That Day
From Cox and Forkum:
Related Article: Forgotten Heroes of 9/11 by Onkar Ghate
Moving On
From Cox and Forkum:
AFP reports: US keeps it quiet and dignified for second September 11 anniversary.
As an illustration of how some mindsets have changed in the past year, the New York Daily News on Thursday published an e-mail written by the vice president of the Tishman construction firm, Robert McNally.Responding to a request from New York City officials for a 24-hour moratorium on work around Ground Zero on September 11, McNally replied: "9/11 happened two years ago, it is time to move on."
"Move on"? If he meant we should move forward, as in rebuilding bigger and better at the WTC site rather than turning it into a cemetery pit, then I would agree. But I don't think he meant that. He seems to mean get over 9/11, accept it, don't dwell on it, don't acknowledge the anniversary, don't place any importance on it.
It is exactly in that sense that we should never "move on" from 9/11.
"Moving on" has been part of the problem for decades. We moved on when Hezbollah killed 241 U.S. Marines in Beirut. We moved on when the World Trade Center was bombed the first time, murdering six. We moved on when the Khobar Towers were blown up in Saudi Arabia: 19 dead. We moved on from the U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa, and the USS Cole bombing in Yemen, and the incessant bombings by Palestinian terrorists in Israel.
Had we faced head-on the Islamist threat from the beginning, we wouldn't today be talking about "moving on" from 9/11.
Unfortunately, some seemed to have moved on all too easily.
Bring in the Group of Dictatorships
From Cox and Forkum:Earlier this week, the Bush Administration put forth a U.N. resolution that would grant more authority to the U.N. in Iraq. A key component is to "transform the U.S.-led coalition force into a U.N.-authorized multinational one under a unified command, with an American officer in charge. The force would be required to submit periodic reports to the [U.N. Security] Council." Secretary of State Colin Powell described the effort as "essentially putting the Security Council in the game."
It must be kept in mind the United Nations is composed of an number of dictatorships, one of which -- Syria -- has a seat on the Security Council. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumself stated just yesterday that many of the foreign fighters in Iraq are from Syria.
As opponents of the war in Iraq, France and Germany naturally welcomed America's willingness to submit to U.N. authority but quickly added that the resolution didn't go far enough.
The top U.S. commander in Iraq announced yesterday that the U.S. needs more help in Iraq. But the Bush Administration is making a terrible mistake seeking that help from those who are united against America pursuing its own interests.
Cartoon: Divisive
From Cox and Forkum:
Last month FoxNews reported: Green Party Happy to 'Spoil' Democratic Presidential Run in 2004.
Some members of the Green Party are reserving much of their anger for Democrats these days, and say they don't care if another third-party run by Ralph Nader wrecks the Democrats' opportunity to replace President Bush in 2004. [...] In the razor-thin election of 2000, Nader received 2.7 percent of the vote, compared to 48.4 percent for Al Gore, and 47.8 percent for George W. Bush, who won the electoral vote and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling deciding his victory. Democrats savaged Nader publicly, blaming him for "stealing" votes away from Gore.This cartoon is posted with apologies to Benjamin Franklin, who is considered the creator of America's first political cartoon: "Unite or Die". The link depicts a later version of the cartoon, which originally appeared in 1754. According to the book, Drawn & Quartered:
The cartoon is based on a popular superstition that a snake that had been severed would come back to life if the pieces were put together before sunset.I'm pretty sure this doesn't work with donkeys.
Two-Faced North Korea
From Cox and Forkum:
Reuters reports: South Korea Says North's No-Talks Stance a Tactic.
North Korea's hostile weekend reaction to last week's six-way talks on its nuclear program was an initial response and probably a negotiating ploy, South Korea said on Monday. [...] It is not yet clear whether Pyongyang has officially reneged on that agreement or is using past tactics that mix bluster and brinkmanship with gradual steps forward. "The North Koreans' post-conference verbal offensive was nothing but a stupid repeat of their habitual negotiating strategy," the Korea Herald said in an editorial.
Cartoon: Prey for Peace
From Cox and Forkum:
From AFP: Arafat loyalist pledges willingness to fight to the death
Professing his complete loyalty to Yasser Arafat, Mohammed Abu Arraj says he is prepared for a fight Israel to the death despite the veteran Palestinian leader's call to renew a shattered truce."Truce? What truce?" asks Abu Arraj, a local leader of the hardline Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, who spent last week fighting with his men against Israeli tanks in this northern West Bank town. [...]
"Nobody can replace Arafat. He is our historical leader. If he were to be killed, all Palestinian factions would take to the street, even the Islamists," warned Abu Arraj.
He said "nobody" in Jenin supports Abbas and denounced the latter's recent decision to block weapon smuggling tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt as well as moves to prevent militants firing home-made rockets towards Israel.