Our condolence to people of France

“They were singing in French, but the melody was freedom and any American could understand that.”

Audie Murphy, American World War II hero

“Global terrorism is extreme both in its lack of realistic goals and in its cynical exploitation of the vulnerability of complex systems.”

Jurgen Habermas

“The enemy for the fanatic is pleasure, which makes it extremely important to continue to indulge in pleasure. Dance madly. That is how you get rid of terrorism.”

Salman Rushdie

“Terrorism is the tactic of demanding the impossible, and demanding it at gunpoint.”

Christopher Hitchens

To the proud and good people of France,

You gave us the Statue of Liberty, helped our ancestors win their freedom in 1783 and you remain the devout caretakers of our American war dead in pristine cemeteries across your great nation.

I can’t speak for all of my countrymen, but my family stands by the French and we offer our condolences to the families who lost loved ones in another inane act of terrorism in your country.

What fanatics did was solidify the bonds between free nations and brought worldwide condemnation from all of us. Each terrorist act brings us all together and it accomplishes nothing except to continue a war without end.

There will be blood, but it will ebb from the veins of terrorists whose misguided beliefs and nefarious ways continue to unite those who believe in the greater good.

War is like a street fight — somebody’s not getting up, and our survival depends our decisive actions.

The fanatic doesn’t understand an open and free society, which fosters ideas, ideals and the advancement of its people. France and its open-minded people have always enjoyed the fine arts and their culinary delights have been the talk of Europe.

Flip through the pages of history and there are centuries of proof that terrorizing a civilian population will bring only doom upon the perpetrators of violence.

The French fought against Hitler, whose V-2 rockets terrorized London. But all those missiles did was strengthen the resolve of the British as they huddled in underground subway tunnels. The French Underground was responsible for numerous historic acts of bravery during the D-Day invasion of France in 1944.

In World War I, the Germans used giant artillery pieces such the Paris Gun to instill fear in the French population. It is obviously those massive guns failed after the Allies won the war in 1918.

When the World Trade Towers fell on Sept. 11, 2001 in the United States, France supported us and the Canadians allowed American passenger planes to land after the United States ordered all civilian aircraft to stand down. The Holocaust united the Jewish people and Israel was born in 1948. America was the first to recognize this new nation.

Grand ideas like our U.S. constitution, which includes the phrase: “All men are created equal,” inspired a new nation. Nobody ever wrote a sentence like that in the history of mankind. That one bold stroke of a pen set the bar for all humanity, started our Civil War that put an end to slavery and sparked the civil rights movement in this country 100 years later. Gays can no longer be discriminated and are allowed to marry without retribution or harrassment thanks to our just laws.

The terrorist, with their warped views and unjust laws, will never comprehend a free state, but they know we will never back down or retreat.

So no matter what these bastards do, liberty and the greater good will prevail. But if we allow paranoia and hatred to seize us, these miscreants will have the upper hand.

At this moment, our skyscrapers are displaying the colors of the French flag and an unscheduled rendition of your country’s national anthem was performed at the New York Metropolitan Opera.

We feel your pain, but you are not alone.

First installment: Philadelphia Freedom and walking on hallowed ground

"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."

— Winston Churchill, late British prime minister

PHILADELPHIA/GETTYSBURG —After traveling 1,200 miles through six states, countless cities and towns, and visiting the country's finest moments in its young history, I remain convinced America is still a good idea.

We visited a world-class city — Philadelphia — and stepped quietly on hallowed ground at Gettysburg, giving this family a refreshing look at our country. 

Taking pictures at Independence Hall and listening to the park service's lecture gave me a whole new perspective about the founding fathers who penned the phrase: "All men are created equal." America has been a tough act to follow after that one powerful and emotional statement was written on that hot July day.

I also understand that our nation is sprinkled with dark episodes. The end of slavery and the pathetic treatment of blacks for another 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln remains an ugly mark in American history. The way we treated native Americans is another travesty for a nation that cherishes equality. And still, America continues to support other nations' oppressors and exploit workers overseas for our own gain and greed.

I guess we still have a lot to learn when it comes to understanding the Constitution and the basis for it — freedom and equality. 

But Americans have the opportunity to change our attitudes and still maintain our values by voting. That is the only way it works in a republic that separates the men from the boys in big-league governments.

I am not a flag-waver who drapes himself in the glory of one of the most powerful symbols on the planet. Those stars and stripes came at a huge cost and were earned through bloodshed, commitment, and a strong notion that "all men are created equal." More than a handful signers of the Declaration of Independence died in poverty after the American Revolution ended.

How many of us would give it all up for an idea that could make the world a better place?

Not many!

When we inserted that phrase in the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, our forefathers believed that the sanctity of all human life, freedom and the greater good were the priorities of a new nation that gave King George of England his walking papers.

America is a work in progress. Our wise framers of the Constitution designed the blueprint for our government that way. We have the privilege of criticizing and questioning our leaders without fear of reprisal. 

It took just four days restore my appreciation for a nation that is experiencing its highs and lows on a violent planet that also faces environmental peril.

There are moments when I think America is falling apart and coming to tragic end due to poor leadership and an endless economic recession triggered by greedy Wall Street and frivolous and cavalier banks. 

Still, a solemn walk through Gettysburg and a tour of Philly restored my faith in this nation.

In the coming days, I will discuss our whirlwind trip during a broiling week in July.

It really is a hot topic.

Heard it all before

"“In politics stupidity is not a handicap."
                                                                                                             - Napoleon Bonaparte




We all heard about the Bottom Line during President Obama's inspiring State of the Union speech Tuesday night.


It is reassuring to see the president and the rest the nation's statesmen trying to get to the bottom of America's hair-raising recession.


It took them long enough.


We listened to how the president will work in harmony with Congress (add canned laughter here) to cut the deficit (this we gotta see), curb spending (Sure thing!) and create jobs (that's a good one).


Sounds good, Mr. President!, and oh, good luck!

You are at your finest at the podium, sir, and I appreciate your exuberance from a man who has the most arduous and thankless job in America, but at least you have a job, Mr. President. I am also fortunate to be employed.


While I admire your pluck and enjoy a profound speech from an eloquent speaker like yourself, I am betting weary citizens of this mismanaged nation, no longer listen or could care less about another politician pontificating.  


I am betting Congress hasn't looked outside a window, read a morning newspaper (sound out the words) or opened a letter from one of their constituents who lost a job and home. The last time I took a good look around my town, there were boarded-up buildings, a foreclosure sign on nearly every block, and now I see people holding signs, begging for work - or worse - food.


Thanks for the awesome speech, Mr. President, but unless the gang of 535 shows some signs of life and evidence of clear thinking on Capitol Hill, more disenfranchised Americans will consider writing in their cat or dog for senator or the next president of the United States.


Words are worthless when you don't have a job or a place to live. I still don't understand how anything in Washington comes to fruition when the nations' leaders can't find common ground and continually display the fine art of bickering. Turn on C-Span and painfully watch as politicians go through the motions. It is like watching grass grow - or the New England Patriots taking a nap in the playoffs.


The deficit - So all of you have been shouting about the evils of out-of-control spending. Where were you guys and gals when President Bush was nestled in the White House and spending wasn't such a big deal?


Wanna cut the deficit? Here's how!


Cut every, and I mean every Congressman's salary in half — except President' Obama's paycheck. Can't be done? Why not! We all have to bite the bullet. Why not you guys and gals on the Hill! Remember when (and this where you have to know your history) President Franklin Delano Roosevelt asked the affluent to step up and take dollar-a-week government jobs when the country was mired war and suffering from a hangover from the Great Depression. So please don't make us wince with another empty speech on the House floor.


2. Make a graceful exit from Iraq and Afghanistan and return these fine men and women in uniform home.There is no way America can fight two wars, and then cut taxes. Sure, I love tax breaks, but how do we pay the braves guys and gals who are putting it all on the line around the globe. As far as I am concerned, our servicemen should be paid the $200,000 salary that Congressmen receive.


Here is my favorite — the economy and jobs.


What jobs! Our wise leaders and businessmen moved the well-paying jobs overseas so we can pay some poor schmuck 25 cents an hour to make dungarees that fall apart. If there is a really big war, we are in really big trouble because we don't have a manufacturing base. So what do we do when one of our adversaries goes ballistic? Call China and order our uniforms and tanks. Until the 17 million unemployed people find decent jobs, American businesses will continue to disappear and foreclosed homes will be as abundant as sand on a beach.


I am astounded by Republicans and some Democrats who have made repealing Obama's health-care plan their Holy Grail. People are out of work and can't feed their families. China has become this nation's landlord, and that doesn't sit well with many Americans. And our statesmen continue to lash out over a health-care plan that all Americans deserve. By the way, Congress is provided with Cadillac insurance courtesy of taxpayers.


What are the cures to this economic debacle? Well, there are allegedly 535 educated men and women sitting around in Washington D.C. trying to come up with an answer — between all the finger-pointing.


I know one thing is for certain: Another rousing speech won't help the guy out on the street looking for his next meal.