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The last emotion I expected to feel was fear. Yet, there it was, a niggling sensation cinching the pit of my stomach, so dramatically different from my other pregnancies. I have a good reason to be afraid. During the several long, and often painful, years that my husband and I attempted to conceive a child, I became accustomed to hiding my grief. When pregnancy tests came back negative, I would slap on a brave face for the world and muffle my sobs into towels behind a locked bathroom door. I can still recall, with bitter clarity, the conflicting tests results...

People keep talking about "Clinton's Plan" for Iraq. Here are a few details about the seriousness of "Clinton's Plan" which revealed that the administration already determined the only way to eliminate Saddam was by an armed invasion. "A PLAN FOR SADDAM," NEWSWEEK, NOV 16 Newsweek, November 16, 1998 The White House months ago cooked up a new strategy for crippling Iraq. Will it work? By Michael Hirsh and John Barry Maintaining sanctions is at the heart of the new U.S. strategy--and of the unpublicized plan to cripple Saddam. Newsweek has learned that the blueprint was developed last spring by the...

One would think that the recent spate of deadly terrorist attacks, the bona fide circus that is the California recall election, our continued troubles in rebuilding Iraq, or the temper tantrum of the Texas Democrats would be the focus of my attention. Surprisingly, I expect terrorists to behave like pathetic cowards, politicians to cut each other’s throats, pundits to trash Bush because it’s vogue, and Democrats to engage in false hubris. No new news here, folks. But what I didn’t expect, and what I find particularly outrageous, is the undisguised venom that continues to be spat at Mel Gibson (right)...

In November of 2003, a number of troops were being rotated out of Iraq for some well earned rest and relaxation. The Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, a major hub for the south central portion of the United States and the primary airport for troops returning to Fort Hood, saw an influx of uniforms in the weeks to follow. As Operations Manager Bob Creighton, a partially disabled Vietnam-era veteran, and Guest Representative Claire Kohanow, whose brothers fought in two wars, saw the parade of troops moving through the airport, they felt compelled to help. Both were employees of Supershuttle, a...

Unmitigated gall is now in ready supply throughout Washington. Despite having campaigned vigorously for almost two years, despite having withstood the scrutiny, the cruel jokes, the "gotchas," and the outrageous slander, despite having made a genuine effort to rise above the musty stench of divisive political attacks, President-Elect George W. Bush is still being treated like a contender, not the winner. Every soul clinging to the environs of political power has come rushing forward with "advice" on how President-Elect Bush can "succeed." The media pundits expect him to fill his Cabinet with liberals, variegation for variegation's sake, just to appease...

....As discussed under Section III, one of the greatest threats facing us today is the propensity to presume everything is a "Right." This is most easily exemplified in the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Texas' sodomy laws. Almost immediately, newspapers were filled with articles questioning whether gay marriages were soon to follow. Sexuality and emotion is an integral component of our humanity. It not only partly defines who we are but influences how we act and react with others in Society. We have a Right to share our body with one partner, many partners, or no partners (this does not...

If you haven’t caught the “pattern” of the Democrats, lately, then you haven’t been paying attention. Like the “gravitas” virus that infected everyone during the 2000 election cycle, the latest verbal tic is “pattern.” Bush’s inclusion of the now beaten-beyond-a-dead horse 16 words, which have been misrepresented by almost every liberal talking head in America, suddenly constitutes a “pattern” of deception. Oooh, I’m so alarmed. Thankfully, I have a working mind, a set of working eyes, and the ability to cruise the internet. With just these tools, I have been able to determine that the only pattern of deception here...

The Great Iraq Flip Flop By Linda A. Prussen-Razzano Democrat candidates for 2004, in an obvious attempt to rile to their base and generate headlines of any significance, have decided to use the war with Iraq as their rallying cry. If they truly believe that this position will lend them any credibility with voters outside of their base, then President Bush will have little trouble bayoneting the wounded come Election Day. Wounded, you say? Yes, wounded. With the exception of Howard Dean, who is garnering public support but will undoubtedly only see the White House with the help of a...

In 1991, I contributed a few versus to the "World’s Largest Poem for Peace," which was presented to the United Nations. The poem, dedicated to my father and reflecting just a sliver of his experiences fighting in the Korean War, has undergone some minor revisions over the years. At the time, I thought the effort noble. Who would not embrace calls to end senseless killing and oppression? I looked to representatives of world governments to bring rebirth and construction in the wake of death and destruction. Silly? Yes, I realize that now. Instead of appealing to the pampered dandies skulking...

If we listen to the war weanies, Mr. President, you have already lost. Lost the battle before the first American boot touched Iraqi soil. They say you are waging an illegal campaign. They cite all sorts of references, but never the ones that actually did authorize you to go to war. They conveniently ignore United Nations Resolution 1154, adopted March 2, 1998, that warned of the “severest consequences” for Iraq’s failure to comply with nearly a dozen previous resolutions. What did the war weanies think we would use against Iraq, harsh language? They ignore the fact that President Clinton cited...

Precedent? I’ll Give You A Precedent by Linda A. Prussen-Razzano, Dallas Bureau Chief October 9, 2002 "Candidly Yours" During the House Hearings today on authorization of use of force against Iraq, the level of posturing extended far beyond humorous to sublimely grotesque. Had enough of the nonsense? So have I. Let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we? First and foremost, as I have already shown, President Bush was not the one who changed our nuclear first-strike policy: President Clinton did. In November of 1997, President Clinton signed Presidential Decision Directive 60, which allowed the United States to "consider using...

I’m Sorry, Daddy by Linda A. Prussen-Razzano In the Spring of 1953, my father was standing along with the other members of the 31st Infantry, 7th Division, just north of Seoul. Forty-five years later, when he decided to write about his experiences in the Korean War, I expected the pages to be filled with a certain patriotic flair; instead, his descriptions were brutal, blunt, and altogether alarming. He was especially critical of the rank stupidity he saw permeating all levels of command; stupidity that ranged from bumbling privates daring to fish while on alert, to commanders leading their troops in...

12/08/97 - © Post Register Report outlines conditions for nuclear first strike By John Diamond/Associated Press WASHINGTON _ Turning U.S. nuclear policy toward an emerging threat, President Clinton has decided the United States will consider using nuclear weapons against attackers who hit American forces with chemical or biological weapons. The policy, made explicit in a classified presidential directive, marks the administration's first instructions to the Pentagon shaping a nuclear strategy against the increasingly worrisome possibility that nations such as Iraq might turn chemical or biological arsenals against U.S. troops. A senior Clinton administration adviser said Sunday the policy conforms with...