I was lost when the writer called the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan “unconstitutional”. They were approved of by Congress, and are therefore more constitutional than the wars against the barbary pirates.
Suspected such for a long time, just did not want to admit it. Boehner changed my mind, they are all Republicrats.
An interesting note on how much Turkey does spend on creating a favorable image. New Orleans is not a major center for Moslems in the US but the following article gushes over what is obviously a pretty pricey white propaganda operation by Turkey:
Turkish Cultural Center in Metairie promotes dialogue, communication
Published: Wednesday, May 11, 2011, 7:30 AM
By The Times-Picayune
DANIEL ERATH/THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
“I’m very interested in other countries, but my knowledge of Turkey was limited at the time,” said Conrad, a resident of Algiers Point and a history instructor at Delgado Community College. “After going to the center just one time, I was overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Turkish people, their culture and their food.”
Conrad was so fascinated that he became a volunteer at the center. And last year, he went on one of the center’s 10 annual trips to Turkey.
The Turkish Cultural Center, operated by the Atlas Foundation, is located at 3435 West Esplanade Ave., Metairie. It is a nonprofit organization established in New Orleans in 2002 by the Turkish-American community and other volunteers.
There is also a chapter in Baton Rouge.
“The mission of the Atlas Foundation is to establish a relationship between cultures and communities,” said Hamaza Akmermer, a member of the Atlas advisory board. “We try to do this by sharing Turkey’s heritage of tolerance and understanding.”
Yonus Celik, outreach coordinator for the Atlas Foundation, said there are approximately 300 Turkish families living in the metropolitan New Orleans area.
In November, the Foundation holds an annual Friendship Dinner. Last year’s dinner drew more than 200 people.
“It was amazing to see the people who attended the dinner,” Conrad said. “There were Catholic priests and rabbis there, as well as other men and women from all backgrounds in attendance.”
The center holds a number of activities throughout the year, including family picnics, Turkish language classes, cooking classes, art shows and multicultural panel discussions about cultures and faiths.
The center also has had guest speakers, including retired Judge Sol Gothard ,whose topic was ‘The Torah/Talmud’s Role as the Basis of the U.S. Constitution’ and David Welker, special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans division. Welker discussed crime issues.
In New Orleans, the Turkish Cultural Center and Trinity Episcopal Church sponsors a program called “Standing Together,” which as aimed at bringing Christians and Muslims together to discuss current events.
The Atlas Foundation also organizes yearly trips to Turkey.
“We want to bring people from different cultures together,” said Mehmet Cihan, a native of Turkey. He is also a doctoral student at Tulane University and a volunteer at the Turkish Cultural Center. “We want to serve this country (United States) and share our values. At the center, we care about the person, not with the person’s religion or skin color.”
New Orleans resident Earl Luetzelschwab is a member of the Atlas Foundation advisory board.
“The Turkish Cultural Center was established for everyone,” Luetzelschwab said. “The center is doing a good job of helping people learn about Turkey and its culture, while also bringing together people from other cultures.”
“We want to promote dialogue,” Cihan added. “When we can do this, we can remove the conflict and help close the gap that can exist between people.”
For more information about the Turkish Cultural Center and the Atlas Foundation, email info@atlaslouisiana.org or visit www.atlaslouisiana.org.
By Earl Hodges, Contributing writer
Email Earl Hodges at earlhodges@msn.com
Sibel is a well know ‘truther’. How you define truther is up to you.
I plan to read it.