Our men and women in uniform need our support.

So you think the war on terror is pointless, immoral and criminal? That’s fine. The current U.S. administration has it’s reasons for involving military forces in foreign nations. The war draws on and the fighting continues. Collateral damage mounts and the media paints horrific pictures of bodies and lamenting women. We must remember that, through all the horrors of war, our sons, daughters, fathers and mothers in uniform are suffering.

Our military personnel have been fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq since October 2001. Fathers leave their families and sacrifice their lives for their country. Sons and daughters leave home for combat and an uncertain future. All of our troops throughout history have risked everything they hold dear to secure the freedoms that the people of the United States enjoy.

It is a difficult job. It is physically demanding and emotionally draining. If there is one thing that keeps our service personnel from the brink of collapse it is the contact they receive from home. Friends and family writing letters and wishing them well. Each and every one of us, whether we have family and friends serving abroad or not, need to do what we can to support our service men and women.

There are many ways that you can support our troops. The USO, founded in 1941, has been the leading force in keeping up the morale of our troops. They provide an invaluable service by bringing to the troops a piece of home.

Support our troops. Make a small donation to the USO and do your part to protecting our freedoms. Our Troops Need Your Help. Show them that America still cares. Give what you can today.

Christians are quite aware they are commanded to “avoid the
appearance of evil.” The Vice President and President of the
United States of America tell us they are Christians and to rest
easy, they only appear to be dealing in evil. Is the Vice
President in reality, the United States President of Vice?

Recently Vice President Cheney responded to a question about the
awarding of no bid contracts to Halliburton. His response was
that he has nothing to do with the awarding of contracts and
would not know how to influence them. If I was Vice President
and wanted to help a friend win a contract, I would call the
friend and ask how I might help. My friend would know exactly
what to do. It doesn’t seem all that difficult to me.

To avoid the appearance of evil, Vice President Cheney should
have resigned the day Halliburton obtained its first no bid
contract for Iraq, or Afghanistan. On this day, the President
should have requested he step down, if they would avoid the
appearance of evil. Is it a coincidence these executives
frequently speak of evil? Are they mirroring? That is, are they
accusing others of faults they abhor in their selves?

On one segment of the 25 January edition of 60 Minutes, we learn
that a Halliburton subsidiary does business with terrorist
supporting states. Does this mean the War on Terror is a money
making fraud? Is that why the target of American justice was
switched from Al Qaeda to Iraq as early as November 2001? New
business for all our good buddies? It only appears that way.
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, King George is on top of the
world. Either these men are not Christian or evil has no
appearance.

Today is the 26th of January, 2004. I have been listening to
primary campaign coverage on National Public Radio, waiting to
hear which candidate is going to make Vice President Cheney and
Halliburton a campaign issue. Will all the candidates tiptoe
around the issue till after the February primaries? Are American
corporations doing business in terrorist supporting states, a
non issue? Is all America going to pretend there is no evil in
high places? Ask me in another month.

A cold shiver runs down my spine as I consider there could be a
Capitol wide cover- up taking place, in which Senators John
Kerry, John Edwards and Joe Lieberman are taking part. If so, we
can expect none of them to raise the Halliburton – Cheney
scandal as a campaign issue.

What a coincidence Senator Kerry should also have a very good
interview segment on the same 60 Minutes program! Is it possible
no one on Kerry’s staff connected the Kerry interview with the
story of terror profits? We will all soon know.

Maybe none of the Democratic candidates care about the
appearance of evil either, and I am right about a Capitol wide
conspiracy to hide the truth. The truth that seems so obvious to
me; maybe evil only resigns under the threat of armed rebellion.
(Which would be labeled domestic terror, of course.) Fat chance
of that, huh?

(PUBLISHERS! Free Promotion Here – Now! If you will leave a comment and your URL or hyperlink on this or any article of mine: 1.) Some of my on – site readers will visit your website. 2.) I will visit your website. If I like what I find, I will write a positive review and publish it here at EzineArticles. You may delete this generous offer when re – publishing this article.)

Ed Howes sought and found, knocked and entered. Now he sees things differently. To see more of what he sees, please visit http://www.justanotherview.com or do an author search here at Ezine Articles.

The mortgage crisis tax mistakes to rock the real estate world and affect many home owners. In fact it was announced today that tax one million home owners are loosing their house to foreclosure. This does not include the over 380,000 home owners who fell behind on payment this last quarter.

With the continuation of increased foreclosures there is no doubt that home prices will continue to decline. The real estate market has many home owners asking themselves should I sell my house now or wait. Other home owners are asking themselves, now that I need to sell my house, how much is my house worth? Also what is the best way to get a house assessment?

Well first things first. If you are not behind on payments, not going through a divorce, not in foreclosure, or not being relocated by your job, it is assumed you do not need to sell yours house. If that is the case, and you do not need to sell your house I suggest holding onto it for another 3 to 5 years before selling. By that time the real estate marketing should have settled and you will not have to take a loss

If you are in a home selling tax where you need to sell your house then you need to act quickly, because the real estate marketing continues to decline. Your first step should be to get a house assessment or find out your homes value.

The fastest and easiest way to get a house assessment or find out your homes value is to contact a local home buyer in your area. Local real estate home buyers are very knowledgeable of your local real estate market and can let you know your best selling option.

When it comes to selling your house fast you need to evaluate all your selling options, and there are many. Sell your house fast for cash, sell your house on the open real estate market with a real estate agent, sell your house quick to a real estate investor, lease option your house, sell it online, do a rent to own or sell it as an owner carry.

Bottom line, if you need to determine how much your house is worth contact your local home buyer.

I need to Sell My House fast.

Problem: In many undeveloped Muslim countries education is not widely available to all citizens. Many of the boys and young men in these countries get their education in small religious schools called madrasas that teach a strict fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic law to their students. Militant Islamic extremists use these schools as a vehicle for recruiting potential terrorists.

Solution: The citizens in these countries have shown that they are open to new schools being built with funding and assistance provided by western nations. These schools encourage women to participate and teach a well rounded curriculum free of fundamentalist teachings. The resulting improvement in literacy and understanding of the outside world creates a more moderate point of view, and reduces poverty and overpopulation.

Every year hundreds of wealthy Westerners flock to the Himalayan Mountains in Asia hoping to conquer some of the World’s most challenging peaks. Most will hire local villagers to guide them to the summit and to carry their gear along the way. These villagers do the lion’s share of the work for what usually amounts to pennies.

In 1993 American climber Greg Mortonsen decided to attempt to summit the notorious K2 in Pakistan, one of the World’s highest and most dangerous peaks. While Mortonsen did not make it to the summit he did learn a great deal about living conditions in this wild and remote region. Mortonsen had become separated from his group on the descent and ended up stumbling down the mountain exhausted and disoriented, and without shelter, food or water. Fortunately, he managed to wander into a tiny mountain village where he was taken care of by the locals until he could regain his strength. As he recovered from his climb he was shocked to see the rampant poverty and high infant mortality rates (over 30%) common to villages in this area.

When he realized that literacy had only been achieved by less than 3% of the inhabitants Mortonsen saw how he could most effectively give back to the people who had been so kind to him in his hour of need. Mortonsen felt that education was the key to lowering poverty, reducing infant mortality, and slowing birth rates. He began raising money to help build schools. One of his requirements for building a new school was that it had to allow women to attend. Mortonsen realized that educating the women was the key to making progress on poverty, infant mortality, and high birth rates.

Mortonsen was on to something. Studies have shown that in countries where women have received increased education there are consistent results that improve the quality of life in that country. Poverty rates and infant mortality drop substantially as education increases. Economies grow and birthrates drop as more women enter the workforce. Mortonsen understood that poverty and ignorance are the motivating social factors that fuel religious extremism. If he could reduce ignorance and poverty though education; especially education for women, then he could reduce the incentive for the religious extremism that is used to recruit terrorists.

When Mortonsen first began raising money he did not get much of a response from the famous and wealthy people he attempted to contact. His best response came from American school children. A group of elementary kids in Wisconsin raised over $600 in pennies to help support his cause. This got the attention of adults who began taking Greg’s mission more seriously, and was the beginning of a program called Pennies for Peace. Today, Pennies for Peace educates American school children about life in other countries and shows them how the pennies they raise can help to make the world a better place for children in other countries. The money these children raise is sent directly to Pakistan and Afghanistan for the building of schools and athletic facilities.

Today Greg Morton presides over the Central Asia Institute. The mission of the Central Asia Institute is: To promote and provide community-based education and literacy programs, especially for girls, in remote mountain regions of Central Asia. This year schools built by Greg Mortonsen and the CAI educated over 20,000 children in the 55 schools that have been built in the last 12 years. Nearly 50% of these students are girls. CAI makes sure than women are afforded access to this education by requiring that the enrollment of girls be increased by 10% each year. The curriculum at CAI schools is focused on math, science and languages. Students from CAI schools averaged 72% on exams to qualify for middle school last year. In comparison the national average in Pakistan is less than 45%. In addition to building schools CAI has also developed over 15 water projects and built four women’s vocational centers.

All too frequently in these regions the only source of aid and support for these villagers comes from Taliban militants or extremist groups funded by money from Saudi Arabia. These groups take full advantage of this dependency to suppress rights for women and herd young men and boys into the madrassas when they can be indoctrinated with extreme fundamentalist ideology, and later by recruited for terrorism. The education provided by the CAI schools offers an alternative to this path, and the opportunity to improve life in these villages without becoming beholden to warlords and religious extremists.

When Mortonsen first began his mission to provide education and assistance to the folks in remote Pakistan and Afghanistan he did not enjoy much support back at home. Even more daunting was the threat posed by the local tribal chieftains and clergy. Several times Mortonsen nearly gave his life for his mission when fatwas were issued for his death by angry mullahs suspicious that he was a spy for the US government. Mortonsen once survived an armed kidnapping by escaping and hiding under a pile of animal carcasses as they were being transported out of town. Even in the face of danger Mortonsen persisted and continued building schools and relationships until his detractors were convinced of the value of his contributions.

Apparently, results speak loudly in these impoverished regions. Saeed Abbas Risvi, the senior Shiite spiritual leader in Pakistan, was so impressed by Mortonsen’s work that he approached the Supreme Council of Ayatollahs in Iran and managed to obtain a very rare letter of recommendation for Mortonsen to help protect him from the local mullahs and clergy. As news of his success traveled home Mortonsen earned the respect of some prominent members of Congress who are now in support of the work of the Central Asia Institute.

There are many lessons to be learned from the success of the Central Asia Institute and the respect Greg Mortonsen has earned from Muslim leaders. One of these is a lesson in economics. Mortonsen has shown that making an investment in reducing poverty and ignorance may be the most cost effective solution to terrorism. He contents that, “If we could have the $1 million for the purchase of one Tomahawk cruise missile dropped on the Taliban converted to education assistance, we could strike a serious blow on terrorism.” Another lesson is that educating women may be the most effective way to combat poverty and ignorance. To quote Mortonsen; “Girls education is a mighty sword in the war on terrorism.” It makes you wonder if much of the money spent on the war on terror might have been better spent on educating women and reducing poverty and ignorance in the places where terrorists are recruited.

To learn more about the work of Greg Mortonsen and the Central Asia Institute visit their website at: http://www.threecupsoftea.com

Randy Bisenz is the founder of http://www.BrightFuture.us – a non-partisan article hub and online community focused on solutions to worldwide problems.

Terror is used to change policy. Fear is used to support policy. This is the Old World idea of balance. Guns change votes and that is why democracy is found nowhere. Nor would we want democracy if we had a choice, because we know the majority is more often wrong than right. In fact, the majority loves to be deceived and chooses deceivers to lead them down the road to glory. Europe has had so much of this last Century, it balks at the idea of supporting any potential 21st Century Hitler, on either side of the Atlantic.

Is it because the fearful are so much easier to control and manipulate that fear is the major product of world governments? Surely fear is the tool of preference everywhere I look. It is cheap and very easy to generate.

Oklahoma City and the World Trade Center attacks had a common goal and lesson. If your government cannot protect its own, how can it protect anyone else? Look at what your government does in the world, in your name. Do you approve? If you don’t, what will you “free” people do about it? We will pay for it, of course, because we are free to pay for it.

We all would love to believe we are safer now that government is half awake. Instead, we sense the truth that our vulnerability increases every day. As long as we can stay alert to strange activity around us, we can survive terror from without. We won’t even look at the threats to and in the Capitol. The game is called look over here so you don’t see what we are doing over there. We look where they point and fix our attention on their message. Why don’t we look elsewhere for some other point of view? See if there is a big picture.

In November, 2001, Commander Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld assisted the escape of some 8000 members of Al Qaeda from Afghanistan to Pakistan. As Pakistani transport planes airlifted thousands through an official no fire corridor, those on the ground had enough time to hike to the Pakistani border, about 120 miles away. This was fully reported on the PBS program, Now, with Bill Moyers. It aired 21 February, 2003. You can get a free electronic transcript @ PBS.Org.

We can imagine that cellular organization and skillful recruiting can double the number of cells in a year or less. 8,000 Al Qaeda set free in November 2001, could easily be 20,000 today. We might ask how this can be called homeland security. Al Qaeda is not just bodies, but minds united by a worthy cause. Change U.S. policies.

Another lesson of September 11 is that a very determined enemy has the will to find a way. It took two attempts to destroy their priority target and the first attempt on the new priority target, the U.S. Capitol, is fair warning. If I lived or worked within 50 miles of the Capitol, I would not sleep well without self medicating and I assume most in that area do medicate.

So why would the President want to assist in a future attack on the very place he lives and works? The whole story is not to be found in the Now report, or with me. The advantage the terrorists have over America is a rich, fertile, collective imagination. Americans have little or none. So why don’t we start reclaiming some imagination for ourselves? It could save a life or millions. It may be too late and not worth bothering about.

Let’s imagine that Al Qaeda and Pakistan are friendly allies. As a reward for 9/11, Pakistan presents al Qaeda with three or four nuclear weapons on ballistic missiles, supplied by North Korea. Or imagine three or four portable nukes flown in with the regular drug supply and turned over to American right wing extremists to place, under supervision. They are detonated by telephone when the time is right, or the ballistic missiles are loaded on some innocuous ship like an oil tanker, which cruises into striking distance and launches the entire payload at one or two targets.

For the love of symbolism Al Qaeda has demonstrated, the strike comes when the U.S. invades Iraq, where much of our Homeland Security is at the moment. Washington D.C. is vaporized. The administration, with some advance warning, retires to its survival bunkers. When the dust clears, they are all that is left of national government and call the troops home to enforce the martial law demanded by the people. We intensify our war on terror by arresting you and your neighbor for lack of cooperation with the new rules. This is as hard for us to imagine as Waco, Ruby Ridge, Oklahoma City or 9/11. If we can imagine it, we can start making decisions now about how we will allow such an event to affect us. I was hoping to warn Congress but they were so swamped with protest communications, my message was unlikely to reach them. They could be sacrificed before they fully realize the threat. I heard 9/11 was the result of communication failure. All successful attacks will be for this same reason.

Treason is a Capital crime. Providing aid and comfort to the enemy in time of war is the definition of treason or high treason. So why is the Capitol trusting their lives to the friends of al Qaeda in the White House? Is it possible not one of them knows what I have told you?

We are told that America does not distinguish between terrorists and those who support them. Assisting the escape of 8,000 Al Qaeda supports terrorism as surely as money or training, which Congress also provides through Pakistan and other friends of the President. Should the people distinguish between traitors and those who support them? Is the entire military and Congress as guilty as the President and Secretary? How about taxpayers who make it all possible? Who is not guilty and due no punishment? Maybe America is overdue for a good whipping. Who will prevent it?

On the other hand, this is a new age. An age of brotherhood and science. I can see that aiding the escape of Al Qaeda is a Christian and loving thing to do, not unlike allowing Saddam to leave Iraq with whatever entourage he chooses, before he is hunted down and eliminated. Who knows how we are loving Iran and North Korea? Though we might not see love as a result of the world’s most powerful military’s care and attention, who am I to question the men leading us into WWIII, the great love war?

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Ed Howes sought and found, knocked and entered. Now he sees things differently. To see more of what he sees, please visit http://www.justanotherview.com or do an author search here at Ezine Articles.