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CNN Sunday Morning
49ers Offensive Lineman Dies After Game; Bush to Address Iraq, War on Terror in Speeches Tomorrow
Aired August 21, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, a bomb attack in Afghanistan kills four U.S. soldiers today. Three other troops were wounded by shrapnel from secondary blasts while trying to pull their buddies to safety.
11 Americans have been killed this month in Afghanistan. In less than 30 minutes, the space shuttle Discovery should be on its way back to Florida, piggybacked on a jumbo jet. The pair made it from California to Louisiana on Friday. Then stormy weather forced a delay on Saturday.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is August 21st. Good morning, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Betty Nguyen.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning.
WHITFIELD: Good morning.
HARRIS: Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. 7:00 a.m. here in the East, 6:00 a.m. in the heartland. Thank you for being with us.
And here are some of the stories we're following this Sunday morning. Northwest mechanics have put down their tool belts, but are they throwing a wrench into the airlines' schedule? We will have the latest. Plus, their parents went on a spiritual journey, but these children ended up on the wrong half. Shocking claims of abuse in our I-unit spotlight.
And what was former Secretary of State Colin Powell told? And what was he not told before the war? Some answers in a preview of tonight's "CNN PRESENTS: Dead Wrong."
A couple of glitches for Northwest Airlines. This jet blew four tires while landing at the Detroit Airport, Northwest's biggest hub. But the airline says the glitches have nothing to do with its mechanics going on strike this weekend.
CNN's J.J. Ramberg joins us now with the latest. J.J., good morning.
J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony. Well, this is day two for the strikers at Northwest Airlines. The American -- the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association decided to strike late Friday night. It was midnight on Friday night. It represents about 4400 workers at Northwest Airlines.
Now the airline did experience two complications. You mentioned of them, the tires blowing out on that aircraft there. There were about 220 passengers on that plane. Nothing happened to any of the passengers. They were OK.
Yesterday, the aircraft -- I mean the airline also experienced another complication. One of the aircraft had to return to Detroit en route to Pittsburgh because of some smoke in the cabin, but it turns out that smoke as it appears was just a problem with an air conditioning unit.
The airline is saying that neither of these two complications have anything to do with the strike.
Now the mechanics decided to walk off the job on Friday night after months of negotiations with the airline. And they could not come to any agreement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM YOUNG, UNION NEGOTIATOR: Our members are willing to fight. They would rather see the carrier go into bankruptcy than give into the terms that Northwest Airlines has been asking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAMBERG: Northwest was trying to seek $176 million in labor costs from the union. This is part of a $1.1 billion they're seeking in costs overall.
Now the airline had prepared for the eventual or the possibility of this strike. They had trained some temporary mechanics, as well as some in management to take over for the striking workers. As of early this morning, Northwest was reporting very few disruptions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREA NEWMAN, NORTHWEST AIRLINES: Most of the schedule, almost all of it, is running on time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you're happy with the way things are going? Are there many delays?
NEWMAN: No, there are not many delays. There are very few canceled flights. And we're very happy with the way it's going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAMBERG: This is the first major airline strike since 1998, when Northwest pilots grounded that airline for about 20 days. In this particular case, the pilots and the flight attendants both decided not to strike with the striking mechanics -- Tony?
HARRIS: All right, temporary mechanics, replacement mechanics. J.J., it doesn't sound good, that's for sure. CNN's J.J. Ramberg in New York for us. J.J., thank you.
WHITFIELD: Israeli troops are back at work in Gaza, clearing out the remaining Jewish settlements. But as you can see, some of the settlers and their backers are not making it easy, especially at the Katif settlement. And that's where we find our John Vause this morning -- John?
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka, good morning. Right now, the Israeli army going house to house and helping the settlers pack.
Now this morning, they did have to smash through some locked gates and a burning barricade and get access to the settlement. But once they're in here now, you can see that they're going house to house, helping them put all their possessions into boxes, and then loading them onto trucks and taking everything away. Another trolley full of someone's personal possessions there.
So slowly, this settlement of about 500 people being packed up. Most people here did not pack. They did not plan for disengagement. In fact, many people here never thought it would happen.
So the soldiers and the police gained access to the settlement this morning. And then, they met with the police. So the police met with the settlement leaders. And they've decided to do a deal.
What they've decided now is that as of now, everyone is gathering in a synagogue just over here. They'll have one last prayer service. It will last for a couple of hours. And then, everyone has agreed that after this prayer service, that they will go quietly.
Now we've seen these deals put in place quite often here, when the police and the army arrived. So everyone now gathering inside the synagogue. They'll have a final prayer service. And then they say they will get on the buses and they will leave quietly, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: So John, and as you mentioned, the people that are in the synagogue then, they've already moved all their possessions out. At this point, it's a matter of just moving their bodies. They're willing to get on those buses right away after the service and be gone?
VAUSE: Well, I see the people in the synagogue have not packed. They're leaving it to the army.
WHITFIELD: OK.
VAUSE: What they're saying is that we're in the synagogue right now. You do the heavy work. We don't want to leave. We don't agree with the disengagement. Leave the army to do the packing. They'll leave. And then they'll go to a hotel for a couple of weeks. And then later, collect their possessions, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And even though, John, they resisted for some time, will most of those settlers still be getting the compensation packages that were promised by the Israeli government? VAUSE: Well, that is yet to be to be finalized. There were -- there was a stipulation that if the settler did not leave by that -- when -- by that Tuesday midnight deadline, then they would lose a third of their compensation. And that still is the case now, that these people who have stayed here after the deadline are now facing the fact that they could lose up to a third of the money being offered to them by the government, although things in Israel often change. And because this has been such a painful time for this country, the government may in fact reinstate their compensation. That's yet to be worked out.
But as it stands right now, these people will lose about a third of their compensation, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right, John Vause, thanks so much in the Katif settlement in Gaza. Tony?
HARRIS: And some stories across America this morning. It will be at least Wednesday until lead protester Cindy Sheehan returns to Crawford, Texas. That's where war protesters have set up Camp Casey in honor of Sheehan's son, who died while fighting in Iraq.
Sheehan is in Los Angeles tending to her ailing mother, who had a stroke last week. Inside the ranch confines, Mr. Bush did a little biking, taking Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong on a sweaty two hour trail ride. According to a spokesman, Armstrong let the president lead the entire way. Mr. Smart man.
Mr. Bush presented Armstrong and the entourage with a T-shirt emblazoned with "Tour de Crawford."
And it was a fitting exit for flamboyant writer Hunter S. Thompson. He was shot from guns, so to speak. His ashes were packed into fireworks shells. The star studded invited crowd of 250 witnessed the spectacle. He loved explosions, said his wife (INAUDIBLE) committed suicide six months ago.
WHITFIELD: Well, child abuse in a place where many seek sanctuary. A CNN investigation takes you behind the scenes of one religious sect that now admits it did something wrong. Find out what happened next.
HARRIS: And later this hour, how did the U.S. intelligence community get Iraqi information "dead wrong"? Catch a preview of tonight's "CNN PRESENTS."
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. And Boston gets ready for a bigger bang tonight. We'll explain. Might the music be a bit of a hint?
HARRIS: Yes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Coming up later on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, your hard earned cash and the tax man. A new book that says we should abolish the IRS and pay taxes on what we spend, not on what we earn. Shot straight to the top of The New York Times bestseller list, the book did, that is. Coming up at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, we'll talk to syndicated radio talk show host Neil Boortz, one of the authors of "The FairTax Book".
We'll ask him why his take on taxes is getting so much attention.
And so what do you think about the whole notion? Our morning e- mail question today, does our tax system need an overhaul? What are you ideas that could keep Uncle Sam afloat and keep more cash in your pocket? We'll be reading your responses and ideas all morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And if you're just waking up with us, here's a check of our top stories. The San Francisco 49ers call it a colossal tragedy. Offensive lineman Thomas Herrion has died after collapsing in the locker room. It happened after a pre-season game in Denver. No word on the cause of death. More on this story in just a moment.
Israeli troops have resumed forced evacuations of Jewish settlers in Gaza after a Sabbath break. This morning, they broke through a burning barricade at one settlement.
Northwest Airlines says some weekend glitches are not linked to a mechanics walkout. One Northwest flight blew four tires upon landing. At the Detroit Airport, another plane made an emergency landing because of smoke in the cabin.
WHITFIELD: Our investigative unit this week looked at child abuse beyond imagination, all at the hands of devotees of the Krishna religious organization, former students of Krishna. Boarding schools claim they were beaten, tortured, and raped by their teachers and caregivers.
I-unit correspondent Drew Griffin reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Anya Pourchot says she escaped the Hare Krishnas at 17. It's been 20 years, but she says she still gets physically sick the moment she hears the chanting.
ANYA POURCHOT, VICTIM: I usually have to just run, so that I can keep myself together.
GRIFFIN: Joe Fournier, who was brought into the Krishnas at the age of 7, says it's taken years for him to be able to talk about what happened.
JOE FOURNIER, VICTIM: Very painful. Yes, gone through years of therapy to come out of it, yes, to survive.
GRIFFIN: What they and hundreds of others survived were childhoods inside a movement that in the 1960s and '70s attracted thousands of youthful seekers. Followers were expected to devote their lives to pure living, pleasing God, and chanting praise. But behind the saffron robes, shaved heads, and happy songs, many Hare Krishnas were hiding a dark secret, a secret kept inside the Krishna boarding schools where the children of devotees were sent for training.
This lawsuit filed in Texas in 2001 pulled back the veil from Krishna society. And according to the attorney who filed it, exposed a movement plagued by violence, abuse, and sexual exploitation of children.
WINDLE TURLEY, ATTORNEY: This is the worst case of abuse in children I've ever seen.
GRIFFIN: Dallas attorney Windle Turley sued the International Society of Krishnas on behalf of 92 people who complained of years of emotional and physical abuse.
TURLEY: When you take a little six-year old girl, who has not behaved, and for her punishment she's locked in the dark closet, told that it's filled with rats, and that the rats will eat her if he whimpers, she's told to stand on this wooden crate and not cry, and stay there for hours, that kind of terrorizing as a way of enforcing discipline is just beyond the thought of anything civil.
POURCHOT: I just remember walking down a hallway and having this horrible experience of hearing the blood curdling scream of a child. And all the other children shuffling around like it was just, you know, something that happened everyday.
GRIFFIN: Did it happen everyday?
POURCHOT: Oh, yes.
GRIFFIN: Did -- and it happened to you?
POURCHOT: Oh, yes.
GRIFFIN: Anya Pourchot was four when her parents joined the movement, whose teachings discouraged family life and parental affection. Anya was sent to a Krishna boarding school. By 16, she found herself promised to a 32-year old man she didn't know.
He raped you?
POURCHOT: Yes, convinced -- well, he convinced me to masturbate him. And it was not a very nice experience.
GRIFFIN: The lawsuit details the claims made by the Krishna children. Beatings, children forced to live and sleep in filth, to eat garbage, children denied medical care, and some tied up and placed in trash barrels.
And according to Fournier, constant sexual abuse.
FOURNIER: Fondled, raped, you know, stuff like that, yes. Pretty bad. GRIFFIN: Fournier was just nine-years old when he was sent to a Krishna boarding school in Dallas. Within months of his arrival, he says, the nightly visits began.
FOURNIER: You'd have to pretend you weren't awake or conscious or something to survive it, you know.
GRIFFIN: The International Society of Krishna Consciousness admits no one was looking out for the children. During the 1970s and '80s, when most of the abuse is alleged, children were sent away to boarding schools so parents could focus on begging and recruiting other converts.
TURLEY: And they were literally asked to give up all parental control over their children. And that -- great efforts were made to sever the parental relationship.
GRIFFIN (on camera): With their parents out of the way or off raising money, the children were sent to boarding schools, like the one run here in Dallas. The victims say this is where some of the worst abuse took place.
(voice-over): In what the organization now admits was a horrible lapse in judgment, the Krishna converts unfit for other duty were the ones assigned to watch the children.
ANUTTAMA DASA, SOCIETY OF KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS: Too many of them were former hippies and people that were trying to get away from social restraints and things like that, and were looking for an opportunity to kind of find maybe some easily solutions to some of the problems that they faced.
GRIFFIN: What sets this story apart from so many other lawsuits involving religious organizations and abuse is what the Krishnas decided to do this past spring. Krishna communications director Anuttama Dasa says the society admits it was wrong, admits the abuse took place in many of its schools, and has agreed to pay compensation for the horrible abuse. The society is also begging for forgiveness.
DASA: This is really part of an ongoing healing process. We're organizing meetings around the country and later in Europe, and probably in India with people in leadership positions within the organization to meet with the young people, to hear more about what else we need to do to try to help and to offer our own personal genuine apologies for them for the suffering that they've undergone.
GRIFFIN: Fearing the impact of a multi million dollar lawsuit, six temples of the Krishnas declared bankruptcy. In the reorganization, nearly $10 million will be set aside for victims. More is being sought from insurance companies. And across the globe, Krishna temples are collecting even more money.
Krishnas have opened the door to anyone with claims of abuse. Since the original lawsuit, more than 500 former Krishna children have come forward. And says Windle Turley, the Krishnas have done what no other religious organization charged with sexual abuse has done at least not to this extent. The Krishnas, he says, have truly apologized.
TURLEY: We were wrong. You were entrusted to our care. We did not take care of you. We are to blame. And we are profoundly sorry.
That was a real apology. And to many of these children, that was just as important as the amount of money they're going to recover in this settlement.
GRIFFIN: Joe Fournier says the apology has helped, but insists the true abusers and predators of his childhood have gotten away.
Anya Pourchot says no apology will ever be enough. Her childhood is lost forever. She struggles to retrieve what she can for a book she is writing. It's titled "Traded for Cattle." It's a reference to how the Krishnas handed her into an abuser's arms for the promise of a cow.
POURCHOT: I hope that this never happens to anyone else again.
GRIFFIN: The Hare Krishnas say they have that same hope and a new vow to make sure it doesn't.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Dallas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And we'll have another investigative unit spotlight for you next Sunday morning.
And now more on the sudden death of a 49ers rookie, Thomas Herrion, a 23-year old lineman who suddenly collapsed.
Steve Overmyer with CNN Sports is with me now to explain a little bit more about the circumstances of his death.
STEVE OVERMYER, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is really a tragedy in the NFL this morning, that the NFL is dealing with and the San Francisco 49ers are dealing with right now.
Thomas Herrion walked off the field after the San Francisco 49ers game against the Broncos in seemingly good condition. One TV shot even showed him with no distress on his face as the 23-year old went back to the locker room.
But less than a half an hour later, he collapsed in that locker room where he was treated by paramedics and taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No cause of death was given. A lot of questions still surrounding this death of this 49ers offensive lineman.
WHITFIELD: And he's 72 there.
OVERMYER: Right.
WHITFIELD: There you go, right there on the screen. You know, you hear summer training. You think summer. Automatically, you start thinking about Corey Stringer.
OVERMYER: Sure.
WHITFIELD: He died of heat exhaustion under what seemed to be similar circumstances, meaning it was summer training.
OVERMYER: Right.
WHITFIELD: What are the parallels here, any?
OVERMYER: Well, first off, Corey Stringer's death four years ago really sent shockwaves throughout the NFL. And the NFL is -- has done a fantastic job of trying to teach their players about hydration and core body heat in trying to keep their temperatures down.
And we've really seen far fewer incidents of heat exhaustion in the NFL since that time. When it comes to Herrion, we really don't know what the case might be, but keep in mind. This is a guy who played in NFL Europe earlier this year. He had just gotten off the field after a 14 play, 91 yard drive as well.
It would be difficult to say that heat might be a factor, considering...
WHITFIELD: Especially since the weather...
OVERMYER: It was in mid 60s.
WHITFIELD: Right.
OVERMYER: In this contest. So some doctors have said that sometimes that doesn't really have as much effect on it as actual core body heat.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And of course, it's still early on in the investigation. We might even learn whether his actual weight may have been an issue, too.
OVERMYER: Sure.
WHITFIELD: That seems to be what the NFL -- an issue.
OVERMYER: Undeniably. It seems like in -- in camp there, they were saying that he was a little overweight. When he first came to camp, he was at 340.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
OVERMYER: He had dropped 30 pounds now to 310. So that could be a concern. I mean, everybody that's 6'3 and 310 even is pretty big.
But remember, this is the NFL, where the offensive lineman have to push the defensive lineman around. And the lineman are getting bigger by the year.
WHITFIELD: Yes. OVERMYER: The one thing that's interesting to notice, some of these offensive lineman also keep their body weight -- their body mass down to 15 percent fat...
WHITFIELD: Right.
OVERMYER: ...ratios. So it doesn't seem like there -- a lot of guys with that -- you know, a little too overweight.
WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, sad story. We'll learn more about Thomas Herrion.
OVERMYER: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Steve Overmyer, thanks so much.
OVERMYER: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Tony?
HARRIS: A former top aide to Colin Powell now wishes he would have had nothing to do with this presentation. An insider's view of the administration's intelligence meltdown, coming up on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Some headlines now in the news. San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Thomas Herrion has died. That's him right there in the circle, number 72. He collapsed in the locker room last night, just after this pre-season game in Denver. No word on the cause of death. Herrion was 23 and weighed more than 300 pounds.
Back to work in Gaza, Israeli troops are clearing out the remaining Jewish settlements after taking a break for the sabbath. This morning, troops had to break through a burning barricade put up by settlers who were still holding out.
A deadly attack on U.S. forces in southern Afghanistan. A bombing this morning killed four U.S. soldiers. Three others were wounded trying to rescue their comrades. Eleven U.S. soldiers have died this month in Afghanistan.
WHITFIELD: Pope Benedict XVI wraps up his first trip overseas with a Sunday mass. We'll take you live to Germany next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
HARRIS: And four more years in Iraq? That's the plan according to one U.S. general.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Look at this, live pictures right now, the space shuttle Discovery, Fred. WHITFIELD: I like it.
HARRIS: On the back of that 747 jumbo jet just moments ago taking off.
WHITFIELD: That's amazing. I want to see the aircraft that's actually taking that picture. That's an amazing photo as well.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Yeah, look at that.
HARRIS: Took off just moments ago from Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, Louisiana, heading now for the Kennedy space center in Florida. Live pictures this morning for you on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, courtesy of NASA TV as you can see there in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Look at that.
WHITFIELD: That's amazing. Now it should have happened yesterday, but because of weather, it made it way from California. It was supposed to go across country to Florida, but it had to make a pit stop in Louisiana because of the weather and then we thought it was going to take off yesterday; it didn't. It's happening today. The skies are clear. Jacqui said the forecast is good even in Florida.
HARRIS: You ready for some of these facts on this thing?
WHITFIELD: I want to hear it.
HARRIS: All right. The double decker flight will cruise at an altitude of about 15,000 feet at a speed of less than 300 miles per hour.
WHITFIELD: Folks are going to feel like they can reach up and touch it. They'll see it.
HARRIS: This combined contraption we're calling it, it does look a little strange, this piggyback ride...
WHITFIELD: That's remarkable.
HARRIS: They can only fly a little more than -- that's not true. That's wrong. Altogether the trip will probably burn more than 100,000 gallons of jet fuel.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
HARRIS: There it is.
WHITFIELD: That whole thing costing about $1 million making its way from California to Florida, an additional cost to NASA.
Well in 2003, U.S. troops were already in Afghanistan, but not in Iraq. Then, Secretary of State Colin Powell's speech before the United Nations to make the case for war in Iraq turned out to be a turning point in U.S. history. Lawrence Wilkerson, a former Powell aide, says his involvement in that speech is the lowest point in his life. Wilkerson is among those interviewed for tonight's CNN presents documentary called "Dead Wrong." CNN David Ensor has a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLIN POWELL, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: One of the most worrisome things that emerges from the thick intelligence file we have on Iraq's biological weapons is the existence of mobile production facilities used to make biological agents.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He makes a dramatic accusation. Saddam has bio-weapons labs mounted on trucks that would be almost impossible to find.
POWELL: We have first-hand descriptions.
DAVID KAY, FMR. CIA WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Secretary Powell was not told that one of the sources he was given as a source of this information had, indeed, been flagged by the defense intelligence agency as a liar fabricator.
POWELL: To find even one of these 18 -
ENSOR: Powell was not told that the prime source, an Iraqi defector code named Curveball, had never been debriefed by the CIA.
LARRY JOHNSON, FMR CIA COUNTERTERRORISM: Maybe the name of the agent wasn't alarming enough. Maybe it should have been screw up or lying sack of manure, something like that. But to know that you're giving the president a ticket to go to war based upon one source, at that point you want to drag the source in and talk to him yourself.
KAY: Curveball is a case of utter irresponsibility and a good example of how decayed the intelligence process has become.
POWELL: Leaving Saddam Hussein in possession of weapons of mass destruction for a few more months and years is not an option, not in a post-September 11th world.
ENSOR: The speech would turn out to be riddled with misleading allegations. But at the time the press plays it as an overwhelming success.
COL. LAWRENCE WILKERSON, FMR. AIDE TO COLIN POWELL: He had walked into my office musing and he said, words to the effect of, I wonder how we'll all feel if we put half a million troops into Iraq and march from one corner of the country to the other and find nothing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: You can watch the CNN presents documentary "Dead Wrong" inside the intelligence meltdown tonight at 8:00 Eastern only on CNN.
HARRIS: The Army's top general says the military is preparing for worst case scenario in Iraq and that includes a contingency for four more years. There are currently 138,000 American troops in Iraq, including about 25,000 Marines. In an Associated Press interview General Peter Schoomaker says plans call for keeping the same number of troops in Iraq for four years. However he says commanders in Iraq and others will ultimately decide the size of U.S. forces. Schoomaker's comments come amid indications troop levels in Iraq could be scaled back next year if certain conditions are met.
WHITFIELD: Time to check out some of the other stories making news around the world now. The pope is in his native Germany.
HARRIS: That's right. We also have the latest on the investigation into the plane crash in Greece. For the details let's hand it over now to Anand Naidoo at the CNN international desk. Anand, good morning.
ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Tony, good morning and thanks. We begin this morning with the pope's visit to his native Germany. Benedict XVI has been celebrating an open air mass with hundreds of thousands of the faithful at the end of world youth day in Cologne. The festival is a week long gathering of young Catholics. For the latest, let's go now to CNN's Alessio Vinci. Alessio?
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Anand. Actually, organizers here estimate that crowd at close to one million people, most of them who camped out there since last night, since there was a vigil presided over by Pope Benedict XVI and this morning they were clearly ecstatic to see the pope coming back for this mass, despite the cold weather, the rain. But nevertheless, the pope offered them a pretty stern homily, touching upon one of his favorite subjects and that is the role that God should have in people's everyday life, telling the flock that they should not abuse the freedom that God has given them, telling them freedom is not just about enjoying life in a total (INAUDIBLE), but rather about living by the measure of truth and goodness so that we ourselves can become true and God.
Now, from the point of view how the pope successfully connected -- managed to connect to the large crowds there at the open field, it certainly didn't have the same appeal of his predecessor John Paul II who used these gatherings to really connect and reach out to the young pilgrims who would attend these gatherings by the hundreds of thousands, sometimes even by the millions, but the sheer number of this gathering today and last night clearly indicated this pope has no problem in gathering at least the flock.
The question remains how well he managed to connect with this crowd. We spoke with some pilgrims last night. We spent a few hours with them there at the vigil, but they're basically telling us that they see this pope in a positive light. They want to give me a bit more time to get used to his new role as the head of the Roman Catholic Church, but at the same time, they believe that it is not the messenger that is important, but the message and that the fact that this pope is perhaps more truthful, more orthodox and perhaps more low key, it allows him to concentrate more on the prayer, for example, rather than more dramatic gestures. Finally the pope today announced that the next world youth day will be celebrated in Sydney, Australia, in 2008 and perhaps significant to note that when John Paul II used to announce the next venue, world youth day, he would always say we'll see you there. This time Pope Benedict did not say that. Anand, back to you.
NAIDOO: Alessio Vinci in Cologne, thank you.
Now to the latest on that plane crash in Greece last week that killed all 121 people on board, officials say blood found in the cockpit of the plane belonged to a male flight attendant, but they say they cannot confirm the attendant was in the cockpit at the time the airliner slammed into a mountain. That happened just north of Athens. There has been widespread speculation one of the attendants had tried to fly the plane after the crew and passengers lost consciousness. The Cypriot Helios flight was headed from Larnaca in Cyprus to Prague in the Czech Republic. That is all for me. Let me hand it back to you, Tony and Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: That investigation just gets more and more bizarre. Thanks Anand.
He nearly lost his life in Iraq. Now this Marine is on the long road to recovery. You'll hear his hero story next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
HARRIS: And good morning, Boston. The Rolling Stones kick off a U.S. tour tonight at Fenway Park. We'll have the forecast for you and the rest of the nation later on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Our top stories, San Francisco 49ers lineman Thomas Herrion died early today. He collapsed in the locker room following a pre-season game against Denver. The 6'3", 310 pound Herrion was a first year player in the Niners. The cause of Herrion's death is not yet known. He was 23.
In Gaza, an Israeli army bulldozer breaks through the locked gates of the Katif settlement, clearing a blazing fire for the final phase of Gaza's evacuation. Tony.
HARRIS: It's that time for our weekly tribute to the men and women in uniform and this morning's hero story, he nearly lost his leg in Iraq and endured a long string of surgeries, but this Marine is taking more than just baby steps on the road to recovery. Our Casey Wian has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Crossing the finish line, a personal victory for Marine Sergeant Doug Hayenga.
SGT. DOUG HAYENGA, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Felt good. Thought it would be a little easier, but I've got to do more practice.
WIAN: It's been a year and four months since an explosion in Fallujah nearly cost Hayenga his life.
HAYENGA: I'm actually pretty lucky I still have my leg. It was within medical guidelines to amputate and then they decided to try to save it.
WIAN: After 22 surgeries, he's almost ready to walk again.
HAYENGA: Within a month I should be walking without the crutches. It's getting there. It's kind of one of those little steps in the recovery process.
WIAN: Hayenga marvels at what doctors did to save his shattered leg.
HAYENGA: This is actually my stomach muscle. They cut me from my ribs to the bottom of my stomach, took out the right side of my six-pack, opened up the leg and under a microscope, sewed two arteries and a couple veins together and put a skin graft over it.
WIAN: It wasn't just his leg. The blast nearly cost Hayenga his arm as well.
HAYENGA: The shrapnel came in, travel (ph) in the concussion, cut the radial nerve in -- my arm was ripped, had a wrist palsy. I had no feeling in my arm for the most part. I can feel it in my shoulders right in here.
WIAN: With grit and determination, he's fought through a year of therapy at the Balboa Navy medical hospital in San Diego.
DINORA HAYENGA, WIFE: He never saw it as an option not to be able to walk. He's a really strong person and I believe that because of that, he's been able to cope with this whole situation.
WIAN: Hayenga once dreamed of being an officer in the Marines Corps but has now learned he will have to be medically retired. He believes the same positive attitude that helped him recover will now lead to success in the civilian world. Casey Wian, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: We bring you hero stories every week on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
WHITFIELD: Now to our morning e-mail question of the day. Does our tax system need an overhaul? A new book called "The Fair Tax Book" says yes. It's jumped to the top of the "New York Times" best seller list. We want to know your ideas that could keep Uncle Sam afloat and keep more cash in your pocket. We will be reading your responses and ideas all morning on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": Tomorrow on "AMERICAN MORNING," school's back in session across America. We've got reports all week on issues that matter most to parents and kids from how to handle a bully to keeping kids away from drugs and alcohol. Tomorrow, we focus on nutrition in school, how you can prevent a vending machine from starting a lifetime of bad habits. That's our special series "School Days" 7:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN "AMERICAN MORNING."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And time now to look ahead at some of the big stories we'll be covering in the week ahead. Monday, it's a second round of sentencing for confessed serial bomber Eric Rudolph. He pleaded guilty to a string of bombings between 1996 and 1998 in Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama. In July Rudolph was sentenced to life in prison for the bombing of a women's clinic in Birmingham. His attacks in Atlanta targeted a gay nightclub and a public outdoor gathering place during the '96 Olympic games.
Also Monday marks a new deadline for Iraqi lawmakers to approve the country's constitution. There have been two sticking points during negotiations, the role of Islamic law in the new government and the issue of autonomy for Kurds and Shiites.
Wednesday Washington State's supreme court will hear arguments in the proposed recall of the mayor of Spokane. Mayor Jim West is accused of offering a city hall internship to a young man in exchange for sex. Local newspaper reports earlier this year said West visited gay online chat rooms to entice men with jobs and other gifts.
WHITFIELD: And perhaps you have tickets for Fenway Park tonight and it's not for a ball game. We're talking about the bigger bang to be exact. It's the Rolling Stones and they kick off their North American tour. We'll preview the weather and play some of their tunes when we come right back.
HARRIS: But first a CNN extra, nearly seven out of 10 workers plan to stay on their job past retirement age according to new survey. More and more say money is the main reason. Nine out of 10 say they would like to retire by the age of 65, but only 63 percent will be financially ready to do it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: OK, the weather is a little hazy but the folks in Boston are rockin'.
HARRIS: Yeah.
WHITFIELD: They are ready.
HARRIS: What's the deal? There's some kind of a song and dance band playing?
WHITFIELD: Somebody called like the Stones, Rolling Stones. They're going to roll on into Boston.
HARRIS: Really?
WHITFIELD: Yeah.
HARRIS: Well, Jacqui, will this burn off?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's outdoors, right? Yes. I don't think the folks even care. If they've got ticket to the Stones they don't care. The diehards -- but lightning could be a problem actually.
WHITFIELD: Something tells me the diehards that they are, if there's a storm, they'll head under a tree.
HARRIS: Where is Jacqui? Is she there somewhere?
WHITFIELD: She's somewhere in the fog.
HARRIS: There you go.
JERAS: Little bit of wet weather moving into Boston, just off to the west right now, mostly west of I 95, this is all heading off to the east. This should be out of here, I think, by 9:00 Boston, but after 12:00 noon, showers and thunderstorms are going to be pushing back in. The other big story, even though things will be heating up in Beantown tonight because of the Stones concert, it's going to be cooling down big time over the next couple of days. In fact, high temperatures only in the 70s by the middle of the week. Can you believe it?
Still hot, though, across parts of the south and southeast. Memphis, Tennessee, you had a record yesterday, 100 degrees, Charleston, South Carolina, 97, Vero Beach, 95, 91 in Cape Hatteras. Still a lot of heat advisories in effect from Dallas extending over to Shreveport and to Atlanta, Georgia, into Raleigh-Durham and even into Norfolk, expecting temperatures to be feeling like to your body, 100 to 110. So that's getting dangerous, looking for 95 on the thermometer in Atlanta, 94 in Washington, D.C., Boston up to 86, Minneapolis, 73, Chicago 82.
The front's going to be pushing through the northeast, we think, later on tonight and into tomorrow, but the cool air is going to be a little bit delayed moving in there, so keep that in mind. Also the southeast should be getting a bit of a break. It's not going to be quite as dramatic though as the folks up to the north are going to be seeing. Tomorrow 73 in Chicago, Boston down to 82, check out St. Louis a lot better at 81, Dallas still at 102 but you will be in the middle 90s at best by the middle of the week. Philadelphia, how about this, 93 and thunderstorms today, 88 by Monday, Tuesday 79 degrees, so major improvements.
Also want to take one quick check on the tropics. A couple of different disturbances to talk about. The main one I'm concerned about coming out of the Cape Verdes here. That one could possibly show signs of development over the next couple of days. Also a little area of thunderstorms here that's going to be moving into the Gulf of Mexico. We'll be keeping an eye on that and the remnants of what was tropical depression number 10, still bringing some showers and thunderstorms to Hispaniola for today and that possibly could be doing something over the next couple of days. So we've got three things out there to keep our eye on. Real quick, Fred and Tony, best concert you've ever been to?
HARRIS: Earth, Wind and Fire.
WHITFIELD: I'm going to say purple rain.
HARRIS: Prince?
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HARRIS: '84- '85.
WHITFIELD: I don't even remember what year. That was a good one. Earth, Wind and Fire, I don't know. I can understand.
HARRIS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right Jacqui, what about you?
JERAS: A lot of people say the Stones is the best. I'm going to have to say Prince. I just saw him last year ...
WHITFIELD: ... musicology. I was there too.
JERAS: I think I saw you right in front. That was me up on stage dancing.
WHITFIELD: That was you.
HARRIS: That should be the e-mail question. The best concerts you've ever seen. Thanks Jacqui. But instead, we decided on this because --
WHITFIELD: And then there's Tina Turner. The Rolling Stones -- we could go on, but instead we'll talk taxes.
HARRIS: OK and here's our question of the day. Does our tax system need an overhaul? Now, Neal Boortz, syndicated talk show host, muckety muck, big time radio guy, has written this book, "The Fair Tax Book." It's his proposal, along with a Georgia congressman. So Neal Boortz will be...
WHITFIELD: And people love it.
HARRIS: And they love it. Number one. So he is our guest in the 9:00 hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING. But the next hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING begins right now.
Now in the news. San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Thomas Herrion has died. The third string guard collapsed in a Denver locker room last night just after a preseason game against the Broncos. No word on the cause of death. Herrion was 23 and weighed 310 pounds. We'll have more in just a moment.
Hundreds of thousands of people greeted the pope this morning in his home country. Benedict XVI celebrated an open air mass in Germany to end World Youth Day celebrations. The week-long gathering of Catholic kids was created by his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.
Discovery takes the last leg of its journey home to Florida's Kennedy Space Center this morning. A jumbo jet carrying the shuttle will take off from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. Stormy weather delayed the takeoff yesterday. The shuttle landed in California more than a week ago, and it's been carried piggyback across the country.
And from the CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is August 21st, 8:00 a.m. at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, 7:00 a.m. in the heartland. And good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Betty Nguyen. Thanks for joining us.
The San Francisco 49ers are mourning the loss of a teammate this morning. Offensive lineman Thomas Herrion collapsed and died after last night's game.
Joining us now to talk more about this, Steve Overmyer. And I guess what makes this so particularly complicated, that this is a young man, 23 years old, you would think he's in the NFL, first year, that he must be fit. How could this happen?
OVERMYER: This is really a tragedy right now that the NFL is, you know, I guess throwing their arms up and throwing their hands up. They don't exactly know what is going on right now. It's because the NFL is dealing with this tragic death of one of their players.
49ers lineman Thomas Herrion died not long after the 49ers game against the Broncos. He showed no signs of distress as he walked to the locker room, but he collapsed less than half an hour after the game ended. Before the team boarded the plane, Coach Mike Nolan addressed the squad, telling them that Herrion had passed away. The official cause of death has yet to be released, but like you were saying, he's 6'3", 310 pounds. But when he came to camp not long ago, he was 340 pounds. They told him to drop some weight. He apparently had dropped somewhere around 30 pounds in a short amount of time, and when you think about it, 6'3", 310 is not even the average weight of an NFL lineman. The offensive linemen right now average 315 pounds. Thomas Herrion was 310 pounds at the -- at 6'3". But again, as you say, in the prime of his life, cut down in the prime of his life at the age of 23.
WHITFIELD: And we don't know if weight was a factor, but we do know the NFL has been dealing with this very significant issue. While some athletes are being encouraged to be heavier, bigger, there's also the other end of the NFL, which is say we have got to crack down on this, because it is jeopardizing the health of too many athletes, and over the past 10 to 20 years, we've seen a 60 to 70 percent...
OVERMYER: Increase in size.
WHITFIELD: ... 60 to 70-pound increase in the average weight of the NFL player.
OVERMYER: Undeniably. But there, unfortunately, it's very difficult to put stipulations on how much a guy can weigh in the NFL. There's no way for them to regulate how much a guy should be able to weigh.
Keep in mind that while these linemen are somewhere some of them up to 350, there are some defensive linemen in the 400-pound range -- there are some of these players who have their body fat percentage at less than 15 percent as an offensive lineman as well. They're in good...
WHITFIELD: Even with that kind of weight?
OVERMYER: Even with that kind of weight. They're in great shape, they're great cardiovascular shape, compared to, you know, compared to the average person walking on the street right about now.
WHITFIELD: All right. But again, we don't really know if weight was a factor here, or whether heat, any of those factors, even though it was something in the 60 degree range in Denver during this game.
All right, thanks so much, Steve Overmyer.
OVERMYER: Sure.
HARRIS: Will Iraq finish its constitution on time? And how much longer will U.S. troops stay there? Those are two of the big questions this morning. Iraqi officials are burning the midnight oil in Baghdad. They are trying to finish a draft constitution by tomorrow night's deadline. They missed one deadline a week ago.
Meantime, the Army's top general says plans are in place to maintain troop strength through 2009 if they're needed.
After a week out of sight, President Bush takes a break from his Crawford vacation tomorrow. He will hit the road for a pair of speeches focusing on Iraq and the war on terror. Let's get the latest from White House correspondent Dana Bash, who is in Crawford. Dana, good morning.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony. And the president will be back out to fill the vacuum that his aides understand some anti-war protesters have essentially had a week to fill. He'll give two speeches, as you said. First, in Salt Lake City on Monday. The president will speak to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. On Wednesday, he will go to Idaho. He will visit the Mountain Home Air Force Base. Men and women there played a leading role in the war in Afghanistan after 9/11. As a matter of fact, in the speeches, he will try to recapture waning support for Iraq by talking about it as a way to protect Americans from another 9/11. That's a link that critics call misleading, but in the weekend radio address, he previewed the speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now, we must finish the task that our troops have given their lives for and honor their sacrifice by completing their mission. We can be confident in the ultimate triumph of our cause, because we know that freedom is the future of every nation, and that the side of freedom is the side of victory.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Yesterday, some supporters of President Bush rolled through Crawford. Almost 90 motorcyclists from the American Legion came as counterprotesters of sort to the anti-war demonstrators that have been here for more than two weeks.
Now, the symbol, the person that sort of started all of this, Cindy Sheehan, is still not here in Crawford. She is still back home in Los Angeles with her ailing mother. We don't think she's going to be here until at least mid-week.
But tonight, the people who are -- who she left behind who are still here are trying to sort of carry out what she started outside the president's ranch are going to have some entertainment. Joan Baez is going to come and sing for them -- Tony.
HARRIS: Dana, how did it go yesterday with Lance Armstrong?
BASH: Well, we're told that President Bush and Lance Armstrong rode for 17 miles, for about two hours on President Bush's 1,600-acre ranch, and they did stop, we're told, for about 10 minutes to look at a waterfall on the Bush property. A spokesman insists that Lance Armstrong, Tony, did follow what he called the first rule of riding with the president: You know what that is, right? Stay behind the president.
HARRIS: Yeah, yeah, you stay behind. OK. CNN's Dana Bash, in Crawford with the president. Dana, thank you.
BASH: Thanks, Tony.
WHITFIELD: Israel's withdrawal of settlers from Gaza is almost complete. Troops were met with blazing barricades, though, this morning. CNN's John Vause joins us now from Gaza's Katif settlement.
And what's the latest there now? Is the service over in the synagogues?
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pretty much, Fredricka. In fact, right now, very symbolic moment at the Katif settlement. Outside the synagogue, we can see a big crowd of people just behind me over there -- I'll get out of the shot -- because right now, the Torah scrolls are being brought out from the synagogue. A very symbolic moment, because in essence, it means that the synagogue will now be moving.
This has happened at every settlement that's been evacuated so far. Even at Kfar Derom, where there were those violent confrontations between protesters and police late into the night, they removed the Torah scrolls, they brought them out of the synagogue, and paraded them around the settlement. You can probably just see it out there in the distance. And that is a symbolic moment. Everyone now has accepted the fate that this synagogue, which really is the center of this community, is now moving.
It was a different story, though, this morning, not quite the solemn procession that you have here. This morning, when the Israeli police arrived and the soldiers arrived, there were, in fact, barricades on fire in front of the main gates, which were locked. Fire department was called in to put out that blaze, and then a front- end loader was used to smash through the gates, and also to clear away a couple of other barricades which were burning on the road into the main settlement.
The situation now here at Katif, Fredricka, is that we've had the prayer service. That appears to be almost completed. From here, everyone, we are told by the police, all the settlers and the protesters have agreed they will get in their cars, get on busses, and they will leave the settlement. Many of them will head for the Western Wall in Jerusalem --Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. We'll see what happens. Thanks so much. We'll check back with you. John Vause in Katif.
Ahead in "Faces of Faith," more than 12,000 people hang on his words every Sunday, but it's not your typical sermon. We'll introduce you to Pastor Rod Parsley.
Also, kicking the habit and treating lung cancer. Dr. Sanjay Gupta makes a "HOUSE CALL" at the bottom of the hour.
Good morning, Jacqui.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Coming up later on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, your hard earned cash and the tax man. A new book that says we should abolish the IRS and pay taxes on what we spend, not on what we earn, shot straight to the top -- the book did -- that idea shot straight to the top of "The New York Times" best sellers list. Coming up at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, we'll talk to syndicated radio talk show host Neal Boortz, one of the authors of "The Fair Tax Book."
But we also want to know what you think. Could the fair tax plan work? Do you have any better ideas for overhauling the tax system? E-mail us. Our address is weekends@cnn.com.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This week's "TURNAROUND" found us in Los Angeles, where Emma Tate, the owner of a small catering company, realized that her generosity with clients had turned into a business liability. EMMA TATE, OWNER, CULINARY DELIGHT: I think I need to choose projects based on making a profit, not because the person can't afford the service but they need it.
VELSHI: Emma's mentor is caterer to the stars, Along Came Mary founder Mary Micucci. Mary says networking will help Emma build up a new clientele, and it will make her more profitable.
MARY MICUCCI, OWNER, ALONG CAME MARY: I don't think that I would have been as nearly successful if I hadn't had a networking strategy in place when I first started.
VELSHI: Here are some networking tips you can use. Join professional organizations to get new business. Talk to other entrepreneurs to ask them for advice and guidance, and consider offering a commission to someone who can help you drum up new business.
Emma took her mentor's advice and she got the word out about her business by networking. Now, she's on her way to a "TURNAROUND."
I'm Ali Velshi. See you next time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And if you're just tuning in this morning, here are some of our top stories. A San Francisco 49ers player has died following a preseason game. Thomas Herrion collapsed in the locker room and was rushed to the hospital. Herrion, a 6'3", 310-pound lineman, was 23. The cause of death is not yet known.
It's day two of the mechanics strike against Northwest Airlines. The nation's fourth largest airline says most of its flight ran on time yesterday. Union mechanics chose to walk the picket line rather than accept pay cuts and layoffs.
Jordan has detained scores of Arab suspects in Friday's rocket attack on U.S. warships. Both warships are out at sea and were not damaged. Most of the suspects were picked up in the Red Sea port city of Aqaba.
WHITFIELD: Jacqui Jeras here with us now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Well, from his pulpit, he encourages persuasive Christian leadership. He's not afraid to say it, and thousands of people are listening. Coming up, you'll meet Pastor Rod Parsley in our "Faces of Faith."
HARRIS: But first, a CNN extra. Tired of the little blue pill? You might get to try a new impotence cream. All right. The company testing Alprox-TD says it restores blood circulation for men with erectile dysfunction, and has no serious side effects. If approved by the FDA, the drug could enter the market as early as 2008. NextMed is also testing a similar product for women.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Every Sunday morning, more than 12,000 people pack the World Harvest Church in Columbus, Ohio. Why, you might ask? To hear from Rod Parsley. He's a call-it-like-he-sees-it pastor, and author of "Silent No More."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PASTOR ROD PARSLEY, WORLD HARVEST CHURCH: I will be silent no more. I must speak and I must speak now. Our times demand it, our history compels it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: You've said to Larry King that your hope your opinions, you hope your opinions affect the culture at large. Generally speaking, and then we'll get a little more specific, what is it about your opinions? Why do you feel your opinions should be listened to by this most diverse, most multi-cultural society perhaps ever?
PARSLEY: Well, because that's what the church is, Tony. It's a multi-cultural organization. It's very organic. It's living, it's alive, and the issues that are paramount in our day, in our culture and in our society have their root in spirituality.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARSLEY: And I've got to say this. It is not a liberal issue. Race is not a conservative issue. Race is an issue for all patriots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK, let's talk about some of your opinions. You just mentioned race a moment ago. What have you said recently to your congregation on the subject of race?
PARSLEY: Well, it's a sad and serious indictment, Tony, that Sunday morning still remains the most racially segregated hour of the week. And I'm not naive enough to think that it's like it is here in Columbus and will be here in a few hours at World Harvest Church, where you can sit on any pew and have four or five different ethnicities sitting on the pew right next to you. And we've got a lot of work to do in the church, because the gospel is for everyone.
HARRIS: When you say culture of life, when you hear that terminology being used, explain that to us from your frame of reference.
PARSLEY: Well, you know, abortion, of course, is at the forefront of that, of that ideology, and if you think about what Ronald Reagan said, President Ronald Reagan said that abortion would be the defining issue of our times. Of course so did Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, that abortion would be the defining issue of our times.
Everything comes back to life, because people matter. And the reason people matter is there are no irreplaceable people. We believe that life begins at conception, because men and women are created, according to the Bible, in the image of God. So every life is worth validating, every life is worth reinforcing and encouraging. And so, we believe that a stand for a culture of life is paramount to any civilized society.
HARRIS: What have you said about the war in Iraq recently? Is it a just or an unjust war?
PARSLEY: I believe that the Bible says, and a lot of times folks get hung up on the commandment -- of course, the Supreme Court doesn't seem to know whether the commandment should be in public places or not -- but one of those commandments, of course, is thou shalt not kill. And actually, Tony, what it says is, thou shalt not murder. We're talking about the spilling of innocent blood. God certainly, and his word, endorse that men and women have the right to stand up and protect their freedoms and protect their liberties. And when -- I think we're possibly too quickly removed. I remember where I was on September 11th, 2001, and I'm sure many that are viewing today also remember. And so I believe that it is just to see to it that people are released from the bondages of such a person as Saddam Hussein, and given the opportunity to live in freedom. And that's what we're trying, I believe, to get a foothold for democracy in the Middle East. And so in my personal opinion, it is a justified war.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Parsley's breakthrough television broadcast is seen in nearly every nation around the world.
WHITFIELD: And we've been asking e-mail questions all morning and getting a few responses out there.
HARRIS: Sure, we have.
WHITFIELD: The question is, does our tax system need an overhaul? We've asked the question, because in our next hour we're going to be hearing from Neal Boortz, who has a best-selling book which challenges this very notion.
So our first e-mail, and there it is, "The Fair Tax Book" -- we'll be hearing more on that in the next hour.
But for now, Jerry writes -- "The income tax law is broken and needs to be fixed. Maybe some form of flat tax would be better?"
And Dawnmarie chimes in on our question of the day. Here's what she says: "Of course the tax system needs an overhaul. My brother and everyone he works with gets paid under the table and collects welfare benefits at the same time. We know many, many people who do not pay taxes on what they earn, and they feel that it's their right not to. Get rid of the federal and state income taxes, and charge a higher sales tax, so that nobody could shirk their taxpaying duties." Dawnmarie from Columbia, South Carolina.
Dawnmarie, thank you. And thank you all for sending in your e- mail responses to our question. Do you think the tax system needs an overhaul? There's the address once again. Weekends@cnn.com. We'll read more of your responses and we'll hear from Neal Boortz in our 9:00 hour.
WHITFIELD: And you talked to Neal. Is he surprised...
HARRIS: Yes, he is.
WHITFIELD: Is he surprised that his book is getting this kind of attention?
HARRIS: He wanted just to...
WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE) fired up?
HARRIS: Yes, he just wanted to get it on the record.
WHITFIELD: Yeah.
HARRIS: And is very surprised that first of all, that people have received it as well as they have, and that it has shot to the top of "The New York Times" best sellers list. And so much so that the company, the publisher, had set up a book tour for him, mostly along the East Coast, and the book is taking off all over the country. And now he has got to rearrange his schedule to go out to the West Coast to promote the book out West. So yeah, he's very surprised.
WHITFIELD: All right, we'll look forward to interviewing him in the next hour.
HARRIS: And new next hour -- OK. You're going to hear about music inspired by the deserts of Iraq and the horrors of war. We'll have this Sunday's "Soldier's Story."
WHITFIELD: But first, on "HOUSE CALL," Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a closer look at lung cancer. What you can do to treat it and how to prevent it, that's coming up next.
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