I believe he was elected

In two years' time, fires throughout the country have burned nearly 11 million acres. We've seen the cost that wildfires bring, in the loss of 28 firefighters this year alone. In the fires that burned across Southern California this fall, 22 civilians also lost their lives, as whole neighborhoods vanished into flames.

Almost 750 million acres of forest stand, tall and beautiful across the 50 states. We have a responsibility to be good stewards of our forests.

This year, some 600,000 inmates will be released from prison back into society. We know from long experience that if they can't find work, or a home, or help, they are much more likely to commit more crimes and return to prison.

A strong America must also value the institution of marriage. I believe we should respect individuals as we take a principled stand for one of the most fundamental, enduring institutions of our civilization. Congress has already taken a stand on this issue by passing the Defense of Marriage Act, signed in 1996 by President Clinton. That statute protects marriage under Federal law as the union of a man and a woman, and declares that one state may not redefine marriage for other states. Activist judges, however, have begun redefining marriage by court order, without regard for the will of the people and their elected representatives. On an issue of such great consequence, the people's voice must be heard. If judges insist on forcing their arbitrary will upon the people, the only alternative left to the people would be the constitutional process. Our Nation must defend the sanctity of marriage.

We are living in a time of great change -- in our world, in our economy, and in science and medicine. Yet some things endure -- courage and compassion, reverence and integrity, respect for differences of faith and race. The values we try to live by never change. And they are instilled in us by fundamental institutions, such as families, and schools, and religious congregations. These institutions -- the unseen pillars of civilization -- must remain strong in America, and we will defend them.

America is a Nation with a mission -- and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire. Our aim is a democratic peace -- a peace founded upon the dignity and rights of every man and woman. America acts in this cause with friends and allies at our side, yet we understand our special calling: This great Republic will lead the cause of freedom.

Different threats require different strategies. Along with nations in the region, we are insisting that North Korea eliminate its nuclear program. America and the international community are demanding that Iran meet its commitments and not develop nuclear weapons. America is committed to keeping the world's most dangerous weapons out of the hands of the world's most dangerous regimes.

The work of building a new Iraq is hard, and it is right. And America has always been willing to do what it takes for what is right.

We are tracking al-Qaida around the world -- and nearly two-thirds of their known leaders have now been captured or killed. Thousands of very skilled and determined military personnel are on a manhunt, going after the remaining killers who hide in cities and caves -- and, one by one, we will bring the terrorists to justice.

mmmm

Inside the United States, where the war began, we must continue to give homeland security and law enforcement personnel every tool they need to defend us. And one of those essential tools is the PATRIOT Act, which allows Federal law enforcement to better share information, to track terrorists, to disrupt their cells, and to seize their assets. For years, we have used similar provisions to catch embezzlers and drug traffickers. If these methods are good for hunting criminals, they are even more important for hunting terrorists. Key provisions of the PATRIOT Act are set to expire next year.

law enforcement personnel and intelligence officers are tracking terrorist threats; analysts are examining airline passenger lists; the men and women of our new Homeland Security Department are patrolling our coasts and borders. And their vigilance is protecting America.

hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing hope to the oppressed, and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure.

Today, the Bush-Cheney '04 Campaign announced the Bush-Cheney '04 Missouri Farm & Ranch Leadership Team. The team will help build a statewide network of grassroots support for the President, and communicate his commitment and record of achievement for Missouri's farmers and ranchers.

American cities have many such eyesores -- anywhere from 500,000 to a million brownfields are across our nation. These areas once supported manufacturing and commerce, and now lie empty -- adding nothing of value to the community, and sometimes only causing problems.

Last year catastrophic wildfires burned more than 6 million acres of land, killed more than 20 firefighters, destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, and caused severe environmental damage. These catastrophic wildfires destroy everything in their path – people, their property, wildlife habitats, watersheds and entire ecosystems. It can take decades for these forests to recover. For over a century, the federal government has done nothing to eliminate dense undergrowth and ladder fuels, and it has suppressed most of the natural fires that serve to clear out brush and undergrowth. As a result, about 190 million acres of our nation's forests are in bonfire conditions.

In his State of the Union address, President Bush announced a $1.2 billion hydrogen fuel initiative to reverse the nation’s growing dependence on foreign oil by developing the technology for hydrogen-powered fuel cells to power cars, trucks, homes and businesses with no pollution or greenhouse gases. The hydrogen fuel initiative will include $720 million in new funding over the next five years to develop the technologies and infrastructure to produce, store, and distribute hydrogen for use in fuel cell vehicles and electricity generation. Combined with the FreedomCAR (Cooperative Automotive Research) initiative, President Bush is proposing a total of $1.7 billion over the next five years to develop hydrogen-powered fuel cells, hydrogen infrastructure and advanced automotive technologies.

Supporting first responders. The President has allocated more than $13 billion to help state and local governments prepare for terrorism.

Transforming the FBI. The FBI's primary mission is now preventing terrorist attacks and the President increased its budget by over 40% since 2001.

Stopped continuing terrorist plots. Since September 2001, the DOJ has caught and convicted terrorist cells in Portland, Oregon and Buffalo, New York, and has arrested individual terrorist agents in Minnesota, Ohio, Seattle, Florida and New York.

Stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The President has proposed a bold, robust international effort to stop the proliferation of WMDs.

Success against Al-Qaida. Through swift military action, increased intelligence activities and relentless law enforcement work, the United States and over 170 other countries participating in the war on terror have sent al-Qaida on the run, disrupting their networks and blocking their funds. More than two-thirds of al-Qaida's most senior leaders have been either captured or killed.

Success in Afghanistan. With the support of the Afghan people and 70 other nations, U.S. forces liberated Afghanistan, dismantled the Taliban and destroyed al-Qaida's terrorist training camps.

Progress in Libya, Iran and North Korea. Libya is now disclosing and dismantling all of its WMD programs. The U.S. is working with our allies and the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure that Iran meets its commitments and does not develop nuclear weapons. Together with our partners in Asia, the U.S. is insisting that North Korea completely, verifiably and irreversibly dismantle its nuclear programs.

Success in Iraq. The U.S.-led coalition liberated 26 million people from a ruthless dictatorship that developed and used WMDs, cultivated ties to and harbored known terrorists and defied the U.N. We will stay the course in Iraq and finish the mission we set out to accomplish.

We are using every tool of finance, intelligence, law enforcement and military power to break terror networks, to deny them refuge, and to find their leaders. Over the past 30 months, we have frozen or seized nearly $200 million in assets of terror networks. We have captured or killed some two-thirds of al Qaeda's known leaders, as well as many of al Qaeda's associates countries like the United States, or Germany, or Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia, or Thailand. We are taking the fight to al Qaeda allies, such as Ansar-al-Islam in Iraq, Jemaah Islamiya in Indonesia, and Southeast Asia. Our coalition is sending an unmistakable message to the terrorists, including those who struck in Madrid: These killers will be tracked down and found, they will face their day of justice.

Our coalition is taking urgent action to stop the transfer of deadly weapon and materials. America and the nations of Australia, and France, and Germany, and Italy, and Japan, and the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, and Norway have joined in the Proliferation Security Initiative all aimed to bind together, to interdict lethal materials transported by air or sea or land. Many governments have cooperated to expose and dismantle the network of A.Q. Khan, which sold nuclear secrets to Libya, Iran and North Korea. By all these efforts, we are determined to prevent catastrophic technologies from falling into the hands of an embittered few.

GWB

President Bush promised to make educating every child his top domestic priority and reform a system that has failed the most needy students in our nation's classrooms. He proposed a comprehensive, bipartisan plan to improve overall student performance and close the achievement gap between rich and poor students in America's more than 89,599 public schools.

Last year, approximately 100,000 men and women seeking treatment for drug addiction did not receive the help they needed.

In his Inaugural Address, the President called on Americans to become citizens, not spectators – to work together to improve our communities and reach out to our neighbors.

Bush-Cheney ’04 announced the release of its newest television ad, entitled “Wacky,” which will begin airing Wednesday throughout the country on cable and local affiliates.

Under the jobs and growth act, 91 million taxpayers will receive, on average, a tax cut of $1,126 in 2003.

68 million women will see their taxes decline, on average, by $1,338.
34 million families with children will benefit from an average tax cut of $1,549.
23 million small business owners will receive tax cuts averaging $2,209.
12 million elderly taxpayers will receive an average tax cut of $1,401.
6 million single women with children will receive an average tax cut of $558.
3 million individuals and families will have their income tax liability completely eliminated by the Act.

On May 28, 2003, President Bush signed into law a bold jobs and growth plan to strengthen America's economy and ensure its continued growth.

The House and Senate acted in a bipartisan fashion to make the President’s tax relief plan a reality for American families, seniors, small businesses, and entrepreneurs. In passing a jobs and growth plan, the administration has taken aggressive action to strengthen the foundation of our economy so that every American who wants to work will be able to find a job.

The President’s Jobs and Growth Act of 2003 will create jobs and grow the economy by:

Speeding up the 2001 tax cuts to increase the pace of economic recovery and job creation
Encouraging job-creating investment in America’s businesses by providing dividend and capital gains tax relief and giving small businesses incentives to grow
Providing $20 billion in aid to States for necessary services
The President’s tax relief will allow the American people to keep more of their own money to spend, save and invest; encourage individuals and businesses to make new investments that will lead to economic growth and job creation; and deliver critical help to unemployed citizens.

In his 2003 State of the Union Address, President Bush told the nation, "We will not deny, we will not ignore, we will not pass along our problems to other Congresses, other presidents, and other generations."

US government under fire for giving elite military status to Pakistan
Tue Mar 30, 8:06 PM ET Add Politics - AFP to My Yahoo!



WASHINGTON (AFP) - Opposition Democrats assailed President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s administration for granting Pakistan non-NATO (news - web sites) ally status, despite an ongoing probe on possible high-level links in Islamabad to an international nuclear scam.


AFP/File Photo



Democratic party legislators said Washington should have waited for the investigations to be completed before rewarding Pakistan the elite military status.


The lawmakers grilled John Bolton, Bush's point man for arms control, at a congressional hearing Tuesday over the extent of Pakistan's government involvement in nuclear proliferation following confessions by its top scientist that he had shared nuclear secrets with Iran, Libya and North Korea (news - web sites).


Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program and a national hero, admitted last month to the clandestine proliferation, but he and Islamabad have insisted he acted alone. Musharraf pardoned Khan immediately after the confession.


Last week, US Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) announced that Washington would reward Pakistan with "major non-NATO ally", paving the way for more US military aid to Islamabad.


Bolton told the House that the government was continuing to seek information about exactly what Khan's activities were.


"Do you think that the designation of Pakistan as a major non-NATO ally should wait until we've made that determination," asked Democrat legislator Gary Ackerman.


Bolton said the granting of the non-NATO ally status was based on "other factors," apparently referring to its cooperation in hunting for al-Qaeda members.


He said the United States would take action if it had information about complicity of top levels of the Pakistani government.


"Extensive efforts" were under way in a variety of places, not just Pakistan, to seek more information on the Khan network, he added.

Albright Worries Bush Fuels Hate for U.S.


NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (news - web sites) said Tuesday that she is concerned President Bush (news - web sites) is fueling the hate of terrorist organizations.



She told a crowd at the Yale Divinity School that her worries are in response to the president suggesting that "Americans have a unique relationship with God or a better understanding of God's will than worshippers from other cultures and lands."


"From the beginning, the president has made it clear that we are at war with the terrorists and not with Islam. That is to his credit," Albright said.


"(But) it surely doesn't help when the American military official with responsibility for intelligence on al-Qaida claims that 'We are in the Army of God' and that George Bush was 'appointed by God,'" she said. The comments were made by Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence.


Albright said she believed, as the Bush Administration did, that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) had weapons of mass destruction, but she questioned the wisdom of a pre-emptive strike against Iraq (news - web sites).


"I did not believe there was a connection to al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein," Albright said. "I now do think that Iraq has become a magnet, a gathering ground for all various groups that hate us."


Albright testified last week before the federal commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. She said the Clinton administration used every tool it had to determine the right targets and acted when it could on the intelligence it had.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040331/ap_on_re_us/albright_yale_1

test

Eloquent, Steve, eloquent.

I thought GWB's speech was a home run.

pappa,

Let me answer the question to the subject of this thread:

George W Bush - President in 2000?

Yup!

MB

December 30, 2004 / Washington, D.C. (Associated Press)
After four years of legal wrangling, George W. Bush was finally declared the winner of the 2000 presidential election yesterday.

Bush, a Republican, will take the oath of office at noon today and serves until Jan. 20, 2005, a term of about three weeks. Then he gives way to the winner of the 2004 presidential election, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Greenspan (formerly Clinton).
Facing a drastically shortened presidency, Bush attempted to strike an optimistic tone last night. "We have a lot to accomplish in the next three weeks," Bush said. "Reforming Social Security alone is probably going to eat up four-five hours. Let's get to work!"
Aides yesterday were calling temporary employment agencies in a frantic effort to fill Cabinet posts. Bush's victory ends a four-year court battle between him and Democratic candidate Al Gore over the results of the
2000 election.
While the dispute raged on, the nation installed an interim president
- New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre. Torre admitted that running a country and a baseball team simultaneously has been a strain. "At times, it's been difficult to keep the two things straight. Although, in retrospect, trading Jesse Helms to the Red Sox turned out OK."
Continued prosperity at home and relative calm abroad marked Torre's four years in office. His most controversial move was appointing Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer to the Supreme Court. Critics charged that Zimmer lacked experience. He also spit tobacco juice on Antonin Scalia's shoes, angering conservatives.
Torre's boldest foreign policy initiative was making Cuba the 51st state in an effort to improve U.S. pitching.
Torre was planning to vacate the White House by midnight tonight, with Bush moving in immediately. Eager to give an aura of permanency to his three-week administration, Bush rebuffed suggestions that he sleep on a bare mattress on the floor and live out of suitcases.
Gore, meanwhile, has yet to concede defeat. The former vice president issued a statement today saying, "It would be improper and disrespectful to the democratic process to act hastily before all the facts are known."
The legal tangle over the 2000 election began with a Gore lawsuit over the confusing design of ballots in Florida. When the courts sided with Gore, Bush filed suit, arguing that the Oregon results were invalid because some ballots were yellow and others pink.
Gore counter-sued, charging that the West Virginia results should be thrown out because some people failed to receive "I Voted Today" stickers.
Through the years, various officials proposed compromises to resolve the impasse. All were rejected, including:
* Establishing a co-presidency, with the two men sharing duties and splitting the White House. Although never implemented, the idea gave rise to a hit TV show, East Wing, West Wing.
* Establishing temporarily separate nations, with each candidate ruling the states he won in the 2000 election. Gore, who failed to carry his native Tennessee, balked at the idea because it would mean showing a passport every time he went home.
* Letting Jimmy Carter sort it all out.

Observers said the biggest challenge for the Bush administration would be working with Congress, which adjourns tomorrow and isn't expected back until after Bush's term ends. "One day may not be quite enough time to overhaul the tax system," a Bush aide admitted. "But maybe we can get started and then finish it later with a big conference call or something."
Meanwhile, Bush also must work on his legacy and prepare to transfer power to President-elect Mrs. Greenspan. She yesterday wished Bush well and asked if she could start moving some boxes into the White House basement.

Matt, you didn't vote enough times :)

http://www.herald.com/content/today/docs/nocount1108.htm

Do you want much smaller government?

This is by far the most important question of this or any election season. If you do want much smaller government, it's obvious that you'll never get it with Republicans or Democrats — who are falling over themselves proposing new government programs, new ways to manage your life.

The only unmistakable vote you can cast — the only way you can tell the politicians you're fed up with big government and you won't tolerate it anymore — is to vote Libertarian.

Above taken from: http://harrybrown.org/

Submitted for sake of argument and does not necessarily reflect personal endorsement or belief.

The Ant And The Grasshopper

CLASSIC VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.


MODERN VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN and FOX show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in is comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing "It's Not Easy Being Green."
Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing "We shall overcome". Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.
Al Gore exclaims in an interview with Peter Jennings that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and calls for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his "fair share".
Finally, the EEOC drafts the "Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act", retroactive to the beginning of the summer.
The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.
Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.
The ant loses the case.
The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.
The ant has disappeared in the snow.
The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

he kicked a$$ in the debates tonight..

i WAS undecided..defintely decided on BUSH now

very impressed..espeically on "big goverment" issue...

FM

George W. is the man. When George W. is elected we all get a nice raise. (tax cut) If albore scare enought people, we will see more of our money going down the drain. And the only guns that you be able to buy, will be water guns with safety locks.