I have heard harsh things said about President Bush on this program. If President Bush were to be assassinated, should we therefore hold Mr. Ashbrook, Mr. Beatty, et al. personally responsible for creating a “culture of hate” that led to his death?

The caller’s point on this issue was dead on. The left (NPR included) have used this heinous act to paint the entire pro-life community as extremists. I guess I was hoping that Mr. Ashbrook was above this.

These are comments and opinions, you can agree or disagree, love has nothing to do with it nor is me being a bad or good person. If I get personal it’s because it warrants it. People make these sweeping statements about Muslims and their faith without even knowing the differences between Suni and Shia or Turks, Persians, Arabs or the Turkmen people. I think one should know who and what these people are. I think one should know that not all Muslims live by sharia law.

That was my point(s) not Israel. I used South Africa as an example as dianna compared me to the Dutch settlers of this region, the Boer’s. dianna for some reason did not know or care that Africa is a huge continent and that the Boer’s were from one region in the south.

You are being a kuku here. The lady is trying to make a point by giving an example from South Africa and then you distort the subject by expanding on the example.

This a classic Defending The State of Israel B.S. Just divert the attention from the main subject, until the other side gets sleepy or has something else to do.

The point is: due to your heritage/religion/family, you are a biased party in the Middle East Conflict. This rule applies to whoever defends Israel and have immigrated from Eastern Europe just because you belong to a certain religion. This does not mean you are bad person or do not have good values in your family. We love you, but you should not defend Israel like there is no tomorrow.

Understood?

I asked you a question pointing to the vastness of the religion. Of course you only see my comments in light of your narrow vision. You think for some reason I’m oppressing the people of Egypt and Saudi Arabia (silly comment on me being like a Dutch Settler and Farm Owner in Africa). I say their governments are doing that. What my views have to do being a farmer in South Africa, I assume that’s the area your alluding to as Africa is a very large continent, but who knows you seem to lump everything together. Or are you also talking about Zimbabwe.

By the way what European language do they speak in Mozambique? French or Portuguese? Do they speak Swahili there?

I wont go away. Deal with it.

Enough is enough. We are America. If we do talk about them, somehow it is always in the context of cultural war. There are more muslims in Bangladesh or Philipines than all the muslim’s combined in the middle east. And we hardly ever talk about their religion.

That’s why we are biased. We cannot keep our dirty fingers out of their traditions and cultures and religion. If there were no “influence”, whould we ever bother to do that. I wonder!

This Putney guy is expressing his opinion about war/peace issues in the Middle East. He should stay out of it. Period. He sounds like a Dutch Settler and Farm Owner in Africa, but residing in Europe. And he expects us to believe that he is a credible person to talk about human rights during during pre-Mandella era in South Africa. Please go away!

Very clever Dianna, nice word play. I have to say I am amazed at the over simplification of a region that has complex issues.

Diann and brianna seem to me to be saying that the way to solve the problems in the Middle East is to be on the right side of issues which is code for being against Israel and for any Arab agenda. Of course there is Iran and Turkey as well as a host of other Muslim nations in the area as well that are being included in this.

To have any hint of supporting the fanatics or Sharia law is insane. Read a little history and you will see that the region around the Middle East is one of turmoil and power grabs. To avoid knowing this history on even a basic level is showing more of ones ignorance then anything else.

For those of you who want to support these lovely regimes such as the Saudis, remember they have public executions and behead woman for crimes such a adultery. Homosexuality is also a death sentence and slavery seems to be legal.

If you want to deal with the Taliban or any extremist like them I would like to point out that Diann and brianna if you lived in any of these countries you would already on their hit list as your women who are speaking out. In the Swat valley you tow would have been publicly canned or worse, stoned to death.

You can’t deal with these people, they are not interested in dealing. We can make guarded agreements but that’s about it in my view.

Trust you? What are you a used car saleswoman? We have more to learn from them then they from us?

Who are they? Do mean moderate Muslims or are you talking about the conservatives?

Or is it the Shia or the Sunni? Is it the mullahs of Iran or the Royal family of Saudi Arabia? Who are they (them)?

I cannot find a single country in which the younger majority wants to be ruled by a religious minority.

But, the moment an outside force barges in to their cultural harmony which is transforming everyday, we mess up the balance and screw up the trend.

We have to be consistent and be on the right side of the issues “all the time”. But if we support injustice and illegal positions in the Middle East, we give the fanatic religious right to say “we told you so”.

But here is the real issue…you cannot address cultural (not necessarily religious) differences by bombing people while taking their land away.

Let us just learn to leave other cultures alone, and then let’s develop transfer of knowledge and experience. Trust me, we have perhaps more to learn from them than what we can teach them.

Let’s keep our guns in our pants; and not be fooled by segments of our society which makes money everytime the security code is “orange”.

When is somebody going to ask this guy a tough question or note how much worse everything is getting?

Now is Bernanki, Geitner, Summer: The Divine trinity!
“too big to fail” is the new mantram.CEO’S laughing their way to the bank…

The scam continues,is America a country of imbeciles???
Turn off the TV and think!
It’s the system, stupid!

Wake-up People!!

What about the US? How about if the US devoted half a trillion to health care every years (that amount spent on our military not including recent foreign wars). We could put in place the single payer system that we so desperately need.

Jack, I’m usually in agreement but to single out the military expenditures vs. health care of any country other than the US is just pure hypocrisy.

May 12, 2009
When it comes to 9/11 and the Construction of Freedom Towers, Mayor Bloomberg conducted a secret meeting in his Gracie Mansion between Larry Silverstein and the Port Authority.

The design that was picked got about 1.6% of the votes. Almost all parties in the design selection committee did not want this current design, other than Larry Silverstein and the Architect.

Transparency double-speak…anthing to do with 9/11? ….Shhhhhisss, quiet.

Berlusconi fury over naked photos

El Pais said the photos showed an uninhibited atmosphere at the villa
Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has reacted angrily to the publication in Spain of photographs showing topless women and a naked man at his villa.

He has threatened to sue Spain’s El Pais newspaper, calling the photos an invasion of privacy.

The photos – banned in Italy on privacy grounds – were taken from outside Mr Berlusconi’s villa in Sardinia during a party for a Czech delegation.

He also faces a probe for using state aircraft to fly guests to Sardinia.

The prime minister is said to have used Italian aircraft to ferry guests to and from Villa Certosa, “almost every weekend” between the summer of 2007 and January of this year, El Pais reports.

Mr Berlusconi is being investigated for misuse of public funds, and confirmed on Thursday that he had been formally placed under investigation by prosecutors.

But he said the probe would be “swiftly shelved”, insisting he was allowed to transport “people he needs” for security reasons.

Mystery man

Under the headline “The pictures vetoed by Berlusconi”, El Pais on Friday published five photos shot by photographer Antonello Zappadu from outside the gates of the Berlusconi villa.

In the first, the face of the Italian prime minister – recently embroiled in a public row over his friendship with an 18-year-old model – can be clearly seen. He is accompanied by several women, with the face of one of them pixelated by the photographer and the others obscured by an awning.

These are innocent photos, there’s no scandal but this is a violation of privacy and a scandalous aggression

Silvio Berlusconi
Italian Prime Minister

Defiant Berlusconi calm amid storm
El Pais said that, to protect their identities, Mr Zappadu had pixelated the faces of all those photographed – with the exception of Mr Berlusconi.

The second photograph shows two topless women, one standing and one lying on a sun lounger in the Sardinian sunshine. The woman standing is wearing nothing except a skimpy set of “thong” bikini briefs.

But the third picture is the most stark, showing a fully naked man leaning over the edge of a swimming pool.

El Pais said the pictures were examples of the approximately 300 which were blocked from publication in Italy at the weekend at Mr Berlusconi’s request.

Some of the photos were reportedly taken during a party held at the villa for a visiting Czech delegation under the leadership of former Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek.

El Pais said it was unable to confirm whether the picture of the naked man it published was that of Mr Topolanek. Mr Berlusconi’s lawyer has previously said such a photo existed.

Other photographs reportedly include scenes of parties attended by several young women, including the 18-year-old model Noemi Letizia.

‘Nothing spicy’

Mr Berlusconi has been under pressure to explain his relationship with Ms Letizia since his wife, Veronica Lario, said last month she was divorcing him after he had attended her 18th birthday party and gave her an expensive necklace. He has denied having an affair with her.

Ms Letizia was among the guests at Mr Berlusconi’s last new year’s party
Mr Berlusconi denounced the paparazzi on Friday for violating his privacy and “scandalous aggression”, saying the photographs were entirely “innocent”.

When asked by Italian state-run Rai radio why there had been several naked women at his villa, he replied: “Do you take a shower dressed?”

“These girls were bathing in a whirlpool bath inside a private home, and they were assaulted in a scandalous way.

“These are innocent photos, there’s no scandal but this is a violation of privacy and a scandalous aggression.

The 72-year-old also repeated that there had been nothing “spicy” in his relations with Ms Letizia and that he would resign “the next minute” if proved otherwise.

His lawyer, Niccolo Ghedini, described the photographs as having “originated in a crime”, adding: “Who buys them anywhere in the world is committing a crime, something which should have been clear to El Pais’ journalists,” he said.

‘Petty’

According to reports, prosecutors in Rome also found several pictures taken at Sardinia’s Olbia airport before and after the parties.

Mr Berlusconi said the accusations were timed to coincide with the election
They allegedly showed Mr Berlusconi’s favourite singer, Mariano Apicella, his assistant, and an unidentified woman getting off the prime minister’s official plane in May last year.

Prosecutors were forced to open an investigation into Mr Berlusconi’s use of public assets after a complaint was filed by a consumer association, Codacons.

“It means nothing. It will be shelved very soon,” Berlusconi told a Milan television station via phone on Thursday.

“There is a rule, passed by the prime minister’s office, that allows the prime minister, when he uses state planes for reasons of security, to take with him people he feels he needs at no cost,” he said.

However, the newspaper La Stampa has said the regulation did not take effect until August, three months after the airport pictures.

Mr Berlusconi said he had entertained several heads of state and government – including Mr Topolanek – at his villa in Sardinia, and had “offered all that I receive from them, including shows with artistes”.

“But this is not a burden on the [Italian] state,” he added.

The prime minister called the accusations “petty” and suggested they had been timed to coincide with this week’s European Parliament elections. Italians are set to vote on Saturday and Sunday.

if u dont know who the p.m. is, he got busted for curuption charges, but of a anti roma national party, who gaffles more than VP Joe B