Good I am glad he won't pull them. Jess

Hi, there! I agree with your post, for the most part, but just wanted to comment on your comment: "In many Muslim countries fighting for the will of Allah is higher up on the priorities list than personal freedoms." As a Muslim-American, I sometimes get a little defensive of how non-Muslims view my religion. I feel it never hurts to be vocal about clarifying misconceptions, so I'd like to take this opportunity to do so. Again, this is nothing personal, and there was nothing really "wrong" with your post. This is just my way of increasing understanding. 1. Your use of "Allah" implies a belief that Muslims worship a different deity than "mainstream" society. Muslims actually worship the very same God that Christians and Jews do (and we revere the very same prophets!). "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for "God." Just like "Dios," "Dio," and "Dieu" are the Spani****alian, and French words for "God," and not the names of foreign or exotic deities. Anyone speaking Arabic, whether Muslim, Christian, or Jewish, uses the name "Allah" to refer to the same God. 2. I wouldn't say that "fighting for the will of [God]" is a high priority for any Muslim country's government. For corrupt regimes (and, unfortunately, the Muslim world, like most of the Third World, has lots of those), power is the highest priority, and God is actually very low on the list. (The actions of such regimes tend to be diametrically opposed to the principles of Islam.) For mainstream Muslim countries, economic and political issues top the list (as they do in most mainstream countries in the world). Individual Muslims do value this concept of fighting for one's faith (i.e., "jihad"), but it's not at all what most non-Muslims think it is. Rather, jihad is much more of an internal struggle to remain true to one's faith in the face of temptation. For example, part of my jihad is to resist temptation and drin****d tea at restaurants while my friends enjoy their margaritas. Sorry to hijack the thread (pun intended!), but I'm giving it back now. So, back to politics... and weight loss!

It's not the terrorists we need to fear. It's our own government. It sends our youth to die "for freedom". What a slap in the face to those troops fighting and dying that our president is destroying the very freedoms the troops are fighting for. Don't believe them when they say they are trying to protect you, or keep you safe. Your safety begins here, at home, with your civil liberties. Remember Patrick Henry.... "I know not what course others may take, but give me liberty or give me death." If you're not outraged, then you can't possibly love this country. The Bill of Rights is what MAKES this country what it is, and the man who promised to protect and defend it is dismantling it. And if the 1st and 4th amendments are expendible for your safety, you have to believe that the other amendments are too. What will you do when he starts to dismantle the 2nd amendment?

(It doesn't need a "www") blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=979 This is Kerry's statement, and it is as eloquent and symphonic as the masterpieces created by Beethoven and Mozart. I'm sure a lot of Americans are now thinking that Kerry/Edwards sounds a lot better than the mess we're in now.

(add your "www") editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001391666 Fabulous article, mostly about how congress and the press gave this administration a free ride... no scrutiny whatsoever because of his "popularity". Turns out that what he was doing wasn't so popular after all (because now, as we find out about it, his popularity ratings are in the toilet.) Too much of what this administration does is done under a veil of secrecy. Our founding fathers would be mortified.