President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate three individuals and appoint seventeen individuals to serve in his Administration:
The President intends to nominate Alexander A. Karsner, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary of Energy (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy). Mr. Karsner currently serves as Managing Director for Enercorp, LLC. Prior to this, he served as Director of Development & Senior Development Manager for Wartsila Power Development & Wartsila Diesel Development Ltd. He also served as Chief of Staff for the Honorable Moses Cheng Mo-Chi, former Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Earlier in his career, Mr. Karsner served as International Project Director for Tondu Energy Systems. Mr. Karsner received his bachelor's degree from Rice University and his master's degree from Hong Kong University.
The President intends to nominate Donald R. DePriest, of Mississippi, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority, for a term to expire on May 18, 2009.
The President intends to nominate Vince J. Juaristi, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service, for the remainder of a five year term expiring February 8, 2009.
The President intends to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, for two-year terms:
V. Jay Allen of Arkansas, Stephen A. Baldwin of New York, Jean M. Case of Virginia, Gerald Colangelo of Arizona, Evern D. Cooper of Georgia, Myrka DeLlanos of Pennsylvania, Hilary E. Duff of Texas, Patricia H. Heaton of California, Kasey K. Kahne of Washington, Arthur G. Linkletter of California, Mary J. Myers of Virginia, Corinne B. Roberts of Louisiana, Michael W. Smith of Tennessee, Wendy M. Spencer of Florida, Roxanne Spillett of Georgia, Hope Taft of Ohio, Charles P. Turlinski of Ohio.
# # # For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, December 21, 2005, Personnel Announcement
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Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Presidentto nominate three, appoint seventeen 12/28/05
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President to nominate three, appoint two, designate one
President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate three individuals, appoint two individuals and designate one individual to serve in his Administration:
The President intends to nominate James I. Finley, of Minnesota, to be Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology. Mr. Finley currently serves as President of The Finley Group, LLC, a consulting company he formed in 2002. Prior to this, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of SMARTSKIN, Inc. Mr. Finley has served in a managerial capacity for General Electric, Singer, Lear Siegler, United Technologies and General Dynamics, where he was a Corporate Officer, President of Information Systems and Chair of the Business Development Council. Mr. Finley received his bachelor's degree from the Milwaukee School of Engineering and his master's degree from California State University.
The President intends to nominate Sharee M. Freeman, of Virginia, to be Director of Community Relations Service at the Department of Justice, for a term of four years. Since November, Ms. Freeman has served as Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. Previously, she served a four year term at the Department of Justice as the Director of Community Relations Service. Prior to this, she served as Counsel for the House International Relations Committee and Legislative Counsel for Chairman Henry J. Hyde's congressional office. She also served as Full Committee Counsel for the House Committee on the Judiciary. Earlier in her career, Ms. Freeman served in various capacities at the Department of the Interior, such as an attorney and Acting Assistant Solicitor for General Indian Legal Activities. Ms. Freeman received her bachelor's degree from Saint Lawrence University and her JD from Georgetown University.
The President intends to nominate Stephen Goldsmith, of Indiana, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service, for the remainder of a five-year term expiring October 6, 2010.
The President intends to appoint Rodney R. McInnis, of California, to be a Member of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (Department of Commerce, National Maritime Fisheries, NOAA Member).
The President intends to appoint Charles S. Robb, of Virginia, to be a Member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, for a two-year term.
The President intends to designate Sharee M. Freeman, of Virginia, to be Acting Director of the Community Relations Service at the Department of Justice.
# # # For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, December 19, 2005, Personnel Announcement
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Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Encouraging Peace in Sri Lanka
Encouraging Peace in Sri Lanka
On December 24, representatives of the Co-Chairs of the Sri Lanka Donors Group, from Japan, the European Community, Norway and the United Kingdom met with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam leaders in Kilinocchi, Sri Lanka to urge an immediate end to violence and to encourage them to engage positively with the government in peace talks. The United States, also one of the Co-Chairs, reiterates this message in the strongest possible terms. We are deeply concerned about the continued erosion of Sri Lanka’s four-year old ceasefire as marked by the recent series of violent incidents.
The United States recognizes that a lasting peace in Sri Lanka can only be achieved by Sri Lankans. We call on both sides to embrace peace and work together to build a future for Sri Lanka that is prosperous and secure.
2005/1214, Released on December 27, 2005 Press Statement, Adam Ereli, Deputy Spokesman, Washington, DC, December 27, 2005
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Egyptian Politician Ayman Nour
Statement on Conviction of Egyptian Politician Ayman Nour
The United States is deeply troubled by the conviction today of Egyptian politician Ayman Nour by an Egyptian court. The conviction of Mr. Nour, the runner-up in Egypt's 2005 presidential elections, calls into question Egypt's commitment to democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. We are also disturbed by reports that Mr. Nour's health has seriously declined due to the hunger strike on which he has embarked in protest of the conditions of his trial and detention.
The United States calls upon the Egyptian government to act under the laws of Egypt in the spirit of its professed desire for increased political openness and dialogue within Egyptian society, and out of humanitarian concern, to release Mr. Nour from detention.
# # # For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, December 24, 2005
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Monday, December 26, 2005
Indian Ocean tsunami A year later
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
One year ago, an earthquake off the island of Sumatra caused a violent tsunami. The tsunami swept across the Indian Ocean and caused enormous destruction from Asia to the Horn of Africa. More than 200,000 men, women, and children lost their lives, and entire villages were destroyed. A year later, we remember those days of sorrow, and we also recall acts of courage and kindness as America and many other nations rallied to help those in need and provide urgent relief. Our Nation is proud of the efforts and generosity of our Armed Services, relief professionals, volunteers, and all those who made contributions to the relief effort. We remain committed to helping the citizens of affected nations rebuild their economies, communities, and lives. At this time of remembrance, the thoughts and prayers of the American people are with those who suffered from this tragedy. May God comfort all those affected by the tsunami and give them strength in the years ahead.
# # # For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, December 26, 2005, Statement by the President
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Sunday, December 25, 2005
Why Christmas trees are not extinct
Why Christmas trees are not extinct, University of Utah study suggests why conifers did not die of thirst long ago. University of Utah
 | Conifer trees such these in Utah's Wasatch Range dominate many of Earth's temperate forests despite an internal plumbing problem: very short 'pipes' that carry water up from the roots. |
Conifers such as Christmas trees suffer a severe plumbing problem. The "pipes" that carry water through firs, pines and other conifers are 10 times shorter than those in flowering trees. But a University of Utah study suggests why conifers not only survive but thrive: efficient microscopic valves let water flow through conifers about as easily as it flows through other trees.
"When you are sitting around and admiring your Christmas tree, consider that it owes its existence in part to this clever microscopic valve," says John Sperry, a University of Utah biology professor who led the research team. "Without these valves, conifers could be much less common than they are, and conceivably their survival might be marginal."
The journal Science is publishing the study Dec. 23, two days before Christmas.
Sperry says that if conifers had not evolved easy-flow valves to make up for the short length of their water pipes or conduits, "it is doubtful they could hold their own with angiosperms [flowering trees] in today's forests. It's doubtful they would dominate whole regions of North America."
While scientists cannot really know if conifers might have gone extinct without their efficient type of water valve, "what this study shows is that without this valve, it would be 38 times harder for conifers to take up water, which would put them at a serious disadvantage in competition with flowering trees in temperate forests," says Sperry.
The study was part of a University of Utah doctoral thesis by Jarmila Pitterman, now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. She and Sperry conducted the study with other University of Utah biologists: Uwe Hacke, a research assistant professor; lab technician James Wheeler, who has since left for graduate school at Harvard University; and Elzard Sikkema, an undergraduate.
The Plumbing System of Trees
The numerous parallel "pipes" that carry water upward through the woody trunks of evergreen coniferous trees are single-celled conduits called "tracheids" and are only a few millimeters long (about one eighth of an inch). In flowering trees, the pipes are multicellular conduits called vessels and are 10 times longer, or a few centimeters long (more than one inch).
As a result, water moving up through an evergreen must pass through 10 times as many valves (known technically as "pits") as water moving up through the trunk of other trees. Sperry said that should be a severe handicap for conifers in competing against flowering trees for water.
Yet conifers thrive, and they dominate forests in many regions of Earth. Hacke says the planet's tallest trees are conifers: redwoods and sequoias. So are the oldest trees, bristlecone pines. So how did conifers overcome the handicap of short pipes?
Scientists already knew that the valves between water pipes or conduits are far different in conifers than in angiosperms, or flowering trees, but they did not know how that difference affected water flow. In the new study, the biologists measured water flow through twigs from 18 species of conifers and 29 species of angiosperms.
Conifers studied included Douglas fir, subalpine fir, white fir, lodgepole pine, various spruces, Utah juniper, Rocky Mountain juniper, redwoods, bald cypress and conifers known as podocarps and araucarias from New Zealand and New Caledonia.
Angiosperms included oaks, willows, ash, various maples, hickory, mulberry, creosote bushes, manzanita, serviceberry, mountain mahogany, grapevine and others.
The researchers connected both ends of each twig to plastic tubing, used an elevated reservoir's gravity to force water into one end of each twig, and then used an electronic balance to weigh water dripping out the other end. Then, based on the number of conduits and valves in twigs and their known dimensions, the biologists calculated the resistance to water flow of both the conduits and the valves.
The scientists found that for conduits of the same diameter, resistance to water flow in conifers was only 1.2 times greater than in flowering trees – essentially the same. Sperry calls that "remarkable." And water flow actually was better in conifers than in flowering trees in terms of resistance to flow per unit area of wood.
The pits or valves that connect the water conduits in trees not only carry water up trees from the roots, but also prevent air from entering the conduits and killing trees.
The Structure of Water Valves in Trees
Sperry says the range of conduit diameters vary but overlap for conifers and flowering trees. The conduits or tracheids in conifers range from 10 to 50 microns (millionths of a meter) in diameter, while the conduits or vessels in flowering trees range from 15 to 110 microns.
The valves are in "end walls" at both ends of water conduits. In conifers, there are about 25 to 50 valves at each end of a conduit; in flowering trees there are many more.
These valves are disk-shaped membranes. In flowering trees, the membranes are homogenous, with water seeping through microscopic pores. But in conifers, the valve membranes have what is known as "torus-margo" structure that resembles a bird's-eye-view of a circular trampoline.
"It's like a trampoline in that the torus is the mat, and the margo represents the supporting springs with holes between them," Sperry says. "The margo holds the torus in place just like springs hold the trampoline in place."
Water cannot pass through the central torus, but easily flows through the margo pores, which are about 100 times larger than the pore in flowering tree valves – on the scale of one 10-millionth of a meter versus one billionth of a meter.
The bottom line is that conifers have shorter conduits and fewer valves, both of which would increase resistance to water flow, "but they compensate for that because each individual valve is so much more efficient," Sperry says. "The flow resistance through a valve of a given size is 59 times lower in a Christmas tree than in an oak tree."
Flowering trees have longer, more efficient conduits, but less efficient valves.
Evolution Produces Two Ways to Water a Tree
Sperry says conifers and flowering trees evolved with "two solutions to the same problem."
Conifers, which arose more than 280 million years ago, have primitive conduits that are short and inefficient and evolved in some of the oldest plants some 400 million years ago. The highly efficient, torus-margo valves evolved in conifers and their relatives no later than 220 million years ago, Sperry says.
Flowering plants evolved at least 146 million years ago and retained inefficient valves that first appeared some 400 million years ago in ferns, cycads and other primitive plants. But flowering plants evolved longer conduits to get around the problem.
"The evolution of the specialized valve and the specialized conduit are both ways of achieving more efficient water transport within a tree," for conifers and flowering trees, respectively, Sperry says.
He says that as angiosperms evolved and competed with conifers for water, "it is quite possible that if conifers hadn't evolved this efficient valve, they wouldn't have been as conspicuous an element of today's forests. Being at such a tremendous disadvantage in the competition for water, it is unlikely they would be such a dominant element in modern forests." ###
Contact: John Sperry professor of biology sperry@biology.utah.edu office: 801-585-0379 lab: 801-585-0381
Lee Siegel science news specialistUniversity of Utah Public Relations leesiegel@ucomm.utah.edu office: 801-581-8993 cellular: 801-244-5399
University of Utah Public Relations201 S Presidents Circle, Room 308Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-9017(801) 581-6773 fax: 585-3350 www.utah.edu/unews
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The Cosmic Christmas Ghost
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| [HiRes - 978k] | [HiRes - 836k] |
ESO PR Photo 42a/05 shows the area surrounding the stellar cluster NGC 2467, located in the southern constellation of Puppis ("The Stern"). With an age of a few million years at most, it is a very active stellar nursery, where new stars are born continuously from large clouds of dust and gas.
The image, looking like a colourful cosmic ghost or a gigantic celestial Mandrill [1] , contains the open clusters Haffner 18 (centre) and Haffner 19 (middle right: it is located inside the smaller pink region - the lower eye of the Mandrill), as well as vast areas of ionised gas.
The bright star at the centre of the largest pink region on the bottom of the image is HD 64315, a massive young star that is helping shaping the structure of the whole nebular region.
ESO PR Photo 42a/05 was taken with the Wide-Field Imager camera at the 2.2m MPG/ESO telescope located at La Silla, in Chile.
Another image of the central part of this area is shown as ESO PR Photo 42b/05. It was obtained with the FORS2 instrument at ESO's Very Large Telescope on Cerro Paranal, also in Chile.
ESO PR Photo 42b/05 zooms in on the open stellar cluster Haffner 18, perfectly illustrating three different stages of this process of star formation: In the centre of the picture, Haffner 18, a group of mature stars that have already dispersed their birth nebulae, represents the completed product or immediate past of the star formation process. Located at the bottom left of this cluster, a very young star, just come into existence and, still surrounded by its birth cocoon of gas, provides insight into the very present of star birth. Finally, the dust clouds towards the right corner of the image are active stellar nurseries that will produce more new stars in the future.
Haffner 18 contains about 50 stars, among which several short lived, massive ones. The massive star still surrounded by a small, dense shell of hydrogen, has the rather cryptic name of FM3060a. The shell is about 2.5 light-years wide and expands at a speed of 20 km/s. It must have been created some 40,000 years ago. The cluster is between 25,000 and 30,000 light-years away from us [2].
Technical information: ESO PR Photo 42a/05 is based on images obtained with the WFI instrument on the ESO/MPG 2.2-m telescope for Rubio/Minniti/Barba/Mendez on December, 2003. The 49 observations were done in six different filters : U (2 hour exposure) B, OIII, V, H-alpha and R (1 hour exposure each). The data were extracted from the ESO Science Archive. The raw observations were reduced and combined by Benoît Vandame (ESO). The final image is based on the data from the U, OIII and H-alpha filters. North is right and East is to the top. The field of view is about 30x30 arcmin. ESO PR Photo 42a/05 is a colour-composite image obtained with the FORS2 multi-mode instrument on Kueyen, the second Unit Telescope of the Very Large Telescope. The data was collected during the commissioning of the instrument in February 2000, through 4 filters: B, V, R and I, for a total exposure time of only 11 minutes. The observations were extracted from the ESO Science Archive and reduced by Henri Boffin (ESO). North is above and East is to the left. Final processing of ESO PR Photo 42a/05 and 42b/05 was done by Kristina Boneva and Haennes Heyer (ESO).
Notes
[1]: NGC 2467 is also sometimes referred as the "Skull and Crossbones".
[2]: A study of the cluster Haffner 18 is presented in Moreno-Corral et al. (2005), Rev. Mex. A&A 41, 69 and in Munari et al. (1998), MNRAS 297, 867. ESO Media Contacts are on the Public Affairs Dept. Contact page.
National contacts for the media:
Belgium - Dr. Rodrigo Alvarez +32-2-474 70 50 rodrigo.alvarez@oma.be
Finland - Ms. Terhi Loukiainen +358 9 7748 8385 terhi.loukiainen@aka.fi
Denmark - Dr. Michael Linden-Vørnle +45-33-18 19 97 mykal@tycho.dk
France - Dr. Daniel Kunth +33-1-44 32 80 85 kunth@iap.fr
Germany - Dr. Jakob Staude +49-6221-528229 staude@mpia.de
Italy - Prof. Massimo Capaccioli +39-081-55 75 511 capaccioli@na.astro.it
The Netherlands - Ms. Marieke Baan +31-20-525 74 80 mbaan@science.uva.nl
Portugal - Prof. Teresa Lago +351-22-089 833 mtlago@astro.up.pt
Sweden - Dr. Jesper Sollerman +46-8-55 37 85 54 jesper@astro.su.se
Switzerland - Dr. Martin Steinacher +41-31-324 23 82 martin.steinacher@sbf.admin.ch
United Kingdom - Mr. Peter Barratt +44-1793-44 20 25 Peter.Barratt@pparc.ac.uk
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Saturday, December 24, 2005
How Does NORAD Track Santa? (REPOST)
 tracking santa | NORAD uses four high-tech systems to track Santa - radar, satellites, Santa Cams and jet fighter aircraft. |
| It all starts with the NORAD radar system called the North Warning System. This powerful radar system has 47 installations strung across Canada's North and Alaska. NORAD makes a point of checking the radar closely for indications of Santa Claus leaving the North Pole on Christmas Eve. |  santa tracking |
When a rocket or missile is launched, a tremendous amount of heat is produced - enough for the satellites to see them. Rudolph's nose gives off an infrared signature similar to a missile launch. The satellites can detect Rudolph's bright red nose with practically no problem. With so many years of experience, NORAD has become good at tracking aircraft entering North America, detecting worldwide missile launches and tracking the progress of Santa, thanks to Rudolph. It is important to note, however, that our scientists have tried to determine the chemical process that occurs that creates the heat that is generated by Rudolph's nose but they have not been able to thus far.
The third system we use is the Santa Cam. We began using it in 1998 - the year we put our Santa Tracking program on the Internet. NORAD Santa Cams are ultra-cool high-tech high-speed digital cameras that are pre-positioned at many places around the world. NORAD only uses these cameras once a year - Christmas Eve. We turn the cameras on about one hour before Santa enters a country then switch them off after we capture images of him and the Reindeer. We immediately download the images on to our web site for people around the world see. Santa Cams produce both video and still images.
The last system we use is the NORAD jet fighter. Canadian NORAD fighter pilots, flying the CF-18, take off out of Newfoundland to intercept and welcome Santa to North America. Then at numerous locations in Canada other CF-18 fighter pilots escort Santa, while in the United States American NORAD fighter pilots in either the F-15 or F-16 get the thrill of flying with Santa and the famous Reindeer Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph. About a dozen NORAD fighters in Canada and the United States are equipped with Santa Cams complete list of santa cams world wide
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Kris Kringle Signs Open Skies Agreement
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta And North Pole’s Kris Kringle Sign Open Skies Agreement
Agreement Gives Santa Greater Access to Rooftops of Good Kids Everywhere
Just in time for Christmas, Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta and the North Pole’s Kris Kringle, a.k.a. Santa Claus, signed an Open Skies aviation agreement in Washington, D.C. today, giving Santa and his team of reindeer greater access to the rooftops of good kids everywhere.
For years, Santa had been required to make an annual request to the Secretary of Transportation for a special flight certificate in order to deliver his Christmas goodies. With this new agreement, it will be easier for Santa to finish his job all in one night.
“Santa can now focus on making his list and checking it twice, without the hassle of government paperwork,” said Secretary Mineta. “Thanks to this agreement, the only time he needs to worry about Red Tape is if he wants to use it to wrap presents.”
The Open Skies agreement signed by Secretary Mineta and Santa Claus noted Santa’s safe and efficient toy delivery operation that enables him to bring joy to millions of children in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and all U.S. territories, all without impact to air traffic carrying travelers to their holiday destinations.
“Now it’s just HO HO HO and off I go,” exclaimed the Jolly Old Elf. “The reindeer and I look forward to checking this item off of our list for good,” he said.
Mineta said the decision was helped by a flood of public comments offered by Santa advocates from all over the nation. Thousands of letters were sent to the Department of Transportation and to the North Pole encouraging each party to complete these important negotiations before Santa’s yearly trip, he said.
“Santa’s Elves are tough negotiators,” Mineta noted. “But, in the end, we were able to arrive at an agreement that will benefit children of all ages.”
### DOT 184-05, Wednesday, December 21, 2005, Contact: Brian Turmail, Tel.: (202) 366-4570
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Presidential Podcast 12/24/05
Presidential Podcast 12/24/05
Subscribe to Our Odeo Podcast Channel and receive the Presidential Radio Address each week. Featuring real audio amd full text transcript
more at President Bush and White House or Christmas and Christ, or Armed Forces
Related: Keyword Christmas, Thursday, December 08, 2005 A Very Beazley Christmas (VIDEO), Saturday, November 20, 2004 Remarks by the First Lady, Saturday, November 20, 2004 Fact Sheet: White House Holiday Decorations, Monday, November 29, 2004 Laura Bush White House Christmas tree, Thursday, December 02, 2004 White House 2004 Holiday christmas, Friday, December 03, 2004 National Christmas Tree, Friday, December 24, 2004 Presidential Christmas Message, 2004, Saturday, December 25, 2004 How Does NORAD Track Santa?, Saturday, December 25, 2004 barney whitehouse christmas,
Related: Keywords radio address, podxast, Saturday, December 17, 2005 bush radio address 12/17/05 full VIDEO, text transcript, Sunday, December 04, 2005 Presidential Podcast 12/03/05, Saturday, December 03, 2005 bush radio address 12/03/05 full audio, text transcript, November 26, 2005 Presidential Podcast 11/26/05, Saturday, November 26, 2005 bush radio address 11/26/05 full audio, text transcript, Saturday, November 19, 2005 Presidential Podcast 11/19/05, Saturday, November 19, 2005 Freedom Calendar 11/19/05 - 11/26/05, Saturday, November 12, 2005 Presidential Podcast 11/12/05, Saturday, November 12, 2005 bush radio address 11/12/05 full audio, text transcript, Saturday, November 05, 2005 Presidential Podcast 11/05/05, Saturday, November 05, 2005 bush radio address 11/05/05 full audio, text transcript, Saturday, October 29, 2005 bush radio address 10/29/05 full audio, text transcript, Saturday, October 22, 2005 Presidential Podcast 10/22/05, Saturday, October 15, 2005 Presidential Podcast 10/15/05, Saturday, October 08, 2005 bush radio address 10/08/05 full audio, text transcript, Saturday, October 01, 2005 bush radio address 10/01/05 full audio, text transcript, Saturday, September 24, 2005 bush radio address 09/24/05 full audio, text transcript, Saturday, September 17, 2005 bush radio address 09/17/05 full audio, text transcript
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bush radio address 12/24/05 full audio, text transcript
bush radio address 12/24/05 full VIDEO, text transcript PODCAST
President's Radio Address
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. On this Christmas Eve, Laura and I send our best wishes to families across America as you gather in your homes to celebrate the holiday. Christmas is a time of joy and peace, and we hope the holiday season brings all of you happy reunions with families and friends, and time to rest and reflect as you look forward to a new year.
At Christmas, we give thanks for the gift of the birth of Christ, and for the blessings that surround us every day of the year. In this great and prosperous land, we have so much to be thankful for, and Christmas reminds us of our obligation to share these blessings with others. There are many among us who are hurting and require a helping hand. In the new year, I hope Americans will look for ways to volunteer your time and talents where they are needed most. By reaching out to a neighbor in need, we make our nation a more just and compassionate place.
This Christmas, we remember our fellow citizens who suffered from the hurricanes and other disasters that struck our nation this past year. We pray for their strength as they continue to recover and rebuild their lives and their communities.
During the holiday season and throughout the year, we think with pride of the men and women of our Armed Forces, who are keeping our nation safe and defending freedom around the world. In Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, they are protecting our liberty by spreading liberty to others, and all Americans are grateful to our troops for their courage and commitment.
We're also grateful to their families. Staying behind when a family member goes to war is a heavy burden -- and it's particularly hard at Christmas. We pray for our military families; we ask Almighty God to bestow His protection and care on their loved ones as they protect our nation from grave dangers.
We also remember the heroic men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation's freedom. We pray that God will comfort the loved ones they left behind. The sacrifices of these brave troops have rescued millions from lives of tyranny and sorrow, and made America more secure. We will always cherish the memory of each of our fallen servicemen and women, and count it a privilege to be citizens of the country they served.
The times we live in have brought many challenges to our country. And at such times, the story of Christmas brings special comfort and confidence. Christmas reminds us that we can trust in God's promise of peace on Earth and goodwill toward men. On a night more than 2,000 years ago, an angel of the Lord brought good tidings of great joy: the God of Heaven had come to Earth, and He would be with us always.
Thank you for listening, and Merry Christmas.
END For Immediate Release, December 24, 2005
more at President Bush and White House or Christmas and Christ, or Armed Forces
Related: Keyword Christmas, Thursday, December 08, 2005 A Very Beazley Christmas (VIDEO), Saturday, November 20, 2004 Remarks by the First Lady, Saturday, November 20, 2004 Fact Sheet: White House Holiday Decorations, Monday, November 29, 2004 Laura Bush White House Christmas tree, Thursday, December 02, 2004 White House 2004 Holiday christmas, Friday, December 03, 2004 National Christmas Tree, Friday, December 24, 2004 Presidential Christmas Message, 2004, Saturday, December 25, 2004 How Does NORAD Track Santa?, Saturday, December 25, 2004 barney whitehouse christmas,
Related: Keywords radio address, podxast, Saturday, December 17, 2005 bush radio address 12/17/05 full VIDEO, text transcript, Sunday, December 04, 2005 Presidential Podcast 12/03/05, Saturday, December 03, 2005 bush radio address 12/03/05 full audio, text transcript, November 26, 2005 Presidential Podcast 11/26/05, Saturday, November 26, 2005 bush radio address 11/26/05 full audio, text transcript, Saturday, November 19, 2005 Presidential Podcast 11/19/05, Saturday, November 19, 2005 Freedom Calendar 11/19/05 - 11/26/05, Saturday, November 12, 2005 Presidential Podcast 11/12/05, Saturday, November 12, 2005 bush radio address 11/12/05 full audio, text transcript, Saturday, November 05, 2005 Presidential Podcast 11/05/05, Saturday, November 05, 2005 bush radio address 11/05/05 full audio, text transcript, Saturday, October 29, 2005 bush radio address 10/29/05 full audio, text transcript, Saturday, October 22, 2005 Presidential Podcast 10/22/05, Saturday, October 15, 2005 Presidential Podcast 10/15/05, Saturday, October 08, 2005 bush radio address 10/08/05 full audio, text transcript, Saturday, October 01, 2005 bush radio address 10/01/05 full audio, text transcript, Saturday, September 24, 2005 bush radio address 09/24/05 full audio, text transcript, Saturday, September 17, 2005 bush radio address 09/17/05 full audio, text transcript
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Freedom Calendar 12/24/05 - 12/31/05
December 24, 1833, Birth of African-American Republican Joseph Corbin, Arkansas Superintendent of Education (1873-74).
Christmas Day December 25, 1804, Birth of U.S. Rep. George Ashmun (R-MA), anti-slavery activist and Chairman of 1860 Republican National Convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln.
December 26, 1939, Birth of former U.S. Rep. Lynn Martin (R-IL), who as Vice Chair of the Republican Conference was the first Republican woman in a congressional leadership position; later served as Secretary of Labor in the administration of President George H. W. Bush.
December 27, 1910, Birth of African-American physician Aris Allen, Chairman of Maryland Republican Party and Secretary of 1980 Republican National Convention.
December 28, 1973, Banned Russian author and human rights activist Alexander Solzhenitsyn publishes Gulag Archipelago; President Ronald Reagan would quote his undelivered Nobel acceptance speech in national TV address to Soviet Union.
December 29, 1930, Death of Walter Cohen, African-American Republican from New Orleans; served in McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and Coolidge administrations.
December 30, 1842, Birth of Republican U.S. Rep. Josiah Walls, who in 1871 became Florida’s first African-American in Congress.
December 31, 1898, Republican Theodore Roosevelt becomes Governor of New York; in 1900, he outlawed racial segregation in New York public schools.
"The Republican Party, on the contrary [to the Democrats], holds that this government was instituted to secure the blessings of freedom, and that slavery is an unqualified evil… . [Republicans] will oppose in all its length and breadth the modern Democratic idea that slavery is as good as freedom.”
Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States
SOURCE: 2005 Republican Freedom Calendar more at President Bush and Freedom Calendar or Republican and Republicans or African-Americans and Hispanic or right to vote and Civil Rights or Abraham Lincoln
Related: Keywords Freedom Calendar, Saturday, December 17, 2005 Freedom Calendar 12/17/05 - 12/24/05, Saturday, December 10, 2005 Freedom Calendar 12/10/05 - 12/17/05, December 03, 2005 Freedom Calendar 12/03/05 - 12/10/05, Saturday, November 26, 2005 Freedom Calendar 11/26/05 - 12/03/05, Saturday, November 19, 2005 Freedom Calendar 11/19/05 - 11/26/05, Saturday, November 12, 2005 Freedom Calendar 11/12/05 - 11/19/05, Saturday, November 05, 2005 Freedom Calendar 11/05/05 - 11/12/05, Saturday, October 29, 2005 Freedom Calendar 10/29/05 - 11/05/05, Saturday, October 22, 2005 Freedom Calendar 10/22/05 - 10/028/05, Saturday, October 15, 2005 Freedom Calendar 10/15/05 - 10/022/05, Thursday, September 29, 2005 The Opelousas Massacre, Saturday, October 08, 2005 Freedom Calendar 10/08/05 - 10/015/05 , Saturday, October 01, 2005 Freedom Calendar 10/01/05 - 10/08/05, Saturday, September 24, 2005 Freedom Calendar 09/24/05 - 10/01/05, Saturday, September 17, 2005 Freedom Calendar 09/17/05 - 09/24/05, Saturday, September 10, 2005 Freedom Calendar 09/10/05 - 09/17/05
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