Allow me to remind you that Congress’s approval ratings are in the teens, and it’s very easy to see why. The Senate is wasting the tax payers time and money to debate a radio talk show host. It is no coincidence that they would do something this stupid.
The Democrats in Congress are extremely frustrated that they have not been able to really do anything of substance since they took control last November. They think that they won a majority to end the Iraq war, but President Bush has owned them on that subject consistently. The only real power that Congress has to end the war is to cut off funding, and the Democrats are too cowardly to take such a drastic step.

In the meantime, they decide it is smart to go after someone like Rush Limbaugh. It is very rare for Senators to attack a civilian like this, but their impotence compels them to act immaturely.

If Senator Harry Reid really cared about people who talk ill of the military and our brave troops, perhaps he should start with some within his own party who have made some very disturbing comments regarding the armed forces.
For instance, fellow Democratic Senator Dick Durbin compared the way our military detains prisoners to that of the Nazis and the Soviet Union. Barack Obama said recently of the situation in Iraq, “We’ve got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we’re not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there.” We are not air-raiding villages senator.
Remember last year when John Kerry told a group of people that if they do not study hard they will end up stuck in Iraq? Or what about Congressman John Murtha, who accused Marines of “cold blooded murder” in Haditha, Iraq before an investigation even took place.
By the way, not one Marine has been convicted in that case and Murtha has not apologized for his comments. And finally, Harry Reid himself would not even condemn the attack ad on General Petraeus, so does that make him a hypocrite? I’ll let you make up your own mind.

I could give you numerous more examples of people in Congress denigrating the troops, but Harry Reid is more worried about a radio talk show host.
Let me give Mr. Reid some advice, stop wasting the American public’s time on something you picked up from a Web site. I realize the people behind those sites are who contribute to you and run your party, but have a little backbone and stand up to their tactics. Even television news legend Ted Koppel was disturbed by the Senate discussing Limbaugh’s comments. He recently said that if this is the most constructive issue our Senators have to talk about, then “God help us.”

One kid said he couldn’t make up his mind about who is a bigger terrorist, George Bush or Osama bin Laden. The other guy wrote a column with a headline “Taser this…F— Bush.” To write stuff like that makes you an idiot, a proverbial mental midget, and if that offends you, I couldn’t care less.
Want more proof? This week Columbia University, one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the United States, allowed the president of Iran to speak on their campus. Yes, they actually invited a terrorist to use them as a propaganda tool. Some say letting him speak is good for dialogue. I consider it giving needed attention to someone who does not deserve it. It me reminds of when some drunk screwball runs onto a pro baseball field. Usually, the camera never shows them because that would just reward their obnoxious behavior.

No institution run by conservatives would ever allow an enemy of America to spew their venomous rhetoric. Remember, President Ahmadinejad (pronounced Ahk-may-de-nah-jad not Ahm-in-luv-wit-jihad you wiseguys) denies the Holocaust and wants Israel wiped off the map. His government is also funding terror groups around the world and has sent money and weapons into Iraq to harm American soldiers. By the way, a dean from Columbia also said recently that they would have invited Adolf Hitler to speak as well. I think that says it all right there.

Luckily, we go to a school like John Carroll which is not so incredibly left-wing that wearing a Bush/Cheney shirt around campus won’t get you spit on. You might think that sounds crazy but trust me, doing something like that at an Ivy League school is a dangerous endeavor. Although, it could also be fun if you feel like beating up someone who thinks they are smarter than you. Don’t get me wrong, we do have our fair share of opinionated left-wingers on campus here. I remember last year in the bottom floor of the Administration building there was a rather large sign that read “Impeach Bush.” There are also occasional anti-war protests at JCU where the five people who show up listen to themselves rant and rave about everything wrong with America.

It’s fun to mess with people like that sometimes. All you really have to do is say certain buzzwords that just drive liberals crazy. For example, Fox News is always a good one, and Halliburton works well, too. Want to see some real fireworks, tell them you wish Dick Cheney would be president, you better stand back because their heads are liable to explode.

But seriously, if you are a Conservative out there do not be ashamed of your beliefs. Speak up for what you believe in even if you are surrounded by close-minded people who think you are a war-mongering bigoted homophobe who wants to take from the needy and give to the greedy. Prove to them that is not wrong to believe in policies like fiscal responsibility, the sanctity of marriage, smaller government, and strong foreign policy led by diplomacy but backed up by the use of the best military in the world if need be.
To their credit, most professors at John Carroll are very good at not using their pulpit in the classroom to influence and brainwash students to their own personal political ideology. I have yet to have an instructor who was an extremist on either side of the aisle. That is a good thing. But good and constructive conversations about very important world events do take place in classrooms. It is very important for us young people to partake in responsible debate about this dangerous would in which we currently find ourselves.

So next time you are involved in such a debate, or overhear others having a political discussion, speak up and use facts and intelligent arguments to lay the smackdown on the opposition. Don’t resort to personal attacks or other sleezy tactics so commonly used by Kool-Aid drinkers who cannot think for themselves. All the while, wear the badge of conservatism proudly and let your words represent everything good, right, and just that it stands for.

“Jena is not just Jena; there is a Jena everywhere,” said civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson at a news conference in Chicago.

Jena is a small town with a population of about 3,000, whose existence had been all but unknown on a national level prior to the past 10 months. It is now famous for a string of incidents, the results of which are a slew of protests and heightened racial conflict.

In August of last year, a black student asked for an administrator’s permission to sit under a certain school tree, a tree which was reputed by unspoken rule to be “reserved” for white students. The administrator told the student that he could sit wherever he wanted, so he and his friends sat under the tree.

The next day there were nooses hanging from the branches, set up by white students at the school.
When the students were discovered, the principal advocated expulsion for them. The recommendation was overturned by the school board, the students were instead sent to alternative schools for a month, and afterwards, they served two weeks of in-school suspension.

The “white tree” has since been cut down. The incident became merely the first in a string of racially charged episodes to occur in the span of the next few months.

The events to follow included a case of arson at Jena High and a dispute over a shotgun at a convenience store.

On December 4 of last year, Justin Barker, a white student, was attacked by Robert Bailey, Jr., who was also 17, and five other black students after Barker allegedly taunted Bailey.

He received multiple wounds, including a concussion and temporary vision loss and was hospitalized as a result.

However, he was able to leave the same day to participate in a school ceremony.

The black teenagers, now dubbed “The Jena Six,” were charged with attempted second-degree murder as a result of the attack, in which they are facing several years in prison.

Five were tried as adults, having been at least 16 years old at the time of the fight.

The legal adult age in Louisiana is 17. The sixth was tried as a juvenile, having been 14 at the time of the fight.

The charges for four of the older five were eventually reduced to conspiracy and aggravated second-degree battery, according to The Associated Press.

Mychal Bell, who was 16 at the time of the fight and had a previous criminal record, was convicted of these charges when tried as an adult.

The conviction was later overturned on the premise that he should have been tried as a juvenile. However, he still remains in prison because he was denied bail in Juvenile Court.

In the meantime, a wave of protests has swept the country, drawing in support for the Jena Six from across the nation and even from abroad.

Last Thursday, a demonstration to protest Bell’s sentence occurred in Jena itself, numbering in the tens of thousands to dwarf the population of the town.

People packed the streets in a journey to the LaSalle Parish Courthouse where Bell’s trial took place, according to The AP.

They wore black T-shirts and chanted “No justice, no peace” in unison to show their support. Businesses and schools shut down for the protest as well.

Among the main things stressed as objectives was the need for peace in protest.

“No violence,” Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist, told protesters, according to The Shreveport Times. “Not even an angry word. They will try to provoke you. You have to stand strong.”

Rev. Valentino Lassiter, a religious studies professor at John Carroll University, commented on a televised rally that he had seen. “It was a very symbolic reminiscence of something you would have seen in the 50’s and 60’s, an insistence that we not go back,” he said.

Despite the unwavering support for the Jena Six in light of the past year’s events, Lassiter voiced concerns that still abound about the nation’s progress against racism.

“There’s a fear of resurgence, of racism in given areas,” Lassiter said. “We still have much work to do.
The enlightenments of the 60’s appear to be waning, and the country needs a reminder of the hard work and unified efforts made for equality.”

He joins past anti-American leaders, such as Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and Cuban President Fidel Castro, in creating a storm by visiting the U.S.. Ahmadinejad is no doubt used to causing a stir.

As the leader of the nation with one of the most contentious nuclear program in the world, as well as a holocaust-denier who has made calls to “wipe Israel off the map,” Ahmadinejad’s name is never far from the headlines.

While his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, the same day as that of President Bush, will no doubt make the news regardless of what is said, it is the 50-year-old president’s plans for the rest of the trip that have succeeded in raising tensions in the already volatile American-Iranian relationship, according to The Associated Press.

The controversy first began when President Ahmadinejad expressed a desire to visit Ground Zero, the site of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and lay a wreath at the spot. When news of this request broke there was no shortage of highly emotional reactions from Americans.

The thought of the president of a country, which is accused of being a terrorist supporter, visiting the site of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history seemed inconceivable to many, according to The AP.
Nor did many prominent politicians fail to make their feelings known. Then mayor of New York City, and current Republican presidential candidate, Rudy Giuliani objected to the act said, “this is a man who has made threats against America and Israel, is harboring bin Laden’s son and other al-Qaeda leaders, is shipping arms to Iraqi insurgents and is pursuing the development of nuclear weapons.”

Democratic presidential front-runner, and New York senator, Hillary Clinton echoed those sentiments said, “It is unacceptable for [Ahmadinejad], who refuses to renounce and end his own country’s support of terrorism, to visit the site of the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil in our nation’s history.”

Ahmadinejad’s request was subsequently turned down by the New York Police Department because of concerns about security risks, and due to the ongoing construction of the World Trade Center Memorial. Ahmadinejad said he would not press the issue. That was not the only of Ahmadinejad’s intentions to rouse public opinion. The president was also invited, and accepted the invitation to speak at New York’s Columbia University on Monday before his speech to the U.N. General Assembly, according to The AP.

The question and answer forum has been the subject of debate since the university extended the invitation. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg did not attend.
Columbia President Lee Bollinger has defended the invitation, and resisted calls for its withdrawal, said that Columbia “is committed to confronting ideas – to understand the world as it is and as it might be.” Many students agree that Ahmadinejad deserves the right to speak, even though some plan to protest the event. “He’s a leader of a large nation and what he says is important, even if it’s wrong,” said Columbia University graduate student, Dmitry Zakharov.

Bollinger lambaisted the Iranian leader in a scathing introduction on Monday. “Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator,” Bollinger said to applause from many of the 600 people in the room for a speech from the Iranian leader, according to the Associated Press.

John Carroll Univeristy history professor Hong-Ming Liang said he would not invite Ahmadinejad to speak alone, but would support an invitation where the president could “explain his views…on a panel with others,” where his views could be challenged and debated. It must be done “respectfully and openly,” he said, to show “how seriously we take to the ideals of free speech, liberty, and civil discourse.”
On Tuesday, while speaking at the U.N., Ahmadinejad announced that “the nuclear issue of Iran is now closed,” and indicated that Tehran will disregard U.N. Security Council resolutions imposed by “arrogant powers” and demanding suspension of its uranium enrichment.

The lawsuit which was filed in the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan indicates that the 75-year-old Texan investigative journalist is suing CBS for violating his contract, as well as destroying his reputation, according to The Associated Press.

In 2004, before the presidential election, the then “60 Minutes” correspondent aired a story alleging that President Bush received preferential treatment in the Texas Air National Guard during his tour of duty at the time of the Vietnam War, according to The Baltimore Sun.

CBS retracted the story after key documents alleging Bush’s treatment could not be authenticated.

Shortly after the segment known as “Memogate” aired, Rather publicly apologized on the “CBS Evening News” regarding this incident. According to The Washington Post, Rather said, “I didn’t want to apologize.”
“It’s strange that with his reputation at stake he would allow a studio representative, not a journalist, to write his apology,” said Richard Hendrickson, professor of communications at John Carroll University. “It’s astounding.”

Regarding Rather’s on-air apology, Hendrickson said that “admitting he read something on air that was false, and he knew to be false is discouraging. He’s doing harm to reporters.”

Despite the seemingly personal apology, Rather was removed as anchor of the ‘CBS Evening News’ the following year, reports the Washington Post.
He continued reporting for the weekly news program ‘60 Minutes,’ but was dumped by CBS in June 2006 after 44 years with the network. He said they offered him no assignments, according to The AP.

More discouraging than Rather’s on-air and now withdrawn apology, is how he will be remembered as a journalist. For decades, he shared the spotlight with other notable anchors such as Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings.

His legacy includes him being among the most watched and recognizable journalists in America after taking over for the legendary Walter Cronkite at CBS in 1982.

However, is ratings continued to decline througout his tenure.

Now Rather anchors an obscure cable channel weekly news program on HDNet.

The notion of why Rather wants to rehash his fatal fall into obscurity some 15 months after leaving CBS is most likely the main question on the minds of journalists today.

According to The Baltimore Sun, Rather’s main motive for the suit is to “make a stand and say democracy cannot survive, much less thrive, with the level of big corporate and big government interference and intimidation in news.”

But individuals question this motive since he is seeking such an astronomical sum of money from the network.

Instead, it is believed that Rather is merely out for revenge towards those that contributed to his tarnished reputation and downfall.

“Many of his friends think he has lost it, that he has allowed his resentment at Leslie Moonves and other CBS executives who sent him packing last year to overwhelm his good judgement,” reports The Washington Post. “They believe that he is engaging in revisionist history, forgetting that the network backed him until its lines of defense
crumbled.”

The light in which Rather just recently cast himself under is now one of negativity.

He continues to believe in the accuracy of his story.
He has gone as far as to say that he has hired a team of people with “money out of my own pocket,” to investigate the network’s handling of the Bush story.

“He diminished his stature,” said Hendrickson. “It worries me…is he becoming an advocate rather than a journalist?”

He went on to ask why Kerry did not contest the 2004 presidential election, and why there had been no moves to impeach President Bush.

Bystanders claim that Kerry started to make an attempt to answer the questions. However, Meyer’s microphone was then shut off and police started grabbing and pulling him away, according to The AP.
Meyer asked “What did I do?” as he was frantically being constrained. “Don’t tase me, bro!” he said as he continued to argue with the officers.
Meyer was shot with a taser gun not too long after he began speaking.Many students, staff and officials are outraged and confused with the situation.

Students have been speaking out and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently investigating the UPD’s use of the taser gun and whether or not their actions were appropriate for the situation.

Meyer is now facing a third-degree felony and a second-degree misdemeanor.
According to the University of Florida Web site, the charges could eventually mean up to 5 years in prison and various fines up to $5,000. Not only are students at the University of Florida outraged with the situation, but it has made headlines around the nation. Many people are arguing whether or not tasering Meyer was the right course of action.
“I think that he deserved it,” said Chris Simon, a sophomore at John Carroll University. “He was out of control, it seemed like the only way to control him.”
To try and help with the situation, several University of Florida students staged a march on Tuesday at 1:00 on the Plaza of the Americas.

Tina Steiger, a UF student who helped organize the march, spoke to Kim Wilmath, a writer for the Florida Alligator.
Steiger told her that during the march, students would demand that UPD drop all charges against Meyer, immediately suspend the officers involved in his arrest, and remove all taser guns from campus.
Meyer has become an overnight celebrity. Videos of the entire event that involved Meyer, the UPD, and the tasering, grace the web pages of youtube.com, becoming one of the most popular reality videos.

Several other Web sites have been formed solely to tell Meyer’s story, according The AP.
Toby Turner, a classmate and friend of Meyer, invented a remix of Meyer’s now infamous phrase “Don’t tase me bro!” Turner added beats to the phrase to ultimately make a 44 second remix to try to raise money for Meyer’s legal defense fund.Turner also made and marketed “Don’t tase me” T-shirts for the same cause.

He also admitted to MTV news writer, James Montgomery that he has not yet spoken to Meyer since the incident, so he is not even sure if Meyer has heard the remix. He hopes he thinks it is funny.

The $850,000 is the largest sum ever returned by a candidate because of questionable fund-raising methods. Businessman and Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu is responsible for the interest and inquiries into Clinton’s monetary policies.

Paul’s felony charges led to Clinton returning a $2,000 contribution that he had made to her campaign. Attorney of the Clintons, David Kendall has said that “Mr. Paul, as a three-time convicted felon, has no credibility…He is the Picasso of con artists,” according to The WSJ.

Regardless of accusations of foul play, the image of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party will most likely not take as detrimental of a hit as the scandals that have plagued the Republican party over the past year.

The latest of the Republican scandals includes Idaho Senator Larry Craig being accused of soliciting sex in a men’s room in a Minneapolis airport.
Regarding the Hsu-Clinton matter, Larry Schwab, professor of political science at John Carroll University said, “It’ll hurt a little bit. It’s the last thing they would want to happen, but in the long run it won’t have too much of an impact on the results of the primaries.”

This impending primary election is very important to the Democratic party. Frustration from the American public towards Republicans is higher than it has been in decades.

This dissatisfaction was prominent in the 2006 election, where the Democrats took control of the House and Senate. The war in Iraq, along with highly publicized scandles like the one involving Mark Foley, were disasterous for the Republican Party. According to The AP.

As the Democratic front-runner for that party’s nomination, Hillary Clinton will continue to be a lighting-rod for criticism from critics from all sides of the political spectrum. Fellow Demcratic presidental nominee Barack Obama has a strategy of continual reiteration towards Senator Clinton’s vote in favor of the Iraq war.

The Illinois candidate who was recently endorsed by media conglomerate Oprah Winfrey, has yet to bridge the gap with his competitor in political polls despite Clinton’s vote for the war and her ties to Norman Hsu. Winfrey recently held a star-studded fundraiser for Obama which banked more than $3 million for his campaign.

However, even with the publicity boost from Oprah and other high-profile celebs, Clinton still holds a commanding lead in the polls.

“Most candidates won’t hold this against her,” says Schwab, of the Hsu fund-raising matter. “They’ll continue their own strategies.” In fact, within the last two months political polls have shown that Clinton has actually stopped Obama’s rise and reversed it, said Schwab. “It’s going to be competitive, but Senator Clinton is the front runner.”

General Petraeus believes that the situation in Iraq is extremely complex and sometimes even frustrating.

Nonetheless, he believes that it is still very possible to achieve the objectives planned in Iraq; however it will not be easy and it will take some time.

In a joint meeting of the House Foreign Affairs and House Armed Services committees, Petraeus laid out his vision for reducing U.S. troop levels, beginning this month. He said the recent buildup of U.S. troops has lead to good results and that he predicts a transition to Iraqi security control. However, he does not guarantee that this will be a success.

In the testimony before Congress, Petraeus said that, “The fundamental source of the conflict in Iraq is competition among ethnic and sectarian communities for power and resources.

“This competition will take place, and its resolution is key to producing long-term stability in the new Iraq. The question is whether the competition takes place more or less violently.”

According to The Associated Press, the main points of General Petraeus’ testimony to Congress were met with extensive agreement among soldiers. It seems that the American troop buildup is working. It also seems that Petraeus solidified President Bush’s support among Republicans in Congress.

Few Democrats expressed anger that Moveon.org, an anti-war group, placed an ad in The New York Times, titled “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” that criticized Petraeus on the day of his first appearance before Congress.

The strain on the military, with thousands of troops having served multiple combat tours, helped “inform” Petraeus’ decision to recommend to President Bush that force levels be reduced. Petraeus’ plan calls for troop reductions to begin this month, according to The AP.

The plan Petraeus outlined is predicted to leave at least 130,000 American troops in Iraq through next summer.

Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces have achieved progress in the security arena.

In his testimony, Petraeus said that he could have waited until April to start sending home the five Army brigades that constituted the bulk of President Bush’s troop buildup.

However, the main reason Petraeus chose to start the drawdown earlier was because he recognized the enormous strain that the troop buildup has placed on troops and their families yet, Petraeus believes that the progress our American forces have achieved with the Iraqi counterparts has been quite substantial.

“I thought Petraeus was sincere, professional and composed inlight of all the negative press,” said Sarah Schiavoni, professor of political science at John Carroll University.Petraeus plans to build upon the security developments the troops and Iraqi counterparts have fought to accomplish in recent months.

Petraeus also stresses the importance of securing the population and the vital transitioning of responsibilities to Iraqi institutions and Iraqi forces.
As for political implications of Petraeus’ testimony, Schiovoni said, “I think John McCain wants more troops and Petraeus’ testimony validates McCain’s knowledge of foreign relations. Petraeus’ testimony is going to greatly help McCain’s campaign.”

The grandson of a former prime minster and son of a foreign minister Shinzo Abe looked like a reasonable choice to succeed the immensely popular, reform-minded showman Junichiro Koizumi.

Having held previous government positions, and riding the wave of popularity of his predecessor, Shinzo Abe took control of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Sept. 20, 2006, and was elected prime minister six days later, according to The Associated Press.

Vowing to carry on the reforms begun by Mr. Koizumi, and even restoring relations with Japan’s long-time rival China, Shinzo Abe’s term as prime minister began on a high note. This early success would not last.
Doubts surfaced early about Mr. Abe’s competence as a politician when scandal and public furor began to plague his cabinet. Even before his highly publicized trip to meet with prime minister of China, Abe’s minister for deregulation was forced to resign amid accusations about fraudulent expenses.

His health minister then aroused public anger when he referred to women as “breeding machines.” These incidents were only the beginning of Shinzo Abe’s ministerial woes.

Mr. Abe’s agricultural minister committed suicide when he became embroiled in a financial scandal, and the next two men he appointed to the post would both go on to resign as they became involved in financial and political funding scandals of their own. A June 4 survey in the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun showed that the support for Abe and his government had fallen by half, from 60 percent to 30 percent since his September election, according to The AP.

One more minister would find himself in hot water before Shinzo Abe’s cabinet struggles abated. This time, Abe’s defense minister enraged the public and politicians on all sides by making remarks that seemed to justify the United States dropping the atomic bomb on Japan at the end of World War II. He would resign shortly thereafter. The miserable term of Shinzo Abe did not, however, end there.

Public anger would once again be focused on Abe when it came to light that his government had lost 50 million pension records. Had he come out on the offensive against the pensions agency, the issue may not have caused Abe so much harm.

Instead, he tried to cover it up, and when the situation was finally exposed, Abe claimed he did not understand why it caused so much anger. Gerald Curtis of Columbia University in New York called the issue “Abe’s Hurricane Katrina.”

The final blow against Shinzo Abe and his government would come at the hands of the Japanese people.

Enraged by the incompetence of their government, Japanese voters took to the polls on July 29. In elections for half of the seats in the upper house of Japan’s Parliament, Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party was handed its worst electoral defeat since its foundation in 1955.

The LDP lost its majority in the upper house in a parliament that it has dominated almost continually for more than 50 years. Abe vowed to soldier on and remain prime minister, despite his humiliating defeat.

However, on Sept. 12, Shinzo Abe bowed to the pressure and resigned as Prime Minister of Japan, thus ending one of the most unimpressive political terms in recent memory.

Roger Purdy, who is the coordinator of East Asian Studies at John Carroll University, said Abe’s difficulties come from the fact that he’s not as charismatic as his predecessor and that he lacked power base within his own party.He went on to say that Abe was a new young figure who was supposed to heal all wounds but instead caused them.

Continental Airlines, Governor Ted Strickland and Mayor Frank Jackson announced that a $50 million expansion was under way, as well as a capacity increase through the next two years.

“Continental Airlines is making a significant investment in the City of Cleveland and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport,” said Jackson. “This strategic investment is designed to maximize Cleveland’s assets, create a positive environment for business, and serve as a vehicle for tourism to the entire Cleveland Plus region.”

The investment will be funded, in part, by the state of Ohio, which has promised $16 million from a combination of sources such as tax credits, grants and loans.

State officials used this money as a financial incentive for Continental Airlines in order to attract the business expansion to Cleveland, rather than to other possible candidates such as Newark, NJ, or Houston, TX, where the airline is based.

The expected changes include the addition of 50, mostly regional flights, and 20 nonstop destinations by this summer. In the year following that, there will be several additional mainline flights added to expand the global route network, according to The Associated Press.Also, new ticketing and passenger reception areas will be added.

“I think it’s a good thing overall because it provides an improvement in transportation both to and from Cleveland,” said Thomas Zlatoper, professor of economics and finance at John Carroll University. “By making it more convenient to come to Cleveland, it should enhance our area’s image elsewhere.”

Cleveland is Continental Airline’s Midwestern base, currently employing about 2,000 people. Along with the approval of a 10-year tax credit for Continental in July, the whole proposed project can be expected to add 711 full-time Ohio jobs. With the tax credit, the jobs would pay $24.76 per hour on average, beginning in January.

The credit would be conditional to the maintenance of Continental’s extra operations for 20 years.

“Obviously, we’ll see more people working,” said Dennis Roche, president of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland, according to The Plain Dealer. “It also makes us more attractive as a destination because we’ll be more accessible. It’s one good thing layered on another.”

Christopher Rodgers, the director of strategic development at Erie International Airport said, “When a hub grows, it is good for all the spokes that feed into it.. When a hub gets bigger, it creates additional connecting opportunities.”

These connecting opportunities include the possibility of the Erie airport being linked to the New York market. They have long wanted to be connected to bigger ports such as the Continental Branch in Newark.
However, Newark’s airport has always had too much traffic to take on more routes.

The Cleveland port’s expansion will likely be the thing to relieve Newark traffic so that Newark will add more routes and expand to the Erie port.
It will mean an overall expansion of business to affected ports because the increased capacity in the Cleveland area will be better able to satisfy the demand for flight connections.

If you guessed those were President Bush’s words – you’d be wrong. Those are not even the words of a Republican, those were spoken by Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

She supported the war at one point, voted to give the president the authority to use force back in 2002, and bragged when we captured Saddam Hussein.

Now she is against the war, and has even voted to de-fund our troops while they are still in harms way.

We were once united as a nation at war, however now, divisive politics have made this country more polarized than I have ever seen it.

The war in Iraq has not gone the way we wanted to, and by we, I mean people like me who want the United States to win over there.

Unfortunately, there are many people in this country who are actively rooting for us to lose this war. To me, that’s treason.

Those people want us to lose because they have a hatred for President Bush and want him humiliated. Moreover, they want a Democrat to win the White House next year at any cost, even if that means us being handed a defeat to al-Qaeda.

Senator Harry Reid, a Democrat and Majority Leader in the Senate said earlier thisyear that the war is lost.

There’s nothing like telling your military that they have lost while they continue to put their lives on the line. Not to mention giving the enemy a moral boost. The Democratic Party seems to have an identity crisis. There seems to be a contest to see who can be the most against the war.

Last week, the commander of all U.S. military personnel in Iraq, General David Petraeus, reported to Congress about the state of the war. In January, General Petraeus implemented a policy of sending more U.S. troops into Iraq temporarily to stop the violence that gripped the country in 2006. The “surge” as it has come to be known, reached full strength only in June, and has already shown great success in defeating terrorism throughout Iraq.

Anbar Province, which is basically the entire western half of Iraq, was once considered lost to the insurgents. Now, after an extra 4,000 marines went in there and did what they do, Anbar is almost completely pacified. In Baghdad, a city of around eight million, most areas have been cleared as terrorists have either been captured, killed, or have fled.

This is not my assessment of the surge, this is what General Petraeus told Congress. And how was he repaid for his great service of this country? A liberal group called Moveon.org put out a full page ad in The New York Times on the first day of the general’s testimony calling him “General Betray Us.”

Moveon.org is a prime example of those who have politicized this war, and they have done it in the most disgusting way possible by spitting on an American war hero who has earned in his decorated military career the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Defense Superior Service Medal, four awards of the Legion of Merit, and a Bronze Star.

Every politician, on both sides of the aisle, should have denounced this personal attack, however not one Democrat presidential candidate would do so. Not one.

To me, that is considered guilt by association. If you don’t condemn it, you must agree with it. And any person who would smear the leader of our troops in a theater of battle who did not deserve it, does not deserve my vote to be the Commander-in-Chief. Our military deserves better – America deserves better.

According to The Associated Press, the charges against Simpson will include robbery with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary with a firearm, which are all felonies, said Las Vegas Police Captain James Dillon. More charges could be brought against him, he said. Police said two firearms and other evidence were seized at a private residence early Sunday.

Simpson, 60, has said he and other people with him were retrieving items that belonged to him. Simpson has said there were no guns involved and that he went to the room at the casino only to get stolen mementos that included his Hall of Fame certificate and a picture of the running back with J. Edgar Hoover.

Simpson was reportedly very cooperative as he was taken into custody. At least one other person has been arrested and police said Sunday that as many as six people could be arrested in connection with the alleged armed robbery that occurred in a room inside the Palace Station casino-hotel on Thursday, according to The AP.

Besides his impressive football career, O.J. Simpson is also well known for his 1995 trial after being charged with the double murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Simpson was eventually acquitted in one of the most famous trials of the last century.

He was later found liable in civil court and was ordered to pay the families of those killed $30 million dollars, which he has yet to pay off. A judge ordered Simpson be held without bail, police said. If convicted of the booking charges, Simpson would face up to 30 years in state prison on each robbery count alone.
“He is facing a lot of time,” said Clark County District Attorney David Roger. Simpson’s arrest came just days after the Goldman family published a book that Simpson had written under the title, “If I Did It” about how he would have committed the killings of his ex-wife and Goldman had he actually done it. After a deal for Simpson to publish it fell through, a federal bankruptcy judge awarded the book’s rights to the Goldman family, who retitled it “If I Did It: The Confessions of the Killer.”

During the weekend, the book was the hottest seller in the country, hitting No. 1 on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com, according to The AP.  “I think he will probably get away with it,” said John Carroll University student Sarah Bals. “He should have gotten busted the first time.”

The children were used as decoys to get the car through a military checkpoint in Baghdad.

Speaking at a news briefing at the Pentagon, Maj. Gen. Michael D. Barbero, deputy director for regional operations at the Joint Staff, said American soldiers had stopped the car at the checkpoint but had allowed it to pass after seeing the two children in the back seat, according to The NY Times.

“Children in the back seat lower suspicion,” he said, according to a transcript.
“We let it move through. They parked the vehicle. The adults run out and detonate it with the children in back.”

A French news agency, quoting an unidentified American military official, said the bombers parked the vehicle across the street from a school then ran away, leaving the children inside.

The blast killed the children and three other innocent bystanders and wounded seven others, the official said.

The new American-led security plan has placed military checkpoints all over Baghdad.

These checkpoints search nearly every vehicle that goes through them for explosives and other suspicious materials, according to The NY Times.

It is not known whether the children in the car knew of their participation in this bombing.

There have been many documented cases of children actively participating in suicide bombings in Palestinian territories.

However, this seems to be a new tactic used in the Iraq War.

The enemy in Iraq has also added chlorine gas to its arsenal of weapons.

The gas, which is considered a weapon of mass destruction, was first introduced to warfare in the First World War.

It causes severe irritation of the eyes, throat and lungs, and also burns the skin on contact.

Lt. Col. McGibony (Ret), who is a professor of military science at John Carroll University said, “One of the challenges the U.S. military faces in today’s combat environment is that opposing forces do not follow conventional methods of fighting.”

“They also don’t adhere to international laws of warfare, such as those governed by the Geneva Convention.”

“The U.S. and other coalition military forces, on the other hand, are trained to follow the laws of war and to follow what are called ‘Rules of Engagement.’”

McGibony adds that, “The U.S. military adapts counter-terrorist measures to try and minimize the effectiveness of the insurgents’ fighting style.”

“The insurgents in turn try to develop new methods of surprise and terror, such as increasing the lethality of their IEDs or selecting higher profile target areas such as religious shrines or public markets.”

He went on to say, “In any case, the U.S. military has continually incorporated into its training the concept of ‘expecting the unexpected.’”

“While standard procedures have been developed for standard situations, military service personnel are constantly trained and tested to think creatively and to assume a position of leadership when needed.”

According to The Associated Press, more than 350 Iraqi civilians and six U.S. troops were treated for exposure to the gas in the Anbar Province in western Iraq.

Another suicide bombing, south of Fallujah caused 250 civilians to show signs of exposure, including seven children.

Aside from the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed also claimed responsibility for the planning, financing and training of others for terrorist attacks ranging from the 1993 attack at the World Trade Center to the attempt by would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid to blow a trans-Atlantic flight with explosives hidden in his shoes.

In all, Mohammed said he was responsible for planning 29 individual attacks, many of which were never executed. Some of these potential attacks were assassinating Pope John Paul II, former President Bill Clinton and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

The Pentagon also released transcripts of hearings of Abu Faraj al-Libi and Ramzi Binalshibh according to the Associated Press. Both men were heavily involved in the 9/11 attacks.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured by the United States in March of 2003.

He was photographed shortly thereafter wearing a wide-necked white T-shirt, he was unshaven, and his hair messed up.

Following his arrest, KSM, as he is known, disappeared into the world of secret CIA prisons around the world. His testimony during this tribunal is his first public statement since his capture.

He is still considered one of the highest level Al-Qaeda terrorists captured since the beginning of the War on Terrorism. Many people in the United States have protested the ways that the military and CIA have interrogated terrorists captured overseas.

The alleged use of torture is a particularly touchy subject. President Bush insists that we do not torture detainees in custody.

Some controversial forms of interrogation that have been used have been sleep deprivation, playing loud music, and something called waterboarding.

The Central Intelligence Agency has denied it uses torture. “The agency’s terrorist interrogation program has been conducted lawfully, with great care and close review, producing vital information that has helped disrupt plots and save lives,” spokesman Paul Gimigliano said according to the Associated Press.

Some U.S. officials claim that KSM may have exaggerated during his courtroom testimony.

“I have never known a criminal –either terrorist or otherwise–that didn’t exaggerate,” said Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, a former FBI agent and top Republican on the terrorism panel of the House Intelligence Committee.

According to the 9/11 Commission, during an interrogation that took place following his capture, KSM originally envisioned an attack on America far worse than what actually took place on September 11, 2001.

Mohammed wanted, “a total of ten aircrafts to be hijacked, nine of which would crash into targets on both coasts–they included those eventually hit on September 11 plus CIA and FBI headquarters, nuclear power plants, and the tallest buildings in California and the state of Washington.”

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed currently remains in the Custody of the United States at the terrorist detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Obama went to his home state to make the announcement, according to The Associated Press.

“Lets transform this nation,” he told an estimated crowd of 15,000 to 17,000 people.

“I know I haven’t spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I’ve been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change,” Obama said, referring to critics who say his two years in the Senate makes him too inexperienced to seek the White House.

Obama, who is only 45-years- old, is the youngest of all the candidates seeking the Democratic nomination.

A relatively unknown politician two years ago, Obama has surged onto the scene becoming one of the most prominent Democrats in Washington.

However, he still is believed to have an uphill battle trying to defeat political veterans like current frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Only a year ago, Obama said that he would not seek his party’s nomination for president and that the very question itself was ‘silly.’

His announcement came on the steps of the same building where Abraham Lincoln stood in 1858 and launched his unsuccessful bid for a United States Senate seat.

Obama’s use of Lincoln’s legacy was no coincidence, according to The AP.

“We can build a more hopeful America. And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you to announce my candidacy for President of the United States,” Obama said.

During his 20 minute speech, Obama spoke of reshaping the economy, investing in education, protecting employee benefits and insuring those who do not have health care.

He also spoke of ending poverty, weaning America off our dependency on foreign oil and fighting terrorism while also rebuilding alliances around the world, according to The AP.

“I think Obama is a strong candidate. One of his strengths is his ability to appeal to a large number of people with a strong positive image,” said Larry Schwab, professor of political science at John Carroll University.

“Obama also has the advantage of having opposed the Iraq War from the beginning. His main problems are his lack of experience, (a Senator for only two years), and the possibility that some Americans might vote against him because he is an African-American.”

He also took the chance to discuss the war in Iraq, saying that it would be his first priority to bring the troops home.

“It’s time to admit that no amount of American lives can resolve the political disagreement that lies at the heart of someone else’s civil war,” he said.

The Obama for President campaign already has its grassroots and netroots geared up.

Obama has an official Web site online where supporters can go and donate money.

And as a way to reach out to young people, the popular Web site facebook.com has numerous groups that its members can join to show their support for Barack Obama.

One already has more than 58,000 members.

Obama understands that his age, race, experience and even his name will all play a role in his bid for the presidency, according to The AP.

The primary goal of this money would be to help beef up the Afghan security forces before the annual spring uprising of the Taliban.

Since the U.S. successfully invaded that country in October 2001, the Taliban have chosen the spring time to surmount some sort of insurgent attack.

However, these attacks normally do not amount to much and each year this insurgency has been quelled.

About $8.6 billion of the money would go to training and equipping the Afghan military and security forces, according to The Associated Press.

The President wants to increase the Afghani army by 70,000 troops and to add an additional 82,000 local police officers, according to a senior U.S. official.

Another $2 billion would be set aside for local reconstruction efforts throughout Afghanistan.

These types of projects include building and updating roads, furthering the development of rural areas and laying down electric power lines.

Counter-narcotic efforts are also a top priority to hamper the epidemic of poppy seed growth around the country which is a key ingredient in making heroin.

Along with the money, the President also wants to add American military force to Afghanistan according to The AP.

The Pentagon announced last week that it would be prolonging the deployment of a 3,200-soldier combat brigade from the Third Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division for up to three months.

This decision would up the number of Americans in Afghanistan to around 24,000 troops, according to The AP.

NATO is also providing a vital role in the security and stability of Afghanistan.

That organization announced that an addition 20,000 troops from NATO countries would be deployed there, according to The AP.

NATO’s role in Afghanistan is historically significant because it is the first time it has deployed its forces outside of Europe.

Currently, the NATO-led force remains only about 15 percent of the troops and equipment level pledged by its contributing nations, according to The AP.

Bush has renewed efforts to pressure the United States’ European allies to increase their troop levels in Afghanistan.

However it remains to be seen whether or not that request will fall on deaf ears of the increasingly anti-American leaders of Western Europe.

While the war in Iraq has been met with fierce resistance from the American people, support for the United States’ efforts in Afghanistan have remained very popular.

Many of the Bush’s enemies in Washington have criticized him for “taking his eye of the ball” in Afghanistan and going into Iraq, reminding everyone that 9/11 was originated in Afghanistan, not Iraq.

The Afghani people have been able to form a stable government and keep terror and insurgent attacks to a minimum.

Florida is no stranger to natural disasters, however tornadoes in early February are somewhat of an anomaly.

The severe weather hit central Florida between 3:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., while most were sound asleep.

Trailer parks and homes were completely destroyed, and tractor trailers traveling along I-4 were overturned by the incredibly strong winds, according to The Associated Press.

The usually beautiful landscape of central Florida was littered with debris and the priceless possessions of those unfortunate enough to be in the storm’s path.

The small town of Lady Lake, which is about 50 miles northwest of Orlando, was particularly hit hard.

The Lady Lake Church of God, which was built to sustain winds up to 150 miles per hour, was totally wiped out.

Parishioners gathered outside the ruins of their place of worship undeterred by the events of the night before.

The victims and their supporters also turned out for Sunday service at the demolished church, trying to stay optimistic about the long road to recovery that lie ahead.

A gospel choir even sang on a makeshift stage where the church’s broken cross was propped up next to an American flag.

Rev. Larry Lynn exemplified the parishioners strong spirit saying, “That’s just a building. The people are the church. We’ll be back bigger and stronger.”

Newly elected Governor, Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency for Lake, Sumter, Volusia and Seminole counties, which were the four hardest hit by the violent weather.

More federal aid is expected to come in to help the people affected rebuild their homes and lives. While severe weather is not rare this time of year, strong tornadoes in Florida are.

The United States is used to seeing storms like this form in the Spring and Fall when air masses clash over the mid-section of the country, but early February is not a prime time for this type of instability.

Very warm weather in southern Florida was interrupted by the coldest air of the season hemorrhaging out of Canada causing the severe weather, according to the AP.

The last time a scenario like this materialized was in February of 1998 where five tornadoes hit the Orlando area, killing 42 people and damaging or destroying about 2,600 homes and businesses, according to the National Weather Service.

Some victims hit by the weather complained that there were delays and red tape in the disaster aid, even though officials said they’ve learned from Hurricane Katrina.

Chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, David Paulison and Gov.

Charlie Crist said they were quick to respond to three tornadoes that killed 20 people and left hundreds homeless near Orlando.

However, more than 670 households have complained about delayed aid efforts thusfar.

77-year-old Allan Smith spent an hour in a makeshift tent on the phone with a FEMA spokesperson about how to rebuild his home, but emerged with few answers.

“If I didn’t have in-laws, I wouldn’t have a place to go,” Smith said. “You take people that’ve been through this, they’re already at a loss, so that’s what hurts.”
FEMA spokesman, James McIntyre defended the agency, saying that President Bush didn’t declare the area a federal disaster until last Saturday, according to The AP.

Residents must register with FEMA to even apply for federal aid, but they couldn’t do it in person until the command center opened on Monday.

FEMA provided the homeowners with brochures and phones so they could call family members or friends toll-free.

McIntyre warned that FEMA was just a helping hand, but that people shouldn’t rely on them but loans and other assistance to get back on their feet.

“They have to understand that FEMA cannot make them whole,” he said. “That is not the purpose of the agency.”

FEMA is putting people in existing vacant housing rather than temporary trailers.

The weather also began a conversation on how to notify people whose communities don’t have tornado sirens.

Paulison ultimately said that these particular communities need to have some sort of warning system.

Gov. Crist and other officials are reviewing whether these systems should be required, according to The AP.