”Mission Accomplished” for Geert Wilders
Photo of Geert Wilders courtesy of Google Images
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: It is the kind of stunt that has many fearing the worst: Dutch right-wing populist Geert Wilders plans to release a film about Islam. Politicians worldwide are already trying to stop the project, before a single scene has been shown. Critics fear the film could lead to bloodshed in many countries.

Let us summarize what has happened to date. On Nov. 2, 2004, an Islamic fundamentalist murdered Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, a descendant of the painter Vincent van Gogh, in broad daylight on a street in Amsterdam.

The killer, a 26-year-old Dutch citizen, the son of Moroccan immigrants, shot the filmmaker at 9 a.m. as van Gogh was riding his bicycle. He then slit his throat and, using a knife, pinned a note to his victim's chest, claiming responsibility and explaining his motives. The killer's true target was politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali. But she, unlike van Gogh, was under 24-hour police protection. The bloody act was also a declaration of war against Dutch society, which, as the murderer was convinced, was controlled "by the Jews."

Theo van Gogh and Ayaan Hirsi Ali had collaborated to produce a short film called "Submission," which uses four real-life examples to illustrate the poor treatment of women in Islam. The film was shown on Dutch television in the summer of 2004. Mosques in the Netherlands were unhappy about it, but their reactions were less vehement than expected. Van Gogh had already developed a reputation as a provocateur who paid little attention to what people thought about him -- a committed enfant terrible. He liked to refer to Muslims as "geitenneukers," or goat fuckers. He made fun of dead Jews by describing them as "copulating yellow stars in the gas chamber." He also had little regard for Christian values and symbols. How a Film Triggered a Global Panic >>> By Henryk M. Broder

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A Hotel “for Lesbians”?
THE INDEPENDENT: For a country that goes to such great lengths to segregate unrelated men and women, it took Saudi Arabia a long time to hit on the idea of women-only hotels.

The kingdom's first hotel exclusively for females opened yesterday, offering plush lodgings with a full-range of health and beauty facilities for ladies to pamper themselves, away from the accusing eyes of a male-dominated society.

"Inside this physical structure, we are all women," said the Luthan Hotel's executive director Lorraine Coutinho. "We even have bell-women. We are women-owned, women-managed and women-run, from our IT engineer to our electrical engineer.

"This is meeting a very big demand. There are women's hotels all over the world, from Berlin to the United States."

Saudi Arabia is one of the most conservative countries in the world, where women are prevented from meeting male friends in public, driving cars or taking up employment in many jobs. New rules announced in January allow women to stay in standard mixed-gender hotels without a male family member in tow, but bureaucracy and conservative family values mean few have been able to make use of their new-found freedom. Saudi Arabia opens its first women-only hotel >>> By Andrew Hammond in Riyadh
| Thursday, 20 March 2008

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Now “We Must Talk to Al-Qaida”, According to Top Blair Aide
THE GUARDIAN: Former No 10 chief says Irish peace process showed link to enemy needed

Western governments must talk to terror groups including al-Qaida and the Taliban if they hope to secure a long-term halt to their campaigns of violence, according to the man who for more than a decade was Tony Blair's most influential aide and adviser.

Jonathan Powell, who served as Blair's chief of staff from 1995 to 2007 and is widely regarded as having been instrumental in negotiating a settlement in Northern Ireland, said his experience in the province convinced him that it was essential to keep a line of communication open even with one's most bitter enemies.

Powell said: "There's nothing to say to al-Qaida and they've got nothing to say to us at the moment, but at some stage you're going to have to come to a political solution as well as a security solution. And that means you need the ability to talk."

In his first major interview, ahead of the publication of his book on the behind the scenes drama leading to the Northern Ireland peace deal, Powell also delivered a remarkably candid assessment of the Blair years, revealing that:

· He did not think Labour had governed boldly enough because it feared losing power.

· Blair had a tendency to change his mind about things and could be "a bit of a flippertygibbet".

· Blair had failed in 10 years of government to sell Europe to the British.

· Relations between the Blair and Brown camps were so toxic that Gordon Brown did not talk to him for 10 years. Top Blair aide: we must talk to al-Qaida >>> By Ian Katz

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Khaleej Times: A Viewpoint from Dubai, from an Editor Who Just Doesn’t Get It!
Something rotten in the state of Denmark 
By Aijaz Zaka Syed
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Mark Alexander (Hardback)

The Gathering Storm Report
Please scroll down for the latest posts.
Microphone courtesy of Google Images
Walid Shoebat and I (Mark Alexander) will be Always On Watch and WC’s special guests on this week’s ‘Gathering Storm Report’ on Friday March 14, 2008. The show will be broadcast between 3pm and 5pm, EST. Please don’t forget to tune in. We’re looking forward to your company. Just click on the microphone to take you there.

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Kaida in Nordafrika veröffentlicht Fotos von entführten Österreichern
NZZ Online: (ap) Der nordafrikanische Zweig der Kaida hat am Donnerstag Fotos von zwei österreichischen Touristen veröffentlicht und ein Ultimatum für ihre Freilassung gestellt. Der Mann und die Frau würden freikommen, wenn alle in Tunesien und Algerien inhaftierten Mitglieder der Kaida im Islamischen Nordafrika freigelassen würden, hiess es in einer Erklärung die am Donnerstagabend im Internet veröffentlicht wurde. Kaida in Nordafrika veröffentlicht Fotos von entführten Österreichern: Ultimatum von drei Tagen gestellt

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Sarkozys Mittelmeer-Union gestutzt
NZZ Online: In Brüssel hat am Donnerstag der zweitägige Frühlingsgipfel der EU begonnen. Neben wirtschaftlichen Themen befasst er sich mit den Auswirkungen der Klimaveränderung auf die Sicherheit Europas und mit Präsident Sarkozys Plan einer Mittelmeer-Union. Ursprünglich sehr ambitiös, ist dieser bis zur Unkenntlichkeit zurückgestutzt worden.

win. Brüssel, 13. März

Das Frühlings-Gipfeltreffen der EU, das am Donnerstagabend in Brüssel begann, ist traditionell wirtschaftlichen Themen gewidmet. Der Zustand der Finanzmärkte, die Stärkung des Energie-Binnenmarkts und das Zusammenbringen der Klimaschutzziele mit dem Wunsch nach mehr Wachstum und Beschäftigung sind dieses Jahr die Stichworte. Daneben beschäftigten sich die 27 Staats- und Regierungschefs aber auch mit einem Bericht ihres Chefdiplomaten Solana über die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf die Sicherheit Europas sowie – während des gemeinsamen Abendessens – mit dem Projekt des französischen Präsidenten Sarkozy für eine Mittelmeer-Union, die eine stärkere Zuwendung der EU zu ihren südlichen Nachbarn ermöglichte.

Keine neue Bühne für Paris

Dieser Plan, den Sarkozy zusammen mit der deutschen Bundeskanzlerin Merkel der versammelten Runde vorstellte, hat eine bemerkenswerte Geschichte hinter sich. Die ursprünglich hochfliegende Idee Sarkozys einer Integration ausschliesslich der Mittelmeeranrainer in einem neuen Gefäss hat derart Federn lassen müssen, dass die ganze Übung nun eher einem Abfüllen alten Weins in neue Schläuche gleicht als einem Aufbruch zu neuen Ufern. Grund für dieses Zurückstutzen bis zur Unkenntlichkeit waren vor allem von Deutschland geäusserte, aber von anderen Mitgliedstaaten geteilte Bedenken, wonach die EU zerrissen würde in eine Zone, die sich nach Süden orientiert, und eine andere, die ihre strategischen Beziehungen nach Osten ausbaut. Im Hintergrund stand sicher auch die Sorge, Paris wolle sich in der Mittelmeer-Union mit EU-Geldern eine neue Bühne zimmern, auf der es dann die unbestrittene Hauptrolle spielen könnte. Und man unterstellte Sarkozy gelegentlich auch, er wolle als erklärter Gegner eines türkischen EU-Beitritts gleichsam einen Ausweich-Hafen für den ungeliebten Beitrittskandidaten schaffen. Sarkozys Mittelmeer-Union gestutzt: Der EU-Gipfel im Zeichen der Klima- und der Wirtschaftspolitik

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Netherlands to Get Backing from EU Counterparts over Anti-Quran Film
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: BRUSSELS, Belgium: The Netherlands is asking for European Union solidarity at a summit of the bloc's leaders in case the expected release of an anti-Quran film by a maverick Dutch lawmaker leads to violence, officials said Thursday.

And the EU, which said 2 1/2 years ago that publishing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed deemed offensive by Muslims went too far, appeared set to back the Dutch position on freedom of speech. The issue was to be discussed later Thursday.

The Dutch lawmaker, Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders, has said he plans to air the film this month. Dutch and other European officials fear the film could spark violent protests in Muslim countries similar to those held after the publication of the cartoons in Denmark.

The Netherlands has been warned by Islamic figures and countries, including Iran, that releasing the film would lead to violence there. It wants other EU countries to support its view that it cannot silence Wilders due to the constitutional right to freedom of expression.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende told fellow Christian Democratic leaders — including German Chancellor Angela Merkel — meeting before the summit that his government does not share Wilders' anti-Islam views but it respects his right to air his views. Officials: Netherlands to get backing from EU counterparts over anti-Quran film >>> Associated Press

NIS NEWS BULLETIN:
Netherlands Wants No Explicit Statement on Freedom of Speech

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The Netherlands: Blasphemy Law to Be Scrapped
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: A majority in the Dutch parliament, led by the ruling Labour Party, wants to scrap a law which fines or even imprisons people who commit blasphemy. But although the law isn't used anymore, even debating whether or not to scrap it is sensitive. The Christian parties in Dutch politics have always argued to keep it on the books.

Now, tension is high in anticipation of far right Dutch MP Geert Wilders' film, which is expected to be considered blasphemous by most Muslims. 

And although there's a majority for scrapping the law, government is not asked to get rid of it immediately.

The Netherlands is known as a permissive country. Prostitution is legal, people of the same sex can get married. But if you take the lord's name in vain, you risk a fine, or imprisonment. A law forbidding blasphemy is still on the books. Now parliament wants to change that. Law against blasphemy to be scrapped >>> By John Tyler, political editor | 13-03-2008

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Islamische Religion soll in Deutschland unterrichtet werden
NZZ Online: Die Islamische Religion soll an deutschen Schulen ein ordentliches Unterrichtsfach werden. Darauf verständigten sich Regierungsvertreter mit muslimischen Verbänden auf der dritten Islamkonferenz in Berlin. Zu den Bedingungen soll zählen, dass das Fach in deutscher Sprache gelehrt wird. Innenminister Wolfgang Schäuble räumte nach den vierstündigen Beratungen allerdings ein, dass nicht alle Bundesländer zur Einführung des Islamunterrichts bereit sind.

(ap) Der deutsche Innenminister Wolfgang Schäuble hatte die Islamkonferenz im September 2006 ins Leben gerufen. Die damals eingesetzten Arbeitsgruppen legten dem 30-köpfigen Plenum nun Empfehlungen vor, die «alle einmütig zur Kenntnis genommen wurden», wie Schäuble sagte. Zu einzelnen Formulierungen habe es bei den muslimischen Verbänden allerdings Vorbehalte gegeben. Islamische Religion soll in Deutschland unterrichtet werden: Vorstoss der Islamkonferenz - Bau von Moscheen unterstützt

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Warnung vor zunehmender Islamfeindlichkeit
Meinungsfreiheit umfasse nicht das Recht auf Gotteslästerung - OIC-Präsident Abdoulaye Wade
NZZ Online: Die Organisation der Islamischen Konferenz hat zu Beginn ihres Gipfels in Dakar vor zunehmender Islamfeindlichkeit gewarnt. In einem Bericht zu dem Thema ist auch die in der Schweiz lancierte Minarettverbots-Initiative aufgeführt.

(sda) Mit «Beunruhigung» reagierte die Organisation der Islamischen Konferenz (OIC) auf die im Mai 2007 von SVP-nahen Kreisen lancierte Initiative zum Verbot von Minaretten. Das Vorhaben in der Schweiz ist im gleichen Kapitel erwähnt wie die islamfeindlichen Karikaturen und der Koran-feindliche Kurzfilm des niederländischen Abgeordneten Geert Wilders.

OIC-Generalsekretär Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu sei von der Schweizer Botschaft in Saudi-Arabien über die Hintergründe der Initiative aufgeklärt worden, schreiben die Verfasser des Berichts.

«Vier von sieben Mitgliedern des Bundesrates sowie eine bedeutende Zahl von Parteien, Vereinigungen und Gruppen» hätten das Vorhaben kritisiert, teilte die Schweizer Botschaft dem OIC-Bericht zufolge am 5. Januar mit. Warnung vor zunehmender Islamfeindlichkeit: Konferenz in Dakar über Schweizer Minarett-Initiative beunruhigt

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More Pressure on Geert Wilders to Submit
PEDESTRIAN INFIDEL: Geert Wilders can find no broadcaster for Fitna. What's more, the Nieuwspoort press center is demanding 400,000 euros ($800,000 US $) for additional security if Geert wanted to hold a press conference when he releases Fitna on the internet.



Now, a renowned news journalist Henk Hofland called for Geert's Dutch security to be stripped away so the Muslims can have an opportunity to kill him. And Unilever and other corporations are doing the full court press to stop Wilders.



Such dhimmitude is certainly a bad omen for the Netherlands. I hope Fitna is 
released and the world can see the truth but the West has great enemies, not only the Muslims but the dhimmis who serve them. More Pressure on Geert Wilders to Submit >>> By John Sobieski

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The Killing of Non-Muslims Is Legitimate

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Wilders’ Film: The Ultimate Conclusion
KLEIN VERZET: ... from the current Wilders/Fitna drama is drawn by Josée van Iersel on Hoeiboei (NL).

Fitna will not be shown on TV in the Netherlands, and through the governments demand that Wilders' PVV shoulder the cost of secutity [sic] of "De Nieuwspoort" a public screening in the Netherlands will in all likelihood not happen.

Well, fellow Lowlanders - as of today it has become officially impossible to show a film critical of islam [sic] anywhere in the Netherlands.

As of today anyone who dares to nonetheless will be an outlaw - the Dutch government has officially confirmed that she no longer will guarantee [sic] the inviolability of her inhabitants, when and if they argue, show or fight that which foreigners want to be left unknown and uncontroversial for the sake of their ideology. An ideology no Netherlander needs, an ideology which they unanimously abhor and which they would show no respect whatsoever were they to take the trouble of educating themselves about it and not follow blindly the mendacious cliches used by the bien pensant to close the matter.

[...]

As of today the highest authority is not the people of the Netherlands by way of a mandated Government, but it is the international ummah...

We have become a de facto integral part of the islamic [SIC] world, because in allowing islam [sic] to force us into unheard of and inconvenient caution - that would only be justified in a case of open war - and because of dispicable [sic] and ignorant cowardice we have handed them what sovereignty we had left. And there'll be no-one who will lose any sleep over this tonight.

Mohammed über alles... and the West is his slave.

And that, as they say, is that. The Ultimate Conclusion (Comments Welcome)

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Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Multiculturalism Kills; Cartoons Don’t
Kurt Westergaard’s cartoon of the prophet Muhammad courtesy of Google Images
FAMILY SECURITY MATTERS: Marked for death, his life will never be the same. He and his wife move constantly under police guard. Kurt Westergaard did what he was told: he drew a cartoon of Mohammed for his employer, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. He had no idea that by doing so he would have to spend the rest of his life hiding from Islamofascists who want to kill him. Watching him being interviewed on Danish TV, it occurred to me that Westergaard’s situation symbolizes the utter failure of multiculturalism. Most Europeans still don’t get it and neither do most Americans. They still insist that we all tolerate a culture which pledges to destroy our own. Westergaard’s interviewer epitomizes smug, multicultural ignorance.

Westergaard’s cartoon depicted Muhammed with a bomb in his turban because he wanted to show “that there are terrorists who get their spiritual dynamite or their spiritual ammunition from Islam.” Radical Muslims proved him right as they rioted across the realm of Islam. His Danish interviewer asked if he felt responsible for a hundred riot deaths. “I see the riots as something which was staged by some governments in some badly managed countries,” responded Westergaard. They were staged because governments in Muslim countries want to divert popular attention from their failure. “But that is not my responsibility,” he concluded, and he’s right of course. Multiculturalism Kills; Cartoons Don’t >>> By Tom McLaughlin

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Annexation Austrian-Style
Photo courtesy of SpiegelOnline International
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: When the Nazis marched into Austrian on March 12, 1938, hundreds of thousands of Austrians turned out to welcome them. But after the war, the country preferred to see itself as just another of Hitler's victims.

Suddenly, events began moving in fast-forward: It was 10 minutes to eight in the evening, March 11, 1938, when Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg took to the radio to address his people. He bade them farewell with portentous words: “God protect Austria.” Annexation Austrian-Style >>> By Marion Kraske

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
New Photos of the Annexation: A Citizen’s-Eye View of the Nazis in Austria

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Kristallnacht: A Documentary about Racism, Anti-Semitism, and the Holocaust
Lest we forget: A shocking, five-part documentary of man’s cruelty to his fellow man!

Part 1 of 5:


Part 2 of 5
Part 3 of 5
Part 4 of 5
Part 5 of 5
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The Third Reich in Colour: The Horrors of War

Part 2 of 6
Part 3 of 6
Part 4 of 6
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Part 6 of 6
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Churches Ask Wilders Not to Show Film
NIS NEWS BULLETIN: UTRECHT, 13/03/08 - The Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) has appealed to MP Geert Wilders not to broadcast his Koran film. "Would it not be a proof of real freedom if you decided not to show the film?" the PKN asked rhetorically.

PKN represents the protestant churches in the Netherlands. Its Secretary General Bas Plaisier invites Wilders to show the film privately at the PKN head office in Utrecht so that they can enter a debate with him if the film is offensive.

"We will watch the film with respect for you and your convictions and discuss the content of the film with you," Plaisier writes in the protestant opinion magazine Centraal Weekblad. "It is possible that all the commotion is unwarranted, and if so, we will say so honestly. But if your film could hurt people and put many thousands of people around the world in danger, will you then reconsider your intentions?"

Plaisier says the church "does not properly understand" what Wilders is trying to do. "Have you ever considered not making use of your freedom to say what you think? Would it not be a proof of real freedom if you decided not to show the film? We would esteem you for this." [Churches Ask Wilders Not to Show Film]

PR-INSIDE:
Council of Europe Warns Dutch Lawmaker Against Releasing Anti-Quran Film - AP

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'Islamophobia' a Threat to World Security, Say Muslim States
AFP: DAKAR (AFP) — The world's Muslim countries warned Wednesday that an "alarming" rise in anti-Islamic insults and attacks in the West has become a threat to international security.

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) called on Europe and America to take stronger measures against 'Islamophobia' in a report prepared for a summit of the group's 57 members in Dakar on Thursday and Friday.

The report by a special OIC monitoring group said the organisation was struggling to get the West to understand that Islamophobia "has dangerous implications on global peace and security" and to convince western powers to do more.

Islamic leaders have long warned that perceptions linking Muslims to terrorism, especially since the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on the United States, would make Muslims more radical.

The West must understand that "the war against terror cannot be successful without the support of Muslim countries," said the report.

OIC leaders have expressed renewed concern following events such as the publication in Denmark of cartoons lampooning the Prophet Mohammed and a plan by the Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders to release a film calling the Koran "fascist".

The OIC said Islam had faced constant attacks since it was created "but in recent years the phenomenon has assumed alarming proportions and has become a major cause of concern for the Muslim world."

The monitoring group called on Europe and North America to do more, through laws and social action, to protect Muslims from threats and discrimination and prevent insults against Islam's religious symbols. 'Islamophobia' a Threat to World Security, Say Muslim States >>>

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An Islamic Perspective: The Danish Cartoons of Muhammad of Arabia
AL-JUMUAH BULLETIN: Muslims regard the Holy Prophet Muhammad[,] peace be upon him (pbuh)[,] as the most excellent model of virtue and dignity in the history of mankind. And thus these images are utterly offensive to any Muslim and indeed to any person who cares for the feelings of others. Testifying that Muhammad (pbuh) is Allah’s servant and Messenger is part of the first pillar of Islam. The Prophet is supposed to be the dearest person to all Muslims. Following his teachings and loving him, attracts Allah’s love. Defending him against any ill intentioned persons earns one [entry into] Paradise. Islamic history reveals that about eight companions were martyred in the battle of Uhud in the course of defending their beloved Prophet (pbuh). Renowned companions like Abu Huraira and Bilal preferred keeping the company of the Prophet (pbuh) to enjoying food. It is also common knowledge to Muslims and sincere Jews that Muhammad (pbuh) was the last Prophet of God. [Source: Al-Jumuah Bulletin]

Hat tip: WC

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'It Will Forever Be the Right Decision'
Watch Guardian video: Almost five years after the invasion of Iraq, the US president, George Bush, defends his decision to go to war in a speech to religious broadcasters in Tennessee

THE GUARDIAN:
US Middle East Commander Quits By Dan Glaister in Los Angeles and Julian Borger in Tehran

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Clinton Supporter Defends Obama Race Remarks
REUTERS: WASHINGTON - The only woman ever to be on a major party's U.S. presidential ticket on Wednesday stood by her comment that Sen. Barack Obama is ahead in the Democratic race for the White House because he is black.

Geraldine Ferraro, a Democrat who ran for vice president in 1984, said his campaign's reaction had backfired and divided the party. Ferraro is supporting Obama's Democratic rival, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, for the November election.

"My comments have been taken so out of context and have been spun by the Obama campaign as racist that it's doing precisely what they don't want done -- it's going to the Democratic Party and dividing us even more," Ferraro told ABC's "Good Morning America" in an interview.

She ignited a flap by telling a California newspaper that "if Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position."

"And if he was a woman he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept," Ferraro said.

Ferraro told ABC she was "absolutely not" sorry for what she said.

"I believe that," she added.

She said she had fought discrimination for 40 years. "My concern has been over how I've been treated as well and hurt >>> By Donna Smith | Wed Mar 12, 2008

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