Free Republic

At least part of the city has been destroyed. And it should never be rebuilt, again. You know who is calling for it to be rebuilt at any cost? The same idiots who didn't lift a finger to evacuate the city – people like Mayor Ray Nagin, whose legacy will always be that photograph of an armada of school buses submerged in the big muddy. Joining him are Sen. Barack Obama, former Sen. John Edwards and Sen. Hillary Clinton – all of whom don't see any reason to limit the spending on rebuilding the underwater city. Good thing these folks...

(AP) SIMI VALLEY, Calif. Two years after Ronald Reagan's death, former first lady Nancy Reagan visited the hilltop gravesite of the nation's 40th president and gently tapped his tombstone. Mrs. Reagan and daughter Patti Davis made a private, five-minute visit to the gravesite Monday at the Reagan Presidential Library. Mrs. Reagan placed a bouquet of white roses at the granite memorial, paused and then gently placed her hand on the headstone. "It was a poignant moment. You could feel the loss and feel the love," said library Director Duke Blackwood, who escorted the former first lady. Library visitors were kept...

Announcing the Death of Ronald Reagan By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES: It is my sad duty to announce officially the death of Ronald Reagan, the fortieth President of the United States, on June 5, 2004. We are blessed to live in a Nation, and a world, that have been shaped by the will, the leadership, and the vision of Ronald Reagan. With an unshakable faith in the values of our country and the character of our people, Ronald Reagan renewed America's confidence and restored our Nation. His...

On the eve of the second anniversary of the Iraq war, Toby Harnden in Beirut, Damien McElroy in Damascus and Philip Sherwell in Washington report on the ripple of democracy across the Middle EastIn a sea of red and white, the young students swayed joyously to the music pumping out from speakers stacked on the stage in Martyrs' Square, Beirut. "Oh, Lebanese arms, hold on tight," they sang in Arabic. "We are back, with our hands held together. Lebanon will return." A Muslim, wearing a protest scarf wrapped around her hijab, grasped her children to her side. Behind her, a...

Dirty bomb test 'caught US police napping' US police officers failed to spot what could have been a dirty bomb planted in the heart of Washington, a report by government investigators has alleged. A suspicious package was positioned at the base of the Washington Monument, near the White House, on the second anniversary of September 11. The test was conducted at a time when the US was supposed to be on high alert against the threat of a terrorist attack. But the report alleges that police were busy chatting rather than patrolling the area and one officer positioned in an...

Movement and its members pay tribute to 9/11 victims and to the People of America SMCCDI (Information Service) Sep 11, 2003 The Movement and its members payed tribute, today, to the victims of the Tagedy of September 11th, their families and to the Noble American Nation. A statement issued by SMCCDI at the occasion of the 2nd anniversary of this infamous terrorist act, which shaped the face of the World, reminded again of the dangers of the Islamist Fanatism. The Movement while expressing again its deepest sorrow, reminded to the wounded People of America that Iranians are their natural allies...

So another September has come and gone and we have once again been drawn searing memory of the events of September 11th, 2001. I found myself last month transfixed in front of my televsion, staring again at the images that we all remember but rarely see any more. I watched one show for three hours straight, a PBS special that covered the "life" of the World Trade Center from its conception until its fiery death. PBS held nothing back in the documentary, showing amidst the scenes of horror pictures of human beings, Americans and others, leaning out of the windows...

TWO years after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks, American pundits and policymakers are still grappling with the question: Why do they hate us? But what was an area of almost total darkness has since been illuminated by a torrent of in-depth studies, opinion polls and, of late, bad news from Iraq. Perhaps Americans should beseech God, as the old school prayer advises, to grant them the serenity to accept the things they cannot change. True, this would be too fatalistic an attitude for most United States foreign-policy analysts. But do their own diagnoses and panaceas stand up to scrutiny? In...

Military vessels routinely render honors to military ships of other countries when they pass at sea by dipping their flag, as a sign of respect. The German frigate FGS Niedersachsen went above and beyond this normal gesture of respect when it asked to come alongside the USS Doyle on September 11, 2003, the second anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the US. On this day, as the two ships approached and passed, the entire crew of the German vessel stood top-side in full dress uniforms, holding their hats over their hearts. And as the ultimate gesture of respect, the FGS...

Last week, on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, Lawrence F. Kaplan published an extraordinary article in the Wall Street Journal. Titled, “Are you a September 10th American?”, Kaplan detailed polls which indicate that America is essentially split into two, mostly partisan, groups - those who consider their lives and the world changed by the events of September 11th and those who consider the attacks as “an event whose significance is emotional…and historical” not “the opening salvo of a years-long struggle”. According to Kaplan, September Eleventhers are comprised of “evangelical Christians, whites, rural dwellers, southerners and self-described conservatives”. September...

When foreign policy becomes a local concern It has been two years since the Sept. 11 tragedy struck in New York and here in Arlington, killing scores of citizens and terrifying the rest. Having experienced this tragedy first-hand, Arlingtonians have a special stake in doing what's necessary to be sure that this kind of tragedy never revisits here - or anywhere else. We have an especially strong interest in focusing attention on what truly makes us more secure today. Most of us supported the Bush administration's initial focus after the tragedy. The administration presented compelling evidence of al- Qaida's guilt...

American caterers pay tribute to Gander Canadian Press E-mail this Article Print this Article Advertisement Gander, Nfld. — Dan and Teresa Seeley have never fed more than 500 people through their small catering business in Syracuse, N.Y. On Saturday, they put on a spread for a crowd of between 3,000 to 4,000 grateful residents of Gander and area. The outdoor picnic was in recognition of the Newfoundland town's role in hosting about 6,500 stranded airline passengers following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States two years ago. Sounding emotionally drained but satisfied, Dan Seeley said the event was...

Democrats' quagmire: petty politics September 21, 2003 BY MARK STEYN SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST A week or so back, on Sept. 11, almost to the hour of the second anniversary, the star guest on NBC's ''Today Show'' was Hillary Rodham Clinton. And what her hostess Katie Couric, America's favorite wake-up gal, wanted to know about the terrorist attacks on the senator's home state was this: Did the White House ''mislead'' the American people about the air quality at Ground Zero? Come again? We all know Bush ''misled'' (Katie was being coy) the American people on Niger and British intelligence and weapons of...

This September 11 proved to be all beard and no jihad By Mark Steyn (Filed: 20/09/2003) Look at this," said Sulayman abu Ghaith, tossing the Guardian down on the table. The headline read "Al-Qa'eda Issues A Chilling Warning" and the opening sentence was stark: "A new tape purporting to be from Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'eda network yesterday threatened an onslaught against Americans so devastating it would obliterate memories of the September 11 suicide attacks." "You can't buy publicity like that!" crowed Sulayman. "We will rain down death upon the Great Satan!" But I wasn't the only non-executive director of al-Qa'eda...

The second anniversary of 9/11 slipped by with the anticipated moments of grief and solemnity. But what is most pronounced and alarming is how our mourning and resolve have degenerated into hysteria, particularly in the media and exemplified by the nine Democrats running for president. In the weeks after the terrorist attacks, the nation found its resolve and resoluteness. Partisanship dissolved, though we knew that would be temporary. What's so shocking is the rabidness of the new partisanship. This anniversary passed with the nation distressed by the media's out-of-perspective fixation on body counts and bogus Vietnam analogies. The Democrats have...

Exploring the roots and reason of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacks, two television specials, "Searching for the Roots of 9/11," hosted by The New York Times' Tom Friedman on the Discovery Channel, and "Why U.S.?" on the Discovery Times Channel, aired on Sept. 10 and Sept. 11, respectively. The specials explored the thoughts, sentiments, hopes, aspirations and anger of students, writers and others in several Arabic countries. One young Arab, while bemoaning the loss of "innocent lives," said that he and most Arab Muslims relished America's Sept. 11 "punch in the nose." One young female Arab student spoke...

CommonConservative.com 09/16/03 ENEMIES WITHIN Think of them every day by Tom Adkins I woke up to bright sunshine, made a nice breakfast, then went off to work. I made a few phone calls, shuffled some papers, and took a client to lunch. More phone calls, more papers shuffling, then drove home and had a nice dinner with my wife. Later, I got together with a bunch of friends and played basketball. Just another day. The date? Thursday, September 11, 2003. Have I forgotten what day it was? September 11th? The anniversary of the single greatest terrorist attack in world history,...

During my recent book tour, I resisted the persistent, illiterate request that I name traitors. With a great deal of charity – and suspension of disbelief – I was willing to concede that many liberals were merely fatuous idiots. (In addition, I was loathe to name names for fear that liberals would start jumping out of windows.) But after the Times' despicable editorial on the two-year anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attack, I am prepared – just this once – to name a traitor: Pinch Sulzberger, publisher of the New York Times. To be sure, if any liberal could legitimately...

A Fine Hour The best thing to remember about Sept. 11, 2001, is the magnificent way that New Yorkers and indeed all Americans responded to the tragedy. Being a country boy, I've never been fond of any big city, but on that day and in the days following, I would have been proud to be called a New Yorker. The way the people of that city opened their hearts, their arms and their pocketbooks to each other should stand forever as a rebuke to cynics. What a grand example they were of human beings at their very best. That I...

For those of you who could not believe that an actor in Hollywood actually supports this country, check out this picture of Gary Sinise and his wife from this week's issue of the Malibu Times:Caption: "Actor Gary Sinise and his wife, Moira, join residents in a candlelight vigil at Point Dume in prayer and remembrance of the victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11."