• The "North Carolina Business Magazine" recognized North Carolina's outstanding attorneys and one of the Club's members, Phil Van Hoy, was included in the listing.

• The January 8, 2002, Rotary "Charlotte Reporter" included a list of our perfect attendance leaders. Each person on the list should be recognized for his or her dedication and commitment to our Club. President Jim recognized Martin Waters for 50 years of perfect attendance and presented him with an award for his outstanding dedication to Rotary.

• We have received the resignation of the Club's Office Manager, Claire Erb, effective December 31. However, she has agreed to help us with the transition of the job to Sandy Osman. Sandy will serve as the Club's new Office Manager and joins us after 25-plus years' experience working in various office positions with Bell South. (Claire was given a standing ovation for her outstanding work with our Club).

     President Jim introduced the head table, which included Don Carmichael. Suzanne Fetscher, Bart Landess, Catherine Browning, Jim Kiser, and Bob Barber who introduced Haywood Rankin as our speaker to discuss the "Roots of the Islamic Rage."
     Haywood served 26 years in the Foreign Service, from 1972 until his retirement in 1998. Since his retirement he has served as a consultant with the State Department every year. He served in six Arab countries (three North African and three in the Near East/Arabia); twice in the Near East Office of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (once as a North Africa analyst and once as acting director); and in Cote d'lvoire. In 1999, after the embassy bombings, he spent six months in Dar Es Salaam. His two African assignments were in countries that are fifty percent Muslim.
     Haywood grew up on a farm in Gaston County. He was a Morehead Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill and graduated in 1968 with a sociology degree. He attended UNC Law School from 1968 to 1971. He served as clerk for Chief Justice William Bobbitt (N.C. Supreme Court) from 1971 to 1972. After passing the Foreign Service Exam in 1972, he became vice-consul in Tangier, Morocco, from 1973 to 1975; Arabic training and political officer in Egypt from 1976 to 1979; political officer in Damascus, Syria, from 1984 to 1986; chief of political section in Bagdad, Iraq, from 1986 to 1988; deputy chief of mission in Muscat, Oman, from 1989 to 1992; deputy chief of mission in Algiera from 1992 to 1994; and political officer in Tanzania in 1999.
     After the September 11 terrorist attacks, we are asking "Why do Arabs hate us?" There are three theories on the reason.
     1) The Arab world is a world of autocratic bad government. The U.S. is perceived as responsible for these governments and supports them. In the Arab world, there is a perception that the CIA is everywhere and the U.S. is responsible for everything that happens there.
     2) We are rich. Thus, we are automatically hated. The Arab world is very poor in comparison to the U.S. During Haywood's career in the Arab world, he witnessed the elimination of the Arab middle class by the monarchies and Islamic militants. This has caused great hatred in the Arab world. The Arab world is a very proud culture. History is very important to the Arabs and they believe that Arabic is the "language of God." Islam started there and this gives them great pride. The Arab world is deeply rooted in religion. The threat of becoming secular vs. the great sense of religious pride has created a very explosive culture.
     3) The relationship and support of Israel by the U.S. All three of these factors contribute to the Arab hatred toward the U.S., the biggest factors being our wealth and support of Israel.
     The question is, "What should we do about this Arab hatred toward the U.S.?"
     1) Regarding the U.S. support of bad autocratic governments in the Arab world, there are currently no valid Arab government replacements. Any new form of government in the Arab countries could be more hostile toward the U.S. and the people of that nation.
     2) Regarding the "Rich U.S. vs. the Poor Arabs," we could provide a lot more aid to the underdeveloped countries. We do far less per capita than Europe and Japan. However, in most cases aid does not accomplish much. Tanzania is an example where England provided significant support but produced little results. The U.S. needs to be perceived by the Arabs as caring. This would help.
     3) Regarding the U.S. support of Israel, we have never really put pressure on Israel for settlements with Palestine. The Arabs perceive Israel as a settlement of Western culture in the middle of the Arab world. Europeans are angered at the U.S. stance on the plight of the Palestinians. Our policy of total support of Israel has pushed terrorism over the brink. We need to readdress our support and relationship with Israel.
     President Jim closed the meeting by thanking Haywood Rankin for his very informative presentation.

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Report of trie Nominating Committee The Rotary Club or Charlotte

•  President: W. Thomas Robertson, Jr.
•   Secretary: Philip A. Volponi
•   Treasurer: Myra C. Johnston

• James C. Adams
• John M. Phillips
•  Ronald R. Kimble
•  Charles A. Williams III
•  Luther T. Moore
•  Andrew G. Zoutewelle

•  Theresa R. Evans
•  R. Edward Kizer, Jr.
•  Jeannie S. Falknor
•  John H. Tabor
•  David J. Zimmerman
•  W. Thomas Robertson, Jr.

•  David Anderson (chair)
•  J. Worth Williamson, Jr.
•  Theresa R. Evans
•  James H. Woodward
•  C. Don Steger

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POWELL'S
OBSERVATIONS

POWELL  MAJORS

     Phil Van Hoy had a letter to the editor of the "Observer" on January 1st wherein he wondered where all the money is going after the State doubled its indebtedness by $3.1 billion all earmarked for education. Phil was featured in "The Business Magazine" as an outstanding lawyer in North Carolina.

     The Rotary Foundation reports that the final chapter on the war against polio will require six billion doses of vaccine for 600 million children around the world by 2005. Since 1988 when polio eradication began, the number of polio cases has declined 99 percent.

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