Wednesday, April 07, 2004
"When our Founding Fathers said 'We the people,' they didn't mean me. It took us a while to get to the kind of multi-ethnic society that works."
- US National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice, at today's 9/11 Commission hearings.
"(T)he status of African Americans in economics, housing, education, health, social justice and civic engagement is 73 percent of their white counterparts.
"That statistic resonates with a terrible chapter of black American history, when the original Constitution declared slaves would be counted as only three-fifths of a "person" for purposes of reapportionment.
"But, while a gap definitely persists between blacks and whites, the gap has gotten smaller since the 1960s. We are going in the right direction. We need to keep going. The system works. Unfortunately, it is not working for all of us. The real question of the moment should be how do we take what we have learned and make it work for others? "
Israeli PM Ariel Sharon tells Maariv newspaper he will make settlers leave their homes:
Sharon: That is extremely hard. Hard for the settlers, some of whom have already had grandchildren there. It is very hard for me too. I gave much thought to the issue until I reached the conclusion that part of the settlement enterprise, in Gaza probably the entire one, would eventually have to be evacuated. I said this even prior to my first term in office.
Ma'ariv: True, but no one took you seriously.
Sharon: Let me give you a piece of advice: Take me seriously. I said it in the clearest of terms. … It is a difficult decision, one that caused me a great deal of pain. But it must be done and I hold the responsibility.
