VOLUME No: 47 Issue No: 3

Washington, D.C. March 21, 2003

War in Iraq Begins

Late Wednesday night President Bush relayed to the world that the war to disarm Iraq has begun. The address came minutes after a missile attack targeting the leadership of Iraq in Baghdad. Just two hours after the deadline given to President Saddam Hussein and his sons to leave Iraq and save the country from military force, three dozen cruise missiles were launched to strike areas where the leadership of Iraq was said to have been gathering according to fresh intelligence.

Several Muslim countries are allowing US military forces to not only use their airspace but to base troops as well. Qatar has played a major role in allowing a creation of a base and the Marines head quarters is based in Bahrain. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have gone further by providing ground troops to assist in the disarmament. Jordan and Saudi Arabia are also allowing the use of their bases and Turkey has just authorized the use of their airspace for allied forces to use.

Thursday afternoon the US First Marine Expeditionary Forces began their push into Iraq, launching the first phase of the ground war. There are more than 10,000 brave American Muslims among the US military serving our nation. We pray for the safe return of all our troops and the safety of all the innocent Iraqi civilians who have been victimized by the Saddam regime for the last 30 years.

Oil Exploration in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge Defeated

Senate Republicans were defeated yesterday on a vote to allow oil drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer of California offered an amendment to the 2004 budget that passed the floor by a 52-48 vote. This Amendment eliminated permission for oil exploration in ANWR. This development angered Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska who has been fighting to allow drilling in ANWR. Senate Republicans have another chance to revisit the issue when the Energy and Commerce Committee examines a bill in April. Although, Republicans could add funding for drilling in ANWR in that bill, Republican Sen. Pete Domenici said that “This was our best shot” referring to allocating funds from the 2004 budget.

House Passes Stringent Bankruptcy Bill

The House passed a measure today by an overwhelming margin 315-113 that makes it more difficult for people to eliminate their debts by filing for bankruptcy. This measure was passed to stop abuse of the bankruptcy system, but opponents say it was flawed, and it could hit some people very hard in this troubled economy. The bill has been stalled in Congress for years and its fate in the Senate is unknown. This bill nearly passed congress last November, but was stopped by anti-abortion supporters. The original bill had a provision that prevented abortion protesters from filing bankruptcy to avoid court fines, for blocking entrance into abortion clinics. The current bill does not have that provision in it, but Senate Democrat Charles Schumer of New York has implied that he will try to attach the provision to the bill in the Senate.