Just outside an Iraqi palace, the current home of the 4th Infantry Division, stands a statue that will eventually be shipped to the military memorial museum at Fort Hood, Texas. The statue was created by an Iraqi artist named Kalat, who for years had been forced to make hundreds of bronze busts of Saddam that dotted the landscape of Baghdad.

The statue depicts an American soldier kneeling before the boots, upturned rifle, and a helmet of a fallen comrade. Beside him stands a little Iraqi girl with her hand on his shoulder, giving him comfort. Kalat was so grateful for the American liberation of his country he melted three of the heads of Saddam and formed the bronze into the memorial. It is said he worked on it day and night for several months.

So why did we not hear about this statue in the news…because it is heart warming and praiseworthy. The media avoids it because it does not have the shock effect that a flashed breast or controversy of politics does.

A missing girl in Aruba grabs headlines and talk show gabbers for weeks on end. A strange white-faced black rock star gets more attention than an earthquake in California. The media figures that a huge section of our population feeds on such revelations and they are correct.

Fortunately the majority of Americans can see through and beyond the liberal or twisted media and seeks the truth. Most of us know what would happen if the tiger we have by the tail in Iraq were let loose. The same that would have happened if a person named Hitler had not been defeated…lest we forget.

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What this nation needs is Democrats and other liberals to behave as Republicans did back in 1941 when President Roosevelt had his hands full of Hitler’s attempt at world domination. I was there and can recall only that the entire nation got behind him in staving off what was considered a threat to us even though we were not attacked.

Listen to the Democrats now, not missing any chance to find fault with Bush and every aspect of our military. If they cannot see terrorists as a threat to the non-Muslim world they are blind, deaf, and dumb. Ted Kennedy and cohorts make the once proud Democratic Party look very bad. And having Howard Dean as their spokesman is beyond the pale. They are willing to risk perpetuating the war by encouraging the enemy.

I recall none of that in the forties. I was a civilian first and later a soldier during that time and I was proud that my country forgot any differences and pulled together to get the job done. Where are those people now? Will they be able to say they were part of a great generation? Not in my book.

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T. B. Bechtol, part time City Councilman from Midland, Texas, was asked on a local live radio talk show the other day just what he thought of the allegations of torture of the Iraqi prisoners. His reply prompted his ejection from the studio, but to thunderous applause from the audience: &uot;If hooking up parts of a terrorists anatomy to a car battery will save one American GI’s life, then I have just two things to say&uot;: &uot;Red is positive&uot; &uot;Black is negative.&uot;

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In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives. Then using God’s great gifts,

Satan created Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and Krispy Creme donuts. And Satan said, &uot;You want chocolate with that?&uot; And Man said, &uot;Yes!&uot; and Woman said, &uot;and as long as you’re at it, add some sprinkles.&uot; And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.

And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.

So God said, &uot;Try my fresh green salad.&uot;

And Satan

presented Thousand Island

Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. God then said, &uot;I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them.&uot; And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof. God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it &uot;Angel Food Cake,&uot; and said, &uot;It is good.&uot; Satan then created chocolate cake and named it &uot;Devil’s Food.&uot;

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat

and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds. God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald’s and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, &uot;You want fries with that?&uot; And Man replied, &uot;Yes! And super size them!&uot; And Satan said, &uot;It is good.&uot; And Man went into cardiac arrest. God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. Then Satan created HMOs.

Robert Pocklington is a Suffolk resident and regular News-Herald columnist. He n

reached at 934-9611.