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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neeka who wrote (384568)	4/2/2003 10:01:45 PM
From: briskit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

From a Romanian newspaper We rarely get a chance to see another country's editorial about the USA. Read this excerpt from a Romanian Newspaper. The article was written by Mr. Cornel Nistorescu and published under the title "C"ntarea Americii meaning "Ode To America") on September 24, 2002 in the Romanian newspaper Evenimentul zilei ("The Daily Event" or "News of the Day"). ~An Ode to America~ Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one another even if you painted them all one color! They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations and religious beliefs. Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart. Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the army, and the secret services that they are only a bunch of losers. Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts. Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to gape > about. The Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping hand. After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag over the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a government official or the president was passing. On every occasion they started singing their traditional song: "God Bless America!" I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for hours listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the Californian hockey player, who gave his life fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or thousands of people. How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being? Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars were put in a collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy. What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their land? Their galloping history? Their economic Power? Money? I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with the risk of sounding commonplace. I thought things over, but I reached only one conclusion... Only freedom can work such miracles! Visit our web pages: rankin25.0catch.com

To: Neeka who wrote (384568)	4/2/2003 10:49:52 PM
From: goldworldnet	Respond to of 769670

Rep. wants to bring home those buried in France WASHINGTON (AP) — usatoday.com In another swipe at the French, a Florida congresswoman has proposed that the government pay for families who might want to bring home from France the remains of Americans who fought and died in the world wars. "I, along with many other Americans, do not feel that the French government appreciates the sacrifices men and women in uniform have made to defend the freedom that the French enjoy today," Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite said in introducing legislation providing financial help for the reburial of veterans from the two world wars. The legislation, which faces uncertain prospects, is the latest show of congressional frustration over French threats to veto a U.N. resolution that would open the way for U.S. military action against Iraq. Earlier this week, the chairman of the House Administration Committee, Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, ordered that House restaurants change their menus to read "freedom fries" instead of French fries. French toast would also become freedom toast. Lawmakers have also introduced bills to prevent France from participating in any postwar reconstruction projects. Brown-Waite, a freshman Republican, said she decided to sponsor the bill after she was approached by a constituent who said he wanted to bring home his father, who was killed in World War II and buried in France. Some 74,000 American war casualties are buried in France and Belgium, including 30,000 from World War I. The host nations, while retaining sovereignty over the burial grounds, have granted the land in perpetuity to the United States as military cemeteries. Steve Thomas, a spokesman for the American Legion, said the veterans' group would need some time to look at the legislation. He said the American Legion has always respected the wishes of the families concerning those who died in combat, but noted that "a lot of people may not want to repatriate their fallen loved ones, separating them from their comrades, to make a statement about the French government." * Congressman wants to end French company's contract to feed the Marines By LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writer story.news.yahoo.com WASHINGTON - The French have turned down any role in the U.S.-led war against Iraq (news - web sites), but in Marine Corps mess halls across the United States, they're still in charge of the menu. Sodexho Alliance, a French company with U.S. headquarters in a Washington suburb, is supplying food to the Marine Corps under an $881 million contract signed two years ago — well before France's opposition to the war led to a diplomatic brouhaha. Rep. Jack Kingston,, who wants to up the ante in the current American backlash against the French, has asked the Bush administration to terminate the Sodexho contract. "My colleagues and I abhor the idea of continuing to pour Americans dollars into a French-based firm when those dollars could be feeding our wartime economy," a draft of Kingston's letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said. Kingston said the business should go to small companies, especially those owned by minorities, the disadvantaged and veterans. Sodexho said the government would face financial penalties for terminating the eight-year contract, and thousands of American workers would lose jobs. "In taking aim at foreign governments because you're displeased with their politics, you want to be careful not to take away American jobs," Sodexho spokeswoman Leslie Aun said Friday. She said $300 million of the contract amount is directed to subcontractors owned by women, minorities and companies that hire disabled workers. Kingston's letter is the latest congressional move against French opposition to the war in Iraq. In other recent anti-French actions: _Rep. Darrell Issa introduced legislation that would order the Pentagon (news - web sites) to use U.S.-based technology for construction of a cellular phone system in Iraq after the war. He acted after learning of a Pentagon directive that specified use of European technology. _Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite introduced a bill to have the government pay for families who might want to bring home from France the remains of Americans who fought and died in the world wars. _House office buildings changed their menus to remove the word "French" from fries, salad dressing and other foods. * * *