Columbus Mennonite Church is planning a second blanket drive to help replace the Mennonite Central Committee blanket stock after 68,000 were sent by MCC in response to the December 26th earthquake in Bam, Iran.  MCC has also suggested a donation of $20 per donor to help with shipping and ongoing relief and rehabilitation efforts. The deadline for this drive is  Sunday, March 28th.  Those wishing to donate should provide new winter-weight, twin blankets (dark colors are preferred). Please make your donation/check out to "MCC" and write "blankets for Iran" in the memo line. For more information, contact Karen Metzler at (740) 774-4622 or kmetzler@mcc.org. or Fred Suter at (614) 895-7345 or fdsuter@aol.com.

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." - President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." - President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998

"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." - Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983" S - Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998

"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of

AUSTIN, Texas -- Gosh, we are having such a swell time here in Texas. For starters, once again the speaker of the Texas House is under investigation by a grand jury. We're so proud. We have nothing against this guy personally, we're just rooting for an indictment as a matter of Texas tradition. This would make five out of the last six House speakers indicted for one thing or another, and you must admit, that's some record.

            (As a matter of strict accuracy, I should note that there was one speaker in there who was not indicted, but rather was shot to death by his wife. However, she was indicted -- although not convicted, because in Texas we recognize public service when we see it.)

What would happen if Libertarian candidates got the same type of training as the big parties and enough money to get out their message? Ohio is about to find out.

The Libertarian Party of Ohio hired Robert Butler as executive director, and he started work last Monday, March 1st. He's had experience fundraising for the Republican National Committee and the Libertarian Party of Indiana. He's also run his own businesses in Taiwan and most recently, an English-language school near Cancun, Mexico.

Butler anticipates the inevitable question: "You left sunny Cancun for Ohio? Willingly?"

"There's just one reason I'm here in Ohio, and that's to help more Libertarians win their races. The Libertarian Party is the future of America, and only the Libertarian Party has the solution for the new economy and the new world we live in," Butler said.

When Butler lived abroad, he learned an uncomfortable truth: It?s often easier to start a new business in countries such as Taiwan and Mexico than in the United States.

"We have such a high burden of regulations," Butler said. "Small