Posted on 02/19/2003 6:11:46 PM PST by Temple Owl
Representative Steve Barrar (R-160) is my kind of guy. He has drafted a resolution to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board which calls for a ban on French booze.
He said Pennsylvania is one of France's biggest customers and we could send a loud message by not buying their products. I agree and hereby promise not to drink French wine until the French surrender. OK, Steve, the next move should be to privatize the state liquor stores so your friends and neighbors will no longer have to cross the border into Delaware to get good California wine.
***
Actually we would be better off without help from France. I agree with Jed Babbin, a former undersecretary of state, who said, "going to war without France is like going deer hunting without an accordion. You just leave a lot of useless, noisy baggage behind."
***
The Washington Times' Inside Politics column reports House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Texas Republican, says he was at a party back in his home district in Houston a while back when a Frenchman approached him.
"He started talking to me about Iraq, and it was obvious we weren't going to agree," Mr. DeLay said. "And I said, 'Wait a minute. Do you speak German?'
"He looked at me kind of funny and said, 'No, I don't speak German.'
"I said, 'You're welcome.' And he turned and walked off."
***
Madonna has joined France, Germany, Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Saddam Hussein in opposing any conflict with Iraq. She will voice her feeling by making a video designed for peace. In it, Madonna will be outfitted in GI fatigues, and toss a few grenades. Kind of reminds one of Hanoi Jane.
***
Michael A. Fuoco of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette told his readers last week that, "We may not have the Statue of Liberty, white sand beaches or Big Ben.
"But what we now have in common with those most cosmopolitan of cities is a computerized, state-of-the-art, heated, constantly disinfected, graffiti-resistant, remotely monitored, well-lit, landscaped, wheelchair-accessible, ornamental-iron-and-brick-adorned automatic public toilet." The stubby toilet is in a parking lot in an area of the city known for bar hoppers who sometimes fail to use indoor facilities when nature calls.
Pittsburgh's automatic public toilet -- one of only 19 in the entire world -- would normally cost $250,000, but, a New York business which specializes in advertising on bus shelters, information kiosks and now outdoor toilets provided and installed the fancy toilet free of charge.
The installation of the "APT" is in exchange for advertising rights on some "street furniture" and is part of the company's contract with the city to erect 350 bus shelters as well as bicycle racks, litter bins, kiosks and benches -- all at no cost. The city, which gets a cut of the advertising, expects to raise more than $2 million a year from the deal.
To use the APT, you insert a quarter and push a button and the large door slides open. Inside, it's roomy--10 feet high by 8 feet wide by 9 feet deep.
The floor of the APT, made of aluminum and coated with nonslip vinyl, is hinged in sections like a large conveyor belt. After each use, the floor moves on rollers and is sprayed with disinfectant. At the same time, the toilet bowl turns 180 degrees and also is disinfected. The whole interior is dried and 40 seconds later, it's ready for use again.
Fuoco, happily calls it Pittsburgh's latest Super Bowl. Philadelphia could use a few of these modern miracles. Golly jeepers, every home should have one.
***
Off The Internet
DO NOT FORGET I sat in a movie theater watching Schindler's List and asked myself, "Why didn't the Jews fight back?" Now I know why.
I sat in a movie theater, watching Pearl Harbor and asked myself, "Why weren't we prepared?"
Now I know why.
Civilized people cannot fathom, much less predict, the actions of evil people.
On Sept. 11, dozens of capable airplane passengers allowed themselves to be overpowered by a handful of poorly armed terrorists because they did not comprehend the depth of hatred that motivated their captors.
On Sept. 11, thousands of innocent people were murdered because too many Americans naively reject the reality that some nations are dedicated to the dominance of others. Many political pundits, pacifists and media personnel want us to forget the carnage. They say we must focus on the bravery of the rescuers and ignore the cowardice of the killers. They implore us to understand the motivation of the perpetrators. Major television stations have announced they will assist the healing process by not replaying devastating footage of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers.
I will not be manipulated.
I will not pretend to understand.
I will not forget.
I will not forget the liberal media who abused freedom of the press to kick our country when it was vulnerable and hurting.
I will not forget that CBS anchor Dan Rather preceded President Bush's address to the nation with the snide remark, "No matter how you feel about him, he is still our president."
I will not forget that ABC TV anchor Peter Jennings questioned President Bush's motives for not returning immediately to Washington, D.C. and commented, "We're all pretty skeptical and cynical about Washington."
And I will not forget that ABC's Mark Halperin warned if reporters weren't informed of every little detail of this war, they aren't "likely -- nor should they be expected -- to show deference."
I will not isolate myself from my fellow Americans by pretending an attack on the USS Cole in Yemen was not an attack on the United States of America.
I will not forget that the Clinton administration equipped Islamic terrorists and their supporters with the world's most sophisticated telecommunications equipment and encryption technology, thereby compromising America's ability to trace terrorist radio, cell phone, land lines, faxes and modem communications.
I will not be appeased with pointless, quick retaliatory strikes like those perfected by the previous administration. I will not be comforted by "feel-good, do nothing" regulations like the silly "Have your bags been under your control?" question at the airport.
I will not be influenced by so-called, "antiwar demonstrators" who exploit the right of expression to chant anti-American obscenities.
I will not forget the moral victory handed the North Vietnamese by American war protesters who reviled and spat upon the returning soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines.
I will not be softened by the wishful thinking of pacifists who chose reassurance over reality.
I will embrace the wise words of Prime Minister Tony Blair who told a Labor Party conference, "They have no moral inhibition on the slaughter of the innocent. If they could have murdered not 7,000 but 70,000, does anyone doubt they would have done so and rejoiced in it?
"There is no compromise possible with such people, no meeting of minds, no point of understanding with such terror. Just a choice: defeat it or be defeated by it. And defeat it we must!"
I will force myself to:
-hear the weeping
- feel the helplessness
-imagine the terror -sense the panic
-smell the burning flesh
-experience the loss
-remember the hatred.
I sat in a movie theater, watching Private Ryan and asked myself, "Where did they find the courage?"
Now I know.
We have no choice. Living without liberty is not living.
-- Ed Evans, MGySgt., USMC (Ret.) Not as lean, Not as mean, But still a Marine.
BTW, the toilet thing was pretty funny.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.