Bush pauses to comfort teen

'This girl lost her mom in the World Trade Center on 9-11'

By Kristina Goetz
The Cincinnati Enquirer


During his visit to the Golden Lamb Inn in Lebanon, President Bush stops to hug Ashley Faulkner, who lost her mom in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Photo by Lynn Faulkner
In a moment largely unnoticed by the throngs of people in Lebanon waiting for autographs from the president of the United States, George W. Bush stopped to hold a teenager's head close to his heart.

Lynn Faulkner, his daughter, Ashley, and their neighbor, Linda Prince, eagerly waited to shake the president's hand Tuesday at the Golden Lamb Inn. He worked the line at a steady campaign pace, smiling, nodding and signing autographs until Prince spoke:

"This girl lost her mom in the World Trade Center on 9-11."

Bush stopped and turned back.

"He changed from being the leader of the free world to being a father, a husband and a man," Faulkner said. "He looked right at her and said, 'How are you doing?' He reached out with his hand and pulled her into his chest."

Faulkner snapped one frame with his camera.

"I could hear her say, 'I'm OK,' " he said. "That's more emotion than she has shown in 21/2 years. Then he said, 'I can see you have a father who loves you very much.' "

"And I said, 'I do, Mr. President, but I miss her mother every day.' It was a special moment."

Special for Lynn Faulkner because the Golden Lamb was the place he and his wife, Wendy Faulkner, celebrated their anniversary every year until she died in the south tower of the World Trade Center, where she had traveled for business.

The day was also special for Ashley, a 15-year-old Mason High School student, because the visit was reminiscent of a trip she took four years ago with her mother and Prince. They spent all afternoon in the rain waiting to see Bush on the campaign trail. Ashley remembers holding her mother's hand, eating Triscuits she packed and bringing along a book in case she got bored.

But this time was different. She understood what the president was saying, and she got close enough to see him face to face.

"The way he was holding me, with my head against his chest, it felt like he was trying to protect me," Ashley said. "I thought, 'Here is the most powerful guy in the world, and he wants to make sure I'm safe.' I definitely had a couple of tears in my eyes, which is pretty unusual for me."

The photo has been circulating across the country, Faulkner said. Relatives have passed it on to friends, bosses and acquaintances. As they tell the story, they also share in Wendy Faulkner's legacy, which her family continues through the Wendy Faulkner Memorial Children's Foundation.

"I'm a pretty cynical and jaded guy at this point in my life," Faulkner said of the moment with the president. "But this was the real deal. I was really impressed. It was genuine and from the heart."

I love it when things on the net get screwed up. Like the caption on for the pic above. I mean come on, doesn't anyone check these things out before posting them for the world to see and laught at? Maybe it wouldn't be so funny to me if it was an amiture page... kinda like this here InabeanBlog, but it's not.

More Later

Being Ted Rall

Also, here is a link to the Cox & Forkum main page.

Groovy! Now I can give someone the gift of Gmail! Who wants to join the New World Order with me?

Is Natalie Portman really a vegetarian? This page says so! How disappointing. How depressing. How (fill in the blank). I guess I'm going to have to find a new hollywood hottie that I don't stand a chance with. I gots to have a girl who eats mean. That's probably why I prefer real girls, my friends for example, to surgically enhanced unrealistic beautiful people. Never-the-less Natalie Portman is still quite good looking. But looks will go away, so any kind of permanent relationship should never be base only on or even mostly on looks.

********** We interrupt This Blathering Blog Post To Bring The following Breaking News!************
I just ran the blogger.com spell checker... and it found a mistake... "that'd" which it suggested should be "teat" When really what I meant was "that's"
********** Now back to your regularly scheduled blathering*********

...What was I droning on about before I was so rudely interrupted? Oh yeah, real girls are better than the hollywood hotties we see on tv and in the movies.

********** We interrupt This Blathering Blog Post To Bring The following Breaking News!************
Blogger.com's very own spell checker doesn't reconize the work "blog"
********** Now back to your regularly scheduled blathering*********

Ted Rall, why do you hate American Heros? Why do you hate Pat Tillman? Is it because he was more famous than you when he joined the Army to defend your freedom to draw political cartoons? Or was it the fact that he passed up an opportunity to make more money than you ever will to simply to something he thought was the right thing to do? Or do you simply hate all American soldiers? If that's true, you really should meet my Dad before passing judgment on him. Ted Rall, remember this: American soldiers have died for you in the past, American soldiers will die for to today and American soldiers will die for you in the future. You might want to honor and respect that. Or do you cling to your political views too tightly to see something bigger?

I got my jeep stuck in a ditch today. It was quite interesting. Not even 4wheel drive could get me out! Boy did I feel dumb and somewhat embarrased... espically because I probably didn't make such a good impression on the girls at the place I was going. Oh well. If I had known I was going to slide into the mud pit, I mean ditch, I would not have tried to park there. But I didn't know, so in I went. I'll see if I can get some pics up sometime. I felt bad, I didn't mean to steal all the attention away from my friend at her college graduation open house.

I want a job where I can work the day shift (and still pay the bills) so I can learn to swing dance and stretch out of my comfort zone and try taking girls out.

I want to buy a Nikon D70.

I know this is really asking a lot, but, I want the Royals to win more often!

I want you to be blessed by God and have an awesome day or night or whatever it is when you read this.

Someone using WebTV went to my webpage looking for "hot boobies." Boy I bet they were dissapointed when they got there!!

The Happy Happy Birthday Song
--------------
by The Arrogant Worms

Once a year we celebrate
With stupid hats and plastic plates
The fact that you were able to make
Another trip around the sun

And the whole clan gathers round
And gifts and laughter do abound
And we let out a joyful sound
And sing that stupid song

Happy birthday!
Now you're one year older!
Happy birthday!
Your life still isn't over!
Happy birthday!
You did not accomplish much
But you didn't die this year
I guess that's good enough

So let's drink to your fading health
And hope you don't remind yourself
The chance of finding fame and wealth
Decrease with every year

Does it feel like you're doing laps
And eating food and taking naps
And hoping that someday perhaps
Your life will hold some cheer

Happy birthday!
What have you done that matters?
Happy birthday!
You're starting to get fatter
Happy birthday!
It's downhill from now on
Try not to remind yourself
Your best years are all gone

If cryogenics were all free
Then you could live like Walt Disney
And live for all eternity
Inside a block of ice

But instead your time is set
This is the only life you get
And though it hasn't ended yet
Sometimes you wish it might

Happy birthday!
You wish you had more money
Happy birthday!
Your life's so sad it's funny
Happy birthday!
How much more can you take?
But your friends are hungry
So just cut the stupid cake

Happy birthday!
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday, dear...
(random calling out of names, including Ralph, Bill, Ralph Kramden,
Skippy, the bush kangaroo, and the b-b-b-b-b-bu-bu-bu- that leads into
"Dangerous")

Happy Birthday
--------------
by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!

Well it's time to celebrate your birthday,
It happens every year.
We'll eat a lot of broccoli, and drink a lot of beer.
You should be good and happy that there's somethin' you can eat.
A million people every day are starvin' in the street.
Your daddy's in the gutter with the wretched and the poor.
Your mama's in the kitchen with a can of Cycle Four.
There's garbage in the water,
There's poison in the sky.
I guess it won't be long before we're all gonna die!

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!

Well, what's the matter, little friend, you think this party is the pits?
Enjoy it while you can.
We'll soon be blown to bits!
The monkeys in the Pentagon are gonna cook our goose.
Their finger's on the button, all they need is an excuse.
It doesn't take a military genius to see
We'll all be Crispy Critters after World War III.
There's nowhere you can run to,
Nowhere you can hide.
When they drop the big one,
We all get fried.

Come on, boys and girls, sing along, okay?

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!

Well, there's a punk in the alley, and he's lookin' for a fight.
There's an Arab on the corner buyin' everything in sight.
There's a mother in the ghetto with another mouth to feed.
Seems that everywhere you look today, there's misery and greed.
I guess you know the Earth is gonna crash into the sun,
But that's no reason why we shouldn't have a little fun.
So if you think it's scary, if it's more than you can take,
Just blow out the candles,
And have a piece of cake.

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!

(wow!)

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!

And a pinch to grow an inch!