OCR | Digital Archive (2024)

Anthrax Vaccine n Water Wars n Debating the Draft

THE AMERICAN

$2.50 June 2003

The magazine for a strong America

MILITARY

“For God and Country since 1919

WE SALUTE YOU.

2005 JEEP WRANGLER
®

2005 JEEP LIBERTY
®

NEW 2005 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE
®

VETERANS, CURRENT AND RETIRED MILITARY PERSONNEL

GET AN ADDITIONAL $500 CASH ALLOWANCE
ON THE PURCHASE OR LEASE OF ANY NEW JEEP VEHICLE.
®

Now all veterans, current and retired U.S. military personnel and their immediate family
members can receive a $500 cash allowance in addition to current incentives good
toward a new Jeep Wrangler, Liberty, or Grand Cherokee.* It’s a small gesture of gratitude for
the men and women who have served and continue to serve in our nation’s armed forces.

POWERTRAIN
LIMITED
WARRANTY†

JEEP.COM

SEE YOUR JEEP DEALER.
®

1-800-925-JEEP
*Must present current military ID, retirement or discharge papers at time of purchase. To be eligible, retirees must have at least 20 years of
service. See your dealer for details. †7-year or 70,000-mile Powertrain Limited Warranty on all Jeep vehicles. See dealer for a copy of this
limited warranty. Transferable to second owner with fee. A deductible applies. Jeep is a registered trademark of DaimlerChrysler Corporation.

contents
SEPTEMBER 2005 • Vol. 159, No. 3

14 The Good of the Company
vs. the Good of the Country
Outsourcing is not the bottom-line boon
many corporations promise. By Lou Dobbs

The American Legion Magazine,
a leader among national general-interest
publications, is published monthly by
The American Legion for its 2.7 million
members. These wartime veterans,
working through 15,000 community-level
posts, dedicate themselves to God and
Country and traditional American values;
strong national security; adequate and
compassionate care for veterans, their
widows and orphans; community service;
and the wholesome development of our
nation’s youth.

20 Libraries of Terror
Terrorists and pedophiles ﬁnd comfortable
anonymity between the shelves.
By Deroy Murdock

28 Things I Have Learned
Since Going Blind
A Marine Corps veteran makes the most of
life after sight. By Albert W. Brown
34 ‘Muscular Idealism’
Historian Victor Davis Hanson says the Arab
world must realize Islam and freedom can
coexist. Interview by Alan W. Dowd
40 ‘We Deliver the Goods’
From the Revolutionary War to Operation
Iraqi Freedom, the U.S. Merchant Marine
has played a vital role in military history.

46 ‘If there

was anything
I wanted to do,
it was to walk on,
to walk normally.’

By Dan Allsup

46 Never to Walk Alone
In an excerpt from his new book, Bob Dole describes the
faith it took to recover from his war injuries.
50 Death of a Hospital
Chicago veterans remain impassioned over
the closure of a downtown VA hospital.

28 ‘My vision
changed to
20/400 plus, and
I became legally
blind. It took
about six weeks.’

By Jeff Stoffer

58 A Flag, a Poem and a Lesson in Freedom
No American should have to tolerate the
burning of Old Glory. By Miguel Pérez
4
10
12
62
80
84

Vet Voice
Commander’s Message
Big Issues
Rapid Fire
Comrades
Parting Shots

20 ‘The time for some

librarians to stop their
facilities from doubling
as crime dens is
long overdue.’

COVER: Dr. Robert Rosa , left, of Northwestern University’s Medical School and
Vietnam War veteran Oliver Thomas, right, of Chicago’s south side are allied in the
battle to keep VA health care alive and well in America’s third largest city. For
years, the Lakeside VA Medical Center and Northwestern University were connected by more than a skywalk. They shared a mutually beneﬁcial purpose for
med students and veterans alike. See story, page 50. Michael Williams

Vanishing… Statehood
Quarters

30coin set!

Don’t miss this 30-coin complete set of Uncirculated
Statehood quarters! Hoarded by the public, these
popular coins are vanishing from circulation and WILL
NEVER BE MINTED AGAIN! With this special offer you
can own a complete year set of Uncirculated Statehood
quarters – 1999-2004 – for just $19.95! A special
savings of 52% off regular prices plus FREE shipping
to your home! Plus, when you order today, you’ll
also get one of America’s NEW Uncirculated 2005
Buffalo nickels honoring the Lewis & Clark expedition,
absolutely FREE!
You’ll also receive our fully illustrated catalog,
plus other fascinating selections from our Free
Examination Coins-on-Approval Service, from which
you may purchase any or none – return balance in 15
days – with option to cancel at any time. Don’t delay!
Get these historic once-in-a-lifetime quarters before
they vanish forever!
45-Day Money Back Guarantee of Satisfaction

FREE!

Plus, get one of the NEWLY
designed 2005 Uncirculated
Buffalo Nickels – absolutely FREE!

Now Get Complete Year Sets
1
9
9
9
2
0
0
0

700 N. Pennsylvania St.
P.O. Box 1055
Indianapolis, IN 46206
(317) 630-1200
http://www.legion.org

2
0
0
1

National Commander Thomas P. Cadmus
Published by The American Legion
Editor John Raughter
Operations Administrator Patricia Marschand
EDITORIAL
Managing Editor Jeff Stoffer
Editorial Administrator Brandy Ballenger
Senior Editor Steve Brooks
Assistant Editor James V. Carroll
Assistant Editor Matt Grills
Assistant Editor Elissa Kaupisch
Contributing Editor Alan Dowd

2
0
0
2
2
0
0
3

GRAPHIC DESIGN
Art Director Holly K. Soria
Designer Doug Rollison

2
0
0
4

PRODUCTION
Production Director Jon Reynolds
Designer King Doxsee

send me the complete 1999-2004 Uncirculated Statehood Quarter Collection for the special price of
✓ YES! Please
$19.95 (regularly $42.00) with Free Shipping (limit 5). Plus, my FREE Uncirculated 2005 Buffalo Nickel
❐
(one per customer, please).
Please send coupon to:

How Many (limit 5 sets): _________
Dept. K7X481
Order Deadline: 12:00 Midnight, October 1, 2005
1309 Mt. Eustis Road
Total Cost @ $19.95 per set: $________
Littleton NH 03561-3737
Method of payment: ❏ Check or Money Order enclosed
Plus, add a Statehood Folder to
❏ VISA ❏ MasterCard
❏ American Express ❏ NOVUS Cards
display your collection for only
Card No.
Exp. Date_____/_____
$1.50 – you SAVE 62%! (limit 5): $________

FREE!
Shipping & Handling: $________
Name __________________________________________________________________

Total Amount: $________

Address ________________________________________________________________

Special Offer for New Customers Only

City________________________________ State ______ Zip ____________________

Celebrating 60 Years of
Friendly Service to Collectors

FREE
SHIPPING
Now in Effect!

NEW DR® LEAF and LAWN VACUUM
— turns your riding mower into a powerful yard clean-up machine!

cones, pine needles, nuts, and twigs from
your lawn using an incredible 85 mph
suction force!

• SHREDS most everything it vacuums.
Reduces the volume of leaves by 90%.

• DUMPS OR BAGS collected material.
• CHIPS fallen tree branches and prunings
up to 2" thick with built-in chipper.

• THREE SIZES, from 5.5 to 7 HP, 245
to 315 gallon capacity!

Try it for 6 Months Risk-Free!
If you are not 100% satisfied, we’ll take it back
and you won’t be out a penny!

To Learn More or to
Order Call TOLL-FREE

1-800-709-0278
YES! Please rush me a FREE Video and Catalog with
full details of the DR® LEAF and LAWN VACUUM,
including your 6 month free trial offer, low, factorydirect prices, and seasonal savings now in effect.
Name __________________________________________
AML

Address ________________________________________
City __________________ State ______ Zip __________
E-mail ________________________________________

DR® POWER EQUIPMENT, Dept. 50018X
127 Meigs Road, Vergennes, VT 05491

www.DRleafvac.com

PUBLISHER’S ADVERTISING
REPRESENTATIVES
James G. Elliott Company, Inc.
New York: (212) 588-9200
Detroit: (248) 530-0300
Chicago: (312) 236-4900
Los Angeles: (213) 624-0900
THE AMERICAN LEGION
MAGAZINE COMMISSION
Dennis J. Henkemeyer, Chairman, Bagley, MN
James Hall, Vice Chairman, Hopewell, NJ;
Elmer W. Heffelfinger, National Commander’s
Re p re s e nt at i ve, L ans fo rd, PA ; Jam e s J.
Charleston, Consultant, Island Lake, IL; Robert
A. Corrigan, Consultant, Bronx, NY. Commission
Members: Harold F. Arnold, Statesboro, GA;
Donald R. Conn, South Bend, IN; James W.
Conway, Charlestown, MA; Ruth E. Crutcher,
Baltimore, OH; Bettylou Evans, Laurel, DE; Philip
B. Finley, Colby, KS; Dennis E. Fritz, Columbus
Junction, IA; Charles E. Hartman, Eau Claire,
PA; Theodore Hartmann, Smithton, IL; Roy L.
Kirkham, Minden, LA; Bob Legan, Russellville,
AR; Michael L. Montaney, Ephrata, WA; Silas
M. Noel, Frankfurt, KY; Everett G. Shepard III,
Woodstock, CT; George G. Sinopoli, Fresno, CA;
Robert E. Vass Sr., Huntington, WV; Frank C.
Ward, Greenville, SC. NEC Liaison Committee:
William W. Kile, Chairman, Petersburg, WV;
Alfred Pirolli, Philadelphia, PA; Arthur E. Sell, Big
Timber, MT; Joseph W. Young, Chattanooga, TN.
Copyright 2005 by The American Legion
T h e A m e r i c a n L e g i o n ( I S S N 0 8 8 6 -12 3 4 ) is
published monthly by The American Legion, 5745
Lee Road, Indianapolis, IN 4 6216. Periodic als
postage paid at Indianapolis, IN 46204 and additional
mailing of f ices. Annual non-member and gif t
subscriptions, $15 ($21, foreign); post-spon sored
and widows’ subscriptions, $6; single copy, $3.50.
Member annual subscription price $3.00, which is
included in annual member dues. POST MASTER:
Send address changes to The American Legion,
Data Services, P.O. Box 1954, Indianapolis, IN 46206.
Internet address: http://www.legion.org.

• VACUUMS leaves, grass clippings, pine

ADVERTISING
Advertising Director Diane Andretti
Advertising Assistant Laura Edwards
Advertising Assistant Amanda A. Harpenau
The American Legion Magazine
P.O. Box 7068
Indianapolis, IN 46207

Change of Address: Notify The American Legion,
Data Services, P.O. Box 1954, Indianapolis, IN 46206.
(317) 860-3111. Attach old address label, provide old
and new addresses and current membership card
number.
Canada Post International Publications Mall (Canadian
Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 546321. Re-entered
second-class mail matter at Manila Central Post
office dated Dec. 22, 1991.

Printed in USA
Member Audit Bureau of Circulations

No Cold Feet in Norway, Keep Feet ‘Fireside Warm’ and Comfy

)J$VU/PSXFHJBO
,OJU4MJQQFST

One Pair
Only

NOW
Hi-Cut for
Extra Warmth
and Comfort

Easy Slip
On Styling
Self-Molds To
Your Foot
Durable Non-Slip
Safety Soles

Norwegian
Black
S

Women 6 - 8½
Men

6-8

9 - 10½

11 - 12

N/A

8½ - 9½

10 - 11

11½ - 13

ÛoooEYlagfYdKM9Yj_Yafk[ge
/BUJPOBM57#BSHBJOT %FQU)$/&

Tight-knit booty with full fleece
lined inside, covers and cuddles
your entire foot and ankle in a
cozy cushion of warmth. Hugs
your foot and ankle in a plush,
furry circle that no chill, no
drafts, no biting, nipping cold
can possibly seep through.
฀
Your feet stay toasty warm from
฀
฀
heel to toe. Perfect fit and total
satisfaction guaranteed or money back in full (less p&h).

Supply in the USA still extremely limited.
To make sure you don’t miss out, ACT NOW!
© 2005 National TV Bargains, 22 South Smith St., Norwalk, CT 06855-1040

4PVUI4NJUI4U /PSXBML $5
1MFBTFTFOENFUIFGPMMPXJOH4MJQQFSTPSEFSFE
CFMPXPOZPVSNPOFZCBDLHVBSBOUFF MFTTQI

฀0OF1BJSPG4MJQQFST
Qty. Size
Color
0OMZ
฀4"7&"OZ5XP1BJS
0OMZ
฀#&450''&3"OZ5ISFF
1BJS0OMZ
"EEQIOPNBUUFSIPXNBOZZPVPSEFS
&ODMPTFEJTDIFDLPSNPOFZPSEFS
0S$IBSHFJU 7JTB .BTUFS$BSE "NFY ฀%JTD

"DDU&YQ
/BNF
"EESFTT
$JUZ4UBUF;JQ
&NBJM"EESFTT
%BZUJNF1IPOF

vet voice
Enemies of the ﬂag
I want to comment on an editorial printed
in our local newspaper. It seems our local
paper’s staff feels the New York State Senate
need not pass an amendment prohibiting the
burning of our ﬂag. They feel it’s a First
Amendment right and can’t seem to
understand why veterans like us are the
biggest proponents of the amendment. They
stated further that we, in their opinion,
fought for their right to allow others to
desecrate our ﬂag. Finally, they feel it’s the
“right of Americans” to protest our
government by burning our ﬂag should they
see ﬁt to do so. As I said to them in my
response, you protest our government and its policies at the ballot box,
not by burning our ﬂag.
I’d love to ask my great-uncle, Pvt. First Class Walter Snyder, what he
thinks about all this. Unfortunately, he’s still somewhere in Europe after
taking a direct hit from a German mortar round. Ironically enough, he died
while defending our ﬂag. Did he die so that others may burn it? I think not.
I know I didn’t put in 23 years of service to my country in order to allow
others to burn our ﬂag, nor did my father. Woe to the wayward fool whom
I catch burning or desecrating our ﬂag. I’ve sworn to defend my country
against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and so I shall if given the
opportunity.
– John E. Booth, Ilion, N.Y.
A threat indeed

4
9/2005

After reading the interview
with Secretary of Homeland
Security Michael Chertoff (“The
Layered Approach,” July), I had
to laugh. On any given Sunday
you could ﬁ ll a bus with illegal
aliens at our local Wal-Mart.
Nothing is done by local police,
state ofﬁcials or the highly
vaunted but useless U.S. Citizenship and Naturalization Services.
Everyone has a lame excuse for
not enforcing the law. These
foreign inﬁ ltrators pose a threat
to our security, carry heaven
only knows how many communicable diseases, and suck the
life out of our social services.
Veterans will not be so happy
when they need these services,
only to ﬁ nd our government has
given them away to criminals.
Homeland security, as it is now,
is a joke. When I see buses ﬁ lled
with deportees headed west on
I-40, you can tell me something
is actually being done.
– Ian A. Millar, Kernersville, N.C.

It appears Michael Chertoff has
no answers for our chaotic
southern border. It was disappointing to read his response to
your question concerning the
mass of illegals crossing our
borders. It hit on a signiﬁcant
issue and was second on a list of
13 questions. Chertoff’s answer –
referring to the president’s
temporary-worker program,
which is de facto amnesty, and
security policy, which doesn’t
exist on the border – is really no
solution.
The border patrol has repeatedly acknowledged that any
suggestion of amnesty or legalization of illegals simply encourages more illegal activity on the
border and adds to the hordes
now crossing, especially along
the southern border. They come
with drugs, disease and criminal
backgrounds. Most likely some
are terrorists.
President Bush’s position on
illegal immigration is weak and
ineffective in the eyes of a large

number of his voting base, plus
many others. In view of this and
Congress’ lack of action, U.S.
citizens need to put steady and
unrelenting pressure on their
elected ofﬁcials to deal forcefully
with illegal immigration.
– Bud Cordes, Lafayette, Ind.

Methinks the secretary has
spent too many years in the
courtroom; such hubris and hot
air are seldom seen in The
American Legion Magazine. Each
question asked was answered
with the same manner of circumvention and grandiloquence
one becomes so accustomed to
in the world of legalese.
The answer to your ﬁ rst
question, regarding curbing the
ﬂow of illegal immigrants across
our nation’s borders, was passed
off as an economic and security
issue. Unbelievable evasion.
Chertoff knows our borders
with Canada and Mexico are as
porous as porous can be and that
the issue is, above all, political.
We can hide behind temporaryworker programs and economic
opportunities all we want, but
the truth is that Mideast males
illegally enter the United States
every day from Mexico. So many
are coming across we have no
hope of recognizing the good
guys from the bad.
President Bush wants to give
amnesty to millions of illegals.
That’s not plugging terrorist
loopholes; that’s creating them.
Every illegal should be rounded
up and deported, no matter what
their nationality. Period. Lax
immigration enforcement, drugs,
political correctness and alQaeda’s devious network offer
only a dangerous future for the
United States.
Chertoff would have us believe
this administration’s “comprehensive approach” will control
our borders. Not a chance.
– David L. Snell, Dillsboro, N.C.

When it comes to bad cholesterol–

Getting high cholesterol down
is important.
Doctors know lowering high cholesterol is
important for everyone. But for some people,
it’s even more important. In fact, a panel of
medical experts recently proposed updated
guidelines suggesting many patients aim for
an even lower cholesterol goal than before.*
Working with your doctor
is key to helping you reach
your cholesterol goal.
If, after all you’ve tried—including diet
and exercise—your doctor believes you
need to get your bad cholesterol even
lower, ask whether CRESTOR might help.
Aim lower.
CRESTOR may make the difference you need.
In fact, the 10-mg dose of CRESTOR, along
with diet, can lower bad cholesterol by as much
as 52% (vs 7% with placebo). That means
your LDL-C—the bad cholesterol—could
go down about half. Your results may vary.
Is CRESTOR right for you?
That’s another conversation you need to
have with your doctor. Your doctor will
decide the best course of treatment for
you after assessing your particular needs.

Get more information about CRESTOR.
To learn more about CRESTOR, or if you
are without prescription coverage and can’t
afford your medication, AstraZeneca may
be able to help. Call 800-CRESTOR or visit
CRESTOR.com.
Here is important safety information
about CRESTOR you need to know.
CRESTOR is prescribed along with diet for
lowering high cholesterol and has not been
determined to prevent heart disease, heart
attacks, or strokes. CRESTOR is not right
for everyone, including women who are
nursing, pregnant, or who may become
pregnant, or anyone with liver problems.
Your doctor will do blood tests before and
during treatment with CRESTOR to monitor
your liver function. Unexplained muscle pain
and weakness could be a sign of a rare but
serious side effect and should be reported
to your doctor right away. The 40-mg dose
of CRESTOR is only for patients who do not
reach goal on 20 mg. Be sure to tell your
doctor if you are taking any medications.
Side effects occur infrequently and include
muscle aches, constipation, weakness,
abdominal pain, and nausea. They are
usually mild and tend to go away.

If your doctor says,
“lower is better,” aim lower with CRESTOR.

*Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III, Update, 2004
Please read the important Product Information about CRESTOR on the adjacent page and discuss it with your doctor.

Please read this summary carefully and then ask your doctor about CRESTOR. No advertisem*nt can provide all the information needed to determine if a drug is right for you.
This advertisem*nt does not take the place of careful discussions with your doctor. Only your doctor has the training to weigh the risks and benefits of a prescription drug.

BRIEF SUMMARY: For full Prescribing Information, see package insert. INDICATIONS concomitant cyclosporine (see WARNINGS, Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis, and DOSAGE AND Adverse Experiences Adverse experiences, regardless of causality assessment, reported
AND USAGE CRESTOR is indicated: 1. as an adjunct to diet to reduce elevated total-C, ADMINISTRATION). Warfarin: Coadministration of rosuvastatin to patients on stable warfarin in *2% of patients in placebo-controlled clinical studies of rosuvastatin are shown in Table 1;
LDL-C, ApoB, nonHDL-C, and TG levels and to increase HDL-C in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia (heterozygous familial and nonfamilial) and mixed dyslipidemia (Fredrickson Type IIa
and IIb); 2. as an adjunct to diet for the treatment of patients with elevated serum TG levels
(Fredrickson Type IV); 3. to reduce LDL-C, total-C, and ApoB in patients with hom*ozygous familial
hypercholesterolemia as an adjunct to other lipid-lowering treatments (e.g., LDL apheresis) or if
such treatments are unavailable. CONTRAINDICATIONS CRESTOR is contraindicated in
patients with a known hypersensitivity to any component of this product. Rosuvastatin is
contraindicated in patients with active liver disease or with unexplained persistent elevations of
serum transaminases (see WARNINGS, Liver Enzymes). Pregnancy and Lactation
Atherosclerosis is a chronic process and discontinuation of lipid-lowering drugs during pregnancy
should have little impact on the outcome of long-term therapy of primary hypercholesterolemia.
Cholesterol and other products of cholesterol biosynthesis are essential components for fetal
development (including synthesis of steroids and cell membranes). Since HMG-CoA reductase
inhibitors decrease cholesterol synthesis and possibly the synthesis of other biologically active
substances derived from cholesterol, they may cause fetal harm when administered to pregnant
women. Therefore, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors are contraindicated during pregnancy and in
nursing mothers. ROSUVASTATIN SHOULD BE ADMINISTERED TO WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING
AGE ONLY WHEN SUCH PATIENTS ARE HIGHLY UNLIKELY TO CONCEIVE AND HAVE BEEN
INFORMED OF THE POTENTIAL HAZARDS. If the patient becomes pregnant while taking this drug,
therapy should be discontinued immediately and the patient apprised of the potential hazard to the
fetus. WARNINGS Liver Enzymes HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, like some other lipidlowering therapies, have been associated with biochemical abnormalities of liver function. The incidence of persistent elevations (>3 times the upper limit of normal [ULN] occurring on 2 or more
consecutive occasions) in serum transaminases in fixed dose studies was 0.4, 0, 0, and 0.1% in
patients who received rosuvastatin 5, 10, 20, and 40 mg, respectively. In most cases, the elevations were transient and resolved or improved on continued therapy or after a brief interruption in
therapy. There were two cases of jaundice, for which a relationship to rosuvastatin therapy could
not be determined, which resolved after discontinuation of therapy. There were no cases of liver
failure or irreversible liver disease in these trials. It is recommended that liver function tests be
performed before and at 12 weeks following both the initiation of therapy and any elevation of
dose, and periodically (e.g., semiannually) thereafter. Liver enzyme changes generally occur in
the first 3 months of treatment with rosuvastatin. Patients who develop increased transaminase
levels should be monitored until the abnormalities have resolved. Should an increase in ALT or AST
of >3 times ULN persist, reduction of dose or withdrawal of rosuvastatin is recommended.
Rosuvastatin should be used with caution in patients who consume substantial quantities of
alcohol and/or have a history of liver disease (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Special
Populations, Hepatic Insufficiency). Active liver disease or unexplained persistent transaminase
elevations are contraindications to the use of rosuvastatin (see CONTRAINDICATIONS).
Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis Rare cases of rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure
secondary to myoglobinuria have been reported with rosuvastatin and with other drugs in this
class. Uncomplicated myalgia has been reported in rosuvastatin-treated patients (see ADVERSE
REACTIONS). Creatine kinase (CK) elevations (>10 times upper limit of normal) occurred in 0.2%
to 0.4% of patients taking rosuvastatin at doses up to 40 mg in clinical studies. Treatment-related
myopathy, defined as muscle aches or muscle weakness in conjunction with increases in CK values
>10 times upper limit of normal, was reported in up to 0.1% of patients taking rosuvastatin doses
of up to 40 mg in clinical studies. In clinical trials, the incidence of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis
increased at doses of rosuvastatin above the recommended dosage range (5 to 40 mg). In postmarketing experience, effects on skeletal muscle, e.g. uncomplicated myalgia, myopathy and,
rarely, rhabdomyolysis have been reported in patients treated with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors
including rosuvastatin. As with other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, reports of rhabdomyolysis
with rosuvastatin are rare, but higher at the highest marketed dose (40 mg). Factors that may
predispose patients to myopathy with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors include advanced age (*65
years), hypothyroidism, and renal insufficiency. Consequently: 1. Rosuvastatin should be
prescribed with caution in patients with predisposing factors for myopathy, such as, renal impairment (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION), advanced age, and inadequately treated hypothyroidism. 2. Patients should be advised to promptly report unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or
weakness, particularly if accompanied by malaise or fever. Rosuvastatin therapy should be discontinued if markedly elevated CK levels occur or myopathy is diagnosed or suspected. 3. The 40 mg
dose of rosuvastatin is reserved only for those patients who have not achieved their LDL-C goal
utilizing the 20 mg dose of rosuvastatin once daily (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). 4. The
risk of myopathy during treatment with rosuvastatin may be increased with concurrent administration of other lipid-lowering therapies or cyclosporine, (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Drug
Interactions, PRECAUTIONS, Drug Interactions, and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). The
benefit of further alterations in lipid levels by the combined use of rosuvastatin with fibrates or
niacin should be carefully weighed against the potential risks of this combination.
Combination therapy with rosuvastatin and gemfibrozil should generally be avoided. (See
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION and PRECAUTIONS, Drug Interactions). 5. The risk of
myopathy during treatment with rosuvastatin may be increased in circ*mstances which
increase rosuvastatin drug levels (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Special Populations, Race
and Renal Insufficiency, and PRECAUTIONS, General). 6. Rosuvastatin therapy should also be
temporarily withheld in any patient with an acute, serious condition suggestive of myopathy or
predisposing to the development of renal failure secondary to rhabdomyolysis (e.g., sepsis,
hypotension, dehydration, major surgery, trauma, severe metabolic, endocrine, and electrolyte disorders, or uncontrolled seizures). PRECAUTIONS General Before instituting
therapy with rosuvastatin, an attempt should be made to control hypercholesterolemia with appropriate diet and exercise, weight reduction in obese patients, and treatment of underlying medical
problems (see INDICATIONS AND USAGE). Administration of rosuvastatin 20 mg to patients with
severe renal impairment (CLcr <30 mL/min/1.73 m2) resulted in a 3-fold increase in plasma
concentrations of rosuvastatin compared with healthy volunteers (see WARNINGS, Myopathy/
Rhabdomyolysis and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). The result of a large pharmaco*kinetic
study conducted in the US demonstrated an approximate 2-fold elevation in median exposure in
Asian subjects (having either Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese or Asian-Indian
origin) compared with a Caucasian control group. This increase should be considered when
making rosuvastatin dosing decisions for Asian patients. (See WARNINGS, Myopathy/
Rhabdomyolysis; CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Special Populations, Race, and DOSAGE AND
ADMINISTRATION.) Information for Patients Patients should be advised to report
promptly unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, particularly if accompanied by
malaise or fever. When taking rosuvastatin with an aluminum and magnesium hydroxide combination antacid, the antacid should be taken at least 2 hours after rosuvastatin administration (see
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Drug Interactions). Laboratory Tests In the rosuvastatin clinical trial program, dipstick-positive proteinuria and microscopic hematuria were observed among
rosuvastatin-treated patients, predominantly in patients dosed above the recommended dose
range (i.e., 80 mg). However, this finding was more frequent in patients taking rosuvastatin 40 mg,
when compared to lower doses of rosuvastatin or comparator statins, though it was generally transient and was not associated with worsening renal function. Although the clinical significance of
this finding is unknown, a dose reduction should be considered for patients on rosuvastatin 40 mg
therapy with unexplained persistent proteinuria during routine urinalysis testing. Drug
Interactions Cyclosporine: When rosuvastatin 10 mg was coadministered with cyclosporine
in cardiac transplant patients, rosuvastatin mean Cmax and mean AUC were increased 11-fold and
7-fold, respectively, compared with healthy volunteers. These increases are considered to be clinically significant and require special consideration in the dosing of rosuvastatin to patients taking

therapy resulted in clinically significant rises in INR (>4, baseline 2-3). In patients taking coumarin
anticoagulants and rosuvastatin concomitantly, INR should be determined before starting rosuvastatin and frequently enough during early therapy to ensure that no significant alteration of INR
occurs. Once a stable INR time has been documented, INR can be monitored at the intervals
usually recommended for patients on coumarin anticoagulants. If the dose of rosuvastatin is
changed, the same procedure should be repeated. Rosuvastatin therapy has not been associated
with bleeding or with changes in INR in patients not taking anticoagulants. Gemfibrozil:
Coadministration of a single rosuvastatin dose to healthy volunteers on gemfibrozil (600 mg twice
daily) resulted in a 2.2- and 1.9-fold, respectively, increase in mean Cmax and mean AUC of rosuvastatin (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Endocrine Function Although clinical studies
have shown that rosuvastatin alone does not reduce basal plasma cortisol concentration or impair
adrenal reserve, caution should be exercised if any HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor or other agent
used to lower cholesterol levels is administered concomitantly with drugs that may decrease the
levels or activity of endogenous steroid hormones such as ketoconazole, spironolactone, and
cimetidine. CNS Toxicity CNS vascular lesions, characterized by perivascular hemorrhages,
edema, and mononuclear cell infiltration of perivascular spaces, have been observed in dogs
treated with several other members of this drug class. A chemically similar drug in this class
produced dose-dependent optic nerve degeneration (Wallerian degeneration of retinogeniculate
fibers) in dogs, at a dose that produced plasma drug levels about 30 times higher than the mean
drug level in humans taking the highest recommended dose. Edema, hemorrhage, and partial
necrosis in the interstitium of the choroid plexus was observed in a female dog sacrificed moribund at day 24 at 90 mg/kg/day by oral gavage (systemic exposures 100 times the human exposure at 40 mg/day based on AUC comparisons). Corneal opacity was seen in dogs treated for
52 weeks at 6 mg/kg/day by oral gavage (systemic exposures 20 times the human exposure at
40 mg/day based on AUC comparisons). Cataracts were seen in dogs treated for 12 weeks by oral
gavage at 30 mg/kg/day (systemic exposures 60 times the human exposure at 40 mg/day based
on AUC comparisons). Retinal dysplasia and retinal loss were seen in dogs treated for 4 weeks by
oral gavage at 90 mg/kg/day (systemic exposures 100 times the human exposure at
40 mg/day based on AUC). Doses )30 mg/kg/day (systemic exposures )60 times the human exposure at 40 mg/day based on AUC comparisons) following treatment up to one year, did not reveal
retinal findings. Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility In a
104-week carcinogenicity study in rats at dose levels of 2, 20, 60, or 80 mg/kg/day by oral gavage,
the incidence of uterine stromal polyps was significantly increased in females at 80 mg/kg/day at

discontinuations due to adverse events in these studies of up to 12 weeks duration occurred in 3%
of patients on rosuvastatin and 5% on placebo.
Table 1. Adverse Events in Placebo-Controlled Studies
Rosuvastatin
Placebo
Adverse event
N=744
N=382
Pharyngitis
9.0
7.6
Headache
5.5
5.0
Diarrhea
3.4
2.9
Dyspepsia
3.4
3.1
Nausea
3.4
3.1
Myalgia
2.8
1.3
Asthenia
2.7
2.6
Back pain
2.6
2.4
Flu syndrome
2.3
1.8
Urinary tract infection
2.3
1.6
Rhinitis
2.2
2.1
Sinusitis
2.0
1.8
In addition, the following adverse events were reported, regardless of causality assessment, in
*1% of 10,275 patients treated with rosuvastatin in clinical studies. The events in italics occurred
in *2% of these patients. Body as a Whole: Abdominal pain, accidental injury, chest pain, infection, pain, pelvic pain, and neck pain. Cardiovascular System: Hypertension, angina pectoris,
vasodilatation, and palpitation. Digestive System: Constipation, gastroenteritis, vomiting, flatulence, periodontal abscess, and gastritis. Endocrine: Diabetes mellitus. Hemic and Lymphatic
System: Anemia and ecchymosis. Metabolic and Nutritional Disorders: Peripheral edema.
Musculoskeletal System: Arthritis, arthralgia, and pathological fracture. Nervous System:
Dizziness, insomnia, hypertonia, paresthesia, depression, anxiety, vertigo, and neuralgia.
Respiratory System: Bronchitis, cough increased, dyspnea, pneumonia, and asthma. Skin and
Appendages: Rash and pruritus. Laboratory Abnormalities: In the rosuvastatin clinical trial
program, dipstick-positive proteinuria and microscopic hematuria were observed among rosuvastatin-treated patients, predominantly in patients dosed above the recommended dose range (i.e.,
80 mg). However, this finding was more frequent in patients taking rosuvastatin 40 mg, when
compared to lower doses of rosuvastatin or comparator statins, though it was generally transient
and was not associated with worsening renal function. (See PRECAUTIONS, Laboratory Tests.)
Other abnormal laboratory values reported were elevated creatinine phosphokinase, transaminases, hyperglycemia, glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, and thyroid function abnormalities. Other adverse events reported less frequently than 1% in the rosuvastatin
clinical study program, regardless of causality assessment, included arrhythmia, hepatitis, hypersensitivity reactions (i.e., face edema, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, vesiculobullous rash,
urticaria, and angioedema), kidney failure, syncope, myasthenia, myositis, pancreatitis, photosensitivity reaction, myopathy, and rhabdomyolysis. Postmarketing Experience In addition
to the events reported above, as with other drugs in this class, the following event has been
reported during post-marketing experience with CRESTOR, regardless of causality assessment:
very rare cases of jaundice. OVERDOSAGE There is no specific treatment in the event of
overdose. In the event of overdose, the patient should be treated symptomatically and supportive
measures instituted as required. Hemodialysis does not significantly enhance clearance of rosuvastatin. DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION The patient should be placed on a standard
systemic exposure 20 times the human exposure at 40 mg/day based on AUC. Increased incidence
cholesterol-lowering diet before receiving CRESTOR and should continue on this diet during treatof polyps was not seen at lower doses. In a 107-week carcinogenicity study in mice given 10, 60,
ment. CRESTOR can be administered as a single dose at any time of day, with or without food.
200 mg/kg/day by oral gavage, an increased incidence of hepatocellular adenoma/carcinoma was
Hypercholesterolemia (Heterozygous Familial and Nonfamilial) and
observed at 200 mg/kg/day at systemic exposures 20 times human exposure at 40 mg/day based
Mixed Dyslipidemia (Fredrickson Type IIa and IIb) The dose range for
on AUC. An increased incidence of hepatocellular tumors was not seen at lower doses.
CRESTOR is 5 to 40 mg once daily. Therapy with CRESTOR should be individualized according to
Rosuvastatin was not mutagenic or clastogenic with or without metabolic activation in the Ames
goal of therapy and response. The usual recommended starting dose of CRESTOR is 10 mg once
test with Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli, the mouse lymphoma assay, and the chrodaily. However, initiation of therapy with 5 mg once daily should be considered for patients
mosomal aberration assay in Chinese hamster lung cells. Rosuvastatin was negative in the in vivo
requiring less aggressive LDL-C reductions, who have predisposing factors for myopathy, and as
mouse micronucleus test. In rat fertility studies with oral gavage doses of 5, 15, 50 mg/kg/day,
noted below for special populations such as patients taking cyclosporine, Asian patients, and
males were treated for 9 weeks prior to and throughout mating and females were treated 2 weeks
patients with severe renal insufficiency (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Race, and Renal
prior to mating and throughout mating until gestation day 7. No adverse effect on fertility was
Insufficiency, and Drug Interactions. For patients with marked hypercho-lesterolemia (LDL-C
observed at 50 mg/kg/day (systemic exposures up to 10 times human exposure at 40 mg/day
>190 mg/dL) and aggressive lipid targets, a 20-mg starting dose may be considered. After initiabased on AUC comparisons). In testicl*s of dogs treated with rosuvastatin at 30 mg/kg/day for one
tion and/or upon titration of CRESTOR, lipid levels should be analyzed within 2 to 4 weeks and
month, spermatidic giant cells were seen. Spermatidic giant cells were observed in monkeys after
dosage adjusted accordingly. The 40-mg dose of CRESTOR is reserved only for those patients
6-month treatment at 30 mg/kg/day in addition to vacuolation of seminiferous tubular epithelium.
who have not achieved their LDL-C goal utilizing the 20 mg dose of CRESTOR once daily (see
Exposures in the dog were 20 times and in the monkey 10 times human exposure at 40 mg/day
WARNINGS, Myopathy/ Rhabdomyolysis). When initiating statin therapy or switching from
based on body surface area comparisons. Similar findings have been seen with other drugs in this
another statin therapy, the appropriate CRESTOR starting dose should first be utilized, and only
class. Pregnancy Pregnancy Category X See CONTRAINDICATIONS. Rosuvastatin may cause
then titrated according to the patient’s individualized goal of therapy. hom*ozygous
fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Rosuvastatin is contraindicated in women
Familial Hypercholesterolemia The recommended starting dose of CRESTOR is
who are or may become pregnant. Safety in pregnant women has not been established. There are
20 mg once daily in patients with hom*ozygous FH. The maximum recommended daily dose is
no adequate and well-controlled studies of rosuvastatin in pregnant women. Rosuvastatin crosses
40 mg. CRESTOR should be used in these patients as an adjunct to other lipid-lowering treatments
the placenta and is found in fetal tissue and amniotic ﬂuid at 3% and 20%, respectively, of the
(e.g., LDL apheresis) or if such treatments are unavailable. Response to therapy should be estimaternal plasma concentration following a single 25 mg/kg oral gavage dose on gestation day 16
mated from pre-apheresis LDL-C levels. Dosage in Asian Patients Initiation of CRESTOR
in rats. A higher fetal tissue distribution (25% maternal plasma concentration) was observed in
therapy with 5 mg once daily should be considered for Asian patients. The potential for increased
rabbits after a single oral gavage dose of 1 mg/kg on gestation day 18. If this drug is administered
systemic exposures relative to Caucasians is relevant when considering escalation of dose in cases
to a woman with reproductive potential, the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to a
where hypercholesterolemia is not adequately controlled at doses of 5, 10, or 20 mg once daily.
fetus. In female rats given oral gavage doses of 5, 15, 50 mg/kg/day rosuvastatin before mating
(See WARNINGS, Myopathy/ Rhabdomyolysis, CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Special Populations,
and continuing through day 7 postcoitus results in decreased fetal body weight (female pups) and
Race, and PRECAUTIONS, General). Dosage in Patients Taking Cyclosporine In
delayed ossification at the high dose (systemic exposures 10 times human exposure at
patients taking cyclosporine, therapy should be limited to CRESTOR 5 mg once daily (see WARN40 mg/day based on AUC comparisons). In pregnant rats given oral gavage doses of 2, 20,
INGS, Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis, and PRECAUTIONS, Drug Interactions). Concomitant
50 mg/kg/day from gestation day 7 through lactation day 21 (weaning), decreased pup survival
Lipid-Lowering Therapy The effect of CRESTOR on LDL-C and total-C may be enhanced
occurred in groups given 50 mg/kg/day, systemic exposures *12 times human exposure at
when used in combination with a bile acid binding resin. If CRESTOR is used in combination with
40 mg/day based on body surface area comparisons. In pregnant rabbits given oral gavage doses
gemfibrozil, the dose of CRESTOR should be limited to 10 mg once daily (see WARNINGS,
of 0.3, 1, 3 mg/kg/day from gestation day 6 to lactation day 18 (weaning), exposures equivalent to
Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis, and PRECAUTIONS, Drug Interactions). Dosage in Patients
human exposure at 40 mg/day based on body surface area comparisons, decreased fetal viability
With Renal Insufficiency No modification of dosage is necessary for patients with mild
and maternal mortality was observed. Rosuvastatin was not teratogenic in rats at )25 mg/kg/day
to moderate renal insufficiency. For patients with severe renal impairment (CLcr <30 mL/min/
or in rabbits )3 mg/kg/day (systemic exposures equivalent to human exposure at 40 mg/day based
1.73 m2) not on hemodialysis, dosing of CRESTOR should be started at 5 mg once daily and not to
on AUC or body surface comparison, respectively). Nursing Mothers It is not known
exceed 10 mg once daily (see PRECAUTIONS, General, and CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Special
whether rosuvastatin is excreted in human milk. Studies in lactating rats have demonstrated that
Populations, Renal Insufficiency).
rosuvastatin is secreted into breast milk at levels 3 times higher than that obtained in the plasma
following oral gavage dosing. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk and because of the NOTE: This summary provides important information about CRESTOR. For more information,
potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants from rosuvastatin, a decision should be please ask your doctor or health care professional about the full Prescribing Information and
made whether to discontinue nursing or administration of rosuvastatin taking into account the discuss it with them.
importance of the drug to the lactating woman. Pediatric Use The safety and effectiveness in
pediatric patients have not been established. Treatment experience with rosuvastatin in a pediatric Rx only
population is limited to 8 patients with hom*ozygous FH. None of these patients was below 8 years CRESTOR is a trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies.
of age. Geriatric Use Of the 10,275 patients in clinical studies with rosuvastatin, 3,159 (31%) © AstraZeneca 2005
were 65 years and older, and 698 (6.8%) were 75 years and older. The overall frequency of adverse Licensed from SHIONOGI & CO., LTD., Osaka, Japan
events and types of adverse events were similar in patients above and below 65 years of age. (See Manufactured for: AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
WARNINGS, Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis.) The efficacy of rosuvastatin in the geriatric population Wilmington, DE 19850
(*65 years of age) was comparable to the efficacy observed in the non-elderly. ADVERSE By: IPR Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
REACTIONS Rosuvastatin is generally well tolerated. Adverse reactions have usually been Carolina, PR 00984
mild and transient. In clinical studies of 10,275 patients, 3.7% were discontinued due to adverse PCC 630101
experiences attributable to rosuvastatin. The most frequent adverse events thought to be related 30043-00 31028-00
to rosuvastatin were myalgia, constipation, asthenia, abdominal pain, and nausea. Clinical Rev 03/05 228011

As a sidelight to “The Layered
Approach,” I’d like to add
another layer to Homeland
Security’s defense of our borders.
The U.S. Coast Guard provides
an important ﬁrst line of defense
and protection of our waterways,
and complementing it are the
volunteers of our Coast Guard
Auxiliary. These auxiliarists,
many military veterans, provide
a valuable service to the Coast
Guard without any expectation
of reward or compensation.
Their only reason for service, on
patrol in boats or private aircraft,
is protection of our inland and
coastal waterways, allowing the
Coast Guard to do what it does
best: save lives.
– Nick Williams, Livermore, Calif.
Social Security’s future

In the July issue, Kerry Lynch
writes, “In 2003, the Old Age
and Services Insurance (OASI)
program collected $450 billion
in payroll taxes and paid out
nearly $400 billion in beneﬁts
and administrative expenses.
The excess taxes, $50 billion in
2003 and similar amounts for
each of the past 20 years ... were
used for general government
spending.” Some $1.5 trillion
over the past 20 years is owed to
Social Security!
The argument against private
accounts is clearly debunked by
this single statement. President
Bush has said he wants 4 percent to be rerouted from OASI
payroll taxes into private accounts. But the hew and cry is
that this will generate an even
larger deﬁcit. How so? Let’s look
a little closer at Lynch’s ﬁgures:
$450 billion in payroll taxes.
Take away 4 percent and redirect
$18 billion into private accounts.
That still leaves $32 billion in
excess taxes for the government
to waste. So where is the problem allowing people to invest in
their own futures?

I worked for a private company for 14 years, during which
time I invested around $7,000
into a private account. During
the past 46 years, I paid into
Social Security a sum of
$36,000. When I retired on
Social Security, I received $1,220
a month. When I start my
retirement in January from my
private account, I will receive
$750 per month. Now, tell me
that private accounts won’t
work. Had I put $36,000 into a
private account instead of Social
Security, I would have a retirement nest egg of several hundred thousand dollars, if not
over $1 million, to draw from.
With all due respect to Lynch,
the ratio of U.S. workers to
beneﬁciaries is a hoax. It doesn’t
matter – the money exists to pay
Social Security recipients for
years to come, if the government
gluttons would leave the funds
alone. However, it’s just like so
many American consumers: put
it on a credit card or IOU. We
will pay it back someday.
Wake up, America. Someday is here, and the $1.5 trillion
should be repaid now, not
in 2050.
– Richard C. Whiting,
Buckhannon, W. Va.

Although all of the discussion
is about saving the Social
Security system for retirees, only
72.9 percent of the expenditures
is for this purpose. It seems to
me the program should return to
its original purpose of providing
a decent income for men and
women who have worked and
contributed all their lives so they
do not end up in poverty. Other
expenditures – for disabled
persons and widows, in many
cases – are good and compassionate acts, but they should be
funded by another source.
– Joseph W. Hagen,
La Canada-Flintridge, Calif.

My father died before Social
Security was enacted. He left a
widow, very young children and
a mortgage. His insurance went
to pay for hospital bills and
funeral expenses. Prior to the
New Deal there were no safety
nets. My mother had no help for
her children.
I see many ways to reform
Social Security:
• Remove the income ceiling
gap.
• Make the Social Security
system universal.
• Increase the normal retirement age to 70.
• Invest a portion of the trust
fund in a total-market index
fund, but keep the investment in
the system.
Do not subject Social Security
to a means test. Do not take
money out of the system by
creating private accounts. These
steps are the beginning of
dismantling Social Security,
which is one of our most successful and beneﬁcial pieces of
legislation. I do not want my
children and grandchildren
taken back to 1932.
– Clifford D. Edgcumbe Sr.,
Newtown Square, Pa.
Legal ID bill

Rep. Luis Gutierrez opposes
the Real ID proposal on the
grounds that it is “legislation
designed to unfairly punish our
nation’s immigrant community.”
I believe it is designed to
prohibit the inﬂux of illegal
aliens. Legal immigrants are,
and always have been, welcome
in this country. It is illegals who
have brought about this proposed legislation.
It should be fairly obvious that
our open-door policy regarding
our borders has not worked. In
view of what has been discovered about the 9/11 perpetrators,
our nation needs to wake up to
the fact that for our own protec-

tion, and the protection of legal
immigrants, entry into this
country needs to be tightened up
appreciably, not made easier.
I’m not against immigration;
I’m against illegal immigration.
Some say we already have laws
on the books prohibiting illegal
immigration. All right. Let’s
make those laws work by giving
them some teeth. Maybe that’s
what the Real ID act would do.
– Lee Reis, Kerrville, Texas

8
9/2005

Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez is right
when he states that the Real ID
bill will do nothing to address
immigration reform. It also does
nothing to address trade tariffs
and energy conservation. That’s
because it is not intended to
address any of those issues.
We must recognize that we are
addressing illegal actions and
the people perpetrating them, in
this case illegal immigrants. The
congressman prefers to call them
“undocumented workers.” Would
he also prefer to call burglars
“uninvited house guests” or
murderers “unsolicited suicide
assistants”? The reality is that
lawbreakers are lawbreakers.
Without citing a single source,
Gutierrez says “study after
study” shows that illegals are
ﬁlling jobs that U.S. citizens or
legal immigrants refuse to do.
Nonsense! Because illegals are
illegals, they will work for lower
wages; thus, their effect on the
economy is to depress wages. Pay
an American or legal immigrant
a fair wage and they’ll do the job.
The Real ID bill is not designed
to “unfairly punish our immigrant community.” It is to fairly
identify lawbreakers.
– Robert J. Kulak,
West Hartford, Conn.

Merchant Marine bill

‘Friends of terrorists’

Thank you, American Legion
Magazine, for the article about
H.R. 23 (“Bill Proposes to Deliver
Beneﬁts for World War II Mariners,” Rapid Fire, July). I’m sure
many GIs will write, saying the
Merchant Mariners were paid
too much. It’s true they were
paid hundreds, but they lost
thousands by not getting GI Bill
beneﬁts. What would the outcome of World War II have been
without the Merchant Marine?
Any military person who ﬁred a
bullet, threw a hand grenade,
fueled his tank, dropped a bomb,
drank a co*ke or smoked a
cigarette should thank them.
Very few Merchant Marine
veterans are living today; thank
them by supporting this bill.

I’m a Vietnam-era veteran
and new to The American
Legion. Congratulations to
Commander Tom Cadmus for
“Friends of Terrorists, Foes of
Scouts” (July). It takes courage
to speak out against the ACLU.
I’m encouraged the Legion has
what it takes to stand up for
what’s right.
– Les Connell, Medford, Ore.
‘Your VA? They’ll Decide’

“One Boy’s Unforgettable
Moment” (Rapid Fire, July),
describing an encounter with
Babe Ruth, is both interesting
and well written. The photo of
the Babe accompanying the
article is as much a keeper as
that treasured scrap of paper.
We’re proud that the author is
our own Don McDonough, a
valued and long-time member of
American Legion Post 372 in
Cherry Hill, N.J. Nice work, Don.

I was not amused by the
interviews with members of the
Veterans Affairs Committee
(“Your VA? They’ll Decide,”
June). For the ﬁ rst time, I
learned that those of us who
spent three and a half years
crawling on our hands and
knees across the islands of the
South Paciﬁc, through swamps
infested with human feces and
leeches – for which we received
a whopping $44 per month – are
somehow not part of the core
constituency of veterans as
deﬁned by the committee.
Those of us who came home
and worked like dogs to make
something of the life we had left,
but were unfortunate enough to
be classiﬁed in Priority Groups 7
and 8, must pay an exorbitant
annual fee and large co-payments to remain in VA’s healthcare system. Somehow, groups
1 through 6 are more deserving.
I ﬁ nd it ironic that our political
system will eagerly appropriate
hundreds of millions in tax
dollars to bail out the savingsand-loan industry yet establish
committees to re-evaluate the
debt a nation owes its veterans,
with the purpose of cutting back
on their health care.

– Ernest G. Brosh, Merchantville, N.J.

– Carl Brown, Louisville, Ky.

– Paul E. Lamp, Kansas City, Mo.
Solid as a rock

I just ﬁnished reading your
article on “Bubba’s boulder”
(Rapid Fire, July), and I had to
write to say, “There is an American!” God bless him. We intend
to travel to Greenﬁeld, Iowa, and
see his rock for ourselves.
– David Cunningham,
Carolina Shores, N.C.
Boy meets Babe

THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE WELCOMES YOUR OPINIONS
Include your hometown and a daytime phone number for veriﬁcation. All letters published are subject to editing.
Due to the volume of mail received, not every letter can be acknowledged.
The American Legion Magazine, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206 • magazine@legion.org

commander’s message

When the Legion is at its best
T

10
9/2005

he Korean War veteran who sits at a desk four hours a day to help
families ﬁnd their way to the right ﬂoor of an understaffed VA
medical center is the face of The American Legion. He knows ﬁrsthand
the importance of a well-funded VA health-care system and shares the
frustration of any patient told to wait two months for an appointment.
The American Legion is also the Gulf War veteran who organizes a
hometown spaghetti dinner to raise money to buy phone cards for troops
deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom. She knows what 122 degrees feels
like when wearing boots half a world away from family. She’s been there.
In Connecticut and Pennsylvania this year, The American Legion was
the driving force behind local veterans rallies that expressed to their
communities – and elected ofﬁcials – a portfolio of legislative priorities
that range from assurances of veteran job opportunities to mandatory
funding for VA health care. At both rallies, Legionnaires vocalized their
concerns about a VA health-care budget that soon sent members of
Congress from all states and both parties scrambling for funds.
The American Legion is the Iraqi Freedom combat veteran in North
Dakota who coaches the local Legion Baseball team. It is also the room
at the post reserved for tutoring at-risk youth. The Legion is the World
War II veteran who helps Boy Scouts plant ﬂags at the cemetery for
Memorial Day. It’s the Vietnam War veteran who sees something he, but
for the grace of God, could have become, in the eyes of a man who is
hungry, tired and homeless; and so he reaches out and helps him.
The American Legion is the lawyer who writes a local resolution that
draws national attention by demanding a change in the law that permits
the American Civil Liberties Union to soak taxpayers with exorbitant legal
fees to fund an unwanted crusade to erode our most cherished values.
I logged more than 400,000 miles this year to discover something I
suspected long ago: there really is no such thing as “national.” Just as
Tip O’Neill famously said of politics, all The American Legion is local.
The Legion is a diverse and dedicated assortment of nearly 15,000
unique posts where veterans don’t need to consciously think much
about “national” because they’re busy making differences in their
hometowns. Those differences ripple upward and shape what we are
and how we act, nationally. It’s not the other way around.
The Legion is the voice on the phone at the ofﬁce of a U.S. senator who
remains undecided about a bill to amend the Constitution in order to
protect the U.S. Flag from desecration. It’s a voice the senator has heard
before, the same one that demanded a change in an unjust law subtracting disability compensation from the pensions of military retirees. It’s the
voice that wants to know why veterans can’t use Medicare at their VA
hospital, why VA health care isn’t a mandatory budget appropriation, and
why uninsured illegal aliens often have better access to public services
than do veterans. The senator listens closely because The American
Legion is the most powerful kind of voice in the land – the local one.
I am humbled. All the great veterans I met at Legion posts across
America this year showed me the inner character of our great organization. It is as I always suspected it was and always should be. It is you. It
is us. And we are at our best nationally when we think and act locally.

National Commander
Thomas P. Cadmus
MEMORANDA
SUPPORT S.J. RES. 12: The U.S.
Senate is nearing a vote on S.J.
Res. 12, the ﬂag amendment.
All members of the Legion
family are urged to call their
senators and ask them to vote
for this important resolution. If
your senators have already
expressed support, call them
anyway, and thank them. An
alternative measure, S. 1370,
promotes a statutory remedy
to the 5-4 1989 Supreme Court
ruling that misinterpreted ﬂag
desecration as a form of free
speech. Legal research has
shown that ﬂag protection
cannot be assured by statute; a
constitutional amendment is
the only recourse. Legion family
members are urged to oppose
S. 1370 as an alternative to S.J.
Res. 12.
DISPATCH SUBSCRIPTIONS: In
the pages of The American
Legion’s monthly newspaper,
Dispatch, readers will ﬁnd
timely news of veteran interest
and coverage of Legion
programs and events across
the country. To subscribe, call
(317) 630-1298 or visit
www.legion.org and click on
“Publications.” Subscriptions
are $15 a year.

Premium Dress Slacks

WEST POINT
GREY
Color of the Year!
One-Time Offer:

per pair,
when
you buy
any 3

Try them Risk Free for
a day, a month, a year!

• 100%
woven
polyester
• No-roll
waistband
• 4 deep pockets
• Full dress
waistband
treatment
• Machine Washable
• 5 Handsome Colors:

Impeccably neat tailoring,
smooth drape, & pure
gentleman’s cut. With
our full range of waist
sizes and exact leg
lengths, they’ll fit
you right out of
the box like your
custom tailor
had been
laboring
for weeks!

100%
ON
NO IR &
Wash
Wear!

Imported

Gentlemen’s
Premium Business

Tan

SLACKS

Black

pair,
* per
when

Haband 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Peckville, PA 18452
ALL THESE SIZES!
Send ___ slacks. I enclose $_______ purchase
Waist: 32 34 35
price plus $4.95 toward postage. In GA add tax.

West Point Grey

WHAT

HOW

7EM–09088 WAIST? INSEAM? MANY?
Brown
Navy

Duke Habernickel, Pres.

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Peckville, PA 18452

you buy
any 3

Don’t miss the
West Point Grey, color
of the year! Supplies are
limited — Call, mail or
e-mail your order at once!

Tan
02
Black
01
06 West Point Grey
Brown
04
Navy
03
Check

Visa

MasterCard

36 37 38 39 40 42 44
Inseams: 27 28
29 30 31 32 33 34
*Big Men
(just $2.50 more per pair):
46 48 50 52 54
Inseams:
27 28 29 30 31 32

Discover® Network

AmEx

Card # ________________________________________Exp.: ______/_____
Mr. Mrs. Ms. ___________________________________________________
Address ___________________________________________ Apt. # ______
City & State _____________________________________ Zip ___________
E-mail _________________________________________________________
100% Satisfaction Guaranteed or Full Refund of Purchase Price at Any Time!

big issues

Tie minimum-wage hike to tax cuts
OPPOSE

SUPPORT

Sen. Jon S. Corzine
D-N.J.

Sen. Rick Santorum
R-Pa.

n Corzine is a member of the
Senate Banking, Housing and
Urban Affairs Committee.

n Santorum is chairman of the
Senate Republican Conference.

9/2005

Enacting the minimum wage is one of the most
Sen. Ted Kennedy introduced an amendment to
successful steps Congress has ever taken to
create the largest minimum-wage increase in
improve the lives of hardworking, lower-income
history: a $2.10, or 41-percent, increase, without
Americans. The minimum wage rewards Ameriany provisions protecting small businesses. This is
cans in tough, low-wage jobs while encouraging
extreme and potentially harmful.
hard work and improving job
I recognize that the
THE HEART OF THE ISSUE
performance.
minimum wage has not been
Support for the minimum
increased in seven and a half
Critics of the Kennedy-Corzine
wage among the American
years. Only 2.7 percent of
minimum-wage bill say it will cripple
the economy, while opponents
people is steadfast. But despite
hourly workers now receive
of Santorum’s proposal call his plan
overwhelming support for
minimum wage or less – the
a thinly disguised giveaway
increasing the wage, despite
smallest percentage ever.
to businesses.
recognition that every AmeriTherefore, I support adjustcan doing a difﬁcult job is
ing the minimum wage if it
entitled to decent pay, the minimum wage has
includes protections for small businesses.
stagnated. Congressional Republicans and the
However, if we do not proceed carefully, increasBush administration have opposed efforts to
ing the minimum wage can lead to higher unemincrease the wage – even steps to tie it to inﬂation. ployment among workers who depend on these
The result? The entry-level hourly rate is still
jobs as businesses are forced to offset the cost of
$5.15, the value set in 1996. If you take inﬂation
raises by reducing staff. In my view, any increase
and real purchasing power into account, the
in the minimum wage must be accompanied by
minimum wage peaked in 1968. Every day we wait, measures that will counteract possible negative
the wage loses its value relative to what things cost. effects on workers. Therefore, I offered an alternaConsider gas prices as a pressing example.
tive to Sen. Kennedy’s amendment.
Detractors say the minimum wage hurts employMy amendment would have raised the minimum
ers. In the past, however, the economy has not
wage by a more reasonable 20 percent to $6.25 an
supported these fears. To the contrary, evidence
hour and provided tax, regulatory and administrasuggests that having the wage proﬁts employees
tive relief to small businesses to encourage emand their employers. A decent minimum wage
ployers not to downsize in order to cover the cost
reduces absenteeism, employee turnover, long-term of the wage hike. These extra provisions are
training costs and theft. And when workers receive important because small businesses employ more
a fair wage, they are more productive.
than half of all private-sector employees and
As a former chief executive, I know what it takes generate 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually.
to run a business. The only way to be successful is
A more reasonable increase in the minimum
to value customers and employees alike. It’s also
wage is appropriate. We must be careful not to
true for the economy. That is why I am co-sponsor- increase the cost of labor to the point that some
ing legislation to raise the wage, over time, to
small businesses have to lay off employees. A large
$7.25. This is only a fi rst step. We should tie the
and rapid increase in the minimum wage that does
wage to consumer prices, ensuring that the value
not provide relief for small business could ultiof this baseline is not beholden to the whims of
mately harm those individuals that such an
politicians. It's simple: honest pay for honest work. increase is supposed to help.
CONTACT YOUR LEADERS
The Honorable (name), U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510 • Phone: (202) 224-3121
The Honorable (name), House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 • Phone: (202) 225-3121

THE 2005 MERCURY MONTEGO.
Standard equipment includes
a V-6 engine and a college education.

Visit your Lincoln Mercury Dealer to get exclusive savings on Montego
and a contribution will be made to The American Legacy Scholarship Fund.
Mercury and The American Legion have aligned forces to support the
children of fallen soldiers. Legionnaires, members of the Auxiliary or
SAL can save $400 on the purchase of any new Mercury or Lincoln
and an additional $100 will be donated to The American Legacy
Scholarship Fund.* That means purchasing a vehicle like the versatile
2005 Montego can help guarantee a college education for the children
of soldiers who have died on or since September 11, 2001.

mercuryvehicles.com/legion
*This offer is valid on the purchase or lease of a new 2005 or 2006 Mercury or Lincoln vehicle between 7/1/2005 and 9/30/2005. Offer valid in the U.S. Must be 18 years of age or
older to be eligible and be a Legionnaire, a member of the Auxiliary or SAL. Proof of membership required. One original certificate may be applied per eligible transaction.
Certificate is non-negotiable. One offer per household. You must purchase or lease your vehicle and take new retail delivery from dealer stock between 7/1/2005 and 9/30/2005.

The Good of the Company
vs.

The Good of the Country
And just how good is it, really,
to send U.S. jobs overseas?
Entrepreneurs say outsourcing
is not as proﬁtable as it sounds.
BY LOU DOBBS

14
9/2005

y now, I’m sure you’ve taken
a new computer out of the
box and – when everything
doesn’t quite work the way the
salesman said it would – picked
up the phone to call the help
desk. More often now than ever
before, the person on the other
end offers more hindrance than
help, with limited Englishlanguage skills of which to
speak. After all, the help desk is
based in India.
This kind of experience is
hardly an isolated case. Turn on
my network, CNN, and you’ll
see lots of images from the
recent wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq. Take a close look at the
weapons used and the military
planes. Most likely, factory
workers in Canada and Israel
made them. Look at the back of the
television broadcasting these
images. It likely wasn’t made here
in the United States, and neither is
the DVD player, or even the shirt
you’re wearing right now.
We import about 70 percent of our
technology products, 70 percent of our
computer components and nearly all of
our PCs. We import 20 percent of our
food, three-quarters of the toys sold
here, and 96 percent of our clothing.
And that says nothing of our increasing
dependence on foreign oil. At some

Frankly, our
business leaders
are anemic.
They’re out of
ideas, and as a
result, they’re
holding the
middle class
hostage.

point, Americans need to ask if they
want to become a debtor nation in
perpetuity that doesn’t manufacture
anything at home.
As a journalist who has covered
business news throughout my career, it
saddens me to ﬁnd that the same
corporations capable of the most
innovative thinking on the planet have
resorted to such an unimaginative,
shortsighted solution when it comes to
improving their bottom-line blues:
outsourcing U.S. jobs to cheap overseas
labor markets.
This solution is a quick ﬁ x. It’s
easy to implement and sure to produce
immediate results. But it’s also ﬂat-out
wrong. It’s bad for all Americans,
especially hardworking middle-class
Americans, and it’s bad for our economy. Today, our corporate leaders use
code words such as “competitiveness,”
“efﬁciency” and “productivity.” But
what they’re really saying is, “We’re
going to make what we sell with the
very cheapest labor possible, regardless of the end result.” Frankly, our
business leaders are anemic. They’re
out of ideas, and as a result, they’re
holding the middle class hostage.
It’s time our business leaders stop
pursuing their own selﬁsh, corporate interests over the national
interest. It’s time for them to
stop putting the good of the
company over the good of
the country.
And that’s assuming
outsourcing actually is good
for the company.
Fortunately, every once in a
while, you hear about a company such as Everdream Corp.
in Freemont, Calif., and you see
a shred of hope. Everdream, a
desktop-management company,
once followed the herd and
shipped its call center to Costa
Rica. But it recently brought
that work back to the United
States. Why? Because that 25
percent in cost savings the
company envisioned with the
shift to foreign soil never
materialized.

“In the end,” Everdream’s Belle
Kulick said on my show, “due to the
productivity losses that we saw, if at all
it was costing us a bit more – especially if you looked at the satisfaction
ratings. It was deﬁ nitely (hurting us)
from the standpoint of customer
satisfaction, costing us the trust that
the customers gained.” The U.S.-based
call center has a satisfaction rate of 96
percent. The Costa Rica ofﬁce rating
fell far short of that. Customers complained that problems that were
supposed to take ﬁve minutes to
resolve took longer than an hour. In
other words, bringing Everdream jobs
back to America wasn’t simply the
right thing to do. It was the right
business decision for the long-term
health of the company.
But many U.S. multinationals are
too squeamish about stockholder
backlash every quarter to think about
the long run. So they’re shutting down
factories here and opening up new ones
in countries such as India, China and
the Philippines. They’re laying off
employees so they can replace the jobs
with cheap labor overseas. In fact, since
2001, we’ve lost more than 2.5 million
manufacturing jobs and more than
850,000 professional service and
information sector jobs, according to
the AFL-CIO. Forrester Research
paints a more startling picture of the
road ahead, predicting employers will
ship 3.4 million U.S. services jobs and
$136 billion in wages overseas over
the next decade. A University of California at Berkeley study found more than
14 million service jobs are at risk of
being outsourced.
Many of the outsourced jobs are
in manufacturing, but as the Forrester and Berkeley studies point out,
other professions are in great danger,
too. Drive along a scenic skyline these
days and there’s a strong chance its
buildings were designed by architects
in India or China. The research for a
groundbreaking health-care study
you’ve read about could have come
from overseas. I now do my broadcasts
from New York. But these days, even
journalism focused upon U.S. events is

By the numbers
1,296,000
U.S. jobs lost
between
January 2001 and
March 2005
Jobs lost during that
period by category:
Manufacturing
996,000
Trade,
transportation
and utilities
36,000
Information
28,000
Financial activities

16
9/2005

87,000
Professional and
business services
111,000
Education and
health services
10,000
Leisure and
hospitality
14,000
Other services
5,000
Government
9,000
Sources: www.economy.com,
University of California-Berkeley,
American Progress Action Fund

more and more being reported from
another country. Taking a college class
online? If you need an extension for a
term paper, your professor very well
could be making his decision in eastern
Europe. Even our federal, state and
local governments are stealing work
from the citizens they claim to represent – to the tune of 9,000 jobs shipped
out in little over four years, according
to www.economy.com. For the fi rst
time in our nation’s storied history,
we’re not creating new jobs. Corporate
America, with the implicit green light
from Washington, is sending jobs and
plants overseas, and very few companies are making new investments to
replace the work and productivity. Sure,
you may have a new Toyota plant in
your backyard. Those who dismiss any
concerns about outsourcing will
unquestionably speak of the wealth of
insourced jobs in this country, thanks
to foreign investment in local plants
and companies. It’s essentially a wash,
they say.
That’s specious and dangerous
reasoning. Many of these plants were
simply a way around import quotas set
up by the Reagan administration in the
1980s. Rather than accept restrictions
on the number of vehicles they could
import into the U.S. market, automakers
such as Toyota and Honda opened
plants in the United States to ensure
access to American consumers. The
investment was certainly worthwhile:
the United States has an enormous
$12 trillion economy. But according
to the Economic Policy Institute, most
U.S. investment by foreign companies
comes in the form of acquiring existing U.S. companies. As a result, just
6.2 percent of the job growth by foreign
ﬁ rms in the United States comes in the
form of newly created jobs.
And let’s not forget the ever-looming
trade deﬁcit. We have a record and
unsustainable annual trade deﬁcit of
$617 billion and 29 consecutive years of
trade deﬁcits that now amount to
almost $4 trillion in accumulated trade
debt. We’re borrowing nearly $2 billion
a day from foreign banks and governments to buy everything we consume in

this country, which is increasingly
imported from overseas. We can’t
maintain our standard of living without
foreign supplies, and we need to borrow
foreign dollars to support it. Why are
we so quick to complain about our
dependency on foreign oil when, in fact,
we’re dependent upon other nations for
pretty much everything else?
If you go on to www.CNN.com, you’ll
see that I actually name names when it
comes to outsourcing. More than
1,000 companies on my list are
shipping jobs to cheap foreign labor
markets. I’ve taken some serious heat
about that from many of the companies
I’ve covered for years. But I have no
misgivings. Just as we need to know
who our enemies are in the war against
radical Islamic terrorists, we need to
know the names of the companies that
are destroying the American dream.
Otherwise, my efforts – whether it’s the
many broadcasts I’ve hosted on this
topic, or my recent book on it – are
nothing more than an academic
exercise. And I’m not interested in
pursuing that.
The fact that this has rufﬂed the
feathers of some CEOs I’ve covered is of
secondary signiﬁcance to me. I’m more
concerned about a general apathy about
a systemic economic shift that is
destroying the American way of life.
Should the middle class evaporate,
Americans will have themselves to
blame. The real shame is that the
greatest generation fought and died for
all of the liberties and prosperities we
have enjoyed for so long. To let this happen without speaking out and, yes,
naming names, would allow it all to be
squandered.
The fact that we’ve become a nation
in which leaders are elected via bigmoney donations from our corporations
shouldn’t make average citizens feel
helpless. We do have the power to
inﬂuence all elections, whether we’re
voting for mayor, state senator or
congressman. We have the power to
vote for politicians, irrespective of party
afﬁ liation, who pledge to put hardworking Americans and their jobs at the
forefront of public policies.

E X C L U S I V E LY D E S I G N E D T O H O N O R V I E T N A M V E T E R A N S

VIETNAM COMBAT
SERVICE RINGS

Featuring your Military Branch Emblem, Service Capstone and Vietnam Combat Service Medal

YOUR CHOICE OF
SERVICE BRANCH

e proudly introduce our new, official Vietnam Veterans
ring, available in your choice of solid 10kt Gold or
gleaming Sterling Silver. Unique design features
are a fitting tribute to your
service to Country.

The top of the ring features a
large, brilliant capstone in your
Service Colors (Army Black
Onyx, Navy and Air Force
Blue, Marine Red and Coast
Guard Aquamarine), and
is surrounded by bold
lettering recognizing you as a
VIETNAM VETERAN.

NAVY
Blue stone

AIR FORCE
Blue stone

One side of the ring bears the
Official United States Service
Branch Emblem, sculpted in highrelief, antiqued and polished by
hand to capture every fine detail.
The other side has an equally striking
sculpture of your Vietnam Combat
Service Medal.

MARINE CORPS
Red stone

ARMY Service Ring
with black onyx stone
shown in Sterling Silver
and 10kt Gold.

PROUDLY MADE IN AMERICA
ENGRAVED WITH YOUR
INITIALS & YEARS SERVED

COAST GUARD
Aquamarine stone

Your ring will be custom-made
to order by one of America's
finest makers of Commemorative
Military Jewelry. The inner band will be
engraved with your initials and year dates
of service.

INTEREST-FREE PAYMENT PLAN SATISFACTION GUARANTEED 100%
Thank you priced starting as low as $195, an
affordable payment plan is also available. Your
satisfaction is guaranteed or you may return your
ring within 30 days for replacement or refund.

Our rings are never hollowed out. The bands
are always solid and smooth for comfort fit,
whether you chose your ring in 10kt Gold or
Sterling Silver. So, order yours today and wear it
with pride, as a symbol of honor to treasure for a lifetime.

COMING SOON!
KOREA DEFENSE
VETERAN RING

FOR FASTEST SERVICE CALL TOLL FREE TO ORDER: 1- 8 00 -255-3048
Monday - Friday from 9am - 5pm EST Have Credit card and ring size ready when ordering.

RESERVE NOW!
See order form
for details.

ORDER FORM

OR, MAIL TO: Veterans Commemoratives™ Military Service Rings

1250 Easton Road, Suite 290, Horsham, PA 19044
YES. I wish to order the following Exclusive Service Ring, personalized with
my initials and year dates of service. Check (✓) choices:
Vietnam Combat Ring
Korea Defense Ring RESERVE MINE NOW!
SERVICE BRANCH:

Army

Navy

Air Force

Marine

Coast Guard

CRAFT MY RING IN:
10 Karat Gold: $399* in full, or 3 payments of $133*, OR
Sterling Silver: $195 in full, or 3 payments of $65*
INITIALS DESIRED (3): ____ ____ ____ SERVICE YRS: ______ to ______
RING SIZE: __________ Use the ring sizer below or consult your jeweler.
USE THIS CUSTOM RING SIZER TO ASSURE CORRECT FIT.
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

RING SIZE GUIDE
CUT THIS OUT CAREFULLY
USE AS SHOWN ON FINGER

I PREFER TO PAY AS FOLLOWS:
Enclosed is my check/money order for $________, as payment in full, or
Charge my credit card:
In full or, in 3 monthly payments.
CREDIT CARD:

Visa

Master Card

AMEX

Discover

Card # _______________________________________ exp. date ____/____
Signature ________________________________________________________
SHIPPING ADDRESS (We CANNOT ship to P.O. Boxes) Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.
Name __________________________________________________________
Address ________________________________________________________
City ______________________________________ State_____ Zip ________
Phone # ________________________________________________________
* Plus $9.95 for engraving, shipping, and handling. PA residents add 6% sales tax.

* Prices guaranteed for only 30 days because of increasing cost of silver and gold.

VISIT VETERANS COMMEMORATIVES™ ONLINE AT WWW.VETCOM.COM

John A. Bauman,
president of the
Organization for the
Rights of American
Workers, distributes
information critical
of outsourcing
during a conference
in New York. AP

18
9/2005

And, in this time, the Web log, or
blog, has empowered the voice of the
average American. Indeed, we’ve
already seen politicians and powerful
newsmakers fall from grace based upon
the fact-based ﬁ ndings of a lone blogger.
No shortage of politicians have expressed outrage about the reality that
outsourcing is robbing their constituents of their livelihoods. But there has
been a troubling shortage of actual
legislative action to create new policies
that would thwart this trend. In fact,
many potentially worthy ideas aren’t
even making it out of congressional
committee discussions. Our politicians
need to come up with answers, not rely
on economic dogma.
What policies would help turn around
this troubling trend? Is there a remedy?
Actually, there are many. I’d like to start
with this one: a law that would require
an impact statement for every single
trade agreement we negotiate. One that
would clearly state how many jobs
would be lost or created by the agreement and how much American wealth
will be created or destroyed.
How about another law that would
permit no U.S. company to close down
an American plant and open one
overseas if the products produced would

come back here to be brought to market? Make it clear to our businesses that
if they want to sell products here, they
have to make products here.
That would be a good start. Other
proposals include a requirement that
call-center employees state where
they’re based and a ban on certain
federal contractors from doing contract
work overseas. Americans will have to
decide whether they’d be effective
solutions. But the critical point is that
solutions are being discussed. Are your
elected representatives hearing your
thoughts about them? Does your votingbacked voice have their ear? If not, then
please don’t complain should your job
fall victim to the numbers. x
Lou Dobbs is anchor and managing
editor of CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight.”
He also anchors a nationally syndicated
ﬁnancial-news radio report, “The Lou
Dobbs Financial Report,” and is a
columnist for U.S. News and World
Report. His bestselling book, “Exporting America: Why Corporate Greed is
Shipping American Jobs Overseas”
(Warner Business), is now available in
bookstores.
Article design: Doug Rollison

Why Back Pain Sufferers
Sleep Better On Air !
®

R
C

“To my surprise,
after only one night, I awoke
without any back pain. I have had a back
problem for over 30 years.Thanks so much!”

—Jackalyn H.,Yulee, FL

YOU CUSTOMIZE
THE FIRMNESS
The Sleep Number Bed by Select Comfort™
is unlike any other. It’s the bed you adjust to
your exact comfort and firmness preference,
your SLEEP NUMBER®. Our easy-to-use
handheld remote and advanced air-chamber
technology allow you to quickly adjust the
firmness on your side of the bed. At the
simple touch of a button, YOU can change
the firmness from extra firm to feather soft.

CLINICALLY PROVEN
It’s the bed clinically
93%
Experienced
89%
proven to
back-pain relief
Reported
improved
77%
sleep
quality
Discovered
relieve back
increased energy
pain and
90%
87%
Reported
Fell asleep
improve
reduced aches
faster and
and pains
experienced
sleep quality.* 67%
Enjoyed less
daytime
sleepiness

deeper sleep

EACH SIDE OF THE BED
ADJUSTS INDEPENDENTLY
On a Sleep Number® bed, each of you can
adjust the comfort and firmness to your
exact preference—your Sleep Number®.
Once you find your Sleep Number®, you
can fall asleep faster, enjoy deeper sleep
and wake up more refreshed.

GREAT VALUE
The Sleep Number® bed costs about
the same as an innerspring mattress,
yet it lasts twice as long. And each
Sleep Number® bed comes with a
Risk-Free** 30-Night In-Home Trial.

Call
Now!

1-800-831-1211 ext. 35203

rush me a
YES! Please
FREE Brochure and Video
on ❑ DVD or ❑ VHS tape
(choose one)

Name ___________________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________
City_______________________State___________Zip____________
Phone____________________________________________________
*For a summary of independent clinical studies and their results, call 1-800-831-1211. **Excludes
return shipping fee. No returns or exchanges on the Precision Comfort® Adjustable Foundation,
SofaBedTM system, closeout or demo bed models. ©2004 Select Comfort Direct.

Mail to: Select Comfort Direct, 6105 Trenton Lane North, Minneapolis, MN 55442

commentary

Terrorists, pedophiles ﬁnd comfortable anonymity between the shelves.
BY DEROY MURDOCK

Most U.S. libraries are tranquil centers for learning and reﬂection.
However, the next time you hear a misinformed lawmaker or media wag
rail about the PATRIOT Act and its now-endangered “library provision,”
be aware that many of these institutions are being used as theaters of
operations for terrorists and pedophiles.

And who can blame them? Some in the American Library Association
have made them ideal places to plot crimes. Consider, ﬁrst, how Islamic
extremists have made themselves cozy in the libraries of America. At
least seven of the 9/11 hijackers used government libraries before their
attack. Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi used computers at a
New Jersey state college to buy tickets for American Airlines Flight 77,
which later plowed into the Pentagon.

9/2005

22
9/2005

Five other 9/11 hijackers also were library
Representatives voted 238–187 on June 15 to
visitors:
weaken Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act.
n Marwan al-Shehhi used a library in
This so-called “library provision” allows the
Hamburg, Germany for Internet access. He
FBI to ask federal judges for “access to
flew United Flight 175 into 2 World Trade
certain business records for foreign intelliCenter.
gence and international terrorism investigan Wail al-Shehri surfed the Internet at
tions.” Section 215 does not even mention
Florida’s Delray Beach Public Library in
libraries. Still, Attorney General Alberto
summer 2001, according to reference librarGonzales reported April 27 that the Justice
ian Kathleen Hensmen.
Department had received 35 court orders to
n Wail’s brother, Waleed, was online there, seek relevant records under Section 215,
too, Hensmen recalls. She also remembers
through March 30, but “none of those orders
meeting al-Shehhi while the brothers shared
was issued to libraries and/or booksellers ….”
a computer one summer evening in 2001.
The American Library Association is undern The name of another suspect on the south whelmed. “Keep Big Brother Out of Your
tower ﬂight, Mohand al-Shehri, appeared on a Library!” screams a headline on its Web site,
www.ala.org. ALA considers Section 215 “a
log of computer users at the library in Delray
present danger to the constitutional rights
Beach, according to George Bennett’s July 2,
and privacy rights of library users.”
2003, report in the Palm Beach Post. Mohand
Alarmist librarians heartily eliminate
al-Shehri helped Marwan al-Shehhi demolish
records counterterrorists might need. Due in
2 World Trade Center.
part to “increased law-enforcement surveiln While taking ﬂ ight lessons, 9/11
lance,” ALA’s August 2003 “Guidelines for
ringleader “(Mohamed) Atta used computers
Developing a Library Privacy Policy” says,
at the public library and worked out at a
“Information that should be regularly
Delray Beach health club,” the Los Angeles
purged or shredded includes PII (personally
Times reported Sept. 27, 2001. Wail and
identiﬁable information) on library resource
Waleed al-Shehri assisted Atta in the
use, material circulation history, security/
destruction of 1 WTC aboard American
surveillance tapes and use logs, both paper
Airlines Flight 11.
and electronic.”
These were not the only terrorists who
Like a handkerchief wiping ﬁ ngerprints
used libraries as tactical assets. “(I)n January
from a smoking gun, many libraries now use
and February ’04, I went myself, personally,
computer software that automatically deletes
to South Waziristan and handed over money
each book’s circulation history as soon as it’s
to, and supplies to, a high-ranking al-Qaeda
returned. In California, some libraries now
ofﬁcial,” Mohammad Junaid Babar confessed
shred Internet log-in records daily rather
in Manhattan federal court while pleading
than weekly, as done before 9/11. Berkeley
guilty in June 2004 to giving terrorists
library director Jackie Grifﬁn has pledged to
material support. He added that he gathered
supplies for bombings that al-Qaeda allegedly defy federal gags and divulge any FBI order,
reports The (Monterey County) Herald.
envisioned for pubs, restaurants and train
“We’re quiet rebels,” Cindy Czesak, director
stations in London.
The Pakistani-born, Queens-reared Babar
of New Jersey’s Paterson Free Public Library,
told Fox News. Her institution collects every
frequented the New York Public Library. As
Deputy Attorney General James Comey told
completed computer sign-up sheet: “After
the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 22,
that, it’s removed and destroyed.” She added,
2004: “We found out after we locked this
“We bought a nice new shredder.” Paterson
guy up that he was going there because
happens to be the Garden State town where
that library’s hard drives were scrubbed
Nawaf and Salem al-Hazmi, Khalid alafter each user was done, and he was using
Mihdhar, Hani Hanjour and Majed Moqed
that library to e-mail other al-Qaeda associrented an apartment in spring 2001. All ﬁve
ates around the world. He knew that that
slammed American Airlines Flight 77 into
was a sanctuary.”
the Pentagon. Death toll: 184.
Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and New York’s
“Zodiac Killer” also used libraries to commit
Enabling Pedophiles. While Islamofascists in
assorted evils. Meanwhile, the House of
libraries threaten rare but spectacular

The American Legion
Discount Prescription Program
Running since 1995
No annual
enrollment fee or
forms to sign
No income or age
restrictions
Covers all drugs
Discounts up to 89%
One program for the
whole country

Don’t miss the boat
The Best Choice for Prescription Discounts
Some large benefit programs cannot meet the needs of specific groups.
The American Legion Discount Program is specifically designed for
Legion, SAL, Auxiliary members and their families (including the widows and widowers of members). Just present your membership card to
one of over 37,000 pharmacies. Prescriptions are available in 90-day
supplies at participating retail and mail order pharmacies.
Our program offers highly competitive savings, superior service and
complete prescription drug coverage. Since the program began in 1995,
the program has saved members over $47 million. Call 1-800-770-8014
to start saving on your prescription drug costs.

www.rxamerica.com

24
9/2005

mayhem, pedophiles and child-p*rnography
enthusiasts are a quieter but more common
menace. In his 2000 book “Dangerous
Access: Uncovering Internet p*rnography in
America’s Libraries,” former librarian David
Burt illustrates an enabling attitude toward
this problem in too many lending institutions.
Since March 2004, public libraries in Athens,
Decatur and Huntsville, Ala., have had
almost 1,700 books disﬁgured. Sandy Sherman, a local librarian, told the Decatur Daily
News that police believe pedophiles “razor
the pages out and take the faces of children
and put them on the nude pictures of men
and women and fantasize.”
Decatur cops say they eyed a perpetrator.
Unfortunately, since the library automatically
destroys its circulation records when books
are returned, they had insufﬁcient evidence
to nab the suspect.
Burt cites a Sonoma, Calif., librarian who
e-mailed his supervisor: “There are 3 men on
my shift who come in regularly, perhaps
daily. One views child p*rn of nude boys in
tubs … These images are clearly visible …
What does it mean to have child molester
posters up in our staff lounge & yet we make
daily Internet appointments for someone to
watch kiddy p*rn in the library on the library
comp? Isn’t this crazy?”
His boss replied, “I don’t like it either, but
there is nothing we can do about it. The best
thing for staff is to ignore it … please use
your time in more constructive ways.”
Among 41 incidents Burt documented in
which patrons viewed online child p*rnography, librarians called the police on only ﬁve
occasions, even after seeing the kiddie p*rn
themselves in 33 such instances.
Despite being subpoenaed, Callaway County,
Mo., librarians stalled when cops investigated
a customer who perused child p*rn. As a
county prosecutor complained to librarians:
“The ofﬁcers and I were shocked that the
library … resisted cooperation rather than
doing everything you legally could to help.”
According to a 2001 University of New
Hampshire survey of 1,501 young people
between ages 10 and 17, “Almost one in ﬁve
(19 percent) of the young Internet users
surveyed received an unwanted sexual
solicitation in the past year.”
“The primary litigant protecting the right of
patrons to use the Internet for access to child
p*rnography has been the American Library

Association,” says Heritage Foundation
researcher Paul Rosenzweig. “Of course, they
would say they are trying to protect their
patrons’ right to information.”
Appropriately enough, the ALA trumpets
intellectual freedom. But it seems barely
concerned about those who abuse those
liberties by endangering children. An
ALA Internet document titled “Intellectual
Freedom and Censorship Q&A” challenges
the idea of keeping adult literature away
from minors: “Censorship also occurs
when materials are restricted to particular
audiences, based on their age or other
characteristics.”
The ALA sued to overturn the Children’s
Internet Protection Act of 2000, which
requires adult-content ﬁ lters on federally
subsidized, child-accessible computers. The
Supreme Court upheld that law 6–3 in 2003.
The ALA, nonetheless, seemingly wants no
role in preventing underage library patrons
from seeing things designed for older eyes.
“Governmental institutions cannot be
expected to usurp or interfere with parental
obligations and responsibilities when it comes
to deciding what a child may read or view,”
the ALA’s “Q&A” adds. “Since the dawn of
recorded human expression,” it continues,
“people have been burned at the stake, forced
to drink poison, cruciﬁed, ostracized and
viliﬁed for what they wrote and believed.”
The First Amendment absolutism of
these radical librarians is admirable – on
paper. Why not allow library patrons to read
what they please, surf the Internet at will
and e-mail anyone they wish on governmentfunded computers? While most customers
jeopardize no one, the ALA and librarians
who follow its lead are oblivious to the fact
that real people hijack libraries to plan air
piracy, bomb attacks and sex with school
kids. The time for librarians to stop their
facilities from doubling as crime dens is
long overdue. x
New York commentator Deroy Murdock
is a syndicated columnist with the Scripps
Howard News Service and a senior fellow
with the Atlas Economic Research Foundation
in Arlington, Va., a supporter of free-market
think tanks around the world. Visit Atlas
online at www.atlasusa.org.
Article design: Holly K. Soria

Shown actual size of 51⁄4" wide

Refreshment for the Open Road!
These bikers know that mile after mile, there’s only one
taste that keeps thirst at bay, and that’s the ice-cold ﬂavor
of Coca-Cola®!
For more than 100 years, Coca-Cola has been synonymous with good times, good friends and great refreshment.
And now Hamilton invites you to come along for the ride
with “Refreshment for the Open Road,” an adorable,
hand-painted ﬁgurine that celebrates the freedom of the
open road and the fun-loving spirit of America’s favorite
soft drink! Details include a shiny co*ke red paint scheme
and cool chrome-like accents.
Your satisfaction is guaranteed, so order today!
©2005 HC. co*kE® brand products are produced under the authority of The Coca-Cola Company, owner of the
trademarks COCA-COLA, co*kE, the design of the contour bottle, the Red Disc Icon, the Dynamic Ribbon device, the design
of the COCA-COLA Polar Bear, and the design of the COCA-COLA Seal. ©The Coca-Cola Company. All Rights Reserved.

09-00128-001-CSD

Please Respond Promptly
Please accept my order for “Refreshment for the Open
Road” for the issue price of $29.95*. I need send no
money now. I will be billed with shipment.
Limit: One per collector.
Signature _____________________________________________
Ms./Mrs./Mr. _________________________________________
Address ______________________________________________
City ______________________________________________________
State __________________ Zip ________________________
Telephone ( _______________ ) ____________________________________
09-00128-001-E94901
*Add $4.99 for shipping and service. Deliveries to FL and IL will be billed appropriate sales tax. All
orders must be signed and are subject to product availability and credit approval. Edition limited to 95 casting days.

SPECIAL ADVERTIsem*nT FEATURE

3939 EVERHARD RD., NW, CANTON, OHIO 44709

Rarely seen $2 bill sheets going to public
Uncut sheets of new $2 bills are being let go for face
value after an amazing discovery of old currency
By DANIEL COTTRELL
Universal Media Syndicate

(SYNDICATED) – Hotline operators
are bracing for the public rush to get
them legally.
They are the once banned uncut
sheets of real U.S. legal tender $2
bills, and they are about to hit the
streets.
The crisp, uncirculated full sheets
of four $2 bills are being sent directly
to the homes of all those who request
them.
“Our announcement of this public
release was prompted by an astonishing discovery of hidden currency,”
confirms John T. White, Director of
the privately owned World Reserve
Monetary Exchange.
Authorities are now holding a
treasure trove of rare antique currency bills dating from 1899-1929. Old
metal cans discovered secretly hidden away in the roof of a barn held
an estimated 1,800 bank notes.
Some believe the money was
stashed away by bootleggers or
bank robbers in the late 1920’s.
Sources quoted in Numismatic
News reported an initial offer had
been received putting the value at
$720,000.00. The hoard contains
$2 Bills, $20 Bills, rare 1901 Bison
$10 Bills, Gold Certificates, Silver
Certificates and National Bank Notes.
The discovery made National newspaper headlines and appeared on
CNN News®, ABC’s Good Morning
America®, and a feature segment on
NBC’s Today™ show.1 And now it has
prompted the face value release of the
rarely seen uncirculated new uncut
sheets of $2 bills.
“That is why we have decided to go
ahead with the release of our own private stock of rarely seen new uncut $2
Bill sheets,” confirmed White.
Originally issued in 1928, uncut
sheets were for years illegal to own.
“According to our best sources, if
you could even find a full uncut

■ Hidden Treasure: Authorities suspect this treasure trove of rare antique currency bills dating from
1899-1929 was stashed away in metal cans by bootleggers or bank robbers and then secretly hidden away in
a barn. The rusted old cans held an estimated 1,800 bank notes. Now, readers can get full sheets of new $2
bills by calling the Toll-Free Hotline.

dozen of uncirculated $2 bills from
1928, they could now be worth over
$10,000.00,” said White.
The Two Dollar Bill has largely
been locked away in dark U.S.
Federal Reserve vaults, rarely distributed by banks and almost never

seen in circulation. It is extremely
rare to actually find a Two Dollar
bill in your pocket these days.
“But the full sheets of four are even
more unusual. You can’t find them at
banks. When our stockpile is gone,
collectors would have to try to contact
■ Rare Currency:
The discovery of all
this rare currency has
prompted the face value
release of rarely seen full
sheets of crisp new $2
bills. This amazing hoard
of currency was found in
the roof of a barn in rural
Methuen, Mass.

How to get the rarely seen uncut sheets for face value
The World Reserve Monetary Exchange is now releasing the rarely Order Hotline at 1-800-207-1676 ask for Dept. UB584. The standard
seen Full sheets of four crisp Uncirculated new $2 Bills at face value. $11 procurement fee plus shipping gets you a rarely seen full uncut
Readers can get them immediately by calling the National Toll-Free sheet at face value. Satisfaction is guaranteed.

a rare currency dealer or go directly to the
Bureau of Engraving,” he said.
All the other currency bills have recently
undergone major design changes. Now, it is
feared new legislation may discontinue the
historic designs of these Two Dollar bills.
“With all the publicity in newspapers
and on TV about the discovery of rare currency, the popularity of these bills is even
greater than ever. We have been flooded
with calls. That’s why we authorized the
release of a limited number of full uncut
sheets of uncirculated new $2 Bills from
our own vault reserve,” White said.
“The highly sought after full sheets of $2
Bills are so unusual, so rarely seen and so
extremely popular, they are perfect to give
to friends and family. They are the perfect
gift for any occasion,” he said.
“Most young people have never even
seen one of the historic $2 Bills, let alone
the unusual full sheets of four.”
The general public can now get up
to ten full sheets of the $2 bills by
calling the National Direct Hotline at
1-800-207-1676 ask for Dept. UB584.
The standard $11 procurement fee plus
shipping gets you a rarely seen full uncut
sheet at face value. But, dealers must submit requests in writing for 10 or more
sheets.
Dealer limits will be strictly enforced,
White said. ■
■ Special – The first 10,000 people will get
these Official Cordovan Collector’s Displays with
each uncut sheet requested.

■ Currency Value: This is one of the remaining full sheets of four uncut U.S. $2
Bills. Currency values always fluctuate. But, if parents or grandparents living in 1928
had been able to find and hang onto one of the handful of full uncut dozen uncirculated $2 bills from 1928, they could now well be worth over $10,000.00 or more today.
CNN News is the registered trademark of Cable News Network, Good Morning America is the registered trademark of American Broadcasting Companies,
Today is the trademark of National Broadcasting Co. and none are affiliated with or endorse the products or advertising of World Reserve Monetary Exchange.
1

THE WORLD RESERVE MONETARY EXCHANGE IS A PRIVATE EXCHANGE NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. MINT OR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
Source: WRME

THINGS

I HAVE
LEARNED
SINCE
GOING
BLIND

9/2005

BY ALBERT W. BROWN

I am a novice at being visually
handicapped, or legally blind.
Almost all my life I have had 20/20
vision and, until recently, have never
had a restriction on my driver’s
license for glasses.
About a decade ago, I was diagnosed with
macular degeneration in the left eye. This did not
cause any great inconvenience. My right eye
responded very well. I was able to continue to
drive, read and do nearly all other normal things
without much difficulty. In fact, at times, it was
somewhat fun to gaze out the window and see the
vertical and horizontal lines of the window panes
change into broken and fragmented parts as I
shifted from my right eye to my left. I could count
the number of breaks in the flagpole in the yard
and think how lucky I was to have my right eye
functioning so well.
About six months ago, the vision in my right eye
changed from 20/20 to 20/40. Still I experienced

no great problems in driving or in performing any
other regular tasks. However, quite recently, the
right eye began to malfunction with wet macular
degeneration of the kind for which they could do
nothing particular at the Cleveland clinic where I
have been going for a decade or so. As a result, my
vision changed to 20/400 plus, and I became
legally blind.
It took about six weeks. In that time, I noticed a
number of things that never before occurred to me.
One of the fi rst things I learned was that you
cannot put more than eight ounces of any liquid in
an 8-ounce glass no matter how carefully and
slowly you pour. If you do not believe this, I
recommend you try it over a sink rather than over

Amy C. Elliott

a table or elsewhere around the house. Today
there is a small battery-operated clip that fits on
the top of a glass that will alert you when the
liquid nears the top. The older and less formal
method, of course, is to hook your finger over the
top of the glass and wait to feel the liquid approaching. I don’t recommend this for very hot
liquids, such as tea, and certainly not at a dinner
party, unless the people attending are very close
relatives or persons you’d like not to return.
I’ve also learned that when you spill Cheerios or
corn ﬂakes on the kitchen ﬂoor you must be very
careful to have a dustpan with a ﬂat edge next to
the ﬂoor when you sweep them up. If your dustpan is upside down with the curved surface in the

air and you sweep the cereal onto it, it spreads
immediately around the entire room. Unless you
have a very hungry cat or dog, cleanup is extremely difﬁcult.
One of the minor advantages, at least for a short
term, is that because you cannot identify people
clearly, a small amount of groping may take place.
This is particularly necessary where there is a vast
difference in voice tone between you and the
person you just met. However, it is important to
remember that groping can only be done once at
any meeting and should not be repeated very
often. On the other hand, should you become
adept at this, it might be possible to run for
political ofﬁce.

30
9/2005

If you were prone to engage in back-seat driving
I’ve also learned that it doesn’t matter if the
when your eyes were good, there is no reason to
mirror steams up in the bathroom when you take a
stop just because you cannot see. You certainly
hot shower. The time when it was important for
can entertain any driver if you point out the heavy shaving or combing your hair long having passed,
traffic and suggest that he or she change lanes to
you can simply enjoy the glistening moisture on the
make a turn two blocks ahead. However, you must cool surface of the mirror.
realize that when a driver forgets and asks you if
For 30 years, I wore a brush cut. When my
you see anything on the right
when approaching an
intersection, you should not
immediately say, “I don’t see
anything,” or, “It looks OK to
me.” Such remarks may be
misinterpreted and can result
in screeching brakes, honking horns or even body
damage. I suggest that
whenever a driver asks you
questions like this, you pause
and say, “I would like to tell
you how it looks to me, but
you’d better take a look for
yourself.”
Cleaning glasses is no
longer a big deal. I used to
clean them two to three
times a day. Now I clean my
dark glasses two to three
times per week if I think of
it, or if am bored.
One of the more difﬁcult
One thing Albert Brown has learned since going blind, he says, is that more than
things I’ve encountered is
eight ounces of liquid won’t ﬁt into an 8-ounce glass. Amy C. Elliott
brushing my teeth. It is not
possible to align the toothbrush and the toothpaste
children informed me it was not “cool” in the
directly when you cannot see either. You’re un1970s, I let it grow somewhat. Once I could no
aware of the amount of toothpaste you squeeze out
longer see my face and hair clearly in the mirror,
and are equally unaware of where the paste is until combing became a “feeling” procedure rather than
you put the toothbrush to your teeth. If the brush is a “seeing” one. It is best to give up unless you have
dry, you know a reasonable amount of toothpaste
a personal valet. My “burr” cut today is easy to
lies somewhere else in front of you and should be
maintain and is never disheveled by wind, sleep, or
located. I’ve been told by an expert from the Blind
tight over-the-head T-shirts or sweaters.
Association that one can line the toothpaste on your
Of great importance is choosing your food
ﬁnger and place it on the brush. Before learning
carefully while eating in a restaurant. Certain
this, my procedure was to put the bristles between
things like peas and other mobile vegetables seem
the thumb and foreﬁnger of the left hand and
to fall off your fork and plate. In fact, it’s a good
squeeze the paste into that little valley. Then, while idea to choose only food like stir-fry, etc., which
brushing the teeth with my right hand, I could
can be easily scooped up by your fork and held in
nonchalantly hold the left hand under the faucet
place until you eat it. Cutting a steak you cannot
and rinse off the extra paste that accumulated
see is an interesting exercise that probably should
there. Should you ﬁnd toothpaste on your upper
be done at home rather than in a restaurant.
and lower lip when you bring the brush to your
One of the technological devices introduced to
mouth, you know you have put the toothpaste on
our home through the Chautauqua Blind Associacrosswise rather than lengthwise, and you must
tion was a talking bathroom scale. A few seconds
carefully scrape it from your lips and into your
after you step on the scale, an accented voice
mouth.
announces rather loudly the success of your losing

Win a

Absolutely No Obligation & No Purchase Necessary!
®

FREE RASCAL!
Enter Today! You could be next month’s Lucky Rascal Winner!

E, RRI !
N
WJ.IN
ya
ta
An

ER!
WW.IPNreN
ston, MI

NrsonE,RNC!
IAN
W
T. nde

WF.IFNrisbNieE, NRY !

The All-New Rascals are here...and now you can win one...FREE!
The All-New Rascals are packed with many great new
features! New colors...New sleek, stylish bodies...New
deeply cushioned swivel seats! All designed to give you the
most comfortable and stylish ride available...anywhere!
Plus, if you have difficulty getting around your house on
your own, Medicare or Private Insurance may provide a
new Rascal at little or no cost to you. So, call or return the
postage-paid card for full details. We’re also giving away
12 Free Rascals this year in our monthly Sweepstakes!

Or enter online at: www.freerascal.com/1030

Call the number below to be entered instantly, or return the
attached coupon or card. We’ll enter you for up to 12 chances
to win a new FREE Rascal this year! The sooner you enter
the more chances you’ll have to win!

To enter, return the card, coupon, or call today, toll-free

1-800-451-7856
✔ YES! Enter me in the Rascal Sweepstakes, and send me a
❑
FREE Rascal Scooter Catalog and a Special Introductory Offer!
Name

Each respondent will be entered in the Electric Mobility Rascal Sweepstakes to be eligible to win an Electric
Mobility Rascal Scooter in our monthly drawing. Electric Mobility reserves the right to upgrade the prize
scooter to a model with greater value. There is absolutely no obligation and no purchase necessary.
Purchasing will not improve your chances of winning. Only one entry per individual. Void where prohibited.
Winners will be drawn monthly and your chances of winning each month are based on the amount of
entries received but should be 1 in 1,000,000 based on past response. By entering the sweepstakes, you
consent to having Electric Mobility Corporation contact you by mail, phone or electronic means regarding
our products. By entering, you agree to be bound by the official sweepstakes rules and accept that those rules
have financial implications. To be removed from our mailing list, call 1-800-471-0959. For official rules write:
Electric Mobility Corporation, P.O. Box 156, Sewell, NJ 08080, or visit us online at: www.rascalscooters.com.
This is a solicitation. You are under no obligation to pay. ©2005 Electric Mobility Corp.

Address
City

State

Zip

Phone
Don’t forget to include your phone number so we may contact you if you win!

Electric Mobility, One Mobility Plaza, Dept. 1030, Sewell, NJ 08080

or winning the battle of the bulge. I find this
especially amusing when my wife steps on the
scale without the privacy she usually desires.
However, the real shock came at 2:30 a.m. to hear
the announcement, “Your weight is five pounds.”
Our cat had discovered that by sitting on the little
box, a nice lady would speak to her any time she
might be lonesome or bored.
Sometimes, between bedtime and going to sleep,
I find that a book is a good transition. I went from
regular print to large-sized print to no reading in
very few weeks. “Talking books,” or books on
tape, were a new experience. I learned that twotrack and four-track tapes behave quite differently.
Being able to organize tapes 1, 2, 3, etc., was
familiar. My fi rst encounter with 1, 5, 9, 13 made
me wonder where 2, 3 and 4 could be. A gracious
librarian explained that the Library of Congress

32
9/2005

I ﬁnd myself smiling a bit inside whenever I
respond, “I’ll take another look at it.”
I also learned that through a personal and
speciﬁc handicap, one may be given the privilege
of helping someone else face a similar afﬂiction. At
a recent informal birthday party for a friend, a
person who learned of my visual condition introduced me to her son, whose eyesight had been
seriously damaged for several months by diabetes.
We talked for several minutes. It was obvious that
he was upset and somewhat bitter. I shared some
of the trivia I had learned and soon he started to
laugh and joke with me. Eventually, I showed him
my enhanced-reading enlargement machine and
some helpful items the Chautauqua Blind Association had provided. He had not made contact with
available resources. I showed him. I told him he
was not alone. At least that day he faced his
condition and the future with
a more positive attitude and a
bit more hope than he
previously had.
One of the things that
I have learned is to appreciate
the many acts of kindness
and compassion I encounter,
especially those received
from the dedicated, highly
competent and compassionate staff at blind-related
agencies, both local and
state. They provide tireless
help and support during
the adjustment to
new, strange and even
frightening situations.
You do appreciate the
Another thing Albert Brown has learned since going blind is that his community
beauty of things around you,
has many compassionate, competent professionals who can help him. Amy C. Elliott
and perhaps become even
more appreciative than when
numbered them this way and nothing was missvision was clear and everything more distinct.
ing. She also said that reading Braille made it
Even in the dim outline of trees against the sky
easier. However, learning to use talking books was there is a beauty that deeply satisﬁes, and one can
enough of a challenge for the day.
continue through the twilight of a late evening
Our daily language usage assumes that there are with great contentment, even joy, having learned
no visually disadvantaged. Changing our speech to something new from it. x
make it politically correct is unlikely to happen,
even undesirable. But much of what we say
Albert W. Brown is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who
without thinking is mildly amusing as I enter this
served in the Paciﬁc theater during World War II. He
new world.
used the GI Bill to receive a college education and
“Let’s see.”
earned a Ph.D. in social sciences at Syracuse
“Look here.”
University. He is a member of American Legion Post
“Do you see it my way?”
1286 in Lakewood, N.Y.
“Let’s take a look at it.”
“It appears to me ...”
Article design: Holly K. Soria

Max Stührling’s big mistake
When quality isn’t enough to take on the big guys.

he fine horologists (watchmakers) at watches at extraordinary values. We are
Stührling just built a super luxury offering the Regulator for a miraculous
watch for this summer season. Using price—$349.75. Max is in tears, but he
one of the most complex regulator needs the cash. When the 3,435 watchmovements ever designed, they engi- es are sold, that will be the end of them.
neered the Regulator Series 3. With it’s I am keeping three for myself since I’m
large separate minute dial and small convinced that the rare design will
hour dial, this watch was
make this watch sought
built to take on the likes of
after by collectors in years
Rolex™ and Patek Philippe™
to come.
and was to retail for $5,750.
What makes it special?
Well, Max made a mistake.
The Regulator will make
The other luxury watch manyou want to learn how to
ufacturers had locked up the
tell time all over again.
shelf space at the high end
The Regulator movement
jewelers by offering large
is utilized in the master
advertising contracts, so Max A back as beautiful clocks at observatories,
is left with 3,435 of these
but Stührling has miniaas the front
magnificent “Regulator Series
The unique bronze- turized this complex
3” watches.
for
the
finished movement is movement
Max needs to liquidate
these luxury watches so he
came to us at NextTen. You
see, NextTen has become synonymous with high quality

absolutely stunning. You
can watch the smooth
movement of the rotor
and the 22 jewels work
in precise harmony.

Regulator
Series
3.
Separate hour and minute
dials will make you stare
at this unique watch. The
dial is machined in a

For fastest service, call toll-free 24 hours a day

silver-white star burst and the escapement is visible through the dial so you
can watch the balance wheel in action.
The movement oscillates at 21,600
vibrations per hour for accuracy to within seconds per day. The tonneau styled
case is fused in 23k gold and the alligator-embossed band is fitted with the
finest butterfly clasp that we have seen
in our travels. If you desire the best, the
unique and the rare, the Stührling
Regulator is built for you. We do expect
to be out of this watch in just a few
weeks, so please act quickly.

Stührling Regulator Watch
5 Payments of $69.95 +S&H

800-386-5195
Promotional Code SRW185-01
Please mention this when you call.
To order by mail, please call for details.

14101 Southcross Drive W., Dept. SRW185-01
Burnsville, Minnesota 55337

800-386-5195

Visit us online at www.NextTen.com for the complete line of Watches, Jewelry and Collectibles

‘Muscular idealism’
Scholar-author Victor Davis Hanson says the Arab world is learning
the hard way that Islam and freedom need not be mutually exclusive.

34
9/2005

ince Sept. 11, 2001, Victor Davis Hanson has
classics program. In 1991, he was awarded the
emerged from the relative obscurity of his
American Philological Association Excellence in
academic post at Fresno State University to
Teaching Award and in 1992 was named a National
become something akin to America’s “historian
Endowment for the Humanities fellow at the
in chief.” Spurred by a legion of eager editors,
Stanford University Center for Advanced Studies in
Hanson has translated his expertise in classical
the Behavioral Sciences, after completing a visiting
military history to the war on terror. The result:
professorship at Stanford.
some 300 essays – and counting – and an army
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. His list of
of devotees. He notes with pride that his supporthonors includes an appointment as a senior fellow
er base includes many U.S. troops deployed in
in residence at the Hoover Institution and a
Iraq and Afghanistan; he receives numerous
teaching post at the U.S. Naval Academy. Hanson
e-mails every week from military personnel
has written or edited 16 books, most covering
ﬁghting in the war against terrorism.
warfare in the ancient world. His 2001 “Carnage
Hanson’s primary platform for explaining
and Culture,” which focused on the major battles
this ﬁ rst war of the 21st
in the rise of Western civilization,
century has been a decidedly
became a national best-seller. His
modern mode of communicalatest contribution, “A War Like No
tion: the Internet. His weekly
Other: How the Athenians and
commentaries have poured
Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian
forth from the Web-based
War,” is due out this fall.
daily version of National
Review, a leading voice of the
The American Legion Magazine:
modern conservative moveCould you share a bit about your
ment. But Hanson reminds
namesake?
those who dismiss him as a
Victor Davis Hanson: My father had
Republican shill that he’s a
a cousin named Victor whose mother
registered Democrat. Underdied in childbirth and whose father
scoring the broad appeal of
was blinded. So my father’s family
Hanson’s perspective, his
took care of him. He was more like
essays on war have appeared
a brother than a cousin to my father.
Victor Davis Hanson
in The New Republic, The New
They joined the service together in
York Times, The American
World War II, and both were comLegion Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and
bat veterans. Victor was in the 6th Marine Division
City Journal.
and fought in all the worst ﬁghting in Okinawa.
Born in 1953 near Selma, Calif., Hanson made an We lost more in two days on Okinawa than we
important mark in his ﬁeld long before most
have in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Americans heard about the academic who says he
Victor was killed literally in the last three or
prefers the solitude of his grape farm over the
four hours on Sugar Loaf Hill. I never met him,
hustle and bustle of the Beltway. He studied
but when I wrote “Ripples of Battle,” I found six
classics at the University of California-Santa Cruz,
people in their 70s and 80s who had been with
graduating in 1975 with highest honors. After
him when he died. One of them told me he had a
completing his doctorate in classics from Stanford
ring that belonged to Victor. He had tried to return
University in 1980, he returned to the farm in
it to my grandfather in 1946, but my grandfather
Selma. His book “Warfare and Agriculture in
didn’t want it. So that man kept it all those years
Classical Greece” was published in 1983.
until he sent it to me, and I always wear it. It’s
Hanson joined the California State Universityfunny – I’m a classicist, and the ring has the head
Fresno faculty in 1984, where he initiated a new
of a Roman legionnaire.

For years, Victor Davis Hanson has promoted “muscular idealism” -- the notion of
using military power to promote peace in the Middle East. U.S. operations in Iraq
and Afghanistan are proving it can be done. Above, Lt. Col. John Bernier meets
with Afghani elders while delivering humanitarian supplies last year. U.S. Air Force

Q: We have a good idea when the U.S.-led war on
terrorism began. When did terrorism’s war on
America begin?
A: To be precise, it was around November 1979,
when radicals took the embassy in Tehran, and
Jimmy Carter either could not, or would not, do
anything about it. That established the fact that
you could invade the sovereign soil of the United
States with impunity. That was followed by the
Lebanon disaster – 241 Marines killed – and then
all the other attacks, including the fi rst World
Trade Center, Khobar Towers, the Africa embassies, the USS Cole, a whole litany of events that
conveyed the notion that as long as a person was
in the service or diplomatic corps, it was his own
choice to run such risks rather than the duty of
the United States to ensure his enemies would pay
dearly for taking his life.
Every time we failed to do something substantial in response, we imperiled not just the military
but the very security of the United States. Appeasem*nt under any circ*mstances doesn’t work,
and we paid a terrible price for that, the ultimate
logic being 9/11.

Q: In the span of just 18 months, we have seen
elections in Afghanistan, Iraq and proto-Palestine;
democratic reform in Egypt and Saudi Arabia; a
grassroots revolution in Lebanon; and a preemptive
surrender by Libya. Are these events linked to the
U.S.-led war on terror?
A: This would not have happened without U.S.
action. People in the Middle East were looking to
see which side would prevail after Sept. 11: the
forces of the eighth century or 21st century, the
forces of reactionary Islam or modernism. In their
hearts and minds, as anybody would, they wanted
freedom and consensuality, as we have seen in
Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon, but they didn’t
think the West would ever spend any blood and
treasure on their behalf. So when we ran such
risks, when we obliterated the Taliban in seven
weeks and Saddam in three, suddenly there was
this spark in the Muslim world and a sense that
the autocrats and mass killers were on the wrong
side of history. And that has had a snowball effect,
albeit one that is developing as we speak.
We had tried everything: realism in Saudi
Arabia, entering and leaving by going into Moga-

dishu and then withdrawing, cynicism by defeating the Iraqi army and then allowing Saddam to
crush the Kurds. None of it worked. The only thing
left to try was muscular idealism, and the United
States has turned the world upside-down with this
insistence on democracy. After 9/11, I tried to
promote in any small way possible through essays
and articles this muscular idealism that the Bush
administration was pursuing. I was convinced
then, and remain so now, that it was the only
answer to this pathology in the Middle East.
Promoting democracy may be easily caricatured
and hard to implement, but the American military
has embraced it with fervor and is pulling it off.

36
9/2005

Q: Speaking of the U.S. military, you have argued
that today’s military may be “the best ﬁghting cohort
of Americans since World War II.” Could you put
their accomplishments into historical perspective?
A: In three years, Lincoln, Grant and Sherman
created an army and then annihilated the notion of
a confederacy the size of continental Europe. The
American army, from almost nothing, went to
Europe in 1917 and tipped the balance of the Great
War. The United States not only defeated Japan and
Germany in World War II but also defeated them in
less than four years. Those are all amazing
achievements. But if you look at what the American
military has done since 1980, two things stand out.
First of all, our soldiers remove fascists and leave
behind democracies, especially over the last several
years. Think of Noriega, Milosevic, the Taliban,
Saddam. Second, they do so with amazing efficiency and skill. Afghanistan and Iraq are some 7,000
miles away, surrounded by belligerents or nearbelligerents. Yet the U.S. military went right into
the heart of that terrifying landscape, took down
the Taliban and Saddam’s regime, stayed on to

foster democracies, and has not lost a single major
engagement. In fact, for all the tragedy of our
combat dead, the U.S. military has lost in battle less
than half the number butchered on 9/11.
Q: What is it that makes the U.S. military so unique
and transformative?
A: The U.S. military is able to capture this ﬁne line
between having a great respect for commanding
ofﬁcers and hierarchy while being egalitarian, ad
hoc, informal, spontaneous and highly individualistic. There is an ease and familiarity between
ofﬁcers and NCOs, an open-mindedness that
permeates the ranks. Somehow, the American military has been able to institutionalize and harness
the best of the American character: adaptability,
ﬂexibility, informality. And that, along with its
ability to marry high-tech weaponry to pragmatic
battleﬁeld conditions, has been the American
military’s strength.
Q: Mark Twain is credited with saying that history
doesn’t repeat itself, but it sometimes rhymes.
What’s the best historical parallel for America’s
efforts in Iraq?
A: In terms of sheer military efﬁcacy? People
wonder how Rome could conquer all of northwest
Europe with nothing more than four or ﬁve
legions. The answer is the Romans had a very
similar policy to our own: they looked at the most
retrograde, bloodthirsty, nationalist leaders – the
bin Ladens of the ancient world – and took them
out, but with precision and with a lesson. They
then offered Roman citizenship and technology to
those who sided with them – everything from the
beneﬁts of habeas corpus to aqueducts.
The idea of Roman citizenship was not predicated
on race or national origin, but was inclusive, in the

Books by Victor Davis Hanson
“Warfare and Agriculture in Classical Greece” (1983)
“The Western Way of War: Infantry Battle in Classical Greece”
(1989)
“Fields Without Dreams: Defending the Agrarian Idea” (1996)
“The Soul of Battle: From Ancient Times to the Present Day,
How Three Great Liberators Vanquished Tyranny” (1999)
“Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western
Power” (2001)
“Mexifornia: A State of Becoming” (2003)
“Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We
Fight, How We Live, and How We Think” (2004)
“A War LIke No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought
the Peloponnesian War” (October 2005)
Victor Davis Hanson’s Web site is www.victorhanson.com.

ESTER C

www.bonro.com

Phone ______________________________________________________
E-mail ______________________________________________________

Please Fax: (706) 210-4740, or mail completed coupon to:
BONRO Medical Inc., PO Box 211610, Martinez, GA. 30917

Chicago veterans cope with
changes wrought by CARES.
BY JEFF STOFFER

50
9/2005

Oliver Thomas is one
of many veterans
from the south side
of Chicago who
fought for Lakeside.
Michael Williams

Oliver Thomas is a combat-wounded veteran,
born and raised on Chicago’s south side; he
spent most of his adult years painfully
overcoming “bunker mentality” from a bloody
tour in the Vietnam War. Robert Rosa is a
doctor, educator and executive associate dean
of clinical affairs at Northwestern University’s
medical school; he’s been at
Northwestern, one of America’s
most prestigious institutions of
higher education, for 14 years.
Thomas and Rosa are allies. VA
would characterize them as
“stakeholders.” Their cause – to
keep 51-year-old Lakeside VA
Medical Center in downtown
Chicago open – is already lost.
Inpatient hospital services ended
there in 2003, darkening the upperfloor windows of the high-rise. As
floors continue to close, the
darkness draws nearer to the streetlevel clinical-care waiting rooms,
where veterans still gather to swap
stories and listen for their names to
be called. By the end of 2007, clinical
care will be gone from Lakeside, too.
Following that, the building will be torn down.
If you click on the link to Lakeside’s Web site,
you get no paragraph explaining what's there –
just an address, phone number and the hours.
If you click further, you go someplace else in
the Chicago VA network. Veterans get the hint.

“When it’s gone, it’s just gone,” says Thomas, who
uses a cane to get around on a leg that took two
rounds from a Viet Cong guerrilla in 1965. “It’s a
darn shame when it comes to that, when you
consider the multitudes of veterans who are now
leaving the service with the same problems I have,
and the facilities to care for
them are no longer there. It’s
unbelievable they would
close a VA hospital in the
middle of a war.”
Thomas is intimately
attached to Lakeside. It was
here where his dad, a World
War II veteran, received
cancer treatments. It was
here where his dad died.
Until Thomas’ own overdue
diagnosis of post-traumatic
stress disorder in 1996, he
regarded Lakeside as his father’s VA hospital.
Then, as both received care there at the same time,
the facility belonged to both of them, and they to
it. “Lakeside,” Thomas says, “was like family.”
Northwestern University’s medical school was a
member of that family.
In 1946, Northwestern invented what would
become a vital nationwide relationship between
academic medicine and veterans’ health care.
America’s ﬁ rst-ever VA-med school afﬁliation
was between Northwestern and west Chicago’s Edward J. Hines VA Medical Center.
The idea was swiftly replicated. Afﬁ liations provided VA desperately needed
doctors at a time when new World War
II veterans were pouring into the
system. It also gave medical schools
opportunities to complete the educations of budding physicians who had
been called off to war, and it helped
schools attract top-quality research
doctors who would participate in dozens
of VA medical accomplishments – from
pacemakers to prosthetic limbs to patches
to help people quit smoking. By 1995,
Lakeside’s $5 million research program alone
hosted 175 studies and 70 investigators.
By design in 1954, Lakeside was built nextdoor to Northwestern; a skywalk was later
installed linking the buildings above the street.
All across the country, medical schools and
VA hospitals made similar connections. The
afﬁ liation program nationwide now unites more
than 70,000 medical-school physicians and students with more than 100 VA facilties. Prior to

Dr. Robert Rosa says
VA did not even
respond to Northwestern's offer of
free rent downtown.
Michael Williams

Michael Williams

2003, Northwestern provided nearly 300 free
physicians a year to Chicago-area VA facilities – an
annual value of more than $4 million. That presence has been cut about in half since inpatient care
ended at Lakeside, Rosa says.
“We can put those students someplace else,” he
says. “The real problem is the outpatient veterans.
If something isn’t done, they will be forced into the
public or private sector. They will be forced out of
the VA system. We have over 120,000 outpatient
visits a year at the Lakeside facility (and) a glaring
lack of planning to deal with this.”

52
9/2005

The Promise of CARES. On a bright May morning
at the campus of Hines VA Medical Center 12 miles
west of downtown, a big white tent shades a
common area between two sparkling new medical
buildings. In the tent are President Bush’s highestranking VA ofﬁcials: Secretary Jim Nicholson and
Under Secretary for Health Jonathan Perlin, along
with Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, VA administrators,
doctors, and the executive directors of national
organizations for blinded and paralyzed veterans.
Harry Porterﬁeld, a former Army sergeant and wellknown local TV personality, has been summoned to
emcee the ceremony. Veterans squeeze in, shoulder
to shoulder. Some are blind. Some can’t walk. But
they’re not going to miss this moment in history.
Here, on Chicagoland’s oldest VA campus,
veterans know the two new buildings ﬂanking
them are more than bricks and mortar. To the west
is a massive new treatment center to help veterans
with spinal-cord injuries, an area of care for which
Hines is world-renowned. To the east is a new
blindness rehabilitation facility that will attract
veterans from an eight-state region. The ceremony
has yet another layer of signiﬁcance: these two
buildings are the nation’s ﬁ rst offspring of CARES,
VA’s Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced
Services process, which also doomed Lakeside.
Chicago, home to some 600,000 veterans, was
the testing ground for CARES, an acronym that
emerged after a 1999 report calculated the U.S. government was spending $1 million a day on inefﬁcient VA property. The report also landed after the
Veterans Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996
opened VA medicine to all veterans and steered VA
away from a reliance on inpatient hospitalization
and into line with national trends to deliver more
care in outpatient settings.
The nationwide CARES decision was announced
in May 2004. It proposed $6 billion worth of
changes – hospital closures, mission changes,
enhanced partnerships with DoD, new medical
centers in growth areas and a list of more than

VA’S CHICAGOLAND FOOTPRINT
EDWARD HINES JR.
VA HOSPITAL
Twelve miles from
downtown Chicago,
Hines is a 147-acre
hub of seven primarycare clinics west of
the city. Hines also
provides specialized
care, spinal cord and
blindness rehabilitation and one of the
nation’s biggest
research programs,
with nearly 500
projects funded at
about $20 million.

NORTH CHICAGO
VA MEDICAL
CENTER
North Chicago has
150 hospital beds, 204
nursing-home beds, a
60-bed domiciliary for
homeless veterans
and 89 beds for
substance-abuse
rehabilitation.
LAKESIDE CLINIC
Comparable to Jesse
Brown VA Medical
Center before 2003,
when inpatient services
were terminated,
Lakeside can continue to
offer clinical care until
December 2007.

JESSE BROWN
VA MEDICAL
CENTER
Now in the midst of
a major renovation
and construction of
a $99 million bed
tower, Jesse Brown
is the ﬂagship for
Lakeside, Adam
Benjamin, Chicago
Heights and Beverly
Clinics.

BEVERLY CLINIC
Primary care and
mental health
treatment are available
at this southwest
Chicago clinic.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS CLINIC
Clinical care, including mentalhealth treatment, is provided
in an outpatient setting.

ADAM BENJAMIN, JR. OPC
A 100-employee VA outpatient
clinic in Crown Point, Ind.,
Adam Benjamin records more
than 80,000 visits a year and
receives doctors from
Northwestern University.

Our Customers
Say it Best!
Customer comments on file - printed with their permission.
Individual results may vary.

“I am thrilled to bits with my hearing aid, it’s
an engineering marvel, how it can be made so
small is absolutely amazing. You are doing an
incredible public service.”
Col. Colin Mills – Arizona

r
ll ou n!
Ca r Y atio
fo
w orm
No Inf
ee
Fr

EarMate Hearing Aid
Helps Thousands!

From The Wall Street Journal
EarMate-4000 comparison results:
# “Sound was crisp and clear.”
# “With different tip sizes to choose from,
this fit our ears the best, resulting in
minimal feedback.” John Edmiston (Reporter)
The Wall Street Journal, June 9, 2004
http://webreprints.djreprints.com/1005421313607.html

“I am very happy with my hearing aid. It is a
real blessing to hear my pastor and my doctor
speak.”
M.S. – Orlando, FL
“You seem like an upstanding company that
wants to help. Your trial period is certainly
an asset for the customer. The 4000 is so
comfortable that I’ve worn it to bed five or
six times.”
C.G. – Fresno, CA
“Not only is the hearing aid helping me but it
is a positive thing for the entire family.”
S.N. – San Clemente, CA
“Thank you for making the comfortable, easyto-use and affordable EarMate-4000. I find
joining my friends in conversations is much
more comfortable.”
H.B. – New York

EarMate-4000 enlarged.

Only Available from
Hearing Help Express™

Call 1-800-782-6897 ext. 34-485
for your Free Information!

The EarMate™-4000 hearing aid
amplifies the high-frequency
sounds that you need to help you
hear and understand clearly.
You select from three sizes of soft
ear tips to get a comfortable and
secure fit. The easy-to-use volume
control locks in your preferred
setting - no more fumbling! Use
your EarMate™ every day or just
when you need a little help.

You order easily by mail from a
family business with more than
300,000 satisfied customers & 24
years selling hearing aids by mail.
You try the EarMate™-4000
risk-free. Shipping is free. You
have a 45-day home trial and
100% money-back guarantee.
Compare to hearing aids over
$1,000. You decide which is best!

www.HearingHelpExpress.com/34485

Hearing Help Express™
105 North First St., Dept 34-485
DeKalb, IL 60115-0586

Free Shipping!

YES! Please rush me details on

the EarMate™-4000 hearing aid. There is
no obligation & you provide FREE shipping.
Mr.Mrs.Ms
Address
City/State/Zip

54
9/2005

150 high-priority clinics across the country. The
plan was heralded as the most monumental shift
in VA health care in 50 years. VA patient numbers
had more than doubled in less than six years, and
more than 300,000 veterans waited 30 days or
longer for appointments with over-booked VA
physicians as CARES was in process. It also came
at the dawn of a
U.S. war that
continues today,
having produced a
generation of more
than 85,000 new
VA patients.
As the pilot city,
Chicago illustrated
just how passionate veterans are
about VA health
Legion service ofﬁcer Joe
care, especially
Petrosky awaits the day when the when a hospital
new west-side medical center is
closure is planned.
out of the model case. Michael Williams
Chicago also
showed how resentment can linger long after the
decisions are made. “You cannot bend a mind that’s
already been made up,” grumbles Korean War
veteran Norvell P. West, who sees CARES as a cloak
to cover long-term intentions to cut costs. “It’s all
money-driven.” CARES is expected to save VA about
$720 million in the next 20 years in Chicago.
A System in Flux. Lakeside’s inpatient services
were absorbed six miles away at Jesse Brown VA
Medical Center on the west side where the nearby
University of Illinois-Chicago College of Medicine,
along with Northwestern and four other colleges
provide doctors. “The outcome has been tremendous,” says Stan Johnson, acting director at Jesse
Brown. “People have worked through the transition well and have been very supportive.”
That may be, Thomas says, but it’s a hassle for
veterans to get there. “It’s only six miles away, but
it can take an hour and a half. In Chicago rush
hour, that’s like six miles through a jungle.”
Last November, VA broke ground on the centerpiece of Chicago’s CARES package: a $99 million
200-bed tower on the Jesse Brown campus to cover
the inﬂux from Lakeside. Local veterans and
national leaders of The American Legion alike
criticized the timing, arguing the bed tower should
have been built and ready before the upper ﬂoors
went dark at Lakeside. In announcing the ﬁnal
CARES decision, then-VA Secretary Anthony
Principi acknowledged that concern with a promise for other CARES-affected communities across

the country: “VA will not interrupt services at
current facilities until we can provide care at an
alternate site of comparable quality ... We will
make sure construction is done at the new sites
before any changes are made.”
Construction at new sites does not get done,
however, without enormous amounts of money.
Last summer, Congress passed emergency spending legislation just to keep VA’s operating budget
out of the red for the rest of 2005. To cover a
shortfall of at least $1 billion, VA planned to tap
into capital reserves – money dedicated for construction – when Congress intervened.
Johnson says Chicago is lucky it doesn’t have to
ﬁght for capital-improvement dollars in today’s
VA budget crunch. The new spinal-cord injury and
blindness treatment centers are up and running,
and the long-awaited bed tower is funded and
expected to ﬁ nally be out of its display case by the
end of 2007. “We have been looking at the model
for about three years now,” says Joe Petrosky,
American Legion Department of Illinois service
ofﬁcer, who passes an encased miniature rendition
of the new west-side campus every morning in the
hall. “What we have now is a hole in the ground.
They still have a long way to go.”
Chicago veterans remain unconvinced they got
the best deal – or even a good deal – out of CARES.
Where once there were four VA medical centers,
now there are three. At one point in the process,
angry Chicago veterans chartered a bus and drove
overnight to plead their case to Congress and VA.
“It fell on deaf ears,” says
Thomas, who went. “Nothing
was done. This thing was
etched in stone.”
Rochelle Crump, an Army
veteran and assistant director
at the Illinois Department of
Veterans Affairs, remembers
the outrage that poured out of
the veterans community
when a highly paid consultJoan Cummings,
ing ﬁrm recommended
VISN 12 director
closure of Lakeside and
during CARES, says
virtually no changes at Jesse
local input led to a
Brown. “A lot of people made
better ﬁnal product.
money on (the original plan),” Jeff
Stoffer
Crump says. “That took a lot
of trust out of the system – a lot of conﬁdence. And
I don’t think VA has earned it back yet. People don’t
understand why we closed that hospital.”
“There is no denying, on any of our parts, that
the closing of Lakeside is going to be emotional,”
says Dr. Joan E. Cummings, through most of the

฀

฀฀

฀

฀
฀
฀

฀
฀

฀

฀
฀ ฀
฀

฀ ฀

฀

฀
฀

฀

฀
฀

฀ ฀
฀ ฀

฀
฀
฀ ฀

฀
฀
฀
฀ ฀
฀
฀ ฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀ ฀ ฀

฀

฀
฀ ฀

฀

฀ ฀

฀

฀
฀
฀
฀ ฀
฀
฀
฀
฀ ฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀ ฀
฀
฀ ฀
฀ ฀
฀
฀

฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀

฀

฀
฀
฀

฀
฀

฀

฀ ฀
฀

฀
฀

฀

฀
฀
฀

฀

฀
฀

฀

฀
฀

฀
฀
฀ ฀
฀ ฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀

฀

฀
฀ ฀
฀

฀
฀

฀

฀
฀ ฀

฀

฀
฀

฀ ฀
฀

฀
฀
฀
฀

฀
฀
฀

฀

฀
฀

฀
฀
฀

฀

฀
฀

฀

฀ ฀
฀

฀ ฀
฀ ฀
฀
฀

฀

฀
฀

฀ ฀

฀

฀
฀

฀

฀
฀

฀

฀
฀
฀

฀
฀

฀ ฀

฀

฀
฀

฀

฀
฀
฀

56
9/2005

process the director of VISN 12 – Veterans Integrated Service Network 12, of which Chicago is
part. “It is a loss to many people. They gave
excellent care there for many, many years. There is
going to be an emotional response to that.”
Cummings takes exception to those who think
the Lakeside closure was pre-ordained and that
veterans were left
out of the loop.
She says veteran
opposition helped
VA decide to toss
out the consulting
fi rm’s initial
recommendation.
“The second time
… involved
people. We set up
Rochelle Crump of the Illinois
the CARES
Department of Veterans Affairs
Advisory
Commitsays VA has yet to regain the
tee.
We
set
up a
trust of local veterans. Jeff Stoffer
CARES communications bulletin process. We did present to the
secretary alternative plans, which included the
new building at (Jesse Brown).”
One alternative plan VA did not consider was
Northwestern’s 2002 offer of free rent at Prentice
Women’s Hospital across the street from Lakeside.
“We had outgrown it,” says Northwestern’s Rosa.
“It was only 30 years old. We said if you’re willing
to wait until 2007 … you can move everything
that’s at Lakeside into the Prentice hospital, and
the only charge would be the cost of keeping it
open. No response at all. They didn’t want to hear
this because I think the decision had been made.”
Cummings says VA did not see the upside to
moving out of a 50-year-old building and into a 30year-old building. “They had recognized it as an
antiquated facility. Then they said we could have
the antiquated facility. I personally found that
offensive. It was never seriously considered.”
Last February, Principi signed a 75-year,
$50 million lease, handing Lakeside over to Northwestern Memorial Hospital – a corporate entity
separate from Northwestern University – and to
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. VA can provide
outpatient care there until Dec. 31, 2007. By then,
Cummings says, the new bed tower at Jesse Brown
will be up and ready for patients. Meanwhile, hopes
for a new VA outpatient clinic elsewhere downtown, within walking distance of Northwestern,
are dim, Cummings says. “That was a recommendation, but it was never made in perpetuity. The
recommendation didn’t get speciﬁc about where
this had to be and what had to be there … just a

multi-specialty clinic in Chicago.” A proposed new
clinic on the far south side, in partnership with
Catholic Charities, could fulﬁ ll that purpose.
“The doctors are here,” counters Rosa, who says
downtown remains the right place for a VA clinic.
“The patients are used to coming here. We have
tried to persuade them to open a facility within
walking distance. There was supposed to be a
requirement that there be a VA clinic within the
foreseeable future. We don’t even know that.”
Thomas says he tried Jesse Brown for PTSD
therapy, and he tried out a clinic closer to home.
Neither suited him, not like Lakeside. Now, he’s
not getting treatment. Last March, he called Jesse
Brown for an appointment because his wounded
leg was acting up. They said he wouldn’t be able to
see a doctor until June. He went elsewhere.
American Legion Past National Commander
John H. Geiger is one Chicago veteran who believes recent changes have left too many VA
health-care services inconveniently scattered
through the city. “You go to one facility and wait
in line to see a doctor about your right hand,”
Geiger says. “And they say they don’t do right
hands. They only do left hands. You have to go to
the other hospital across town for your right hand,
so you call and try to get an appointment – a guy
might have to ﬁnd someone who can drive him –
and then you get there and wait in line.”
Thomas says he hopes VA will come through
with a new clinic downtown. “We may not be
satisﬁed with it,” he says. “But I can’t believe they
would just leave us hanging.”
“The spinal-cord injury and blindness rehabilitation centers represent a new step forward,” Nicholson tells the crowd at the Hines campus. “Yes, they
are brick and mortar, but they are an opportunity,
too – a unique opportunity – to pay back part of
the great the debt we owe our veterans.”
Similar words may have been spoken at a ribbon
cutting 51 years ago, at the foot of a sparkling new
high-rise hospital downtown, amid bright young
doctors who saw before them the future of VA
health care. Today, that future is history. “Whether
the decision is right now or not in the broader
scheme for veterans care, I actually think for
Chicago and the rest of the VISN, we ended up
with a good decision that will take us forward,”
Cummings says. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t
some pain and some loss along the way.” x
Jeff Stoffer is managing editor of The American
Legion Magazine.
Article design: Holly K. Soria

ALL AMERICAN

DenimVeterans Jacket
With YOUR Choice
of Emblem!
ONLY

WWII

For Men
& Women
Desert
Storm

Korea

Vietnam

Not
Available
In Stores!

Embroidered
in Full Color!

The Emblems of History’s Great Conflicts!
hat says “All-American Style” better than blue
denim! We’ll send our comfortable and rugged
Blue Denim Veterans Jacket to you embroidered with your
choice of emblem commemorating World War Two,The
Korean War, Vietnam or Desert Storm! All emblems are

Imported

in bold, full color! PLUS the jacket is LOADED with
great details: 4 pockets—2 snap close and 2 zip close.
Sleeve cuffs have snaps too! Jacket front zips closed PLUS
has a storm flap with two more snaps! Elastic waist for a
trim look. Satisfaction guaranteed!
Not affiliated with any
Veterans organizations.

Visit Us On The Web At: www.directsourceinc.com

Mail Direct Source, Dept. DVJ-745
To: P.O. Box 161, Orangeburg, NY 10962

Enclosed is check or M.O. for $

❑ One Denim Veterans Jacket only $29.95.
❑ SAVE! Two or more Denim Veterans Jackets only $24.90 each.
ADD $5.95 Heavyweight shipping & handling per jacket
Please specify emblem of choice & jacket quantities & sizes.

WWII ___ Vietnam___ Korea___ Desert Storm____
Small ___ Med.___ Large___ X-Large ___ XX-Large___

(PA & NY res. add sales tax)

Charge my: ❑ Visa ❑ MasterCard ❑ Discover ❑ Am Ex

For women’s
jackets, order
one size smaller
than regular
ordering size.

Account #
Signature
Name
Address
City
Home Phone

Exp. Date

State
E-Mail Address

Zip

Gerald Bustamante

A ﬂag, a poem
and a lesson in freedom
58

BY MIGUEL PÉREZ

9/2005

As Congress considers a constitutional amendment to ban flag
desecration, my mind flashes back to the day when my mother
taught me how to draw an American flag.
“It’s the ultimate symbol of freedom,” she said proudly. And
then she banned me from displaying it.

It was back in communist Cuba,
some 45 years ago. But I remember
how worried my mother became when
she realized she had made a mistake.
After all, she had taught a 10-year-old
boy how to create the symbol of a
country my teachers had described as
the enemy. If I went around displaying
my American flag, it could jeopardize
our family plans to flee from Cuba, I
was warned.
If I kept drawing the symbol of
“Yankee imperialism,” the Fidel Castro
regime could throw my father in prison
and forbid us from moving to the
United States.
I can still picture the moment when
my mother made me take a vow of
silence. Perhaps the moment remains so
vivid because it felt so awkward.
Shortly after being taught to appreciate

the aesthetic and symbolic beauty of
the American flag, I was taking an oath
to renounce it in public. And ironically,
and quite hypocritically, I was to do
this so that we could migrate to the
United States.
For me, it was a harsh way to learn
the difference between repression and
freedom, and the price one has to pay
to be free.
And so now that the House of Representatives has voted to ban the desecration of the American flag, now that a
similar measure has a good chance of
passing in the Senate, I keep thinking
about my mother’s ﬂag-drawing lesson,
and about the dilemma she faced when
I drew my ﬁ rst ﬂag.
You see, my mother, Lilia Pérez Martinez, who died in 1998, was a teacher.
And she had taught me that ﬂags could

Le Am
a
He ding erica
alt P ’s
h S ros
olu tat
tio e
n

Promote Rapid Prostate Health
PROSTATE 9 COMPLEX

It’s true! Scientists have discovered nine potent
compounds found to help flush away unhealthy hormone
build-up believed to cause an unhealthy prostate.
WHAT DOES A HEALTHY
PROSTATE MEAN TO YOU?
✦ No more nighttime trips to the
bathroom?
✦ No more sudden
urges to urinate?
✦ No more sexual
embarrassment?

✦ No more
unexpected
leakage?
✦ No more
sleepless nights?
✦ No more pain &
discomfort?

No
A Sup w At
Introd er-Low
u
$5 Of ctory
fer

They’ve Finally Done It

Prostate Problems Attack
67% of All Men Over 40
With age, changing male hormone
levels can cause the cells of your
prostate to multiply. With no room to
move, the prostate gland can become
uncomfortably large, leaving you
sleepless, frustrated & uncomfortable.

Here’s What Satisfied
Prostate 9 Complex Users Say:
I’m very happy with the
results, Prostate 9 has
dramatically improved
my prostate (PSA) test
results.
Loves Park, IL

Saw Palmetto 100 mg. - Widely
recognized as a potent defense against
poor prostate health, PROSTATE 9
COMPLEX contains a full complement
of this important compound to support
prostate and urinary health.
Pygeum 50 mg. - Its powerful
properties help sexual performance
due to aging.
Lycopene 500 mcg. - The subject of
exciting clinical research at Harvard
Medical School, for enhancing
prostate health.
Zinc 15 mg. - An antioxidant
powerhouse, it plays a vital role in
maintaining healthy levels of Vitamin A,
Vitamin E and other nutrients essential
to for promoting prostate health.

Plus… 5 More Potent Nutrients
Proven to Help Maintain a
Healthy Prostate:
Pumpkin Seed , Parsley , Kelp ,
Cornsilk, Buchu.

BEST DEAL! Buy 240 Capsules
(80 day supply) Reg. $52.99 Intro Price $16
FREE Postage & Handling (Save $39.94)

❏

BETTER DEAL! Buy 120 Capsules
(40 day supply) Reg. $28.99 Intro Price $9
Add $2.95 Postage & Handling (Save $19.99)

❏

GOOD DEAL! BUY 60 CAPSULES
(20 day supply) REG. $14.99 Intro Price $5
Add $2.95 Postage & Handling (Save $9.99)
____________________________________________
(please print)
Name
_____________________________________________
Address
_____________________________________________
City
State
Zip
Enclosed is a

Check

Money Order $_____________________

❏

My Credit Card Number is:

❏

(Mention Promotion AM5IC) 24 Hours a Day - 7 Days a Week

❏

Call Toll-Free: 1-800-644-8327

Yes! Please send me
PROSTATE 9 COMPLEX
as indicated below:

❏

PROSTATE 9 COMPLEX is
not yet available in stores or anywhere
else. Be advised that SUPPLIES ARE
LIMITED and will be shipped only to
those who respond to this ad. To avoid
disappointment, be sure to call or mail
the easy, one-step order form today.

Send To: Botanic Choice®
3401 West 37th Ave.,
Dept. AM5IC Hobart, IN 46342

❏

“I’m pleased with Prostate
9 Complex, it has helped
me be myself again. I’m
absolutely happy. I feel
more relaxed.”
J B, Louisville, KY

Here’s What Makes Prostate 9
Complex So Remarkable:

PN-45

Researchers at Botanic Choice labs
have discovered how to fuse 9 of the
most potent compounds known to man
into one remarkable health solution.
They call it PROSTATE 9 COMPLEX .
The breakthrough formulation
PROVEN to promote prostate health –
without drugs or risky surgery.

Exp___ /___Phone______________________________
Signature______________________________________
© 2005 Indiana Botanic Gardens, Inc.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. These products
are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Miguel Pérez, an
award-winning
columnist and
popular radio and
television talk-show
host, has spent his
30-year career
covering the issues
and concerns of
America’s
burgeoning Latino
population.

60
9/2005

A graduate of the
Columbia School of
Journalism, he’s
been a reporter for
The Tampa Times
and The Miami
Herald, and a
columnist for the
New York Daily
News and The
Record of
Hackensack, N.J. He
also has hosted
three radio shows
and three television
shows.

not be destroyed. Once we created my
fi rst American flag, we had to keep it –
and hide it.
A very patriotic woman, my mother
taught me that flag desecration was not
only immoral and illegal in many Latin
American countries. In her opinion, it
was downright repulsive.
My mother loved this country – its
freedom, its democracy, its Constitution.
That’s the reason she brought me here
when we ﬂed from Cuba in 1962, the
reason why she was so proud when
I became an American citizen and
when I became a journalist in
a free society.
Of course, she
believed in the freespeech protections
guaranteed by the
First Amendment.
But desecrating the
ﬂag that so many
patriots have died
defending, that’s where
we should make an
exception, she said.
She had zero tolerance
for those who argued that,
in the name of freedom, we should be
able to destroy even the symbol of
freedom.
Yet that’s what the Supreme Court
ruled in 1989, when it decided by a 5-4
margin that ﬂag burning was a protected free-speech right. That ruling threw
out a 1968 federal statute and ﬂagprotection laws in 48 states, mostly
enacted to stop ﬂag burnings at peace
protests during the Vietnam War.
That ruling made it clear that, to
protect the ﬂag, much more drastic
action – a constitutional amendment –
was necessary.
However, since such an amendment
requires a two-thirds majority in both
the House and Senate, a minority of
liberal senators have been able to keep
the ﬂags burning.
While the House has consistently
approved the amendment by a sufﬁcient
margin, in the last decade the Senate
has twice fallen four votes shy of the
67 needed to pass the amendment.
Yet last June, by a 286-130 vote –

eight more than needed – the House
approved the amendment again. And in
the Senate, observers say the measure
has the best chance in years – especially since the ﬂag enjoyed a huge surge in
popularity after the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks and since Republicans
picked up four Senate seats in last
year’s elections.
If the amendment gets the two-thirds
majority in the Senate, it would then
require ratiﬁcation by three-fourths –
38 – of the state legislatures within
seven years. It won’t be
easy, but it should be
done.
For those of us who
come from countries
where the ﬂag is
considered a sacred
symbol, where desecration is met with
severe penalties, all
the fuss about free
speech is difﬁcult to
understand.
I ﬁnd it amazing,
frankly, that there is
even hesitation about banning such a
hideous act – regardless of how many
amendments it takes – if only as a sign
of respect for those who died ﬁghting to
defend our American banner.
Long before my mother taught me
how to draw the American ﬂag, she had
also taught me how to recite a poem in
Spanish about our own Cuban ﬂag. It’s
called “Mi Bandera” (“My Flag”), and,
roughly translated, it says that even if
the ﬂag is torn to pieces, and there is no
one left to ﬁght for it, our dead would
ﬁnd a way to defend it by raising their
arms from their graves.
The image that poem painted in my
mind still comes rushing back every
time someone suggests we should
tolerate ﬂag-burning for the sake of
freedom.
“If you speak Spanish,” I tell them,
“I have a poem you should hear.” x
Reprinted by permission of Miguel Pérez
and Creators Syndicate, Inc.
Article design: Holly K. Soria

Ill
pa umi
no na
ramtin
g
2 F a mestai
EE asuned
T W res -gla
ID neass
E!
rly

RESERVATION APPLICATION

Soar on the wings of majesty
As the bright morning sun breaks through the clouds, the vast canyon awakens in
golden light. This is the realm of the mighty eagle, unreachable by man except in
spirit. Now you can soar alongside artist Ted Blaylock’s Monarchs of the Canyon
through this inspiring stained-glass panorama that lights up from within. Grandly
sized at nearly two feet wide, it features long-lasting LED lights built into the frame.
An exceptional value— unconditionally guaranteed
Lit or un-lit, it will become a distinctive focal point in any room, and arrives fully
assembled. Strong demand is anticipated, so order yours today at the $125.00*
issue price, payable in four easy installments of $31.25, and backed by our 365day guarantee. Send no money now. Just mail the Reservation Application today.
©2005 BGE 01-02119-001-BI

THE BRADFORD EXCHANGE
_______________________________________
9345 Milwaukee Avenue · Niles, IL 60714-1393

YES.

Please reserve the Monarchs of the Canyon
stained-glass panorama as described in this announcement.
Please Respond Promptly
Limit: one per order.
Signature______________________________________
Mr. Mrs. Ms. ___________________________________
Name (Please Print Clearly)

Address_______________________________________

With the flip of a switch, the
panorama lights up from within.

City __________________________________________

Shown much smaller than actual size of 23" wide
x 111⁄4" high, including frame. With hanging device.

State _________________ Zip ____________________

01-02119-001-E94991
*Plus a total of $14.99 shipping and service. IL residents add state sales tax. Prices higher in
Canada. Limited-edition presentation restricted to 95 firing days. Allow 4-8 weeks after initial
payment for shipment. All sales subject to product availability and order acceptance.

rapidﬁre

NEWS, NOTES & OTHER QUICK HITS

[EXCERPT]

Borderline board member freezes ACLU chapter
The Southern New Mexico chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union was idle much of the summer
while trying to ﬁgure out what to do about a board member named Clifford Alford, who also belongs
to a Minuteman Movement organization that patrols the U.S. border for illegal immigrants coming into
the country from Mexico. The ACLU, which has recently targeted such institutions as Boy Scouts of
America, reportedly spent the suspension period rewriting bylaws to allow the organization to remove
any board member who does not adhere to certain organization objectives. Alford, who is director of
New Mexico Border Watch, expressed his thoughts online at www.stoptheaclu.org, offering a
proposal for Legion members to change the ACLU from within. Following is an excerpt from “How to
Reclaim the American Civil Liberties Union.”

During the 1950s, when a member of
Congress named Joe McCarthy was heading
up a Committee on Un-American Activities,
the ACLU was even more proactive … they
voluntarily gave Sen. McCarthy a list of over
3,000 communists for him to investigate. So
far as I know, not one other organization
dedicated to the preservation of civil liberties
did such as this without a subpoena. Communism was the greatest threat to our
freedoms at that time, and if the truth be
told, it still is.
Following the McCarthy era, the communists and liberals of the United States began
looking for a means to press their agenda
forward and decided to do what they did
best. They infi ltrated the American Civil
Liberties Union, the very organization which
had hurt them the worst, and took over the
leadership of that organization …
Currently, there are approximately 550
members of the American Civil Liberties
Union in southern New Mexico. The offices

62
9/2005

of the ACLU of Southern New Mexico are
located just a couple of blocks down the
street from American Legion Post 10 in Las
Cruces, N.M., of which I am a member. Our
post alone has 429 members, and we are not
the only post in southern New Mexico.
If even half the members of The American
Legion in southern New Mexico were to
commit to paying the $20 dues per year to
join the ACLU, and even 3 percent of those
veterans were to attend the board meetings,
which are open to all members, and to
volunteer to serve on some of the committees, then they could expect to be asked to
fi ll vacancies on the board, such as the two
they have at this time.
Also, our veterans could propose selected
individuals to serve on the board and vote
them on in massive landslide elections,
which take place annually. If we did this
statewide, then we could effectively take over
all of the local boards in the state of New
Mexico within three to four years. Taking the

[ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION]

[RIGHTS]

The huddled masses

Lost Liberty Hotel

Education

The recent 5-4 Supreme Court
decision allowing local governments
to seize properties and make them
available to private developers gave
fodder to Freestar Media, a company built to fight government assaults on personal freedom. Freestar’s Web site at
www.freestarmedia.com includes such videos as “Grand
Theft Building,” which features a San Diego cigar-shop owner
ordered to close his doors because a hotel developer wanted
it. The Supreme Court ruling drove Freestar to launch a
campaign to seize the Weare, N.H., home of U.S. Supreme
Court Associate Justice David Souter, who voted in the
majority, and put up a hotel. “The Lost Liberty Hotel,”
according to Freestar, will be “a small hotel for people to get
away from it all and relax in the countryside (while they plot
peaceful ways to help America regain its freedom).”

$12 billion: Estimated annual state costs
to provide education to illegal immigrants
Medication
$4.7 billion: Cost of providing medical care
to illegal immigrants (2002)
Incarceration
$5.8 billion: Amount the federal government spent in the past three years to
incarcerate criminal aliens
Contribution
($10.4 billion): Net ﬁscal deﬁcit between
the amount illegal aliens paid in taxes in
2002 and federal costs they imposed
Sources: Government Accountability Ofﬁce, Federation for American
Immigration Reform, Center for Immigration Studies

state boards would be a similar process that
could realistically take around 10 years.
This won’t work only in New Mexico. It
will work all over the United States. And it
doesn’t have to be just veterans groups.
However ... I can hear the excuses even now:
“They would never accept someone like me.”
Hint: like all other volunteer organizations,
they are eager to get you involved. How do I
know? Let me share a bit of information with
you about myself to help you understand.
I am a veteran of the U.S. Army. I vote
conservatively on most issues. I believe that
everyone in the United States should be
required to complete two years compulsory
service with either the armed forces or some
other form of government service. As a
former volunteer chaplain in a super-max
penitentiary, I am in total support of the
death penalty. And, as a member of The
American Legion, I am in complete support
of any protester’s right to burn the American
ﬂag so long as they soak it in gasoline and
wrap themselves up in it before they light it.
That being said, you should also be aware
that I am a card-carrying member of the
ACLU. I also serve as the secretary of the
board of directors for the Southern New
Mexico Chapter of the ACLU. It took me less
than a year to get on the board, and I have
been there for three years. You, too, can be a
card-carrying member of the ACLU, and you
should be. It’s time to quit complaining about
the problems in this nation, and to get
involved in viable solutions.

Clifford Alford, leader
of New Mexico
Border Watch,
searches the horizon
outside of Santa
Teresa, N.M., for
illegal aliens. Alford
also was a board
member of the local
ACLU, which suspended in an effort
to remove him from
his position. AP

[HOMELAND SECURITY]

September set for America to prepare for the worst
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security
and the American Red Cross have designated September as National Preparedness Month. The effort urges Americans, in the month remembered for
the devastating terrorist attacks of
Sept. 11, 2001, to prepare for emergencies at their homes, businesses and
schools. The campaign is connected to
DHS’ Ready program and Citizen Corps,
which brings preparedness initiatives to
hometowns across the nation. The American Legion is a partner in Citizen Corps.
“No community is truly prepared for a disaster
until every individual, family and household takes
personal responsibility for preparedness,” says

American Red Cross President and CEO
Marsha J. Evans.
Through September, Homeland
Security and the Red Cross will work
with local, state and federal government organizations and the private
sector to highlight the importance
of public emergency preparedness.
National Preparedness Month will
provide opportunities to learn more
about preparing for emergencies,
including natural disasters and terrorist
threats. The initiative, which kicks off with a
preparedness fair Sept. 1 in Washington, is expected to then fan out across the nation.
Find more information at www.ready.gov.

rapidﬁre
[STATEMENTS]

[CHILDREN & YOUTH]

“Reprehensible.”

American Legacy scholarship

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in response to a
comparison by Amnesty International likening treatment of
terrorism suspects detained at Guantanamo Bay to humanrights abuses in gulags of the former Soviet Union. The
Pentagon notes that there have been 68,000 detainees and
some 370 criminal investigations at Gitmo and other U.S.
detention facilities in the war on terror. Unlike the communist prison camps of the Cold War, these facilities have
been open to Congress and the media alike.
After the comparison was aired, writer Rowan Scarborough of The Washington Times looked into the political
leanings of the accusing organization’s leadership. He
found that the chairman and executive director of Amnesty International, a
self-described nonproﬁt, nonpartisan organization, each “contributed the
maximum $2,000 to Sen. John Kerry’s presidential campaign.”
An Amnesty International spokesman assured the Times that “we strive to
do everything humanly possible to see that the personal political perspectives
of our leadership have no bearing whatsoever upon the nature of our
ﬁndings.”

The American Legacy Scholarship provides
educational opportunities for the children
of U.S. servicemembers killed on active
duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001.
Send tax-deductible contributions to:
The American Legacy Scholarship Fund
P.O. Box 1055
Indianapolis, IN 46206

[OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM]

“I saw them playing soccer. I saw them
playing ping-pong. I saw them playing …
I think it was volleyball … and in regards
to the health care, my word, they have
better health care than many of my
small communities in Kansas.”
Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., on “Fox News Sunday,”
after his return from visiting U.S. military detention
facilities at Guantanamo Bay
[GALLERY]

64
9/2005

Brothers in arms
The art of Vietnam War combat artist David Lewis hangs in private
and public collections throughout country, including the
Smithsonian, the West Point Museum and the 1st Cavalry Division
Museum. Prints of “Brothers in Arms” are available for sale at the
Web site of the National Museum for the U.S. Army, proposed to
be built near Mount Vernon. More than 95,000 artifacts – from
muskets to missiles – will be displayed at the museum. Plans also
call for an amphitheater, galleries, a memorial walk and simulated
hands-on military experiences. Contributions of $20 or more will
make a donor a founding sponsor whose name will be permanently displayed near the entrance. www.armyhistory.org

Petty Ofﬁcer First Class Jennifer Vann, a steel
worker with Naval Mobile Construction
Battalion 24, works to replace a section of
runway at the airport in Al Asad, Iraq. USMC

Report card from Iraq
Back from another tour of Iraq, author
Karl Zinsmeister of the American
Enterprise Institute reports that Iraq
continues its rapid transition from
tyranny to freedom. He says he walked
through neighborhoods that during his
2004 visit to Baghdad were “active war
zones.” Now, he says, U.S. troops and
Iraqis are paving roads, fortifying
schools, laying
sewers and dealing Zinsmeister’s report
can be found at
with traffic.
www.taemag.com
“Baghdad is
on the Web.
choked with
traffic,” he explains. “Cell phones have
spread like wildfi re, and satellite TV
dishes sprout from even the most
humble mud hovels. What the establishment media covering Iraq have utterly
failed to make clear today is this central
reality: With the exception of a few
periodic flare-ups, our struggle in Iraq
is over as warfare. Egregious acts of
terror will continue – in Iraq as in other
parts of the world. But there is no
chance of the U.S. losing this guerrilla
war to an insurgency most Iraqis hate.”

Do You Have Diabetes?
Are You on Medicare?
If you answered “yes” to both questions,
the cost of your diabetes testing supplies may be covered!*
Know the Facts About Medicare Coverage for
Individuals with Diabetes. Liberty Medical Supply is the nation’s
leader in home delivery of diabetes testing supplies. We are a Medicare
participating provider. You could be eligible for our complete home
delivery program of diabetes testing supplies, and the cost may be
covered by Medicare.

No Up-front Costs.* You pay no money up front when you order
diabetes testing supplies from Liberty. With qualified supplemental
insurance, you may owe nothing at all.

No Claim Forms to Fill Out. We will bill Medicare and
your supplemental insurance company for you.

No Charge for Shipping. Your order will be delivered
to your home with no charge for shipping. You won’t have
to stand in pharmacy lines or go out in bad weather.

Actor and
Liberty Medical Supply Customer

*Co-payments and deductibles apply.
The Liberty Family of Companies is in compliance with Titles VI and VII
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

rty or
e
b
i
L
l
l
a
C
form
mail this more
today for tion!
informa

To Learn if You Are Eligible,
Call Us Toll-Free:

1-800-848-4207
Diabetes Testing Supplies • Respiratory Medications
Prescription Medications • A1c Testing • Ostomy Supplies

Find Out How Liberty Can Help You Live a Healthier Life.
Yes, I would like to know more about home delivery of diabetes testing supplies from Liberty.
First Name

Address

Apt. #

City

Last Name
(
)
Telephone
State

Email
Signature
By signing this reply form, you are authorizing the Liberty Family of Companies to contact you by telephone.

Mail this Reply Form to: Liberty Medical Supply
PO Box 20005, Fort Pierce, FL 34979-0005

Or, Call Liberty Toll-Free at 1-800-848-4207.

Zip Code

rapidﬁre
[FREEDOM CAR]

Collectible Freedom Car
die-cast models now for sale

Boy Scout Matthew Waholek practices ﬁrst
aid with Lt. Cath Travers during the 2001
National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Va.
Getty Images

[BOY SCOUTS]

Legion to ﬁght ruling against
National Scout Jamboree

66
9/2005

A U.S. District Court ruling in late
June is the latest in an ongoing attack
by the American Civil Liberties Union
against the Boy Scouts of America. The
ruling, driven by an ACLU lawsuit and
delivered by U.S. District Court Judge
Blanche Manning, would shut off
Pentagon support for the National Boy
Scout Jamboree conducted every four
years at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia. About
40,000 Scouts attend the event. Last fall,
DoD issued a memo to U.S. military
commands worldwide that they were no
longer to sponsor Scouting groups on
bases. The ACLU has made a target of
the Boy Scouts due to a reference to God
in the Scouting Oath and has pressed
DoD into withdrawing its support for
Scouting.
Legion National Commander Thomas
P. Cadmus called the ruling an outrage,
demanded action by Washington and
vowed the world’s largest veterans
organization will ﬁght to the Supreme
Court if necessary to keep Scouts from
losing a war against an organization
that collects millions in tax-funded legal
fees for pushing such cases.
“This event at Fort A.P. Hill, the
National Boy Scout Jamboree, is a great
American tradition for our nation’s
youth,” Cadmus said. “It brings the
military and the civilian communities
together for a common cause."
The June 22 order, which stemmed
from a 1999 lawsuit by the ACLU, did
not affect the 2005 Jamboree.

Die-cast 1:24-scale models of the No. 76 American Legion Freedom Car racing in the 2005
NASCAR Busch Series are available for
purchase through Emblem Sales. A replica
of the red, white and blue Team Johnson
Motorsports Chevrolet Monte
Carlo is $39.95 plus $4.95
CAR
shipping and handling.
ORDER
The collectible car is the
FORM
latest addition to a growing
SHIP TO:
list of Freedom Car merchanNAME
dise available to NASCAR
ADDRESS
fans. T-shirts, American
Legion Racing hats and lapel
CITY
pins can also be purchased at
Emblem Sales. T-shirts are
STATE
$19.95. Hats are $21.95, and
ZIP
lapel pins are $3.95 plus
PHONE
shipping and handling.
Residents of California,
ORDER INFORMATION
District of Columbia, Idaho,
PER CAR
$ 39.95
ORDERED:
Massachusetts, Maine, North
QUANTITY:
X
Dakota and Nebraska must
include state sales tax.
SALES TAX
(CA,DC,ID,IN,
Proﬁt from sales of die-cast
MA, ME, ND
cars, T-shirts, hats and lapel
+ $
AND NE):
ORDER
pins contribute to the cost of
$
SUBTOTAL:
racing The American Legion
Freedom Car. Without this
SHIPPING
$ 4.95
PER CAR:
support, “we can’t go racQUANTITY:
X
ing,” said Freedom Car
SHIPPING
owner Jack Johnson. The
$
SUBTOTAL:
Legion provides no other
ORDER
+ $
SUBTOTAL:
ﬁnancial support.
“Post Packs” consisting
ORDER
of 12 T-shirts, 12 hats and
TOTAL $
12 lapel pins are available
at wholesale price from Team
PAYMENT INFORMATION
Johnson at (704) 658-9988.
CHECK - Payable to
Emblem Sales
Post Packs are $399 plus $15
shipping and handling. Resale
M/C
VISA
of Freedom Car items by
Card #
Legion posts, districts and
Exp. Date
departments can generate
Clip and send this form
with payment to:
funds for local programs.
American Legion
Freedom Car merchandise
Emblem Sales
can be purchased online at
P.O. Box 1050
www.emblem.legion.org, by
Indianapolis, IN 46206-1050
Price effective for orders placed before 11/15/05.
calling (800) 453-4466 or
Please allow 10 weeks for delivery.
using the form at right.
NC059

ADULT SMOKERS FIND A DIRECT
LINE TO SMOKER’S WAREHOUSE

AND SAVE

THIS A
CIGARETTEMAZING
MACHINE

3,000 A YEAR!

FREE

With Your
O
USE COUPOrder!
N
B E L OW

¢
67

Per
Pack

Now
Pay
Only

It’s Your
Money!

New! Improved!
State-Of-The-Art!
Makes Perfect
Cigarettes
In Seconds!

ONE YEAR
PRICE LOCK
GUARANTEED!

IMPORTANT GUARANTEE - MUST READ

YOU Are The FORGOTTEN CUSTOMER
NOT At Smokers Warehouse! Big
tobacco had their way. That’s why
you are paying $4, $5 a pack and
MORE. Big government had their
way too, adding more and more sin
taxes every day. And, who pays?
YOU DO!!! Here’s your chance to
get even and make your own cigarettes in the comfort of your own
home for the unheard of low price
of just $0.67 (Sixty Seven Cents)
a Pack! You will receive the finest
fresh cut All Natural USA Tobacco
in your choice of Regular or

Menthol, zip lock packed for maximum freshness. Plus 600 preformed
DeLuxe Filter Tips in your choice of
Regular or Lights. It’s quick, it’s
easy, and you will save big bucks.
Just $19.95 gets you 3 Cartons
(30 Packs ) of great tasting
cigarettes.

SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING:
Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide
YOU MUST BE OVER 21 YEARS OF
AGE TO BE ELIGIBLE TO PURCHASE.

Guarantee: If you are not
100% delighted return the
$
merchandise in 30 days,
On The Amazing Supermatic II Machine and we will refund every
penny you paid for it.
(Regular Retail Price Of $40.00)
Plus - Use The Coupon Below And

SAVE 40.00

We Love Our Customers. And, they love us. We are guaranteeing your future shipments for ONE FULL YEAR at the
unheard of low price of just $0.67 Per Pack, Three Cartons
for only $19.95. At SMOKERS WAREHOUSE you are safe
from being punished any more. You will receive your shipments every four weeks at the guaranteed low price, and
you may cancel at any time. GET STARTED TODAY!

Mail TODAY To: SMOKERS WAREHOUSE
11427 Commercial Ave., PO Box 489
Richmond, IL 60071
Please rush me the Complete Smokers
Warehouse Package as shown here. I will
receive 30 packs (3 cartons) of Premium quality Virginia
tobacco and 600 filter tips. PLUS, the Supermatic II
Machine, regular price $40.00, now FREE with my Discount
Coupon! (Limit one per household.)
AL523

YES!

CHECK YOUR CHOICE CLEARLY:

Regular Tobacco, Regular Filter
Menthol Tobacco, Regular Filter

Regular Tobacco, Light Filter
Menthol Tobacco, Light Filter

Please send me the complete introductory offer as shown
here with the understanding that every four weeks I will continue to receive the pre-formed filter tips and tobacco to
make thirty packs of cigarettes. I understand that I will pay
$19.95 ($0.67 per pack) plus a shipping charge of $6.95. After
I receive the introductory offer I may change the quantity,
frequency of delivery, or cancel in full at any time and owe
nothing more. Regardless of my decision I can keep the
Supermatic II Machine FREE.
SUPERMATIC II - SPECIAL OFFER - YOURS FREE
Tobacco/Filters $19.95 And Supermatic II Machine NO CHARGE
Add Shipping/Handling $6.95 (Your Total Order Only $26.90)

VISA
American Express Or

PLEASE CHARGE TO MY:

MasterCard
Discover

Exp.
Date

Account Number - Please Print All Digits Clearly

Name__________________________________________________________
Street__________________________________________________________
City____________________________________________________________
State________________________ Zip ______________________________

SMOKERS WAREHOUSE
11427 Commercial Ave. • PO Box 489 • Richmond, IL 60071
Special Offer By Mail: Use Order Form - MAIL TODAY or,
A Free Call: 866-672-3687 Ask For Special Offer Code AL523

Phone No. _____________________________________________________
X ______________________________________________________________
Signature Required - I hereby state that I am over 21 years of age.
Your Birth Date: Month__________ Day__________ Year__________

rapidﬁre
[TROOP SUPPORT]

[FLAG]

Strikeouts for Troops

Flag-education
DVD available

Oakland A’s pitcher Barry Zito has been
taking the mound for America’s men and
women in uniform this year, and he’s
urging fellow major leaguers to join him.
Zito’s charity, Strikeouts for Troops (SFT),
raises funds for clothing, travel expenses,
housing needs, meals, entertainment and
more for wounded troops as they recover
at stateside military hospitals.
“Strikeouts for Troops lets them know we
are thinking of them and are trying to make
their stay in the hospital a little more
comfortable,” Zito says. “It shows them
that we are grateful.”
Zito, who has a career average of more
than 170 strikeouts per season, has
pledged $100 for every time he whiffs an
opposing batter. Following his lead are
Atlanta pitcher Tim Hudson, Washington’s
Chad Cordero, Boston’s Curt Schilling,
Cleveland’s C.C. Sabathia and Matt Miller
and his own teammate, Joe Blanton.
www.strikeoutsfortroops.org

[HONOR]

DoD sponsors September V-J Day event

68
9/2005

On Sept. 2, the Department of Defense will
recognize World War II veterans for their
outstanding service and sacriﬁce at a ﬁnal
national event commemorating the 60th
anniversary of World War II in Washington.
The event at the National World War II
Memorial, on the National Mall, begins at
7 p.m., with ﬁreworks to follow.

“For Which It
Stands,” a multimedia educational
package produced
by The American
Legion, is available
for use by teachers
in upper elementary,
middle and junior
high school grades.
The package
includes a 20minute DVD feature
focusing on Joe, 14,
who learns about
the signiﬁcance and
meaning of the ﬂag
through a series of
incidents that occur
in his life. “For
Which It Stands” and
related materials
can be purchased
from the sources
below. Cost is $7.95
plus shipping.

Admission is free.

National Emblem
Sales, The
American Legion,
P.O. Box 1050,
Indianapolis, IN
46206-1050

(877) 868-2058 or (202) 696-0120
www.60wwii.mil

www.emblem.
legion.org

Retired U.S. Army Gen. John W. Vessey –
former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
and a World War II veteran – will be a
featured speaker.

[MILESTONES]

Exhibit focuses on Lincoln and the Constitution
In the winter of 1860-1861, the nation
leadership steered the nation through its
faced its greatest constitutional test.
most turbulent years. Produced in
How could a country founded in the
association with The Lincoln Museum
belief that “all men are created
of Fort Wayne, Ind., the exhibit
equal” continue to tolerate slavery
includes priceless original
in its constitution? As the nation
documents, video and audio
plunged toward war, Americans
materials and more.
wondered whether their new
Exhibit itinerary:
president-elect – a one-term
• The National Constitution Center,
congressman and trial
Philadelphia – Now
(215) 409-6600
lawyer from Illinois –
www.constitutioncenter.org through Nov. 4
could resolve the crisis.
• The Lincoln Museum,
The National Constitution Center
Fort Wayne, Ind., (260) 455-3864 – Feb.12
addresses these issues in a 2,500through June 15, 2006
square-foot traveling exhibition, “Lin• Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford,
Conn., (860) 236-5621 – July 4 through Nov.
coln: The Constitution and the Civil
1, 2006
War,” that demonstrates how Lincoln’s

If your R&R
WAS ANYTHING LIKE THIS,

you would have been
TEMPTED TO RE-ENLIST.

All guests have access to
on-site recreational facilities,
restaurants and more.
SOME UNITS INCLUDE:

Condominium resorts just

$264/week*

per unit, not per person.

• Full kitchen
• Washer and dryer

Veterans Holidays is proud to offer Space-A condominium vacation units to members
of the American Legion and Sons of the American Legion—at prices as low as $38 a day
per unit. With over 3,500 resorts in more than 80 countries, you’ll have lots to choose from.
Call Veterans Holidays at 877-772-2322 or visit www.veteransholidays.com

Use code VON#600
when reserving

*Taxes are additional. These vacations are limited and subject to availability.
RCI, Seller of Travel Information: CST-2046555-50. Fla. Seller of Travel Reg. No. ST-26552. Nevada Seller of Travel Registration No. 2002-0793. Washington Seller of Travel Reg. No. 602357907.
Call 1-877-772-2322 for Web Site Terms and Conditions and Additional Disclosures or go to www.veteransholidays.com. ©2005 Resort Condominiums International, LLC. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.

Medicare Covers Erectile Dysfunction Correction
Nothing impacts the sexual
health and well-being of a couple
and their intimate relationship
more than Erectile Dysfunction
(ED). Therefore, any treatment
used must address the needs of both
people involved.
The male erection involves a very
complicated interaction of many of
the body’s systems.
The natural erection process can
be interrupted by many underlying
disease states and/or conditions.
The most common underlying
causes of Erectile Dysfunction are:
Diabetes, Hypertension, Vascular
Disease, and Drug Interaction.
For many, the first-choice of
treatment for ED should be
Vacuum Therapy.
Unlike drugs, pills, or injections,
Vacuum Therapy is non-invasive
and has no side-effects.
Negative pressure mimics the
body’s natural function and produces an almost instant erection.

This uniquely simple technology
uses the body’s blood to create erection much in the way the natural
process works and maintains erection for sexual intercourse. The big
difference is with Vacuum Therapy
you control erection – with drug
treatments the drug controls erection – not you.
In fact, Vacuum Therapy is predictable, reliable, and gives spontaneous results other treatments simply
cannot claim. You and your partner
will be able to control when, where
and how long you want to be intimate.
Vacuum Therapy is also the only
treatment that provides a significant
therapeutic benefit while also creating functional erection.
Some men actually regain spontaneous erections as vascular health
is improved using Vacuum Therapy.
Countless couples have brought
the joy back into their lives with the
ED Vacuum Therapy systems.

Vacuum Therapy Systems are covered by Medicare and most insurance
companies.
That means little, if any
out of pocket expense to you!
Call Discount Diabetic to order
at 1-800-771-7032.
Vacuum Therapy Systems are
safe, simple, effective, reliable, predictable, spontaneous and produces
an almost “Instant Erection”.
Each system includes an instructional manual, instructional video,
pump head, cylinder, cylinder sizing inserts, loading cone, tension
systems, personal lubricant, carrying case and LIFETIME MANUFACTURER WARRANTY.
Discount Diabetic also provides
NO COST – Diabetes Testing
Supplies and Arthritis Heating
Pads – all covered by Medicare and
most insurance companies!
Call Discount Diabetic today at
1-800-771-7032 to order.

rapidﬁre
[Q&A]

[VERBATIM]

Teens reﬂect on
America since 9/11

“They will
never succeed
in destroying
what we
hold dear
in this country
and in other
civilized nations
throughout the
world. We shall
prevail and they
shall not.”

BY JAN EBERLE
I recently talked to three teenagers in
Florida about terrorism, war and their
hopes for the future. It didn’t take long to
realize these young people – 13-year-old
Mack Trainor, 15-year-old Emily Cercone
and 19-year-old Jocelyn Cercone – pay
attention to the world around them and are
eager to engage themselves in it. They love
their country, and if terrorists strike U.S.
soil again – which they believe can happen
– they vow never to surrender to freedom's
enemies. Here are some of their thoughts:

Do you think the 9/11 attacks could have
been avoided?
Mack: Yeah, if there were government
terrorist specialists on the planes.
Emily: No. No way. There weren’t many
good clues or warnings.
Jocelyn: Oh, no. I don’t think there was
any chance of that. The president would
have done something about it if he’d
known anything. No doubt.

9/2005

Has anything good come from our
exposure to terrorism?
Mack: We were able to arrest or kill a
lot of terrorists ... a lot of bin Laden’s
people and Saddam Hussein and his
sons.
How do you think the attacks changed
America?
Jocelyn: We are more vulnerable, and a
lot of people might panic at that, but it
also raises our awareness, so that’s a
good thing. I think the attacks have
brought the country together. It’s like a
wake-up call.
Mack: It’s like, metal detectors at school
... Those are changes we can live with.
What is the United States’ best defense
against terrorism?
Jocelyn: Supporting our government
and president is ﬁ rst. It’s also important
to let the soldiers both here and away
know that we support them and value
them and thank them for the sacriﬁces
they make for the country and us.

British Prime
Minister Tony Blair
on the July 7 terror
attacks in London

Do you agree that we should not negotiate with terrorists if Americans are taken
hostage?
Mack: I agree with the policy. But I
don’t think Americans (civilians)
should be over there working unless
they absolutely have to. They are
vulnerable to being taken hostage ...
and killed.
Jocelyn: There’s no compromising with
people like that.
Emily: It’s really sad for the families of
hostages who are killed, but ... we
should never bargain with terrorists.
How do you think the world views
America?
Mack: It kind of depends on which
country. A few believe that we have
done the wrong thing by defending
ourselves and for ﬁghting for freedom
and safety.
Jocelyn: Some countries support peace
only. War isn’t the greatest thing, but
sometimes it’s the only way we can
defend our country’s freedom.
What’s the most important thing about
living in America?
Mack: Our freedom.
Emily: Without a doubt, freedom.
Jocelyn: Freedom. That’s what our
country is based on, and that’s what
sets us apart from everyone else.
Jan Eberle is an author and freelance
writer living in Florida.

“You could
make him a
blond and
shave his
whiskers,
put him in a
zoot suit,
and I’d still
spot him.”
Retired Army Col.
Chuck Scott,
who, along with four
other U.S. hostages
released in 1980
after being held in
Iran for 444 days,
identiﬁed Iranian
President-elect
Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad as
one of their captors

“It was so hot,
I was sweating
like Sen. Dick
Durbin at an
American Legion
convention.”
“Tonight Show”
host Jay Leno,
following Durbin’s
June 14 ﬂoor speech
in which he compared
U.S. treatment
of Guantanamo Bay
detainees to that
of “Nazis, Soviets
in their gulags or
some mad regime –
Pol Pot or others”

“Liberty, when it
begins to take
root, is a plant
of rapid growth.”
George Washington

Not $400.00

ONLY
$ 19.95!

Direct from the Manufacturer!

NEARLY
INVISIBLE

RATED #1 BEST SELLER

BEWARE
OF CHEAP
IMITATIONS!

Trust Ampli-Ear
Quality...Nearly
500,000 Sold!

All new Digital circuity amplifies sound like
never before! American Research Institute testing
rates the new AmpliEar Ultra a full 100 out of 100
points for clarity, amplification, and comfort!
Yes! The NEW Ampli-Ear
ULTRA is 100% adjustable, fits
all ear sizes in both men and
women and is nearly invisible
in your ear. So, end those
embarrassing moments.
Never apologize again for not
being able to hear. Begin to:

Ampli-Ear Ultra!
◆
◆
◆

◆

Ultra Comfort - Five silicone Ear tips
Ultra Discrete - New Ultra-Small size
Ultra Power - Digital Technology
Amplifies Like never Before!
Ultra Value - Not $400 - Just $19.95
Direct From the Manufacturer!
Ultra Easy - Easy sound adjustment
and Easy battery Changes!

Now More FREE Gifts
Than Ever Before !!!
ORDER
NOW
AND
RECEIVE
THESE
GREAT
ITEMS
FREE!
©2004 WMG

FREE:
FREE:
FREE:
FREE:

4 Batteries
Cleaning Brush
Full Color Guide
5 Custom Fitting
Ear Pieces
FREE: $50 In Valuable
Coupons !

✔ Hear the QUIETEST Whispers
✔ Listen to the FAINTEST
Phone Conversations
✔ Watch TV with the volume
on LOW
✔ CLEARLY hear conversations
in a crowded room

☛ FREE DELIVERY!!!
Send Order To: American Research Institute, Dept. UAL-1
773 Victory Highway, West Greenwich, RI 02817
☛❏ YES! Please RUSH me (1) Ampli-Ear ULTRA unit for only
$19.95 FREE DELIVERY
☛❏ SAVE 20%: 2 Ampli Ears Only $34.95 FREE DELIVERY
☛❏ Lifetime Damage Replacement Guarantee $5.95
☛❏ Bonus Deal! 1,000 Hours of Batteries Only $4.95! Postpaid!
☛❏ Super Bonus! Both the Lifetime Guarantee & the
1,000 Hours of Batteries Offer for Only $9.00! Postpaid!
❏ Check or money order enclosed
❏ Charge my: ❏ Visa ❏ Amex ❏ MC ❏ Discover
Card #:__________________________________________ Exp:___________
Name: ___________________________________________________________
Address: _________________________________________________________
City: _________________________________ State ____ Zip: __________
REQUIRED Signature:____________________________________________
I am 18 years old or older and voluntarily sign this waiver which indicates that I do not wish a medical evaluation
or test before purchasing the Ampli-Ear Ultra. I understand that The FDA has determined that my best interests
would be served if I had a medical evaluation by a licensed physician who specializes in diseases of the ear, before
purchasing the Ampli-Ear Ultra - or a test by a licensed hearing aid dispenser utilizing established procedures and
instrumentation in the fitting of hearing instruments.

rapidﬁre
[LIVING WELL]

Traumatic brain injury can strike anyone
BY DR. JOEL KUPERSMITH
Many of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan who
have been injured in blasts from car bombs,
grenades or other explosive devices suffer traumatic brain injuries. But those of us outside the
combat zone are at risk as well. Slipping on an icy
sidewalk, tripping on a scatter rug
or missing a step on a dark
stairway can have consequences
as serious as those from combat
injuries.
According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, at
least 1.4 million Americans sustain
TBI each year. Of these, 1.1 million
are treated and released from
hospital emergency rooms, 250,000
are hospitalized and 50,000 die.
Many do not seek care at all and
suffer serious complications.

Recovery. No two brain injuries are exactly alike,
so treatment must be highly individualized. Team
efforts involving clinicians, therapists and family
members have proven effective in helping patients
with TBI regain independence.
Therapists often focus on helping patients
become aware of their own deficits, so patients
and their families
can monitor daily
progress or setbacks
outside the clinic. This
helps therapists and
clinicians design
movement therapies,
teach speech or language skills, and
provide tools aimed at
improving problem
solving, reasoning and
organizational ability.
Researchers Seek
Answers. Several
studies on TBI are taking place at the Brain
Rehabilitation Research Center in Gainesville, Fla.,
sponsored by VA’s Rehabilitation Research and
Development Service. Investigators from VA and
the University of Florida integrate physiologic and
behavioral treatments to address cognitive, sensory and movement disorders. The focus is on
improving patients’ performance in real-life
situations and determining how best to deliver
therapy.
In other examples of VA research on TBI, investigators at the Miami VA Medical Center are examining how to use genetically modiﬁed nerve cell
grafts to repair the brain, and scientists at the
Hines, Ill., VA are studying whether electrical
brain stimulation can assist with the recovery of
motor abilities.
The goal is to restore as much functioning and
independence as possible to brain-injured veterans,
and thereby assist them in returning to productive,
satisfying lives.
IndexStock

72
9/2005

TBI Elusive Diagnosis. The CDC
defines TBI as a blow, jolt or penetrating injury to
the head that disrupts brain function. Falls, traffic
accidents and assaults are the leading causes of
TBI. By a 2-1 count, men outnumber women who
suffer brain injuries. Adults 75 and older are at
high risk for TBI.
It is important not to ignore any head injury.
This sometimes happens in emergencies when
more apparent injuries, such as broken bones,
need immediate attention. Anyone who loses
consciousness or appears disoriented at the time of
an accident should be evaluated for head injury.
People should also be aware that symptoms may
occur some time after an accident. Physical
problems such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness,
headache, blurred vision, poor sleep, fatigue,
lethargy or other sensory loss are signals that you
should see a doctor, as well as problems with
concentration, perception, memory, speech or
language, or changes in behavior such as irritability and quickness to anger.
Dr. Henry Lew of the Palo Alto VA Health Care
System has studied how diagnostic methods can
result in under-detection of traumatic brain injury
and therefore delay treatment. He stresses that it is
important for family members, coworkers and
clinicians to be aware of physical, behavioral or
emotional changes that may indicate an undiagnosed or hidden TBI.

Dr. Joel Kupersmith is chief research and development ofﬁcer for the Veterans Health Administration.
Living Well is designed to provide general information. It is not intended to be, nor is it, medical
advice. Readers should consult their personal
physicians when they have health problems.

Choose Life

Grow Young with HGH
From the landmark book Grow Young with
HGH comes the most powerful, over-thecounter health supplement in the history of
man. Human growth hormone was first
discovered in 1920 and has long been thought
by the medical community to be necessary
only to stimulate the body to full adult size
and therefore unnecessary past the age of 20.
Recent studies, however, have overturned this
notion completely, discovering instead that
the natural decline of Human Growth
Hormone (HGH), from ages 21 to 61 (the
average age at which there is only a trace left
in the body) and is the reason why the the
body ages and fails to regenerate itself to its
25 year-old biological age.

body for HGH, so its regenerative and healing self-injectable and is very affordable.
effects are very comprehensive.
GHR is a natural releaser, has no known side
Growth Hormone first synthesized in 1985
effects, unlike the synthetic version and has
under the Reagan Orphan drug act, to treat
no known drug interactions. Progressive
dwarfism, was quickly recognized to stop
doctors admit that this is the direction
aging in its tracks and reverse it to a
medicine is seeking to go, to get the body to
remarkable degree. Since then, only the
heal itself instead of employing drugs. GHR
lucky and the rich have had access to it at the is truly a revolutionary paradigm shift in
cost of $20,000 US per year.
medicine and, like any modern leapfrog
advance, many others will be left in the dust
Many in hollywood’s glamour sets, who never holding their limited, or useless drugs and
seem to age like you or I, have a special
remedies.
secret to tell, and even space pioneer and US
Senator John Glen stays vital with HGH.
It is now thought that HGH is so comprehensive in its healing and regenerative powers
The next big breakthrough was to come in
that it is today, where the computer industry
Like a picked flower cut from the source, we 1997 when the American Anti-aging Society, was twenty years ago, that it will displace so
gradually wilt physically and mentally and
a group of doctors and scientists, developed
many prescription and non-prescription drugs
become vulnerable to a host of degenerative
an all-natural source product which would
and health remedies that it is staggering to
diseases, that we simply weren’t susceptible
cause your own natural HGH to be released
think of.
to in our early adult years.
again and do all the remarkable things it did
for you in your 20’s. Now available to every The president of BIE Health Products, the
Modern medical science now regards aging as adult for about the price of a coffee and donut American distributor, stated in a recent
a disease that is treatable and preventable and a day.
interview,“I’ve been waiting for these
that “aging”, the disease, is actually a
products since the 70’s. We knew they would
compilation of various diseases and
GHR now available n America, just in time
come, if only we could stay healthy and live
pathologies, from everything, like a rise in
for the aging Baby Boomers and everyone
long enough to see them! If you want to stay
blood glucose and pressure to diabetes, skin
else from age 30 to 90 who doesn’t want to
on top of your game, physically and mentally
wrinkling and so on. All of these aging
age but would rather stay young, beautiful
as you age, this product is a boon, especially
symptoms can be stopped and rolled back by and healthy all of the time.
for the highly skilled professionals who have
maintaining Growth Hormone levels in the
made large investments in their education,
blood at the same levels HGH existed in the
The new HGH releasers are winning converts and experience. Also with the failure of
blood when we were 25 years old. There is a from the synthetic HGH users as well, since
Congress to honor our seniors with pharmareceptorsite in almost every cell in the human GHR is just as effective, is oral instead of
ceutical coverage policy, it’s more important
than ever to take pro-active steps to safeguard
your health. Continued use of GHR will
make a radical difference in your health,
HGH is particularly helpful to the elderly
r
to
c
Do
who, given a choice, would rather stay
NEW!mm
nded
e
o
Rec
independent in their own home, strong
healthy and alert enough to manage their own
affairs, exercise and stay involved in their
RELEASE YOUR OWN GROWTH HORMONE AND ENJOY:
communities. Frank, age 85 walks two miles
a day, plays golf, belongs to a dance club for
•
Strengthened
heart
muscle
• Improved sleep & emotional stability
seniors, has a girl friend again and doesn’t
All Natural
• Increased energy & exercise endurance • Controlled cholesterol
Formula
need Viagra, passed his drivers test and is
• Normalizes blood pressure
• Loss of body fat
hardly ever home when we call - GHR
• Controlled mood swings
• Increased bone density
delivers.

The Reverse Aging Miracle

• Wrinkle disappearance
• Improved memory & mental alertness
• Reverse many degenerative
• Increased sexual potency
disease symptoms
• Increased muscle strength & size
• Heightened five senses awareness
• Reverse baldness & color restored
• Increased skin thickness & texture
• Regenerates Immune System
This program will make a radical difference in your health,
appearance and outlook. In fact we are so confident of the
difference GHR can make in your life we offer a 100%
refund on unopened containers.

1-877-849-4777
on
As heard ith
w
io
d
a
R
Johnson
Dr. Don
™

For more information or to
order call 1-877-849-4777
www.biehealth.us
© copyright 2000

www.biehealth.us
BIE Health Products
3840 East Robinson Road
Box 139
Amherst, NY 14228

HGH is known to reverse Hemorrhoids,
Multiple Sclerosis, Ankylosing Spondylitis,
Macular Degeneration, Cataracts, Colitus,
Fibromyalgia, Angina, Chronic Fatigue,
Diabetes, Hepatitis C, Rheumatoid Arthritis,
High Blood Pressure, Sciatica, helps Kidney
Dialysis and heart and stroke recovery.

A PRODUCT OF
THE AMERICAN
ANTI-AGING SOCIETY

DIV 2037839 ON

rapidﬁre
Troy-Webster Post 240, Luckey, Ohio: Luther Moenter, a 60-year member of
The American Legion, can boast three generations of “Staters” in his family.
His wife Elaine, far right, a member of the post’s
Auxiliary unit, attended the second annual
Buckeye Girls State at Capital University in
Columbus, Ohio, in 1948. Their daughter, Mary
(Moenter) Thompson, pictured second from left
with husband Kenneth Thompson II, far left,
attended Buckeye Girls State in 1976. This year,
the Thompsons’ son, Kenneth Robert III, second
from right, attended the 2005 Buckeye Boys
State at Bowling Green State University. A senior
this fall at Colerain High School in Cincinnati, he
was sponsored by Legion Post 513, Mount Health, Ohio. Three other relatives
also are former Boys and Girls Staters: Rob’s uncle Thomas Moenter, and
aunts Judy Moenter and Robin (Moenter) Hall.
Lakeshore Post 137, Jacksonville, Fla.: Post 137 supports combat-wounded
troops by sending much-needed items to the 86th Combat Support Hospitals
(CSH) in Iraq. The post sends items including playing cards, board games,
books and toiletries. Recently, the post also sent $1,000 in phone cards and
more than 150 music CDs and videos. The Combat Wound Relief fund seeks
donations of everyday convenience items, suitable for men or women,
requested by 86th CSH. Items can be sent to Lakeshore Post 137, 5443 San
Juan Ave., Jacksonville, FL 32210. For more information, call (904) 387-3373 or
e-mail commander@americanlegion137.com. Financial donations can be
made online at www.americanlegion137.com.

Special Offer for Firewood Users!
TRY THE ELECTRIC/HYDRAULIC

DR® WOOD SPLITTER
FOR 6 MONTHS RISK-FREE!

Give the DR® a try for 6
months. If you don’t agree
this powerful machine is the easiest, most convenient way ever to split
firewood — indoors or out — you can return
it for a complete refund, including shipping!

• QUIET, CLEAN & NO FUMES
Use it in your garage or basem*nt.

FREE
EXTENDED
WARRANTY!
(for 3 years of
coverage)

Split logs 14" thick...indoors or out!
“The DR has enough power to do the
biggest logs I’ve put on it. And if it’s
raining or snowy, I just split inside.”
— H. Peterson, Equinunk, PA

• POWERFUL motor and hydraulic ram
produce up to 6 tons of force.

• EASY TO USE Plugs in to any
household outlet. Push-button start.

• COMPACT Fits on a workbench.
YES! Please send full details of the Amazing Indoor/
Outdoor Electric DR® WOOD SPLITTER, including
your 6 month free trial offer, low, factory-direct prices,
and seasonal savings now in effect.
Name __________________________________________________
AML
Address ________________________________________________

For Full Details Call Toll-Free

City _________________________ State _____ Zip _____________

1-800-709-0278

E-mail __________________________________________________

www.drwoodsplitter.com

DR® POWER EQUIPMENT, Dept. 49931X

127 Meigs Road, Vergennes, VT 05491

U.S. Army

[LEGIONNAIRES IN ACTION]

Goggles for troops
A $36 pair of ballistic
goggles spared Spc. Shane
McMullen’s eyes when
fragments from a roadside
bomb in Baghdad struck his
face and neck. The goggles
were purchased with money
from a fund-raiser headed by
his uncle and conducted by
North Port, N.Y., American
Legion Post 694.
Inspired by the gift that
saved their son’s vision and
allowed him to return to
battle quickly, Grady County,
Okla., Sheriff Kieran McMullen and Chickasha, Okla.,
Police Sgt. Helen McMullen,
have been raising money to
buy goggles for other soldiers
overseas ever since.
When Sheriff McMullen
contacted the company that
sells the goggles, he learned
the U.S. Army had already
purchased 20,000 sets for
troops. Unfortunately, that
number does not cover all
who are deployed in the area.
McMullen said that while the
Army does well to outﬁt its
soldiers, it never hurts to
help out. In June, Chickasha,
Okla., Beaton-Hurst American Legion Post 54, presented
McMullen with $2,160 in
donations – enough money to
outﬁt an entire platoon.
“The members decided
they wanted to buy goggles
for everyone in the platoon,”
Post 54 Commander Kenneth
Ray Hawkins said. “In June,
60 pairs of wrap-around,
shatterproof eye goggles were
shipped to the troops.”

MESOTHELIOMA VICTIMS

Don’t struggle getting
in or out of your tub.

When you’re in for the
fight of your life, turn
to a fellow veteran.
As a former Marine, Bud Coady
served with you yesterday. As a
seasoned attorney, he’ll fight
for you today. Coady attorneys
have successfully represented
vets in mesothelioma claims
nationwide for over a decade.
They’ve helped them understand
their rights – and secured their
rightful compensation. Trust
in someone who served with
you. Contact the Coady Law
Firm – leave no man behind.

Replacing your old tub with a
Premier walk-in bath tub makes
life easy again. Bath time can be
a pleasure every day; no worries,
no struggles.
To find out
more about our
best-selling range
of walk-in bath tubs,
call Premier today.

Plymouth

Easy Bathe
For further details or to receive your FREE brochure

CALL NOW

TOLL FREE

1-800-578-2899
Please quote: American Legion - 0905nc

The walk-in bath tub company

www.premier-bathrooms.com

Please send me a FREE brochure on THE MOST VERSATILE BATH EVER!
Name ________________________________ Telephone (

American Legion - 0905nc

) ____________________________

Address ______________________________________________________________________________

For free medical and legal information,
dial 1-888-802-MESO, or visit www.MIRG.org

City _________________________________________ State _____________ Zip __________________

Send to: Premier Bathrooms, Inc., 2330 South Nova Rd., South Daytona, Florida 32119

rapidﬁre
[AFFINITY PARTNERS]

Lincoln Mercury reduces prices to Legion family,
donates portion of sales to Legacy Scholarships
Through Sept. 30, Legionnaires and members of
provide an education for children who have lost a
the American Legion Auxiliary and Sons of The
parent in the armed forces,” Lincoln Mercury
American Legion can save money on the purpresident Al Giombetti said. “It’s the least we can
chase of a new Mercury or Lincoln vehicle and at
do to honor America’s heroes.”
the same time help The American Legacy ScholarPost commanders nationwide were mailed
ship Fund. The fund provides college money
promotional kits that included a letter
for the children of military personnel
announcing the program, discount
killed on duty since the terrorist
and donation amounts, posters,
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
coupon certiﬁcates, and
With every purchase of a
program and Lincoln Mernew Mercury or Lincoln
cury vehicle brochures.
vehicle, Legion family
“We are grateful to
members will receive a
Lincoln Mercury for its
$400 discount. Additionoutstanding corporate
ally, a $100 donation in
citizenship and commitment
2006 Mercury Montego
both the member’s and
to those who go in harm’s
dealer’s names will be made to the Legacy fund.
way on our behalf,” Legion National Commander
Lincoln Mercury kicked off the promotion by
Thomas P. Cadmus said. “Participation in this
donating $25,000 to the fund.
program provides a tangible way of expressing
“We’re pleased that Lincoln Mercury has been
thanks to those patriots and their families who
able to align with The American Legion to help
sacriﬁce so much for our freedom.”

Better sleep. Better health.
Better call now.

Furniture
components
not included

91% of Tempur-Pedic mattress owners
go out of their way to recommend us
to others. 82% tell us it's the best bed
they ever had!
Now you can find out for yourself why
everyone's buzzing about Tempur-Pedic.
Inside our mattress billions of memory cells work in perfect harmony to contour precisely to your every curve and
angle and eliminate pressure points.
TM

Call today for a FREE demonstration kit and
find out how you can start getting the relaxing,
refreshing, rejuvenating sleep you need. You'll
receive a video, brochure and a sample of the
revolutionary TEMPUR material. All at no obligation whatsoever.
®

Sleep well. Wake more energized than ever before. Call us
toll-free today, with no obligation, and find out for yourself
how Tempur-Pedic is Changing the way the world sleeps!™
Owner survey conducted by Alpert O’Neil Tigre & Co. August 2003
© Copyright 2004 by Tempur-Pedic Direct Response, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 1713 Jaggie Fox Way, Lexington, KY 40511

To receive more information on the revolutionary
Tempur-Pedic mattress including a free video,
brochure and in-home tryout certificate,

CALL TOLL-FREE:

800-613-7938

ADVERTIsem*nT

Tr y M A X ODER M

™

Diane Hansen is a
noted researcher,
therapist, and
columnist devoted
to couple’s health
and sexuality issues.

FREE TODAY!
*See Readers Note Below

Bring Back the Best Years of Your Life!

Aging is Natural.
Ask he Expert

Giving Up On Your Sexual Health Isn’t.

“My driver’s license says I’m 57, but my wife says I’m 18 again!”

Here’s how one man did it!
When one of my readers has a success
story, I love to share the good news!
Dear Diane,
Although this would otherwise be an
embarrassing subject – I feel strongly about
sharing a recent experience with others my age.
Simply put… I’m 57 years old and even
though I’m in overall good health, my body
just doesn’t respond sexually like it used to.
Recently, I found myself struggling to
“perform”. It was just so diicult to remain
virile. I began losing my conidence and my

sex drive with it. I was feeling a great deal of
pressure and embarrassment and my wife was
beginning to think it was something she did or
didn’t do – it wasn’t.
I wasn’t comfortable discussing my
situation with anyone – not even my doctor
– so in a desperate attempt to ind some help,
I privately did some research on the web.
First, I found that many HEALTHY men
experience a decrease in stamina and
performance with age. I wasn’t alone! Good
blood circulation is key to maintaining a
strong erection and apparently there are a
number of factors that can weaken it.

Armed with this new information, I began to
search through the many “male enhancement”
and potency products on the net. I found a pill
for everything and anything but among the
various pills and patches – one product stood
out – Maxoderm! Not a pill or a patch,
this surprisingly efective topical formula
is delivered directly to the “source” where
I need it most. I don’t need to swallow a pill,
prescription drug or not, or wear some
kind of patch on my shoulder.
After trying Maxoderm just once, I could
actually feel it working immediately! And it
felt incredible! What a diference! I couldn’t
believe it – virility and stamina like I haven’t
felt in years! My driver’s license says I’m 57
but thanks to Maxoderm, my wife says
I’m 18 again! It felt great!
I now know it’s normal to experience some
problems with sexual performance at our age
but Maxoderm let me deal with it naturally.
No pills –no patches – and even better – no
embarrassing appointment with the doctor.
Try Maxoderm. You’ll feel it working
immediately – then you can get back to
living your life again.
Jim, S. Miami, FL

READERS NOTE
MAXODERM RISK FREE OFFER
“I know that once you try Maxoderm you’ll never want to go without it again – it’s that simple.
We have over a 97% Customer Satisfaction Rate to back that up. I am so conident that we’re
giving an unheard of 90-Day Full Money Back Guarantee! Order 2 tubes Risk-Free Today and
I’ll throw in a third tube for FREE. Just call 1-800-291-8660 or visit www.maxoderm.com.
You have nothing to lose and everything to ‘gain’!”
– John R MacKenzie, Executive Vice-President, Barmensen Labs
Individual results may vary. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

AL0905

rapidﬁre
[ADVOCACY]

Rally spurs commitment to protect Connecticut veterans fund
A recent rally in Connecticut drew hundreds of
veterans to the state capitol in Hartford, where
they received a clear message from Lt. Gov. Kevin
B. Sullivan: “Hands off veterans benefits!”
The American Legion Department of Connecticut sponsored the “Voices for Veterans” event,
which included Legion Past National Commander
Ronald F. Conley, Auxiliary President Sandi
Dutton, Gov. M. Jodi Rell and several state
political and Legion leaders.
VA health care and the Connecticut's Soldiers’,
Sailors’ and Marines’ Fund were the two biggest
areas of concern.
Conley warned that some members of Congress
want to require enrollment fees for veterans
using VA health-care services at the same time
services and access are being cut. “Less employees, less health care, less commitment,” Conley
said. “Congress doesn’t realize that in a state of
war, besides funding the war, there is an additional cost: the health care of those who fight
that war.”

Meanwhile, the Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Marines’
Fund – the only program of its kind administered
by an American Legion department – has been
criticized by Connecticut’s VA commissioner and
some state lawmakers. Interest generated by the
$60 million fund helps eligible veterans pay for
food, clothing or medical assistance. Veterans are
concerned that if the state assumes control of it,
the money will be used for non-veteran purposes.
“In all of the years that the fund has been
helping wartime veterans, we have been under
scrutiny by the state and subject to the same
periodic audits as other agencies,” said Connecticut Alternate National Executive Committeeman
K. Robert Lewis. “There has never been one iota
of evidence of any wrongdoing.”
“Let me be clear,” Rell told veterans. “My
administration will continue to work to protect
the fund and ensure (it) is used for its intended
purposes – not to balance the budget. The fund
has been around more than 80 years, and as long
as I am governor it will be protected.”

WRITTEN A BOOK?

Feel the joy of seeing your book published in just weeks for as little as $699.00
Ever since the printing press was invented
centuries ago, writers have yearned to have
their works in print and made available to all.
Unfortunately, their aspirations have been
thwarted by conventional book publishers
acting as “gatekeepers” to the book industry.
Large publishers reject almost all manuscripts they receive from hopeful authors.
Why? Because of the huge costs of using
conventional methods. Typically, a publisher
invests $20,000 to $150,000 in printing
expenses to stock distributors’ warehouses (at
a 50-55% discount) and bookstore shelves.
Then they pray the books will sell.
Often over 60% of the copies shipped to
bookstores are returned unsold. Of every ﬁve
new titles launched only one returns a proﬁt!
No wonder traditional publishers pay such
small royalty percentages. And no wonder
they prefer to risk their precious capital on
established authors.
So What’s Your Solution?

The answer is simple… self-publishing. Do
what James Redﬁeld (80,000 copies of The
Celestine Prophecy + $800,000 rights sale to
Warner), Mark Twain, Beatrix Potter, Rudyard
Kipling, Robert W. Service, Zane Grey and
hundreds of other famous authors did to get
noticed – only now self-publishing is much
easier and more efﬁcient.

Zero Inventory = Minimal Risk

Team Up with the Pioneers

With Trafford’s On-Demand Publishing
Service,™ there is no need to invest a fortune
printing a stockpile of books. With our stateof-the-art process, your book is manufactured
one copy at a time, to ﬁll customer and bookseller orders as they arrive. If you plan to sell
your book yourself at bookfairs, seminars or
local retailers, you can buy them at 60% or
more off the retail price. This low price can
save you thousands of dollars compared to
using a local printer. If you expect to sell 200
or more copies of your book personally, our
low printing prices can save you the entire
cost of publishing.

Trafford ﬁrst invented on-demand publishing
in 1995. Now Trafford’s acclaimed service is
the choice of over 6,000 authors from over 90
countries. We have ofﬁces in the USA, UK,
Canada and Ireland.
Get Published in Just Weeks

A number of publishing packages are now available for both black & white paperbacks (with
full-color cover) and full-color picture books.
Selecting the package that's right for your
manuscript is easy. Our FREE guide describes
the entire process. Download a copy or request
one by phone today. We look forward to working with you!

Worldwide Availability

With our Best Seller publishing packages, your
book is listed on Trafford’s on-line bookstore
within hours of your ﬁnal approval, and details
are sent to large booksellers like Amazon.com
and Borders for sale through their sites, and to
international distributors like Baker & Taylor.
Key Inter net search engines are told about
your book’s webpage.
Larger Royalties

With on-demand printing and Internet sales,
there is no printing waste nor returns. A
healthy por tion of the savings go into your
pocket through larger royalties.

FOR YOUR FREE
PUBLISHING GUIDE,
VISIT OUR WEBSITE
OR CALL NOW
www.trafford.com/1614

Call toll free
1-888-232-4444 ext 1614

or 250-383-6864 ext 1614

Victory Year Silver
The 1945 U.S. Silver Dime
and Half Dollar, Both $5.95

”
“
“
The
The POWER

Knee
Knee Support
Own a U.S. silver “Mercury” dime and
“Walking Liberty” half dollar released in
1945, when America celebrated Victory
over tyranny. The winged cap of the
dime’s Liberty represents Freedom of
Thought; the half dollar’s Liberty wears
the American flag. Nice circulated Very
Fine quality. Set: $5.95 (#40317). 3 Sets,
$17.25. Add $2 for postage. 30-Day
No-Risk Home Examination: MoneyBack Guarantee. NO unordered “on
approval” coins sent. To order by
credit card call toll-free. Or send a
check or money order to:
International Coins & Currency
62 Ridge St., Dept. 4614
Montpelier, VT 05602
Order at
1-800-451-4463

4614

www.iccoin.net (many more great deals)

brand

Great Deals &
Exceptional Service
for Almost 20 Years!
7 Night Eastern Caribbean

599

Sailing roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale
$
Zuiderdam, October 2005 sailings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . from

Pinnacle Grill Dining Upgrade! – Balcony cabins from $759

8 Night Mexican Riviera

599
849

Sailing roundtrip from San Diego
$
Carnival Spirit, November 2005 sailings . . . . . . . . from

Free Upgrades! – Balcony

cabins . . . . . . . . . . . . .from $

7 Night Hawaii
Sailing roundtrip from Honolulu
Pride of America, December 2005 sailings

Free Upgrades! – Balcony cabins

849

$
. . . . . from

. . . . . . . . . .from $ 1299

Agents Available 24 Hours / 7 Days A Week

1-800-475-6712
shipandshorecruises.com
Prices are per person, double occupancy; port charges are included; gov’t taxes are
additional; $19.00 service fee additional; limited availability. Satisfaction Guarantee: for
complete details, call us or visit our website. Prices shown are min. fares for select
departure dates. Other dates higher. Not responsible for last minute changes of price
or itinerary by cruise line, or any errors or omissions in the content of this ad. Some
restrictions and cancellation penalties may apply. Ships’ Registry: Greece, Norway,
Bahamas, Liberia, Panama & Italy. Fla. Seller of Travel Reg. No. ST-31120, IA tvl no.
654, OH no. 8789121, CST # 2028107-50. Licensed & Bonded © 2005.

GUARANTEED TO
END
END KNEE PAIN!
★ Custom form fitting pad gives
maximum mobility & comfort. ★ Patented
material insulates, warms and soothes knee
joint. ★ Machine washable. ★ Lightweight
non-metal construction. ★ Non-allergenic.

It doesn’t matter whether your knee problems are due to
arthritis, an accident, torn cartilage, a bad fall, or the ravages
of age ... when it comes to your knees you want real support.
Support that really works. Powerful yet comfortable support!
The absolute maximum support you can get only from the
miraculous Barlow POWER Knee Support.
You’ve probably tried
ordinary knee supports
and elastic bandages,
without getting real
relief. But the Barlow
POWER Knee Support
is so unusual, so
superior, it gives you
exceptional support,
relief and complete
comfort. Believe us,
there is absolutely no
other knee support like
it. There is no other
POWER Support on the
face of the earth.

FOR MEN &
WOMEN
OF ALL AGES
The Barlow POWER
Knee Support is
extremely lightweight.
Unbelievably comfortable. Provides your
knee with maximum
lateral and cap support.
Helps you absorb shock
and prevents twisting.
Gives you greater
© LUXIS INT., 712 N. 34TH STREET,
SEATTLE, WA 98103-8881

flexibility of movement
without feeling like
you’re wearing a brace
or support. Best of all,
it is guaranteed to end
your knee pain!

30 DAY
–
NO RISK OFFER
Remember, if you
don’t take care of your
knees they won’t take
care of you! Favoring
bad knees due to weakness or pain throws your
whole body out of kilter,
which can cause shooting back pain, limit your

body motion, even give
you headaches and sap
your energy.
Try Coach Barlow’s
POWER Knee Support
for 30 days. If you’re
not 100% satisfied, just
return it for a refund of
your full purchase price.
No questions asked.
“My mother received
her knee support and she
said it is wonderful. She
said her knee felt better
immediately!”
N.G., Sevierville, TN
Visit our website at www.luxis.com

30 DAY RISK - FREE OFFER

LUXIS INTERNATIONAL, Dept. BAL095
712 N. 34th Street, Seattle, WA 98103-8881
❑ 1 Knee Support $19.95 plus $3.00 Shpg. & Hdlg.
❑ SAVE $10 — 2 Knee Supports for only $35.90 plus FREE
Shpg. & Hdlg. WA residents add 8.8% state sales tax.
Enclosed is my Check/Money Order $ _____________ for ____________ BARLOW KNEE SUPPORTS
or Charge to ❑ VISA ❑ MC Card# _________________________________ Exp. Date _____________

FOR CORRECT SIZE: MEASURE AROUND THE KNEE, ONE INCH
ABOVE THE KNEE CAP. MY EXACT MEASUREMENT IS _________________ INCHES.

Print Name ___________________________________________________________________________
Address _____________________________________________________________________________
City _____________________________________________ State _________ Zip __________________

comrades
How to Submit a Reunion
The American Legion Magazine publishes reunion notices for veterans. Send notices to The American Legion Magazine, Attn: Reunions,
P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206, fax (317) 630-1280 or e-mail
reunions@legion.org.
Include the branch of service and complete name of the group, no
abbreviations, with your request. The listing also should include the
reunion dates and city, along with a contact name, telephone number
and e-mail address. Listings are published free of charge.
Due to the large number of reunions, The American Legion
Magazine will publish a group’s listing only once a year. Notices
should be sent at least six months prior to the reunion to ensure timely
publication.

Other Notices
“In Search Of” is a means of getting in touch with people from your
unit to plan a reunion. We do not publish listings that seek people for
interviews, research purposes, military photos or help in filing a VA
claim. Listings must include the name of the unit from which you seek
people, the time period and the location, as well as a contact name,

AIR FORCE/ARMY AIR FORCES

80
9/2005

2nd Aircraft Repair Unit (ARU),
Richmond, VA, 10/6-8, Stanley Kaufman,
(860) 561-2948, stanbar2@aol.com; 7th AF
11th Bomb Grp, HI, 12/3-17, Gus Petros,
(800) 521-9119 ext. 3127, philgu@cox.net;
20th Spec Opns Sqdn (SOS), Fort Walton
Beach, FL, 10/6-9, Robert Hall, (618) 5418082, robert.hall@scott.af.mil; 27th ATG
Assn (WWII) – 310th, 311th, 312th &
325th Ferrying Sqds, 86th, 87th, 320th
& 321st Transport Sqds, 519th & 520th
Serv Sqds, San Antonio, 9/29-10/1, Fred
Garcia, (602) 878-7007; 126th Bomb Wing
(Loan, France), Neenah, WI, 10/11-14, Gene
Westerman, (847) 742-8711, westy1931@aol.
com; 302nd Air Rescue Sqdn Aerospace
Rescue & Recov Sqdn Spec Opns Sqdn
(Luke AFB, AZ), Phoenix, 11/5, Pete Long,
(480) 963-8459, pjlong33@hotmail.com
363rd “Mustang” Ftr Grp & 161st Tact
Recon Sqdn (WWII), Houston, 10/6-8, Art
Mimler, (209) 966-2713; 815th TCS (Ashiya
AB, Japan), Branson, MO, 10/13-16, Sam
Gaskill, (417) 435-2304, sgaskill@leru.net;
966th, 79th Abn Early Warning & Control
Sqdns, Kissimmee, FL, 10/21-23, Jim Skelton,
(903) 723-5008, trustme5@juno.com; 1094th
Spec Reporting Sqdn (Killeen Base,
TX, 1948-1951 & Manzano Base, NM,
1951-1956), Appleton, WI, 9/23-25, Rodney
Helms, (920) 734-8437, rhelms1@new.rr.com;
Johnson AB (Japan, 1945-2005), Colorado
Springs, CO, 10/15-18, Claude Clawson,
(740) 342-0138, budclaw@msn.com; Pilot
Class 53-E, Dayton, OH, 9/30-10/2, John
Brill, (317) 501-8610, jwbrillsr@aol.com;
Postal & Courier Assn (AFPCA), Branson,
MO, 10/16-19, Dan Neff, (909) 792-5424,
afpcadneff@cyberhotline.com
Spangdahlem & Bitburg AB, Germany,
9/16-18, Thomas Crosson, (+49) 6565616833, eifelreunion2005@spangdahlem.
af.mil; Webb AFB, Big Spring, TX, 9/3010/2, Rhonda Campbell, (432) 264-1999,
hangar25@crcom.net

ARMY
8th Inf Div (All Units, Eras), Newport,
KY, 10/5-7, R.T. Sonneborn, (631) 399-7709,
cmdr8thid@cs.com; 29th Inf Div, Sarasota,
FL, 1/19-22, Ned Shawkey, (941) 371-6483,
shawkeys@msn.com; 39th Eng, Las Vegas,
9/8-11, J. Mike Miller, 8096 County Road 162,
Elizabeth, CO 80107, jmikemiller13@yahoo.
com; 65th Field Hosp (WWII), Las Vegas,
11/6-8, Dwaine Lewis, (951) 676-8541;
71st Inf Div (WWII), Branson, MO, 9/7-11,

telephone number and e-mail address. Send notices to The American
Legion Magazine, Attn: “In Search Of,” P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis,
IN 46206, fax (317) 630-1280 or e-mail reunions@legion.org.
The magazine will not publish the names of individuals, only the
name of the unit from which you seek people. Listings are published
free of charge.
Life Membership notices are published for Legionnaires who have
been awarded life memberships by their posts. This does not include
a member’s own Paid-Up-For-Life membership. Notices must be
submitted on official forms, which may be obtained by sending a selfaddressed stamped envelope to The American Legion Magazine, Attn:
Life Memberships, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206.
“Comrades in Distress” listings must be approved by the Legion’s
Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation division. If you are seeking to verify
an injury received during service, contact your Legion department
service officer for information on how to publish a notice.
To respond to a “Comrades in Distress” listing, send a letter to The
American Legion Magazine, Attn: Comrades in Distress, P.O. Box
1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206. Include the listing’s CID number in your
response.
“Taps” notices are published only for Legionnaires who served as
department commanders or national officers.

Gene Ochs, (513) 521-9394; 100th Inf
Div Conv, Philadelphia, 9/8-10, Frank
Hanco*ck, (256) 772-3647, f2hanco*ck@aol.
com; 404th Sig Co, Evansdale, IA, 9/24,
Jim Mather, (319) 277-4293, jmather@cfu.
net; 517th FA Bn (WWII), Dayton, OH,
10/9-11, Chuck Underwood, (515) 978-5576,
cneund@hickorytech.net; 721st Railway
Op Bns, Kerhonkson, NY, 9/15-18, E.O.
Woods, (315) 458-1482; B Btry 623rd FA
Bn (Korea), Campbellsville, KY, 9/30-10/2,
Bill Newcomb, (270) 789-4112; Region
XII 66th Counter Intel Corps Grp
(Vogelweh/Kaiserslautern, Germany,
1954-1958), Milwaukee, 9/16-18, Pete Long,
(480) 963-8459, pjlong33@hotmail.com

JOINT
Columbus CA 74/CG 12/SSN 762, San
Antonio, 9/21-25, Allen Hope, (260) 4862221, hope4391@comcast.net

MARINES
Baker Bandit 1st Bn 5th Rgt 1st Div (B1-5), New Orleans, 10/2-6, Donald Lassere,
(504) 392-1126, djlassere@netzero.net

NAVY
51st Seabees, Cottage Grove, OR, 9/14-15,
Philip Lake, (541) 942-3912; Benham DD
796, Baton Rouge, LA, 11/9-13, Jim Buclous,
(724) 375-1946, uncleloub@verizon.net;
Bradley DE/FF 1041, Charleston, SC,
11/9-12, Bruce Gottsch, (845) 634-3993,
bgottsch@optonline.net; Butler DD 636/
DMS 29, Norfolk, VA, 10/12-16, Joe Walsh,
(757) 471-5499; Chase DE 158/APD 54,
Luray, VA, 9/26-29, Ken Sour, (504) 743-6139;
Clinton APA 144, San Diego, 10/3-7, John
Palmer, (818) 244-6948, jhpccp@juno.com;
Damon M. Cummings DE 643, Charlotte,
NC, 9/25-29, Bob Brand, (704) 537-5641;
Davis DD 937, Charleston, SC, 10/20-23,
Carl Ross, (727) 847-0247, cnmross@aol.
com ; Gypsy ARSD 1/2/3/4, Manassas,
VA, 11/17-19, Dick Fowlow, (703) 864-7874;
Hawkins DD/DDR 873, Wakefield, MA,
9/8-11, Joe Gall, (716) 692-2697
Hilary P. Jones DD 427, Albany, NY,
9/26-29, Al Malcomson, 17 New Jersey
Ave., Rensselaer, NY 12144, (800) 458-1016;
Hornet Club CV 8/CV/CVA/CVS 12,
Jacksonville, FL, 9/14-18, Carl Burket, (814)
224-5063, hornetcva@aol.com; IL & WI
Armed Guard (WWII), Kenosha, WI, 9/20-23,
John Arnett, (262) 551-0561; Intrepid
CV/CVA/CVS 11, Branson, MO, 10/12-16,
Len Hittner, (609) 448-8252; John Paul Jones

DD 230/DD 932/DDG 32/DDG 53, San
Diego, 2/16-20, J. McKechnie, (619) 435-3978,
jpjonesa@san.rr.com; LSMR 515, Lake Placid,
NY, 9/11-15, Floyd Noreault, (518) 483-2394,
fnoreault@yahoo.com; LST 384, Branson,
MO, 9/7-11, Albert Gleiber, (314) 353-1986,
btbreeze@att.net; Mount McKinley
AGC/LCC 7, Charleston, SC, 9/7-11, Patrick
Tracy, (989) 687-6288, paddytom1@aol.com;
Piedmont AD 17, Baltimore, 10/13-16, C. Ken
Werth, (800) 962-7815, werth@smkorth.com;
Pittsburgh CA 72, Rapid City, SC, 9/28-10/2,
Mac Johnson, (817) 866-4437; Rehoboth
AVP/AGS 50, Washington, 9/16-18, Ross
Carlson, (740) 363-4605, rcaptainsea@aol.
com; Saipan CVL 48, New Orleans, 10/2023, B.D. Stine, (866) 476-4979, doc4349@aol.
com; Saratoga CV 3/CVA/CV 60, Las Vegas,
9/22-25, Harvey Hirsch, (252) 473-5837;
Springfield Bluejackets CL 66/CLG
7/SSN 761, Branson, MO, 10/19-23, John
Adams, (603) 598-2806, johnmrwillie@aol.
com; Virgo AKA 20/AE 30, Gettysburg,
PA, 9/14-18, Ken Berry, (951) 351-0205;
VP-83/VP-107/VPB-107, Chattanooga,
TN, 10/3-5, P.J. Pettyjohn, (423) 875-4206,
whalpett@bellsouth.net

COMRADES IN DISTRESS
825th Civil Eng (Little Rock AFB, AK,
Base Housing & Plumbing Shop, 19631965). John J. Watson seeks witnesses
to verify the use of Agent Orange at the
base and leaking, damaged drums during
Operation Ranch Hand. CID 1476

LIFE MEMBERSHIPS
Post 62, AZ: Margaret Ahrens, Edwin
Blanchard, Vinck Kyfes, Thomas Raymond,
William Schneider, Delbert Thomas,
Patrick Williams, William Wittkoetter
Post 3, FL: Donald J. Cossaboom
Post 10, FL: John W. Harper
Post 125, FL: James D. Phipps
Post 174, MD: Claude L. Callegary,
Raymond E. Callegary, Earl G. Davis,
Joseph A. Dickerson, Russell W.
Gettier, Colbourne L. Harsher, G. Leroy
Haslup, Thaddeus J. Hense, George E.
Kwiatkowski, Douglas A. Lauf Jr., Joseph
K. Leary, James S. Royer, Walter Salmon
Jr., David E. Schaible, Robert K. Shaffer,
Stanley E. Sheeler, Harold W. Thompson,
Francis M. White
Post 258, MI: Thomas J. Yalacki
Post 144, NC: Larry R. Robinette
Post 103, NJ: Mabel Kauffman, Gerald
Kinnamin, M.S. Klein, Douglas Koeppen,
John Kohaut, Elmer Kollar, John La Porta,

Howard Lacey, Richard Laferriere, James
Lawyer, Maurice Lawyer, John Lebihn,
Frank Leggio, Daniel Leh, Harry Ley,
William Lowe, Richard Marsh, Robert
Matthews, Henry McClary, Stanley
McGinnis, Martin McMekin, Michael
McNulty, Kerry Meichsner, James
Miller, Martin Miller, Ralph Mitchell,
William Money, Ernest Morgan, Harold
Musselman, William Nicholas, Donald
Oakes, Stanley Oleniacz, Francis Packard,
William Pallo, Warren Perry, Phillip
Pfeiffer, Gordon Pyle, Ronald Quigley
Post 446, NJ: Kenneth Harstine
Post 246, WI: Bernard Domke Jr.

Oneida APA 221 (Pacific, 1944-1946),
Francis Mitchell, P.O. Box 732, Dexter, NY
13634, liz13@webtv.net
PGM 31 (Okinawa, 1945), Frank Kamer,
(614) 274-6872, kamer55@aol.com
Plt 393 (Parris Island, July-Nov 1968),
Edward Dean Plumley, (864) 859-0800
Taylor DD/DDE 468 (1942-1969), Otto Zipf,
(703) 257-5474, pozipf@earthlink.net
Vietnamese Language School (Presidio,
Monterey, CA, Jan-Apr 1969), Edward
Dean Plumley, (864) 859-0800
Wisconsin BB 64 (7th Div, Korea,
1953-1955), John “Satch” Cavese, (863)
676-0696, trouble413@juno.com

IN SEARCH OF

TAPS

9th MAB Reception Ctr (Apr 1969-Apr
1970), Edward Dean Plumley, (864)
859-0800
40th Inf Div 160th Inf Rgt (Korea, 19511952), Lowell Morgan, (319) 377-3433,
lowmo@juno.com
59th Eng Land Clearing “Bushwhackers,” Tim Botts, (765) 698-2806,
ramblerky@yahoo.com
64th Ord (Fischbach, Germany, 19651967), rlaustin@verizon.net
78th Eng Bn (C) A Co (Karlsrhue,
Germany, 1960-1962), Jose Gambarelli,
(405) 691-5140, engr60@aol.com
139th Treadway Br Co (Sandhofen,
Germany, 1951-1953), Nelson Lynch,
(410) 208-1118, nel32@verizon.net
170th FA Bn (WWII), Glen Edquist, (269)
683-6482, glen156fabn@hotmail.com
173rd MIP (Nuernberg, Germany, Apr
1954-Oct 1957), Joe Guppenberger, (805)
962-6797, diubaldo@aol.com
228th AG Co Postal APO NY (Offenbach,
Germany, 1973-1976), John Payne,
dragonslayer_13@msn.com
385th MP Det Honor Guard (Stuttgart/
Vahigen, Germany, Patch Barracks,
1961-1963), Mike Pace, 381 Peterson
Road, Wichita, TX 76305, pace_
mike@hotmail.com
510th Eng Co HE (Toul, France,
1960-1964), Raymond Vermillion, (309)
346-6576, r.vermillion@insightbb.com
520th Eng Det HM (Nha Trang, Vietnam,
1965-1968), Earl Fulmer, (814) 743-6624,
skin1@getconn.com
531st FA Msl Bn (Babenhausen,
Germany, 1956), Ralph Parris, (562) 4304792, rparris@charter.net
928th Eng Avn Grp HQ (1947-1958), Larry
Tieri, (708) 246-1718, ltieri@aol.com
989th Sig Serv Co (1943-1946), Joseph
Steventon, 454 Mt. Cushman Road,
Rochester, VT 05767
1395th 340th Eng Const Bn (Korea,
1945-1946), Van Moody, (810) 230-2499,
vbm26@aol.com
Bussac Chem Depot (Camp Bussac,
France, 1955-1959), Jerry Jones,
jerjon@kconline.com
C Co 37th Tank Bn 4th Armd Div (WWII),
Patrick Saussol, 1022, Moon Run Road,
McKees Rocks, PA 15136
George DE 697 (1951-1955), Clifford
Jenkins, (479) 254-6805,
countrygentleman@sbcglobal.net
HQ Btry 159th FA Bn (Korea, 1951-1952),
Charles Vaughn, P.O. Box 744, Pontotoc,
MS 38863
HQ Co 3rd Bn 61st Inf Rgt 8th Inf Div
(Fort Carson, CO & Lee Barracks,
Mainz), James Barbe, (330) 889-2117,
jimbo520@aol.com
MACV Advisory Team 4/19 (Kilroy
Cmpd, Quang Tri, Vietnam),
William Trimbath, (724) 246-7587,
btrimbath@hotmail.com

Curtis S. Blevins, Dept. of Illinois.
Nat’l Foreign Relations Cncl. Vice Chmn.
1992-2000.
Lawrence E. Fisher, Dept. of Arkansas.
Nat’l Transportation Cmte. Memb.
1958-1961, Dept. Cmdr. 1961-1962, Nat’l
Americanism Cncl. Vice Chmn. 19621963, Nat’l Internal Affairs Cmsn. Memb.
1962-1967, Alt. Nat’l Exec. Cmte. Memb.
1965-1967, 1971-1977 and 1977-1979,
Nat’l Internal Affairs Cmsn. Liaison Cmte.
Memb. 1967-1968 and 1971-1972, Nat’l
Exec. Cmte. Memb. 1967-1969, 1971-1977
and 1979-1989, Nat’l Internal Affairs Cmsn.
Liaison Cmte. Chmn. 1968-1969, Nat’l
Legis. Cmsn. Consultant 1969-1971, Nat’l
Conv. Cmsn. Liaison Cmte. Memb. 19721976 and 1983-1985, Nat’l Distinguished
Guests Cmte. Memb. 1974-1984, Nat’l
Mbrshp. & Post Activ. Cmte. Memb. 19751977, Nat’l American Legion Magazine

Cmsn. Liaison Cmte. Memb. 1976-1977,
Nat’l Cemetery Cmte. Memb. 1977-1980,
Nat’l Publications Cmsn. Liaison Cmte.
Memb. 1980-1983, Nat’l Public Relations
Cmsn. Liaison Cmte. Memb. 1986-1987,
Nat’l Veterans Affairs & Rehab. Cmsn.
Liaison Cmte. Memb. 1987-1988 and Nat’l
Legis. Cmsn. Memb. 1989-2003.
Ray Greenwood, Dept. of Vermont. Nat’l
Distinguished Guests Cmte. Memb. 19511952, Nat’l Sec. Tng. Cmte. Memb. 19521953, Nat’l Child Welfare Cmsn. Memb.
1954-1965, 1967-1972 and 1979-1984, Nat’l
Child Welfare Cmsn. Vice Chmn. 19551956 and 1961-1962, Dept. Cmdr. 19561957, Nat’l Child Welfare Cmsn. Chmn.
1956-1957, 1959-1960 and 1962-1963,
Alt. Nat’l Exec. Cmte. Memb. 1963-1965,
Nat’l Exec. Cmte. Memb. 1965-1967, Nat’l
Child Welfare Cmsn. Liaison Cmte. Memb.
1965-1966, Nat’l Sec. Cmsn. Liaison Cmte.
Memb. 1966-1967, Nat’l Americanism Cncl.
Memb. 1967-1973, Nat’l Cmsn. on Children
& Youth Chmn. 1971-1972, 1977-1981,
1992-1993 and 1995-1996, Nat’l Cmsn.
on Children & Youth Memb. 1970-1978
and 1979-1999, Nat’l Cmsn. on Children &
Youth Vice Chmn. 1970-1971, 1982-1983,
1991-1992 and 1994-1995, and Nat’l Legis.
Cncl. Memb. 1979-1988.
J. Fred Mitchell, Dept. of Alabama. Nat’l
Mbrshp. & Post Activ. Cmte. Memb. 19711975, Nat’l Foreign Relations Cncl. Memb.
1975-1978, Dept. Cmdr. 1980-1981 and
Nat’l American Legion Magazine Cmsn.
Memb. 1982-2005.
Stephen Morse, Dept. of North Dakota.
Nat’l Distinguished Guests Cmte. Vice
Chmn. 2000-2004.

.%7

฀

ǲFOFX$ZDMPOF3BLF130IPMETNPSFMBXO
EFCSJT VQ UP HBMMPOT GPS PVS $PNNFSDJBM

NPEFM "OE JU GPMET VQ nBU GPS DPNQBDU TUPSBHF
1PXFSGVM WBDVVNNVMDIFS NVMUJQMJFT ZPVS NPXFS
MJGUJOH QPXFS CZ UJNFT PS NPSF $MFBST UPOT
PG GBMM MFBWFT XJUI TJUUJOHEPXO FBTF "ĊPSEBCMF
GPSIPNFPXOFST

$BMMPSWJTJUUIFXFC
GPS'3&&JOGPSNBUJPOLJU
฀

฀

'PMETVQnBUGPSTUPSBHF

฀ ฀

฀

฀฀฀

LEGION SHOPPER

ElectropedicBeds.com
GUARANTEED
LOWEST PRICES

Tradition Of Heroes Past
Homing Pigeons were used to deliver life-saving
messages during World Wars I and II. Now they are
enjoyed in a fun, family, backyard sport.

Since 1964

Say “Yes!”
to Comfort

Factory Direct

(800) 551-2010
E r e c t i l e D y sf u n c t i o n
Excitement Of Racing Today

HEARING AIDS
UP TO 60% SAVINGS
This is all
you wear!

30-DAY
TRIAL

Join Today!
Call for FREE information. Mention P2070
American Racing Pigeon Union
P.O. Box 18465
Oklahoma City, OK 73154-0465
405-848-5801 • www.pigeon.org

TRY
BEFORE
YOU BUY

GUARANTEED LOWEST PRICES!
●

●

ALL MAKES & MODELS TERMS ARRANGED
30 YRS. EXPERIENCE
ALL MAKE REPAIRS
CUSTOM INSTRUMENT SPECIALISTS
●

Can be treated safely & effectively without
drugs or surgery. This vacuum therapy
treatment is covered by Medicare. More
information at www.LifecareDiabeticSupplies.com

1-800-815-1577 ext. 27

MEN S WIDE SHOES
EEE-EEEEEE, SIZES 5-15
• FREE catalog
• High quality
• 200 styles

●

9/2005

FOR FREE INFORMATION CALL:

HITCHco*ck SHOES,INC.
Dept. 5J Hingham, MA 02043

1-800-992-WIDE

www.wideshoes.com

1-800-323-1212
We’re the oldest, biggest and best
LLOYDS, DEPT. AL

BOX 1645, ROCKFORD, IL 61110

In mud.
In snow.
In water.
In-credible!

CLASSIFIED
SEND ADVERTISING COPY AND REMITTANCE
TO: Mr. Craig Miller, Classified Advertising, The
American Legion Magazine, c/o James G. Elliott
Company, Inc., 626 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 500, Los
Angeles, CA 90017. (213) 624-0900, Ext. 1228, FAX
(213) 624-0997. All classified advertising is payable in advance by check or money order. Please
make remittance payable to “The American Legion
Magazine.” RATES: $30 per word. Count street
addresses and box numbers as two words; all city,
state and zip codes as three words. CIRCULATION:
2,550,000 per month. DEADLINE: Advertising copy
must be received 60 days before cover date of
issue desired. All advertisem*nts are accepted at
the discretion of the publisher.

(800) 467-1218, ext 103.

MISCELLANEOUS
WWW.ASHESANDBUTTS.COM. Discount tax free
tobacco products, (866) 362-5346. $5 off first
order. Quantity discounts available.

OF INTEREST TO ALL
BETTER THAN VIAGRA? Works immediately. Buy
2, get 1 free, (800) 458-1613.
WWW.BEHOLDJESUS.INFO.

PERSONALS

APPAREL

FREE CATALOG. Meet nice singles, (931) 8794625.

SUSPENDERS. Patented “no-slip clip.” Catalog,
(800) 700-4515, www.suspenders.com.

RECIPES/FOOD

NEWYORKFIRE.COM. An FDNY apparel and
memorabilia store.

FRESH NEW ENGLAND SEAFOOD. Shipped overnight, www.diggerschoice.com. Steamers, scallops, etc…

CASINO SUPPLIES/PLAYING CARDS
CATALOG, (800) 233-0828, www.kardwell.com.

EMPLOYMENT/HELP WANTED
ADVERTISING SALES-Travel, 40% commission,
couples welcome. www.guestdirectory.com,

WANTED
VIOLINS, (800) 451-9728.
SWORDS, (800) 798-6167.
BOY SCOUT PATCHES, (940) 566-5766.

6-wheel drive & amphibious!

1-800-255-2511

www.maxatvs.com

A New Style in
Military Rings

Now you can wear a distinctive ring that
reflects your pride in serving our Country.
Call for a free color catalog showing 150
Classic Military Rings, plus a Special
Report you should read before buying
any service ring: 1-800-872-2853
(free 24 hour recorded message). Or write:
Classic Rings, 1209 Broadway, Dept. A-905,
Code A-905
Hannibal MO 63401.
www.ClassicRings.com

Radiant
Soapstone
Warmth
Soapstone is nature’s
perfect stove material –
beautiful, durable, and
naturally efficient.
It heats steadily and
comfortably - hour
after hour, day after day,
and night after night.
No power required.
Call for a free catalog.

Wood or Gas

Woodstock Soapstone Co., 66 Airpark Rd, Dept. 2285, W. Lebanon NH 03784

www.woodstove.com

1-888-664-8188
Hearing Aids ! Free Catalog !
STRONGER
THAN

2 SEAT BIKE

800-401-8692

U . S . M I L I TA R Y M E DA L S & R I B BO N S
FREE COLOR CATALOG !
FREE SHIPPING!
TOLL FREE TEL: 800-864-5062

VETS SUPPLY LINE
10550 CO RD 81, #218
MAPLE GROVE, MN 55369

PAT C H E S

NO SALESMAN WILL COME TO YOUR HOME
AND
V ID E O U R E
BROCH

WWW.USAVEONPILLS.COM

DOG TAGS

In-Home
90 Day
Trial

FREE RIBBON BAR MOUNTING - FAST DELIVERY

Or write to: Sleep Comfort Adjustable Beds
15950 Bernardo Center Dr., #B, San Diego, CA 92127

CUSTOM BALL CAPS - NAVY SHIP CAPS

www.sleep-comfort.com

WEB SITE:www.vetssupplyline.com

PATCHES

or Send Check or M.O. To: Free
P.E. LABS, 1025 SW 59th st Shipping!
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73109-4902
Viagra® is a registered trademark of Pfizer Co.

Supplies
Limited!

H AT

PINS
●
●
●
●

●

MEDALS

FREE COLOR CATALOG
2500+ Military Designs
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines

Ca l l n ow ! Tol l -f ree !
1 - 88 8- 22 3- 1159
Custom pins & patches available.
Dealer inquires welcome.

HONORS
by Hoover’s Mfg., Co.
P.O. Box 547AL, Peru, IL 61354
Fax: 1-815-223-1499
Email: dave@hmchonors.com
Website: www.hmchonors.com

●

C A P S

1-888-527-0870 ext AL-2.

●

TOLL
FREE

ADJUSTABLE BEDS

●

Order Today 24 HR Order Line!
Credit Cards & Check By Phone.

B A L L

Dept. 3386 • 125 Rhoades Lane
Hendersonville, Tennessee 37075

P. O. Box A-3976 Chicago, Il. 60690

BUCKLES

FREE BROCHURE

Need Sleep?PLROICEW

Monroe Hearing

(30 tabs) - blue 100mg $89.95
(60 tabs) - Save $40.00 $129.95
(90 tabs) - Save $70.00 $179.95

1-800-974-6233 Ext. 3386 • www.4wc.com/ 3386

FR E E

Save Up To 70%

1-800-462-5778

Pharmaceutical Grade Alternative
Without Prescription!

DRIVES LIKE A CAR

• Easy to Pedal
• Multi-Speed
• 1, 2 & 4 Seaters
• Optional Electric Motor

VIAGRA

Viagra Didn’t Work?
TM

• Vacuum Therapy System
• 95% Success
• Covered by Medicare
For Free Information Call
1-800-475-3091

parting shots
The trouble with bucket seats
is that not everybody has
the same size bucket.

84
9/2005

AN ELDERLY MAN lay dying in his
bed when he suddenly smelled the
aroma of his favorite sugar cookies
wafting up the stairs. He gathered
enough strength to get out of bed.
Leaning against the wall, he slowly
made his way out of the bedroom.
With even greater effort, he forced his
bony fi ngers to grab the handrail and he
went down the stairs, one stumbling step at
a time.
With labored breath, he leaned against the door
frame, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for
death’s agony, he would have thought himself
already in heaven.
There, on the kitchen table, spread out in rows
upon wax paper, were literally hundreds of sugar
cookies. Was it heaven? Or was it one ﬁnal act of
heroic love from his devoted wife of 60 years,
seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?
Mustering one great ﬁnal effort, he lunged
toward the table, landing on his knees in a rumpled posture. His parched lips were slightly parted.
The wondrous taste of the cookie was already in
his mouth, seemingly bringing him back to life.
His aged and withered hand shakingly made its
way toward a cookie at the edge of the table, when
suddenly it was smacked with a spatula by his wife.
“Stay out of those,” his wife said. “They’re for the
funeral!”

“Actually, we’re just a two-man operation.
They’re just ambiance.”
AGE DOESN’T always bring wisdom. Sometimes it
comes alone.
A SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS was being quizzed on
the story of the prodigal son. The teacher asked
one child, “Who was sorry when the prodigal son
returned home?”
The boy gave it some thought, then answered,
“The fatted calf.”
“I DON’T DESERVE this award, but I have arthritis
and I don’t deserve that either.”
– Jack Benny
GOTTA LOVE IT when the government talks about
“revenue sharing.” It sounds so digniﬁed, so
important. Isn’t that what a mugger does?

“Henry is fine. He’s in the yard
playing with the children.”

“CLOSING TIME!” the playground supervisor
called out. “Let’s go, kids! Time to go home for
dinner.”
“All right!” one kid cried. “We win!”
“What do you mean, you win?” a kid from the
opposing team said. “The score’s nothing-nothing!”
“Yeah,” the ﬁ rst kid said, “but we scored the ﬁ rst
nothing.”

Asbestos
Cancer Hits
Former
Sailors
Many sailors who served their country proudly aboard
ships in the World War II, Korean, and Vietnam War eras,
are now being diagnosed with asbestos-related cancers.
FOR COMPENSATION INFORMATION:

FOR MEDICAL INFORMATION:

FREE PACKET for mesothelioma
or lung cancer, diagnosis/death,
please contact:

FREE PACKET for mesothelioma
patients, please contact:

The David Law Firm

Mesothelioma Web

“Defeating Today’s Goliaths”

Hope * Support * Help

Toll Free 1-800-998-9729

Toll Free 1-877-367-6376

Email: info@thedavidlawfirm.com
www.asbestos-attorney.com/n4658

Email: info@mesotheliomaweb.org
www.mesotheliomaweb.org/n4658

The David Law Firm, P.C.
Jonathan David*
10655 Six Pines Drive, #260
The Woodlands, TX 77380
(Greater Houston Area)

Handling cases nationwide with
local co-counsel in state of filing.
* Licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas.
Not Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

The most comprehensive
resource for Mesothelioma
patients and their families.

SHIPWRECK SALE 2!

CTUAL
A
AC
NEWS
PHOTO!

FLANNEL
SHIRTS

Medium
Blue

Yes,

4 29

shirts
for
only

AND
the

Postage is FREE!
Yes! Lightening Strikes Twice!
Remember last year, the captain beached his
ship? This year he backed into another ship
while pulling out of the dock. They had to
off-load our entire order of 48,000 deluxe
flannel shirts and wait for another boat. They're
late, we got a nice discount, you benefit with
another Deal of a Lifetime: 4 shirts just 29.99!

Rust

That’s UNDER $7.50 a shirt!
,
O IRONING
N
ly
e
t
lu
o
s
Ab
INK,
NEVER SHR WEAR!
ASH &
MACHINE W

All 100% FIRST QUALITY PERFECT, made
from an incredibly soft brushed flannel that’s
mostly cotton with a little polyester blended
in to prevent shrinking and wrinkles. Two handy
chest pockets. Machine washable. But now
that we’ve done the waiting for you,
DON’T YOU WAIT!
Order today!
Grey

Burgundy

FLANNEL SHIRTS
Green

FREE Postage!

4 29

for
only

5 for 36.30
6 for 42.85

BIG &
TALL Sizes
No Extra
Charge!

Regular Sizes:
Haband
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Peckville, PA 18452 S(34-36) M(38-40) L(42-44) XL(46-48)
*Big Men Sizes (Same Low Price):
Send ______ shirts. I enclose $_________
2XL(50-52) 3XL(54-56) 4XL(58-60)
purchase price plus $4.95 toward postage.
*TALL Sizes (Same Low Price): LT(42-44)

FREE Postage!

Check
Visa
MasterCard
Discover® Network
AmEx

XLT(46-48) 2XLT(50-52) 3XLT(54-56)
Imported

In GA add
sales tax.

WHAT HOW

7TC–12527 SIZE? MANY?

BURGUNDY

BLUE
Card # ___________________________________ 05
RUST
KD
_________________________Exp.: ______/_____
GREEN
11
Mr. Mrs. Ms. ______________________________ 06
GREY
_________________________________________ 03
NAVY
Address ______________________________________________________ Apt. # ______
City & State_________________________________________________ Zip ___________
E-mail ____________________________________________________________________
100% Satisfaction Guaranteed or Full Refund of Purchase Price at Any Time!

Duke Habernickel, Pres.

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Peckville, PA 18452

Navy