by Mary Saracino
It’s a crying shame, you know,
how those folks in South Dakota
laid down the law that terminated a woman’s
sovereign rule over her own womb.
They aborted our rights to decide
for ourselves what’s best for our lives,
for our families. They claim it’s
convenience we seek,
as if women cavalierly opt for expediency
over motherhood, stopping by
the medical clinic on a whim, ducking in
for a quick visit en route from work
to home, as if an abortion were simply
another item to cross off our to-do list,
as routine as swinging by
the fast-food drive-thru window for a burger,
processing our vacation pictures
at the one-hour photo shop,
or grabbing a Slurpee at the 7-11 —
just something else to cram into
an already harried day. Morning sickness,
and that bloated feeling, just bogs a girl down,
makes us crazy, impulsive,
compels us to do things without
discernment, those legislators just
have to protect us from our rash, reckless selves,
as if our uteruses ran roughshod
over our brains, as if those lawmakers
could cleave open our minds,
peer clear down into our souls, decipher
our intentions, our reasons, the whys and wherefores
of our most intimate decisions.
After all, life’s too precious, too precarious
to entrust to fickle females, I mean
the whole human race would perish
if procreation were laid in our laps,
don’t you think? That’s too much
responsibility for a mere girl to handle.
Mary Saracino is a novelist, memoir writer, and poet who lives in Denver, CO. Her newest novel The Singing of Swans is to be published by Pearlsong Press in the fall of 2006.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Thursday, March 30, 2006
HUMAN WITH A FELINE HEAD
by Diane Raptosh
Hohlensten-Stadel, Germany ca. 30,000-28,000 B.C.,
mammoth ivory, 11 5/8" high
Whisker and word sash, undershirt, underworld. Fact: Lambs, if raised by goats, will grow to prefer the fostering species for lifemate. For that matter, some words take in their antonyms, such as oversight and oversight, duck as in down about the head and duck in the nautical sense. Mistakes may have been made. "Maybe we need an unhappy medium, where things are somewhat less than fine yet not so desperate as war," mewls the feline man fielding questions as yet unaired in the midst of a nap, weightless with chicken fat.
Diane Raptosh has two books of poems, Just West of Now (Guernica 1992) and Labor Songs (Guernica 1999), and has published widely in such journals as Pif, Women's Studies Quarterly, and Michigan Quarterly Review. She teaches English and Creative Writing at Albertson College of Idaho.
Hohlensten-Stadel, Germany ca. 30,000-28,000 B.C.,
mammoth ivory, 11 5/8" high
Whisker and word sash, undershirt, underworld. Fact: Lambs, if raised by goats, will grow to prefer the fostering species for lifemate. For that matter, some words take in their antonyms, such as oversight and oversight, duck as in down about the head and duck in the nautical sense. Mistakes may have been made. "Maybe we need an unhappy medium, where things are somewhat less than fine yet not so desperate as war," mewls the feline man fielding questions as yet unaired in the midst of a nap, weightless with chicken fat.
Diane Raptosh has two books of poems, Just West of Now (Guernica 1992) and Labor Songs (Guernica 1999), and has published widely in such journals as Pif, Women's Studies Quarterly, and Michigan Quarterly Review. She teaches English and Creative Writing at Albertson College of Idaho.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
THESE TIMES
by Ed Webb
Tottering with two full mugs of tea
Put the lightswitch out of reach:
Let it burn a while longer.
Of such things are the doom of the planet made.
Soldiers returning from the oil war eagerly feed their combat pay
into sleek, hungry toys
Which no one could wish to deny them.
At least this field of coffins will fully degrade.
The degraded dead keep on giving while the living idle,
Pouring death into a reddening sky.
Ed Webb is a former diplomat and a current trouble-maker living in Philadelphia, PA.
Tottering with two full mugs of tea
Put the lightswitch out of reach:
Let it burn a while longer.
Of such things are the doom of the planet made.
Soldiers returning from the oil war eagerly feed their combat pay
into sleek, hungry toys
Which no one could wish to deny them.
At least this field of coffins will fully degrade.
The degraded dead keep on giving while the living idle,
Pouring death into a reddening sky.
Ed Webb is a former diplomat and a current trouble-maker living in Philadelphia, PA.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
CRACKERS ARE REMINDERS
OF NEW YORK CITY'S H-BOMB FEARS
by Rochelle Ratner
The salt, perhaps, acted as a preservative, much as it does
in third-world countries with no refrigeration. But this is
New York City, circa 1962, the middle of the Cuban Missile
crisis. Children crouch under small metal desks with empty
inkwells, arms clasped over bent heads. There are air raid
drills in high-rise office buildings where adults quietly file
into long, windowless corridors. Laos is the most recent
country to gain independence, Sputnik's still fresh in
everyone's mind, water puts out fire, every five-year-old in
America presumably knows how to swim. The Brooklyn
Bridge dangles at least a hundred feet above the river,
while fresh water, bandages, paper blankets, and 352,000
Saltines are sealed in its base. What's amazing is the
pigeons didn't get them.
Rochelle Ratner's books include two novels: Bobby's Girl (Coffee House Press, 1986) and The Lion's Share (Coffee House Press, 1991) and sixteen poetry books, including House and Home (Marsh Hawk Press, 2003) and Beggars at the Wall (Ikon, October 2005). More information and links to her writing on the Internet can be found on her homepage: www.rochelleratner.com.
The salt, perhaps, acted as a preservative, much as it does
in third-world countries with no refrigeration. But this is
New York City, circa 1962, the middle of the Cuban Missile
crisis. Children crouch under small metal desks with empty
inkwells, arms clasped over bent heads. There are air raid
drills in high-rise office buildings where adults quietly file
into long, windowless corridors. Laos is the most recent
country to gain independence, Sputnik's still fresh in
everyone's mind, water puts out fire, every five-year-old in
America presumably knows how to swim. The Brooklyn
Bridge dangles at least a hundred feet above the river,
while fresh water, bandages, paper blankets, and 352,000
Saltines are sealed in its base. What's amazing is the
pigeons didn't get them.
Rochelle Ratner's books include two novels: Bobby's Girl (Coffee House Press, 1986) and The Lion's Share (Coffee House Press, 1991) and sixteen poetry books, including House and Home (Marsh Hawk Press, 2003) and Beggars at the Wall (Ikon, October 2005). More information and links to her writing on the Internet can be found on her homepage: www.rochelleratner.com.
FOR WANT OF A NAIL
by JeFF Stumpo
The towel boy is on screen for three seconds
before the camera cuts to UConn's coach
pacing, perhaps plotting three moves ahead,
or maybe just waiting for some spherical Godot.
Soon the ball will be passed inbounds, play will continue,
UConn will win in an excruciating OT.
The highlight reels will mythologize each hanging dunk,
Each tre, each turnover, each insane save.
But for a beautiful three seconds we see behind the veil,
Some Everyman mopping up the gods' bright sweat
That their miraculous bodies might not be their undoing.
JeFF Stumpo is author of the multilingual poetic sequence/chapbook El Oceano y La Serpiente / The Ocean and The Serpent (Zenane 2004), co-founder and co-editor of the online journal Big Tex[t], co-creator of www.HarryWiki.com, and founder and host of Javashock, the Brazos Valley's poetry slam. He has poorly-designed webspace at people.tamu.edu/~jstumpo.
The towel boy is on screen for three seconds
before the camera cuts to UConn's coach
pacing, perhaps plotting three moves ahead,
or maybe just waiting for some spherical Godot.
Soon the ball will be passed inbounds, play will continue,
UConn will win in an excruciating OT.
The highlight reels will mythologize each hanging dunk,
Each tre, each turnover, each insane save.
But for a beautiful three seconds we see behind the veil,
Some Everyman mopping up the gods' bright sweat
That their miraculous bodies might not be their undoing.
JeFF Stumpo is author of the multilingual poetic sequence/chapbook El Oceano y La Serpiente / The Ocean and The Serpent (Zenane 2004), co-founder and co-editor of the online journal Big Tex[t], co-creator of www.HarryWiki.com, and founder and host of Javashock, the Brazos Valley's poetry slam. He has poorly-designed webspace at people.tamu.edu/~jstumpo.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
@DELPHI.COM
by Robert M. Chute
There is something strange,
a change in atmosphere, I said.
A trend that has already turned
some blue states to red.
Is it a promise or a warning?
How can we tell?
The printer whirred, the paper
curled out and fell.
Is there a difference?
the printout read.
Robert M. Chute’s new book from JustWrite Books, Reading Nature, poetry based on scientific articles, is available from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
There is something strange,
a change in atmosphere, I said.
A trend that has already turned
some blue states to red.
Is it a promise or a warning?
How can we tell?
The printer whirred, the paper
curled out and fell.
Is there a difference?
the printout read.
Robert M. Chute’s new book from JustWrite Books, Reading Nature, poetry based on scientific articles, is available from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
Friday, March 24, 2006
PLUTO
by David Chorlton
The mission takes off. We shall wait
for years before a message comes back,
flying through the holes in a six
and nine noughts to tell us what exists
on a planet named for the ancient god
of the underworld. By the time
we know about the balance
of rock and ice on Pluto, we shall have news
from Earth about rising tides
and how much air
is safe to breathe. There will be cheers
at ground control
as the weather is announced: three hundred and fifty
Fahrenheit below zero. Perhaps the technology
will exist to import some of the cold,
to bring it back through space
and unpack it for distribution in our polar regions
so the ice will freeze again. At thousands of miles
every hour, technology’s miracle
travels the distance of our imagination
while vehicles on their cross-town drives
exhale the scent of slow destruction
as they head to the latest shopping mall
for a sale, to save what can be saved
at a late hour, even
if it’s only money.
David Chorlton was born in Austria, grew up in England, and spent several years in Vienna before moving to Phoenix in1978. He enjoys listening to very old music, birding, and hiking in the Arizona landscape. Along with poems in magazines, he has a list of chapbook publications with Places You Can’t Reach (Pudding House Publications) being the latest, and two recent books: A Normal Day Amazes Us (Kings Estate Press) and Return to Waking Life (Main Street Rag Publishing Company).
The mission takes off. We shall wait
for years before a message comes back,
flying through the holes in a six
and nine noughts to tell us what exists
on a planet named for the ancient god
of the underworld. By the time
we know about the balance
of rock and ice on Pluto, we shall have news
from Earth about rising tides
and how much air
is safe to breathe. There will be cheers
at ground control
as the weather is announced: three hundred and fifty
Fahrenheit below zero. Perhaps the technology
will exist to import some of the cold,
to bring it back through space
and unpack it for distribution in our polar regions
so the ice will freeze again. At thousands of miles
every hour, technology’s miracle
travels the distance of our imagination
while vehicles on their cross-town drives
exhale the scent of slow destruction
as they head to the latest shopping mall
for a sale, to save what can be saved
at a late hour, even
if it’s only money.
David Chorlton was born in Austria, grew up in England, and spent several years in Vienna before moving to Phoenix in1978. He enjoys listening to very old music, birding, and hiking in the Arizona landscape. Along with poems in magazines, he has a list of chapbook publications with Places You Can’t Reach (Pudding House Publications) being the latest, and two recent books: A Normal Day Amazes Us (Kings Estate Press) and Return to Waking Life (Main Street Rag Publishing Company).
Thursday, March 23, 2006
The CHENI@D:
Volume Two
Book XIII: CHENEY, Co4Seer
"I 4see clearly how Democracy has won"
says CHENEY, declaring Victory in Iraq,
"Anyone who did not 4see this is blind."
He e-adjusts his in4ra-red monocular:
"Anyone who can't 4see these last days
of the beaten insurgency needs 4-eyes!
Over 3 years ago, I 4saw Peace in Iraq;
my dearest friend, Ariel Sharon, 4saw
peace in Israel. As men of peace, we 4saw
what surely came to pass! If only he could
stand beside me here, his monocular
in hand, 2see this." While he speaks,
his eyes water, his hand shakes, his
head nods. His time has come; his hour
is @ hand, his sh@ronic mission done.
Book XIV: CHENEY, Master of Illusions
Saddam’s fabled fleet of doubles returns: Dubya
bikes w/a Secret Service squad of 5 dubyles,
cruising winey Napa above San Francisco Bay
in a swarm of spiky jet-black bike-weenies
murmuring “Death to Whoever dares cut us off!”
CHENEY chuckles. “Keep the Media heat off me!”
from his secret chamber. “Dubya sucks cold wind.
I suck the souls from both the living & the dead.
I swallow what is false & spew out what is real.
I am the master of souls, images, illusions, lies;
woe betide anyone who calls my bluff. Scooter
‘s a corpse with the dead face of the false living.
Whatever he says will be on his stony epitaph;
his treasonous hand will burst from his grave.*”
*My Polish-speaking Matka often told me as a child that anyone who strikes his mother
will suffer the (symbolic) punishment of his dry bony hand bursting up out of his grave.
will suffer the (symbolic) punishment of his dry bony hand bursting up out of his grave.
Book XV: CHENEY, NeoBoliv@r of Free Oil & G@s
(Vilnius, Leituva) CHENEY met 2 of Moscow's least
favorites, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko
& Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili who’d led
democratic revolutions in their post-Soviet republics.
CHENEY’d planned 2 meet w/opposition leader
Alexander Milinkevich of Belarus, but he’d been
jailed by the Belarussian government last week.
"The Belarussian regime should end this injustice
& free Mr. Milinkevich, along with any other
democracy advocates now held in captivity,"
CHENEY said & added: "There’s no place in
a Europe whole & free for a regime of this kind."
Then, addressing Russia directly, CHENEY said:
"In many areas of civil society, from religion
& the news media, to advocacy groups
& political parties, the government has unfairly
& improperly restricted the rights of her people."
Referring 2 Russia's brief cutoff of gas 2 Ukraine,
CHENEY said: "No legitimate interest is served when
oil & gas become tools of intimidation or blackmail.
Free markets are the lifeblood of free peoples;
oil & gas must flow as free as the rain & wind.”
Book XVI: CHENEY, Make Notes [newspoem]
CHENEY’s handwritten notes on the margins of
Amb. Joe Wilson's NYT op-ed column July 6, 2003
"the contemporaneous reaction of the vice president,"
are “relevant to establishing some of the facts viewed
as important by the defendants immediate superior
about whether Wilson’s wife had “sent him on a junket." .
CHENEY’s notes "support the prop. that publication
of the Wilson op-ed acutely focused the attention
of the VP & the defendant Libby, - his chief of staff -
on Mr. Wilson, on the assertions made in his article,
& on responding to those assertions," says Fitzgerald.
Libby admitted CHENEY had told him in June 2003
about Wilson’s wife working at the CIA. But Libby
told the investigators that by the next month, he’d
(somehow) forgotten the vice president had told him..
Scribbled days b4 the leaks of Plame's identity, CHENEY
notes the CIA & Wilson’s trip: "Have they done this sort of
thing before? Send an Amb. to assess a question? Do we
ordinarily send people out 2do pro bono 2work 4us?
Or did his wife send him on a junket?"
To undercut Libby's
defense, Fitzgerald wants2introduce evidence referring2 CHENEY & Wilson's wife, asking "Why were people taking
this information about Valerie Wilson & giving it 2reporters?"
The Oct. 28 indictment charged Libby w/5 counts of perjury,
obstruction & lying2 the FBI, the first indication that
the Libby case might also focus closely on CHENEY.
Book XVII: CHENEY, Rai$e$ Earne$t Money [newspoem]
Dick CHENEY said a lot of nice things about
U.S. Rep. Rick Pombo at a dimly-lit $500-a-head
campaign fund-raiser tonite in Stockton CA..
“Congressman Rick Pombo’s earned another term
in the House of Representatives,'' CHENEY said to a
tightly packed crowd of 200 in the 2nd-floor lobby
of the restored Bob Hope Theater in Stockton.
“He’s good for California & he's good for the nation.''
Pombo's chief Republican primary challenger is
former Peninsula congressman Paul ‘Pete’ McCloskey.
who joined the media crush giving sidewalk interviews
as the crowd waited for a glimpse of CHENEY slipping
into Stockton by the back door. “I can't imagine how
CHENEY’s helping Pombo's reputation,'' said McCloskey,
who came out of retirement to run against the incumbent,
“CHENEY’s less popular in California than Bush.'' Still,
Conservative Republicans paid $2,100/ea to have photos
taken with CHENEY “who isn't important at this stage,''
says USC political-scientist Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, “He's
popular w/conservative Republicans. He energizes
their primary base & raises money.'' (Total: $200K+)
Rev.. Brant Randal Rognart’s opening prayer was:
Lord, tonight i$ all about rai$ing money.''
Book XVIII: CHENEY, "Bonhomme, Richard!"
[San Diego CA] (w/Applause cues)
“I came by today because I wanted2say
thank you 4what you've done 4all of us.
Being in the neighborhood, I wanted2personally
thank the men & women on the ships of ESG-1.
You're a spectacular group that has carried out
humanitarian missions, disaster relief, & combat operations.
I saw your work with my own eyes on a trip
to the earthquake region in Pakistan late last year.
In addition, some of the Marines here today
were also present when I visited al Asad, Iraq.
In February -- that's all right, don't hold back.
(Laughter and applause.) in February, ESG-1
returned home from a truly historic deployment.
It's good to see all of you, & I'm delighted
to say welcome home. (Applause.)
The ships of the ESG-1 logged 10s of thousands
of miles on the recent deployment, provided
key support2Operation Iraqi Freedom
& 2the global war on terror. With us 2day
is the crew of the USS Tarawa -- (Applause)
don't overdo it -- (Laughter)
which steamed across2oceans, visiting 9countries
in Southwest Asia, Africa, & the Far East.
Tarawa provided humanitarian relief in the Philippines,
& participated in Exercise Bright Star in Egypt,
along with the USS Cleveland. (Applause)
that also conducted maritime security operations
in the Persian Gulf, trained with the Iraqi Navy,
& transported tons of heavy equipment,
food, & supplies to Pakistan after the earthquake.
The USS Pearl Harbor was also there in Pakistan
(applause) offloading heavy equipment needed
to clear roads, set up hospitals, & save lives.
I also want to recognize the other ships of ESG-1
that are now docked in Hawaii & Washington State
the USS Chosin, USS Santa Fe, USS Ingraham,
as well as the USS Gonzalez, still on sea-swap
deployment with the 5th Fleet. (Applause.)
Their assignments included joint exercises
with coalition partners & security patrols.
Another great ship, our host platform today,
is the USS Bonhomme Richard -- (Applause)
which spearheaded the Tsunami relief effort off Indonesia last year.
All around us 2day are the signs of American sea power
a fleet like none that ever sailed before,
a Navy, & Marine Corps that uphold noble traditions,
& a flag that stands for freedom, human rights,
& stability in a turbulent world. Aboard these ships,
on this base, & across the globe, Americans in uniform
are writing a new chapter of excellence & achievement
for the United States Armed Forces. You bring relief2
the helpless, hope2the oppressed. And you are
protecting the people of this nation in a time of war.
When this conflict began nearly 5 years ago,
President Bush told Congress & the country that
we "should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign,
unlike any other we've ever seen." "It may," he said,
"include dramatic strikes, visible on televison
& covert operations, secret even in success."
All this has come to pass & there is more work 2B done,
because we face ruthless & determined enemies.
We are dealing with small groups of highly motivated extremists,
operating in the shadows, determined2carry out missions
of murder of increasing size & audacity.
They came in2 our country2murder thousands of our fellow citizens.
They continued attempting2evade our strengths,
2search for our weaknesses, in order2find ways2strike again.
& the greatest danger2civilization
is the prospect of a terror network,
on its own or with the help of an outlaw regime,
acquiring weapons of mass destruction
and thereby gaining the power
2kill hundreds of thousands,
& 2blackmail entire nations.
In the face of such enemies, we have2consider a few basic questions:
1st, whether 2confront them on our terms, or on their terms; 2nd,
whether2face them on their territory, or our territory; and 3rd,
whether2wage this war on offense or defense.
America & the civilized world have made our decision:
Wherever terrorists operate, we will find them where they dwell,
stop them in their planning, & bring them2justice. We will stay on offense
& stay in the fight until the fight is won. (Applause.)
It's a large effort, because the terror network
has cells in countries all over the world.
Yet bit by bit, by diplomacy, through
intelligence cooperation, police work,
& the spread of democratic institutions,
we are acting2shrink the area
in which the terrorists can operate freely.
We have also enforced a doctrine
that is understood by all: Governments
that support or harbor terrorists
are complicit in the murder of the innocent,
& equally guilty of terrorist crimes.
We gave ultimatums2the brutal regimes
led by the Taliban & Saddam Hussein.
& when those regimes defied the demands
of the civilized world, we acted2remove them
4m power & 2liberate their people.
The nature of the terrorist enemy
hidden, diffuse, secret in their movements,
asymmetrical in their tactics -- creates
a different kind of security environment.
& a military that was designed
for the mid-2-late 20th century
must now become a force that is more adaptable,
more agile, & more lethal in action.
As we transform the military
we're going2build upon traditional advantages
such as our technological superiority, our ability
to project force across great distances, & our
precision strike capabilities. We're going2stress
rapid reaction & reward new thinking, breaking
down old information stovepipes, & placing
greater emphasis on jointness of operations.
At the same time, we're keeping our eye
on the fundamentals, & one of those is sea power.
Naval operations are every bit as important,
if not more so, than they were in the last century.
Nothing takes the place of a naval task force,
able2enter any ocean, project great force
from over the horizon, & keep terrorists
from disrupting the sea lanes or using the ocean
to transport operatives or weapons. Sea power
allows the Commander-in-Chief 2commit
forces while retaining flexibility. With ships in place,
we can fire precision strikes, launch sea-based
rockets & missiles, deploy SEALS
& Marine Air-Ground Task Forces
by night or day, from close by or 4rm a distance.
Expeditionary Strike Groups are essential
in this new security environment, because
they are so highly mobile & so adaptable.
With ESGs, we have great offensive capability,
expanded operational reach, a maritime
interdiction force without equal, & an even better
intelligence-gathering network.
After we got hit on 9/11, sea power had a central role
in taking down the Taliban. I can remember when
the campaign in Afghanistan was just beginning.
People warned us that the obstacles would be extreme
--& they were. Here, after all, was a landlocked country
with a forbidding, mountainous terrain, & winter setting in.
The enemy force was widely scattered, but well-armed,
protected by deep caves, & skilled in guerilla tactics.
Added2that was the sheer mileage between our forces
& their objective. & yet amphibious forces opened
the conventional war by establishing a forward-operating base
450 miles inland at Camp Rhino more than 2X the distance
that previous military doctrine considered supportable.
& in short order, the Taliban regime was removed from power.
Afghanistan 5 years ago was in the grip of a violent,
merciless regime that harbored terrorists
& plotted murder for export. Today Afghanistan
is a rising nation -- with an elected government,
a market economy & millions of children
going to school for the first time. And when
our forces return home 4rm that part of the world,
they can be proud of their service 4the rest of their lives. (Applause.)
The same is true for our people serving in Iraq.
Americans understand what is at stake in that country
& so do the terrorists. That is why they commit acts of random horror,
calculated2shock & intimidate the civilized world. The terrorists know
that as freedom takes hold, the ideologies of hatred & resentment
will lose their power & their appeal. The war on terror
is a battle4the future of civilization. It's a battle worth fighting.
It's a battle we're going2win. (Applause.)
In Iraq, having removed a dictator, our coalition
is working with Iraqi leaders toward the same goal:
a democratic country that can defend itself,
that will never again be a safe haven4terror,
that will be a model of freedom in a troubled part of the world.
Our strategy in Iraq is clear, our tactics will remain flexible,
& we'll keep at the work until we finish the job.
Progress has not come easily, but it has been steady,
& we can be confident going forward.
Iraq has the most progressive constitution
& the strongest democratic mandate in the entire Arab world.
Despite threats 4rm assassins & car-bombers, Iraqis came
forward by the millions to cast their votes & 2proclaim their rights
as citizens of a free country. Iraq now has a unity government
that is committed2 a future of freedom & progress for all Iraqis.
Our coalition has also put great effort
into standing up the Iraqi Security Forces.
& that work, also, is going very well.
At present more than a quarter of a million
trained & equipped Iraqi forces are in the fight
on behalf of the Iraqi people. As those forces
gain strength & experience, & as the political process
advances, we'll be able2decrease troop levels
without losing our capacity2defeat the terrorists.
And as always, decisions about troop levels
will be driven by the conditions on the ground
& the judgments of our military commanders
not by artificial timelines set by politicians
in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
We are going2keep at this mission
until it is completed because we have given our word,
& because freedom's victory in Iraq is vital2our own security.
If the terrorists were to succeed,
they would return Iraq 2the rule of tyrants,
make it a source of instability in the Middle East,
& use it as a staging area 4ever greater
attacks against America & other civilized nations.
But the advance of democracy in Iraq is giving
inspiration2reformers across the broader Middle East.
& as that region experiences new hope & progress,
we will see the power of freedom2lift up whole nations,
& the spread of liberty will produce a much safer world
4our children & our grandchildren.
Our cause is necessary; our cause is just;
& we are on the right side of history.
As President Bush has said,
the only way2lose this fight is2quit
-- & quitting is not an option. (Applause.)
Americans know about the heroism
displayed every day in this war,
& we are not the kind of people
to take our military for granted.
All the people of this country
appreciate the sacrifices of those who serve.
We care deeply for those
who have given their lives or suffered terrible injuries.
& we appreciate our military families as well.
I was struck by a recent comment
made by General Peter Pace, a good Marine,
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He said that your families, "serve this country
equally well as anyone who ever wore the uniform.
They sit silently at home & pray for their loved one,
waiting 4news of their return, then silently stand back
& pretend that they had nothing2do with our success.
Whereas, in fact, it is the love & support
of our families that makes all the difference in the world."
I know that General Pace's words speak4all of you.
And I want you2know that our entire nation
is filled with gratitude 4all of our military families. (Applause.)
Ladies & gentlemen, none of us can ever know
all the turns that lie ahead for America
in the fight against terror.
Yet the direction of events is plain2see,
& this period of struggle & testing is also a time of promise.
The United States of America is making the world a better place
by defending the innocent, confronting the violent,
& bringing freedom2the oppressed.
We understand the continuing dangers2civilization,
and we have the resources,
the strength, &the moral courage
2overcome those dangers.
As our President has made clear,
our terrorist enemies will fail
because the movement of history
is 2ward justice & human freedom.
The terrorists will fail because the resolve of America
& our allies will not B=aken & the terrorists will fail.
Each time I visit a military facility
I come away with renewed confidence
in the men & women who wear the uniform of the United States.
Each 1 you has dedicated yourself
to serving our country & its ideals,
& you are meeting that commitment every single day
at a period -- a time of -- challenges in American history.
The more you know about this country, & the more you travel
& see what we've been able to achieve in this troubled world,
you cannot help but grow in optimism & yes, swell in pride as well.
I'll never forget my trip last December to Pakistan,
going by helicopter to the earthquake-stricken area,
out in the foothills of the Himalayas. After the quake had hit,
President Bush ordered units of our military 2o in and help,
& within 48 hours Americans were on the scene.
Up in the mountains was a MASH unit
with military physicians, nurses, & physicians assistants,
& even some volunteer doctors from the United States.
Lynne and I went2hat tent village.
& I can tell you, it's quite a feeling
to stand in the remotest hinterlands
& see the American flag,
& citizens of our country giving aid2he desperate,
including medical care2ome people
who had never before seen a doctor in their entire lives.
This operation would not have been possible
without the supporting efforts of ESG-1. (Applause.)
These are extraordinary accomplishments
& yet they are so typical of Americans
& so very much in the spirit of our country.
The United States is a good & a generous land.
We are a nation that believes in ideals,
upholds them in our own country,
& acts on them in the world beyond.
From providing global food aid & disaster relief,
to standing with freedom-loving peoples
in the struggle against tyranny and terror,
we are doing great good in this world.
Once again, I want to thank each & every 1 of you
for serving the land we love. You've done exemplary work
in a time of great national need. You've reflected great credit
on this country. You have made your fellow citizens very, very proud.
& it's been my great honor 2B in your company today.
Thank you. (Applause.)
Book XIX: CHENEY, Th@tM@ster