'Test Runs' Conducted for the Next 9/11

Bill's Comment: This article confronts probably the biggest single-issue of this election, national security. After reading this, it should be obvious that the Republicans will mop and wax the Democrats on the dance floor each and every time. Remember- The Democrats HAVE NO REAL PLAN TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE, just a bunch of smoke and mirrors from a group of acidic, far-left liberal Democratic Party snake oil salesmen.
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With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff
For the story behind the story...

Thursday, July 22, 2004

'Test Runs' Conducted for the Next 9/11

Last week NewsMax linked for several days to journalist Annie Jacobsen's widely reported eyewitness account of suspicious behavior by Arab men on a flight from the Muslim haven of Detroit to L.A. But her report is just the beginning.

"Flight crews and air marshals say Middle Eastern men are staking out airports, probing security measures and conducting test runs aboard airplanes for a terrorist attack," the Washington Times revealed today.

The article singles out the flight Jacobsen took on June 29, Northwest Airlines Flight 327, as well as American Airlines Flight 1732 from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to New York's JFK Airport on Feb. 15.

"No doubt these are dry runs for a terrorist attack," the Times quoted an anonymous air marshal as saying.

"It's happening, and it's a sad state of affairs," the paper quoted an anonymous pilot as saying.

Jacobsen, a business writer for the online Women's Wall Street, described how 14 Middle Eastern men alarmed and "terrified" her and other passengers as well as the crew. Seated throughout the plane, the men at first pretended to be strangers but then exchanged "unusual glances," gathered in small groups, stood throughout most of the flight, filed in and out of the lavatories and even brought a camera into one.

"One man took a McDonald's bag into the bathroom, then passed it off to another passenger upon returning to his seat. When the pilot announced the plane was cleared for landing and to fasten seat belts, seven men jumped up in unison and went to different bathrooms."

David Adams, a spokesman for the Federal Air Marshal Service, confirmed Jacobsen's account. He said officers who were on board checked the restrooms several times but found nothing.

"Given the facts, they had no legal basis to take an enforcement action. But there was enough of a suspicious nature for the FAMS, passengers and crew to take notice," Adams said.

Federal officials and L.A. police detained the Syrian men upon arrival, fingerprinted them and released them after checking their story that they were musicians hired to play at a casino.

Bombs in the Bathrooms

The Times noted: "A January FBI memo says suicide terrorists are plotting to hijack trans-Atlantic planes by smuggling 'ready-to-build' bomb kits past airport security, and later assembling the explosives in aircraft bathrooms."

The incident on the flight from San Juan was similar. Six Middle Eastern men pretended at first to be strangers, but it became clear they knew each other, observant stewardesses said.

The Arabs tried to videotape the takeoff, made multiple trips to the restroom and congregated in the area until crew members intervened.

A pilot reported another flight in which an air marshal broke into a lavatory that an Arab had locked himself into for a long time. The man had removed the mirror and was trying to break through the wall, on the other side of which was the cockpit, the pilot said.

Terrorists "absolutely" are testing security, he told the Times. "There is a great degree of concern in the airline industry that not only are these dry runs for a terrorist attack, but that there is absolutely no defense capabilities on a vast majority of airlines."

But Profiling Terrorists Isn't P.C.

Then why is so little being done? Political correctness and fear of pressure groups.

Only yesterday, Council on American-Islamic Relations raged that the FBI was daring to interview Muslims and Arabs in states including California, New York, Virginia and Florida "as part of an attempt to root out a possible terror attacks in the United States."

CAIR director Nihad Awad complained: "The way it's being done stigmatizes the entire community and makes Muslims objects of suspicion to their neighbors and co-workers. This is not right. This is more politics than security."

As NewsMax noted last week, an anti-terror program in Florida had to be emasculated because of grumbling from American Civil Liberties Union and Muslim groups.

The Citizen Awareness Program, proposed by a domestic security task force in Orlando, had planned to ask firemen, utility workers and other workers who go into homes to report any suspected terrorist activity. One possible sign, the program had planned to note, would be "multiple adult males living together, usually of Middle Eastern appearance and between the ages of 18 and 45, with little or no furnishings."

Scott Rost of ACLU's Orlando office claimed the program would "encourage racial profiling with little reason to believe it will make us safer."

How shocking. What in the world do groups of young Middle Eastern men have to do with terrorism? Everyone knows that 80-year-old American church ladies carried out 9/11. They're the ones who should be profiled!

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: Most Muslims are not terrorists, but most terrorists are Muslim. Anyone who ignores this reality is abetting the next 9/11.

College Republicans Poke Fun at Kerry's 'Flip-Flops'

College Republicans Poke Fun at Kerry's 'Flip-Flops'

By Robert B. Bluey
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
July 27, 2004

Boston (CNSNews.com) - Even in a city full of Democrats, a group of College Republicans had no fear taking to the streets Monday in a playful protest of John Kerry's famous "flip-flops" on issues like the war in Iraq to homosexual marriage.

A handful of Republicans stood a few blocks from the FleetCenter, where the Democratic National Convention got underway at 4 p.m. Monday. They encountered some heckling, but many interested passersby stopped to snap pictures of the giant flip-flop sandals they carried.

Republicans have made Kerry's "flip-flops" a central issue of the campaign. The Massachusetts senator supported the war in Iraq, for instance, but later voted against funding it. He also opposes same-sex marriage, but he has reached out to the homosexual community, and he voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment.

"Kerry flip-flops on issues, and young people aren't going to go for that," said Alison Aikele, the College Republican National Committee's communications director. "This is a lot of fun. It's a way for young people to get involved and show what they believe in."

Those who did heckle the band of young Republicans got smiles in return. The Republicans started their day early, walking around neighborhoods of the city before ending up outside the FleetCenter. Overall, they said most people welcomed their viewpoints.

The protest was organized in part by Max Buccini, chairman of the Boston College chapter and treasurer of the Massachusetts Alliance of College Republicans. Buccini said he wanted Bostonians to know that not everyone in this city supports the Democrat ticket.

"It's going to be a tough sell for them to say that Kerry and Edwards are supporting the same values as the American people," Buccini said.

But it's Kerry's stance on the issues -- or lack thereof -- that bothers Buccini most. He said voters are left with no real understanding of what Kerry believes.

"There's a myriad of issues that John Kerry has flip-flopped on; especially on free trade and gay marriages he's waffled and shifted. He says they're nuanced positions, but I really think it's political expediency," Buccini said. "He'll basically do anything to further his political ambition."

But protesting Kerry isn't all that the College Republican National Committee has planned. The group will launch a field program on college campuses in 40 states on Aug. 24. More than 60 field representatives will be dispatched to add to the group's 120,000-student membership.

"Our goal is to identify every single Republican student and student who supports our president," said Oliver Wolf, a student at Bates College and vice chairman of the Maine College Republicans. "We need to get them to provide the voice and volunteers for the campaign."

Even The Left Bashes 'Botox' Kerry

With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff
For the story behind the story...

Thursday, July 29, 2004 8:04 p.m. EDT

Even the Left Bashes 'Botox' Kerry

We just received the latest from liberal Sam Smith's Progressive Review, with Smith's latest "Notes" on the Democrat Convention.

Here are some of his observations:

* "Next time let's try to get Ron Reagan Jr to sound a little less like a trial lawyer and that trial lawyer to sound a little less like Ron Reagan Sr."

* "Edwards reminded me of one of those attorneys where you want to acquit the defendant just because he got stuck with such poor counsel."

* "Can we round up a few more people who look like Edwards' parents? That crowd on the convention floor isn't the sort you'd find at Wal-Mart (or, in sufficient numbers, in the voting booth)"

As for Kerry's speech tonight, Smith concludes:

"Good luck with tonight. Just bear in mind that there is no Botox for the soul.

*"THINGS TO REMEMBER WHILE WATCHING KERRY TONIGHT: Kerry is your classic Washington Ivy League preppy hustler who gets ahead by substituting gravitas for achievement and, in Russell Baker's phrase, letting solemnity serve for seriousness. He has done little in the Senate, produced few bills of significance, and even missed most of his intelligence committee hearings. He is arrogant, narcissistic, and so self-serving that he even filmed reenactments of his Vietnam exploits for future use. He is wrong on Iraq, healthcare, education, the Middle East, and the Patriot Act and when he is right he doesn't say it very well. On the other hand, like 98% of the American voting age population, he is better in many ways than George W. Bush but the only such person with the backing of a major party."

6 Career lessons from U.S. Presidents

6 Career lessons from U.S. Presidents

By Laura Morsch, CareerBuilder.com

Our nation's presidents have plunged us into economic depression and guided us to wartime victory. All of their triumphs and failures can teach us a thing or two about our own careers. With Election Day on the horizon, here are some important lessons we can learn from our former U.S. leaders:

Conquer your fears.
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." When Franklin D. Roosevelt uttered these words at his first inaugural address in 1933, the country was at the height of the Great Depression. He would go on to take risky moves to pull the nation out of economic crisis and provided strong leadership during wartime.

Being afraid to take risks can keep you from advancing your own career. So send out that resume. Make those phone calls. And most importantly, don't let fear of rejection or change keep you from the career of your dreams.

Keep your skills current.
The Civil War was a turning point American history, and knowing this, Abraham Lincoln adjusted the presidential role to fit the times by expanding the military, freeing slaves and spending more money. Sure, he was met with criticism, but he told Congress, "As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew."

Lincoln's ability to react to the changing times made him widely hailed as one of the greatest presidents in history. You can apply his lessons to your own career by taking classes or undergoing additional training to be sure your skills are up-to-date.

Keep your hands clean.
The Enron crew and Martha Stewart might be facing different career prospects if they had taken a lesson from Richard Nixon. Similar to recent corporate scandals, an investigation into a 1972 break-in of the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate complex slowly implicated government staff - eventually reaching the very top. Expecting impeachment, Nixon resigned his post - and the Watergate scandal will forever haunt his legacy.

Be wary of office romance.
If you think you can keep your office fling quiet, remember two words: Monica Lewinsky. After rumors of Bill Clinton's extramarital affair with a young White House intern exploded into national news, the president had to protect more than just his morality - he had to defend his job from impeachment. If the president can get caught, so can you.

Learn from your mistakes.
All presidents made some mistakes - some of them huge. What separated the most successful presidents was their ability to learn from their errors, own up to them and then move on. Take John F. Kennedy: Shortly after his inauguration, Kennedy approved an invasion into Cuba to topple dictator Fidel Castro. The Bay of Pigs invasion was a dismal failure, embarrassing the Kennedy administration. But instead of letting the mortification ruin his career, he simply assumed responsibility - and Americans respected him for it.

Stand out in the pack.
Can you list the accomplishments of President Chester Arthur? You're not alone. A Web site dedicated to Arthur, John Tyler and James Polk hails them as the "forgotten presidents." In contrast, the accomplishments of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt are permanently etched into Americans' memories (and history books).

What separates the remembered presidents? They weren't afraid to take a stand and change things in our country. Don't be content with mediocrity in your career. Flaunt your greatness, and leave a legacy!

Looking for a Job When You Already Have One

Looking for a Job When You Already Have One
By M. Rose Jonas

The old adage is no longer true, that you have to have a job in order to find a job. The economy has just been too scary, with layoffs and company closings, downsizings and outsourcings. Employers are not surprised when applicants are between jobs.

In fact, those folks standing slack-jawed at the unemployment office have an advantage over the cubicle wretches sitting at their pc, wishing the day would end, that this miserable job would end. The unemployed at least have the time to look for a job, and that's a key point for the employed job seeker to remember.

Here's what's true about job search duration. To find a job, it takes slightly less than a month for every $10,000 you make. In a down economy, add a month or two. If you're employed, add four to six months on top of that. Why? During the day you just don't have the time. At night you don't have the energy. And that's assuming you know what you want to do next AND that your job didn't go to Bombay.

If you are employed, and you are sure you want to move on, here are some points to ponder:

1. Make a realistic assessment of how long this will take you. Nine to 12 months is generally right.

2. Talk to yourself. Can you hang on that long, or should you just take a deep breath and leap?

3. Talk to your spouse or partner and weigh the pros and cons. What does a job change mean to the family? Will you get the same money? Will your spouse need to get another job? Can you stay in the same city? Are you sure your partner would move to another city if you got a job offer out of town?

4. Plan your strategy, and that often means to hire a career coach. The job world has changed so much, we aren't often sure how to move, where to look, or how to talk about what we've done. You'll save yourself time if an expert is helping you.

5. Look at your days/weeks and determine what you can carve out for the job search. You have to do research, networking, resume writing, and interviews. Can you get up an hour earlier a couple of days a week? Can you get to the library at lunch to research companies? Can you go to a conference room with your laptop and surf the job net? Can you have early morning coffees throughout the week to network with friends or people who can help you develop leads?

6. Get an accountability buddy. One man in the Northeast who wanted to return to his Midwestern roots, spent a year fretting over the above points/issues, and going nowhere. His most trusted ally was his sister, so they decided to formalize the arrangement, following the procedures typical of job clubs. The deal was he had to call her on Sunday evenings to report his progress and detail goals for the upcoming week. She was to be supportive as well as challenging. He found a new job in about three months. She kept him on the mark.

7. Don't be afraid of networking. People hate to do it; it's still one of the primary ways to find a job. For over two-thirds of us, the next job is gotten through networking…going to coffees, saying what you're looking for, asking for leads. Ya gotta be out there.

8. Keep the search confidential. Don't tell your boss till you have the next job. You'll have a problem in certain professions, which are small, tight and highly networked. Gossip fairly zings along those communication lines. If the boss will find out in about five seconds, 'fess up. Otherwise, play your cards close to your chest. Have NOTHING come to the office, tell potential employers not to contact your present one, take vacation or sick days to do interviews. People at work will find out if you're careless. Trust no one.

M. Rose Jonas, Ph.D., is widely recognized as TV's "Job Doctor," and is the author of a new book "Can I Lie On My Resume?"

Job Hunting Advice

Job Hunting? Don't Just Go For The Openings!
By Judi Craig

In case you're thinking of contacting a company for future employment only when there is a posted "job opening," you may be eliminating a large part of the job market. Many, if not most, jobs are never listed in the newspapers or on the Internet. If you ask a company representative about "vacancies," they may correctly tell you there are none when, in fact, you could well find employment in that organization.

The truth is that many companies have an employee who may not be performing up to par. The individual may lack desired skills, not get along well with others, be disorganized or fail to meet productivity requirements. Or an employee may lack the necessary competencies to step into a new role that's coming up in an anticipated reorganization, downsizing or merger.

Perhaps the manager doesn't want to remove the person because she knows there will be so much more work for everyone else while a new hire is recruited, interviewed and selected. That whole process takes time (something we're all short on) and puts more stress on other people who have to pitch in and make up the work that used to be done by the person who leaves. Resentments often surface ("How could the company have done that to an employee who's been with us that long?") and morale can decline as everyone begins to wonder "who's next?"

Then there's the expense of a search for someone to fill the new position. And maybe a relocation package.

Also, executives and managers tend to put off the unpleasant task of demoting or firing someone. It's easier to rock along with the status quo, especially if the person who has to deliver the bad news is someone who doesn't want to be perceived as a "bad guy," personally disagrees with the decision, is highly empathetic with the person in question or is simply conflict avoidant. Besides, demoting or firing someone is just not a fun thing to do.

But if someone very qualified comes along, who isn't more tempted to make the necessary change? This is where you, the job seeker, have an opportunity.

Now imagine this scenario: You're an executive in a company and you get a letter that comes across your desk, addressed specifically to you. You open it and discover that the writer obviously has researched your industry/company well enough to sense what it is that you need—specific qualities, experience, etc.—and is telling you what he could do for you. This claim is then followed by four to six bullets outlining specific accomplishments—including quantifiable measures—that the writer has achieved. Then follows an invitation to contact him or her for an interview. Wouldn't you be impressed?

Let's face it: To get a job, you need to get an interview. Once in the door, you have an opportunity to sell yourself. If the interviewer likes what he sees, his mind clicks into thoughts of where you could fit in to the company—and to those you might replace.

It is even possible to sell a potential employer on a job that you basically create for yourself. There may no ready fit for you. But if they are sold on you, you can brainstorm with them on the possible ways they could use your talents. You might create a new position right there during the interview, essentially outlining your own job description.

The point is, don't just go for companies that you know have an "opening" or you could be dealing yourself out on a terrific job.

Judi Craig, Ph.D., MCC is an Executive & Career Coach in San Antonio, TX and President of COACH SQUARED, INC.
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Bill's Comment: If you want to learn more about this subject, especiall about selling yourself to create a new position, I personally recommend Think and Grow Rich, by Dale Carnegie.

November 2, 2004 Election Choices

The President and his monsterous Opponent

"The Real World"

The Real World


Charles Sykes is the author of DUMBING DOWN OUR KIDS. In his book, he talks about how the liberal, feel-good, politically correct garbage has created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1
Life is not fair; get used to it.

Rule 2
The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world Will expect You to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3
You will not make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice president with a car phone until you "earn" both.

Rule 4
If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure.

Rule 5
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping; they called it opportunity.

Rule 6
If you screw up, it's not your parents' fault so don't whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.

Rule 7
Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning your room and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. So before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8
Your school may have done away with winners and losers but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades, they'll give you as many chances as you want to got the right answer. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life.

Rule 9
Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10
Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

McGreevey Soap Opera Update

Here is the latest in the soap opera regarding soon-to-be-leaving, "Gay American", New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey:

Report: No evidence of extortion in Cipel-McGreevey dealings

October 24, 2004, 6:14 PM EDT

comment; picks up 5th graf pvs; phqdp2jpmbas

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ A federal investigation has uncovered no evidence that a former aide to Gov. James E. McGreevey tried to extort millions of dollars from him, according to the aide's lawyer and law enforcement officials.

A lawyer representing Golan Cipel, the former state homeland security adviser named by McGreevey associates as the man the governor admitted having an extra-marital affair with, said federal officials told him Cipel and a second lawyer acted properly during talks about a settlement in the weeks before McGreevey announced his resignation on Aug. 12.

"I'm certain there's no chance they would be accused of a crime," attorney Paul Batista told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "As far as my job, I consider my work done."

FBI spokesman Steve Kodak declined to comment Sunday, saying it is an active investigation. But other law enforcement officials familiar with the case told the newspaper that they would not dispute Batista's statements.

A lawyer representing the governor disagreed with Batista's conclusion.

"There's clearly evidence of extortion," said William Lawler. "It's up to the government to evaluate how the evidence fits into a total picture."

FBI agents have yet to speak with Cipel, who is in his native Israel, but plan to meet with him soon, Batista said.

Cipel has denied that he is gay or had an affair with McGreevey, and has claimed that the governor sexually harassed him. He threatened a sexual harassment suit but never filed it.

According to Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, a McGreevey confidant, Cipel's lawyers did not offer facts or proof of damages during the settlement talks, but instead "just wanted money."

"It was extortion thinly disguised as a lawsuit," Lesniak said. "This whole thing is ridiculous."

Officials on both sides told The Inquirer that McGreevey supporters sent people to try and talk to Cipel in the weeks before McGreevey resigned. One of those people was Rabbi Yosef Z. Carlebach, a longtime supporter of the governor who also knew Cipel.

Allen Lowy, the lawyer who handled Cipel's sexual harassment case, said he had specifically asked administration officials that no one contact Cipel. Lawler, meanwhile, denied that Carlebach was sent to try to "talk anybody out of anything."

Through a spokesman, McGreevey declined to discuss the investigation.

"The governor made his statement on Aug. 12," said Micah Rasmussen. "He's focusing on his family and moving on with his life."

Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press