Best E-mails of the Week 06/16/02

Here is a cool site that is a musical and pictorial tribute to 911.

It might take a few minutes to download this 7 meg file.

America Attacked 9 1 1
http://www.oldcity.com/wtc.html

 


A few petitions arrived last week: Here is the first if you would like to sign up.

Petition in Support of an Independent Bi-Partisan Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the U.S.

 On September 11th, 2001, our government failed to protect its citizens. Important warnings of impending acts of

 terrorism went unnoticed due to major breakdowns in communication between the CIA, FBI, FAA and numerous other agencies.  As a result nearly 3,000 innocent people lost their lives.  How and why were the terrorists successful in attacking our country?  What changes should be made to protect us from future attacks?  All of America was impacted by these tragic events and its citizens continue to be at risk of terrorist attacks until these questions are thoroughly examined and answered. 

We, the undersigned, support the establishment of an independent, bi-partisan Commission to examine and report the facts and causes related to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.  We support an investigation to examine ALL relevant governmental agencies in order to account for the circumstances surrounding the attacks.  We feel our country continues to be at risk unless a full investigation is undertaken which would draw conclusions and make recommendations for corrective measures to prevent future terrorist attacks on Americans. 

Name                                       Address                                            Date                             Email ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RETURN TO: VOICES OF SEPTEMBER 11,  P.O. BOX 1002, NEW CANAAN, CT 06840

Take this little test and see how you score.

  
Know your enemy.
  You Tell Me:
 To ensure we Americans never offend anyone ---
 particularly   fanatics intent on killing us - airport screeners will not
be allowed to profile people. They will continue random
searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots
 with proper identification, Secret Service agents who are
 members of the President's security detail, 85-year old
 Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal Of Honor winning
 former Governors. Let's pause a moment and take the
 following   test.
 1) In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred
 by:
 (a) Olga Corbett
 (b) Sitting Bull
 (c) Arnold Schwartzeneger
 (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
 2) In 1979,the U.S. embassy in Iran was taken over by:
 (a) Lost Norwegians
(b) Elvis
 (c) A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
 (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
 3) During the 1980's   a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon
by:
 (a) John Dillinger
 (b) The King of Sweden
 (c) The Boy Scouts
 (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
 4) In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by
 (a) A pizza delivery boy
(b) Pee Wee Herman
 (c) Geraldo Rivera making up for a slow news day
 (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
 5) In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked, and a 70
    year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard by:
 (a) The Smurfs
 (b) Davy Jones
(c) The Little Mermaid
 (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
 6) In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a U.S.   Navy diver
 was murdered by:
 (a) Captain Kid
 (b) Charles Lindberg
(c) Mother Teresa
 (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
 7) In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
 (a) Scooby Doo
 (b) The Tooth Fairy
 (c) Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid who had a few sticks of
 dynamite left over from the train job.
 (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
 8) In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:
(a) Richard Simmons
 (b) Grandma Moses
 (c) Michael Jordan
 (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
 9) In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
 (a) Mr. Rogers
 (b) Hillary, to distract attention from Wild Bill's women problems
 (c) The World Wrestling Federation to promote its next
       vlllain: "Mustapha the Merciless"
 (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
 10) On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked and destroyed and
thousands
 of people were killed by:
 (a) Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd
 (b) The Supreme Court of Florida
 (c) Mr. Bean
 (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
 11) In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:
 (a) Enron
 (b) The Lutheran Church
 (c) The NFL
 (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
 12) In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:
 (a) Bonny and Clyde
 (b) Captain Kangaroo
 (c) Billy Graham
 (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
Hmmm . . . nope, no patterns anywhere to justify profiling that I can
see.

 

 

Here is another On Line Petition or Membership to join a new Catholic lay persons organization starting in Boston:

The WEEKLY VOICE
NEWS FROM VOICE OF THE FAITHFUL (VOTF)
www.VOTF.org June 7, 2002

Contents
- Welcome New Members
- 15 Things Any Catholic Can do
- VOTF Election Update
- US Bishops Meeting This Week In Dallas
- Announcements

>> Welcome new members! 
Our membership is well over 13,000 now from 20+ countries and 40 States in the US.   Our goals are to 1. support those who have been abused.  2. support priest of integrity and 3. shape structural change within the church.  More information about VOTF is available  at www.VOTF.org.   Also, consider starting a VOTF group (we call these Parish Voices) at your parish as you learn more.

>> 15 Things Any Catholic Can Do.
At VOTF, we believe in 'picking up a shovel'.  Review our list of 15 things any Catholic can do at  http://www.voiceofthefaithful.org/pv/15things.html

>> VOTF Elections
In our May 31st Weekly Voice, we asked for a "yes or no" vote for an interim 4 month plan for a Leadership Council.  You, the Faithful, by an overwhelming margin, approved this plan.  We are finalizing the exact totals, but approximately 2000 people voted yes and 4 voted no for the plan.   We also received over 25 candidates for the At-Large positions.  As mentioned last week, this was a historic event in VOTF's young history and in the history of laity movements.  VOTF is committed to democratically representing the laity to the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic church.  Last week was an important step in this direction.  More on the elections will be shared soon.

>> VOTF View on the US Bishops Proposal
This week in Dallas the US Bishops are meeting to discuss a working draft proposal to help keep our parishes safe for our children and grandchildren.  Please say a prayer for them.

We, VOTF, applaud the courage of the U.S. Bishops to present a policy to repair the damage caused by sexual abuse and restore the fractured trust among the laity.  However, we firmly believe that decisions regarding the response of the church to sexual abuse accusations should be rendered by a majority of lay-appointed individuals including: healthcare professionals expert in management of sexual abuse and victims of past abuses.  In addition to lay majority involvement, VOTF advocates zero tolerance for any priest proven to be guilty of sexual abuse of a minor ¾ in the past, present or future.  The initial step in enforcement of this policy should be the reporting to civil authorities of all allegations of sexual abuse of children.  The process should be used to determine if a misdemeanor or felony occurred. The failure of management seems to result from excessive concentration of power in the hands of the hierarchy.  A more active laity, as visible with VOTF, is a necessary step to achieve balance.

>> Many announcements of meetings are on our website. 
Note the VOTF meeting June 13 at 7:30pm in Dallas (the same week as the US Bishops Meeting) at the Adams Mark Hotel.   Also, please join us in Boston July 20th for the VOTF national convention.   

>>  Summary
The VOTF movement continues to grow by leaps and bounds.  On the media front this is a busy week.   The world heard what the Pope had to say a few months ago and will hear what the US Bishops have to say this week.  Next month, in Boston on July 20th the world via the press will have a chance to hear what the laity have to say.   Our July 20th conference in Boston is called "Response of the Faithful."  Join us if you can (info at www.VOTF.org).

Hope
Hope looks for good in people, instead of harping on the most worse
Hope opens doors where despair closes them
Hope discovers what can be done instead of grumbling about what cannot
Hope draws its power from a deep trust in God and the basic goodness of human nature
Hope "lights a candle" instead of 'curing the darkness"
Hope regards problems, small or large, as opportunities
Hope cherishes no illusions, nor does it yield to cynicism
Hope sets big goals and is not frustrated by repeated difficulties or setbacks.
Hope pushes ahead when it would be easy to quit
Hope is a good loser because it has the divine assurance of final victory

- By Father James Keller.  Founder of The Christophers


Keep the Faith.  Change the Church.

Paul Baier for The Voice of the Faithful Team

Timmy was a little five year old boy that his Mom loved very much and,
being a worrier, she was concerned about him walking to school when he
started kindergarten. She walked him to school the first couple of days, but
then he came home and told his mother that he did not want her walking him
to school everyday. He wanted to be like the "big boys."

Mom, of course, knew how to handle this.  She asked a neighbor,
Mrs.Goodnest, if she would surreptitiously follow her son to school, at a
distance behind him that he would not likely notice, but close enough to
keep a watch on him. Mrs. Goodnest said that since she was up early with her
toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some
exercise as well, so she agreed.

The next school day, Mrs. Goodnest and her little girl, Marcy, set out
following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor boy. She
did this for the whole week. As the boys walked and chatted, kicking stones
and twigs, the little friend of Timmy noticed that this same lady was
following them as she seemed to do every day all week.

Finally, he said to Timmy, "Have you noticed that lady following us all
week? Do you know her?"  Timmy nonchalantly replied,
"Yea, I know who she is."

The little friend said, "Well who is she?"  "That's just
Shirley Goodnest" Timmy said.

"Shirley Goodnest? Who is she and why is she following us?"

"Well," Timmy explained, "Every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm
with my prayers cuz she worries about me so much. And in the psalm it says,
'Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me
all the days of my life,' so I guess I'll just have to get used to it."

 

Here is another site for the Connecticut Special Olympics held last week.

Password when prompted is Gold2.

http://homepage.mac.com/gold730/SpecialOlympics2/PhotoAlbum9.html

 

My sister Joanne and Jack's son Bob had quite a high school career.

This published story summarizes his accomplishments.

1570 SAT's and a great graduation party too!

At the opposite end of the educational spectrum from Bob:

The following are actual excerpts from reports and tests from America's
 finest high schools and colleges. Spelling has been preserved.
The airplane was invented and first flown by the Marx brothers.
 Hitler's instrumentality of terror was the Gespacho.
 Noah's wife was Joan of Ark.
Middle Eastern history was written by Florence of Arabia.
 The Soviets erected the Berlin Mall?
 Plato invented reality. He was teacher to Harris Tottle, author of The Republicans.
Germany's William II had a chimp on his shoulder and therefore had to ride
his horse with only one hand.
 The Germans took the by-pass around France's Marginal Line. This was known
as the "Blintz Krieg."
 Corruption grew especially ripe in Zaire, where Mobutu was known to
 indulge in more than an occasional little armadillo.
 The plurious of wealth was therefore uneven. The rural populous was
 reduced to tenement farming.
 The Boston Tea Party was held at Pearl Harbor.
Americans wanted no involvement in the French and Indian War because they
 did not want to fight in India.
 Moses was told by Jesus Christ to lead the people out of Egypt into the
 Sahaira Desert. The Book of Exodus describes this trip, including the Ten
 Commandments, various special effects and the building of the Suez Canal.
 Zorroastrologism was founded by Zorro. This was a duelist religion.
During the Dark Ages it was mostly dark.
Christianity was just another mystery cult until Jesus was born. The
 mother of Jesus was Mary, who was different from other women because of her
 immaculate contraption.
 The fall of empires has been a good thing, because it gives more people a
 chance to exploit their own people without outside interference.
 Roman girls who did not marry could become Vestigal Virgins, a group of
 women who were dedicated to burning the internal flame.
 Machiavelli, who was often unemployed, wrote The Prince to get a job with
 Richard Nixon.
 History is nothing more than the behind of the present.
 This gives incites from the anals of the past.
 The British Empire is in a state of recline. Its colonies have slowly
 dribbled away leaving only the odd speck on the map.
Civil rights leader Martin Luther Junior was slain in the 1960s, shortly
 after making his famous "If I Had A Hammer" speech.
 World War II began turning around when the Allies landed near Italy's toe
 and gradually advanced up her leg.
 Hitler shot himself in the bonker.
When the Davy Jones Index crashed in 1929 many people were left to
 political incineration. Some, like John Paul Sart, retreated into
 extraterrestrialism. The New Deal was an idea inspired by Franklin Eleanor
 Roosavelt.
     "Judyism had one big God named Yahoo."
 Satan Husane invaided Kiwi and Sandy Arabia.
 Spartacus led a slave rebellion in ancient Rome and then appeared in a
 movie about it later.
 Martin Luther nailed 95 theocrats to a church door.
 The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare. He was
 born in the year 1564, supposedly on his birthday. He never made much money and
 is famous only because of his plays. He wrote tragedies, and comedies, all
 in Islamic pentameter. Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic
 couplet.
Writing at the same time as Shakespeare was Miguel Cervantes. He wrote
 Donkey Hote.
During the Renaissance America began. Christopher Columbus was a great
 navigator who discovered America while cursing about the Atlantic. His
 ships were called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Fe.
 Later, the Pilgrims crossed the ocean, and this was called Pilgrim's
 Progress. The winter of 1620 was a hard one for the settlers. Many people
 died and many babies were born. Captain John Smith was responsible for all
 this.
 One of the causes of the Revolutionary War was the English put tacks in
their tea. Also, the colonists would send their parcels through the post
 without stamps. Finally the colonists won the War and no longer had to pay
 for taxis.
Delegates from the original 13 states formed the Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin discovered electricity by rubbing
two cats backwards and declared, "A horse divided against itself cannot stand."   Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead.
Soon the Constitution of the United States was adopted to secure domestic
 hostility. Under the constitution the people enjoyed the right to keep
 bare arms.
Abraham Lincoln became America's greatest Precedent. Lincoln's mother died
 in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he built with his own
 hands. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves by signing the Emasculation
 Proclamation. On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the theater
 and got shot in his seat by one of the actors in a moving picture show.
 The believed assinator was John Wilkes Booth, a supposedly insane actor. This
 ruined Booth's career.
 The Greeks were a highly sculptured people, and without them we wouldn't
 have history. The Greeks also had myths. A myth is a female moth.
 Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice.
 They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock. After his
 death, his career suffered a dramatic decline.
   "In the Olympic  games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled  the biscuits, and
    threw the java."
 Eventually, the Romans conquered the Greeks. History calls people Romans
 because they never stayed in one place for very long.
 Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides
 of March murdered him because they thought he was going to be made king.
Dying, he gasped out: "Tee hee, Brutus."
 Nero was a cruel tyranny who would torture his subjects by playing the
 fiddle to them.
Joan of Arc was burnt to a steak and was cannonized by Bernard Shaw.
 Finally Magna Carta provided that no man should be hanged twice for the
 same offense.
 In midevil times most people were alliterate. The greatest writer of the
 futile ages was Chaucer, who wrote many poems and verses and also wrote
 literature.
 Another story was William Tell, who shot an arrow through an apple while
 standing on his son's head.
 It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented
 removable type and the Bible. Another important invention was the
 circulation of blood. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he
 invented cigarettes and started smoking.
 Meanwhile in Europe, the enlightenment was a reasonable time. Voltaire
 invented electricity and also wrote a book called Candy.
 Gravity was invented by Issac Walton. It is chiefly noticeable in the
 autumn when the apples are falling off the trees.
 Johann Bach wrote a great many musical compositions and had a large number
 of children. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Bach was the most famous
 composer in the world and so was Handel. Handel was half German half
 Italian and half English. He was very large.
 Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he rote loud
 music. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling for
 him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died for this.
 The French Revolution was accomplished before it happened and catapulted
 into Napoleon.
 The sun never set on the British Empire because the British Empire is in> the East and the sun sets in the West.
 Queen Victoria was the longest queen. She sat on a thorn for 63 years. She
 was a moral woman who practiced virtue. Her death was the final event
 which ended her reign.
The nineteenth century was a time of a great many thoughts and inventions.
 People stopped reproducing by hand and started reproducing by machine. The  invention of the steamboat caused a network of rivers to spring up. Cyrus
 McCormick invented the McCormick raper, which did the work of a hundred
 men.
Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabbis. Charles Darwin was a
 naturalist who wrote the Organ of the Species. Madman Curie discovered radio. And
 Karl Marx became one of the Marx brothers.
 The First World War, caused by the assignation of the Arch-Duck by an
 anahist, ushered in a new error in the anals of human history.
 


Uncle Pete

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