Lion-ize | Lion Eyes

LION WATCH

This area is reserved for current events of national/global interest regarding a wide variety of subjects beginning with childrens issues, human rights, humor, politics, mysteries and can be just about anything that piques my curiosity-and it may be more than one subject as well-here for your reading and thought provoking comments and pleasure.

My first commentary regarding national issues of interest will take us back a bit-and Ill stay with the subject of child protection. The AMBER ALERT was passed by the senate on April 11,2003. Thanks to the concerns of politicians listening to the families of victims, the public, organizers and supporters-this important legislation was signed into law by President Bush April 30,2003. The AMBER ALERT plan was created in 1996as a legacy to 9 year old Amber Hagerman who was kidnapped and brutally murdered while riding her bicycle in Arlington Texas.

The tragedy shocked, enraged and outraged the entire community.(just a thought as I mention the names of 11 yr old Carla Brucie-abducted and murdered-her abduction caught on video-Dru Shodin-abducted in a mall parking lot and found murdered-the alleged attacker-by the name of Rodrigez-a multiple sex offender with the highest & most dangerous offender status given-6 year old Jon Benet Ramsey-whose death outraged a nation and Elizabeth Smart-a survivor of nearly 10 months of kidnapping-abuse and mind control-found a nation rejoicing-as she is in the 1% range of survivors-most or 99% of the victims die within the first 3 hours of kidnapping-abuse and sadly-VICIOUS-death.

The AMBER ALERT LAW will have stricter provisions in it meaning child molesters/pedophiles and pornographers will receive tougher punishments under the law.(In fact it will have a felony-TWO STRIKES provision in it-meaning any felony child sexual offender with TWO convictions-goes to jail-FOR LIFE-(remember my earlier statement-the average sexual predator attacks 117 children-) The AMBER ALERT WILL also target child pornographers and go after the morphing and abuse of children regarding CDs-videos and more as the law provides. The AMBER ALERT will also protect volunteer boys and girls organizations (where in the past child predators hide easily) requiring state and federal criminal background checks.

This is good news for our country to protect our children. When the AMBER ALERT was passed 50 children had been recovered-those results speak for themselves.(This is NOT the time to go into a "BIG BROTHER" pro and con argument-well save that for another occasion!) As for the nay sayers of the bill-usually the ACLU and left wing liberal politics-a reminder that in the USA-there are 4 million pedophiles-one for every square mile.

Present at the signing of The Amber Alert Bill were the family of Amber Hagerman and Elizabeeth Smart.(Yes-we DO GOOD things when our voices come together!) For a moment -it makes me wonder about what our Presidents think about during these moments--for example-President Bush at this signing-and President Clinton-when he pushed the initiative of adoption for families and finding homes for children-youth-teens and special needs cases) This is a RAY OF HOPE for the protection of our children and RAISES the BAR-to do MORE! As I looked at this article I went back and have added some comments regarding the April 2002 Supreme Court Decision regarding virtual reality for computer images as being acceptable for pornographic imagery. It was an acceptable means of communication and free speech protected by the SUPREME COURT! What it meant was-as long as the images displaying sex werent "real" it was acceptable. The criminal element went right to work on this loophole.

PLEASE LOOK AT THESE PHOTOGRAPHS! WHICH ARE REAL-WHICH ARE COMPUTER GENERATED!

ANSWER: THEY'RE BOTH COMPUTER GENERATED!

Since the issue the Supreme Court dealt with was "reality" they didnt have a problem with it -and it became an acceptable form of communications and the pornography hit the streets in a tidal wave. Youthful images of virtual reality and morphing depicting sexual display and contact were allowable on the internet, videos, Cds and adult games. It left a huge loophole for child predators and pornographers to hide behind .and expand their horizons.

Case and point-on a first year episode of "The Shield" police raided an adult sex shop only to be TAUNTED by the owner regarding sex tapes-Cds and videos that MORPHED-virtual reality child images onto adult bodies-because it is/was an excepted and protected Supreme Court right of free speech.(By the way-"The Shield" starring Michael Chiklis-is an outstanding adult audience type show- which deals with the stress of police work-(good and bad cops) clashes in personalities and politics-and gets into the trenches over how tough the job of police officers truly are-the morphing part of the episode-well done and the message received-big time! It has a stellar cast of actors.

I am an absolute believer in the rights of free speech. I also feel weve taken on a darker issue here. It has to do with the desensitizing of sexual issues regarding our children. Love her or hate her- Dr Laura Schlisserman has stated many times on her radio show "our children are becoming more desensitized regarding sexual issues through television, movies, internet, advertising and music and todays children are being made available for sex at a younger age. I couldnt possibly say this any better myself- Right On Dr Laura! (I hope you dont mind a little 60s/70s lingo sent youre way)!

Sex and pornographic internet sites on an annual basis number hundreds of thousands and are growing by leaps and bounds daily- as I said earlier-we have 300,000 children under the 16 and younger participating as child soldiers in armed conflicts- (sex is no discriminator-furthermore-boys, girls and teens are becoming killing machines) I remember the 6/29/02 photo that circulated of a Palestinian baby 12-18 months old dressed in the garb and warfare of a suicide bomber/soldier that circulated globally by television-newspaper-talk show and radio commentary-I have the photo and it chills me to my CORE to look at this.

Before age 3-children in some areas globally are taught the basic foundations of hate, discrimination - and prejudice-much of this leads to murder and suicide! I have mentioned in previous writings the number of survivors of sexual abuse in 1993 were 60 MILLION in the USA-with average rates of sexual abuse annually totaling 3 million + per year-that leaves another 33 MILLION or more hurt and wounded souls in our country as of 2004.

When you think thats all you can handle-theres more-a midwest university professor (USA) creates controversy by saying there needs to be an acceptable level of sexual conduct between the ages of 12-16 NOT to be considered pedophile in nature-REALLY! (Im still trying to figure out-whether this means that sex between children 12-16 is ok OR that children 12-16 can have acceptable levels of sexual contact with ADULTS!) EYES ROLLING.

The subject-of sex between adults and children/teens 12-16 is totally UNACCEPTABLE-now in all truth-I think back to when I was a 12-16-I know what went through my head. CLUELESS-even though we all TALKED BIG about sex-we knew nothing or little about it. Another case-a university professor rapes a 7 year old boy and at the trial a professor from a WELL KNOWN UNIVERSITY/THINK TANK states in DEFENSE of the child rapist-that (paraphrased) the skilled worker-(the accused university professor) is in his prime and his loss to society because of his job-education and expertise makes him TOO valuable and he must not be judged so harshly. WHAT ABOUT THE BOY-WHOSE VIOLATION WILL LAST A LIFETIME! Who speaks for him?

High profile cases like the Michael Jackson abuse case-the Laci Peterson and baby Connor murders and Kobe Bryant rape cases may set standards for how we look at issues of rape-molestation and murder.

The consequences of the Simpson trial rocked our country and split us in two over race-not to mention-Simpson was later convicted of civil liabilities and 10 years later-you see him on public TV blaming NICOLE for getting in trouble-yet he prances around and in several cases has had brushes with the law & walks away from it all-rich-wealthy and a "teflon celebrity" of sorts.

I remember a radio broadcast-(I heard in 1993-1994)which had a member of NAMBLA-North American Man Boy Love Association-advocating their despicable organization with age of CONSENTUAL SEX AT 7-8 YEARS OF AGE! I read articles about this organization in several news reports and was chilled to the bone when the infiltrator who managed to sneak into a meeting reported seeing-school administrators and child care workers present. The VERY people who are supposed to PROTECT and SERVE your children.

The most recent global crises of pedophiles hidden within the Catholic Church reached unbearable heights of shame and ugliness in case after case numbering thousands of sexually abused children nationwide. Many cases were covered up-silenced and paid off for years. The Catholic church is only one of many churches and denominations that have abuse hidden within the clergy. The Boston Diocese has had a major problem with more than 200 cases of abuse reported. Recently one of the abused children now an adult-ended his life by suicide. I was heartbroken when I heard this-then more revulsion as the Catholic church announced more than 65 churches were to be closed to pay off the lawsuits-possibly as many as 67.

Think of all the people that need ministering to-that have to find new doors to go into-for worship-their faith-badly shaken-then more as it was found that the Vatican had made it policy-five to six decades ago-that the issues of sex abuse were to be kept quiet. They knew they had a problem and chose to cover up the subject bringing a cyclone force of public backlash-devasting to the church-its spirituality and trust-and MORE-another unkind cut to the people of Boston-to all of us who care-as the decision is made by the Pope-to elevate Cardinal Law-the church leader of the Boston Diocese-(where the recent huge abuse scandal started-).

Cardinal Law it was stated would take over as church leader for one of the most prestigious Catholic basilicas overseas. To many- a reward-in the face of blatant misuse of authority and power-considered an ugly slap in the face to the people of Boston. To all of us caring souls-catholic and otherwise-the aftermath and subsequent scandals justify the outrage. It should never-happen again. It should never have been allowed to happen-and you wonder why I scream about Child Abuse Education.

I am pleased to say that the Vatican and the Catholic churches locally and nationally appear to be seriously reviewing the mistakes and many changes that need to be made. There is still the issue of leniency being shown in some cases-however-no clergy-or any child abuser with an arrest for sexual abuse and conviction--should ever work with children- ever. Sadly-There is so much HEALING that needs to happen. I believe it can-but it will take a long time.

I recently re-read-the Mcmartin school/day care center case in California-many young children were interviewed within the investigative and legal process of both sides of this case. The big issue-can younger children convey the abuse that happened to them in believability? There was a high degree of skepticism regarding the case and its dismissal. The children spoke of tunnels-no one believed them. It wasnt until AFTER the case was closed that connecting tunnels were located! Many serious questions remain about what really happened to these children.

Ted Gunderson-a private investigator with over 20 years of experience stated he feels the case warrants further review. In addition he also claims that "50,000 to 60.000 children a year disappear off the face of our planet" WHERE? pedophiles-rape-murder-ritual abuse-war-sexual predators-sex slave rings and more.I will discuss this case in greater detail when I book review Judith Levines VERY CONTROVERSIAL "Harmful to Minors" dealing with a chapter in her book called "Manhunt" and more.

In July of 2002-internet pedophile rings with connections in 20 countries were discovered-internet pictures depicting babies-and young children were found and the criminals are being investigated and prosecuted--then the gang rape of a young woman overseas after being found guilty-of TALKING with another young man-who was supposedly not up to either her-or his standards. As punishment for her sentence-she was gang raped by four men in a pit-before the village onlookers. I cannot even BEGIN to tell you-how this despicable cowardly and brutal attack sickened me. (I have heard of the execution of four men regarding an overseas rape case-Im sure youll recognize this information-if this is true-I would like to update this story.)

In 2004 Ohio internet pedophile parents (commonlaw-not married) were arrested-putting pictures of their 9 yr old daughter on the internet for sale and recently-the announcement that a pedophile ring so large has been uncovered- (US announcement) hundreds are involved-possibly prominent names and more could rock our country again as the nature of this beast hits us full force. It will take quite awhile to sort through the size of this case from what it being determined at present by the media.

Then-the picture of Peter Townsend-lead guitarist of "THE WHO" had a New York newspaper headline with two words on it-"WHO ME" as he was given 5 years of probation-from the British Courts dealing with porn site solicitation regarding minors material). Townsend claimed he was doing research and had an abusive life- Celebrities are not exempt-nor above the law-on the other hand-I dont believe we should ever go on WITCH HUNTS-and prosecute wrongly nor inappropriately-letting the facts and figures speak for itself-and hoping the spin doctoring legal system-doesnt plea bargain and spin this subject out of control-we must always hope our legal system-does its best work by protecting our children and families regarding the severity of child abuse.

In closing-today we live in age of war, terrorism, uncertainty and shifting values. Forgive me if that sounds-oh-so-cliche! One constant must remain. Our children are the most important and valuable asset-they are our present and future. Their protection is the responsibility of parents (and guardians) . Areas of society (educators) must help and more must be done.

The classroom I believe holds the greatest potential of educating and communicating the importance of their lives and how they are to interact with others. Their education must always show how precious and valuable each child-each person-each soul is that they deal with-experts in child welfare and more- organizations and groups must reach out to the education community and make the connection. Ive already stated who some of them are. Our children are the hope and future of our planet-Good must triumph over the evil of abuse-It IS a WAR-that we cannot afford-to lose.

"TBL"

THE LION'S ARENA-"THE BALKAN LINE-OF THE BALKAN LION"

Welcome to The Lions Arena!"The Balkin Line of The Balkan Lion"! A play on words if you will! MY arena-to take on any subject I feel is worthy to discuss..As you look at this website- you will have visited my roots in child abuse-adoption-music-communications and taken a look at subjects ranging from education-changes in the American Family-politics-humor-charity-paranormal studies-belief systems-looked at special people-miracles and experienced emotions of sorts-quite an odyssey of travel in a short time.

In MY ARENA-the word may cut like a two-edged sword-other than that-its not like the "Circus Maximus" arena of the past where lives were lost-THIS LION-wants to see lives helped and saved through writing-communicating-caring-sharing and learning. We may agree to disagree-my hope is that you will ALWAYS come back to the "roundtable of discussion"- never let the sun go down on your anger-and never let the overwhelming spectre of "politics" especially bi-partisan-take away all the roots of "good ole fashioned common sense"! Our world is changing & we will explore some of those changes taking place-LION STYLE!

I am fascinated by people. By what makes them tick- By their genealogy-their ethnic heritage-nationality-belief system-or lack of it-education-biases if known-political thoughts motivation and temperament. How about our ability to survive incredible odds of life-in the face of death-or the ability to give Love-and the world takes notice-or hate-while the world takes notice and maybe has to-and those who make the ultimate sacrifice of giving a life-for a life-and not just the soldier on the battlefield-how about Mother Theresa-whose lifetime of devotion to the poor and less fortunate make her life story-one of modern day unselfishness and love that goes beyond our normal understanding-to doctors, paramedics, nurses and scientists who heal by research and medication-and that soldier I mentioned- -who gives his or her physical life-to save another-sometimes many lives.

I find politics fascinating-spin doctoring frustrating-and the spectre of global terrorism-frightening. I ask myself where-and how-does our future lie-if NOT in the ideology of our past and and present conflicts over terrorism-economics-belief systems-and politics. We have been able to take a "front row seat in the gallery" on the battlefield of WAR watching the "SHOCK and AWE" of the Iraq war-and also had a "seat" at the fiasco of what the United Nations has become.

At the United Nations table I need to paint a picture in your mind as to how DIFFICULT negotiations have become-lets put YOU in the role of the United States ambassador to the UN, and you walk to the table to negotiate your countries safety through diplomatic and political means. On one side of you sits Adolph Hitler from Germany- Gerhard Schroeder-Germany Ghengis Khan from China-Ayatollah Khomeini from Iran- Emperor Hirohito from Japan- Stalin-Lenin-Khruschev-Gorbachev and Putin-of the Soviet Union-Saddam Hussein with sons Uday and Qusay of Iraq-the 911 terrorists that were responsible for the vicious brutal attack against our country Sept 11-2001-(several from Egypt-yet all terrorists)

Louis and Marie Antoinette-Degalle-Chirac and Joan of Arc of France-King David-Samson-Moshe-Dayan-Netanyahu-Israel-Mahatma Ghandi-India-Pierre Trudeau and Brian Mulroney of Canada-William of Orange-Winston Churchill-Margaret Thatcher-England and George Washington-Abraham Lincoln-William Mckinley- Harry Truman-Dwight Eisenhauer. John F Kennedy-Ronald W. Reagan-and recent presidents George H. W. Bush-William Jefferson Clinton and George W. Bush are also present. Representatives from Ireland and 191 member states to date are involved in the negotiations. You may wish to think about Yasser Arafat-Palestine is not a member of the UN however-Arafats presence-is.

The United States is a republic-England-a monarchy-China-communist-Russia-communist-North Korea-Communist- Iraq in 2004 has death totals of approximately 2 million dead-thousands buried and slaughtered in mass graves-based on the tyrannical rule of Saddam Hussein. Estimates of 6 Million dead Jews and many other nationalities during the holocaust of world war 2- including hundreds of thousands of Greeks-Serbians, Roumanians Croatians, Germans Italians, Japanese and many more nationalities died during the second world war. Numbers ranging from 15 Million dead and more during the Russian revolutions of the 20th century that brought Lenin & Stalin to power. Millions dead in Chinese conflicts-and the recent anniversary June 1989 15 years ago of the Tianamen Square massacre. Genocide - ethnic cleansing and even eugenics involved-just some of the monumental historical information you need to remember.

The mid-east conflicts that have brought death and destruction to Americans- Israelis-Palestinians- Afghanistan- Iraq and embroiled-Syria-Jordan-Pakistan-Egypt-India-Saudi Arabia and more. Spain has been terrorized with the recent train bombing massacre that killed 200 and they pulled their allied troops out of Iraq and went to a liberal government-in essence-giving in to the enemies out to destroy OUR society as we know it-by wreaking economic and precise attacks against allies out to destroy global terrorism.

The nuclear bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WW2 killed over 175,000 people and injured thousands more-leveling the cities they were meant for-only the tip of the iceberg. Today were fighting chemical and biological threats that can wipe out entire civilizations just as efficient as a nuclear device. It doesnt matter that some of those people I listed at the UN are not at the UN table today--THEIR DANGEROUS IDEOLOGIES ARE! and YOU are the one to put a decision on the peace making process. I ask you-WOULD YOU WANT THE JOB? WHAT WOULD YOU DO?( I give Mr John D.Negroponte U.S ambassador to the United Nations a lot of credit-you have a difficult job. The world-is watching your progress).

The US as a Republic & allies of monarchy-(and our other allies) are at WAR vs fanatical communism-terrorism-mob thug & tribal rule-not to mention countries with drug warlords in power- differences in belief systems or complete intolerance of them. Christianity, Judaism Islam, differeing Muslim beliefs- atheism- agnostics- occultism and our own political maelstrom of thought between party politics and you have TWO worlds physical and spiritual-to deal with.

Small wonder we ask WHY is all HELL breaking loose?

We think about it daily-we worry about what is happening. We are not at war with everybody contrary to “political rhetorical” belief. Not everyone hates the United States-contrary to “liberal “thought “ process. I believe our president is doing what he can-grace under tremendous pressure. This is not a pro vs con article-there must be unity in fighting the war on terrorism-and one more item to think about the UN.

They couldnt reach a decision regarding the United States issue to defend itself-as recent as 6/25/04 the New York Times has reported proof of terrorist involvement with Iraq prior to 911 going back to the mid 90s-and from such an UNLIKELY source as The New York Times-it makes you think about the stakes-WHAT IF WERE RIGHT ABOUT THIS?

Another thought-the TRUST of the UN will be SORELY put to test-when the details of the "OIL FOR FOOD" scandal hit. It may be time for some new leaders to step forward. If the scandal is true-they(who are involved) should all step down. (It will also make you wonder by who was involved-whether this had ANYTHING to do with the standoff against the United States.) Whether ambassadors or politicians or whomever is involved--this story to break will hit with the force of a Tsunami-count on it!

A question if I may-Is the United Nations holding the United States “Hostage” during the resolution/negotiations phase of the Iraq war? Liberals will say-we had no need to go to Iraq. Yet we have faced a new terror that infiltrated the U.S. Federal Aviation Systems-downed four airplanes-slaughtered more than 3000 people-attacked the headquarters of the Pentagon housing our Armed Forces command- destroyed 16 acres on land in NEW YORK STATE-destroyed lives from 82 nationalities including men-women-children Muslims, Christians and Jews among some of the nationalities and belief systems of people dead-and we have evidence of rogue terror state involvement.. The UN says were just supposed to sit back and TAKE IT-wait-several months wasted as Iraq stonewalled the U.S. at every opportunity while weapons could have been sent anywhere across the borders.

It seems weve forgotten how serious Dr. Khadir Hamza was when he left Iraq-he was just the head of Atomic Energy for Hussein and his book”Saddams Bombmaker” in detail gives an insightful description of how serious the nuclear program threat was and his job-to build a nuclear device for Iraq . He spent years working on the program. He has since made his way to the United States.By the way he got his education in Florida-good ole USA! Excellent book I might add.

The Bush vs Kerry campaign will be nasty and in recent comments John Kerry stated the newly elected president of Iraq-Iyad Alawi-is a puppet. How can we show unity-when our political leaders fighting for the highest office in the land-undermine the attempts to deal with a serious issue like the leaders who will begin taking the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan through the birth pains of diplomatic process and freedom??? John Kerry has also in his voting career supported 800% in increased spending to the United Nations. He has clearly stated he would turn the entire Iraq problem to the UN for solution. Someday-maybe-but-for now???? Is that our best and only solution? Truthfully-I don’t know.

For What? WHY? If the “Oil For Food” scandal which will hit big time-proves that some of the nay sayers of United States policy regarding the defending of itself are involved-It will leave the political world-reeling and the faith in the United Nations-badly shaken. WITHOUT the scandal-the United Nations at best is a weakened disorganized process thats lost its credibility. Will it gain its status back? Who audits the UNITED NATIONS for honesty-integrity-clean books and the best interests of the worlds safety??? Time will tell.

Through the ability to communicate-our world has become much smaller-planes-trains-autos-fiber optics-anthrax in the mails-bombing of train stations-hijacking-kidnapping-gruesome deaths televised to anger-the slaughter of innocents-nuclear threats-smallpox threats-chaos and much more are part of our daily life. Nice world isnt it.

By the way- The issue of 911. Is our country and its freedoms worth taking a stand for? Theres no better place or country than the United States to live in with the freedoms we have. Communications can be good-or bad depending on which side of the fence youre on.

The United Nations offers a wonderful opportunity for diplomacy but it must be able to hold accountable issues of terrorism. There can be no retreat from this evil. It MUST be dealt with. For now-the issue of terrorism is NOT being dealt with as evidenced by the resolution fiasco with the United States. The United Nations is also a powerful tool that can be used to bring its power against a country and what is currently happening in regard to the United States may have a splintering and diminishing effect. It is also not a place for Kofi Annan (Secretary General of The United Nations) to make a statement that he believes the United States war in Iraq is "illegal." It UNDERMINES our countries safety to do so and is evidence of NOT being "neutral" in the United Nations.

Ideologies such as the destructive forces of terrorism-communism (pure or crude) naziism-tyranny-dictatorships and varying forms of the above listed are as destructive in their nature as nuclear war-bio-terrorism-or chemical warfare. Simply put-THEY ARE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. Is anybody listening out there? Ideals and the physical substance of those ideals connecting on a human level can cause great good or great evil and upheaval. Our world-our plane of existence is struggling.

I am reminded of Hal Lindsays book "The Late Great Planet Earth" and I wonder-how much closer to the doomsday clock are we? Ideas KILL-Weapons KILL--so does hatred and bias-loss of tempers-and discrimination-so do belief systems-or how you use those belief systems. Some history-remember Jim Jones and 900+ dead in Guyana-or how about the mass suicide of 39 people lead by Simon Applegate-waiting for a great comet-or MASADA-a fortress under attack by Roman soldiers who defended their fort so gallantly-and were willing to die-ALL OF THEM! So much so-more than 900 died by suicide so as not to be under Roman slavery. Or the revolt of Spartacus-and the Roman way of dealing with the insurgents who surrendered-by CRUCIFYING no less than 6000 along the APPIAN way-leading to Rome.

Wars kill-words kill-two nuclear devices used in WW2 killed and wounded hundreds of thousands-bringing a brutal war to an end. Hussein slaughtered approximately 2 MILLION. Economics kill-take away money and jobs-what happens-social problems-like Jean Valjean-the hero of Les Miserables pursued for 20 years-for stealing a loaf of bread.

Thousands live today in mid-east camps-with arms and legs cut off for the same offense of stealing food-or stealing-for SURVIVAL. Many of them Jean Valjean-of the 21st Century!

Control the money and you bring down economies, countries, militaries and governments. I think of the late great actor George Burns in a scene from "Oh God" with John Denver and he talks about his only mistake-(paraphrased) "I made a mistake when I made pockets"-now you have to put something in them"GREED” when enough-is not enough.

A trip to the past if I may-to remember those "good ole days" when I played until the street lights came on and time for supper. Our doors were never locked -we didnt worry about criminals and kidnapping and didnt have computers and games to keep us away from books and in the house all day. I loved the split glass bottles of Pepsi and other soft drinks and remember glass bottles of milk back in the 60s-(Im not THAT old-yet!)

Dad took us fishing and to ball games-in later years we went hunting-and he helped me and my brother get into music.(neither parent played music) In the fall we raked leaves and jumped in piles of rainbows and most of the street neighborhood children came over. We would spend hours jumping in those leaves ending the day with a fall sunset on a cool evening-Mom would come out with a big bowl full of potatoes wrapped in tin foil-enough for all of us-and dad would burn the leaves(when there werent zoning violations in those days for doing so) and us kids would be running all over the place-playing games like hide-n-seek or late night kickball.and football girls included-and we were DROOLING waiting for those potatoes to be done- dripping with butter. We communicated as children-as parents-and as friends. As I look back I would like to believe God was there watching us-smiling. Those are memories as a child long gone-but not forgotten.

Back to reality-those childhood school years-were different than today-Inner city schools are hurt by money thats not there. In Buffalo a control board sits to try and keep the city from sliding into further debt-and bankruptcy-people are leaving the city and the area in droves. It is an embarrassment-a scar-a black eye that the western new york community will have for years-no easy problem to resolve.

This is just the beginning. Life regarding education in these United States is changing-school vouchers (a volatile subject for some) for some families may be a help to making alternative choices for school systems. Schools are closing down-those still around are taking in more students and teachers are having a lot tougher job handling the behavior of todays students-its a tough job. .Freedom of choice in schools you attend is here but not the way you would like. It seems more economically driven-not always a good thing.

I do remember the politician in his campaign that said "what about free tuition for college students maintaining a B average or higher"? I thought it was a great idea(it may have helped the "Dumbing Down" of college students in NY state) although funding this would be a challenge I imagine-but still a novel idea. This politician and successful businessman (Golisano) wasnt elected to a position-but did bail out the Buffalo Sabres Hockey team. I guess financial saviors come in different shapes-sizes and ideals these days-maybe next time on the education subject!

Remember-Politics are good for America- Democrats and Republicans keep us on our toes. (Not to mention all the Jay Leno and Conan Obrien jokes!) President Ronald Reagan showed the wonderful legacy left in being "The Great Communicator" by achieving the destruction of The Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War and the Soviet Union-without a firing a shot. Its what we should someday try to achieve again-I hope its possible. Our country celebrated his contributions to our way of life & respected and honored him in death. Roosevelt-Truman-Lincoln-Kennedy-so many names from the past to list-and they ALL affected our lives.

The groups are big and powerful-Republican-Right side-Democrat-Left Side-Green Party-Far outside the political circle-Independents left to your own-Conservatives-more right sided than left-but not always-Regarding the war over Iraq-Red faced Democrats were yelling-"WHERE ARE THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION" MY first response "ITS IN THE IDEOLOGY STUPID" pardon me for borrowing President Clintons play on a campaign slogan.Its not much fun when the shoes on the other foot. "Lets Roll" became a national anthem in our nations grief-and fear-real fear-the kind thats invisible reached out and grabbed your throat leaving you speechless.

.Spending in the beginning was down as the markets reeled from the impact-dropping to 7200 but guess what! Were re-bounding-the economy is beginning to roll-employment is up and less than three years after the most devastating attack in our nations history-were back moving forward again. An economic machine as big as the US needs time-we havent recovered from the havoc and the pain of 911-just ask the families of the murdered victims-and our soldiers standing in the GAP-for us. Our homeland security is improving past the "duct tape" and “plastic for windows” commentary Theres much more to be done-we are trying and we are " A nation of Faith.

Our country needs prayer and it needs Love-It has also showed some historic leadership in the roles of President Bush, Rudy Giuliani,Governor Pataki, Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton. Im not endorsing any person or party-they came through in a time of great anguish for our state and our country. I believe as president Reagan so eloquently said "Our nations best days are ahead of us". A biblical quote says "without a vision-we perish" and Frederick Douglass stated "without a struggle-there can be no progress". Like the survivors of a tornado after its destruction-our country rises like the PHOENIX from its ashes-resurrected and re-born in our nations efforts to heal, grow and rebuild.

As for Buffalo-it will have to do the same and so will its school systems. The politicians and leaders will have to learn from the failed programs-wasted taxpayer dollars-mismanagement and more-to get this great city back on track. It is also a fair time to say that the 911 tragedy and its economic impacts have hurt us all. However-the blame for these programs goes right to the top-politicians and management. Nationally and locally we need civil accounting programs to watchdog ALL spending programs within the government and our cities.

Theres no free ride on this train anymore. It doesnt matter what political party you belong to-you are accountable to the TAXPAYERS AND VOTERS of this country.-ALL of us. From the poor-to the richest-its time to trim the fat on political spending programs across the board. It seems to me there could be some good accounting jobs opening in the accounting and math careers of our talented American students and graduates.

Whether you're Tax-n-Spend democrat or Big Business-Small Governmant Republican-ITS STILL THE ECONOMY! Dont expect too many handouts-HOWEVER-To President Bush-I say Thank you for the Tax Break-ILL TAKE THAT OVER A tax increase-ANY DAY!

A closing thought-WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE THE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS?

WAKE UP AMERICA-WEVE GOT LOTS OF WORK TO DO!

The Botton Line-in our "Good Ole USA"-keep an eye on your children- money-politicians- taxes - education-safety-spending and spirit. If YOU arent-you can bet-someone else Is. Better..If its You.....

" TBL"

ROARS, GROWLS, RIPS, SNARLS, AND PURRS!

Welcome to a different slant on the definitive Lion-however the "definitive" depends on MY point of view. You will catch on quickly as we begin our journey into some timely events of importance-not necessarily political-but these people-events and moments in time are captured for you to review & think about.

A quick opening statement BEFORE I get into this area of two events of global importance. We have recently honored the passing of our 40th president of The United States Ronald W. Reagan known as "The Great Communicator" whose legacy will be forever intact and remembered by bringing about the destruction of The Berlin Wall and ending the cold war with the Soviet Union with its downfall-all accomplished without firing a shot. A truly remarkable accomplishment in this day and age. President Reagan stated many times that "Americas best days are ahead of us" Mr President-our country salutes you! Rest-In Peace.

It was announced that the sovereignty of the people of Iraq has been officially turned over June 28 2004-two days earlier than the June 30th date. Among a time of war and terrorism which began September 11, 2001 president Bush stated (paraphrased) that we would respond at a "moment and time of our choosing."

The Taliban has been destroyed/removed from authority in Afghanistan and Iraq has been liberated of the dictator Saddam Hussein responsible for the deaths of approximately 2 MILLION people since his rise to power back in the 70s. Lets not forget he also invaded Kuwait with the express purpose of trying to take over 20-25% of the worlds oil supply-slaughtered thousands in chemical warfare-and littered the landscape of Iraq with mass graves leaving a wake of death and destruction in terms of human suffering and loss of life-unbearable for the people of Iraq-and intolerable for our world as we know it.
It is a great day for Iraq-for their freedom and for the world-lets hope this serves as notice-that we need to find the "kinder and gentler"ways of world diplomacy-so that one day-we wont have to go to war. May God Bless our country-The United States-and our FREEDOMS! May God Bless the people of Iraq-and open the doors to their freedom-education-and their future and those of their sons-daughters-families & future generations to come.

My First ROAR-as we take a look at 2004- with so much activity on a global basis will have to be the issues of TERRORISM regarding the despicable deaths of Americans and Allies by kidnapping-torture-mind control and death by beheading-or any other means. It is the single most vile threat to humanity today. What would our world be like under this kind of leadership? WW2 with the holocaust and the Russian revolutions bringing Lenin & Stalin to power slaughtered MILLIONS-yet the Germany of today-is it any stronger? and what has happened to Russia? Especially in light of the recent act of terrorism that occurred in a Russian school where 500 were wounded and 360 slaughtered-160 of those dead were children-most slaughtered as they tried to run away from the terrorist captors.

No one politically would have predicted the downfall of the Soviet Union-but I can name Ruth Montgomery (well known Washington celebrity and psychic author) as having predicted & written about it years before it occurred along with Dannion Brinkley (near death survivor and visionist who Ive written about on other website pages). This ROAR-speaks for itself-I hope the roar we hear-will be one voice-as we continue to push on for our need to humanely deal with our fellow man-woman and child-through talks and diplomatic means. Yet we must always-stand strong in the face of terrorist evil.

My First GROWL-is reserved for O.J Simpson. Yes folks-he had the NERVE-the GALL-(Im spitting nails on this one) to come on national TV and say "Hes MAD at NICOLE" ten years after her death and murder in 1994. He blamed Nicole for drug use- give me a break and the "friends" she had- he blamed Kato-who he said was "her worst enemy".(EYES ROLLING) I think the "Electric Company " 70s football player of The Buffalo Bills-has short circuited and blown a fuse! Not the first time either as Simpson has had several brushes with the law in recent years and was found guilty of civil liability in the Deaths of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman resulting in millions of dollars (33-34 Million in judgements) that in all probability hell never pay a cent for. The "teflon" antics of Simpson seem to indicate we have different standards for the rich and wealthy today-indeed there are times when crime pays-doesnt it?

Rips-to Cardinal Law-John Paul II accepted Cardinal Laws resignation December 13, 2002 as he was the Archbishop during the child sex abuse scandal that continues to plague the Boston Archdiocese with 200 cases known and the other cases said to number more than 500-(I will try to get more accurate info on the number of actual cases as is known).

On may 28th 2004 it was reported that Cardinal Law was leaving the Maryland convent where he was in "exile" at the height of the sex abuse scandal and given a lofty and some say "symbolic" post in Rome. Cardinal Law will be the new head priest at the Basilica of St Mary Major.(one of Four Basilicas in Rome) The move keeps him in the center of Vatican Affairs and he will be taken off the Archdocese of Bostons payroll for the first time in 20 years. Some call it Laws "Roman Holiday" and others working on the sex abuse cases have said hes leaving the country with 38 cases pending-making it difficult for him to discuss the cases as needed.

Other comments are that the position is one of elevation-not of shame-for someone in the center of the worst child abuse sex scandal in history regarding The Catholic Church. Just a reminder-Patrick McSorley-a young man of 28-abused by "Father John Geoghan" a pedophile priest (under the supervision of Cardinal Law) was arrested and subsequently--murdered in prison. McSorely died questionably-by suicide-this year in February-one of the sexually abused young men in the Boston Diocese whose death saddened those grieving over the Boston Abuse cases-and touched our nation and more-(a troubled young man with a background of drug & alcohol abuse). Then the announcement of some 67 churches closing as a result of the scandals and lawsuits. There is muchblame on the hands of Cardinal Law and the abusers involved from the highest ranking positions of the Vatican and down regarding Vatican policy and its stance on child abuse. My thoughts and prayers for the people of Boston-they need it-You-be-the judge.

My First SNARL goes to-todays "Political Response" whatever that might be!. No matter what the question is on any given day-(think of a bulldog grabbing at your pantleg who wont let go) Todays SNARL sums up my frustration and feelings watching Republican vs Democrat or vice versa forums-no matter what the subject is. If a republican says its Black-A Democrat says its White-it doesnt matter what kind or type of question-when you want to know a response-just think of the opposite of the person talking. In some ways its LAUGHABLE!

Or-have we reached a point in time where we actually have begun to see-the DEATH of COMMON SENSE! Todays "gang politics" on the Hill is hotter than ever. As recent as 6/27/04 it was announced and found true that recent Democrat ads hid subliminal pictures of Hitler in their attack ads on president Bush-(Do we DO this kind of stuff today?) that must have been in response to the Bush ads with Rats hidden subliminally in them from previous ads. Tit for Tat! Pardon Moi- Definitely in POOR TASTE as admitted by the Democrat spokesman who claims the ads were removed. I think the only thing the political parties of today can agree on-is to DISAGREE-Did I say that? CAN I say That? How Contradictory! How Appropriate! I think Im driving MYSELF NUTS!

PURRS-to ROY HORN. The ROY-of SIEGFREID and ROY! Survivor of attack by one of his White Tigers during their show of October 3, 2003. Roy Horn showed up on video May 18, 2004 before 6,300 at New Yorks Radio City Music Hall and took the crowd by surprise! It has been said he looks well and "dynamic". The master Illusionist team of Siegfried and Roy received the Hollywood Star of Fame in 1999 and were selected as Magicians of The Century in 2000. They first met in 1959 and debuted together in 1964 at the Astoria Theater in Germany. Roys survival and rehabilitation is a remarkable story! More on Roys condition as is available.Worthy of THIS CATS RESPECT AND PURRS!

Thanks for joining me-SEE you NEXT TIME-with a whole new lineup of ROARS-GROWLS-RIPS-SNARLS-PURRS! ...MEOW-said with some Tongue-n-cheek Humor!

" TBL"

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