AMERICAN OPINION

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Ahmadinejad at Columbia University

When the people of Ahmadinejad made contact with Columbia University to arrange for an invitation, Mr. Bollinger should have asked himself two questions and should have analyzed the pros and cons. He should also have researched the reach of national and international publicity and its impact on political propaganda in general, who would likely be the winner and who could be damaged by this exposure.

Bollinger should not have overlooked the fact that Mr Ahmadinejad is a Muslim Star and that his audience is comprised of millions of Muslims including the Arabs, without forgetting the American audience, prior to the presidential election.

Did Columbia University choose the goal in advance? It is hard to believe that Mr. Bollinger aimed at insulting his guest and bombarding him with multiple complaints. The moment the decision was taken to invite the president of Iran, the university team should have chosen to attract Mr. Ahmadinejad to a constructive path, which could have brought the Iranian President closer to the United States, as a final goal, and softened his speech.
Mr. Bollinger should have also taken the date in consideration, especially as it was just one day before the most of the world’s leaders convened for the UN assembly.

In my view, the result of this analysis should have put the responsible team in charge for a successful outcome, to the advantage of both the university and the United States. The event of the day should have been planned and executed in a way similar to a marketing or military campaign.

Having said this, I found that the president of Columbia University, by including in his speech all differences of opinion which separate our two countries, wanted to please all groups, rather than coming out as a hero for having advanced things towards solving the problem of the century. Mr. Bollinger did not use his best tact. This way he gave Ahmadinejad in turn the opportunity to complain about petty matters instead of provoking positive answers. Mr. Bollinger could have diffused the existing tension and thus given a lesson in diplomacy and eloquence to his students and to the administration.

Ahmadinejad thought that all Americans are naïve and easy to manipulate. With his overview of the history of Palestine, well fabricated to make the Arabs believe that he is their protector, he actually based himself on the short memory of the public.

Palestine, of which he spoke, never existed as a country, or as a Palestinian nation.

Ahmadinejad said: “The Palestinian people did not commit any crime. They played no role during WWII. They lived in peace with the Jewish and the Christian communities.”
What about the Mufti of Jerusalem, who went to Germany to advise Hitler? He had even recruited young Arabs to fight alongside the German armies. In1920, the Arabs whom he calls Palestinians have attacked the Jewish community of the City of Hebron and massacred 67 people of this peaceful religious community. Likewise, during the same 1920’s, in 1929 the Arab riots against the Jews, under the name of the Nabi Moussa holiday, spread all over Jerusalem and its suburbs. Can one call these Arabs of Palestine innocent? Also for the sake of a good history lesson, Iran’s neighbors, the Iraqis also made a big massacre during the infamous pogrom against the Jews of Baghdad in 1941, with 200 left dead and 2100 wounded, and during which more than 900 Jewish homes were destroyed.

Ahmadinejad complained about the unfriendly reception, saying that in Iran guests are respected. I would have concurred with him, had it not been for the hostage crisis of November 4, 1979, when the American hostages could have benefited from the so- called Iranian hospitality.

The good manners, the courteous reception of guests and the culture Ahmadinejad mentioned, may refer to Persia of the time of its great poets Omar Khayyâm and Ferdowsi, but not to Muslim Persia of today.

To the question, if he intended to eradicate Israel, he responded: “We like all nations. We are friends of the Jewish people” We would like to believe in this friendship, but the Jewish people, religious or Zionists, wherever they may be, are indivisibly tied to Israel. He talked about Iranian Jews who are under his rule. They do not enjoy the freedom he mentioned.

Ahmadinejad has entirely forgotten the history of friendship between Israel and Persia. He believed he could erase the history of the Jewish people with a single stroke of a sponge, thinking that this nation, the Americans and the nations of the world are ignorant.

I would like to remind Ahmadinejad that the Jews are still alive, those who knew ancient Persian history, the world of Islam and the laws of Sharia.

Ahmadinejad suggested that we continue studying the holocaust. I think that he should be invited to Auschwitz, to Dachau and to all the concentration camps in order to better understand the suffering of the Jewish people.

For the well-being of his people and of the region, he should stop threatening the Jews and the United States. There is a saying that those who play with fire will eventually burn themselves.

Don=t be afraid to write

Since my arrival in the United States, my big concern, next to other problems which I have to face as a new immigrant, is how to be able to continue to write as I did in the past. Certainly it would be easy to continue to write in french, that would solve all my problems. But, living here, and writing in french, would be unfair in the long run, because it would complicate my communication with others. This does not mean that I would completely stop writing in french, but it is more appropriate for me to write in English since I live in the United States.

I never had the opportunity to learn English. All that I know came from social or business conversations, and from reading The New York Times. I appreciate this newspaper very much because of its high standards and intellectual level. If I compare it to foreign newspapers, such as Le Monde in France, or The Frankfuter Allgemeine in Germany, I must admit that The New York Times outshines the others in both credibility and in its outstanding writers.

It is never too late to start to learn; the problem is how to start, I didn=t have the necessary time, so I began to feel hopeless. Over a period of nine monthes these kinds of feelings and thoughts jumped up and down in my mind. This hopelessness disturbed me and distracted me from my previous spirit of calmness. In order to quell my distress, I repeated to my children, APlease do me a favor! Learn how to express yourselves in English. Words have power. Remember, if you cannot express yourseves in English, no matter how intelligent you are, or how many other languages you know, in English-speaking countries you will be considered an idiot.A I am now pleased to say that my children have done well, and this as a result of my advice, My daughther published a very fine article in her school newspaper.

One day, may wife , knowing my concerne, excitedly showed me a book. ALook at this!. she said . AYou will find a good selection of courses here.. I flipped the catalog from cover to cover, but no course seemed to satisfy my need. Iknew that sooner or later I would have to learn English. But I wanted to write so badly, that I did so, even with errors.

My daughter, bright as she is at 16 years of age, did not seem to take my concern seriously at all. APapa,. she said,.You cannot start to write without learning English first. Believe me, it is difficult to learn.. I understood her remarks. Like every child, she thought that her parents were already old, and that they would not be able to follow a course in modern education. Children forget that not only were we parents once their age, but even today, although we may be older physically, we do not feel any differently from when we were children. However, we have to play the game of being parents. I don=t think that as I grow older my spirit will grow older too. Today I do not feel any differently from the way I felt when I was 16. My body and my face have changed, but my emotions and spirit always feel young. Everyone has to go through this situation.

My son was more quiet; he felt the same way as my daughter, but he prefered and chose not to enter into discussing such a delicate subject. My daughter=s remarks and my 15-year-old son=s smiles made me feel badly at that. For a moment there was silence. Everyone looked at the others,. I decided to break the silence. AI don=t care hoe much English I know: I am confident that if I can write in french, I will be able to write in English, too.. My son smiled once again. I struggled with myself. I felt like a baby who sees and hears everything, but who doesn=t have the tool to express himself. My wife, who is very aware of my problem, while still glancing through the catalog, said suddenly, AEmile, here is something perfect for you. AAnd she showed me the course titled, AHow to Write.. Because she is in charge of all administration in our house, I replied, AGreat. Register me for the course,. The next day, when I came back from work, she said to me, AYou are officially registered.. I was relieved, but I had mixed feeling about attending school. The first daythe course was to be held on Tuesday, January 27th. On the morning of that day I went to work as usual. That evening I took my car and drove to school. I was lucky that the traffic was not to dense because my mind was busy. It was like atrtending the first day of school for a child. I couldn=t control my emotions. Everything was new to me. I was anxious to find the right street, but I was blinded several times by the light of the oncoming cars. I drove slowly and carefully, in order not to miss the correct route to school. Since childhood I have always hated to arrive late. In those days I had to walk with my mother to kindergarten. Now, the way was shorter than I had expected when I left home. I easily found the school. Inside there were no signs posted. It was already 8 o=clock and I didn=t know which classroom was the right one. I saw many people on one class, soI entered the room. The teacher eas kind enough to direct me to the office, and, with the staff=s help, I finally found the righ classroom.

The course had already begun, but the teacher instantly put me at ease by asking me for my name. It seemed a good sign to me -one of tolerance which is the basic essential of such a course. There were about twenty-odd students,with a very nice age-mix. I immediately felt relieved, and was pleased with the way that the teacher conducted the class. The time went by quickly. Our reacher asked us to work at home and to write something about any subject, at our discretion. I was confident, AI will do it, A I said to myself,.I have a lot of time ahead of me, a whole week..

I was very busy in my office one Wednesday, so I couldn=t write even one sentence. I postponed my homework to Thursday. But on Thursday I had another course-one in English grammar. So another day went by and I still had not worked on my assignment. I felt badly, but I couldn=t help it, the pressures of work precluded course assignments. Friday morning I woke up very early and,despite the lovely sky(which usually gives me a lot of inspiration), I could not write a word. As usual, my workday was very busy. I began thinking about Saturday night because I expected guest at my home. I was worried about the way in which I would receive them and the kind of food they mike like, for the moment , the thought of writing was secondary to me. Despite the slight wind, which moved the clouds far away, the sun shone brightly and it fed the trees and our souls, too. I took the Friday evening train home, and noticed that the other passengers were very tense. Everyone wanted to be the first one, in order to get a seat. I waited patiently for my turn, but, of course, there were no more seats available. Therefore, I was happy that I had my newspaper with me. Reading it made the trip seem very short. The conductor suddenly disturbed my concentration when he announced, ATicket, please!. It was annoying to be brought back to reality, but I had no choice, for he was only doing his job. Soon the littlr inconvinience was over, and I was able to continue reading my newspaper. From time to time, my focus was interrupted by two ladies who, throughout the trip, complained about the Long Island Railroad. AA funny subject,. I thought to myself. I have nothing against this subject, but wished they would lower their voices sao that everybody else could be happier and follow his own thoughts. But I had no alternative. In order to shut out the noise of the train, and the voices of the ladies, I increased my own concentration. Just when I had succeeded, and was fully absorbed in my article, the loud voice of the trainman abruptly interrupted my reading again. AGreat Neck,. he shouted. This is the way the trip ended on that Friday. When I arrived home, a pleasant atmosphere awaited me. The two younger chidren were preparing for a lovely party; it seemed like Christmas or Hanukkah. They had even made presents for guests. Finally everyone was prepared for Saturday=s celebration. After dinner, the family was satisfied and happy, and the two little ones were very tired. I was too. Thus, another day passed, and I still hadn=t written anything at all. I had a mixed feeling of happiness and regret, but it wasn=t my fault that I hadn=t faced my homework assignment. Saturday was a very pleasant day for our guests. Another friend and his wife joined the others. We made a cozy fire; grownups and children were all gathered together. Suddenly I was disturbed again by the thought, AI had promised myself to write. AI murmured my discontent. But still, I couldn=t find the time to do my homework. Unable to live with this feeling, I went to my room for a moment, and a fine idea came to me. ADont write, and that=s it. AI would explain my situation to the teacher, and I am sure he would understand. Once the decision was made, I felt relaxed and I could enjoy the weekend with my guests. So the day passed very pleasantly for us all. We exchanged funny stories and discussed many different subjects. Everyone was happy, and this was because of my decision, not to write.

Hammam-Lif Seventy Years Ago

By Emile M Tubiana

In June, after the examinations marking the end of the school term and before summer vacation, we enjoyed a relaxed rhythm. We still had to attend school, but we spent most of our time chatting. Our teacher read us little stories, commented on them and pointed out the moral. In the evening we would walk in small groups and look for girls our age; we would come across them, and that would be enough to boost our pride as pre-adolescents.
July was the starting point of our summer vacation. We separated since we had to follow our parents to Hamman-Lif, LaGoulette or even Saint-Germain or Radés. Some of us went to summer camp or to relatives in France. Hammam-Lif and La Goulette were two beaches located on opposite coasts along the Mediterranean. In summertime there is a warm ambiance created by the charm of these cities when they are invaded by the inhabitants of Tunis, who are running away from the heat of their capital.

Nights were enchanting and we would spend the greater part of our nights there on the beach, along with whole families--all searching for the coolness of a calm sea.

I loved to stretch out on the fine sanded beach, staring endlessly at the purity of the sky lit up by millions of scintillating stars. My mind was empty and I was fascinated by that far-away world with which I had established some kind of link. I was removed from the surrounding noises. I could no longer hear the spiels of the ambulant vendors on the beach.

The most remarkable evening was that of July 14th. That night, shopkeepers had converted the beach into various areas: one for cooking, one for dancing, with lampions, tables, chairs and another for the musicians, The crowd started to flock as soon as the sun went down. Some people lay down on the sand, and others sat at a table, attracted by the smell of broiled food such as "mechoui"(1), or "merquez"(2). Vendors were selling "briks"(3), "bonbolonis"(4) and small bunches of jasmine, the strong perfume of which would mingle with the different aromas from hot dishes. The men wore jasmine behind their ears; as for the women, they adorned the low necklines of their blouses.

At 9pm, fireworks were set off above the sea. A rare and colorful sight lit up the water, contrasting with the pure and starry sky. When the fireworks were over, the bands started to play--opening the way to frenetic and impatient young people. The girls had ensured that they would look beautiful, their suntanned complexions and dark eyes exerting a definite charm on the boys. The feast continued until the wee hours of the following morning.
(1) mechoui = broiled meat on a wooded fire

(2) merquez = hot spicy sausage

(3) brik = a sheet of thin dough in the shape of a triangle, containing a mixture of meat and potatoes; and egg can be added. The whole thing is fried.

(4) bonboloni = a round timbale with powdered sugar

In September, autumnal breezes marked the end of the summer vacation--as well as the end of our carefree existence. School benches were made ready to welcome us back. Our interim of freedom was over, and a school year with discipline lay ahead of us. It was sad and hard to start school again. Wartime had been erased from our memory; with the passing of time, wounds heal and the deepest painful feelings disappear.

We were happy at the sight of our new teacher, since she was very pretty; but soon her strictness made us forget her physical attractiveness. As for our Arabic teacher, a Moslem, he was overflowing with human kindness. Teaching for him was a game; he taught with humor and verve. He would tell us the stories of "The Thousand and One Nights", which enchanted us. Our Arabic lessons were simply a joy.

Strange as it may sound, we lived in an Arab country but were unaware of its culture and literature. Our teacher filled this void with knowledge, and thanks to him we discovered a beautiful language and a fascinating civilization from ancient times.

!942-43
During World War II, our town of Beja, Tunisia became the buffer zone between the two largest armies in the world. (After the front moved to Sicily, I was told that our town that lay in ruins was adopted by Eleanor Roosevelt). We fled the German bombs to places, which seemed secure to us, but no one in our town had any experience with war and we had to move every day from one place to another to avoid being killed. The news of dead or wounded people reached us by the hour. Our morale was so low that even our parents could not comfort us.

The front line was changing daily. The German bombs and artillery shells followed us everywhere; in fact, we didn't know where we were going and no authority was available to direct our move. After hours of walking, we finally landed on a French farm, where we stayed for a few weeks. There we joined some members of our family and many friends from our town. Many of them had arrived on that farm long before us.


We didn't have any occupation, no homework, no school, we were entirely free. Our parents had to care for us and to find food. I was happy to live in the countryside with so many children of our age. It was the first time that we slept on that farm. It was winter, the sky was grey, and the nights were grim. The sadness invaded our hearts; the fear paralyzed and froze our souls. It was an awful situation. After the sunset, the children were crying and the grown-ups were screaming at them, the noise of the canon shells, the barking of the dogs that were unleashed in the evening, all these noises created an unbearable commotion. This was the daily scene. Seeing us in that mood, the parents were unhappy and desperate. No one knew what to do in such a situation. No map was available, we just realized that the bombshells where coming from one direction and the allied planes where flying to that direction. We were not sure but we guessed where the enemy line was. My father, whom everyone respected, trying to give a sense to the nonsense of the war, decided to tell us his stories. He created an atmosphere of serenity and a feeling of security. He succeeded in maintaining the silence during the evening hours. The children could then sleep quietly, and the grown-ups were listening attentively. Once in a while, a voice asked a question such as:

"What will happen if the Germans succeed?" Or

"Who cares, they cannot kill us all!" No one was aware that they were in fact able to do so. Father told his stories, against the background sound of the cannon shells, which exploded everywhere. Sometimes the heavy noise of the Messerschmitt bombers interrupted my father's story. When the motor noise was very loud, we stopped listening, as we knew that the explosions had to follow as the planes had just dropped their bomb load. We all closed our eyes and together prayed in a loud voice:


"God of the Jews, God of the Christians, God of the Moslems save us." My father who did not believe in this human bargaining with the Gods was saying:


"You forgot to mention another God!" He wanted to break the fear in our hearts. Just after the explosion, my father was quick to capture our attention for what he was saying. The sound of the bullets became like an acoustical background. Finally, and after a week, we forgot, at least for a short time, that we where in the middle of a cruel war. Once in a while, close explosions reminded us of the reality we were in, but my father was quick to tell us:

"Did you hear this explosion?" Everyone like in a choir, answered:

"Of course, please continue!"
Every day, as soon as the light receded and the night advanced, father's stories became our escape from the bombs and from the fear in us. Even the youngest among us waited patiently for this moment. Outside one could hear the barking of the dogs that were scared too by the sound of the explosions. The fear and terror had brought some parents to a situation of a nervous breakdown, but to us children, the stories gave a sense of confidence and comfort.

The Power of Free Expression

Let people express themselves as they want, may they be Christians, Jews, Moslems or others. I know that there are heinous and even poisonous comments; one should not always answer with the same weapon. Admittedly, there are people who suffer on both sides. There are some, who exaggerate and others, who have worked quite hard on their imaginations. There are those who cannot express themselves, on the other hand one should not forget that the majority of the people who express their opinions through articles or by other peaceful means are serious and honest. After all, whether we want it or not, we will not be able to shut the mouth of those who have something to say.

And we do want to hear what each one has on his or her mind. I know that the situation in Iraq poisons the atmosphere and the relations between the Americans and the United States and certain countries of the world, in spite of themselves and their will to bring the hearts of the people closer to one another. I found myself many times caught in the political gears and writing things, which escaped my conscience and my honest judgment. But I remember the words my mother used to say to me, when in my childhood I brawled with a friend and he came to complain to her: “let him relieve himself, this will make him feel good”. Today, I would say the same thing. “Let them relieve themselves!”

Despite all the tension, which exists in the air and on the ground, neither the Americans, nor the Europeans, nor the Japanese, nor the Arabs, nor their armies know any hatred, and even less against one specific nation. We do not have anything against the people, because they are as unhappy as we are and they cannot even express themselves in their countries, for fear of the authorities and the totalitarian regimes, which still control certain countries today.

However, this force of expression which tries to spring up from the people against their regimes, their dictators or their monarchies is currently channeled by their religion or by the authorities, or by both against the United States and its allies. The Iraqi and Palestinian problem became their scapegoat. Even Saddam Hussein supposedly wanted to help the Palestinians, but the Iraqi people are not stupid, they know that he used this propaganda to make them forget their independence. But it should be noted that the majority of the people under these regimes remained paralyzed and without means of expression or of protest. Let us keep our leniency and our kindness towards these people despite all these just or unjust pressures, which overpower us today. The ancient people had precisely survived thanks to their patience. Let them express themselves and one day this force of human expression, which today is directed against the United States or Israel will be able to cut through the path towards democracy.

Lies cannot eternally choke the truth; it will emerge eventually. It is upon us to remain worthy of ourselves and to keep the human direction in our relations with other people. The old friendship that several mention will be perhaps dormant for a certain time, but it will end up reappearing when human dignity on both sides is respected. The goodwill will be able to establish a new friendship, based on reciprocal consideration. The economic development will end up prevailing. The free expression will not be able to harm any more the relations, which will be already established. To the contrary, it will make it possible to solve together and in a constructive way the problems, which today appear insurmountable to us.

LIFE

If I had to explain life, I would need more than a lifetime on earth. Life is not at all what we think; life is a journey, partly on earth and partly in other spheres, which encompasses the entire sum of elements such as: what we see, what we feel, what we endure, what we do, what we hear, what we read, what we write, what we know, with whom we talk, what we eat, what we smell, what we touch, what we taste, the happiness, the pain, the anger, the sorrow, the imagination, the laughter, the crying, the enjoyment, the suffering, the struggle, the dream - and all of these compacted into every second. Thus we may understand and see part of the reality of life.

In fact, we do not know why we were born into life on earth; no one told us the reason for it, for how long we are here, and what we have to accomplish during this time span. We know that we are born with a certain amount of capital, which is time, but we do not know how much time we have. Therefore, we have to consider every second as the most precious unit on earth and we have to try to make the most of it without causing any damage to anyone.


Some people try to show us life, each one from where he sits, or from his point of view, and according to his capacity and knowledge, through music, through literature, through stories, through poems, through art, through his work, through his action, though his character, through his kindness, through his love, through his way of life. We have to respect every one in his own way, as every human being is unknowingly guided by his destiny.

I love life as it is, without any precondition. As it is presented to me every minute, with some of its inconvenience and with the entire marvel it encloses. Everything I see, I hear, I touch, gives me a beautiful feeling that no one can explain, comprehend, define, express, or describe. Every day, I learn something new from every encounter, from every situation, from every moment, from all that which goes on in front of us.

I lived through wars, through epidemics, through life saving surgeries, through times of abundance, trough times of rations. Life is so vast, so great, so rich, so beautiful. How could we lay any claim to life? Some moments please me, and some others do not, but I love the deep feelings I experience. My knowledge is my own experience.

The Wedding Test

Once upon a time, there was a young man and his name was Gregory. He had just lost his dear father Bill. The latter had been very close with his childhood friend, whose name was Harry. Bill and Harry had been like two brothers and always stuck together. After Bill’s funeral Gregory kept all the religious rites and did everything to honor his father.

Before his passing, Bill had made an agreement with Harry, in Gregory and Charlie’s presence. Charlie was Harry’s son. They agreed that if one of them should die, the survivor would be in charge to care for the deceased’s son and do his best to marry him to an honest young lady from a good family. This agreement also stated that the inheritance would first automatically go to the survivor as a trustee, who would then give it to the friend’s son, but only after his wedding and after he made sure that the bride was worthy of the young man and deserving of the inheritance.

Harry was very sad about the loss of his friend Bill, but he did not forget to watch over Gregory until after his wedding. The year of Bill’s passing Gregory was only seventeen years old and Harry did not dare talk to him about marriage. On top of that, the loss was so painful for Gregory that Harry did everything possible to fill the void left by his friend. When Gregory turned eighteen, Harry threw a party for the young man and used the occasion for inviting a few young ladies from good families. Gregory did not seem interested. Harry did not insist at all and preferred waiting for the proper moment for intervening. Several years passed this way, without Gregory being interested in young women. However, the best friends had promised each other that the other’s son had to get married by age twenty-five at the latest.


Harry saw himself obliged to intervene, since he did not have the right to keep the inheritance after Gregory would have reached the prescribed age. This time Harry invited Gregory and had a long conversation with him about his destiny and his future, but Gregory did not seem to be interested. This is when Harry told him that he had to choose a bride, since otherwise he would have to pick one for him. Gregory, who respected Harry like his father, replied:
“Harry, I trust you and I count on you to select a wife for me.” Thereupon Harry mentioned the name of a nice young lady. Gregory seemed to like her and responded:
“Go ahead. I follow you. The day of the engagement, as the young couple was alone in the room, Harry appeared followed by two strong men carrying a heavy chest. He gave a tip to the two guys and let them go. Gregory was surprised, but he welcomed Harry, who, without wasting a minute, told Gregory:
“My son, as soon as you have a moment of time, please take this chest and put it on top of the wardrobe.”
That evening, after the engagement party, while Gregory was alone, Harry appeared briefly. He noticed that the chest had not moved from its spot and during his conversation with Gregory he told him that this was not the fiancée he deserved and that the engagement needed to be cancelled.

A few months later Gregory met a nice young woman and thought he fell in love with her. The engagement party was prepared and just like the first time, Harry entered the room with two men carrying the same chest. Before leaving, Harry told Gregory:
“Please, if you have a moment of time, take this chest and put it on top of the wardrobe.” The new fiancée told Gregory:
“He is funny, your guy, he can wait, not the day of our engagement.” Again, the chest did not move from its spot and Harry broke up the engagement, just like the first time.

After a few months Gregory met a new young lady and once again the engagement was announced. As usual, Harry came the day of their engagement party accompanied by two strong guys carrying the same chest. This time they left it right at the door of the room. Before he left, Harry repeated his request, that they may lift the chest on top of the wardrobe, as soon as they would have a free minute. As soon as Harry left the room, Gregory smiled and said:
“I don’t think we can lift that, the chest is very heavy.” But his fiancée said:
“Don’t worry; if we lift it together it won’t be that heavy. If this gentleman is like your father, as you say, let’s do him this favor.”
“You are right,” replied Gregory and as the young lady had said, it didn’t take even one minute and the chest was on top of the wardrobe. In the evening, when Harry appeared in the room, he happily noticed that the chest was on the wardrobe.
The next day, he told Gregory:
“We must set the date of the wedding as soon as possible.”
After the wedding, while he was having a conversation with Harry, Gregory asked him:
“Tell me, please, why did you have me cancel the first two engagements?” To which Harry responded:
“I wanted you to find a true companion for life, one who would be able to carry the burden of life with you. This last one was the only one to accept lifting the chest with you. Therefore, she is the only one deserving you.”
The young man understood the moral meaning of Harry’s words and thanked him. Whereupon Harry said:
“Now I can remit to you and your dear wife the inheritance that your father entrusted me with.”

(Prayer for our country and its citzens)
 


GOD BLESS AMERICA 

 

We speculate about tomorrow
Will there be joy or sorrow 
George Bush will go ahead 
As to the congress he said
 
Stop sleeping and dreaming
About our vanished loved ones
Cowardly killed and burned
So that a lesson may be learned
 
We should stay alert
So no one will get hurt
Fight evil the unwanted guest
Who is defiling our nest?
 
Say good bye to the heroes
Who left us at ground zero?
Look at the children and the weak
And at those who cannot speak
 
George Bush is definitely right
To be safe we have to fight
Using wisdom and intelligence
Technology, art and science
 
Surrounded by the three creeds
He is trying to sow good seeds
For Christianity, Judaism and Islam
Inviting cardinal, rabbi and imam
 
For the future we know with certainty
We are not going to live in misery
America will be strongest again
As we help each other. Amen!
 
The victory bells will ring anew
Enemies will vanish, that’s true 
Let’s not lose our faith in the light
To make our future secure and bright 

Our Weakness and Our Strength

We are hurting ourselves by trying to diminish our president. If this action or other actions were well prepared or well done is arguable among us, but exposing our weakness is giving an enormous advantage to our enemy who is watching and testing our resolve. It is very difficult to walk the fine line as not to damage our freedom and our democracy. It must be also clear to our people, Democrats or Republicans alike, that the Al Qaida is taking its information and its strength from our arguments and our freedom. Already, the Europeans are starting to misread our resolve. They are trying to put a wedge between the two parties. I am confident that the change of party in Spain is not the result of the terrorists’ action in Madrid, but many European leaders are already interpreting the Spanish election as the result of the terrorist action. Many are blaming the Americans and the British for the Madrid massacre. The Islamic movement believes that the Spanish election was the beginning of the Occident’s capitulation; they believe that a few other actions like this would lead the European countries to surrender and create a misunderstanding between Europe and the United States.

It must be clear to all Americans that the Islamic movement wants nothing less than the destruction of our democratic system and values. The fall of Saddam Hussein and the progress in Iraq is the most threatening action for the Al Qaida. Our operations in Iraq are regarded as the defeat of Islamic values. Now it is the time for our Moslem Americans to express their opposition to this philosophy of massacre. To show to the Moslems of the world that democracy is not the enemy of Islam and that the Moslem Americans are strongly opposed to any terror.

It is not the time to point the finger to the president, if he should put less or more soldiers in Iraq. Those who say that the attack on Iraq has increased terrorism in the world and that today we are less secure than before Iraq, are missing the point. After 9/11 should we have chosen to doubt about the intention of the terrorism? Facing the Al Qaida threat, should we have backed-off? Do we need another Chamberlain appeasement? The war on terrorism will be precisely won or lost in Iraq and not in Afghanistan as many are saying. An American defeat in Iraq would be understood by the Arab masses as a victory of Islam and the Al Qaida would exploit this to lead the entire Arab world which is still dreaming about Caliphate-like conquests because it was humiliated and still hopes for a revenge. Does the Moslem world understand the meaning of a totalitarian regime that an Al Qaida victory would bring about for them?

Do the Americans understand the meaning of a democratic Iraq? The Arab news would be beamed from Baghdad and not from the Al Jazzira station. In Arab history, Baghdad has more weight for the Arab culture than Al Jazzira. If the democracy succeeds, the universities of Baghdad would attract millions of Moslems to learn about freedom and democracy.

Sooner or later we may have to applaud our president and his teams for recognizing the danger that Iraq presented for us. If the WMD could not be found is irrelevant for the moment as everyone knows that Saddam Hussein used chemicals against his people. Does anyone know for sure that the WMD are not hidden somewhere100 feet deep in the vast desert of Iraq or Syria? Let our leader be a political leader and the generals conduct the war as they understand.
This war will last longer than any war. Remember the hundred year war between France and Great Britain; remember the wars between France and Germany. We should also remember that this war is not a war as we have known it until now, but a war between the Shaariya system (the law of the Koran) and the democratic system.