Subject: What It Boils Down Too
> >
> >
> >. Zell Miller's (D GA) Senate Speech
> >
> > Don't know if you are familiar with the past governor of Georgia,
Zell
> >Miller, who is now Georgia's junior senator in Washington or not. By
the
> >way
> >- he is a democrat. I thought this article in the paper was very
apropos.
> >
> > Zell Miller knows how to boil things down to the basics. That's
what
> >Georgia's junior senator did Thursday when he explained why it's
important
> >that Saddam Hussein be defanged. But he's also a good storyteller.
Here's
> >the text of Mr. Miller's remarks, made on the Senate floor about the
need
> >to
> >help President Bush deal with Iraq. We couldn't say it any better.
> >
> > "Mr. President, I have signed on as an original co-sponsor of the
Iraq
> >resolution, and I'd like to tell you a story about why I think it is
the
> >right path to take:
> >
> > A few weeks ago, we were doing some work on my back porch back
home,
> >tearing out a section of old stacked rocks, when all of a sudden I
> >uncovered a nest of copperhead snakes.
> >
> > Now, I'm not one to get alarmed at snakes. I know they perform
some
> >useful
> >functions, like eating rats. And when I was a young lad, I kept
snakes
as
> >pets. I had an indigo snake, a bull snake, a corn snake and many
others.
I
> >must have had a dozen king snakes at one time or another. They
make
> >great
> >pets and you only had to feed them a mouse every 30 days.
> >
> > I read all the books by Raymond C. Ditmars, who was the foremost
> >herpetologist of his day. That's an expert on snakes. For a while, I
> >wanted to be a herpetologist, but the pull of being a big-league
> >shortstop
outran
> >that childhood dream.
> >
> > I reminisce this way to explain that snakes don't scare me like
they
do
> >some people. And I guess the reason is that I know the difference
between
> >those that are harmless and those that will kill you. In fact, I bet
I
may
> >be the only senator in this body who can look at the last three
inches
> >of
> >a snake's tail and tell you whether it's poisonous or not. I can
also
tell
> >the sex of a snake, but that's another story.
> >
> > A copperhead will kill you. It could kill one of my dogs. It could
kill
> >one of my grandchildren. It could kill any of my four great
grandchildren.
> >They play all the time where I found these killers. And you know,
when I
> >discovered these copperheads, I didn't call my wife Shirley and ask
her
> >advice, like I do on most things. I didn't yell for help from my
neighbors
> >or take it to the city council. I just took a hoe and knocked them
in
the
> >head and killed them. Dead as a doorknob.
> >
> > I guess you could call it a unilateral action. Or pre-emptive or
even
> >bellicose and reactive. I took their poisonous heads off because
they
were
> >a
> >threat to me. And they were a threat to my home and my family. They
were
a
> >threat to all I hold dear.
> >
> > And isn't that what this is all about?"
> >
> >
> >. Zell Miller's (D GA) Senate Speech
> >
> > Don't know if you are familiar with the past governor of Georgia,
Zell
> >Miller, who is now Georgia's junior senator in Washington or not. By
the
> >way
> >- he is a democrat. I thought this article in the paper was very
apropos.
> >
> > Zell Miller knows how to boil things down to the basics. That's
what
> >Georgia's junior senator did Thursday when he explained why it's
important
> >that Saddam Hussein be defanged. But he's also a good storyteller.
Here's
> >the text of Mr. Miller's remarks, made on the Senate floor about the
need
> >to
> >help President Bush deal with Iraq. We couldn't say it any better.
> >
> > "Mr. President, I have signed on as an original co-sponsor of the
Iraq
> >resolution, and I'd like to tell you a story about why I think it is
the
> >right path to take:
> >
> > A few weeks ago, we were doing some work on my back porch back
home,
> >tearing out a section of old stacked rocks, when all of a sudden I
> >uncovered a nest of copperhead snakes.
> >
> > Now, I'm not one to get alarmed at snakes. I know they perform
some
> >useful
> >functions, like eating rats. And when I was a young lad, I kept
snakes
as
> >pets. I had an indigo snake, a bull snake, a corn snake and many
others.
I
> >must have had a dozen king snakes at one time or another. They
make
> >great
> >pets and you only had to feed them a mouse every 30 days.
> >
> > I read all the books by Raymond C. Ditmars, who was the foremost
> >herpetologist of his day. That's an expert on snakes. For a while, I
> >wanted to be a herpetologist, but the pull of being a big-league
> >shortstop
outran
> >that childhood dream.
> >
> > I reminisce this way to explain that snakes don't scare me like
they
do
> >some people. And I guess the reason is that I know the difference
between
> >those that are harmless and those that will kill you. In fact, I bet
I
may
> >be the only senator in this body who can look at the last three
inches
> >of
> >a snake's tail and tell you whether it's poisonous or not. I can
also
tell
> >the sex of a snake, but that's another story.
> >
> > A copperhead will kill you. It could kill one of my dogs. It could
kill
> >one of my grandchildren. It could kill any of my four great
grandchildren.
> >They play all the time where I found these killers. And you know,
when I
> >discovered these copperheads, I didn't call my wife Shirley and ask
her
> >advice, like I do on most things. I didn't yell for help from my
neighbors
> >or take it to the city council. I just took a hoe and knocked them
in
the
> >head and killed them. Dead as a doorknob.
> >
> > I guess you could call it a unilateral action. Or pre-emptive or
even
> >bellicose and reactive. I took their poisonous heads off because
they
were
> >a
> >threat to me. And they were a threat to my home and my family. They
were
a
> >threat to all I hold dear.
> >
> > And isn't that what this is all about?"
