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It is still ruff but I would like to know if it is something you would want me to write more of.
And yes, it still needs work.
Thanks.
______________________________________…
One
My Aunt Bessie drove me to the airport in Denver, Colorado. It was a nice day out; 82 degrees on a fall day. That’s pretty good for Colorado- we would consider that nice. I was wearing my lucky bracelet. It’s chain-linked and it has a heart hanging from it. On the heart says “I love you.”
I was going to go to the one place on Earth that I hated most; Hillcrest, Washington. My dad, Billy, lives there. He is Chief Billy Johnson of the people of Hillcrest; he’s the chief of police and has been ever since I remember. To that little town of Hillcrest, I know send myself. My mother and I used to live in Hillcrest until I was two. There was an accident and she died. I hated Hillcrest so I decided to go move with my Aunt Bessie to Denver. I would have to visit my dad, Billy, every other year.
Aunt Bessie and her husband, Lucas, travel a lot because of Lucas’s work. She stayed with me but I could tell she missed him dearly. They had just gotten married a few years ago and I was afraid the longer I stayed with them, the faster their marriage would go down the drain- not that I think their marriage is going to go down the drain or anything though. It’s just that he’s older then she is by many years.
“Zoey, I’m going to miss you so much!” Aunt Bessie exclaimed while she embraced me in one of her famous hugs.
“I know. I’m going to miss you too. I’ll tell Billy that you said hi.”
Aunt Bessie doesn’t look anything like me. She has chocolate brown hair, caramel colored eyes, and tan skin. She looks like the kind of person who would live somewhere…sunny. How could I leave her alone? I mean, she’s like a mom to me. She’s taken care of me almost my whole life. How could I just leave her here? What’s wrong with me?
“Please dear, be careful. I know how clumsy you are. I mean, I know those soccer muscles of yours help you keep your balance but still. And please, please take care of Billy. His cancer is very bad.”
“Okay I promise to be careful and take care of Billy.”
Why did she have to bring up Billy’s cancer? It’s almost as if she’s trying to rub it in.
I gave my Aunt Bessie one last hug goodbye and went onto the plane. I was going to fly to Seattle and then I would have to take another plane to Lancaster- the little city on the coast- and then drive home with Billy. That is going to be scary.
Billy’s happy that I’m moving with him but he isn’t sure why I’m moving back with him. I know he won’t say anything though because he isn’t like that. Billy keeps to himself a lot. He isn’t that much into people’s business. It will always be weird with him though because from his phone calls I could tell that he is still upset about my mother’s accident.
When I got off the plane in Lancaster, Billy was there waiting for me. So was his friend Jonathan. I’m guessing that Jonathan drove Billy out here to get me. Jonathan is Billy’s golfing buddy.
“Zoey dear, is that you? Wow, you’ve gotten so big! I missed you so much sweetie.” Billy yelled as I went to get my luggage. He gave me a hug when I got up to him. It was a weird hug. I got the sense that he thought it was awkward too.
“Yes it is. I missed you! Aunt Bessie says hi by the way.”
We all got into Jonathan’s truck and started our way to my new home. Billy tried having small talk with me. I could tell this whole ride was going to be awkward.
“I got you signed up for high school at Hillcrest High. You start school tomorrow.”
“Oh thanks Dad.” I wasn’t excited about school. I’m going to be an outcast, a weirdo. I would probably be able to pull it off if I looked like someone who lived somewhere sunny. I should be tan but I’m white. And I mean really white. My skin is almost translucent but it is kind of pretty. I have dirty blonde hair with red in it. And my blue-green eyes stand out against my skin.
“Hey Dad, do you know any places where I could buy a car?”
“Well you don’t have to look anywhere.”
“What do you mean?” What did he mean? Oh my, did he get me a car already? I hope not. Billy doesn’t really have what I would say as a “fashion sense.”
“I already got you a car. It’s a good car for you.”
“Dad, I was going to get my own car.” What did he mean the car was “good for me?”
“I actually got it for you as a welcome home gesture. I got it last week.”
“What does it look like?”
“Don’t worry, it’s a new car; only a few years old really. It’s a blue Toyota.”
“How much do I owe you?”
He paused a minute before answering my question. “You don’t need to worry about that Zoey. It’s a present from me to you. You don’t need to pay me for it.”
Wow. I just got a free Toyota. At least I won’t have to worry about that. I just have to worry about, oh let’s see, the rest of my life. Wow, that won’t be that hard…not.
“Okay, thanks Dad.”
Why did I say thanks? It was sure to be awkward with Billy and all this family stuff. Especially since I haven’t been much of a family member since I was two. I will just have to watch what I say from now on and try not to make it to awkward for the two of us. I don’t want to make it look like I’m some needy seventeen year old. Billy already has enough on his plate as it is, with the cancer and everything. Why did he have to get cancer? I mean I already lost part of me when mom died, if I lose Billy I would have lost everything. Why me, why me?
I shook my head to get those depressing thoughts out. I looked out the window to see what my new home looked like. Wow, I forgot how green and humid it was here. It was almost as if the green was from another planet, an alien planet. It completely covered everything in its path; trees were covered with moss, grass covered in green shrubs, bushes covered in green flowers- holy cow, green flowers? I’ve never seen green flowers in my life! I didn’t even know they existed- weird. It reminded me of a rain forest. It was very beautiful though; a rare beauty.
Finally, I thought as we pulled up to Billy’s house. Jonathan dropped us off and drove away. I looked at the once familiar house. It was a tiny two story house. The paint was peeling off in some places. I would have to fix that. My bedroom faced over the front yard- my room always has in every house I’ve lived in. There was a giant tree in front of my bedroom window. Perfect for sneaking out, but knowing me, I wouldn’t do it anyways. The flowers needed some work too. I feel bad that Billy can’t fix all this stuff up. Stupid cancer.
Parked in the driveway was my new Toyota. I loved it! It was made of that really tough material that would turn another car into a billion pieces if it got into an accident. I actually thought I would have hated it but Billy has yet to surprise me, again.
“I hope you like your truck Zoey.”
“I don’t just like it Dad, I love it!”
I went up to Billy and gave him a big hug, a real hug. He probably hasn’t had one of these in a long time. He had gotten tense at first but then loosened up a little. Then I ran over to my truck and hugged it. It was perfect. At least I wouldn’t have to cry about that tonight.
I got all of my bags and went into the house. It looked the same as it did when I was last here. The family room was to the left. There was an old scruffy couch, a chair, and a TV. The carpet was a navy blue color. There was a huge window above the couch. To the right was the kitchen. The floor was white linoleum. The cabinets were a faded brown. There was a dishwasher, thank goodness. I hated washing dishes like I had to at my Aunt Bessie’s house. There was a kitchen table that was the same color as the cabinets. The chairs matched too. There was a window above the sink with a few flowers sitting on the window seal.
The stairs were right in front of me. I walked up them with my bags and stood in the hallway while I remembered falling down them when I visited here one time. To the right of me was Billy’s room. I haven’t been in there in years. And I will continue not to. In front of me was my own bathroom. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about sharing a bathroom. I don’t think Billy would have wanted to wait an hour and a half while I get ready every morning.
To the left of me was my room. I walked in and sat my few bags on the bed. I had to sort all of my winter clothes from my summer ones when I was packing. I ended up bringing all of my winter clothes- which was not that good. There was no point bringing my summer ones because it is always cold here. I guess I would need to go shopping.
I looked around my room. There was a bed, a dresser, a closet, a night table next to my bed, and a desk with a computer on it. It looks like Billy got rid of all my baby things. Everything in here has been here since I was born, except for the desk. The computer was so I could do my homework and probably keep in touch with Aunt Bessie if she ever wanted to contact me by email.
I looked out my window at the yard in front. The rain drops were lightly hitting my window one by one. I will have to get used to the rain too. I hate the rain. I love the sun and how it feels against my skin. What stinks is that it barely gets any sunshine here.
I’m glad Billy isn’t clingy because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to cry at all. He leaves me alone a lot. I guess he’s so used to being alone that he doesn’t feel comfortable with me being here. I kind of like being alone. I mean I’ve always been alone because Aunt Bessie would travel with Lucas. I like the quite. It would have taken an S.W.A.T. team to keep my Aunt Bessie from leaving me for a minute to get settled. That’s why I’m glad Billy and Aunt Bessie are so different.
Okay, at least the weather here is perfect for my mood- gloomy. I’ve been holding in these tears ever since I got on the plane to Seattle. I should just let them out now. I sat down on bed and started crying. I don’t even remember the last time I cried that much. I think it was when my mom had her accident.
I stopped crying and went downstairs to see what Billy wanted for dinner. I liked to cook; it kept me busy; it distracted me.
“Billy, what would you like for dinner?”
“Zoey, you don’t have to cook for me. I can cook for myself. I have for the past fifteen years.”
“I know Dad. I like to cook though.”
“Well I still don’t feel comfortable with you cooking.”
“Why?”
“Well, it’s just that I don’t want you to burn down the house or anything while I’m working.”
“You really think that I would burn down the house?” Wow, he could at least have some confidence in me. I mean, I’m not that clumsy.
“No, but I just want you to be careful. I don’t know how you cook. If you cook like your Aunt Bessie then you are not going to be cooking in my house.”
His house? It’s my house too.
Aunt Bessie can cook…well, anything that isn’t edible. I’ve been cooking for myself since I was seven anyways.
“I’ve been cooking for as long as I can remember. Trust me, my food is edible.” This is weird. I would have thought that I would have been shy around Billy. Well, at least not that bad.
I’ve always been shy around people. I mean besides soccer but that’s it. Speaking of soccer…
“Ugh Dad, does Hillcrest High have a soccer team? I still want to be able to play soccer even though it’s freezing cold here.”
“I think so. I’m not really sure though. You will have to ask the lady in the office tomorrow. Sorry. Why would you want to play soccer in this weather anyways?”
“Dad, I love soccer okay. It’s my passion. I know I am clumsy, but my soccer muscles do help me stay up, most of the time anyways.”
“Oh okay Zo. Well anyways, what’s for dinner?”
“What do you have?”
“Well, not a lot. I’m always at work so I never have time to go get food anyways.”
“Well I’ll just make some spaghetti and I’ll go shopping after school tomorrow.”
“Okay then. I’ll just go watch the basketball game.”
Billy is obsessed with basketball games. I don’t know why though. There is nothing interesting about it anyways. All you do is shoot and pass. Kind of stupid to me. Soccer is way better then that.
I got dinner ready fast and we ate in silence. It was awkward. I would have rather eaten by myself.
After dinner, I wrote a list of all the groceries I was going to get. Billy must go out a lot if he barely had any food in the house. That’s kind of sad. Well, no. What’s sad is the fact that a 45 year old man with cancer lives by himself and is a police chief. I couldn’t imagine going through that.
I shook the head to get the thought out. I put down the list I made and went to my closet to look for something to wear in the morning. I pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and a short sleeve Hollister shirt. Then I found my old fans- the ones I’ve had for two years- and a black sweatshirt that had the number one on the back. I laid them out on my bed and stared at them with shame. Why did I come here? It was a stupid idea to come here. Well, no it wasn’t- not for everyone else at least. I only moved here to make everyone happy. It worked, but I’m not happy. Oh well, it’s done. I’m already here aren’t I?
I quickly put on my old sweat pants and a baggy shirt and laid down in my bed. I laid there thinking of how difficult school was going to be the next day. I mean, I would have to introduce myself to everyone, walk around with a map in front of my nose, and…ugh…I just don’t know. Then I shut my eyes and let the darkness take me in.
I woke up with a slow start. It was 6:35 and school started at 8:00. I got up too fast because I practically fell once I stood up. I ran to my dresser and pulled out the clothes I had picked out last night. I finished getting ready and almost ran into Billy on my way down the stairs.
“Oh Dad!”
“Zoey, gosh. You scared the crap out of me! Don’t do that again!”
“Sorry it was on accident.”
“Are you ready for school?”
“Yes I’m leaving now. Bye Dad. Have fun at work. Is fun the right word anyways?”
“Fun will do. Bye.”
What was wrong with him? Something was definitely up. He sounded scruffy and sad. Something is wrong. I hope that it isn’t his cancer. I know that he has his bad days but still…
I walked outside to my new Toyota and tried not to fall on the icy cement. I got into the comfy truck and immediately felt safe; almost like I was home again, like this was where I belonged. I didn’t feel like this when I was in the house. What is wrong with me? Why am I doing this? I hope Aunt Bessie is okay.
I started the engine to stop myself from crying. I missed Aunt Bessie dearly. I backed out of the driveway and drove back onto the high way. Everything was off the high way; it was so spread out here, almost like everyone was isolated in this little bubble of space.
Hillcrest High was a small school. It didn’t look like a school though; just a bunch of little buildings with the same matching roofs and a fence around it. What’s with the fence? What do they want to keep everyone here like a jail?
I quickly stepped out into the light drizzle after finding a parking spot in the crowded parking lot. I ran into the tiny office. There was one desk behind a counter that split the room in half. The lady at the desk had curly red hair. There was a plant on the counter along with many papers that seemed to look like flyers for dances and rallies.
The lady looked up from the computer screen she had just been staring at. “Hey there sweat heart! Can I get ya’ll something?”
I tried so hard to not start laughing at her voice. I laughed at everything, it was so embarrassing.
“Uh, actually I’m Zoey Johnson and I’m new here.” That probably told her everything she needed to know by the look of sympathy in her green eyes.
“Oh dear, everyone has been waitin’ for you to come! Here, let me get your schedule.”
She shuffled through a stack of papers and practically ran up to me with them.
“This is your class schedule and here is a map of the school. I hope you have fun on your first day!”
I grabbed the schedule and map and power walked out of there. I couldn’t hold in the laughter much longer. Once I stepped out the door I began laughing so hard I almost cried. Some of the students looked at me probably thinking I was crazy.
After the scene I had just created, I quickly walked over to my first class which was English. I walked in quietly, hoping that no one would see my late entrance. I closed the door seeing that the class had already started. I glanced up and I immediately felt like a fish in a fish bowl. They were staring at me, almost as if they were looking beyond me at something else; like I wasn’t even there.
“Why Miss Johnson, you’re late,” Announced the very large man with dark brown hair.
“Sorry I was getting my schedule and such. I didn’t know. I’m sorry Mr.…”
“Mr. Smith. Oh, it’s okay. Just take a seat anywhere you like.”
Mr. Smith’s dark eyes penetrated into me. It was a weird sensation. It wasn’t anything sexual or anything near that. I had felt a stab of fear at the sight of his eyes. It was weird and unnatural; inhuman. Wow, what am I thinking? Am I crazy? Gosh, this isolated town is starting to get to me.
I quietly walked over to the empty seat in the back of the class so that no one would stare at me. I slouched into my seat and kept my hair down so that I couldn’t see anyone gawking at me.
After sitting there in the most uncomfortable position ever for an hour, a nasal buzzing sound filled the air. Everyone started getting there things together. I’m guessing it was time to go.
I got up and walked to the door as fast as I could. I was almost out the door when a dark figure stepped out in front of me. I ran right into it too.
“Wow there gorgeous. Where are you going?” The boy said.
“To my next class.” I stammered.
“Oh come on Jake, leave the new girl alone.” A raspy voice had said behind me.
I turned to see a tall boy with dark curly hair- Superman style- and dark blue eyes. His eyes made his olive skin tone and perfect features stand out in the most perfect ways. His scent was heavenly and it radiated off his skin in waves, the next one as strong as the first. It didn’t smell like any cologne I’ve smelt before that all the guys’ layer on themselves. His black short sleeve shirt fit his muscles in a perfect way. His dark jeans and black shoes seemed to fit him quite well.
“Dude, you should really relax. I didn’t do anything to her.”
“Jake, just back the hell up okay. Clearly she is confused.”
“Fine dude. See you at lunch.”
The guy who’s name is Jake turned around and walked in the opposite direction of the classroom.
“Sorry about that, Jake is such a pervert. He doesn’t know anything.”
“Oh it’s okay.” I stammered. Man, was he perfect…
“Sorry, it is so rude of me to not introduce myself. I am Steven Deveraux. And you must be Zoey Johnson.”
“Hi there Steven. Yes, I’m Zoey. How does everyone know me around here?”
“This is a small town. Word gets around very quickly. You will surely learn that.”
“Oh well okay then.” I blushed knowing how stupid I must sound right now.
“What class do you have next?”
“Spanish with Ms. Latina I think. I don’t know where her class is though.”
“I would be glad to show you to it. Besides, I have that class next too.”
Steven and I walked out of the classroom after what seemed like minutes. We walked down the long corridor to room 14. It was so hard not to notice that rain drops hitting the uncovered cement. It smelled so natural out here; so fresh.
Steven and I walked into Ms. Latina’s class and he went and took a seat in the back row. Ms. Latina introduced me to the class and of course I turned blood red. She assigned me a seat next to Steven and I tripped over my own shoes on the way to my seat. Two girls, both platinum blondes, giggled in high pitched tones. I stared at them with the fiercest eyes I could. They immediately shut up.
I took my seat and a note was flung onto my desk. I opened it with shaking hands.
So, tired of this boring town yet??
I looked over, almost immediately knowing it was from Steven. He even wrote in a nice font. I steadied my hand to make my writing look neat like his.
Not really. I just got here. How can I be tired of it?
I tossed back the note and it landed on the floor. He bent over to get it when I saw what looked like a tattoo on the back of his neck. I wonder what it looks like.
Well, you certainly don’t look like your not enjoying it here. I bet you are only doing this because you think it will make everybody happy. Look I know that everyone has been gawking at you today but it is only because everyone thinks your really hot- as in the guys think that- or that your going to be a ho- as in the girls think that. Don’t listen to the girls though; they are all stupid sluts anyways. Watch out for Clara. She is the leader of the whole prep group. She sleeps with every guy, even the ones who are taken. If she bothers you, tell me.
I’m glad he’s being really nice to me. He is the first person who actually has the guts to talk to me. This Clara girl sounds like a real *****. I wonder what turned her into this monster, well that is if she hasn’t always been like this.
How do you know all of this? What, do you read people’s minds or something? And about the whole Clara thing, have you ever slept with her?
He took a minute to write back. I took this minute to my advantage and tried listening to what the teacher was saying. She was talking in Spanish so I couldn’t understand her. I really need to switch out of this class. I didn’t even pick my classes anyway. The only reason I want to stay in this class is because of Steven. Suddenly, that familiar nasal buzzing sound filled my ears and everyone was in a rush to get out of there. I would have to ask Steven about Clara later. I walked quickly out of the room, not even glancing back at Steven. I walked toward my History class in room 5.
Mr. Martin sent me to an empty seat next to a girl with platinum blonde hair with no introductions. I sat down and stared straight ahead so that it looked like I was paying attention.
“Hey, aren’t you that new girl?”
“Yes I am.” I replied back to the platinum blonde.
“I’m Clara. This school is so boring. It’s only fun because I go here.”
Oh. My. Gosh. Did she seriously just say that?
“Yeah, you heard me right. It’s cool because I’m cool. If you try and mess with me, I will ruin your reputation okay.” Clara said again.
“Look Clara, I just got here and it is my first day. I haven’t done **** to you so if you have a problem, don’t take it out on me. I’m not going to get in your way so leave me alone.” Wow, I never knew I had the guts to say that to her.
“Well okay then, we seem to be on the same page. Oh, and by the way, leave Steven alone. He’s mine.”
She turned back towards the front of the room to make it look like she wasn’t talking. I glanced away form her in discuss. Why was she so mean? I swear it was like someone had taken a stick and shoved it up her tiny ***.
The class was over before I knew it and I still had one more class until lunch. That class also happened to be the one class I liked, science. I walked into my science class and introduced myself to Ms. Parker. She had long dark hair that flowed gently to the middle of her back. She was wearing a nice suit and a pair of fancy heels. She was so beautiful. She assigned me to a lab table in the middle of the room next to a pixie looking girl. I didn’t actually see her features until I got closer but she was beautiful. She looked like a girl that everyone would love. She had short choppy brown hair and ocean blue eyes. Her skin was a translucent color.
“Hey there, you must be Zoey. I’m Rebecca, but you can call me Baca.”
“Hi there.” I said sheepishly.
Science went by in a blur because the next thing I knew, everyone was leaving the room. I grabbed my things and walked towards the lunch room. It was packed when I first walked in. That girl Becca came to me in a graceful walk.
“Zo, why don’t you come sit with me and my friends? Don’t worry; I will talk a lot so that it doesn’t make things awkward. I was the new kid before so I know what it’s like.”
We walked over to the table with her many friends. She introduced me to everyone one at a time. We sat down and started chatting away. I wasn’t even acting shy. Why was that? I glanced up to the other side of the room where a group of guys sat there. Among them was Steven. He looked past his friend and into my eyes. He glanced away before I could. In that moment that our eyes met, I knew there was something different about him.
“Zoey, Steven is totally checking you out!” Baca exclaimed quietly.
“No he’s not.” I quickly glanced up to him and there he was in his Superman glory staring at me.
I stood up mechanically and walked over to his table. It got dead silent once I got there.
“Hey Steven. What’s up?”
“Nothing really…How are you doing?”
“Saying hi to you. Are you doing anything later?”
“Yeah, I’m busy later. Sorry.” I could see the sacrifice in his eyes. It clearly meant he wanted to be with me.
“Okay then I guess I will just see you later then.” I gave him a smile I thought could win over anyone’s heart.
I turned away and could barely hear his friends telling him he should have went out with me. I smiled knowing that he wanted to. I can’t believe I just thought that and did all of that. Am I turning into that girl Clara? Ew, I am so stupid.
“Zoey did you seriously do what I think you did?” Becca asked curiously.
“Yes I did. He had ‘plans’ though.”
“Wow, I am going to have to hang with you more often.”
“Well first things first, let’s go to class.”
I looked around the empty lunch room. It was deserted. I ran to my Math class and then an hour later went to my P.E. class. Math class was pretty boring. I had already learned everything back in Denver. P.E. was okay. I was really tired so it wasn’t that fun.
I walked out of the girls locker room and started walking to my car under the over hang. I pulled up my hood as I walked out into the heavy rainfall.
“Z, wait.” I knew who it was once that magical voice spoke. “About tonight, I don’t actually have any plans. Would you like to go hang somewhere or something?”
“Steven, I thought you said you were ‘busy’.”
“I’m actually not. But I still want to know if you want to hang out. Would you like to?”
“Sure. I would love to. Where are we going to go?”
“I don’t know.”
“How about your house?”
“No! I mean, sorry we can’t go to my house. We can always go to your house though. That is if it’s okay with Billy and everything.”
“Oh, I totally forgot about Billy. Why don’t we hang out tomorrow. Billy wasn’t feeling to well today. Plus I have to go to the store. You can always call me later or something if you want. I’m sorry Steven. Rain check?”
“Okay. Rain check.”
I took out a notebook and wrote down my cell phone number. I gave it to Steven and walked over to my truck. I got into my toasty truck and immediately laughed. I can’t believe I’m not being shy. This is a start.
I started the truck and backed out of the stall a little too fast. I almost hit a tiny car. Luckily, I slammed on my brakes to prevent an accident. The other car honked and kept going. I backed out again, slowly, and drove to the grocery store. I got everything I needed and drove back home. I parked my truck in the drive way and ran into the unlocked house. Wait, unlocked? I walked into the dark kitchen and put the bags on the table. I walked over and turned on the light. Laying there on the floor in front of the stairs was Billy. I ran over to him, falling on my way over there.
“Billy! Billy wake up!” I screamed as I took his head in my hands. “Billy wake up! Come on, please wake up!” I sobbed as I dragged myself over to the phone.
“911 please help me! My name is Zoey Johnson and I am Chief Johnson’s daughter. I just walked into the house and found him unconscious. Please help me! He won’t wake up! Please hurry!”
I hung up the phone and crawled back over to Billy. I would give him CPR but I couldn’t remember how to at the moment. My mind completely went blank. All I could think of was what if he was dead?
I checked to see if he had a pulse but I couldn’t feel one. I looked on his neck and saw two small puncture marks. There was blood dripping down from them. What the heck are those? I laid down next to him and started to cry even more. Then I saw a reflection of red and blue lights in the microwave. The cops and medics came in and told me to step aside. I did as they said and the quickly stared working on him. After what seemed like hours, they put a blanket over him. They kept calling him a body. I knew that he was dead.
The cops and meds got up and took Billy away. They left me all alone in the empty house that was now mine. I grabbed the phone and dialed in Aunt Bessie’s number. She answered the phone and I couldn’t even tell her what I had just witnessed.
“Z, tell me what happened? Is everything okay? Are you or Billy hurt? , talk to me!”
“Billy, he’s…he’s…dead.” I finally got out between my sobs.
“Oh. My. Gosh. I am coming to get you right now.”
“No…stay there Ant Bessie. I am fine. Don’t come and get me.”
I hug up the phone before she could object. Billy was dead. What am I to do? Just go on and live out my life here like nothing happened? Or move somewhere far away and pretend that none of this happened?
I stood up slowly and grabbed onto the stairs to keep my balance. I fell back down again immediately. I crawled up the stairs one by one and into the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked so empty, so dead. I walked over to the shower and turned it on. I got in it and sat under the hot water with all of my clothes on. I have been dreading this day my whole life. I started sobbing even more. I cried more this time then I did when my mom past away. I felt so empty, like my soul died when I saw Billy lying there on the floor. This changes everything.
We have been married 8 months, both in our 40’s. His mother passed away in March at the age of 93. He was an only child and has inherited the house that he grew up in. We are planning to move into it at the end of this month. It needs a lot of remodeling work done. but that’s not the major problem. The problem is that his mother saved everything. Every drawer, closet, dresser and cabinet is full to the brim. The house is small anyway, but I can’t get my husband to part with anything. At this point, we do not have room to move our house of stuff into that house.
I knew it would be difficult for him and I tried to help by going through some of the stuff, but he is afraid that I will throw away something important. She kept stuff, like bill receipts from the day she moved into the house 40 years ago. Of course we have found some treasures, like the hospital bill from when my husband was born, old family photos from the 1800’s, mail addressed in 1928. But we have also found a lot of stuff that we have thrown away. (aluminum foil plates from TV dinners, plastic and glass food jars, etc) He has donated her clothing to charity. But the other stuff, he is putting into plastic totes that he is refusing to store in the basement or put into a storage unit. So now, we have totes stacked everywhere in a one-bedroom house. (Still no room to move “our” stuff in.)
I had a moving sale at the place we rent this past weekend to get rid of some of my old furniture and household goods. I planned it several weeks ago and told him that we could put some of her things in for sale if he wanted, but he brought nothing. When we started going through her bedroom, we found 4 rocking chairs under stuff that was piled on them. My husband also has 4 VCR’s and several telephones there and won’t get rid of even one of anything.
It’s very overwelming. The house will be fun to remodel and fix up, if I could convince him to at least move her things to storage. I know we need to go through things carefully, because when we went through one closet, we found almost $1000 in cash that she had stashed away in old purses. But instead of going through things now, he is putting everything in the totes and says he will go through it later “when he has time”. In the meantime, the house continues to be very crowded with all the totes, but he is upset with me because I won’t move anything of ours in. NO ROOM! I’m thinking of moving anyway and when he sees how crowded everything really is, he will move things into storage. But it would be so much easier to move it now. Plus I will be embarrassed to have the people who are going to help us move, see the house in that condition. I’ve tried to be patient, because of his mother’s passing and to give him some time. I even offered to stay in our rental a couple of more months and help with the clearing out. But he is insistent that we move now, so we won’t have to waste any more money on rent.
Any advice?
Links:
[1] http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/video.aspx…
[2] http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/video.aspx…
[3] http://www.mrc.org/April12009.asp
For those of you who enjoy reading MRC’s Notable Quotables newsletter, featuring the most outrageous (and sometimes humorous) quotes in the liberal media, our latest edition has just been put online. The full text, with five matching videos, can be found at www.MRC.org; here are a few of the highlights from this issue:
An ‘A’ for America’s Passenger-in-Chief
[1]Co-host Diane Sawyer: “As we said, President Obama is in London today, his first trip to Europe since becoming President. ABC’s George Stephanopoulos has been watching all of this, and is here with his report card….”
George Stephanopoulos: “Barack Obama arrived at the G-20 summit just hours ago, too soon for a real assessment of his diplomacy. But, Diane, the flight over the Atlantic was just spectacular. Our pool correspondent tells us there was very little turbulence, the food was delicious, and the view of London on the approach was magnificent. So, I’m giving the President an ‘A’ for this trip — if he can keep this up over the next couple of days, it’s going to be a very successful summit.” — ABC’s Good Morning America, April 1.
The Graceful Apologist
“President Obama quickly apologized for his quip comparing his bowling skills to those of disabled athletes. Recognizing the slip at once, Mr. Obama called the chairman of the Special Olympics, Tim Shriver, from Air Force One. ‘He apologized in a way I think was very moving,’ Mr. Shriver said. Indeed, one of Obama’s signature traits is an almost uncanny unflappability. From his quick recovery after misspeaking the presidential oath to graciously confessing fault over his Cabinet nominees, this President handles his mistakes with such impressive grace that one is left almost glad that he makes them.” — New York Times White House correspondent Sheryl Gay Stolberg, April 1.
Tweets You Can’t Beat
“It’s time for ‘Twitter Watch,’ where we allow you to talk about us, talking about you. DonkeyLvr7 wonders, ‘Where’s the investigation into the GOP’s efforts to secretly manipulate Barack Obama’s NCAA tournament picks?’ DNCChairTK says House Republicans are the ‘Special Olympians of Congress.’ Pow! Good one, TK.” — MSNBC 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue host David Shuster reading “Twitter Mail,” April 1.
Commiserating with Flummoxed White House
“Top White House officials confide they feel caught in a bind. Whenever they pretend to care about the populist backlash against Wall Street, they hear it from top Democrats like Chris Dodd, who fear a loss in campaign donations. But when they try to appease the business community, the public rises up and threatens their chances to succeed in this once-in-a-generation chance to enact universal health care. Being President, it turns out, Charlie, is a lot tougher than they ever imagined when we were ridiculing Bush on the campaign trail.” — ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on World News, April 1.
Bill Maher Goes Down Under
“In Australia, they’ve come to terms with the poisonous cane toads. They stick them in freezers to die, grind them up, and use them as mulch on the sugar cane fields. Why can’t we do this with our toxic homegrown pests, with all of our American ingenuity? Who wouldn’t want to euthanize Dick Cheney and toss his pellets to refertilize some humanity in Iraq?” — Bill Maher on his HBO Real Time, April 1.
Admiring an Environmentalist’s Principles
[2]“We have an update of a story we first told you about two years ago. Colin Beavan won a lot of admirers for his devotion to our planet. To try and keep his carbon footprint to a bare minimum, Colin — dubbed ‘No Impact Man’ — would not use modern transportation, only ate food grown close to his home, no electricity, and even no toilet paper. Last week, he came down with some sort of infection, but refused to ride in a gasoline-powered ambulance. Colin Beavan was admired by so many of us for his idealism; he was 45 years old.” — Weatherman Sam Champion on ABC’s Good Morning America, April 1.
Wild Thing
Chris Matthews: “Before we go, Democratic strategist Steve McMahon, there’s a New York Times blogger who claims women are dreaming about having sex with Obama. Do you think that’s just limited to women?”
Democratic political consultant Steve McMahon: “Uh-”
Matthews: “Sometimes, I think I’m in that movie Wild Things? Have you seen it? Pretty steamy. There’s a three-way between Neve Campbell, Denise Richards and Matt Dillon….And, maybe, Neve Campbell represents America being embraced by the strong arms of Matt Dillon, who obviously represents Barack Obama….And in this scenario, I would be Denise Richards. I’ve often thought about the President pouring champagne over my bare chest.”
— MSNBC’s Hardball, April 1.
For all of the quotes in this issue, go to: www.mrc.org [3].
______________________________________…
Source URL:http://newsbusters.org/blogs/rich-no
My son has been worrying us for a while. We called him a few pet names when he was young – but have been consistently using his given name for the last 2 weeks. His response is inconsistent. Sometimes he looks, at other times he does not. He has a fav toy – a seahorse that lights and plays music. He likes to hold it and walk around and gets upset if I take it away. If I hide it under a blanket or under a pile of clothes, he is able to look for it and grab it immediately. Though after a while of carrying it – he does throw it away and tries tofish something else out of his toy basket. He plays pee ka boo and gives a hi 5. He waves bye – inconsistently. He also holds his own bottle and is able to recognize when I am going out – if I have work clothes on and put on my shoes he runs to me and grabs me, pulls my pants, cries wanting to go out. He loves being cuddled and will cuddle back. He loves books and will sit and be read to for as long as 15 mins. Of late he has started reading them on his own – he opens the book and will flip the pages looking intently at the pics. Those are the positives. There are however a few things that worry me about him
1) His eye contact is inconsistent. He will look at me when I sing ring around the rosies or how big is the baby etc. He will chase me from room to room and find where I am hiding if I am calling his name. But if he is in the same room he will not look at you if your calling his name. Its like he is deaf some times. He can hear the doorbell and the phone and will run to them when it rings – but he mostly ignores us.
2) He started some worrying tics. He shakes his head like he is saying no and runs around. Its pronounced when I come back from work and he is very excited to see me. He will run into my arms , cuddle and when I set him on the floor he does this running thing for a bit before settling down. He also seems to use it to say no…when he is done eating or wont do something that we want him to
2) He does not show us anything. If he wants something he will make the utmost effort to get it himself and if he cant he cries. My iphone and b’berry are of great interest and he gets upset if we have it in our hands and dont give it to him
3) There are no words from him. The only consistent sound he makes is “ath” and its non specific. There is also very little babbling with no consonants
4) He is very affectionate and loves the rough and tumble games with his dad. He likes being bounced around on my knee and likes playing hide and seek under the quilt. But he is not able to vocalise any request
5) He loves going out and esp into the elevator. He knows directions and knows which way to turn to get to our apartment. He goes into the lobby and runs around. If the lobby TV is on we cannot peel him away from it and he will not look at you no matter how many times you call his name
6) He loves opening and shutting the cabinet doors and flapping the dresser handles. He however can be distracted from it.
7) He likes all the push button musical toys and knows how to press them to hear music.
We took him to a b’day party. There were alot of people – but he did not cry. He went in and initially wanted to run out…then he spotted a play table and ran towards it. He played on it alongside a little girl but did not play with her. He did reach out to her once though to touch her face – he did this with another kid at the mall. He played with balloons etc. but mostly played on his own. He did not make eye contact with many of the adults – most people said he is so self driven!
10) At the playground he was more interested in touching all the surfaces that observing anyone. He did not cry when we put him on the swing and did not mind climbing up and down the bridge. But other than that he was fully engrossed in exploring the floor, the bench with holes in it, the slide etc.
11) He is a calm little guy with no tantrums. I have never seen him react violently to anything. He does cry when hurt but we are able to calm him easily.
My parents watched him for a year and now my in laws watch him. He does not go on very many playdates and I dont think my inlaws engaged him as much between 12 -15months. I think they just allowed him to run around. He starts daycare next week and I am hoping that helps.
His dr thinks he is fine and that boys are slower than girls. He said my sons eyes are alert and that he does not think that he is autistic at all. What should I do…are these alarming signs?
Thanks
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF PRESIDENT BUSH…
I attacked and took over two countries.
I spent the U.S. surplus and bankrupted the Treasury.
I shattered the record for biggest annual deficit in history.
I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.
I set all-time record for biggest drop in the history of the stock market.
I am the first president in decades to execute a federal prisoner.
I am the first president in US history to enter office with a criminal record.
In my first year in office I set the all-time record for most days on vacation by any president in US history.
After taking the entire month of August off for vacation, I presided over the worst security failure in US history.
I set the record for most campaign fund raising trips by any president in US history.
In my first two years in office over 2 million Americans lost their job.
I cut unemployment benefits for more out-of-work Americans than any other president in US history.
I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.
I appointed more convicted criminals to administration positions than any president in US history.
I set the record for the fewest press conferences of any president since the advent of TV.
I signed more laws and executive orders amending the Constitution than any other president in US history.
I presided over the biggest energy crises in US history and refused to intervene when corruption was revealed.
I presided over the highest gasoline prices in US history and refused to use the national reserves as past presidents have.
I cut health care benefits for war veterans.
I set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously take to the streets to protest me (15 million people), shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of
mankind.
I dissolved more international treaties than any president in US history.
I’ve made my presidency the most secretive and unaccountable of any in US history.
Members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in US history. (The ‘poorest’ multimillionaire, Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her).
I presided over the biggest corporate stock market fraud in any market in any country in the history of the world.
I am the first president in US history to order a US attack and military occupation of a sovereign nation, and I did so against the will of the United Nations and the world community.
I have created the largest government department bureaucracy in the history of the United States.
I set the all-time record for biggest annual budget spending increases, more than any other president in US history.
I am the first president in US history to have the United Nations remove the US from the Human Rights Commission.
I am the first president in US history to have the United Nations remove the US from the Elections Monitoring Board.
I removed more checks and balances, and have the least amount of congressional oversight than any presidential administration in US history.
I rendered the entire United Nations irrelevant.
I withdrew from the World Court of Law.
I refused to allow inspectors access to US prisoners of war and by default no longer abide by the Geneva Conventions.
I am the first president in US history to refuse United Nations election inspectors access during the 2002 US elections.
I am the all-time US (and world) record holder for most corporate campaign donations.
The biggest lifetime contributor to my campaign, who is also one of my best friends, presided over one of the largest corporate bankruptcy frauds in world history (Kenneth Lay, former CEO of Enron Corporation).
I spent more money on polls and focus groups than any president in US history.
I am the first president to run and hide when the US came under attack (and then lied, saying the enemy had the code to Air Force 1)
I am the first US president to establish a secret shadow government.
I took the world’s sympathy for the US after 911, and in less than a year made the US the most resented country in the world (possibly the biggest diplomatic failure in US and world history).
I am the first US president in history to have a majority of the people of Europe (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and stability.
I am the first US president in history to have the people of South Korea more threatened by the US than by their immediate neighbor, North Korea.
I changed US policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.
I set the all-time record for number of administration appointees who violated US law by not selling their huge investments in corporations bidding for gov’t contracts.
I have removed more freedoms and civil liberties for Americans than any other president in US history. In a little over two years I have created the most divided country in decades, possibly the most divided that the US has been since the civil war.
I entered office with the strongest economy in US history and in less than two years turned every single economic category heading straight down.
I fired federal attorneys for political reasons and did not inform the Senate.
I have not fully made enough armor both for vehicles and body armor for US military in Iraq.
RECORDS AND REFERENCES:
I have at least one conviction for drunk driving in Maine (Texas driving record has been erased and is not available).
I was AWOL from the National Guard and deserted the military during a time of war. I refuse to take a drug test or even answer any questions about drug use.
All records of my tenure as governor of Texas have been spirited away to my father1s library, sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
All records of any SEC investigations into my insider trading or bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
All minutes of meetings of any public corporation for which I served on the board are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
Any records or minutes from meetings I (or my VP) attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.
Bush also went AWOL…and had his hand in the demolition of the WTC.
Bush referred to the US Constitution as a God damn piece of paper.
He was wrong about WMD. That got the US into a war with Iraq. The UN said there were no weapons and we still went to war anyway. At least Colin Powell did the right thing and resigned. Too bad Bush doesn’t have Powell’s intregrity
His initial response to hurricane katrina was horrible.
The “no one left behind” idea is terrible: dumb down education so children look smarter without learning what they should.
The patriot act violates the bill of rights. How can we talk about the freedom of democracy here in the US when the government keeps taking away those freedoms?
His tax cuts did not go to those at the bottom of the income bracket.
He raised interest rates for those taking loans to go to college.
Abstinence taught for sex education does not work. Safe sex should also be taught in school as well.
He talked about border protection and sealing off America from Mexico, then gives the Saudis (i think it was them) control over offshipping cargo on our coast. I thought we were supposed to be protecting our borders, not selling that right off to the highest bidder!
His environmental policy is not helping reduce global warming. His solution is clean-burning coal! That will never happen!
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF PRESIDENT BUSH…
I attacked and took over two countries.
I spent the U.S. surplus and bankrupted the Treasury.
I shattered the record for biggest annual deficit in history.
I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.
I set all-time record for biggest drop in the history of the stock market.
I am the first president in decades to execute a federal prisoner.
I am the first president in US history to enter office with a criminal record.
In my first year in office I set the all-time record for most days on vacation by any president in US history.
After taking the entire month of August off for vacation, I presided over the worst security failure in US history.
I set the record for most campaign fund raising trips by any president in US history.
In my first two years in office over 2 million Americans lost their job.
I cut unemployment benefits for more out-of-work Americans than any other president in US history.
I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.
I appointed more convicted criminals to administration positions than any president in US history.
I set the record for the fewest press conferences of any president since the advent of TV.
I signed more laws and executive orders amending the Constitution than any other president in US history.
I presided over the biggest energy crises in US history and refused to intervene when corruption was revealed.
I presided over the highest gasoline prices in US history and refused to use the national reserves as past presidents have.
I cut health care benefits for war veterans.
I set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously take to the streets to protest me (15 million people), shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of
mankind.
I dissolved more international treaties than any president in US history.
I’ve made my presidency the most secretive and unaccountable of any in US history.
Members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in US history. (The ‘poorest’ multimillionaire, Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her).
I presided over the biggest corporate stock market fraud in any market in any country in the history of the world.
I am the first president in US history to order a US attack and military occupation of a sovereign nation, and I did so against the will of the United Nations and the world community.
I have created the largest government department bureaucracy in the history of the United States.
I set the all-time record for biggest annual budget spending increases, more than any other president in US history.
I am the first president in US history to have the United Nations remove the US from the Human Rights Commission.
I am the first president in US history to have the United Nations remove the US from the Elections Monitoring Board.
I removed more checks and balances, and have the least amount of congressional oversight than any presidential administration in US history.
I rendered the entire United Nations irrelevant.
I withdrew from the World Court of Law.
I refused to allow inspectors access to US prisoners of war and by default no longer abide by the Geneva Conventions.
I am the first president in US history to refuse United Nations election inspectors access during the 2002 US elections.
I am the all-time US (and world) record holder for most corporate campaign donations.
The biggest lifetime contributor to my campaign, who is also one of my best friends, presided over one of the largest corporate bankruptcy frauds in world history (Kenneth Lay, former CEO of Enron Corporation).
I spent more money on polls and focus groups than any president in US history.
I am the first president to run and hide when the US came under attack (and then lied, saying the enemy had the code to Air Force 1)
I am the first US president to establish a secret shadow government.
I took the world’s sympathy for the US after 911, and in less than a year made the US the most resented country in the world (possibly the biggest diplomatic failure in US and world history).
I am the first US president in history to have a majority of the people of Europe (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and stability.
I am the first US president in history to have the people of South Korea more threatened by the US than by their immediate neighbor, North Korea.
I changed US policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.
I set the all-time record for number of administration appointees who violated US law by not selling their huge investments in corporations bidding for gov’t contracts.
I have removed more freedoms and civil liberties for Americans than any other president in US history. In a little over two years I have created the most divided country in decades, possibly the most divided that the US has been since the civil war.
I entered office with the strongest economy in US history and in less than two years turned every single economic category heading straight down.
I fired federal attorneys for political reasons and did not inform the Senate.
I have not fully made enough armor both for vehicles and body armor for US military in Iraq.
RECORDS AND REFERENCES:
I have at least one conviction for drunk driving in Maine (Texas driving record has been erased and is not available).
I was AWOL from the National Guard and deserted the military during a time of war. I refuse to take a drug test or even answer any questions about drug use.
All records of my tenure as governor of Texas have been spirited away to my father1s library, sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
All records of any SEC investigations into my insider trading or bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
All minutes of meetings of any public corporation for which I served on the board are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
Any records or minutes from meetings I (or my VP) attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.
Bush also went AWOL…and had his hand in the demolition of the WTC.
Bush referred to the US Constitution as a God damn piece of paper.
He was wrong about WMD. That got the US into a war with Iraq. The UN said there were no weapons and we still went to war anyway. At least Colin Powell did the right thing and resigned. Too bad Bush doesn’t have Powell’s intregrity
His initial response to hurricane katrina was horrible.
The “no one left behind” idea is terrible: dumb down education so children look smarter without learning what they should.
The patriot act violates the bill of rights. How can we talk about the freedom of democracy here in the US when the government keeps taking away those freedoms?
His tax cuts did not go to those at the bottom of the income bracket.
He raised interest rates for those taking loans to go to college.
Abstinence taught for sex education does not work. Safe sex should also be taught in school as well.
He talked about border protection and sealing off America from Mexico, then gives the Saudis (i think it was them) control over offshipping cargo on our coast. I thought we were supposed to be protecting our borders, not selling that right off to the highest bidder!
His environmental policy is not helping reduce global warming. His solution is clean-burning coal! That will never happen!
By The Numbers
On September 11th, 2001 4 Flights were hijacked.
American Airlines Flight 11 which left Boston’s Logan Airport bound
for Los Angeles before being piloted into the North Tower of the
World Trade Center.American Airlines Flight 77 which left
Washington’s Dulles International Airport bound for Los Angeles
before being flown into the Pentagon.
United Airlines Flight 93 which left Newark, N.J., bound for San
Francisco before crashing in Stony Creek Township, Pa United
Airlines Flight 175 which left Boston’s Logan Airport bound for Los
Angeles before being piloted into the South Tower of the World Trade
Center. Why did the mastermind behind the attacks on America of
September 11th, 2001 choose these particular flight numbers? MY
THEORY ABOUT THE CHOICE OF FLIGHT 93 WAS THAT 1993 WAS THE YEAR
IN WHICH SADDAM FIRST TRIED TO ASSASSINATE FORMER PRESIDENT BUSH IN
KUWAIT, IT WAS ALSO THE YEAR IN WHICH SADDAM HUSSEIN FIRST TRIED
TO DESTROY THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. IT TURNED OUT TO BE AN UNLUCKY
NUMBER FOR SADDAM HUSSEIN BECAUSE THE PASSENGERS ON FLIGHT 93 BECAME
HEROES AND STOPPED THE PLANE FROM GOING INTO THE WHITE HOUSE.
“White House Was Flight 93 Targethttp://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/05/2…
May 23, 2002
Volunteers in Shanksville this past weekend. (Photo: AP)
The San Francisco-bound jet had turned toward Washington and U.S.
fighter jets were flying to intercept it when it crashed. All 44
people aboard were killed.
(CBS) A high-ranking al Qaeda detainee told investigators the
intended target of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed into a
Pennsylvania field on Sept. 11, was the White House.
Government sources said Abu Zubaydah, now in U.S. custody, is
believed to be the source of the information. He is being
interrogated by U.S. officials at an undisclosed location.
Investigators have linked Zubaydah directly to hijackers on board
Flight 93.
United Flight 93 took off from Newark, N.J., and crashed in Somerset
County, Pa.. A recorder on the plane and calls made to people on the
ground indicate passengers fought for control with the hijackers
before it went down.
The San Francisco-bound jet had turned toward Washington and U.S.
fighter jets were flying to intercept it when it crashed. All 44
people aboard were killed.
Officials previously had assumed the White House was a likely
target, but said the Capitol and CIA headquarters in McLean, Va.,
near Washington were other possibilities.Abu Zubaydah is believed to
have played a key role in organizing the Sept. 11 attacks, officials
said. As al Qaeda’s top operational planner, he ran the Khalden camp
in Afghanistan, where U.S. investigators have learned many of the
Sept. 11 hijackers trained. This suggests Abu Zubaydah may have had
direct contact with the hijackers and chosen them for training.
He also had telephone contacts with at least one Arab student at
U.S. flight schools, according to a July 10, 2001, memo from a
Phoenix FBI agent.
The CIA, FBI and Pakistani authorities captured and wounded Abu
Zubaydah in a raid by in Faisalabad, Pakistan, in March. He is
believed to have masterminded the failed millennium bombing plots in
Los Angeles and Jordan, and has been linked to failed plots on the
U.S. embassies in Paris and Sarajevo.
Abu Zubaydah was also indirectly linked, through a web of
associations with other al Qaeda members in Europe, to lead Sept. 11
hijacker Mohammed Atta and his cell in Hamburg, Germany. Three
members of the Hamburg cell were suicide hijackers; three others are
still at large. Ziad Jarrah, believed to be the pilot-hijacker of
Flight 93, was a member of the Hamburg cell.”http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/05/2…
The first attack on the World Trade Center on February 26th, 1993.
The February 26th, 1993 attack marked the 11th anniversary to the
day of the declaration by the Reagan-Bush Administration of February
26th, 1982 that Iraq was no longer a state sponsor of terrorism and
as such was eligible for American loans and grants, which it
subsequently got.
The February 26th, 1993 attack also marked the 2nd anniversary to the
day of the liberation of Kuwait by the U.S. in the first Gulf War.
Remarks at the Commemoration of the Tenth Anniversary of the
Liberation of Kuwait Secretary Colin L. Powell Kuwait City, Kuwait
(US Embassy) February 26, 2001
The World Trade Center was attacked by terrorists associated with
Sheik Rahman on February 26th, 1993. It was Sheik Rahman’s group
that murdered Egyptian President Anwar Sadat on the 8th anniversary
to the day of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, October 6th.
Sheik Rahman’s son was subsequently found with bin Laden’s group
in Afghanistan when the U.S. liberated Afghanistan.
“White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer: we have real and
credible information that the airplane that landed at the Pentagon
was
originally intended to hit the White House.”http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/…
8.html#intended-targets
American Airlines Flight 77 which left Washington’s Dulles
International Airport bound for Los Angeles before being flown into
the Pentagon.
7/7 is one way to write the date July 7th
On July 7th, 1994 Yasser Arafat, PLO chairman drove from Egypt into
Gaza, after 27 years in exile. What Arafat was doing was using the
date of July 7th to re-write a perceived wrong he had felt some
years earlier on another July 7th. It was on July 7th 1986 that the
government of Jordan closed the offices of Yasser Arafat’s al-Fatah.
Because a bus bombing occurred in London on July 7th, 2005 it struck
me that the nation that has endured more bus bombings than any other
nation is Israel. There may be a connection between the July 7th,
2005 attacks in London and the terrorists who have targeted Israel
with bus bombings for years.
Recently terrorists in Iraq murdered Egypt’s envoy to Iraq.
“Zarqawi group reportedly killed Egyptian ambassador in Iraq
Iraq-Egypt, Politics, 7/7/2005
News reports from al-Jazeera and al-Arabia satellite TV stations
said that Egypt’s top diplomat in Iraq to Iraq, Eyhab al-Sharif, had
been executed.
Meantime, Al-Qaida organization in Iraq, led by Abu Musab al-
Zarqawi, had threatened in a statement on the Internet to execute
the chairman of the Egyptian diplomatic mission al-Sharif.
The threat to execute Sharif came a short time after al-Qaida
organization in Iraq issued pictures for the identity cards of the
Egyptian diplomat as an evidence that they are the ones which
kidnapped him.
The statement said the legitimate court of al-Qaida organization in
Mesopotamia decided to “send the ambassador of the state of Egypt to
the Mujahideen (indivduals from Egypt and other states that go to
Iraq to fight with the insurgents) to execute the death penalty
against him.” The statement considered that “the embassies in
Baghdad are but monitoring sites to snipe the arriving Mujahideen
and preventing them from having access to their brothers in Jihad in
the land of Mesopotamia (Iraq) and in Afghanistan.”
In an attempt to prove that the Egyptian ambassador is their
possession, al-Qaida organization published documents including a
driving Sharif’s license and a work card for him at the foreign
ministry and another one for health insurance. On Tuesday the
organization claimed responsibility for kidnapping Sharif.”
American Airlines Flight 11 which left Boston’s Logan Airport bound
for Los Angeles before being piloted into the North Tower of the
World Trade Center.
Saddam Hussein assassinated his first victim when he was 11 years
old. Fixated on the number 11 ever since then he easily focused on
the World Trade Center as a target because it looked so much like a
number 11 that WPIX TV Channel 11 in New York City used the World
Trade Center in its logo for years.
The World Trade Center also housed an office of the Bank of Kuwait.
Saddam used Rahman’s group to punish Sadat for failing to defeat
Israel in the attack on Israel of October 6th, 1973. Saddam also
used Sheik Rahman’s group to hit the Speaker of the Egyptian
Parliament during the first Gulf War when Egypt sided with America
against Iraq.
Saddam, acting like a child who is deprived of a toy, who
subsequently
breaks that toy, set fire to the Kuwaiti oil fields as he was being
driven out of Kuwait during the first Gulf War in 1991.
“Aired 9/11/2001 “Baghdad Republic of Iraq TV: These are
the fruits of the new US order.[Video of explosion rocking World
Trade
Center] Panic has spread among US official circles, which evacuated
the White House following a series of explosions.”
“CNN LARRY KING LIVE Aired October 2, 2001 LARRY KING: Have you
spoken to your father- in-law? (George Herbert Walker Bush)
LAURA BUSH: I’ve spoken to my father-in-law. They were-they had
actually spent that Monday night here.(at the White House) I had
just seen them off that morning (9/11/2001) when I got in the car
and found out about the first plane.(going into the World Trade
Center.)”
“CNN LARRY KING LIVE America’s New War: Laura Bush Discusses the
Impact of September 11 Aired October 2, 2001 – 21:00 LARRY KING: A
couple of other things:
Have you spoken to your father- in-law? (Not in transcript, but the
father in law in question is one George Herbert Walker Bush !!!)
LAURA
BUSH: I’ve spoken to my father-in-law. They were-they had actually
spent that Monday night here. (not in transcript but “here” means at
the White House !!!) LARRY KING: Really? LAURA BUSH: I had just seen
them off that morning when I got in the-got in the car and found out
about the first plane. LARRY KING: Didn’t know that. LAURA BUSH: They
were-they were on their way to St. Paul, Minnesota to give a speech,
and they were in a private plane, and their plane was diverted to
Minneapolis.” http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0110/02/l…
“September 11th, 2001 – The White House is
evacuated. White House Sealed”http://www.september11news.com/AAWhiteHo…
“try to avoid having the principal
travel by commercial airline on terrorist anniversaries” from “The
Art
of Executive Protection”http://www.securitymanagement.com/librar… ”
Saddam tried to kill former President Bush in 1993.
Former President Bush’s Speech to Congress September 11th 1990. 11
years to the day before September 11th 2001 “In the early morning
hours of August 2d,(1990),a powerful Iraqi army invaded Kuwait. The
crisis in the Persian Gulf also offers a rare opportunity to move
toward an historic period of cooperation. Out of these troubled
times, our fifth objective-a new world order-can emerge.”
White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer: we have real and credible
information that the airplane that landed at the Pentagon was
originally intended to hit the White House.”
“White House Was Flight 93 Target
A high-ranking al Qaeda detainee told investigators the intended
target of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed into a
Pennsylvania field on Sept. 11, was the White House. Government
sources said Abu Zubaydah, now in U.S. custody, believed to be the
source of the information.”
Perhaps the following may explain how Saddam knew where former
President Bush might be spending the night of September 10th-11th
2001:
“Like everyone else in the United States, the group stood transfixed
as the events of September 11 unfolded. Present were former secretary
of defense Frank Carlucci, former secretary of state James Baker III,
and representatives of the bin Laden family. This was not some
underground presidential bunker or Central Intelligence Agency
interrogation room. It was the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C., the
plush setting for the annual investor conference of one of the most
powerful, well-connected, and secretive companies in the world: the
Carlyle Group. And since September 11, this little-known company has
become unexpectedly important. That the Carlyle Group had its
conference on America’s darkest day was mere coincidence, but there
is nothing accidental about the cast of characters that this
private-equity powerhouse has assembled in the 14 years since its
founding. Among those associated with Carlyle are former U.S.
President George Bush Sr., former U.K. Prime Minister John Major, and
former President of the Philippines Fidel Ramos. And Carlyle has
counted, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Alsaud of Saudi
Arabia, and Osama bin Laden’s family among its high-profile
clientele.”
“The White House is bordered on three sides by buildings that are as
tall or taller than itself. (OEOB, Treasury, and Blair House.) Beyond
these buildings there are still more buildings, that also are taller
than the White House. The only flight path that is relatively
unobstructed if making a controlled, straight-in approach, is from
the south, over the ellipse. Even the Marine helicopter the president
uses comes in from this direction and lands on the South Lawn. The
problem with flying a plane the size of a 757 or 767 in from this
direction is that there’s a 555 ft tall structure in the way called
the Washington Monument. The Capitol, although a bigger target, is
similarly situated. There are buildings on all sides except for the
west side, which faces the Mall. Again, for a controlled, straight-in
approach, a pilot first would need to avoid the Washington Monument,
and then fly straight down the Mall. There is more room to do this,
but again, it would take considerable skill. Moreover, the buildings
in Roslyn, just across the river from and to the west of the Mall,
would have to be cleared, which means the plane’s altitude would
probably be too high, or the angle of descent too steep to permit a
successful attack by anyone other than a skilled, experienced pilot.”
To indicate September 1990 one might well write or type 9/90
It was in September of 1990 that President George Herbert Walker
Bush spoke to Congress on Iraq. On September 11th, 1990 in fact.
What of EgyptAir Flight 990?
Weeks after the last pile of debris from EgyptAir Flight 990 was
pulled from the sea, investigators say they are more
convinced than ever of their original theory: The jet was crashed
deliberately.”
“The co-pilot under scrutiny in the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990
uttered
an Arabic prayer not once but as many as 10 times just
before the doomed airliner went down”
“Aviation Analyst John Nance Talks About Flight 990 When a commercial
aircraft goes into a dive as steep and precipitous as the preliminary
radar data seems to indicate.”
An example of terrorists striking on an anniversary
came on October 7th, 2004 in Taba.
“Images of Destruction | Taba Hilton Before and After Terrorist
Attack on October 7, 2004″
According to initial findings Naveh said, a car bomb blew up at the
entrance to the Hilton Taba Hotel and there was a combined bomb and
shooting attack in two restaurants usually frequented by Israelis in
Ras Al-Satan.”http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/40208…
On October 7th,2001 “America Retaliates for the September 11
Attacks. October 7, 2001 President George W. Bush Speaks to America
After the Strikes Begin.
“On October 7th, 1959, Saddam and others attempted, but failed, to
assassinate the prime minister of Iraq. Wanted by the Iraqi
government, Saddam was forced to flee. He lived in exile in Syria
for three months and then moved to Egypt where he lived for three
years.”http://history1900s.about.com/od/saddamh…
“President Saddam Hussein chairs 48th Cabinet Session Baghdad, Oct.
22, 2001 INA
President Saddam Hussein chaired on Sunday the 48th Cabinet session.
The Cabinet discussed recent events of Palestinian Intifadha and
praised Palestinians brave and
persistent struggle for liberating their lands. The cabinet reviewed
the current international
situation, especially the U.S aggression on Afghanistan. The Cabinet
brought back a historic
stance Iraq had taken in 1979 when it condemned the military Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan though Iraq had then deep relations with the
Soviet Union and there was a
friendship and cooperation agreement between Iraq and the Soviet
Union, yet this had not prevented Iraq from taking the national
independent stand rejecting Soviet’s behavior. History repeats itself
once again in 2001 as Iraq takes the same stance and condemns the US
aggression on Afghanistan….this confirms Iraq’s principled stance
rejecting all forms of foreign intervention and aggressions. The
Cabinet discussed issues listed on its agenda and made necessary
decisions and recommendations.”
Saddam loves 11th anniversaries, for instance ” Saddam Hussein’s
speech on the 11th Anniversary of the Great Victory Day In the Name
of God, Most Compassionate, Most
Merciful Great People, The Valiant of Our Brave Armed Forces, Sons of
our Glorious Arab Nation…”
“Middle East Correspondent, Robert Fisk: Why was it that the bombing
of the two
embassies in Tanzania and Kenya occurred on the eighth anniversary to
the very day of the first arrival of American troops of the 82nd
airborne in Saudi Arabia in 1990?”
“The 12th of October 2002 will for the rest of Australian history be
counted as a day when evil
struck with indiscriminate and indescribable savagery,”
“On October 12th, 2000 terrorists in a boat laden with explosives
carried out a
suicide bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in the harbor at Aden, Yemen. In
what President Clinton described as a “despicable and cowardly act,”
17 U.S. sailors were killed, and over 30 others were wounded.”
After the liberation of Iraq terrorists struck the Baghdad Hotel on
October 12th.
If you add 1 to 9 you get 10. If you add 1 to 11 you get 12. Thus
the 9/11/2001 attack
was presaged by the attack on the U.S.S. Cole on 10/12/2000. The
terrorists were
engaging in what to them was a private joke regarding their plans
for 9/11/2001.
“Iraq has the motivation and the means to actively support the
Islamist networks of the region*** In the past, there have been
intelligence reports of possible cooperation between Iraq and Osama
bin Laden. Iraq has already tried to assassinate President Bush
Senior in 1993, when he visited Kuwait as a private citizen. In the
attack
on the USS Cole in Aden (in) October (of 2000), there could have
been an
Iraqi connection. Iraq has excellent relations with the anti-Western
Yemeni Islamists of the Army of Aden-Abyan, whose militants have been
arrested by the Yemenite authorities in connection with the attack.
Such an attack required long preparations, technical and military
skills and good operational intelligence. In addition, the explosive
used in the attack was sophisticated, a “shaped charge” like a
torpedo or a missile, a device not in use by terrorist
organizations, and
which may have come from a military stockpile.”
4 DAYS BEFORE SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 Saddam’s Stepson in USA
“Authorities said Saffi” (Saddam’s Stepson), ” triggered red flags
for four reasons: the family relationship to the Iraqi dictator;
training
at an American flight school; arrival on the eve of the Independence
Day celebrations; and his only documented prior entry into the United
States occurred just four days before the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks.”
“Saddam’s Stepson to Be Deported Fri Jul 5th 2002 (Saffi) was
planning to study at a flight school believed by the FBI
to have been used by one of the Sept. 11 hijackers.”
“US officials state that an FBI investigation had substantiated
charges that the Iraqi government plotted the assassination of former
President Bush while visiting Kuwait in April 1993.”
“Terrorist Pilot Met With Iraqi Intelligence Agent By RICK JERVIS
Special to The Wall Street Journal Europe Wall Street Journal,
Europe October 4, 2001 [With thanks to Laurie Mylroie - Iraq News]
PRAGUE-Mohamed Atta, who
allegedly crashed the first plane into the World Trade Center on
Sept. 11, met at least one Iraqi intelligence agent last year in
Prague
before moving to the U.S., a Czech official close to the
investigation
said.”
United Airlines Flight 175 which left Boston’s Logan Airport bound
for Los Angeles before being piloted into the South Tower of the
World Trade Center.
UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY 15 December 1988 43/175.
Question of Palestine
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 43/175 A: 123-2-20
Did Anniversary Assassins Strike Again November 22nd 2004
What do you think the chances are that the plane crash which would
have killed the 41st President of the United States, George Herbert
Walker Bush,had he been on board the plane which was enroute from
Love Field in Dallas, Texas to pick him up, on the 41st anniversary
of the assassination of JFK 11/22/1963 was a botched assassination
attempt? Saddam Hussein, who may be running the show from his jail
cell, assassinated his first victim when he was 11 years old, took
power in Iraq in 1968, made it official 11 years later in 1979,
invaded Kuwait 11 years later in 1990 sent bin Laden to assassinate
former President Bush 11 years later on 9/11/2001 on the 11th
anniversary to the day of the 9/11/1990 Bush speech to Congress on
Iraq in which Bush mentioned The New World Order.”US plans to
dominate the world under the cover of what is called the new [world]
order. These are the fruits of the new US order. [Video of explosion
rocking World Trade Center] [Description of Source: Baghdad Republic
of Iraq Television in Arabic-Official television station of the
Iraqi Government." The World Trade Center looked so much like the
number 11 that WPIX-TV Channel 11 in New York City used the World
Trade Center as its logo. Note 11 times 2 equals 22. The Madrid
attacks were done exactly 911 days after 9/11/2001. Sadat,
criticized by arafat and Saddam for making peace with Israel, was
assassinated on 10/6/1981 exactly 8 years after the 10/6/1973 Yom
Kippur War in which he failed to defeat Israel. The American
Embassies in Africa were hit on August 8th, 1998, exactly 8 years
after the US entered Saudi Arabia in response to Saddam's invasion
of Kuwait. A gentlemanly John Connally reaches to remove his hat as
Jackie Kennedy enters presidential limousine at Love Field, Dallas,
November 22, 1963
Source: http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/images/jbc-lo...
The shocking news that narco-terrorists in Colombia plotted to
assassinate current President George W. Bush on Monday November
22nd, 2004,
the 41st anniversary of the JFK assassination, needs some
examination.
BCCI, the infamous drug-terror-arms bank that allegedly gave former
President Jimmy Carter $10 million for the Carter Library,had
offices in Peru, where
coca leaves are grown, in Colombia, where the coca leaves are
processed into cocaine, and in Castro's Cuba, and Baathist Syria and
Baathist Iraq. Banks
did not get offices in any of those 3 tyrannies without the approval
of the tyrant.
"Colombian Rebels Planned to Kill President Bush
November 27th, 2004 U.S. National - Reuters
By Hugh Bronstein BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - President Bush was
targeted for assassination by Colombia's biggest Marxist rebel group
this week when he visited the Caribbean port city of Cartagena, a
top Colombian official said on Saturday. "According to informants
and various sources, we had information indicating that various
members of the FARC had been instructed by their leaders to make an
attempt against President Bush," Defense Secretary Jorge Alberto
Uribe told reporters. He would not be drawn out on the details of
the threat. The White House had no immediate comment.
The U.S. Secret Service, which protects the president, said it "does
not comment or release information regarding our protective
intelligence and protective methods." "We do not discuss any alleged
threats to our protectees," said Jonathan Cherry, a Secret Service
spokesman.
There was heavy security in Cartagena when Bush visited the city on
Monday(November 22nd, 2004)on his way back from the APEC forum in
Chile. Military helicopters packed with armed soldiers flew over
Bush's motorcade while naval vessels kept watch offshore. Many shops
were shuttered."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041127/us_nm/colomb...
"In early August, 1991, the Committee was provided with documents
from the Latin American and Caribbean Region Office (LACRO) of BCCI,
describing the offer for sale by the Argentine air force of 22
Mirage aircraft for $110 million. (63) The planned sale was to have
been made to Iraq, as part of Saddam Hussein's massive military
buildup prior to the Gulf war. BCCI was acting as the broker for the
transaction, which was to take place in August or September of
1989...As Robert Mazur, the Customs agent in Tampa who selected BCCI
as the target of the Customs money laundering sting testified, BCCI
bank executives volunteered methods to enhance and improve his
techniques for money laundering, and shortly before the sting ended
the operation, offered to introduce Mazur to other potential "cash"
customers for money laundering services from Bogota, Colombia...."
Source: http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1992_rpt...
"The Ba'ath leadership gave the orders for Qasim's assassination...On
October 7th,1959, a six-,man assassination squad was waiting...the
night before one member of the squad had fallen ill. A new recruit
was drafted in...his full name was Saddam Hussein al-Takriti."
Page 22
"The Ba'athist led forces...participated in the coup of 8th February
1963...Immediately after the coup, Saddam Hussein returned to Iraq,
where he was appointed as the head of Al-Jihaz Al Khas, known
popularly as Jihaz Haneen (the Yearning Apparatus), the clandestine
intelligence organization of the Ba'ath Party. Saddam proceeded to
turn it into an instrument of terror....on 18th November (1963) the
army seized power in a swift military coup...the new leadership of
the Ba'ath Party...was arrested. However, some of its members
immediately collaborated with the new regime..." Pgs 25-26
"7th October 1959 A Ba'athist assassination squad fails to kill
Qasim. A member of the team, twenty-two-year old Saddam Hussein,
escapes to Syria and then to Egypt...8th February 1963 A Ba'athist
coup overthrows Quasim amidst several days of terrible street
fighting...18th November 1963 Following bitter infighting
between...factions of the Baath, Arif overthrows the Ba'athist
regime..." Pages 312-313
"Saddam...inherited from his uncle an admiration for Nazi
principles...he was attracted to the ideas of the Ba'ath nationalist
movement. The movement had been established in Damascus in 1943"
(when Syria was a French colony and Hitler ruled France) "by two
Syrians, Greek Orthodox Christian Michel A'flaq and Sunni Muslim
Salah al-Bitar. Their philosophy was based on the ideology of German
national socialism" (Nazism) "and on Italian fascism." Page 199
"After the Ba'ath Party came to power in February 1963...Saddam was
promoted into the Regional Command Council and it was soon found
that this was his metier. He was put in charge of a special force
responsible for terror and assassination and was an interrogator and
torturer in the Qasr al-Nihayyat (`The Palace of the End').
Eyewitnesses say Saddam excelled in creating new methods and
revealed a sadistically inventive mind. He designed new instruments
of torture and then experimentd with them on his victims. ...By the
summer of 1963, Saddam was urging the party to put him in charge of
creating a special security apparatus modelled on the Nazi SS. This
was the Jihaz Haneen....following nationalisation of banks and
certain foreign companies in 1964, the Ba'ath Party instructed
Saddam to assassinate the president Abd al-Salam Arif. The proposed
assassination was designed to trigger off another Ba'ath coup.
Critics say it was a plan on behalf of the CIA but according to some
Ba'athist defectors the CIA did not have direct contact with the
Ba'ath itself but with army officers who were co-ordinating a joint
coup with the party. The main contact with the Americans was Iraq's
own ambassador in Washington, Dr. Nasser al-Hanni." Pages 201-203
"The second part of the plot was carried out by the Jihaz
Haneen...Members of the Iraqi Jewish community...were...arrested.
Eleven of them were among the first fourteen `spies' to be pubicly
hanged on 27th January 1969....The public hangings turned into a
national holiday with live television and radio coverage, and the
Ba'ath Party organized the transport of some hundred
thousand `workers and peasants' from outside Baghdad to join
in...Families picknicked under trees while watching the hangings.
This public orgy of death went on for twenty-four hours..." Page 206
Source: Unholy Babylon-The Secret History of Saddam's War by Adel
Darwish and Gregory Alexander St. Martin's Press, New York 1991
ISBN 0-312-06530-2
"Compare the January 1969 show trial with another spectacle
organized by the first Ba'thi regime in 1963 and designed to counter
the continuing popularity of the ousted president, `Abd al-Karim
Qassem, among certain sectors of the Shi'ite population of Baghdad.
In the first week of the coup, the citizens of al-Thawra, a suburb
of Baghdad, had fought the army and Ba'thist militia in some of the
bloodiest street battles in the history of the country. They refused
to believe that Qassem had been overthrown....The Ba'ath...dealt
with this emotive imagery by televising a lengthy film clip
displaying Qassem's bullet-ridden corpse. Night after night, they
made their gruesome point. The body was propped up on a chair in the
studio. A soldier saunter around, handling its parts. The camera
would cut to scenes of devastation at the Ministry of Defence where
Qassem had made his last stand. There, on location, it lingered on
the mutilated corpses of Qassem's entourage...Back to the studio,
and close-ups now of the entry and exit points of each bullet hole.
The whole macabre sequence closes with a scene that must forever
remain etched on the memory of all those who saw it: the soldier
grabbing the lolling head by the hair, came right up close, and spat
full face into it. The fear that the Ba'th were trying to instill in
this and other instances was brutally direct. The centuries-old
message was simple: he is dead, you had better believe it, we can do
the smae to you. The fact that it was on television extended its
reach..." Pages 58-59.
Source: Republic of Fear The Inside Story of Saddam's Iraq by Samir
al Khalil Pantheon Books, New York 1989 ISBN 0-679-73502-X
"An Afghani tends to a field of heroin poppies, the sale of which
provides much of the financing for the Taliban and Osama bin Laden.
Afghanistan is the world's No. 1 producer and distributor of heroin,
and illicit drug trafficking is the biggest funding source for
By Rachel Ehrenfeld / Special to The Detroit News About the author
Rachel Ehrenfeld is director of the New York-based Center for the
Study of Corruption and the author of "Evil Money" (HarperBusiness)
and "Narco-Terrorism" (Basic Books).
Moving the money...
In the welter of events following the bombing of the World Trade
Center in Feb. 26, 1993, few noticed that the first man arrested,
Mohammed Salameh—the poor, unemployed illegal immigrant—
offered $5 million for bail. Where could he get this kind of money?
The judge refused bail. But was the source of Salameh's offer the
same as the one that funded the eight men—arrested shortly
afterward—who planned to blow up Manhattan's tunnels and bridges
and to assassinate public officials?
Were the same money sources behind the final attack on the World
Trade Center on Sept. 11?
... For a long time, there has been evidence that terrorist,
international drug trafficking and criminal organizations use the
same fund-raising methods to enrich themselves.
Yet no one seemed to connect the dots. And no one seriously tried to
crack down on their financing.
Bin Laden's is only one among many hostile international criminal
organizations, often state-sponsored, that will do whatever they can
to diminish the status of the United States as the only superpower.
According to a State Department report, the Taliban, who are at bin
Laden's service, has the advantage of controlling the world's
largest heroin production and distribution in the world.
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the heroin production
soared to hundreds of tons each year. In 1999 alone, the world
production of heroin was estimated at 500 metric tons; 400 were
produced by the Taliban and available to fund bin Laden and his
associates worldwide. First warning
The writing was on the wall on July 5, 1991, when the Bank of
England shut down what was the most important Islamic bank in the
world, the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI). This
criminal entity was created by the Pakistani Aaga Hassan Abedi "to
fight the evil influence of the West"; to help with the creation of
the "Islamic Bomb"; to finance all Muslim terrorist organizations;
and to launder the money that was generated mostly by illicit drug
trafficking and other illegal activities, including arms
trafficking.
When BCCI went belly up, we learned from thousands of documents that
Abu Nidal—the notorious Palestinian terrorist organization that
now enjoys the hospitality of Iraq's Saddam Hussein, the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO), Hezbollah and bin Laden—had
accounts in the bank. By the end of the 1980s, the "special
services" provided by BCCI included access to Western humanitarian
and international development funds, as well as drug money
laundering, secret transfers of cash and bribes.
A "Black Network," a special enforcement unit supported by Abu Nidal
and other terrorist organizations, operated from Pakistan. The same
Pakistan that harbored bin Laden for many years while its officials
told the United States that they didn't know his whereabouts. And
the same Pakistan that for decades, even according to the State
Department's annual report, had been a major drug trafficking and
money laundering center.
Western blindness
Yet, now more importantly, we also discovered that the American and
British governments knew and kept the bank open for a long time. The
bank "that would bribe God" was able to get away with its criminal
activities for decades due to Abedi's clever portrayal of the Muslim
nations as victims of Western—and particularly U.S.—
"imperialism." And when the bank was shuttered, the accusation in
the Muslim/Arab and Third World countries was that the U.S. and the
United Kingdom governments closed the bank to curtail the growing
fiscal power of Muslim countries.
Like Abedi, anti-American, anti-Western terrorist and radical Muslim
states and organizations, such as the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Hamas,
Hezbollah, the PLO, Iraq and Iran, use Western democratic rhetoric
to their advantage. But it is the willful blindness, mainly toward
the growing volume of drug money laundering, exercised by Western
bankers on the one hand and Western politicians on the other, that
makes money laundering possible, despite the many laws and
international conventions to control this phenomenon.
The BCCI was the first warning to the West. The second warning about
the abuse of European and American financial markets by terrorist
organizations, as well as their involvement in the illicit arms and
drug trade, was made in February 1994 by the British National
Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS).
The Organized Crime Unit of the NCIS warned that Middle East
terrorist groups and states were targeting the financial centers of
London, Frankfurt and other Western countries, and that they favor
illegal drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud....
Clinton appeasement
Despite its stated policy of not negotiating with terrorists, the
Clinton administration went out of its way to appease a few of the
20th century's most notorious terror groups: the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC), the PLO and the Irish Republican Army.
All are heavily involved in the drug trade.
On the eve of the 1993 handshake on the White House lawn between
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat,
Britain's National Criminal Intelligence Service estimated the PLO's
ill-gotten gains to total between $8 billion to $10 billion, with an
annual income of about $1.5 billion to $2 billion from "donations,
extortion, payoffs, illegal arms dealing, drug trafficking, money
laundering, fraud, etc."
Since then, Washington has only aided and abetted the PLO. Since the
start of the Oslo process, Arafat has received at least $3 billion
more from the United States and the international community, without
any serious demand for accountability, according to a report this
year to Congress. Arafat, in well-documented instances, has been
systematically skimming off portions of these funds, as he has with
monies given to him on behalf of the refugees in the camps.
The PLO was in the drug trafficking business almost from the
beginning. Operating from Lebanon, under Habash's able leadership
and assisted by a PLO-owned shipping company SUMUD, the organization
exported hashish, opium, heroin and cocaine, first to Europe and
later even to the United States and Australia. In return, it
obtained weapons for their war against Israel and the West, and
amassed a massive treasure trove. In addition, the PLO and Arafat,
who enjoy the financial and strategic support of Hussein and bin
Laden, have the distinction of being the organization that
promoted "suicide bombers" as a weapon.
Yet the Clinton administration subsidized a multitude of radical
Palestinian groups, ranging from Arafat's Fatah branch of the PLO
and its military wing, the Tanzim, to the socialist-nationalist
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), headed by
George Habash, all with close ties to bin Laden, Iraq and Iran.
...It was the Clinton White House that, despite evidence to the
contrary, removed Syria from its list of the drug trafficking
countries, to entice Syria to join the "peace process" in the Middle
East.
The failure of that process and the compromises the United States
has made to maintain an illusion of peaceful prospects had no doubt
added to the Muslim radical terrorists' resolve to attack what they
see as a naive and vulnerable America.
In another example of self-delusion, in 1999, then Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright suggested a U.S.-led coalition to negotiate
with the FARC and supported Colombia President Pastrana's "land for
peace" initiative, despite a report from the General Accounting
Office that the FARC is running a major international criminal
enterprise that, among other things, supplies hundreds of tons of
cocaine and heroin to the U.S. black market.
This second Clinton "land for peace" initiative gave half of
Colombia to the narco-terrorist FARC, while doing nothing to
diminish its violence or appetite to control the rest of the
country...."
Source: http://www.detnews.com/2001/editorial/01...
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called the Palestinian Authority
a "gang of corrupt assassins and terrorists." "There is an obstacle
[to peace] with the gang of corrupt assassins and terrorists that
lead the Palestinian Authority,” Sharon said in a televised speech
in Israel. “The only way to peace is to remove this murderous
posse.” – Source:
New York Daily News – http://www.nydailynews.com
Sharon raps Arafat `assassins’ By KENNETH R. BAZINET DAILY NEWS
WASHINGTON BUREAU Thursday, August 8th, 2002
“Bush back from surprise Iraq trip
President Bush has arrived back in the United States after a
surprise trip to Baghdad, where he spent two hours with US troops
celebrating Thanksgiving Day.
Mr. Bush told troops the US would not be swayed by ongoing attacks
in Iraq.
“We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, pay a
bitter cost of casualties, defeat a ruthless dictator and liberate
25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and
assassins,” he told 600 US soldiers.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_…
“President Bush and his wife, Laura, along with former president
George H. W.
Bush, welcome the King and Queen of Spain, Juan and Sofia Carlos, to
their ranch
Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2004, in Crawford, Texas.(AP Photo/Lawrence
Jackson)”
Source:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/041124/480/txlj101112418…
A small jet chartered to fly former President Bush to Ecuador
Monday,November
22nd, 2004 was well below normal altitude when it clipped a toll
road light
tower and crashed into a muddy field three miles south of Hobby
Airport, killing
the crew of three.The plane, which belonged to Jet Place Inc. of
Tulsa, Okla.,
came from Love Field in Dallas. It was approaching the runway when
the wing and
the landing gear on the right side clipped the pole on a tollway
road…..”
“Weeks after the last pile of debris from EgyptAir Flight 990 was
pulled from the sea, investigators say they are more
convinced than ever of their original theory: The jet was crashed
deliberately.”http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyN… “The
co-pilot under scrutiny in the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 uttered
an Arabic prayer not once but as many as 10 times just
before the doomed airliner went down”http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyN…
“Aviation Analyst John Nance Talks About Flight 990 When a commercial
aircraft goes into a dive as steep and precipitous as the preliminary
radar data seems to indicate.”http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyN…
“The White House is bordered on three sides by buildings that are as
tall or taller than itself. (OEOB, Treasury, and Blair House.) Beyond
these buildings there are still more buildings, that also are taller
than the White House. The only flight path that is relatively
unobstructed if making a controlled, straight-in approach, is from
the
south, over the ellipse. Even the Marine helicopter the president
uses comes in from this direction and lands on the South Lawn. The
problem with flying a plane the size of a 757 or 767 in from this
direction is that there’s a 555 ft tall structure in the way called
the Washington Monument. The Capitol, although a bigger target, is
similarly situated. There are buildings on all sides except for the
west side, which faces the Mall. Again, for a controlled, straight-in
approach, a pilot first would need to avoid the Washington Monument,
and then fly straight down the Mall. There is more room to do this,
but again, it would take considerable skill. Moreover, the buildings
in Roslyn, just across the river from and to the west of the Mall,
would have to be cleared, which means the plane’s altitude would
probably be too high, or the angle of descent too steep to permit a
successful attack by anyone other than a skilled, experienced pilot.”
Imagine the rage and fury of Saddam Hussein
“On February 26th, 1982 the Reagan Administration told Congress that
it had dropped Iraq from the list of nations that supported acts of
international terrorism. Baghdad would now be eligible for American
government loan guarantees.” source: SPIDER’S WEB: THE SECRET HISTORY
OF HOW THE WHITE HOUSE ILLEGALLY ARMED IRAQ by Alan Friedman ASIN:
0553096508
Imagine Saddam’s rage and fury when Kuwait was liberated on February
26th, 1991, 9 years to the day after the event described above! Is it
any wonder that Saddam would launch the first of his 2 attacks on the
World Trade Center on February 26th, 1993, the 2nd anniversary of the
liberation of Kuwait City, and the 11th anniversary of the event
described above, and that he would launch his 2nd attack on the World
Trade Center on September 11th, 2001, the 11th anniversary of the
Bush
I speech to Congress on Iraq. Saddam loves 11th anniversaries, for
instance ” Saddam Hussein’s speech on the 11th Anniversary of the
Great Victory Day In the Name of God, Most Compassionate, Most
Merciful Great People, The Valiant of Our Brave Armed Forces, Sons of
our Glorious Arab Nation…”http://www.index.com.jo/iraqtoday/august…
Saddam took credit for the September 11th attacks on America on
Baghdad Republic of Iraq Television. Saddam sent his henchman Osama
bin Laden to attack America and to assassinate former President
Bush, who was at the White House on the morning of September 11th,
2001,just as he had tried to assassinate former President Bush in
Kuwait in 1993. That is why Flight 93 was selected to hit the White
House on the morning of September 11th, 2001. Fortunately the heroes
of Flight 93 stopped that from happening and the plane went down in
Pennsylvania.
Second Attempt to Assassinate President Bush.
We all know that Saddam Hussein attempted to assassinate former
President
Bush in Kuwait in 1993. Laura Bush, wife of the current President
Bush,
along with the current President Bush’s brothers, his parents, and
former Secretary of State Baker were actually in the air enroute to
Kuwait when the intelligence came in and their plane was turned back.
Then President Clinton later bombed an empty Iraqi intelligence
building
in retaliation for that attempt in which Saddam’s homicide bombers
were
caught in Kuwait.
We believe that the Second Attempt to assassinate former President
George Herbert Walker Bush was made by Saddam Hussein using his
henchman Osama bin Laden on September 11th, 2001.
September 11th, 1990 Dubya’s Dad Speaks to Congress on Iraq When
September 11th Yes ! September 11th 1990. Exactly 11 years to the
day before the infamous September 11th 2001 attacks on America.
Saddam’s Revenge !!! How clear it is!!! “Address Before a Joint
Session of the Congress on the Persian Gulf Crisis and the Federal
Budget Deficit September 11, 1990.
We gather tonight, witness to events in the Persian Gulf as
significant as they are tragic. In the early morning hours of August
2d, following negotiations and promises by Iraq’s dictator Saddam
Hussein not to use force, a powerful Iraqi army invaded its trusting
and much weaker neighbor, Kuwait. *** The crisis in the Persian Gulf,
as grave as it is, also offers a rare opportunity to move toward an
historic period of cooperation. Out of these troubled times, our
fifth
objective-a new world order-can emerge. ***” READ THE WHOLE OF
DUBYA’S
DADDY’S SPEECH TO CONGRESS ON SEPTEMBER 11TH, 1990 AThttp://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/ “Note: The President spoke at 9:09
p.m.in
the House Chamber at the Capitol.. The address was broadcast live on
nationwide television and radio.” http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/ Iraq
Cheers September 11th Attacks on America “Wednesday, September 12,
2001 Baghdad TV Commentary: US `Reaping Fruits of Crimes Against
Humanity’ Baghdad Republic of Iraq Television in Arabic 1700 GMT 11
Sep 01 [TV Commentary by Sa'd Yasin Yusuf read by announcer over
footage of explosions in New York] [FBIS Translated Text] [With
thanks
to Laurie Mylorie - Iraq Watch] The American cowboy is reaping the
fruits of his crimes against humanity. It is a black day in the
history of America, which is tasting the bitter defeat of its crimes
and disregard for peoples’ will to lead a free, decent life. The
massive explosions in the centers of power in America, notably the
Pentagon, is a painful slap in the face of US politicians to stop
their illegitimate hegemony and attempts to impose custodianship on
peoples. It was no coincidence that the World Trade Center was
destroyed in suicidal operations involving two planes that have
broken
through all US security barriers to carry the operation of the
century
and to express rejection of the reckless US policy. Panic has spread
among US official circles, which evacuated the White House following
a
series of explosions. They also evacuated the Pentagon, the State
Department, and Congress and closed down the airports and government
institutions. The collapse of US centers of power is a collapse of
the
US policy, which deviates from human values and stands by world
Zionism at all international forums to continue to slaughter the
Palestinian Arab people and implement US plans to dominate the world
under the cover of what is called the new [world] order. These are
the
fruits of the new US order. [Video of explosion rocking World Trade
Center] [Description of Source: Baghdad Republic of Iraq Television
in
Arabic-Official television station of the Iraqi Government]“http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3
“BLITZER: That’s Osama bin Laden’s group. Now you also have some
new information, David, about Mohamed Atta. He’s the suspected
ringleader of the September 11th hijackings.
ENSOR: Well, that’s right. As you know, he was one of the suicide
hijackers who died on September 11th on one of those aircraft. And we
had previously reported on September 19th that he met with an Iraqi
intelligence official somewhere in Europe. Well, I’m now able to tell
you, based on information from U.S. sources, he met not once but
twice with Iraqi intelligence officers in Prague in the Czech
Republic:
once last year in June of 2000 and once in April of 2001.”http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0110/10/l…
Aired 9/11/2001 “Baghdad Republic of Iraq TV: These are
the fruits of the new US order.[Video of explosion rocking World
Trade
Center]Panic has spread among US official circles, which evacuated
the White House following a series of explosions.”
“CNN LARRY KING LIVE Aired October 2, 2001 LARRY KING: Have you
spoken to your father- in-law? (George Herbert Walker Bush)
LAURA BUSH: I’ve spoken to my father-in-law. They were-they had
actually spent that Monday night here.(at the White House) I had
just seen them off that morning (9/11/2001) when I got in the car
and found out about the first plane.(going into the World Trade
Center.)” http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0110/02/l…
“Senator Joseph Lieberman: (Saddam) tried to kill former President
Bush (in 1993)”http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPT…
Former President Bush Speech to Congress September 11th 1990. 11
years to the day before September 11th 2001 “In the early morning
hours of August 2d,(1990),a powerful Iraqi army invaded Kuwait.The
crisis in the Persian Gulf also offers a rare opportunity to move
toward an historic period of cooperation. Out of these troubled
times, our fifth objective-a new world order-can emerge.”http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/
“(White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer: we have real and
credible information that the airplane that landed at the Pentagon
was originally intended to hit the White House.”http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/…
8.html#intended-targets
“White House Was Flight 93 Targethttp://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/05/2…
A high-ranking al Qaeda detainee told investigators the intended
target of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed into a
Pennsylvania field on Sept. 11, was the White House. Government
sources said Abu Zubaydah, now in U.S. custody, believed to be the
source of the information.” “Moussaoui Says He Was to Hijack 5th
Plane
By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press Writer (Monday March 27, 2006)
Al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui testified Monday that he and
would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid were supposed to hijack a fifth
airplane on Sept. 11, 2001, and fly it into the White House.
Moussaoui’s testimony on his own behalf stunned the courtroom. His
account was in stark contrast to his previous statements in which he
said the White House attack was to come later if the United States
refused to release a radical Egyptian sheik imprisoned on earlier
terrorist convictions.
On Dec. 22, 2001, Reid was subdued by passengers when he attempted
to detonate a bomb in his shoe aboard American Airlines Flight 63
from Paris to Miami. There were 197 people on board. The plane was
diverted to Boston, where it landed safely.
Moussaoui told the court he knew the World Trade Center attack was
coming and that he lied to investigators when arrested in August
2001 because he wanted it to happen.
“You lied because you wanted to conceal that you were a member of al-
Qaida?” prosecutor Rob Spencer asked.
“That’s correct,” Moussaoui said.
Spencer: “You lied so the plan could go forward?”
Moussaoui: “That’s correct.”
The exchange was key to the government’s case that the attacks might
have been averted if Moussaoui had been more cooperative following
his arrest.
Moussaoui told the court he knew the attacks were coming some time
after August 2001 and bought a radio so he could hear them unfold.
Specifically, he said he knew the World Trade Center was going to be
attacked, but asserted he was not part of that plot and didn’t know
the details.
Nineteen men pulled off the Sept. 11 attacks on New York in
Washington in the worst act of terrorism ever on U.S. soil.
“I had knowledge that the Twin Towers would be hit,” Moussaoui
said. “I didn’t know the details of this.”
Asked by his lawyer why he signed his guilty plea in April as “the
20th hijacker,” Moussaoui replied: “Because everybody used to refer
to me as the 20th hijacker and it was a bit of fun.”
Before Moussaoui took the stand, his lawyers made a last attempt to
stop him from testifying, but failed. Defense attorney Gerald Zerkin
argued that his client would not be a competent witness because he
has contempt for the court, only recognizes Islamic law and
therefore “the affirmation he undertakes would be meaningless.”
Moussaoui at first denied he was to have been a fifth hijack pilot
Sept. 11 but under cross examination spoke of the plan that would
have him attack the White House. He said Reid was the only person he
knew for sure would have been on that mission, but others were
discussed.
The 19 terrorists on Sept. 11 hijacked and crashed four airliners,
killing nearly 3,000 people in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon
and on the planes. The intended target of the plane that crashed
into a Pennsylvania field remains unknown.
Moussaoui said he talked with an al-Qaida official in 1999 about why
a 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center failed to bring the towers
down. He said “was asked in the same period for the first time if I
want to be a suicide pilot and I declined.”
Just before Moussaoui took the stand, the court heard testimony that
two months before the attacks that a CIA deputy chief waited in vain
for permission to tell the FBI about a “very high interest” al-Qaida
operative who became one of the hijackers.
The official, a senior figure in the CIA’s Osama bin Laden unit,
said he sought authorization on July 13, 2001, to send information
to the FBI but got no response for 10 days, then asked again.
As it turned out, the information on Khalid al-Mihdhar did not reach
the FBI until late August. At the time, CIA officers needed
permission from a special unit before passing certain intelligence
on to the FBI.
The official was identified only as John. His written testimony was
read into the record.
“John’s” testimony was part of the defense’s case that federal
authorities missed multiple opportunities to catch hijackers and
perhaps thwart the 9/11 plot.
His testimony included an e-mail sent by FBI supervisor Michael
Maltbie discussing Moussaoui but playing down his terrorist
connections. Maltbie’s e-mail said “there’s no indication that
(Moussaoui) had plans for any nefarious activity.”
He sent that e-mail to the CIA even after receiving a lengthy memo
from the FBI agent who arrested Moussaoui and suspected him of being
a terrorist with plans to hijack aircraft.
Prosecutors argue that Moussaoui, a French citizen, thwarted a prime
opportunity to track down the 9/11 hijackers and possibly unravel
the plot when he was arrested in August 2001 on immigration
violations and lied to the FBI about his al-Qaida membership and
plans to hijack a plane.
Had Moussaoui confessed, the FBI could have pursued leads that would
have led them to most of the hijackers, government witnesses have
testified.
To win the death penalty, prosecutors must first prove that
Moussaoui’s actions — specifically, his lies — were directly
responsible for at least one death on Sept. 11.
If they fail, Moussaoui would get life in prison.
___
Associated Press Writer Michael J. Sniffen contributed to this report
source:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060327/ap_o…
1;_ylt=Ags6isPJuz93w2EYYRP9gnVH2ocA;_y…
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