IRAQI KURDS VOTE FOR INDEPENDENCE IN ELECTION DAY STRAW POLL
By R. A. Pearson

In an Election Day unofficial vote, taken outside official polling places in Iraq's Kurdistan, Iraqi Kurds voted overwhelmingly for the creation of an Independent Kurdistan. Three days after the vote it was announced that more than 1.9 million Iraqi Kurds, 95 percent of those polled, voted for independence.

It was an informal survey conducted by volunteers in Kurdistan. The referendum was held on the day of Iraq's historic elections on Sunday, January 30, 2005. Its organizers surveyed Kurds as they emerged from polling stations across northern Iraq. The volunteers handed out postcard-sized cards with two boxes printed on them next to two flags, one Kurdish and the other Iraqi. The question 'What do you want?' was written at the top of the card and those polled were asked to pick one box.

Iraqi Kurds were persecuted under Saddam Hussein, and Kurds everywhere have long pushed for an independent Kurdish state. However, Turkey, Iran, and Syria, all with substantial Kurdish minorities, have oppose the establishment of any Kurdish state on their borders fearing a Kurdish uprising on the border and loss of territory to the Kurdish state. The Kurds have long been the world's largest ethnic national group without an independent state.

For the January election, the two major Kurdish political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, put together a united Kurdish list of candidates for the election, allowing the Kurds to vote in bloc for a single list of candidates.

Election results indicate that the Kurdish Alliance's slate of candidates received nearly 26 percent of the vote. This will give the Kurds 75 seats in the 275-member National Assembly and second only to the list of Shiite candidates assembled by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most revered Shiite cleric in Iraq. With the Iraqi Arab parties so fractionalized, the Kurdish bloc will be an important bloc in the assembly. That leaves the Kurds in a position to make political demands, and many observers believe the next president of Iraq will be Kurdish.

Experts and observers also believe that if Iraq fails to form a national government, an independent Kurdish state will become a reality. Even the CIA predicted the possibility of such an event during the summer, only to be rebuffed by President Bush as "mere speculation."

Traditional Kurdistan contains the cities of Kirkuk and Mosul. Kirkuk, the religious and cultural center of Kurdistan also contains the oil wealth to finance an independent Kurdistan. While the Kurds will demand the return of displaced Kurds to the Kirkuk area and demand that the Arabs settled there by Saddam Hussein be removed, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan chief Jalal Talabani and other leaders are probably positioning themselves for an independent Kurdistan down the road.

Finally, the Kurds have never fully dissolved their peshmerga (the Kurdish militia). The US allowed the Kurds to keep their peshmerga due to Kurdish and peshmerga help and support during the war. The peshmerga could serve as a training ground for a national Kurdish army that could be used to protect the area from incursions from both Turkey to the northwest of Kurdistan and invasion from the Iraqi Arabs. It could also be used as a tool for ethnic cleansing of the Iraqi Arabs, Turkmen, and Assyrian Christians from the area of Kurdistan.

Some Middle East watchers believe that an independent Kurdish state will be a reality within ten years. Maybe it is time.

SORRY WRONG ADDRESS

A couple from Minneapolis decided to go to Florida to thaw out during one particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the very same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day.

The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an e-mail to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her e-mail address, and without realizing his error, he sent the e-mail.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister of many years who was called home to glory following a sudden heart attack. The widow decided to check her e-mail, expecting messages from relatives and friends.

After reading the first message, she fainted.

The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen that read:
To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived
Date: 8 November 2004

I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send e-mails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

Your Loving Husband,

P.S. Sure is hot down here!

* * * * *

Due to the Rector's illness, Wednesday's healing services will be discontinued until further notice. (Notice in a church bulletin.)


TWO HEADLIGHTS AND TWO TAILLIGHTS

A new waitress was on her first day in training at a busy truck stop on Interstate 95. After observing and working with the head waitress for several hours, she was 'cut loose' to work and serve patrons on her own. She did well for the first four customers, but then her fifth customer started to cause a problem.

When the new waitress asked him if she could take his order he replied, "Sure, I'd like two headlights, two taillights, and a cup of antifreeze."

The new waitress thought he was pulling her leg with the order and asked him to repeat the order.

Once again he said, "I'd like two headlights, two taillights, and a cup of antifreeze."

The waitress was visibly annoyed with the truck driver and said, "Look buster, I ain't got all day, what'll ya have."

The truck driver, now also annoyed, said, "Listen, just take the order to the cook!"

The frustrated waitress went to the kitchen and told the cook, "Hey Joe, there's a jerk out here who wants two headlights, two taillights, and a cup of antifreeze."

The cook replied, "Oh that's just truck driver lingo. He wants two eggs, over easy, two strips of bacon, and a cup of coffee." He then started to prepare the order.

The waitress proceeded to the counter, opened a can of pork & beans, poured them into a bowl, and took them to the contrary customer.

When she placed the beans on the table the truck driver said, "What is this? I ordered two headlights, two taillights, and a cup of antifreeze."

The waitress calmly replied, "I know you ordered two headlights, two taillights, and a cup of antifreeze. I just thought you might want to gas up while you wait!"

SPEAKIN’ SOUTHERN

A SOUTHERN LOOK AT GHOSTS

Ghost- one ghost.
Ghosts- two ghosts.
Ghoses- more than two ghosts.
Haint- 1) another term for a ghost. (plurals are formed the same way as for ghost; haints, haintes) 2) Not to be confused with h'ain't (pronunced haint) the southern contraction for the southern contraction "he ain't."
Sem/e/tary (cemetery)- A place to bury the dead and where ghoses and haintes hang out.
Moss/a/lee/um (mausoleum)- A fancy building in a semetary for buryin' folks.
Cole sput (cold spot)- A place where a ghost has just been and is notably colder than the surrounding area.
'ot sput (hot spot)- The spot on Jolene that Billy Bob 'es been a lookin fur. It's 'bout as hard to find as "a room full of ghoses."
Munster mash- a real potent sour mash whiskey usually purchased from a bootlegger. Be careful lookin' fur the munster mash, bootleggers avoid strangers, outsiders, and infernal revenuers, and they usually travel and conduct business armed.

Usage-

Elvira- "Charlene, where's Bubba? He was supposed to take Mema to the store after lunch and it's on 'bout three o'clock."
Charlene- "Bubba went to the semetary to put flyers (flowers) on Pepa's grave and he'll be back soon."
Elvira- "Lordy Charlene, Pepa's a buried in Laff/e/et (Lafayette) county. Why didn't he go after he took Mema to the store?"
Charlene- "It'ud (It would) be dark then and you know Bubba's a scared of Ghoses and Haintes. Bubba haint gonna be in no semetary after dark for nobody."

* * *

Thelma Lou- "Slim, why is Jolene and Billy Bob a going into that thar Moss/a/lee/um? I heared that they was some ghoses hunters from that thar discovery channel out here last week and they aloud that there was cole sputs all in that hainted building."
Slim- "I don't thin' (think) that Billy Bob 'es a chasen haints ner cole sputs in that thar Moss/a/lee/um. I thin' he's a lookin' for Jolene's 'ot spot. Now lets leave'em be and hand me a shot of that thar munster mash."
Thelma Lou- "Slim, why they call it monster mash?"
Slim- "Cause that thar munster mash will give ya a munster hangover."

Did He Say That?

"We will be a country where the fabrics are made up of groups and loving centers."
Pres. George W. Bush March 27, 2001

COCK FIGHTS MAY RETURN TO OKLAHOMA WITH ROOSTERS WEARING BOXING GLOVES

Frank Shurden, a Democratic State Senator in Oklahoma, has proposed a blood-free alternative to traditional cock fighting; he wants them to be fitted with boxing gloves so they can slug it out. Oklahoma banned cock fighting in 2002 and Shurden wants to bring at least part of the gamefowl industry back. Shurden contends, "Who's going to object to chickens fighting like humans do? Everybody wins. To me it answers everything. It saves the industry, takes blood sport out and generates revenue for Oklahoma."

Shurden, who represents the area around Henryetta, has introduced the idea of rooster boxing matches in Oklahoma's State Senate Bill 776. He explains that the bill will "allow them to fight each other safely, just like prize fighters. It's much less bloodier than the human sport." The bill would legalize rooster matches for gambling and entertainment. Shurden said cockfighting is a $100 million-a-year industry and by taxing it health care, education and other state programs would benefit. While old style cockfighting is still legal in Louisiana and New Mexico, Oklahoma would be the first state to legalize gamecock boxing as a sport if the proposal is passed.

Actually, a lot of the technology needed to hold and score the rooster boxing match while protecting the bird is already in place. Gamecock breeders have used sparring ''muffs,'' miniature boxing gloves, for decades to train their birds while preventing serious injuries. They sell for about $10 a pair. In addition to the boxing gloves, the fighting chickens would wear lightweight chicken vests to protect them from the rather strong blows that a fighting cock can deliver. The vests include sensors, similar to what is used in fencing that would record the number of chicken blows during the fight. Spectators would then know which chicken was leading, and would have real-time results to track their bets. "It's win-win for everybody," Shurden said.

Well, maybe not everybody. Cynthia Armstrong of the Oklahoma Coalition Against Cockfighting calls Shurden's bill a ''ruse.'' She added, ''I hope people won't be fooled by these misleading assurances by Senator Shurden.'' Jay Sabatucci, a Dallas-based regional coordinator for The Humane Society of the United States indicated that, ''One of these days, he (Shurden) will figure out it's a bloodsport whether these roosters don boxing gloves or not. This is not like a boxer who gets paid a million dollars to fight. These are two animals who are pitted against one another. They have no choice.'' Jill Hayward, spokesman for the Oklahoma Coalition Against Cockfighting, added tongue in cheek (we at the Clarion Issue hope), "Perhaps fights to the death between legislators would be more fun."

With the possible introduction of 'Cockboxing' as a new sport, the Clarion Issue wonders if the sport will be extended to female chickens. According to several Internet reports, the failure of 'Extreme Fighting Barbie' to sell over the Christmas holidays has left toy suppliers with millions of pink boxing gloves that could be used in 'henfights' all around the nation.

Finally, the Clarion Issue reminds its readers that fighting chickens are still available to good homes from the City Government of Key West, Florida. These birds are captured by the Key West Chicken Catcher and shipped to your home free of charge, all you pay for is the postage. The boxing gloves, vest, championship tiaras, and bantamweight championship belts are sold separately.

VMI COSTUME PARTY WOULD SHOCK STONEWALL

In late January, Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, officials began investigating a 2004 barracks Halloween party in which cadets dressed as Nazi soldiers, drag queens, and even a starving African. Officials at the institute became aware of the behavior when they were referred to an Internet message board where four photographs of the costumed cadets were posted.

The photos were posted on the web site www.richmond.indymedia.org., a web site operated by the Richmond Independent Media Center that offers a forum for "promoting social and economic justice in the Richmond area." One picture shows three men in their VMI-issued black shirts and gray pants giving the Nazi salute to the camera. Two are wearing homemade swastika armbands while another is wearing a small Hitler-style mustache. Another picture shows two men dressed in tiaras, wings, lipstick and eye shadow. One is holding a wand, and both are wearing underpants and tank tops that read, "I ©[heart] a man in uniform." There were several pictures of a man smeared head-to-toe in dark makeup and wearing a loincloth and a man with a bull's-eye drawn with tape on the rear of his pants.

VMI spokesman Stewart MacInnis said. "We've been made aware of the possible involvement of a small number of VMI cadets in various insensitive and inappropriate photographic poses appearing on a Web site unaffiliated with VMI. VMI does not condone such behavior and this matter is being investigated accordingly. While recognizing cadets have rights as private citizens to express themselves, we are disappointed in their behavior and judgment." He went on to explain that new cadets receive instruction in sensitivity to matters of gender, race and the like, but he was unsure of what specific regulations VMI has regarding racial or ethnic sensitivity. However he noted that such behavior might also fit in the category of "conduct unbecoming a cadet," and even if they acted without malice, the cadets involved could still face disciplinary action. MacInnis said, "VMI will continue to make strong efforts to educate the Corps in civility and respect for others."

The photographs caused an instant debate on the web site, newspapers, and other media outlets in the Virginia area. The pictures emerged during the recognition of the 60th year liberation of Auschwitz and while a flap over Britain's Prince Harry's wearing of a Nazi uniform to a recent costume party was still in the news.

The person who posted the images said that other people need to "condemn VMI's ability to laugh at the deaths of millions, make light of famine and race, and mock homosexuality. These are, after all, the men who are supposed to one day graduate to their own posts at Gitmos and Abu Ghraibs around the world."

A VMI cadet that defended the costumes in a posting on the web site indicated, "We, the Corps of Cadets, were appalled at the Abu Ghraib incident, but seeing as how we're going to be in the midst of death and inhumanity and other such facts of life we need to be able to keep a sense of humor."

The Clarion Issue is sure that Confederate General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson, a professor at VMI before the War of Northern Aggression (War Between the States) and an ardent Presbyterian, would be shocked by this behavior and is probably rolling over in his grave. Stonewall Jackson is buried in Lexington, and Jackson's horse, 'Little Sorrel,' was on display at VMI until 1997. In that year 'Little Sorrel' was interred on the parade ground at VMI with full military honors.

GENERAL BEAUREGARD LEE PREDICTS EARLY SPRING AND FALLS IN LOVE

On February 2, Gen. Beauregard Lee, the official groundhog and weather prognosticator of the South, emerged from his newly-renovated 3-story Weathering Heights Mansion at the Yellow River Game Ranch in Lilburn, Georgia, and predicted an early end to winter. The General appeared just after sunrise, coaxed out by the ringing of the ranch's antique farm bell and a nice plate of hash browns and fresh fruit. Since the day was overcast and rainy, the groundhog did not see his shadow and head back into his home. This means a quick end to winter this year.

However, "Beau" could have a reason for wanting an early spring. After Beau stepped outside his Weathering Heights mansion to search for his shadow, or better yet the plate of food, the nose of a second groundhog was seen peaking from the front door. Yes groundhog fans, Beau has a girlfriend! Her name is Dixie, and according to the spokesperson at the Yellow River Game Ranch, Beau and Dixie are getting along well.
The Ranch spokesperson also noted that this could be Gen. Beauregard Lee's last forecast.

At age15, Beau has already lived the life of at least five groundhogs, which only have a life expectancy of two to three years. His predecessor and uncle, Gen. Robert E. Lee, gave the Groundhog Day predictions for 10 years before he retired. If Beau does hang it up, he will do so with a 96% accuracy rating. Beau's accuracy was lauded by Georgia's Congressman John Linder, who noted that the National Weather Service has twice commended Beau's uncanny ability. His accuracy has earned him honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Georgia and Georgia State University. The one year he was wrong came in 1993, when Beau called for an early spring and the worst blizzard in decades blasted the South.

The General's main rival in the highly competitive world of groundhog weather prognostication is Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog who makes his forecast in Pennsylvania. When asked about Phil's forecast of more winter, one Beauregard Lee fan said, "This is the South, and we don't need no Yankee groundhog to tell us our weather. Go Beau!"

GEORGIA MINISTER CONVICTED OF STEALING $9 MILLION

On February 7, 2005, a federal jury in Rome, Georgia, convicted Abraham Kennard, an African-American minister, on 116 counts - most of them fraud and evasion. In the indictment it was alleged that Kennard stole nearly $9 million from hundreds of small churches across the country by promising them big returns on small investments.

Federal prosecutors contended that Kennard ran a pyramid scheme that took advantage of the tight network of black ministers to which he belonged. The prosecution indicated that Kennard claimed that his company was developing Christian resorts throughout the country. He told ministers that for a few thousand dollars, their churches could be "members" of his company. In return, he promised that in time the churches would get a grant or a forgivable loan of as much as $500,000. The scheme pyramided as ministers told their friends, relatives and fellow pastors.

Prosecutor David McClernan told the jury that "for some 1,600 churches, it was a nightmare."

Kennard, 46, of Wildwood, Georgia, contended that he was not guilty of anything and represented himself at the trial. He insisted that, "It's not a law against riding in a Cadillac if you don't want to ride in a Volkswagen."

Kennard's brother, Laboyce, was also found guilty Monday of conspiracy to commit money laundering connected with the scheme. Prosecutors said he accepted more than $360,000 from his brother. Laboyce Kennard's lawyer said his client was trying to start his own business and had no knowledge of his brother's church enterprise. The Kennards' cousin, Jannie Trammel, and stepbrother, Alvin Jasper, also were indicted in the crimes but pleaded guilty and testified at the trial against the Kennard brothers.

Abraham Kennard will be sentenced on April 15. He should have plenty of time to pray.

The Clarion Issue reminds its readers that the Bible reads, "Jesus wept." Surely he is doing that now. We're still looking for the Cadillac/Volkswagen quote in the Holy Scriptures.

MACS TO SPONSOR ST PATRICKS DAY CELEBRATION IN ST MARYS, GA
By Sam Merier and R. A. Pearson

Whether you're Irish or not, it is time to get out the green and celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The good folks at MACS (Military and Civilian Society), that sponsor the event, have planed a good day of festivities in historic downtown St. Marys, Georgia, for Saturday March 12, 2005. This is the seventh year of the celebration, and it promises to be the biggest and best celebration yet. Rumor even has it that there will live appearances by St. Mary's own Leprechaun and a visit by Saint Patrick himself!

The celebration will begin at 9:00 a.m. with the band Barnstormer at the waterfront. The festivities will continue with a parade through the downtown area beginning at 11:00. There will be booths, food vendors, and various live entertainment throughout the day. The waterfront restaurants will be open for food and good sprits to quench that Irish thirst one builds up while wearing the green and celebrating St. Paddy's Day in good fashion. The Fla.-Ga. Blood Alliance bloodmobile will be available for those can and would like to donate. Please donate and give the gift of life (but please do so before imbibing in any Hibernian revelry involving sprits). The festivities will continue until 5:00 p.m. and end with a street dance featuring Dennis and the Menace. The dance is sponsored by the Island Bar and Grill and the Oasis Bar and Grill. Any vendor, anyone wanting a booth, or anyone wanting to be in the parade or to enter a float in the parade are requested to call MACS at (912) 882-1155.

MACS is a non-profit organization designed to bring the military and civilian citizens of Camden Co. together for projects that benefit the community. MACS helps provide Thanksgiving dinners for the less fortunate, adopts a family at Christmas, and provides home repairs for the elderly on fixed incomes. The St. Patrick's Day celebration is just one of the many programs that MACS uses to promote community unity. MACS is located at 106 Dandy St. near the airport in St. Marys.

St. Patrick (c. 389-461 AD) is the Patron Saint of Ireland. The best evidence points to Brittan as his birthplace, but Brittany on the French coast cannot be ruled out. As a young man of 16 he was captured and sold as a slave in Ireland. Here he learned the language and customs of the Irish. At the age of 22, he escaped to a monastery in Gaul where he studied under St. Germain, Bishop of Auxerre. Patrick spent more than a year with Germain, and he became instilled with the desire to convert pagans to Christianity. He became a deacon, a priest, and returned to Ireland in 432 as a Bishop. Legend tells that Patrick taught the Irish about the Holy Trinity by using the shamrock to symbolize the three in one concept. He is also credited with running all the snakes off of the Emerald Isle. Patrick was able to convert members of the Irish royal families and thus secured tolerance for Christians in Ireland. While he did not single-handedly convert all of Ireland, St. Patrick played a large role in that conversion, and helped lay a significant portion of the groundwork in the form of monasteries, schools, and churches. After 30 years of missionary work, Patrick retired to Saul in County Down, where he died on March 17, 461. This anniversary is now celebrated annually by many, through parades and various other activities, among them a traditional drink of whiskey known as "Pota Phadraig."

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PETA AND AL SHARPTON MAKE STRANGE 'BED FEATHERS'

In February 2005, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and the Rev. Al Sharpton teamed to take aim at the fast food franchise, KFC. The KFC franchise went public in the 1960s creating franchises all across America and then the world. The Restaurants featured chicken fried in Colonel Harland D. Sanders' secret blend of 11 herbs and spices. Today the restaurant, which still features fried chicken as its major product, is under fire from several different groups for everything from causing obesity to animal cruelty. It is the cruelty to animals that has sparked the unique alliance between Sharpton and PETA.

Sharpton and PETA are pushing a boycott of KFC, which is owned by Yum Brands of Louisville, Ky. Mr. Sharpton and PETA want the fast food chain to require its chicken suppliers to put in place new standards for the treatment of the 750 million chickens they process for KFC every year. Sharpton and PETA are also demanding that KFC force its chicken suppliers, like Pilgrim's Pride and Perdue, to give chickens more room in factory barns and to make use of a process that puts birds to sleep with nitrogen before they are killed. They are also asking KFC to stop its suppliers from forcing such rapid, hormone-driven growth that the birds crumple under their own weight. Some environmental groups claim that the KFC birds are literally genetically engineered from the steroids and hormones they receive to fatten them up before being slaughtered by KFC's chicken suppliers.

PETA has been waging a campaign against KFC for two years. PETA spokespersons indicated that unlike other companies, KFC has been largely unresponsive to its request for humane treatment of its chickens. "KFC has been by far the most stubborn corporation we have attempted to work with," said Ingrid Newkirk, the president of PETA. The organization was eager to enlist Mr. Sharpton because KFC has many stores in largely black neighborhoods and in late 2003 KFC executives told investors they were making an increased effort to market to African-Americans.

Al Sharpton has made an eight-minute video that will be shown outside KFC's restaurants around the country and on news programs everywhere. In it he states, "If we give our money to KFC, we're paying for a life of misery for some of God's most helpless creatures."

PETA says it has chosen to shed light on the chicken industry in recent years because large chicken producers and sellers have made little movement toward more humane practices. "The chicken industry is way behind the beef and pork industries," according to Dr. Temple Grandin, associate professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Animal welfare specialists like Dr. Grandin agree with PETA that the short lives of chickens need to be improved. Dr. Grandin said that as many as 6 percent of birds suffer broken wings or legs when workers pack them into crates and onto trucks.

Yum Brands, which also owns Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, has continually declined to comment on PETA's demands and allegations. "PETA is an organization more interested in promoting vegetarianism than the truth," a Yum Brands spokesman, Jonathan Blum, said. Animal rights activists like the Rev. Sharpton and PETA are hardly KFC's only problem. In recent years, the company has been the financial 'stepchild' at Yum Brands. Last year KFC's same-store sales were down 2 percent while sales increased at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

The addition of Sharpton has also brought new celebrities into the animal cruelty issue. The rap mogul Russell Simmons has joining the Sharpton/PETA campaign. Simmons is joined in the campaign by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, actress and musician Juliette Lewis, comedians Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor, musician and singer Sir Paul McCartney, Hip-hop crew Black Eyed Peas, India's music star and sitar aficionado Anoushka Shankar (the daughter of Ravi Shankar and half sister of Nora Jones), Latin pop diva Patricia Menterola, and former Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson.

A CLARION ISSUE 911/411:
A NEW WAY TO STEAL YOUR CAR

It now seems that car thieves have found yet another way to steal your car or truck without any effort at all. The car thieves simply peer through the windshield of your car or truck, write down the VIN number from the label on the dash, go to a local car dealership and request a duplicate key based on the VIN number that matches your car.

The Car Dealer's Parts Department will make a duplicate key from the VIN number and collect payment from the thief who will return to your car. He doesn't have to break in, do any damage to the vehicle, or draw attention to himself. All he has to do is walk up to your car, insert the key and drive off. He then goes to a local chop shop with your vehicle.

Many car dealerships do not check to see if the individual with the VIN number is the actual owner of the car, and since many people park in or around the same spots both at home and at work, the car thieves task is made even simpler.

To avoid this from happening to you, simply put some tape (electrical tape, duct tape, or medical tape) across the VIN Metal Label located on your dashboard. By law, you cannot remove the VIN, but you can cover it so it can't be viewed through the windshield by a car thief.

This CLARION ISSUE 911/411, was submitted by George G. Roberts, a reader in Panama City, Florida. Send your tips to the Clarion Issue at apearson@ClarionIsh.com or researcheditor@yahoo.com .

GERMAN BOXER MAX SCHMELING DIES AT AGE 99

German boxing legend Max Schmeling died at the age of 99 in his home state of Lower Saxony on Feburary 9, 2005. Schmeling scored the boxing upset of the century when he beat the previously invincible Joe Louis at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1936, but he lost the re-match in 1938.

Schmeling was born on September 28, 1905, in Klein-Luckow, Germany, and became the first German boxer to be a unified world champion. He took the title left vacant after Gene Tunney retired by beating the American Joe Sharkey on June 12, 1930. However, it was his victory over Joe Louis, the Brown Bomber, that won him world renown.

Schmeling was a 10-1 underdog when he knocked out the previously unbeaten Louis in the 12th round on June 19, 1936. The Nazi regime trumpeted his victory as a sign of "Aryan supremacy." But in the rematch at Yankee Stadium on June 22, 1938, Louis knocked out Schmeling in the first round. The fight was a huge event worldwide and left a lasting impression on his era of Germans, who followed blow-by-blow on radio.

Adolf Hitler tried repeatedly to get Schmeling to join the Nazi party and use him as a propaganda tool, but the boxer refused. He used his influence to improve the treatment of minority athletes at the 1936 Berlin Olympic games and even hid Jewish refugees in Germany during the late 1930s. Schmeling eventually joined the German paratroopers and served in World War II. Schmeling retired from boxing at 43 with a record of 56-10-4 with 39 knockouts. After the war, he bought the license to the Coca-Cola franchise in Germany and grew wealthy in the postwar era.

Over the years, Schmeling gave hundreds of thousands to help the elderly and poor through the Max Schmeling Foundation. He treasured his friendship with Louis and quietly gave the down-and-out American gifts of money. He also paid for Louis' funeral in 1981.

NEO-NAZIS PROTEST IN DRESDEN

On February 14, 2005, thousands of neo-Nazis marched in Dresden on Sunday, marring the official 60th anniversary commemoration of the bombing of the city. The allied raids were one of the fiercest Allied bombing raids of World War II. The marchers were carrying black flags, balloons, and banners proclaiming "Allied bomb terror -- then as now" and "Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Dresden and today Baghdad. No forgiveness, no forgetting." Police said at least 3,000 people joined the march in the eastern German city, making it one of the biggest far-right demonstrations since the war. Before the march, police said 5,000 attended a neo-Nazi rally.

The neo-Nazis were once considered a fringe group, but they have seized on Germany's recognition of its own wartime suffering to grab headlines and forge political gains, especially in the former communist east where unemployment remains high even after 15 years of unification. They are evolving into a real political and social threat in Germany. Known as the National Democratic Party (NPD) neo-Nazi members of the Dresden-based Saxony State parliament provoked outrage last month by walking out of a commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp.

Prior to the march Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder pledged to stop far-right groups exploiting the anniversary and portraying Germany as a war victim while ignoring Nazi atrocities. Schroeder has pledged to counter all attempts to distort history and hinted he would make a fresh attempt to ban the NPD that helped organize the march. Schroeder said "We will use all means to counter these attempts to re-interpret history. We will not allow cause to be confused with effect. This is our obligation to all the victims of the war and Nazi terror, especially and also the victims of Dresden."

The attack on Dresden occurred on February 14, 1945, as what was called operation Thunderclap. On St. Valentine's day, 1945, RAF Bomber Command dispatched 796 Lancaster bombers and 9 Mosquitoes from its bases in Britain to bomb the historic, non-industrial city. These attacked Dresden in two waves three hours apart, dropping 1,478 tons of high explosive bombs and 1,182 tons of incendiaries which started a major firestorm. The city was poorly defended as witnessed by the loss of only six Lancasters over the target area. The Eighth US Army Air Force attacked during the daylight with 311 B17 bombers causing even more damage and adding to the firestorm. The firestorm sucked people from the outskirts of town into the inferno and depleted the oxygen from the people in underground shelters in and around the city. It was estimated that at least 50,000 people and maybe as many as 100,000 perished in the attack and ensuing firestorm. Many of the dead were refugees fleeing from the Russian army approaching from the east. More people died in Dresden than in the atom bombing of Nagasaki and possibly more died in Dresden than in the Hiroshima attack.

There have been many reasons given for the raid on Dresden, a city with few industries but with many architectural masterpieces such as the Zwinger palace, the Semper Opera, and the baroque style Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), all of which were destroyed in the bombing. The only importance the city really had was the railroads, and they were on the outskirts of the town. Some historians believe that Stalin wanted the city bombed to stop refugees from fleeing what would become East Germany and the allies' obliged him on the request. Other historians feel that the bombings were a signal to the German people to end the resistance to the allies and to end the war as soon as possible.

The bombing of Dresden also helped end the career of Britain's Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris. Harris was put out of office at the end of the war with little gratitude and much criticism for his policy of nighttime carpet bombing raids on Germany's cities.

The bombing and aftermath of the bombing of Dresden provides the setting for Slaughterhouse-Five, a novel by Kurt Vonnegut written in 1969. Vonnegut was captured during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and was a POW in Dresden during the bombing. The name Slaughterhouse-Five was taken from the name of the building where the POWs were held in Dresden. The book was made into a movie in 1972 starring Michael Sacks, Ron Libman, Eugene Roche, Valerie Perrine, and Sharon Gans.

TSUNAMI REVEALS SUNKEN HINDU TEMPLE

The December 26, 2004, tsunami that devastated much of South Asia's coast also uncovered an ancient city and parts of a Hindu temple near the coastal town of Mahabalipuram, India, 30 miles south of Madras. According to T. Satyamurthy, a senior archaeologist with the Archaeological Survey of India, as the waves receded, the force of the water removed sand deposits that had covered the structures, which appear to belong to a port city built in the seventh century. Land and underwater archaeological teams are now at work in the area to uncover and preserve the priceless structures.

Satyamurthy indicated that the tsunami exposed a bas-relief that appears to be part of a temple wall or a portion of the ancient port city. Excavations now in progress will throw more light on these structures and artifacts. The six-foot rocky structures that have emerged in Mahabalipuram, include an elaborately carved head of an elephant, a horse in flight, warriors, "bootha ganas" (short and fat human forms), and another structure with a reclining lion sculpted on it. Above the elephant's head is a small square-shaped niche with a carved statue of a deity. According to Indian archaeologists working on the site, lions, elephants, and peacocks were commonly used to decorate walls and temples during the Pallava period in the seventh and eighth centuries. Satyamurthy believes that, "These structures could be part of the legendary seven pagodas. With the waters receding and the coastline changing, we expect some more edifices to be exposed."

According to K.T. Narasimhan, a superintending archaeologist in the temple survey project, lion motifs were associated with the Pallava rulers. Narasimhavarman-I (630 to 668 A.D.) built the Five Rathas. His grandson, Narasimhavaran II, built the majestic Shore Temple near the town that was once a main port, naval base, and capital of the great Pallava kingdom. The city derived its name from the word 'Mamall,' meaning the great wrestler, a name given to king Narasimha Varman I. While Narasimha Varman was a great wrestler, none of the carvings discovered so far show him throwing an opponent into the turnbuckle, putting someone in the sleeper hold, or holding or wearing a championship belt. Most of the temples in Mahabalipuram were dedicated to the Siva and Vishnu.

Parts of the shrine were above water prior to the tsunami. The boulder with the horse and the elephant head with the carving of a deity inside was visible above the sand for many years before the tsunami and local fishermen used to offer prayers to the cut-in shrine with camphor and swallow rice before going into the sea.

Mahabalipuram was already well known before the tsunami for its ancient, intricately carved shore temples that have been declared a World Heritage site. The area is visited each year by thousands of Hindu pilgrims and tourists. The city sponsors a major dance festival every year beginning in late December and continuing until mid-January.

SPORTS SHORTS
LONG SHOT WINS GAME

With only 0.6 seconds left in overtime, Jordan Snipes of Guilford College rebounded the other team's missed free throw, wheeled around and heaved the ball the full length of the court. The Hail Mary shot, that was thrown like a baseball, won the basketball game 91-89 for the Quakers as they defeated their rivals Randolph-Macon in a Division III basketball game in Ashland, Va.

For Snipes, the 90-foot shot for the victory over Randolph-Macon on January 31 was a memory the former high school quarterback doesn't expect to top. "I think that'll be my highlight," the sophomore said Tuesday afternoon after the game. "I thought if I went to sleep that it was just going to turn into a dream and when I woke up it'd be over."

Snipes was hoping to grab the rebound and lean quickly against a Yellow Jacket player hoping to draw a "cheap foul," he said. But then he heard the Randolph-Macon coaches tell their players to back away from the line. "When they did that, " Snipes said, "I couldn't get near anybody in six-tenths of a second, so I just took the ball and threw it. I didn't know what else to do."

The shot capped a career-best 34-point night for Snipes, who made 6 of 7 3-point shots.

Tom Palumbo, coach of the Greensboro, North Carolina based Guilford Quakers, said he was already walking toward Randolph-Macon coach Mike Rhoades to shake hands when the flight of the ball caught their attention. "I remember thinking it looked like it had a chance and when it went through, it was just crazy."

Randolph-Macon coach Mike Rhoades had instructed Adam Krovic to miss the second free throw on purpose, following the conventional wisdom that six-tenths of a second is not enough time to make a play. Everyone expected the game to end 89-88 in favor of the Yellow Jackets. Then came Snipes heave-ho 'Hail Mary' shot. Rhoads said he realized there might be trouble after Snipes released the shot. "When it got to halfcourt, I said, 'That's going to hit something.' The guy just made an incredible play."

Snipe's three-point shot made all the highlight videos and was shown on TV around the country.

Clarion Issue Trivia

What President rode an electric horse in the White House?
A. Calvin Coolidge
B. Theodore Roosevelt
C. F. D. Roosevelt
D. Herbert Hoover
E. Ronald Reagan
F. Jimmy Carter

Answer A. Calvin Coolidge had an electric horse in the White House.

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