North Korea Trades Nukes for Food

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The U. S.  State Department surprised the world Wednesday when it announced progress in its negotiations with North Korea about its nuclear program. North Korea agreed to suspend uranium enrichment, nuclear testing, and long-range missile development in exchange for close to a quarter of a million tons of food from the U.S. to alleviate the critical shortage of food for the country's inhabitants.


Viewing the breakthrough with cautious optimism, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said it was a modest step forward and indicated that the country will be closely watched to ensure it follows through with its promises. Kim Jong-un is still new to the role of leader and little is known about how he intends to run the country; thus, it is difficult to gauge his sincerity.

North Korea also agreed to another important step toward nuclear disarmament. It will allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to enter the Yongbyon nuclear complex for the first time since 2009.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said North Korea’s latest commitments “are very welcome, but obviously they need to be followed up by action.” North Korea has a history of reneging on its promises, so, while this announcement raises hopes for a positive outcome, the Obama administration has adopted a "wait and see' attitude.

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Suspect Confesses to Shooting Students in Ohio

T.J. Lane, a 17-year-old student who attended Lake Academy, a school for at-risk students with academic or behavioral problems, shot and killed three students and wounded two others Tuesday at Chardon High School. Located outside of Cleveland, Ohio, the mall town of Chardon is reeling from the early morning tragedy and mourning the loss of Russell King, Jr., Demetrius Hewlin and Daniel Parmertor, the three boys who died from their wounds. 


Prosecutors said Lane, 17, has admitted taking a .22-caliber Ruger semiautomatic pistol to Chardon High School on Monday and firing 10 rounds at four students sitting at a cafeteria table. Although they have not formerly charged Lane yet, prosecutors stated that he would probably be tried an adult court. 


Chardon Schools Superintendent Joseph Bergant canceled classes for the district Tuesday. He made the decision so that school staff could "stay home and spend some time reflecting on family. And to every parent, if you haven't hugged or kissed your kids in the last couple of days, take that time. We're not just any old place, Chardon,. This is every place. As you've seen in the past, this can happen anywhere, proof of what we had yesterday."

Ham on Wry wonders when this country will face the issue of gun control squarely and recognize the depth of the problem. People claim their right to bear arms, but more guns are used to commit crimes than to protect victims As happened today, the students who were shot had no idea that someone would shoot them. The same truth applies to every shooting that has occurred at high schools and colleges in this nation. Protecting the innocent means enacting measure that will make it difficult to own guns for anything but legitimate reasons. Thorough investigations should occur before anyone can purchase a gun. We can't stop all shootings, but we can reduce their numbers.

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Attention American Women! Unite and Change Political Status Quo!

The photo at left depicts woman marching against the Vietnam War.  For those who were too young to remember that period of American history, women protesters turned the tide by marching in a united front against the war, eventually forcing its end.  I'm not implying that men didn't demonstrate and make a difference. My point is that women escalated the protest, and many of them were mothers who had lost their children and/or their spouses in that abomination, which never should have happened in the first place.

I'm fed up with men sending young people to the front lines of war under the auspices of "helping" the nation in question and failing to accomplish that aim. We have but to consider the Gulf War started under George H. W. Bush. The Untied States certainly helped Kuwait, but did not kill or capture Saddam Hussein. So, in 2003, Bush's son started the Iraq War, ostensibly because Iraq had WMD's, which never really existed. Hussein was captured and executed, but the country has devolved into chaos.



The war in Afghanistan started the October following 9/11 with the goal of dismantling Al Qaeda and freeing the Afghans from the terror that dominate that country under Taliban rule. Now, protesters want us to leave for a variety of reasons, so let's go. They can determine their own destiny.

I haven't tallied the total number of lives lost in those four wars, nor have I documented how many wounded men and women returned from the wars with permanent physical and mental impairments. However, I can state that whatever the number, it was not worth the cost to humanity or to our country, and it is far past time to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan permanently. They don't want us there, and I don't want us there either.

So, women of America, it's time for us to unite in an effort to elect a qualified, intellectually curious, talented woman as President of the United States, and I do not mean Sarah Palin. I shudder at the thought of her at a G8 conference, sitting next to Angela Merkel. In a time of global economic, cultural, and governmental strife, we must have someone with the experience and ability to handle complex issues that faces anyone who occupies the office. Men have had well over 200 years to "get it", and they haven't done so. Sorry, President Obama. You have tried and certainly gained ground, but we need a woman as President after you.

Since the election process started several months ago, it's clear that we must wait until 2016 to find the right woman for the job. She's out there somewhere, so let's start organizing locally, regionally, and nationally to elect a woman in four years. No more discussion about birth control. Florida Representative. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Davie) recently stated,"Contraception is an important part of women's preventive health care. It not only prevents unwanted pregnancies, but also allows couples to limit family size, increase the interval between pregnancies, and reduces infant, child and maternal deaths in women whom, either because of age or health, should not become pregnant." That statement sums up the important of keeping contraceptives in health plans.


Take that, Rick Santorum and anyone else who thinks insurance companies shouldn't provide birth control. No one forces women to use it. They do it for the reasons Representative Wasserman listed. Santorum and his supporters call themselves conservatives, but they fail to comprehend that unwanted children often wind up as a drain on society because they don't receive proper care at best, and are neglected, abused, or killed at worst. We don't care for these children now and would only add to the burden by eliminating birth control. If birth control goes, so should Viagra, Cialis, and all the similar drugs used for ED! 


Let's take action, instead of just talking about it. If you're tired of men who use social issues as a political platform and lack the wisdom to understand governing priorities, gather some of your friends and write to Congress about something that adversely affects those you love. Do it now, before we engage in battle yet again. 

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Two Americans Murdered in Kabul

A gunman killed two US Army officers inside the Afghan Interior Ministry building in Kabul Saturday on the  fifth day of violent protests against what officials claim was the accidental burning of.Qurans. Many questions exist about how this could have happened inside the heavily guarded compound.



General John Allen,commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said he recalled all NATO personnel from the ministries "for obvious force protection reasons, at the same time reassuring Afghanistan that the alliance remains committed to its partnership with the Afghan government.

Mohammed Mailir/Reuters

General Allen also announced that he has launched a thorough investigation of the crime and will follow all leads. He added, “The perpetrator of this attack is a coward whose actions will not go unanswered.”










The murders occurred within one of the most tightly secured areas of the ministry, raising concerns about how the killer gained access to the area. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the murders and said the killer has escaped.

As a safety precaution, The United Kingdom Foreign Office announced that it has withdrawn British officials working in Afghan ministries in Kabul. Ham on Wry urges President Obama to withdraw all U.S. civilian and military personnel immediately. Our presence there is no longer sought, nor is it helping the country to establish an effective government. The entire region must determine its own fate and countries in that region must help their neighbors. The U.S. and NATO can't solve all of the world's problems.

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Newt Gingrich Needs a Gag

Shah Marai AFP/Getty Photo

 President Barack Obama apologized Thursday morning for the accidental burning of Qurans by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Today marked the third straight day of protests, which have increased in number with each successive day. Newt Gingrich slammed Obama for writing the letter to Afghan President Hamid Karzai on the same day that two US soldiers were killed by a protester dressed as an Afghan soldier.








Ham on Wry has two words for Newt, "Shut up!" Obama's apology was sent to give emphasis to the those already issued by other U.S. officials over the incident.

Gingrich is politicizing something that has enraged Afghan citizens, and his criticism could serve to escalate the violence further. Now is the time to pull together in a united front rather than making it a stage for political battles. Any smart person would have kept silent with so much riding in the balance.

Despite the presence of Afghan security forces deployed to quell the unrest, hundreds of demonstrators defied the order for calm. Reportedly, some members of the Afghan Parliament have encouraged the violence and call for death to American soldiers. Taliban leaders have joined the chorus, and fear mounts that protesters will follow the calls to beat Americans as well as kill U.S. soldiers.

So. put a sock in it, Newt! Allow President Obama and the Joint Chiefs to handle this without your interference. Personally, I think it's long past time to remove our soldiers and allow Afghanistan to determine its own future without interference from other countries.

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Journalists Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik Killed In Syria

Voan Valat AP

Intrepid American war correspondent Marie Colvin, 55, and French photojournalist Remi Ochlik, 29, were killed Wednesday in the Homs opposition stronghold. President Bashar Assad's regime escalated its attacks on rebel bases , and the incessant shelling claimed the lives of at least 13 people. The opposition continues its efforts to rid Syria of the ruler who has heaped a mountain of atrocities on its citizens, despite its lack of sophisticated weaponry available to Assad's forces.

Colvin and Ochlik died when the house in which they and other journalists were staying was hit by a rocket as they tried to escape. Both had won awards for their reporting from countries bombarded by violence. The day before she died, Colvin  appeared in a videotape shot in a makeshift hospital on BBC and lamented the lack of medical facilities for the wounded and the terror that dominates life in Homs. Colvin reported for the London Sunday Times for 25 years and focused on the plight of women and children in wartime.

Ochlik was just beginning his career when his friend Lucas Dolego, a French photographer, was killed by a police teargas canister on the streets of Tunis during the revolution there last January. Witnessing the death of Dolego deeply affected Ochlik, who understood the risks of his work in Homs.

Colvin lost her eye in Sri Lanka during a 2001 government attack, and opted to wear a black eye patch rather than using a prosthetic eye. It symbolized her courage under fire and made her instantly recognizable.
Their deaths are more than just casualties of war. The world has lost two journalists through whose lens and words we saw the truth of Assad's assault on his own people

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Santorum Shows His Ignorance Again

Yahoo Photo

Is there no end to the blatant misstatements Santorum makes in his bid for the Republican nomination? He stated that government shouldn't make health care providers fully cover prenatal tests like amniocentesis on Face the Nation Sunday, because amniocentesis "more often than not" results in abortion. This attack on Obama followed a campaign stop in Ohio where he sounded the same theme, suggesting that the president wants more disabled babies aborted in order to save money on health care expenditures.

Santorum added that people have the right to have prenatal testing, "but to have the government force people to provide it free, to me, is a bit loaded." The show's host Bob Shieffer's then inquired about whether he thought Obama "looks down" on people with disabilities, "Well, the president supported partial-birth abortion, and partial-birth abortion is a procedure used almost exclusively to kill children late in pregnancy when they've been found out to be disabled," Santorum responded.

Ham on Wry can't believe Santorum thinks that way, especially considering his views on abortion rights. This society can't protect the children who are born from child abuse and sexual predators, some of whom are priests in the Catholic Church.  Yes, that's right, Mr. Santorum. Those well-publicized, heinous abuses occurred worldwide, and the Catholic hierarchy hid the crimes and protected the perpetrators. The children that suffered the abuse have a different kind of disability. What did you do when that occurred, Mr. Santorum? Somehow I missed your public outcry about those abhorrent acts.

If you want to lead this country, you don't show it. We have bigger problems than the social issues you harangue us about. Could it be because you really don't comprehend the many crises that are occurring globally?  Couple your stand on prenatal testing with your ridiculous comments on education, and I conclude Rick Santorum is not fit for office.

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Rick Santorum Slams Obama and the Constitution

During a campaign stop in Ohio Saturday Rick Santorum accused President Obama of having an agenda based on " some phony ideal, some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible, a different theology. But no less a theology.”

Sunday, he backtracked, saying that he wasn't referring to religious faith; instead he meant Obama's view of man’s relationship to the world.

Perhaps Santorum should check the meaning of theology, which comes from the root word theos, meaning God or god and logos, the study of something. It does not refer to man's relationship to the world unless it includes a belief in God or gods. Frankly, Ham on Wry is dumbfounded that Republicans would favor someone with such a narrow perspective, when the world is fraught with dissension, economic woes, and violence that affect all of us.

He concentrates on social issues and would have government make decisions about birth control. Really, Mr. Santorum? Please take the time to read the Preamble to the United States Constitution and also the history of our operating principle of separation of church and state. You have every right to your beliefs, but so does every other citizen of this country. I am tired of hearing your rants about issues that don't belong on the center stage of a political platform.

Speaking of the Constitution, check out what it says about education. I think you must have missed that in your history class. I believe your exact words Saturday were, “Where did they come up that public education and bigger education bureaucracies was the rule in America Parents educated their children, because it’s their responsibility to educate their children.” Please note that the Constitution establishes public education, although states have abrogated the responsibility that was originally given to local government. Given the fact that so many cities and towns are either broke or nearly so, how would you pay for education? Would you simply allow children living in poverty to be denied an education? What kind of standards would you use? If you read the various studies that identify the best school systems in the world, you will learn that all of them are government funded.

I could wax on about what Santorum lacks, but that would take several posts to accomplish. Get real, Republican party members! Do you really want a leader totally lacking in a vision for this country that will stand up to all of the complexities of modern day? If you want a family man, I think we already have one in office. Obama's daughter can't watch TV during the week so that they can concentrate on their studies. They volunteer for civic and charitable duties, and Michele Obama is a staunch advocate for military families. That's a man who has his family priorities straight.

Electing a President involves far more than preserving selfish interests. It involves selecting someone that has the interest of every citizen at heart and can handle the demands of world leadership. Rick Santorum is not that man.

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Failed Suicide Bomb Plot at US Capitol

Federal authorities arrested 29-year-old Amine El Khalifi, a Moroccan man who is accused of plotting a suicide bombing at the U.S. Capitol. El Khalifi considered other potential targets including a synagogue, but was arrested a few blocks from the Capitol midday Friday. He believed he was coordinating the attack with an al-Qaeda operative , according to court documents. Instead, undercover FBI agents provided a gun and a vest with explosives that didn't work.



Senator Susan Collins, the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, revealed figures that illustrate an increase in thwarted plots like El Khalifi's in recent years. According to the Congressional Research Service, 36 homegrown plots by Americans or permanent US residents resulted in arrests between May 2009 and February 9, 2012, compared to 21similar plots between September 11, 2001 and May 2009.


El Khalifi emigrated to the U.S. when he was 16 years and has no known association with al-Qaida. He has overstayed his visitor visa for 13 years; thus, he is an illegal alien, according to an affidavit, and authorities have been investigating him for a year. The same document revealed that he had told acquaintances in January 2011 that the "war on terrorism" was a "war on Muslims" and that they needed to be ready for war.

Ham and Wry is left to wonder whether those who decry the population of illegal immigrants from south of the border might better focus their energies on another breed of illegals--ones who really don't want to be here and seek to destroy us.

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Who Will Win In Michigan?

On the left, we have Mitt Romney, who was born in Michigan and claims it as his native state. Yet he left there over 40 years ago. Ham on Wry bets that Michiganders don't consider him a homie. In fact, he faces an uphill battle in convincing auto workers that he didn't mean it when he said that GM and Chrysler shouldn't receive bailout money. Romney also has a credibility problem with the average American who doesn't have $300 million in offshore accounts. Somehow that just flies in the face of claiming that he will fix our economy. He could always pay extra taxes voluntarily.

On the right, we have Rick Santorum, a man who lost steam in his home state of Pennsylvania and elevates birth control to a campaign issue. Perhaps he hasn't seen the polls that a majority of Americans favor Obama's plan to include in in health plan, and I don't mean a bottle of aspirin. Does anyone really believe that Santorum can hold his own in a G8 meeting? If so, just picture him interacting with Angela Merkel, and you'll get my point. The fact that his numbers have soared defies logic and points toward insanity.

If this is the best that the Republican Party can offer, it's a sad day for our country. Both are trying to out-conservative the other and pander to a minority of citizens whose single issue focus ignores the real problems the country faces. Maybe some dark horse candidate is lurking in the shadows, waiting to make a last minute bid for the party nomination. One can only hope.

Oh, and by the way, the auto makers experienced a banner year in 2011, but the financial institutions aren't faring as well. Let me see, now who ordered the bailout for the financial institutions. I do believe readers will remember the correct answer: George W. Bush. And who bailed out the auto makers? Barack Obama did.

Ham on Wry desperately hopes that voters do their homework before choosing our president in November.    Just remember under whose watch Osama bin Laden and many of his top henchmen were killed.  And who ended the Iraq War that should never have started in the first place? That's right. President Obama. Voters, you have a responsibility to check facts and not believe every forwarded e-mail or TV ad paid for by some corporation who has little interest in what's best for the citizens of this country. That statement applies to all voters-Democrat, Republican or Independent. Exercise your brain and read.

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Private Funeral for Whitney Houston

Ham on Wry applauds Whitney Houston's family for choosing to keep the funeral scheduled for Saturday at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey private. It is fitting that Houston's final exit will occur in the same place where her talent blossomed.

Although the service will include 1500 invited guests, preparations are underway to maintain a perimeter around the church to honor the family's wish for privacy during their final goodbyes. According to nj.com, no funeral procession will occur Saturday, and no video screens will be available for fans to mourn publicly. The Associated Press will offer the only available public access to the funeral with a live online webcast. Some accounts promise television coverage, but nj.com provided the latest information.

Pastor Marvin Winans, who knows the family well, will deliver the eulogy, and her mentor, Aretha Franklin, has agreed to sing at the funeral.  Bobby Brown has also announced that he'll attend. Many other celebrities have accepted their invitations, but an accurate list has not been released.

Ham on Wry asks fans to act with restraint and honor the family's wishes for privacy. They want the service to allow them to grieve without turning the funeral into a public spectacle. Permit Houston to exit with dignity. Her songs will live on as a reminder of her magnificent talent. Remember her as she looked in the photo above rather than as a deceased person lying in a coffin. She has finally found the peace she sought so desperately.

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Whitney Houston, Dead at 48

Whitney Houston, famous for her tremendous voice range and pop hits, died Saturday at the Beverly Hilton hotel, hours before she planned to attend the annual pre-Grammy party hosted by her mentor, Clive Davis. Davis spoke to the gathering of artists and entertainers telling them of his personal devastation and incredible sadness when he was informed of her death.. He added, "My heart goes out to her daughter Bobbi Kristina and her mother, Cissy," and announced that he was dedicated the evening to Houston.

At left, Houston is pictured during happier times with Davis at his 2011 pre-Grammy party.

Houston suffered years of drug abuse that caused a decline in her health and her ability to hit the high notes, but was attempting a comeback. She had launched comebacks before and came close with her album I Look to You, recorded in 2009. It went platinum but failed to reach her previous commercial and artistic success, so the anticipated worldwide tour didn't occur. Filming on the remake of the movie Sparkle had just completed, and she hoped her role would boost her career.

Two days prior to her death, Houston celebrated at another Grammy party where she behaved erratically and appeared wasted. Ham on Wry prefers to remember her remarkable voice and uplifting music and extends sympathy to all those close to the talented star. Any way one views it, her death is a tragedy and a loss to music lovers.

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Bloodshed Continues in Syria

Reuters Photo

Syrian forces bombarded districts of Homs Saturday, killing a reported 7 people demonstrating against President Bashar al-Assad. Hundreds of people have died in Homs, the third largest city in Syria, during the past week

SANA Photo

The attack on Homs followed two suicide bombings Friday that targeted security compounds in Aleppo, an area previously left untouched by violence because it showed support for President Bashar Assad. Twenty-eight people died in that attack. Anti-Assad activist deny involvement in the bombings, claiming the government was engaging in a smear campaign to thwart the opposition.


Assad has repeatedly ignored appeals from countries around the world to stop the aggression and leave the country. In response to last week's veto of a U.N. resolution, Saudi Arabia has drafted a similar document that it will submit to the U.N. General Assembly. Unlike the U.N. Security Council, the General Assembly does not allow vetoes. However, resolutions it passes are not legally binding, thus unenforceable. The Saudi document purportedly contains language that condemns human rights violations.

Beleaguered Syrian citizens have long pleaded for help in their plight. They face almost insurmountable obstacles in their opposition to Assad, since Russia has supplied the regime with an arsenal of weapons, including huge tanks used in the onslaught. "Where is the world?" indeed. Opinions differ in the approach to use, but most nations agree that something must be done to help the Syrians who are refused food and medical treatment when wounded. That is, most nations other than Russia and China, who showed their support for Assad by vetoing the U.N. Security Council's resolution last week. Both nations display a decided lack of concern for the loss of human lives.

If readers are still buying goods from China, stop it! Demand that retailers purchase goods from countries that care about humanity and buy American produced items where available. When people act in large numbers, it sends an unmistakable message to those who offend.

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Texting While Driving--Could Anything Be More Stupid?

Ham on Wry has often experienced the "joy" of traveling behind someone talking on a cell phone while trying to negotiate busy roadways--something which is both irritating and unnerving.  These drivers typically speed up and down multiple times, inflaming the anger of drivers behind them. That situation is bad enough, but traveling behind someone texting while driving poses the ultimate danger to other drivers.  Note the picture above and imagine where the driver's attention lies. You guessed it! It is definitely not on traffic.

Florida is one of only 8 states that have no type of ban on texting while driving. Seven states have enacted laws that partially ban texting, and the remaining 35 states have banned texting entirely. Logically, Florida should add to the number of states that totally ban texting, But this is Florida, land of pandering to corporations despite the negative effects on citizens.

Florida's infinitely wise legislature (overwhelmingly Republican) predicts that a ban on texting has little likelihood of passing here. I don't suppose it has anything to do with cell phone companies using lobbyists to pressure legislators. Besides, why would we want to ban texting when it's so much fun to dodge the out-of-state drivers searching for signs, foreign drivers unfamiliar with driving on the right, and elderly drivers that should have surrendered their licenses long ago? Texting drivers only add to the endless hours of pleasure Florida driver enjoy during "the season." Why should we deprive anyone of multi-tasking while they drive, despite the deaths caused by their selfish pursuit of constant communication.

Here's why! No driver can safely pay attention to traffic patterns and other drivers while texting. The photo above shows the result of a texting driver that didn't see the accident waiting to happen. Get real, Florida! Ban texting behind the wheel for the sake of everyone who travels on our roads. If you're reading this, and you're guilty of texting while driving, stop it! Now!

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Russia and China Block United Nations Security Draft Resolutions

Photo-Alessio Romenzi AFP/Getty

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blasted Russia and China Saturday after they vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution backing an Arab call for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to resign, calling it a travesty. Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the U N, also excoriated the two nations for blocking a watered-down version of the resolution intended to bring relief to the beleaguered citizens of Syria.

Well over 200 protesters died in the most recent demonstration against al-Assad's regime.  Some news outlets have expressed fear that Russia's support of al-Assad will embolden him to exact more brutality on demonstrators because Russia will continue providing him with an arsenal of weapons. I guess we shouldn't be surprised by Russia's and China's veto. Russia has a long history of crushing insurgencies, and China will long be remembered for the bloodbath at Tienanmen Square in 1989. These two countries are not exactly bastions of freedom.

The U.N. reported that more than 5,400 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began in March, and.explained that the chaos in Syria make it impossible to give accurate updates on deaths since then. Syria has  made it impossible for media to have access in order to report the events as they happen. The Assad regime accuses foreign terrorists of creating the uprising, not people seeking to transform the authoritarian regime. This man must live in a fantasy world because no one is buying his version of what happened.

As a result of the unrest and increasing violence in Syria, the United States is closing its embassy there, a wise decision in view of the recent veto. We don't need a repeat of what happened at the Iranian Embassy , now do we?

The photo above depicts the real loser is this horror--the Syrian people.

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Tension Increases In Arab Gulf Region

AP Photo

Iran has issued threats against any neighboring countries that allow foreign aggressors to launch an attack against it. Hossein Salami, deputy head of the Republican Guard, told the Fars news agency Sunday that Iran would retaliate against any country from which a military strike emanated. U.S.allied Gulf Arab states in the Gulf Cooperation Council have assured Iran that they will not allow their countries to be used for that purpose..

Various opinions exist about Iran's nuclear readiness. Israel has pushed for a preemptive strike based on its intelligence gathering of Iran's nuclear capabilities and has increasing concerns because Iran is moving all of its nuclear facilities to underground bunkers, making it difficult to assess the level and depth of activity.

While the United States has said it will not rule out any options at this point,  Leon Paneta urged caution in the face of increasing volatility and reportedly has concerns that Israel might act without the support of its allies.

Ham on Wry believes that nations in the Gulf Region have much to lose if Iran attacks any other country with nuclear weapons, because retaliation would come immediately and affect more than just Iran. I have no insider information on which to base this, but common sense dictates that Arab states don't want all-out war. Their entire region is defined by oil, and their ability to produce and ship it would, at best, be compromised for many months under an attack scenario. Certainly, negotiations must be occurring behind the scenes. Citizen revolts occurred last year during "Arab Spring", and Syria has captured world attention with its leader's treatment of the people calling for greater freedom. The Middle East has much to lose if Iran acts as the aggressor in such turbulent times.

We have seen the devastation that occurred during an unnecessary war in Iraq. May that debacle remind us not to act in haste.

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People's Wrath Forces Susan G. Komen to Reinstate Planned Parenthood Grants

The power of the people rules! Susan G. Komen for the Cure announced Friday its reversal of a decision made earlier this week to stop funding breast care grants to Planned Parenthood. As the most well-known charitable organization that deals with breast cancer, Susan G. Komen for the Cure came under immediate attack when it withdrew funding. The site was deluged with messages excoriating the decision, and social media sites were blanketed with negative posts.

Although Komen executives deny it, Planned Parenthood supporters, including local directors within Komen's ranks, say Komen had come under pressure from anti-abortion activists and caved in as a result. In a statement signed by its board of directors and its founder Nancy Brinker, Komen apologized to the American public Friday for casting doubt on their mission to provide breast screenings.. Komen will no longer bar organizations that are under government investigation from applying for grants. Thus, Planned Parenthood, facing a House probe over whether it has used federal funds to pay for abortions, again has eligibility for Komen grants.

Ham on Wry applauds Komen for its return to its mission focus. Radicals have too long forced capitulation to their agendas, and the people of America have finally found their voice. Most citizens fall somewhere in the center of a scale with radical conservatives on one end and radical liberals on the other. Citizens can no longer afford to stay disengaged with the political process, because that's what this is all about. With global unrest reaching unprecedented levels and an economy in the early stages of recovery, abortion should not occupy this country's top priority. Those of us who fall in the moderate range must continue making our voices heard above those with narrow interests.

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Planned Parenthood Donations Climb After Susan G. Komen Foundation Withdraws Funding

Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Donations are pouring in to Planned Parenthood as the Susan G. Komen Foundation suffers a backlash from its decision Tuesday to ax funding for mammograms and breast care for women who don't have insurance. Ham on Wry ls both surprised and heartened that the flood of donations more than compensates for the loss of Komen's funding.

Planned Parenthood executives announced Wednesday that generous Americans contributed $650,000 within 24 hours, almost as much as last year’s Komen funding. Online donors contributed more than $400,000, and  philanthropist Lee Sikes and his wife Amy gave Planned Parenthood $250,000 through the family foundation.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office announced Thursday that he will give a $250,000 matching gift to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America to help make up for the withdrawal of funds from the Komen Foundation. Mayor Bloomberg presented a written statement that declared, "Politics have no place in health care. Breast cancer screening saves lives, and hundreds of thousands of women rely on Planned Parenthood for access to care. We should be helping women access that care, not placing barriers in their way." You go, Mayor Bloomberg!

Although Komen executives deny that the foundation bowed to pressure from anti-abortion groups, online comments show that people aren't buying what they're selling. Almost immediately after the announcement was made public, social media sites received a flurry of angry posts and online action groups rallied their members to decry the Komen Foundation decision. Public outcry centered on the frustration that women's health issues have been politicized based solely on the issue of abortion.

Lest we forget, I remind readers that our nation was founded on a principle of freedom to choose that rested on the notion of "separation of church and state." Every American has a right to an opinion, but that does not give citizens the right to force that opinion on others based on religious beliefs. We saw evidence of how strongly Mississippi's voters feel about a woman's right to choose when they defeated the "Personhood Amendment."

Kudos to everyone who expressed their ire at the Komen Foundation by donating to Planned Parenthood. Perhaps politicos should pay more attention to the people's will than to the lunatic fringes on either end of the political spectrum. Those squeaky wheels don't deserve oiling.

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