November 3rd, 2004
 I consider myself to be one very lucky person when I really need it.  I have a great family, great friends, people that will be there for me
when I truly need them. I must have someone watching over me, my own personal angel. I could call this blog entry "Why seatbelts save lives".   
Or, "Saturns are great cars".  I had a 2000 Saturn SL, thats now junk, but I was able to walk away from the accident with just a scraped hand 
and some sore muscles.  HERE is a page of the whats left of my car.  Everyone that saw the accident, the paramedics (Thanks American Medical 
Response!) to the Massachusettes State Troopers (which in my opinion, are some of the best on the planet!) were amazed I wasn't hurt.
 So, whats my point?  Be thankful for whats truly important in your life, be grateful for whats in your life, either people or situations.  And 
remember to wear your seatbelt!  I could've been thrown from the car when it spun around and been crushed, since the drivers side window 
blew out.  And, yes, I have found another Saturn to replace my old car.  Thank you, my personal Angel for watching over me.   

October 31st, 2004
 Not to run parallels between a very frightening time in our lives and that of Hallowe'en, but HERE is a picture I took when I was at Ground Zero 
this summer. It was a very moving experience being there.  Manhatten is not a quiet place, but the closer you got to Ground Zero, The silence 
became more tangible.  I'm not saying you could hear a pin drop there, but the respect shown to this place was very evident.  The reason I was
down in Manhatten was a friends friend was getting married.  A union for two people, that made the commitment to each other to love and honor
the other.  Do you think that on November 2nd the Democrats and Republicans can get together and do whats right for our beloved America and 
the rest of the world?  I really doubt it, but I can always hope.  To our troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around this world of ours,  my 
support for you is unshakeable, I just don't agree nor understand Bushs foreign policy.
October 13th, 2004
 Sorry for the total lack of updates.  Guess my soap box needs to be dug out with a little more frequency. Else I'll just fall into the old trap of 
silent protest, and then who hears your thoughts?  I know some people have read this page, since I do check the hits on my site, and this page 
had a fair amount.  So, I know there's someone out there that heard me.
 This entry is brought to you from my Dad and Farnaz Fassihi, a Wall Street Journal reporter in Baghdad.   First up is my Fathers latest op-ed piece 
that was in the October 3rd edition of the Boston Globe.  My Dad has written several op-ed pieces in the past, all well written and thought
provoking.  Here is his latest, titled, "Why I Must Vote"

I was attracted to the Globe editorial: "First Principles" and the letter from Scott Wolfe of Worcester, entitled "Why I will not vote".
These items seem to be at odds, while touching on similar themes, namely patriotism defined by those principles and beliefs that we
Americans hold so highly and dearly. Principles, such as honesty and ethics seem to be drifting away from the American mentality. 
Political and business executives have snubbed their constituents, stockholders and customers as never imagined until recently. 
And that's just the tip of the domestic iceberg. OK, I voted for George W, but I am dismayed and distressed at what the
Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Ashcroft administration has done to our integrity at home and abroad. We have become accustomed to
"spin" on unfavorable news, but we have been mislead, even possibly lied to about Iraq as a diversion to the proper resolution against 
Osama binLaden. We have been asked, told actually, to vote for Bush/Cheney or risk another attack. How absurd ! It is not possible 
for me to vote for that team again, and never in 50 years of voting have I felt this strongly.So, returning to Mr. Wolfe, I implore you,
as a declared patriot, to reconsider and VOTE for the one you could more likely trust to do the right thing for our country. I believe 
he would do a much better job of working with congress and our allies to repair damage to our image and economy. We may not have
a strong belief in favor of either candidate, but this is what democracy is all about, and the demands are small, compared with not
voting and allowing a failed policy to continue. Arrogance and self-serving objectives are not prerequisites for ascending to the 
presidency of the USA. They are traits more suggestive of a dictator.
 Dad, as always, I love you.

 The second entry for today is from Farnaz Fassihi, reporting what its like to be in Baghdad.  It just confirms my belief that we had no
strategy in Iraq, other than to get rid of Saddam Hussein.  I support our troops 100%, but I do not support our policy concerning Iraq, or
the entire Middle East, and to take it another step, our Foreign Policy.  Its always been self-serving and short sighted. It makes me embarassed
to be an American when I see how rough shod we roll over other countries for our own needs.  Excuse me while I go vomit.  Sorry, I am taking
away from Farnaz's spot here.  The links go to the same page,  her report on the conditions in Iraq.
 
September 14th, 2004
 I've realized this isn't much of a blog, since I haven't updated it in almost a month.  Guess I'm just keeping my thoughts to myself :-/
But I did read an interesting article in a local newspaper the other day, and thought I would share it with you.  It was in the Speak Out section
of the Reminder, a paper from Stafford Connecticut.

U.S. Temporary?
 About the time our original 12 states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor, had this to say about
"The Fall of the Antenian Republic" some 2,000 years prior:
 "A democracy is always temporary in nature. It simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up 
until the time voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always
votes for the candidate who promises the most benefits, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, 
(which is) always followed by a dictatorship."
 The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history is about 200 years. The U.S. is now 217.

Am I saying that if Kerry is elected president, he will become a dictator?  I'm sure he will catch all the hell a Republican backed Senate, Congress,
Media and opinion writers can throw at him, to cast him in a most unfavorable light, but his actions will tell the true story when all is said and done.
I'm not fond of Bush, his policies, his actions, his total crassness in the world (and what I believe his actions in Iraq is based on the black eye 
that Saddam gave his father during the first gulf war.) If Bush was a real leader, he would have finished his war in Afghanistan and rebuilt their 
country so that the Afghans could have the same possibilities as we did when the first colonists came across the Atlantic and they built the 
foundation of America as we know it.  But back to the point, if Bush is reelected president, his dictatorship over the world will continue, unabated
since he lines the pockets of the people that support him, and there will be no end to his nefarious deeds.

August 19th, 2004
 Well, might as well use today's date for this, since this is the inaugural page.  Recently I finished reading a fantastic book by William Shirer.  
Its titled  "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich"  He wrote the original back in the late 50's, and the copy of the book I read was printed in 1962.
An older gentleman where I work gave it to me, and I know that he lived when W.W.II was going on.  The book itself wasn't in the best of shape
and after reading it for awhile pages started to fall out and the binding broke, but that didn't stop me from finishing it.  It held my attention from
page one all the way to the epilogue on page 1483.  I wanted to read this book, to know how Hitler was able to make an entire nation do as he 
wanted, a nation that could've seen the path (Hitler had written down his plan in Mein Kampf for all to know and that was published before he 
became Chancellor) that he was leading them down.  I found out, and I found out much much more.
 To end this first entry, I will quote from the book, from one General Henning von Tresckow that I found quite moving. (General Tresckow was in
on a plot to kill Hitler, but failed, knew he was implicated and chose suicide over death at the hands of the SS)
 "Everybody will now turn upon us and cover us with abuse.  But my conviction remains unshaken-we have done the right thing.  Hitler is not only
the archenemy of Germany: he is the archenemy of the world.  In a few hours I shall stand before God, answering for my actions and for my 
omissions.  I think I shall be able to uphold with a clear conscience all that I have done in the fight against Hitler...Whoever joined the resistance
movement put on the shirt of Nessus. The worth of a man is certain only if he is prepared to sacrifice his life for his convictions."
 
 I also just finished reading "Double play"  by Robert Parker.  Quick, easy reading.  I wasn't sure if I would be interested in the book, but it read well,
and with a good plot, but with a predicable ending.  If your looking for fast moving book, I recommend it.