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Cheer: Girl pulls brother from fire
We just had to give applause to 5-year-old Christina Street, who is credited with helping to bring her 14-month-old brother, Jonathon Tucker, to safety on Dec. 17 after their home caught on fire.
As she said, she held him really tight.
The girl saw smoke and kept her cool. And in her actions, she took her younger brother away from a dangerous situation.
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Street’s actions are a feel-good story. While adults could have taken the children out of the home, instead it was a young girl’s actions that did the job.
It shows the importance of making sure children recognize a bad situation in regards to fire and how to escape.
Jeer: Bush withdraws pardon
During the week of Christmas, President Bush issued 19 pardons, including one for Isaac Toussie, who was convicted in 2001 of mail fraud and of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
But as soon as the announcement was made, Toussie’s pardon was being questioned by people who were affected by the mortgage fraud scheme Toussie had perpetrated. And they were upset over the links Toussie’s father had with donations to the Republican Party earlier in the year.
The question some were raising was whether there was special treatment due to the political connections. Others were questioning why the process used by the White House may not have been more thorough and if the White House counsel circumvented the normal review process.
Bush quickly withdrew the pardon based on the “information that has subsequently come to light” and ordered a review of it by a Department of Justice pardon attorney.
We hope this is a lesson for the White House to review the people whom they hope to pardon in the final days of the presidency. The American people deserve cases reviewed thoroughly before they’re made public.
Cheer: Iraq takes control
The new year in Iraq started with new hope for not only Iraqis, but also for U.S. troops stationed there.
The Iraqis took control of the Green Zone and Saddam’s presidential palace on Thursday, as a new agreement between the Iraqis and the Americans took effect, allowing the Iraqis to have more control of actions within their own boundaries. This doesn’t mean that Americans won’t be manning checkpoints or still be active in the field. They will be. It just means that Americans will have to be working in greater coordination with the Iraqis.
The transfer of the Green Zone and the palace were ceremonial and symbolic. It was giving the Iraqi people back what they once had, as well as America sending a message that it was a willing partner for this transfer of property.
The hope is that the Iraqis can show they can provide security to important installations, including the Green Zone, which is a walled complex that is heavily fortified and has a 13-foot-high wall around it.
If the Iraqis can continue to regain control and show they can handle it, it’s a day closer to U.S. troops starting to leave that nation in larger numbers, which would close a chapter of American history many have been hoping to end for some time.
politically incorrect wrote on Jan 3, 2009 11:45 AM: