by Matt Forge (LST)

Click on picture for bigger image.

I know I said I wouldn't...

But I can't help it. It's too over the top. It's too stupid to ignore. Can you say INSANE?

The Pledge of Allegiance ruling.

The one thing that struck me listening to the California's school district's response to the ruling on the Pledge of Allegiance case was the amount of money the school district is being forced to spend on the case which they wished could be spent on academics.

Such is the way of ridiculous lawsuits. They waste our time, money, and resources. No one had a problem with "under God" for some 55 yrs and suddenly some guy thinks his child saying it is unconstitutional, and away we go to court. The ironic thing, of course, is that his daughter is a Christian and has no problem with it. It's all about this guy's personal agenda.

Why can't common sense prevail here? I seriously doubt there is a kid in school, whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, or atheist, who cares one way or another about the "under God" part. If they are of a religious faith, they are fine with it, and if they are not, they just don't say that part.

For years I went to the Catholic church with my husband with no intention of becoming Catholic. When they recited the Creed and came to the part of believing in "one Catholic holy and apostolic Church" I would simply not say it. Now I understand that the word "Catholic" means "universal," but then I thought it was endorsing the Catholic faith, so I declined.

Isn't that a bit easier than wasting not only the school district's money and time, but the court's as well?

No one can reasonably argue that this is "an establishment of religion." That is just a farce. Go visit Iran. THERE is an establishment of religion. Compare and contrast.

Regarding the pledge, one absolute truth we know is that the kids are not thinking "hmmm, I question this 'under God' part." Most kids are thinking "Did I study for that history test?" or " Gee, Sarah looks nice in those jeans today."

But we are in the age of lawsuits instead of common sense, and people like the ACLU, with lots of time and resources, want to see an eradication of God from our culture, so we will be seeing ridiculous lawsuits like this from now on.

It seems I have a wealth of atheist commenters (BigDog, Misterpundit, Wonderduck, Erik, andy, the commissar, dave bones, and j andrew just to name a few) Perhaps you guys can give me your perspective on this. Are you bothered by the "under God" words in the Pledge?

Mayor Nagin May Want To Just Run For Dallas Mayor

And the people of New Orleans react to the President's speech. The Therapist strikes again. But I wonder if this one really is a parody.

via Ace.

Now This is Fair and Balanced.

This is a guy who hates everybody. Yeah, even George Bush. But I have to admit, It's a great article. Read the whole thing.

h/t dave bones.

Don't mess with Condi.

Did anyone see Condi on Bill O'Reilly the other night? When asked about those who say she sold out her race, Condi responded:

“The fact of the matter is, Bill, I’ve been black all my life, nobody needs to tell me how to be black.”

God. I love this woman.

Geraldo is mad.

And he isn't taking it anymore.

Because while this Katrina stuff is important and all. This really is all about Geraldo.

An Interesting Thought.

From Grouchy Old Cripple: (I edited it a bit for language)

"The same people who think gummint screwed up on Katrina are the same people who want to put gummint in charge of health care."

A Voice For Our Troops.

Military Families Voice Of Victory is "a collective voice and an on-line vehicle through which to voice their support of America in the terror war." Ray and Rebecca Davis began this project and have 3 sons in the military. In a interview with Frontpage Magazine the couple talk about why they started this program and what they hope to accomplish, but this part of the inteview about broke my heart:

FP: Tell us about what experiences led you to decide to create Military Families Voice of Victory.

Davis: My wife and I have been active in troop support since Sept 11th. We have spoken at several rallies and had more than one run-in with different "peace" groups. We started greeting troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq in 2003 as they returned through our city. It was heart breaking as the first soldiers rounded the corner and were met by Americans waving flags and cheering. They turned and went back because they thought we were protesters. This was the impression they got from the news media about how America felt about the war although at the time the overwhelming majority of America supported the mission. Today it seems more and more Americans are questioning if we should be in Iraq. The overwhelming majority of the troops we have met still believe in the mission just as much as they did then. They are there and see it first hand all we have is what the news media tells us. What we are hearing from those fighting the war is quite a bit different from those reporting it. We feel it is important to hear what the troops have to say."

These guys have just returned from risking their lives for freedom and they expect the protestors because this is what the media has led them to believe. I don't know which is more shameful. The media or the protestors.

Protestors such as these perhaps?

When asked about the news coverage, Mr. Davis replys:

"Most of the troops I have met are disappointed in the news coverage. Yes, they are in the middle of a war zone and the fighting needs to be covered, but they don't understand why the media never mentions the humanitarian aide they are providing to the region. For the troops their greatest pride comes from the schools they rebuild, the hospitals they have restored, helping Iraqis establish businesses for themselves. Their greatest pride is not in defeating Saddam Hussein but in helping to build a free Iraq."

Read the whole thing. Mr. Davis is pretty harsh on the radical left. But I don't see how he is wrong. If you think he is, tell me how. (but in a civil manner please)

The President's Speech.

First let me say that I loved the light blue effect. (that is the decorater in me, sorry)

I can never be objective with Bush. I think he is a great leader and an honest man. So I will let a commenter at Polipundit say what he thought:

WHAT A SPEECH!

I know we’re all Americans, and this is an American challenge, not a black/white one, but permit me this one thought:

Conservative blacks like me are at a time in history unlike any in history: after 50+ years of “Uncle Tom” this and “Sellout” that, we’ll FINALLY get to see what a conservative vision of lifting our people out of poverty can do . . . on a scale too wide to be ignored WHEN it’s successful. Imagine if we’d had 40 years of this type of approach to the Great Society!

A good chunk of the 29% in poverty in New Orleans will finally have a shot, with a hand up, not a hand out. The government won’t give you $5000, but you’ll get $5000 to train for a job. They won’t give you a house, but you’ll get a piece of land to put a house on. Even if you are unskilled, if you can do any physical labor, there’ll probably be a job nearby.

I know it’s idealism at it’s corps, but the possibilities for our future are endless.

For those who look at this as a wealth transfer . . . you’re right. But at least there’s an element of capitalism and accountability attached, which has been missing.

SO, what will the libs and race warlords do to derail this one? Should be fun to watch . . .

. . . especially if Janice Rodgers Brown is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the same time!

Comment by BlackCon

Dianne Feinstein's SCOTUS confirmation hearing crib notes

*Stolen from Jeff. I link him, but I rarely get to actually steal from him cuz he's such a potty mouth, but this one was pretty clean! (click on note for bigger image)

Let's do a caption contest! One is long overdue!

Change.

I have installed haloscan again. I have had so much trouble with hateful commenters that I need to be able to ban IP's for those who break my rules.

The comments were deleted. Sorry. If you want, feel free to repost something you posted recently.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

CYBER SEXISM.

One of my Cotillion buddies, Ilyka Damen, is fighting mad! She is quitting her blog and coming back as a man. Not a sex change, mind you, but a internet cyber sex change. (that doesn't sound right, but oh well) She is going to start her blog as a guy so she can get the respect she deserves.

She first wrote about this here. It seems big boy bloggers like John Hawkins of RightWingNews couldn't think of too many conservative women bloggers. And even bigger boy bloggers, Instapundit and Hugh Hewitt don't link us too much. Ilyka is really ticked at one of my favorite bloggers, Jeff at Protein Wisdom, but I don't know exactly why because his site is down right now and her links to him aren't working.

I see her point, but I have never let anyone's bias bother me. When I first started blogging I ask a few of the blogs I really liked to read to link me. Protein Wisdom, Ace, The Jawa Report, The Politburo Diktat, and Mudville. They all did. Which was nice because I had hardly started blogging. After that I didn't do much of anything to gain traffic. I didn't even have a sitemeter until about a month ago. I don't even know how to do tags.

My Dad once told me that cream rises to the top, so I figured if I was a good enough blogger then people would eventually come to read me. I don't like to say how many hits I get. It seems like a hell of alot to me, but I don't keep up with the traffic at other blogs. I'm no Michelle Malkin, but then I'm not trying to be. I LOVE it that so many people read me. I like the debates in the threads and I generally like the people who come to my blog and comment.

The fact is that sexism exists just as racism does and nothing is ever going to make it go away completely. If sexism keeps some boy bloggers from linking me, then so be it.

I just don't care.

I have this little space in my universe to say what I want to say. No one edits me and no one can fire me. It's my space and I like it. If the big boys don't link me, it's their loss.

BUT, all that being said. I think in order to prove Ilyka wrong and prove to the world that the big boy bloggers (and little boy bloggers too!) aren't sexist, they need to link me NOW and many many times from now on. So if you're a guy I think it is your responsibility to e-mail all the bloggers you know and tell them to link Rightwingsparkle (and blogroll!) to prove they are not sexist in cyberspace.

It's the only socially responsible thing to do. :-)

What Is The Answer To Black Proverty?

I've been reading several articles about the impoverished in New Orleans. It disturbs me greatly that the underlying reasons of poverty among African Americans has not changed since I grew up in an integrated area in Jackson Mississippi. Lifestyle choices of low income black women are a large contributing factor. In all the articles I read (not to mention personal experience) you see the same tale of a young girl getting pregnant at 16 or 17 and dropping out of school, not to marry, but to continue on as a young unwed mother with little hope of a better job or a better life. Despite the untold number of programs that have been tried over the past 30 yrs, little has changed. I see programs that allow young girls to continue their education, giving free transportation, free education, and free daycare, and yet these girls still drop out. I see programs with after school activities and care for young African Americans, yet they still join gangs. I see programs that give food stamps and free health care, yet so many still live unhealthy lifestyles that lead to obesity and other health problems. I see programs that give better housing options, but still no change in lifestyle. Despite the billions and billions of dollars we have thrown at this problem through government social programs, we still have the highest poverty rate in the developed world. Clearly what we are doing isn't working.

The fundamental difference in how Democrats and Republicans approach these problems is this. Democrats feel that the programs I listed above would allow people an opportunity to rise above their circumstances, but what Republicans understand is that people are not going to rise above their circumstances unless we teach them the principles of responsibility.

This applies to the rich as well, of course. I can't tell you how many rich kids I knew at Ole Miss who were given everything they could want, but still squandered it all. Drinking and partying and never going to class. Money is not the answer to raising a responsible child. Social programs aren't either. Bill Cosby is the only high profile black I am aware of that actually gives us the answers to so many of the black community's problems. If you don't remember some his remarks from 2004, here are a few:

"People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around. ... The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal. These people are not parenting,"

"Brown versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person's problem. We have got to take the neighborhood back. ... They are standing on the corner and they can't speak English."



"Let me tell you something, your dirty laundry gets out of school at 2:30 every day. It's cursing and calling each other 'nigger' as they're walking up and down the street. They think they hip -- can't read, can't write -- 50 percent of them,"

"We got too many young girls who don't know how to parent, turning themselves into parents. Ladies and gentlemen, our little eight-year-old boys, nine-year-old boys, having erections and only acting out that which they see and hear on some CD. They're acting that out and they don't know the damage that they are doing when they rape some little girl nine years old and what they have done to her whole life. It's time to stop!"

"Education, ladies and gentleman, respect the elderly, respect for yourselves, respect for others,"

One thing I heard while volunteering at the Astrodome was how glad so many were to be out of New Orleans. I thought they meant to be out of a flooded New Orleans, but the more I read interviews with them, I realize they meant out of the a place where they felt trapped. Trapped in substandard schools, dilapidated housing, and a world of gangs and drugs. More than once I read that many felt like they were "incarcerated."

How sad to feel so trapped in life. An article in Newsweek, interviewing evacuees, explains how they felt so trapped they felt they couldn't even leave to get away from a dangerous hurricane:

"Like almost all poor evacuees interviewed by NEWSWEEK, she has no bank account. Before the storm, she did own a stereo, refrigerator, washer and dryer, two color TV's and a 1992 Chevy Lumina with more than 100,000 miles on it. This, too, is common among the poor; like more comfortable Americans, they spend on consumer goods beyond their means. But these are often their only assets. The reason that more African-Americans didn't heed warnings to leave New Orleans before the hurricane hit goes beyond the much-publicized lack of cars. They were reluctant to abandon their entire net worth to looters."

I can see now why so many didn't leave. Who wants to allow thugs to take everything you have from you???

Bill Cosby understands what most Republicans have been trying to get across for years. Blacks should not, and have no need to, depend on white liberal government programs to get a head in life. Bill Cosby believes that the focus should be on education. Period. Democrats have decried Bush's cuts to the social programs I mentioned above as proof that he doesn't care about the black community, but Bush's approach is what Bill Cosby has been asking for. As the article in Newsweek points out:

"His (Bush's) main involvement with poverty issues has been on education, where he sharply increased aid to poor schools as part of his No Child Left Behind initiative. Democrats have offered little on education beyond opposition to NCLB. They've shown more allegiance to the teachers unions (whose contracts are models of unaccountability) than to poor kids."

This is the difference that we all need to understand. This message is not being put out to the black community. Too many high profile Democrats don't want it to be. It's time for Republicans to make sure that it does.

John Roberts and the question that won't be answered.

If you want to see how the hearings are going you can go to several msm news sources here and here and here and here.

But I can save you the time. They are all about what I always said that this nomination is all about to Democrats. Abortion. Abortion. Abortion.

Roberts, who is no fool, very intelligent, and knows Democrats are looking for any little thing to hang their "vote against" hat, had this to say to them:

"It is not a process under which senators get to say: 'I want you to rule this way, this way and this way. And if you tell me you'll rule this way, this way and this way, I'll vote for you.' Judges are not politicians. They cannot promise to do certain things in exchange for votes."

It is sad that it has come to this. Nominees to the highest court of the land are reduced to being badgered about answering a question about one issue in order to get on the court. I suspect that most Democrats will vote for Roberts. If they didn't, they would have to answer why such a qualified and intelligent man is not worthy of their vote, and their answer would have to be...Abortion.

Sometimes I wonder how different the political landscape would be if abortion wasn't a part of it. I can guarantee you that we wouldn't be so "divided."

I'm copying an entire post at Dean Esmay's blog just to drive andy crazy. Heh.

Dogmatic, Intolerant, Closed-Minded Scientists

Dean

It's increasingly clear to me that for some, dogmatic atheism and "science" have become one and the same. Witness for example scientists protesting allowing the Dalai Llama to speak at a neuroscience conference.
Letting the man so much as speak is a threat to science? How rabidly anti-religion do you have to be to act like that? I don't even like the Dalai Lama--I have no love for theocratic tyrants, which is what he was when he ruled Tibet--but objecting to his very presence on religious grounds? As an atheist, a materialist, and an empiricist, I find this behavior nothing short of pathetic.
Then witness Richard Sternberg, a man with not one but two PhDs in evolutionary biology:
"They were saying I accepted money under the table, that I was a crypto-priest, that I was a sleeper cell operative for the creationists," said Ste[r]nberg, 42, who is a Smithsonian research associate. "I was basically run out of there."
His crime? Being willing to publish a paper by a scientist who argued that there was evidence of intelligent design behind some phenomena found in biology. Sternberg didn't even agree with the paper, he just published it in the spirit of free and open debate.
You can read more about how Sternberg was harassed and all but thrown out of the Smithsonian here in the Washington Post. And you'll find more on Dr. Sternberg's home page.
It's astonishing to watch modern-day advocates for Darwin acting exactly like William Jennings Bryan in Inherit the Wind--in other words, as fulminating censorship advocates and closed-minded intellectual bullies who are terrified to have their most cherished beliefs questioned. But that's exactly what seems to be going on among many who claim to be upholding the spirit of free inquiry and open debate. It's shameful and appalling.

Friends in time of need. Enemies rant.

The al-Qaida in Iraq group, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, called the devastation across the U.S. Gulf Coast region God's retribution on America.

al-Zarqawi's group released an Internet statement saying "God's great wrath has hit the head of the oppressors where their dead are in thousands and their losses in billions."

Those terrorists have a way with words, don't they?

But looking towards the good, Kuwait is offering $500 million in aid which includes $400 million in oil products and $100 million in humanitarian relief.

"It's our duty as Kuwaitis to stand by our friends to lighten the humanitarian misery and as a pay back for the many situations during which Washington helped us through," Kuwait's energy minister, Sheik Ahmed Fahd Al Ahmed Al Sabah, said in a statement.

Nice.

via Yahoo News.

Translation of the John Roberts hearings for normal folk.

*PCC = Pro choice Congressman

PCC-will you rule on abortion as a right to privacy?

Roberts- I can't tell you how I would rule on a case, you know that, stop showboating.

PCC-Tell me if you think you will support Roe v. Wade??

Roberts-Ginsburg didn't answer these questions and neither will I.

PCC-You're avoiding answering!!

Roberts-duh. Either way I answer people go nuts.

PCC- I demand to know if you support abortion rights!!!!

Roberts- Well, I guess you guys advising pro-choice Ginsburg not to answer these questions in 93 to avoid the abortion controversy is coming back to bite you in the ass, isn't it?

UPDATE: Ted Kennedy's SCOTUS confirmation hearings crib notes. Heh.

The face of abortion.

In the comment thread below one commenter said he thinks abortion up to 23 or 24 weeks is fine. I thought I might show the face of we so easily dismiss as having no right to live. The first picture is at 20 weeks. A full month before he would have the right to live under that restriction of 24 weeks. These abortions are especially grisly as you might imagine. They are done for as little a reason as the baby having a cleft palate and it is perfectly legal. The 2nd picture to the right is at 14 weeks. Abortions are routinely done at this stage in the United States. Once the abortion is performed, the body parts of the baby must be put back together on a surgical table like some macabre puzzle to assure the abortionist that he extracted all the parts. So we can argue about abortion all we want, but everything I know about the value of life I can see in the faces of these babies.

The John Roberts hearings.

Why don't we just save everyone a lot of time and trouble and just get this over with. Have a Democrat asked Roberts if he would overturn Roe v. Wade, get the answer and end the hearings.

This is all the Democrats care about. Let's stop pretending this is going to be about anything else.

Faith Crossing Church member left, prays with evacuee at a Church in Texas. via Fox News. Of all the countless pictures and in person experiences I have seen of the aftermath of Katrina, it is ones such as this that will stay with me. The reaching out of strangers to those in need. The deeply personal expression of caring. This is what I will carry with me.

This was us at our best. This was us as we should be. Out of darkness came the light.

This was our finest moment.

And the silence.....

Continues.

Is there any excuse for this?

via Junkyardblog

My favorite of dave bones artwork. There is a stained glass quality to it, don't you think? I like how there seems to be light coming from the center. (dave, hope you don't mind me posting this)

Can Air America survive?

Not a single business has purchased air time specifically during Air America's slot since its debut at KOMY radio station in California.

Keep this in mind. In CALIFORNIA.

It just makes me feel so much better about America in general.

h/t BigDog.

I found this over at a place called Hullabaloo. This is a typical lefty blog. I don't think I have to explain what these maps are suppose to prove. The red states are still the "racist" states, don't you know.

There is just one problem. The red states of the south are where 54.8% of African Americans live as opposed to 17.6% in the oh so blue states of the northeast. Are blacks being forced to stay in these "racists" states?? You would think they would want to live in the tolerant northeast, wouldn't you?

And then there is this place called Houston in that big RED STATE of Texas. You know the one. The state where our evil racist President was once Governor and where his parents live. The state where he will retire to when his term is over. Well, this place called Houston opened it's heart, it's doors, and it's treasure to the victims of the hurricane out of New Orleans. What a shock it must have been for the Red Cross to discover that the refugees were black!! I mean if they had known then they certainly wouldn't have spent all this money to get the shelters ready, right?

What? You say they knew they were black? You say it was on TV? But.. but... why would a racist RED STATE do such a thing??? And so quickly?? And then why would they encourage those unwanted dark skinned people to stay by giving them access to housing and jobs and even open empty schools for their children to start school????

It just doesn't make sense.

But, my friends, this is the world of delusion our lefty friends live in. These are the questions Michael Moore and Kanye West can't answer. Who knows how many lefty blogs this map has made it's way to. Who knows how many smug lefty's have looked at it and shook their head and said to themselves, "nothing changes!"

I'll tell you where nothing changes. Nothing changes in the minds of those who are determined to believe that conservatives are somehow racist when all evidence points to the opposite.

Non serious stuff continues.

Things you might not know about me. (and probably don't care to know, but hey, I'm in the mood) This is sorta my own version of those surveys you see everywhere.

My favorite role from my younger days was Lucy in "Dracula."

I still feel 22.

Things I miss about being young: riding horses, not worrying about kids, kissing guys, staying out late and still having lots of energy the next day, and not having to work at staying slim.

If it weren't for their politics, I think John Edwards and Mayor Nagin of New Orleans are hot.

I'm against the death penalty.

My favorite thing to do is sleep late, and I hardly ever get to do it.

I hate crowds.

I met Jesse Jackson when I was 11.

I've met Ken Starr, Rick Perry, James Baker, Muhammad Ali, Reggie Jackson, and Former Senator John Breaux.

People I would stand in line for hours to meet: 0

People I would like to have dinner with(not in order):
Brit Hulme, Condi Rice, President Bush, Barbara Bush (mom), Justice Scalia, Peggy Noonan, Michelle Malkin, Glenn Beck, and Pope Benedict.

Bloggers I would like to meet:(not in order)
Jeff at Protein Wisdom, Jeff at Beautiful Atrocities, Beth at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Ace at Ace of Spades, Greyhawk at Mudville Gazette, and Jeff Jarvis at Buzz Machine.

People I hate: 0

The most interesting people I know are my children.

My first car was an aqua blue Cougar XR7 with white leather interior and speakers in the door. It was and still is the coolest car I ever owned.

I use to spar boxing with my brothers for Golden Gloves boxing.

I have experienced miracles.

I have never tried a cigarette. (or anything illegal)

I have never seen porn.

I don't have a favorite song or movie. I just don't care enough.

If I could do whatever I wanted, I would travel with my kids every chance I got. I would have 3 dogs and 2 cats. (I have one dog and I get to travel only about twice a year) and I would wear nothing but T-shirts, shorts and no shoes.

I hate cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping and shopping in general, but I have to do all four constantly.

I've read National Review since I was 21 yrs old.

I could never live anywhere but Texas and the South. (except on a tropical beach anywhere)

My biggest fear is my children not growing up to be caring and loving people.

Feel free to tell me what I don't know about you.

WuzzaDem has the John Roberts hearing. Sorry, couldn't resist. Too funny.

Not so serious.

As you may have noticed, I am not much into the popular culture. I don't watch much TV or movies. But since this has been such a serious week, I thought I would share some of my limited knowledge of what's out there just to lighten some things up.

For the geeks out there, I just finished watching the DVD series of Firefly. Dean Esmay has assured me that makes me officially a geek. So be it. I liked it. I look forward to the movie.

You know who I think is hilarious? Kathy Griffith. She is a comedian who has a reality type show on the Bravo channel. I love how she rakes celebrities over the coals for their excesses and ridiculous way of living. If you get to watch re-runs, don't miss her going to a Kabbalah party, where they had someone going around asking seductively if the guests would like to be "tied up." Which was referring to having that red string tied around your wrist. Kathy just rolls her eyes. It is amusing to watch Kabbalah and Scientology fight for celebrities money..oops, I meant souls. Heh. You have to love those religions that have no distinction between right and wrong. Sin? Forget about it!! Cheating and greed? Just connect with your inner positive energy!!!!

Anyway, I love Kathy. She has this wicked dry sense of humor. She doesn't care what people think.

I have never watched CSI until they started re-runs during the day. Now I catch it when I fold clothes. Great show. I can see now why my Mom is obessed with it.

I also got to see this years MTV awards while doing laundry. Could P. Diddy be anymore self involved? Also, has rap taken over MTV? It would seem so. The whole show was truly bad. Having teenagers I am forced to listen to a lot of music. I like Green Day, Gwen Stefani (although someone needs to tell her she is 35, not 19) Not that she needs to act 35, but pretending your a teenager is just silly. I like Simple Plan and Foo Fighters. I also will admit I like Avril, Kelly Clarkson and Hillary Duff's music. But when I am in the car, it's country music every time. I don't think there is an artist in country music I don't like.

I usually take the time when the kids are back in school to watch all the movies that I missed. If you have any suggestions on what to rent, please give them to me. Keep in mind though that I don't watch R rated movies.

Consider this an open thread to comment on popular culture. Let's have one day where we don't discuss politics, ok??????

Sadness......

Watching the Discovery channel's re-enactment of flight 93 was heartwrenching to say the least. The audio of the actual phone calls to the loved ones from the passengers on the plane made me weep. I was amazed at how calm the calls were even after they realized what the terrorist were planning to do. There is no doubt that courage and faith dwelled on that plane.

I wonder if any of us truly comprehend how many people were saved that day by these brave souls.

They gave their lives that day saving others. Perhaps what so many don't understand is that the terrorists flying the plane were already dead. Their souls had died a long time ago. Their souls died when they stopped believing that human life had value. Their souls died when they convinced themselves that God would reward them for their act of horror.

As I finish writing this I realize that the passengers on the planes that crashed that day, although not dying in the same manner, they were also.....the people of the sky.

In every decision we make in this war on terror, we must never ever forget any of the people of the sky.

The People of the sky.

The Cross-9/11 by Ray Tapajna


Of all the images of the horror of that day, the ones that haunt me the most are the ones of the people that jumped from the WTC buildings. I try to imagine what must have been going through their minds. The pain of the fire and heat that was so great that jumping into the sky was their only alternative.

Did they close their eyes and pray? Did they see their whole life flash in front of them? Did they cry? Did they wonder what had happened? Did the falling seem like slow motion to them?

Did they scream?

It is the people of the sky I think of when others say this war on terror is not worth fighting. It is the people of the sky I think of when I hear of a brave soldier dying fighting those monsters who have no conscience.

It is the people of the sky I think of when I think of 9-11.