Yesterday was Fourth of July, and I wrote a post about how we can help relieve the suffering of the Iraqi people. Due to this post I pondered a great deal last night on the freedoms I currently enjoy here in America.

Whether you are for or against the war in Iraq really means little to me. What is important is our responsibility to freedom—both at home and abroad.

I am a grandson of a World War II vet. My grandfather spoke little about the war before his death (even at the great prodding of his grandsons). The atrocities he witnessed and the emotional and physical strain he endured was too great for him to relive.

However, now looking sixty plus years into the past we can see with acute clarity that what my grandfather endured was not only worth it, but essential to the millions of those oppressed by the Nazi regime. Unfortunately, “The War To End All Wars” didn’t, and neither did it end the suffering of future wars.

My brother, who is a year and half younger then me, served in the second Gulf War. The stories he shared with me as they worked to overthrow the Saddam government were appalling; so much so that I have no desire to share them here.

I do not doubt there are politics involved in the current war. However, I am a realist and recognize that we are in Iraq now. Opposing the current war without a solution that doesn’t destroy the fragile freedom of the Iraqi people is a moral chasm that shouldn’t be crossed.

Our soldiers—my brother and grandfather—didn’t fight history’s wars for George W. Bush or Franklin D. Roosevelt. They fought these wars because they realized that freedom was and is at peril. Freedom which allows us to support or oppose the wars we enter.

As you can tell my opinions run deep on this subject. I do not wish to turn this blog into a political platform; that is not its purpose. I just ask that as we walk the path of freedom to not only remember those who have given their lives, but also those who will give their lives for your rights.

There is a great verse in a gospel hymn that sums up our fight for freedom: “If we fail, we fail in glory.” May we not fail, but may we also not use failure as an excuse to cease our struggle for freedom. ~Paul W.

As marketers we often get a bad rap. Mainly, I believe this comes from having the image of being totally money centered and focused. I guess it’s easy for this to happen. Most marketing success is easily gaged by how much money a campaign generates. Large amounts of dollars equal—wine pouring—fantastic success; whereas, no dollars equal—pack up your desk—miserable failure!

Well, I have recently been asked to redeem all marketers and change this poor image. Currently, my close friend, Scott, is over in the scorching deserts of Iraq providing humanitarian aid. He asked that I use my kongfu marketing skills in providing high visibility for their humanitarian effort.

What’s the purpose having marketing powers if you can’t use these talents to save the world! However, we now have a different metric for marketing success. Instead of money, success now equals how many Iraqis’ were given the necessary supplies and medical assistance to live a decent life.

Below is an email that you can forward on to your friends. You can also check out humanitarian efforts by going to www.sheikhdan.com. All the pictures you see in this post were sent to me from Scott.

I am so deeply impressed by what my friend is doing that I am going to see if I can put together drive here locally. I will keep you posted on my labors. ~Paul W.

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An email you can send out to help.

HOW YOU CAN HELP THE IRAQI PEOPLE

We are regular Americans who are currently working in Baghdad, Iraq. Every time we come to Iraq, we’ve been amazed by the support from Americans back home.

People are always asking what they can do, or how they can help. The

people of Iraq are suffering horrible during this period of conflict, and success stories are few and far between.

One such success story is a small medical clinic operating in the Baghdad Green Zone. Every week a number of Iraqi families receive basic medical screenings and further treatment as required. As always, their demands

are far greater than the limited resources available. Diapers, hygiene items, clothing, school supplies and toys can all help to make a difference in their lives.

So we decided to set up a website in an effort to get donations. We also try to take

pictures giving out the donations so you can see your stuff being given to the Iraqis’. If you are interested in helping these Ir

aqi families, please check out the website at http://www.sheikhdan.com for a list of

needs, and send any donations to:

“America Loves Iraqis”
Attn: Daniel Ogden
MNFI-C2-CIOC-C2X-HST
Unit #42002
APO AE 09342

The Agriculture Department had over 63,000 social security numbers exposed on the web since 1996. The security breach was noticed and the web page was removed last week. According to the House Government Reform Committee this has been one of 788 incidents involving the loss or compromise of sensitive personal information since the beginning of 2003.

This information hits a bit of a nerve for me. In 2002 I took an internet course through my local community college. Last month I received a letter from this college informing me that my social security number had been exposed on the Internet for an entire month.

My month of being naked on the Internet seems relatively insignificant to the 11 years of those who received a grant through the Department of Agriculture. However, hopefully what I learned from my experience may be useful in protecting them.

What I discovered was that there are a lot of services out on the Internet who state that they will protect your social security number from being high-jacked. The best site that I found is called LifeLock. I say they are the best because of their superb marketing. The CEO of LifeLock daunts his social security number (457-55-5462) on the front page of his website challenging anyone to steal it.

LifeLock guarantees that nobody will be able to use your social security number without your permission or LifeLock will pay up to $1 million in damages. I had the opportunity to talk with LifeLock in depth and I feel that there service is good. However, instead of paying them you can do what they are doing for free.

All that LifeLock, or anyone else, does is sign you up with fraud alerts with the three different credit bureaus. What you need to do is to call the credit bureas and ask to have them protect your identity. To get started here are there phone numbers:

Equifax (800) 525-6285
Experian (888) 397-3742
TransUnion (800) 680-7289

Each bureau follows a standardized three-step process: 1) They will establish a security alert on your credit file, 2) They will opt you out of pre-approved offers for credit or insurance, and 3) They will mail you a copy of your credit file.

Believe it or not this is exactly what LifeLock does and really nothing more. This makes it so if someone tries to apply for anything using your social security he or she will need to know your security questions. These questions are what you supplied when you created your fraud alerts.

Even the million dollar guarantee isn’t really all that great with LifeLock. Mainly because if someone does high-jack your social security number the credit bureaus are liable not LifeLock. However, if you just don’t want the hassle of making three phone calls LifeLock is a good way to go.

I would recommend that everyone secure their social security number. When we see how often information is continually compromised how can you afford not to?

Okay I just came across a really cool website, www.GeneralFreeware.com. I don’t think I’ve found a better freeware site on the web. Even download.com doesn’t have as much cool free stuff as these guys do. I was able to find a free chatting software that I will be using for a future project. When you get a chance take a look at this site

Not too long ago I sold my marketing blog, MyMarketer.net. I had owned this blog since 2001 and it was difficult to give up. Yet, the price and timing was right. However, now I am without a professional blog to spout my professional (and sometimes not so professional) opinions.

I had planned to use InternetPaul.com as my personal blog for family and friends. Seeing that I have more to say about the web and business, than family and friends, I am going to use this blog—temporarily—for both my personal interests and business musings. I will post here when I have found a suitable home for my business interests.