For several weeks now, I have tried to complete this article for the Cypress Times Online Newspaper but just couldn't.  Repeatedly, I have gone back to it with the same determination but always 'felt' there is so much more I want to say.  Herewith, I will try to give you an overview of ‘Who’ and ‘What’ I am and what has driven me to make the 'announcement' back around August 1st. of 2009.

First of all, I am in this position because of the love of God and country.  My faith in God has always been important to me and the love of my country has always been one of the motivating factors prompting me to do whatever I have done.

With the “approval of Congress” and its leaders at an all-time low, “Why,” you would ask, “would anyone want to be a part of them?” Believe me, I have asked myself that very question before.  But, because of ‘Who’ I am, and ‘What’ I am, I can no longer “stand on the sidelines” viewing what is happening to Am...

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My Announcement as a Candidate for Congress!

Dear family and friends:

I have decided to announce that I am a "Candidate" for the U. S. Congress, District 30, here in the State of Texas. I will make the "Announcement" public on 12 September 2009 at a Park located in Sunnyvale, Texas.

Sunnyvale is a small town located just East of Mesquite, and I am inviting all my family and friends to be present.

We will begin at 6p.m. in the evening and have the park scheduled until 10p.m., but I really feel that we can be through not later than 8p.m. The address of the park is:

Town Center Park ~ located at 356 Tripp Road ~ Sunnyvale

All Republican candidates in Dallas county and North Texas are "Invited" to attend and "meet and Greet" having a brief moment at the microphone to introduce themselves. I encourage you to attend if at all possible. We will have "Special Singing" from other guests, and, I am sure that you will enjoy hearing our Very Special...

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The Iraqi Kurds have succeeded in presenting a united front of two main political blocks: the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The Kurds have secured a largely autonomous Kurdish region in the North, and have achieved a prominent role for Kurds within the national government. Barzani leads the Kurdish regional government, and Talabani is President of Iraq.

This all has been completed since 2003 when Iraq was "liberated" from the notorious Saddam Hussein regime.

Leading Kurdish politicians have told us they preferred to be within a democratic, federal Iraqi state because an independent Kurdistan would be surrounded by hostile neighbors. However, a majority of Kurds, today, favor independence. The Kurds have their own security forces known as the Peshmerga. Skillfully trained by our own American military forces, the Peshmerga numbers more than 100,000. They believe they could accommodate themselves to either a unified or a ...

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After Chacker and I helped to get the young Iraqi driver and his tanker-truck turned around, we both got back into the Taksi to make our way on to Dohuk. I could tell that morning was breaking right away because of the brisk morning air. It wasn't uncomfortable, however, to me in my short-sleeved shirt, nevertheless, the morning air was cool.

On our way now toward Dohuk, Chacker and I engaged somewhat in some 'small talk' and within thirty minutes or so, we were pulling into the parking lot of a small Kurdish-owned 'Cafe' Resturante' which was all well-lighted, I thought, for this early in the morning. I quickly made my way back to the rustic 'outside toilet,' which was nothing more than a tin-covered small building - one for men, and another one for the ladies. I hurriedly had my "morning break," washed my hands and went to meet Chacker inside
the resturante'. That isn't the correct English spelling of it, but that is the way it is "spelled" here in Iraq; or, at le...

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Saturday, 11 April 2009

Today I spent a couple of hours, or so, with two of my former students: Josef and Aged. Aged's name is pronounced "Ageed." He is the young Kurd in the picture here with me that I have attached.
Josef is the young Assyrian Christian whom I met two years ago in my Class at the Kurdish American School.

I had asked if all were of the Muslim religion, and Josef stood and said, "I am Christian, Mister Charliss!"

We had walked up the street here in Dohuk to the Sarkey's Italiano Pizza Cafe' and therehad some good pizza. We talked and visited about the current "conditions" throughout Iraq,more especially Kurdistan. That's the part of Iraq
that exists from about Sulaymaniya on the Eastern border side, touching Iran, and just North of Baghdad to the Northern border which connects with Turkey.Of course, history will reveal that many years ago Kurdistan encompassed a much larger territory ~ extending...

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Beginning today, The Cypress Times will be publishing a diary of sorts from Charles Lingerfelt.  Mr. Lingerfelt is a retired principal, teacher and football coach from Dallas, Texas who has co-founded the Kurdish American School in Dohuk, Kirdistan-Northern Iraq.

The school was founded in 2006 and Mr. Lingerfelt returns to Iraq often to continue the work there.  Due to Mr. Langerfelt's generosity in sharing his story with The Cypress Times we will able to let you keep up with his journey and the progress of his students in Iraq.  

The Cypress Times will continue to publish Mr. Lingerfelt's reports or blog in the manner in which they are supplied.  As Mr. Lingerfelt puts it, "I will accommodate you as much as possible, and as long as the electricity ‘stays on’ and I have access to the Internet, I will keep the Blogs coming your way.”  What follows is Mr. Lingerfelt's first blog.