How To Crop A Picture And Create Fake Solemnity

Problem: You have this wonderful picture buried inside a crass photo of Cindy Sheehan and Al Sharpton in a crowd of media types. What do you do?

Judicious cropping removes most of the reporters, cameramen, and media equipment. The one thing you can't cut out is the guy with a video camera right behind Al Sharpton's head. But, not to worry, he could be Al's personal camera guy saving this moment for posterity.

Thanks to YAHOO for the photos.

Terrorists Kill, Maim Iraqi Children

Iraqi children bore the brunt of a terrorist rocket attack in Fallujah, Saturday 27.2005.

See It Here

U.S. MARINES AID VICTIMS OF ROCKET ATTACK CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq – U.S. Marines transported children to a local hospital following a terrorist rocket attack in Ferris on Aug. 27. Seven children were wounded and one was killed in the attack. The wounded children were treated by a local doctor. Marines are currently building an operating base in the city.

Good News: Radical Muslim Hate Spewing Cleric Gets Beaten Up.

Unfortunately, this is heartening news, that is if it becomes a trend. The radical Muslim clerics who preach hate need to begin suffering the consequences of their actions.
Australian News has an article titled "Masked gang attacks controversial cleric".

Melbourne Islamic cleric Nacer Benbrika has been kidnapped and bashed, fuelling fears of a co-ordinated hate campaign against the nation's radical Muslims. ...Mr Benbrika - who has described Osama bin Laden as a great man - was kidnapped and bashed last week by two carloads of men wearing balaclavas. ... The assault, which ended in Mr Benbrika being treated in hospital, came less than 48 hours after former terror suspect Mamdouh Habib claimed he was stabbed in a Sydney park, also by hooded assailants. It also comes amid a community backlash against radical Muslim clerics in Australia in the wake of the London bombings. Benbrika, who is also known as Abu Bakr, has raised the ire of Prime Minister John Howard by openly supporting jihad overseas and claiming that local Muslims must adhere to two sets of laws - Islamic law and Australian law. His claims have angered non-Muslims and moderate Muslims, and the Islamic community in Melbourne is abuzz with speculation about who carried out the attack. ... Mr Benbrika, 45, was driving in Melbourne's northern suburbs last Tuesday night when two carloads of men forced him to pull over. The men then dragged Mr Benbrika into a car and drove him to a remote spot where he was bashed, before being dumped back in his home suburb of Broadmeadows. The cleric then visited a local hospital to get treatment for his injuries, which are not believed to be serious. He did not report the attack to police. Victoria's most senior Islamic cleric, Sheik Fehmi Naji el-Imam, said yesterday that he had no idea who might have carried out the attack. "I heard that somebody had attacked him, and they were wearing balaclavas, but we have no idea who it might have been." Mr Benbrika could not be contacted for comment. Mr Benbrika's home has been raided by ASIO twice this year in connection with a suspected terror plot to blow up Melbourne landmarks, including Flinders Street train station. The assault on Mr Benbrika came after Mr Habib claimed he was stabbed while walking in a Sydney park with his wife. Mr Habib, who was only slightly injured, believes the men attacked him because of press reports that he had been claiming payments from Centrelink since he was released from US detention in January. The attacks on Mr Benbrika and Mr Habib appear designed to send a warning rather than cause serious injury.

Why Don't We See News About Our Accomplishments In The War On Terror?

Below is a copy of the "Iraq" page of the Fort Worth Star Telegram but it could be any major newspaper in the U.S. Notice something? Almost all the headlines are negative, only a few are neutral, and none are positive. No mention of the schools opened, construction projects finished, continued build up of the Iraqi Army, and successful security operations. Why is that? There is positive news. Why is it not offered to us.

A publisher who relays only bad news is breaking the social contract between readers and publishers. The contract states: "The publishers will report all of the news and the readers will continue to believe it". The overall news media is breaking this contract by pretending that there is no good news and, predictably, the readers are peeling away. Due to talk radio, and the Internet, the positive news leaks out and the readers become aware of it and lose confidence in the newspapers. This same principle applies to TV media too. Eventually, this will result in the American People simply disbelieving anything the media puts out.

TOP NEWS FROM IRAQ Iraq's highest-ranking Sunni Muslim Arab criticizes constitution By Hannah Allam, Knight Ridder Newspapers One of Iraq's two vice presidents criticized the country's proposed new constitution on Monday as a threat to national unity and said he's considering asking his supporters to reject it when it's presented to voters this fall. LATEST AP IRAQ STORIES * U.S. launches airstrikes near Syria border * U.S. launches airstrikes near Syria border * Heavy fighting erupts in western Iraq * How Iraq's constitution vote will be done * Journalists' group Iraq media death probe KNIGHT RIDDER SPECIAL REPORT Echo Company returns home In April, 12 Marines on patrol in Ramadi, Iraq, died when their company was ambushed. Nearly six months later, the rest of the troops returned home to Camp Pendleton, Calif. Read about their bittersweet homecoming, as well as the stories of their fallen comrades. » Read the stories | Watch the video » Listen to the audio | See all photographs » Q&A: David Swanson | Joe Galloway MORE FROM THE BAGHDAD BUREAU * Sunnis warn of split as Iraqi leaders accept draft of constitution By Tom Lasseter, Hannah Allam and Mohammed Al Awsy, Knight Ridder Newspapers The Iraqi parliament accepted a final draft of a new constitution Sunday as top leaders from the nation's Sunni Muslim minority warned that the document could tear the country apart along sectarian lines. * Oil revenues, Islam among sticking points for Sunni minority By Richard Chin, Knight Ridder Newspapers Iraq's constitution works against the country's Sunni minority in many ways. * Iraqi forces may need years of preparation By Tom Lasseter, Knight Ridder Newspapers American Sgt. LaDaunte Strickland, sweat pouring down his face, stared at the four Iraqi soldiers sitting in the shade of a truck. They were supposed to be helping Strickland and a group of U.S. Marines man a vehicle-control point. * Fighting unseen enemy creates psychological pressure on troops By Tom Lasseter, Knight Ridder Newspapers The inability of U.S. forces to hold ground in Anbar province has put the Marines and soldiers there under intense physical and psychological pressure. * Iraq misses another constitution deadline By Richard Chin and Tom Lasseter, Knight Ridder Newspapers Iraq's ruling coalition missed another deadline to complete a constitution Thursday, putting off until Sunday a national assembly meeting to consider the document. * Iran covers all its bets in neighboring Iraq By Warren P. Strobel, Knight Ridder Newspapers When rival Shiite Muslim factions battled in Iraqi cities this week in a worrisome new turn for the country's stability, neighboring Iran had little to lose: It supports both factions. * Insurgency concentrated in areas along Euphrates River By Tom Lasseter, Knight Ridder Newspapers Iraq's insurgency has concentrated much of its fight against U.S. and Iraqi forces in towns along the murky waters of the Euphrates River, beginning with Qaim on the Syrian border and running through towns such as Haditha, Haqlaniya, Hit, Ramadi and Fallujah. * U.S., insurgents locked in stalemate By Tom Lasseter, Knight Ridder Newspapers American forces in Anbar province, the center of guerrilla resistance in Iraq, are trying to hold on to a handful of population centers and hit smaller towns in quick-strike operations. * One day before crucial vote, fighting breaks out in Najaf By Hannah Allam and Mohammed al Dulaimy, Knight Ridder Newspapers BAGHDAD, Iraq - After months of silence, rebel Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr placed his militiamen on high alert Wednesday and asked his followers in the Iraqi government to suspend their work as Iraq descended into political chaos a day before a crucial vote on its proposed new constitution. * Sunni opposition could derail Iraq's proposed constitution By Tom Lasseter, Richard Chin and Mohammed al Dulaimy, Knight Ridder Newspapers Top Sunni Muslim Arab leaders lashed out Tuesday against a draft constitution given to the Iraqi parliament the day before, threatening to mobilize voters against it in an October referendum. * Key provisions of the draft constitution Knight Ridder Newspapers Excerpts from the Iraqi draft constitution: The republic of Iraq is an independent sovereign state. Its ruling system is republican, parliamentary, democratic and federal.

Separated At Birth? Or Newspaper's Mistake?

Is Democrat Paula Hightower of Arlington the long lost sister of Republican Jane Nelson of Grapevine? Or has the Star Telegram made a mistake? In a story titled "Incumbent has strong challenger" the picture at the bottom is purported to be Paula Hightower Pierson. But is it? The picture of Senator Nelson is from the Internet

Senator Nelson Hightower

What Cindy Sheehan Ought To Take

This picture is so clever and so true I had to copy it and put it up here. Look close, there is acid commentary in all the text and every word is a spot on thrust of the verbal epee at the weak points of the Left. Which, I guess, is fairly easy since the Left has no srong points.

You can see the original, or at least the place from which I stole it here. It is named "The Illiberal Left". Ckeck it out.

Clic To See a Bigger Pic

Polls, Lies, and Damn Lies #1

An IPSOS poll, taken at the beginning of August, about which a great hullaballoo has been made in the media because it gives President Bush a failing grade, has a fatal flaw. That flaw is in the make-up of the pollees. It does not reflect the percentage of Republicans and Democrats presently making up the electorate.
As you can see from this PDF file, the Democrats make up 49% of the respondents, while Republicans make up only 39%. Hardly representative of US voters judging by the last Presidential election. The excerpt below shows the details of the flaw.

Do you consider yourself a Democrat, a Republican, an Independent or none of these?* (IF “DEMOCRAT” TO Q.2a, Q.2b ASKED. IF “REPUBLICAN” TO Q.2a, Q.2c ASKED. IF “INDEPENDENT” or “NONE OF THESE” TO Q.2a, Q.2d ASKED. RESULTS SHOWN IN SUMMARY BELOW.) 2b. Do you lean strongly or only moderately toward the Democratic Party? 2c. Do you lean strongly or only moderately toward the Republican Party? 2d. Do your beliefs tend to lean more toward the Democrats or the Republicans? REGISTERED VOTERS Strongly Republican .......................... 19% Moderately Republican ...................... 20% Definitely Independent/neither.............. 11% Moderately Democrat......................... 27% Strongly Democrat ............................ 21% Refused/not sure................................. 2% Total Republican ............................... 39% Total Democrat ................................. 49% * Half the respondents were asked party identification in this location, the other half were asked at the end of the survey with the other demographic questions. Results for the respondents who were asked the question early were 41% Republican, 47% Democrat. For the respondents asked later in the survey, the results were 37% Republican, 50% Democrat.

Progress In Iraq

We won't be seeing this in our local newspapers. Why? Because it is mostly about Iraqis getting on with their lives and building a country. It is about the ordinary, everyday advance of progress in a country that has been stalled for 25 years. This CENTCOM news release has been edited for content. Only items that have been finished have been left in. References to projects that are not complete have been ommitted.

August 22, 2005 Release Number: 05-08-21 THIS WEEK IN IRAQ (12-18 AUGUST 2005) School Children: Some of the Iraqi citizens benefiting from reconstruction this week were school children. Several projects were completed across the country, including school buildings. The Iraqi Security Forces continued to display their capability, and local citizens contributed to the security of their communities. Children in Dobak Tappak village of Al Tamim Province received much-needed school supplies, clothing and toys from the Nahrain Foundation, a non-governmental organization that focuses on providing proper nutrition, decent clothing and medical supplies to Iraqi women and children. The foundation received its supplies as part of a joint effort between American donations and a Coalition forces-run program known as “Operation Provide School Supplies,” which accepts donations from private citizens and corporations in the U.S. More than 600 children will return to renovated or rebuilt schools in Maysan Province when school starts this fall. This week, renovation on the Al-Eethnar Mud School was completed, and the Al Eethar Mud School was replaced at a cost of $87,000, benefiting 500 students who attend classes there. Completed Construction Projects Eight newly constructed schools in Wassit and Babil Provinces are receiving new furniture before the start of the school year. Each of the school projects will receive office desks and chairs, file cabinets and new student desks. 400 three-student desks will be proportionally divided among the schools, based upon the number of students. An electric distribution and street lighting project in Daquq was completed on Aug. 17, providing new overhead distribution lines and street lighting in the community. Baghdad trunk sewer line, was completed this week benefitting approximately two million people. Workers cleaned and repaired the Baghdad trunk sewer line and its associated manholes and pumping stations. The $17.48 million project restored principal sewage collection elements in the Adhamiya, Sadr City and 9-Nissan districts of Baghdad, and will provide for the intended sewer flows to the Rustamiya wastewater treatment plant. The Basrah courthouse project completed phase one. This five-phase, $865,000 project is expected to be entirely complete in October of 2005. It is expected to hold a number of high profile trials. Work continues, employing an average of 70 local Iraqi workers daily. A patrol station in the Karkh district of Baghdad Province was completed, as was a $390,300 border-post project on the Saudi Arabian border. A division headquarters building for the Iraqi Army in Salah Ad Din Province was also completed this week. The $7 million project includes a single-story building with a concrete roof and interior office space to accommodate the unit. Additionally, a $2 million firing range in Taji was completed this week. A new prison project was started in Khan Bani Sa’ad, a mountainous municipality in the Ba’quba District of Diyala Province. The $75 million project will house up to 3,600 inmates. The entire site is approximately 550,000 square meters, which includes an educational center, medical facilities and administration buildings. The project will employ approximately 1,000 Iraqi workers during construction. Iraqi Army Turnovers, Graduations, Etc.: Generals from Iraqi and Coalition forces joined local tribal leaders at a ceremony where Forward Operating Base Dagger in Tikrit, one of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces, was officially handed over to the 4th Iraqi Army Division this week. This highlights the increasing turnover of security responsibilities to Iraqi forces. In Taji, Iraqi soldiers completed a Strategic Infrastructure Battalion Train-the-Trainer course. The 90 graduates will go on to serve as instructors at an Iraqi Army training base. A class of future IA non-commissioned officers graduated from their primary leadership development course on Aug. 15 in Tikrit. Iraqi Army unit training also included combat lifesaving, staff training, computer skills and weapons training. This week, the 1st Iraqi Army Brigade succeeded at implementing the first Non-commissioned Officer Academy in the country. Iraqi soldiers from the most recent class were the last group to be instructed by the U.S. Soldiers who had developed the training. During Saddam Hussein’s regime, an NCO corps did not exist in the Iraqi Army. The class will continue after the U.S. instructors leave, and will be taught by NCOs from the 1st IA who assisted earlier courses. Security Operations: Baghdad, Iraqi Police Service officers in the New Baghdad District conducted a variety of operations including raids involving over 450 officers. Police confiscated 30 AK-47 rifles, two hand guns, and one machine gun during the raids. They arrested 30 suspected insurgents. In addition, police at the Al Khanssa Police Station in Baghdad captured a kidnapper involved in the abduction of a local physician, whose family paid a ransom to have the victim released. Police officers recovered the doctor’s vehicle as well as the ransom money paid by his family. Iraqi Army soldiers found a weapons cache under a vehicle in Rawah this week. The cache contained two light machine guns and 3000 rounds of ammunition, nine AK-47 rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition, one NATO machine gun and 200 rounds of ammunition, four concussion grenades, one fragmentary grenade without fuses, and various other ammunition. Based on two separate tips from Iraqis, Coalition forces discovered weapons caches that contained rocket-propelled grenades and two launchers, 16 mortar rounds and a launcher, and five boxes of anti-aircraft ammunition hidden in northwest Baghdad. Another tip led Coalition forces to a large cache of artillery shells in the early hours of Aug. 16. The shells were apparently intended for use as improvised explosive devices. The 25 to 30 individual rounds, located inside a building within Al Anbar Province, were destroyed after security forces confirmed there was no one in the building. After a local Iraqi identified his neighbors as insurgents, Iraqi Army soldiers and Coalition forces conducted a joint cordon and search operation in northwest Fallujah and detained two suspects. Iraqi Security Forces killed terrorist Abu Zubair, also known as Mohammed Salah Sultan, in an ambush in the northern city of Mosul this week. Zubair, who was wearing a suicide vest when he was killed, was a known member of Al Qaeda in Iraq and a lieutenant in Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab Zarqawi’s terrorist operations in Mosul. He was being sought for his involvement in a July suicide bombing attack of a police station in Mosul that killed five Iraqi police officers. He was also suspected of resourcing and facilitating suicide bomber attacks against Coalition, Iraqi Security Forces and Iraqi citizens throughout the country. Local Iraqi citizens, along with the growing Iraqi Security Forces, are contributing to the security of their communities. http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/News_Release.asp?NewsRelease=20050821.txt

Cindy Sheehan Is A Sock Puppet

Poor Cindy Sheehan. I've changed my mind about her. I thought at one time she was making a cynical use of her son's death to score a political point.

Now I realize she is just a dupe for the Left. She is so ignorant of the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and so child-like in her assessments of them, that to attribute cynicism to her would be like accusing a three year old of calculating greed because he believes in Santa Claus.

Michaell Moore, etal should be ashamed of themselves, but they have no shame.

Below is part of a transcript of an interview of Sheehan: "Sheehan plays 'Hardball' with Matthews" on Hardball, with Chris Mathews. I have highlighted the questions and statements that show her ignorance and naivete.

MATTHEWS: All right. If your son had been killed in Afghanistan, would you have a different feeling? SHEEHAN: I don't think so, Chris, because I believe that Afghanistan is almost the same thing. We're fighting terrorism. Or terrorists, we're saying. But they're not contained in a country. This is an ideology and not an enemy. And we know that Iraq, Iraq had no terrorism. They were no threat to the United States of America. MATTHEWS: But Afghanistan was harboring, the Taliban was harboring al-Qaida which is the group that attacked us on 9/11. SHEEHAN: Well then we should have gone after al-Qaida and maybe not after the country of Afghanistan. MATTHEWS: But that's where they were being harbored. That's where they were headquartered. Shouldn't we go after their headquarters? Doesn't that make sense? SHEEHAN: Well, but there were a lot of innocent people killed in that invasion, too. ... But I'm seeing that we're sending our ground troops in to invade countries where the entire country wasn't the problem. Especially Iraq. Iraq was no problem. And why do we send in invading armies to march into Afghanistan when we're looking for a select group of people in that country? So I believe that our troops should be brought home out of both places where we're obviously not having any success in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden is still on the loose and that's who they told us was responsible for 9/11.

U.S. Armed Forces Exceed Recruitment Goals, Ha!

The Main Stream Media's Leftist Bias Batting Average is still 1000. Below is a story from the New York Post " THE REAL IRAQ NEWS ". I have edited it for content.

Remember last spring, when the Army's recruitment efforts fell short for a few months? The media's glee would have made you confuse the New York Times and Air America. When the Army attempted to explain that enlistments are cyclical and numbers dip at certain times of the year, the media ignored it. All that mattered was the wonderful news that the Army couldn't find enough soldiers. We were warned, in solemn tones, but delivered with gleeful certainty that our military was headed for a train wreck. Remember that? Now, as the fiscal year nears an end, the Army's numbers look great. Especially in combat units and Iraq, soldiers are re-enlisting at record levels. But you don't hear it in the MSM. Let's look at the numbers, which offer a different picture of patriotism than the editorial pages do. * Every one of the Army's 10 divisions — its key combat organizations — has exceeded its re-enlistment goal for the year to date. Those with the most intense experience in Iraq have the best rates. The 1st Cavalry Division is at 136 percent of its target, the 3rd Infantry Division at 117 percent. Among separate combat brigades, the figures are even more startling, with the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division at 178 percent of its goal and the 3rd Brigade of the 4th Mech right behind at 174 percent of its re-enlistment target. This is unprecedented in wartime. Even in World War II, we needed the draft. Where are the headlines? * What about first-time enlistment rates, since that was the issue last spring? The Army is running at 108 percent of its needs. Guess not every young American despises his or her country and our president. * The Army Reserve is a tougher sell, given that it takes men and women away from their families and careers on short notice. Well, Reserve recruitment stands at 102 percent of requirements. * And then there's the Army National Guard. We've been told for two years that the Guard was in free-fall. Really? Guard recruitment and retention comes out to 106 percent of its requirements as of June 30. Of course, we'll hear stammering about an "army of mercenaries"— naive, uneducated kids lured by the promise of big retention bonuses. That's another lie told by the elite to excuse themselves from serving our country in uniform. The young men and women who have been through the crucible of combat — often on repeated deployments — are hardly naive. Their education levels exceed the American average. And, as of Aug. 2, the Army had spent a 2005 total of only $347 million on Selective Re-enlistment Bonuses — that's weekend walking-around money for America's Fortune 500 CEOs. Big bucks for risking your life? Not hardly. Only 60 percent of soldiers get any re-enlistment bonus. For the overwhelming number whose skills merit an extra incentive, bonuses runs between $6,000 and $12,400 per year of contracted service — per year of facing death, wounds, separation from family and uncertainty as to whether you'll ever see that family again. A total of 643 soldiers with very special capabilities, from special operators to doctors, got an average payment of $57,000 — a fraction of what the private sector offers them for doing the same jobs at far less risk. They don't do it for the money. Guess we have to face it: Patriotism is alive and well. Soldiers believe in the Army, and they believe in their missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. They love their comrades, too. And yes, the word is "love." They would die for the man or woman serving beside them. They're risking their lives to save a broken state, to give tens of millions of human beings a chance at decent lives, to do the grim work that no one else in the world is willing to do. Their reward? The Cindy Sheehan Extravaganza. Predictions of disaster. The depiction of Michael Moore as a hero and our soldiers as dupes. And a ceaseless attempt to convince the American people that there's no hope in Iraq. The ugly truth is that much of the media only cares about our soldiers when they're dead or crippled. That's a story. As you read this, 500,000 soldiers are on active duty because they chose to serve their country. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of Reservists and Guard members have been called into uniform. And they're all behaving as true soldiers do: Running toward the sound of the guns, not away from them. We should be humbled by their choices, honored by their sacrifices, and proud of what they're fighting to achieve. Instead of the jerk's refrain "Support our troops, bring them home," the line should run "Support our troops, make their home worthy of them." Our men and women in uniform — in every service — deserve far better than we've given them.

Hillary Named In Lawsuit Over Campaign Financing

Hillary Clinton's shennanigins are slowly catching up to her. A sympathetic judge and a timid proscecutor kept her name out of David Rosen's trial, and the case against him failed. This time it may be different, unless she buys the plaintiff off.

Worldnet Daily has the story: "Fraud Lawsuit Targets Hillary".

As Hillary Clinton positions herself for a presidential run, a former fund-raiser is moving ahead with a lawsuit claiming the New York senator orchestrated the largest campaign-finance fraud ever by an American political campaign. In an interview with WorldNetDaily, Los Angeles millionaire lawyer and businessman Peter Franklin Paul asserted Clinton failed to declare to the Federal Election Commission more than $2 million in contributions – a massive omission he believes prevented her 2000 senatorial campaign from going bankrupt in the crucial final weeks. Paul has filed a civil suit charging Sen. Clinton and her husband, former President Clinton, with fraud, coercion and conspiracy. California courts so far have denied the Clintons' motions to dismiss, and Paul expects the case to proceed at the beginning of the year, just as Hillary Clinton prepares to defend her Senate seat. "This public servant, who is sworn to uphold the Constitution, is the biggest violator of the fundamental principles and statutes relating to fair elections and honest government," Paul told WND. "She needs to be dealt with in a way that will show this country and elected officials in Washington that everybody is accountable to the rule of law."

The Politics Of Grief

The Left has discovered a new arrow in its quiver. Some would say the last bit of scum from the bottom of the barrel. Grief is the latest weapon in the arsenal of Anti-Americanism. If a person is grieving, so say the Lefties, no one can engage them in political debate because.......they are grieving, you know. And their grief, by itself makes them correct and sane.

An article in the Weekly Standard, "Speak of the Dead" points out some of the more egregious uses of people and grief by the American Left since 9-11.

Here is a message for our friends in the grief-based community: Really, you must cut this out. We are tired of having our emotions worked on and worked over; tired of the matched sets of dueling relatives, tired of all of these claims on our sympathy, that at the same time defy common sense. The heart breaks for everyone who lost relatives and friends on September 11, as it does for the relatives of the war dead and wounded, as it does for the sons of Paul Wellstone. It does not break for MoveOn.org, Maureen Dowd, and Gail Sheehy, who have not been heartbroken, except by a string of election reverses, and are using the anguish of other people in an effort to turn them around. Especially, it does not break for George Soros, who, after squandering millions on the Kerry campaign, is now using poor Cindy Sheehan to get back in the action, and it does not break for political operative Joe Trippi, late of the Howard Dean meltdown, who is trying to do the same thing. She is now the vehicle for a collection of losers, who will use her, and then toss her over and out once she has served their purposes, or more likely failed to do so. Her family has broken up under the effects of this circus; she has now lost her husband, as well as her son. Please, send her back to her therapist, and what is now left of her broken-up family. And please--do not try this again.