'Nite, snugs! Thanks for all of your love and support for our country and our great and wonderful President and Vice President!
Thanks for posting that picture of little David looking so sad though it breaks my heart to see it!
Posted on 05/28/2005 3:32:36 PM PDT by Wolfstar
PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: President and Mrs. Bush -- and the dogs, of course -- are spending a quiet weekend at Camp David. They will return to the White House Sunday to be on hand for Monday's traditional Memorial Day activities. Today, Saturday, May 28, 2005, marks something of a red-letter day, because Tom Raum of the Associated Press actually reported the following remarkable piece -- a left-handed compliment, to be sure, but a compliment nevertheless. Mr. Raum has covered Washington for The Associated Press since 1973, including five presidencies.
Newsview: Bush's Global Clout Seen GrowingBy TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer, Sat May 28,12:49 PM ET.
WASHINGTON - In the rarified club of world leaders, President Bush has taken his share of lumps. Critics have railed against his handling of Iraq, his perceived disdain for the United Nations and what they say is a swaggering approach to foreign policy.
But Bush probably would not want to trade places with any other head of state.
Nearly all his fellow leaders of the world's big industrial democracies have stumbled. It has left them vulnerable at home and weakener on the world stage.
The president, through it all, is riding what he sees as a strong re-election mandate to trumpet his goal of spreading democracy.
That helps explains why Bush, despite a slip in his approval rating among Americans, may find himself holding the stronger hand when he travels in early July to Scotland for the annual summit of the leaders of the eight major industrialized democracies.
"His counterparts all face ill political winds that make their domestic positions rather precarious," said Charles Kupchan, director of European studies with the Council on Foreign Relations, a private research group. "I do think it puts Bush in an advantageous position."
It is not the best of times be a world leader:
_Britain's Tony Blair, Bush's chief ally on Iraq, did win re-election this month to a third term as prime minister. But he prevailed by drastically reduced margins for his Labour Party, threatening his leadership abilities.
_Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, also a strong supporter of U.S. policy in Iraq, has seen parties in his government coalition lose in regional and local elections. Defeats even forced his resignation, although he cobbled together a new coalition to regain power.
_German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, a vocal critic of the Iraq war, has called for national elections for this fall — a year early. That followed his party's crushing defeat in Germany's most populous region. The loss, he said, cost him the mandate he needs to fix Germany's struggling economy.
_French President Jacques Chirac, also a foe of U.S. policy in Iraq, is taking heat for his decision to call a referendum on the European Union's first constitution. It's set him up for what could be a humiliating defeat. Chirac's approval ratings have declined and he faces opposition from within his own party.
_Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin faces serious challenges and demands that he resign. The House of Commons tied on a vote of confidence this month. It took a vote by the parliament speaker to give Martin's minority government a one-vote victory. Canada pledged to tighten its borders after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But Ottawa has declined to send troops to Iraq or sign on to the U.S. missile defense shield.
_Japan's prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, finds his popularity lagging after four years on the job. It's down about half from the 80 percent he once enjoyed. Koizumi may be in better shape than his European counterparts. But weighing him down are tensions with North Korea and China, and public concern about expected tax cuts and pension restructuring.
_Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to consolidate power and exercise more control over regional leaders. But his rollback of press and political freedoms, and his pursuit of oil giant Yukos, have drawn international condemnation and clouded Russia's business climate.
Analysts see common themes for the leaders' tough times: high unemployment and slow growth in Germany and France; social tensions associated with Muslim immigration; and a backlash against "globalization" as industries move their operations to low-wage countries.
Bush himself is having trouble on Social Security, judicial nominations and other domestic priorities. Yet, analysts suggest, the president has had a strong run internationally over the past few months — even with the continuing violence in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He persuaded European powers to negotiate with Iran over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. He watched democratic elections and the formation of a new government in Iraq. He successfully prodded Syria to withdraw from Lebanon.
And he is taking an active role in trying to nudge Israelis and Palestinians toward peace.
France's ambassador to the United States spoke recently of the effect of Bush's winning a second term.
"The moment President Bush was re-elected, he extended the hand of friendship and cooperation to the leaders of Europe," said Jean-David Levitte. "Style has changed."
PRESIDENTIAL SCHEDULE: Once again Press Secretary Scott McClellan did not announce a week-ahead schedule. However, I obtained the following from various news reports.
Monday, The President will lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetary and participate in traditional Memorial Day ceremonies and rememberances in Washington.
Thursday, GWB will travel to Hopkinsville, Ky., to speak about Social Security reform. He will fly into Fort Campbell Army Airfield before heading to the Hopkinsville-Christian County Conference and Convention Center. The President last visited Hopkinsville while campaigning for the presidency in May 2000. He last visited Fort Campbell in March 2004 when he came to address the thousands of soldiers who had returned from combat duty in Iraq.
Friday, President Bush will address the Organization of American States on June 6 at the group's annual meeting. The United States has not hosted the General Assembly since 1974. The three-day OAS General Assembly in Fort Lauderdale brings together the foreign ministers from most of the 34 OAS member nations. The meeting will be chaired by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
President and Mrs. Bush will travel to Denmark prior to his participation in the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. The President's bilateral program in Denmark will take place on July 6th. Denmark is a close friend and ally of the United States, and Prime Minister Rasmussen is a strong proponent of effective transatlantic cooperation.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: From today's Presidential Radio Address:
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, a victory for freedom in which more than 400,000 Americans gave their lives. Today a new generation of Americans is making its own sacrifice on behalf of peace and freedom, and some have given their lives.
In their hometowns, these soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines are more than names on a roll of honor. They were friends and neighbors, teachers and coaches, classmates and colleagues. Each was the most important person in someone's life; each had hopes for the future, and each left a place that can never be filled.
We mourn their loss, and we honor their sacrifice. We pray for their families. And we take heart in knowing that these men and women believed deeply in what they were fighting for. Christopher Swisher was a staff sergeant from Lincoln, Nebraska, who joined the Army a year after graduating from high school. He was killed in an ambush while on patrol in Baghdad. Sergeant Swisher told his loved ones: "If anything happens to me, I'm doing what I want to be doing -- I'm protecting my family and my home."
Rafael Peralta also understood that America faces dangerous enemies, and he knew the sacrifices required to defeat them. An immigrant from Mexico, he enlisted in the Marine Corps the day after he got his green card. Just before the battle of Fallujah, he wrote his 14-year-old brother, "We are going to defeat the insurgents. Be proud of me, I'm going to make history and do something that I always wanted to do." A few days later, Sergeant Peralta gave his life to save his fellow Marines.
Good Night! and God Bless England
Even tho it was extra $$ I'm sure glad we got the whirlpool tub! I'm about ready to fall asleep but had to check in here just one more time . . . is that the sign of a true FReeper??? (just like staying up 1/2 the night like you and some others do . . . ;-) )
Please tell me where this happens :-) Where do you live?
Poor Brandon! Is grandpa around this weekend? Have fun at the Dollar STore--don't spend all your money! LOL!
My family, OTOH, expects "real" meals that I actually have to COOK, not just scoop out of the bucket for them . . .
What movie did you watch? Hope you enjoyed it!
So sorry for your health troubles. Your positive attitude and cheerfulness are an inspiration!
God bless you.
You should DEMAND a discount on rent this month, being deprived of that hot tub and all . . .
What state do you live in? I think it's beautiful weather almost everywhere in the US . . . here in Nebraska I think it was close to 80's today. Sunny, breezy, just wonderful.
We ARE enjoying it--it's a life-long dream come true. I'm glad we got factory built, too. There's a house being built a few miles south of us; they started before winter time and are still working on it. I would have gone nuts making decisions over every little thing--choosing from a dozen or so floor coverings, cupboards, carpets, etc. was quite plenty. :-)
The verse you quoted brought tears to my eyes; (where is it from?) when we take the time to look and listen, God's creation is just AMAZING. And to think the birds have been singing the same songs for thousands of years . . . just overwhelming. Thank you.
I'm glad you're enjoying your new home, too. Small towns can be the best! (even tho your every move is monitored, and possibly talked about in the coffee shop!)
Thank you. Feeding your pets, feeding you family.
You do know you can train the family, a scoop here and
there LOL!
LOL! They're pretty much meat and veggies, all the way! The good part is, they're happy with hamburgers 3-4 times a week so when I don't have much imagination, they don't mind.
Sweet dreams!
I'm in Seattle. We melt if it goes over 75 because few plalces have air conditioning. Thankfully, it looks like it will be cloudy and back in the 60s later this week. Way too much sun the past 2 days for my liking!
I am going to Omaha for an academic conference in August - I bet it will be 100, huh? I doubt I'll leave the hotel.
Don't you DARE.
Another interesting mammal that spends most of its time on the prairie is the pronghorn antelope. Pronghorns are true American natives, found nowhere else in the world. they have roamed the plains and deserts of North America for at least the last million years in substantially the same form. One can truly call this animal unique: he is the lone member of his family, Antilocapra americana, which literally means the "American goat-antelope."
The pronghorn has exceptionally keen vision complemented by excellent hearing and sense of smell.
Both sexes have horns, but the female's are only tiny spikes and are rarely pronged as are the twelve to eighteen-inch horns of the male. The horn is made up of two parts: a bony core covered by a black outer sheath. This sheath is made up of a stiff, hair-like substance. Pronghorns are the only animals in the world who shed their horns annually. The outer sheath of the horn falls off each fall and grows back by the following summer.
The coloration of the pronghorn varies from light tan to a rich brown with prominent white patches under the stomach and on the rump. In times of danger, the hairs of the rump can be held erect to produce, in the bright sunlight of the plains, a white flash visible for many miles. Along the neck there is a thick mane of dark brown to black hair. Pronghorn bucks have black patches on the lower jaw below the eye and a black mask extending back from the nose. These markings make it easier to distinguish the male from the female. No other animal is more strikingly beautiful than the pronghorn when he "poses" on the open plains.
The running gait of the pronghorn is beautifully smooth and their powerful legs can carry them at a remarkable pace across the roughest kind of terrain. As the fastest North American mammal, pronghorns can reach speeds of 60 miles per hour. At high speed they cover the ground in great strides of 14 to 24 feet, and are known to run for long distances at speeds of 30 to 40 miles per hour.
Fall signals the beginning of the intensive mating season. The territorial bucks are especially aggressive in defending their areas. Brief fights develop between males and occasionally one is seriously injured. Ambitious bucks may develop harems of 3 to 8 or more does.
The young are born in late May or early June with about 60% of the births being twins. At birth, fawns weigh 5 to 6 pounds and lack the spots that are characteristic of deer and elk fawns. The newborn do not have an odor and instinctively lie motionless for hours. This is their main defense from predators such as bobcats, eagles, and coyotes.
All of the above from Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota) website.
Sniffle, sniffle here, too. But I'm so enormously proud of these courageous Americans and their families.
That is a lovely graphic "stolen" but then I bet you did anyway LOL, not sure if that was the photo that Wolfstar was on about but it was a similar one.
President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush wave as they walk across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, May 29, 2005. Bush is returning to the White House after spending part of the weekend at Camp David in Maryland.
Sgt. Brian Currier
A message from Sgt. Currier's family:
Sgt. Brian Currier was stationed in Iraq when he was critically injured by a VBED on March 7th [2005] in Ramadi. He suffered shrapnel injuries to his legs, fractures of his right leg and all 3 bones in his right arm, facial fractures and shrapnel in his eyes. After many surgeries he is finally walking with the aid of a quad cane and is coming home on convalescent leave next week!
He has a lot of physical and occupational therapy ahead of him but he has a great attitude and a lot of determination. He has received excellent care at the TQ in Iraq, at Landstuhl in Germany and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC.
His family is so proud of him. He has endured so much in the past few months. Two fellow soldiers and friends died in the explosion and the doctors in Iraq didn't think Brian was going to survive. He lost a massive amount of blood. Soldiers lined up around the blood bank to help him.
We would like to thank everyone for their prayers and the cards and letters he has received. You are all in our prayers. If there was ever a doubt about the power of prayer there is absolutely no doubt now. God has watched over all of us. He is bringing our soldier home to us and there are not enough words to describe our joy.
We need at this time to change our home to accommodate Brian, please help.
Donations are being accepted through Soldiers Angels, or mail check or money order to:
Brian Currier WOUNDED FUND
Trenton Federal Credit Union
4550 Division
Trenton, Michigan 48183
Well, they do look rested after a couple of days out of Washington--and he is acting downright feisty! LOL!
Thanks for the up-date!
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