Many of the houses are the wrong size, in the wrong place, and people don't like them. [The government] should have avoided this top-down, cookie-cutter approach to reconstruction and got the process right.

It surprised us, too, but when we added up all the overseas development assistance Thailand is providing we found it's on the heels of the U.S. as a percentage of national income. The story here is that it shows what the countries of the south can do to help each other.

It's not a big jump. But it's a jump.

For the federal government, combating attacks on America's houses of worship will remain a permanent priority.

Thou shalt not merge religion and government. Promoting religion is the job of houses of worship, not government. Our legal system especially must avoid even the appearance of bias on the basis of religion.

We were trying to achieve a compromise with the government; we were even willing to destroy the houses with our own hands, instead of coming to this violence. But the politicians really wanted to see the pictures of blood and violence.