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 7/25/2005 Since I have gotten a bunch of questions about how and why I came to create BarrelsofBlood.com and what TheTruthUniversity.com is all about, I decided to just post the answers here and cover them all at once. The How and Why of BarrelsofBlood.com Like a growing number of Americans, I have become increasingly angry at the Bush Administration and their media cronies (FOX News, etc.) about their growing abuses of Americans and others around the world. While I had heard many people talk about the Bush Administration having "blood on its hands" since the invasion of Iraq, I honestly hadn't given it a lot of thought. Then last week I saw a news report on the huge increase in "insurgent" or "foreign fighter" violence against U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians. As unpleasant or ghoulish as it may sound, it caused me to think about just how much blood literally has been spilled in this war. On June 28th, I purchased the BarrelsofBlood.com domain and began creating this site. But how to figure out the volume of blood that had actually been spilled? So, I started doing a little research about the human body and its circulatory system. I even talked to a doctor I know to help me come up with an average amount of blood lost by victims of major trauma wounds. With his informed thoughts on the subject, I was able to quickly create a spreadsheet that calculated how many "Barrels of Blood" had been spilled. (But please understand, the number I use for the amount of blood lost due to an injury is, by necessity, a somewhat educated guess.) By yesterday afternoon (6/29), I had gotten this site up on the web and began modifying it based on comments and suggestions from my friends and family. The site continues to evolve, literally, on a daily basis based on input I receive. So thanks to everybody for all your feedback. And a special thank you to Mike Malloy and Mike Papantonio of Air America Radio for mentioning BarrelsOfBlood.com on the air! What Is "TheTruthUniversity.com"? In March 2005, I launched a website called YourNameUniversity.com offering "Your Name" academic stuff--apparel and novelty diplomas based on “your” last name (for example, MALLOY UNIVERSITY). On May 17th, as I was working on developing the diploma section of the site, I was listening to the testimony of George Galloway before the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Permanent Subcommittee. (George Galloway is a member of the British Parliament accused by the U.S. Senate of corruption resulting from his involvement in the Iraqi Oil-For-Food program, a program established in the 1990's after the Gulf War to enable Saddam Hussein to purchase food and medicine using his oil output.) With U.S. Senators Norm Coleman and Carl Levin as the only members of the Senate committee in attendance for Mr. Galloway's testimony, Senator Coleman opened the hearing by reading a prepared statement to "briefly summarize the evidence" against Galloway. After Coleman's statement, Galloway responded with a blistering response, refuting the allegations against him and making Norm Coleman look like a fool. He also wiped the floor with ole' Norm about the lies told by the Bush Administration and the resulting deaths and chaos. (If you want to view the 47-minute video of this hearing, you can do so by clicking HERE. An unofficial transcript--the Senate apparently won't release an official version--is available HERE. I highly recommend them.) As I mentioned, I was already very angry over the lies and the deceptions of the Bush Administration over the past 5 years. Their total disrespect for human life (thousands of Americans killed and injured and over 100,000 Iraqis killed and injured) and their trampling of our civil liberties under the guise of the Patriot Act was were simply unacceptable. And the total "wussification" of the U.S. media after 9/11 was equally appalling. Where were the obvious questions about the Weapons of Mass Destruction that were supposedly threatening our national security? How about the constantly changing reasons for why we invaded Iraq? How come the U.S. media wasn't all over the Downing Street memos? And why is it that a British citizen seems to be the only person with the courage and the gumption to tell the Republicans to shove it where the sun doesn't shine? So. . . here I am listening to Galloway’s testimony and working on the diploma section of my YourNameUniversity.com website and I have this idea. Why not send Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the rest of their cronies diplomas with sarcastic messages conveying how we really feel about them and their total disregard for others? And why not use it as an advocacy program that also raises money for worthy non-profit organizations? And that’s how TheTruthUniversity.com was born. I will donate a minimum of 10% of all apparel and 20% of all diploma and wristband sales made from TheTruthUniversity.com via BarrelsofBlood.com to the Fisher House Foundation . Please visit their website to learn all about the badly needed support they provide to the families of our troops. My Philosophy of Mixing Business with Charitable Fundraising One of the most important lessons my parents taught me was to always do my best to help people in need. So ever since I was a kid, I have tried to involve myself in helping organizations that do a good job in helping others. I sincerely believe that the future of non-profit organizations is in partnering with business: helping to create exposure for their “for-profit” partners in exchange for a percentage of the revenue stream generated by that exposure. And as internet commerce has made that more and more feasible, online affiliate programs have proven to be a successful marketing tool and fundraising technique (a true “win-win” for everybody). I sincerely hope this site can be effective in illustrating the senseless horrors resulting from the Bush Administration's insistence on invading Iraq. Every day that this illegal and heartless war continues, so does the unnecessary bloodshed. Thanks for reading and visiting this site. I appreciate your interest and support.  Larry Peck  No part of this web site may be reproduced in any form without written permission. |