February, 2, 2006

The Big Scoop Series #10: Clear And Present Dangers Exposed

Hello everyone!

Another biggie for you to scan or read depending on how much time you have.

As usual, there is a wide variety of topics that may trigger all kinds of emotions and reactions in you.

As usual you are welcomed to share with others whatever moves you.

Jean Hudon
Earth Rainbow Network Coordinator

You are welcomed to network anything from this compilation, but please also include the following:

Free subscription to such compilations by sending a blank email to earthrainbownetwork-subscribe@lists.riseup.net


This compilation is archived at http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/Archives2006/BigScoop10.htm

STATS for this compilation: Over 23,600 words and 188 links provided.

To unsubscribe from the Earth Rainbow Network automated listserver, or change your listing on it when you have a new email address, the simplest way is to do it yourself by sending a blank email at earthrainbownetwork-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net -- IMPORTANT: You MUST do it from the email account you wish to unsubscribe otherwise the system won't recognize your request.


You are the grains of sand kissed by the ocean waves on the beach.
You are the stars, sparkling like diamonds upon the black velvet sky.
You are the wind beneath the wings of the great eagle as it flies.
You are the rays of the sun as it warms the earth,
And kisses the face of the snow covered mountains.
You are the Gifted One.

You are the birds, the trees, the flowers,
the animals and the fish in the sea.
You are the cotton candy clouds floating in the blue sky.
You are the lightning, the thunder, the rain, the snow.
You are your brothers keeper, because you are your brother.
You are One with all there is you see.
For you are the gifted One.
In this dream called "life."

— "Isis" ladyisis@verizon.net">
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DailyCupOfInspiration


"In your mind’s eye, see all the people of the earth getting along in harmony. Imagine that we live in a world where PEACE is every society’s top priority. Picture a world in which all people consider not only what is best for themselves, but what is also best for their neighbors. Focus your imagination on a world where hostility no longer exists, because all people seek harmonious win-win solutions whenever there is a difference of opinion. One great way to visualize this kind of world is to picture people all over the earth smiling at each other and hugging each other. Spend as much time as you like picturing a world where people get along in harmony. Remember, your thoughts are very powerful, and you are helping to CREATE peace simply by focusing your mind on it."

— P.M.H. Atwater - Taken from http://www.MetamorphosisMagazine.com/PlanetaryPeaceGathering.html#focus


Worthy of Your Attention

Adopt a Rat Today
http://www.herorat.org/
Amazing story! Rats save lives through smelling out land mines as part of de-mining teams in Africa. Check this site!

THE SECOND COMING OF THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN REVOLUTION: LET US COUNT THE WAYS
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2006/01/332897.shtml
The year 2005 was a historical one of epic proportions for the grand future that lays ahead for the people of the united States of America and the world. So much SIGNIFICANT progress has been made in terms of gaining ground on the New World Order's evil agenda, that there is much to look forward to now than ever before. 2006 is promised to be, without question, even more momentous, if not revolutionary! CLIP Recommended by Star Light andromedan01@yahoo.com"> VERY UPBEAT!

What is NakedFor911Truth.com?
http://nakedfor911truth.com/faq.html
NakedFor911Truth.com is a website calling for an emergency, nation-wide campaign to raise public 9/11 awareness via coordinated acts of non-violent civil disobedience.

Internet Sacred Text Archive
http://www.sacred-texts.com/index.htm
A comprehensive site where sacred texts, poetry and myths of the world's religions can be viewed -- not just the major ones, but also those of the ancient near east, native Americans, neopaganism, the tarot, Greek, Roman and Norse mythology, Baha'i, Nostradamus, and more. Another useful feature is the hyperlinked timeline of sacred texts
Recommended by Mark Gilliland mg@markg.org">.

Lots of articles on Global Warming
http://www.global-warming.net/

FOR UK SUBSCRIBERS! Costly though! Solartwin
http://www.solartwin.com/
Solar Grants expire March 31st 2006! Solartwin the solar panel water heating system which is reliable, quickly fitted and surprisingly affordable. Solartwin gives you the satisfaction of knowing that your solar hot water is produced environmentally. How have we done this? We have eliminated the ecological contradiction inherent in conventional solar heating, which used to burn up mains electricity in order to deliver solar energy. Instead, Solartwin uses a clever 100% solar powered solar electric pump! Based on a Scottish engineer's award-winning invention, Solartwin also avoids the problem of frozen pipes bursting in winter - by just letting them freeze - flexibly! Solartwin + house = eco-home!


LAST MINUTE ADDITION

Kama Sutra Worm Set for Attack on Feb. 3
http://news.yahoo.com/fc/tech/computer_security
Security analysts are warning computer users about a new and potentially destructive Internet worm that can obliterate important documents. The worm, called Kama Sutra, is making the rounds now, but is scheduled to execute its first massive attack on February 3. The malicious worm targets computers running Windows and spreads primarily by copying itself to shared network locations and then sending itself to e-mail addresses found on afflicted computers. With subject lines that read "the best videoclip ever," "give me a kiss," and "school girl fantasies gone bad," the worm entices computer users to open the attached file.

CONTENTS

1. Full Page Impeachment Ad in the New York Times
2. Top 10 Censored Stories of 2005
3. The Next 90 Days ... Could Bring Nuclear War And A US Financial Collapse
4. All Signposts Lead To Imminent Nuclear Attack In America: Intel Army Capt. Eric May
5. Scene Set for the Clash of Civilizations
6. Voice of the White House
7. Urgent call for solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka and request for assistance
8. Global Warming Approaching Point Of No Return, Warns Leading Climate Expert
9. Dramatic Change In West Antarctic Ice Could Produce 16ft Rise In Sea Levels
10. Ready for $262/barrel oil?
11. Comic Video Exposing Exxon
12. Response to the Global Emergency
13. Bathroom Talk


See also:

The State of the Union
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013106Y.shtml
William Rivers Pitt: In the interests of truth, the actual state of this union deserves to be displayed for all to see. This is the deal. This is how it is.

A Night of Fear Mongering, Big Time
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020106J.shtml
Jason Leopold writes: "Get ready for three more years of bloody hell. That's the message President Bush seems to have sent Congress and the rest of the world in his State of the Union address Tuesday night."

Angry, skeptical Americans unimpressed with State of the Union speech (Feb 1)
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_8088.shtml
Americans reacted with skepticism and anger at President Bush's fifth State of the Union address Tuesday night, reflecting a national mood that reflects serious reservations about the controversial war in Iraq, revelations about the administration's secret domestic spying program, and missteps following Hurricane Katrina. CLIP

What Isolationism? (Feb 2)
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0202-27.htm
In his speech, the president presented a fiction to avoid a debate on tough policy questions - In his state of the Union address on Tuesday, President Bush worked himself into a lather about the dangers of "retreating within our borders." His speech bulged with ominous references to ostensibly resurgent isolationists hankering to "tie our hands" and leave "an assaulted world to fend for itself." Turning inward, the president cautioned, would provide "false comfort" because isolationism inevitably "ends in danger and decline." But who exactly are these isolationists eager to pull up the drawbridges? What party do they control? What influential journals of opinion do they publish? Who are their leaders? Which foundations bankroll this isolationist cause? The president provided no such details, and for good reason: They do not exist. Indeed, in present-day American politics, isolationism does not exist. It is a fiction, a fabrication and a smear imported from another era. Isolationism survives in contemporary American political discourse because it retains utility as a cheap device employed to impose discipline. Think of it as akin to red-baiting — conjuring up bogus fears to enforce conformity in the realm of foreign policy. In that regard, the beleaguered Bush, his standing in public opinion polls tumbling, is by no means the first president to sound the alarm about supposed isolationists subverting American statecraft. CLIP

Cindy Sheehan | What Really Happened
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020106Z.shtml
Cindy Sheehan: As most of you have probably heard, I was arrested before the State of the Union address last night. I am speechless with fury at what happened and with grief over what we have lost in our country. There have been lies from the police and distortions by the press (Shocker). So this is what really happened. (...) I had just sat down and I was warm from climbing 3 flights of stairs back up from the bathroom so I unzipped my jacket. I turned to the right to take my left arm out, when the same officer saw my shirt and yelled; "Protester." He then ran over to me, hauled me out of my seat and roughly (with my hands behind my back) shoved me up the stairs. I said something like "I'm going, do you have to be so rough?" By the way, his name is Mike Weight. The officer ran with me to the elevators yelling at everyone to move out of the way. When we got to the elevators, he cuffed me and took me outside to await a squad car. On the way out, someone behind me said, "That's Cindy Sheehan." At which point the officer who arrested me said: "Take these steps slowly." I said, "You didn't care about being careful when you were dragging me up the other steps." He said, "That's because you were protesting."  Wow, I get hauled out of the People's House because I was, "Protesting."I was never told that I couldn't wear that shirt into the Congress. I was never asked to take it off or zip my jacket back up. If I had been asked to do any of those things...I would have, and written about the suppression of my freedom of speech later. I was immediately, and roughly (I have the bruises and muscle spasms to prove it) hauled off and arrested for "unlawful conduct." (...) I have some lawyers looking into filing a First Amendment lawsuit against the government for what happened tonight. I will file it. It is time to take our freedoms and our country back. I don't want to live in a country that prohibits any person, whether he/she has paid the ultimate price for that country, from wearing, saying, writing, or telephoning any negative statements about the government. That's why I am going to take my freedoms and liberties back. That's why I am not going to let Bushco take anything else away from me... or you. I am so appreciative of the couple of hundred of protesters who came to the jail while I was locked up to show their support.... we have so much potential for good... there is so much good in so many people.Four hours and two jails after I was arrested, I was let out. Again, I am so upset and sore it is hard to think straight. Keep up the struggle... I promise you I will too. (More on this in item #12 below)

Statement regarding Cindy Sheehan
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020106R.shtml
In response to Cindy Sheehan's arrest in the gallery of the House of Representatives before the State of the Union address, Representative Lynn Woolsey asks, "Since when is free speech conditional on whether you agree with the President?"

Capitol Police Apologize to Cindy Sheehan
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020206Z.shtml
The US Capitol Police dropped charges against activist Cindy Sheehan on Wednesday and apologized for arresting her in the House of Representatives chamber shortly before President Bush's State of the Union address.

Bush's War on T-Shirts (Feb 2)
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0202-25.htm
(...) Sheehan, who caused no ruckus, was arrested not because she engaged in "unlawful conduct." Rather, by all accounts, she was arrested because of what her T-shirt said and, by extension, because of what she believes. That makes this a most serious matter. Rep. Pete Stark, the California Democrat who is one of the senior members of the House, is right when he said that Sheehan's arrest by officers he refers to as "the president's Gestapo" tells us a lot more about George Bush and the sorry state of our basic liberties in the midst of the president's open-ended "war on terror" than anything that was said in the State of the Union address. "It shows he still has a thin skin," Stark said. CLIP

Sheehan Calls Bush a 'Terrorist' as Social Forum Wraps Up in Caracas
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013006M.shtml
The six-day World Social Forum wrapped up in Caracas with US anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan calling President George W. Bush a "terrorist" during an event hosted by Venezuela's leftist leader. (Check also http://truthout.org/worldsocialforum2006.shtml)

Video Exclusive: Cindy Sheehan on Running for Senate
Interview by Chris Hume and Sari Gelzer
http://www.truthout.org/multimedia.htm
Cindy Sheehan sat down with Chris Hume on Saturday and discussed why she is considering a run for the Senate. Sheehan cited examples of Diane Feinstein's votes that, in her opinion, did not represent Californians.

Impeach or Indict Bush and Cheney
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012806Z.shtml
The Constitution is silent on whether a seated President and Vice President can be indicted, while in office, for crimes committed while they have held those offices. Constitutional lawyers are congenitally prone to announcing that this cannot be done because it would disrupt the ongoing business of the government. According to Ronnie Drugger it is time to do it, if necessary absent impeachment, for exactly that reason - to disrupt the continuation of THIS government.

Scholars Repudiate Official Version of 9/11 (Jan 27) http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2006/1/emw338782.htm
An influential group of prominent experts and scholars have joined together alleging that senior government officials have covered up crucial facts about what really happened on 9/11. The members of this new non-partisan association, "Scholars for 9/11 Truth" (S9/11T), are convinced their research proves the current administration has been dishonest with the nation about events in New York and Washington, D.C. These experts contend that books and articles by members and associates have established that the World Trade Center was almost certainly brought down by controlled demolitions and that the available relevant evidence casts grave doubt on the official story about the attack on the Pentagon. They believe that the government not only permitted 9/11 to occur but may even have orchestrated these events to facilitate its political agenda. The society includes U.S. and international faculty and students of history, science, military affairs, psychology, and even philosophy. According to its spokesmen, S9/11T represents a concerted effort to uphold the standards of truth and justice and to strengthen democracy in this nation, which has taken a terrible hit in the aftermath of 9/11, when "everything changed." Its function is to bring scientific rigor to the study of 9/11 phenomena. The members of this group are dedicated to exposing falsehoods and to revealing truths behind 9/11, "letting the chips fall where they may." The evidence has become sufficiently strong that they are speaking out. They are actively devoting themselves to reporting the results of their research to the public by means of lectures, articles, and other venues. The society includes numerous notable professors and scholars, including: (...) A major conference is being planned for this fall to further inform the American public about the group's most recent findings. Studies by the society's founders and by prominent theologian David Ray Griffin, who has taken a leading role in exposing false claims about 9/11, are accessible from the association's home page, http://www.ScholarsFor911Truth.org

BYU professor's group accuses U.S. officials of lying about 9/11 (Jan 28)
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635179751,00.html
Last fall, Brigham Young University physics professor Steven E. Jones made headlines when he charged that the World Trade Center collapsed because of "pre-positioned explosives." Now, along with a group that calls itself "Scholars for 9/11 Truth," he's upping the ante."We believe that senior government officials have covered up crucial facts about what really happened on 9/11," the group says in a statement released Friday announcing its formation. "We believe these events may have been orchestrated by the administration in order to manipulate the American people into supporting policies at home and abroad." CLIP

Bush Ignored 9/11 Warnings
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013106J.shtml
The Bush administration ignored hard evidence from its top intelligence officials between April and September of 2001 about an impending attack by al-Qaeda on US soil. There's no chance that the National Security Agency's domestic wiretapping initiative would have saved the lives of 3,000 American citizens if an intelligence memo titled "Bin Laden determined to attack inside US" that President Bush received a month before 9/11 couldn't move Bush to take such threats seriously.

Break the Spell! Polls Show Many Americans are Simply Dumber Than Bush: Blind Ignorance
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11696.htm
Two recent polls, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll and a New York Times/CBS News poll, indicate why Bush is getting away with impeachable offenses. Half of the US population is incapable of acquiring, processing and understanding information.Much of the problem is the media itself, which serves as a disinformation agency for the Bush administration. Fox "News" and right-wing talk radio are the worst, but with propagandistic outlets setting the standard for truth and patriotism, all of the media is affected to some degree.Despite the media's failure, about half the population has managed to discern that the US invasion of Iraq has not made them safer and that the Bush administration's assault on civil liberties is not a necessary component of the war on terror. The problem, thus, lies with the absence of due diligence on the part of the other half of the population. Consider the New York Times/CBS poll. Sixty-four percent of the respondents have concerns about losing civil liberties as a result of anti-terrorism measures put in place by President Bush. Yet, 53 percent approve of spying without obtaining court warrants "in order to reduce the threat of terrorism." (...) According to news reports, the Bush administration is stunned by the election victory of the radical Islamist Hamas Party, which swept the US-financed Fatah Party from office. Why is the Bush administration astonished?The Bush administration is astonished because it stupidly believes that hundreds of millions of Muslims should be grateful that the US has interfered in their internal affairs for 60 years, setting up colonies and puppet rulers to suppress their aspirations and to achieve, instead, purposes of the US government. Americans need desperately to understand that 95 percent of all Muslim terrorists in the world were created in the past three years by Bush's invasion of Iraq. Americans need desperately to comprehend that if Bush attacks Iran and Syria, as he intends, terrorism will explode, and American civil liberties will disappear into a thirty year war that will bankrupt the United States. The total lack of rationality and competence in the White House and the inability of half of the US population to acquire and understand information are far larger threats to Americans than terrorism. America has become a rogue nation, flying blind, guided only by ignorance and hubris. A terrible catastrophe awaits.

A clear and present danger to America (Jan 27) http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_8065.shtml
George W. Bush, the out-of-control despot who thinks the Presidency of the United States is a license to lie at will, wage war on a whim and break the law without recrimination, put on his “I am in charge” face Thursday and, for all practical purposes, told anyone who thinks his powers should be subject to review or oversight to go screw themselves.Bush told reporters that he will assert his “presidential prerogatives” any damn way he pleases and will do so without apology, without question and without concern for the law, the Constitution or the rights of Americans.His press conference was a frightening study of a madman on a tear, an insane, power-mad tyrant who believes he is above the law and cannot be questioned. Sadly, it appears no one has the balls to questions his lunacy. (...) After too many years watching this man destroy what once was a great nation, I can only conclude that Bush is insane and his insanity is protected by a brain-dead populace and a power-mad political party that can’t possibly accept the sad fact that they helped put a madman in charge of our government and have kept him there. I believe with all my soul that George W. Bush and the Republicans who rubber-stamp his actions represent a clear and present danger to the peace and security of the United States and all must be removed from office immediately if this nation is to survive. And those are words I never, ever, thought I’d write about a President or other elected officials of this country. And I wish, with all my heart that I did not have to write them now. But those who love this country and put patriotism above politics must act. America, if it wishes to remain America, must remove the cancer that threatens to destroy it.

Most Iraqis Doubt US Will Ever Leave
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013106T.shtml
Large majorities of Iraqis believe that the United States has no intention of ever withdrawing all its military forces from their country and that Washington's reconstruction efforts have been incompetent at best, according to a new survey released Tuesday.

Out of Jail, into the Army
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020206F.shtml
Facing an enlistment crisis, the Army is granting "waivers" to an increasingly high percentage of recruits with criminal records - and trying to hide it.

IAEA Chief Says Iran Dispute Is Not 'Crisis Situation'
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020206K.shtml
Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Thursday told a meeting of the nuclear watchdog that the dispute between Iran and the west was "at a critical stage," but was "in no way a crisis situation."

Mark Crispin Miller: Election Theft Emergency
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012706E.shtml
Mark Crispin Miller talks about how the right stole the 2004 presidential election - and how they'll do it again unless we stop them.

Voting Systems Lawsuit Reaches U.S. Supreme Court
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_lynn_lan_060201_voting_systems_lawsu.htm
Washington DC, Jan 30 - A little-noticed voting rights lawsuit has made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court (Docket No. 05-930). It constitutes the first legal challenge to the widespread use of nontransparent voting systems. Specifically, the lawsuit challenges the use of voting machines and absentee voting in elections for public office. CLIP

Voting system examiners blocked from telling what they know? (Feb 1)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bitflippingelections/message/50
Voting system examiners in several states have reportedly been prohibited from revealing voting system flaws to the public due to nondisclosure agreements they signed with the vendors.

CIA Broadens Assassination Program
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012906G.shtml
Despite protests from other countries, the United States is expanding a top-secret effort to kill suspected terrorists with drone-fired missiles as it pursues an increasingly decentralized al Qaeda.

EPA's Latest Human Pesticide Testing Rule Called Illegal, Immoral
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012706HC.shtml
Three US legislators are asking the EPA to withdraw a planned rule to permit pesticide experimentation on humans, including pregnant and nursing mothers and children. The EPA final draft rule introduces new loopholes that will allow for ethical abuse, the legislators warn.

Documents Show Army Seized Wives as Tactic
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012706Q.shtml
The US Army in Iraq has at least twice seized and jailed the wives of suspected insurgents in hopes of "leveraging" their husbands into surrender, US military documents show. In one case, a secretive task force locked up the young mother of a nursing baby.

Hunger Strikers Close to Death
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012806X.shtml
Despite force feeding by the American military, several hunger strikers at Guantanamo Bay may be close to death.

ACLU Accuses FBI, DHS of Spying on Citizens
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012706A.shtml
The ACLU of Georgia released copies of government files on Wednesday that illustrate the extent to which the FBI, the DeKalb County Division of Homeland Security and other government agencies have gone to compile information on Georgians suspected of being threats simply for expressing controversial opinions.

Presidential signing statements are more than just executive branch lunacy (Jan 30)
http://www.slate.com/id/2134919/
There are two ways President Bush likes to wage war on your civil liberties: He either asks you to surrender your rights directly-as he does when he strengthens and broadens provisions of the Patriot Act. Or he simply hoovers up new powers and hopes you won't find out-as he did when he granted himself authority to order warrant-less wiretapping of American citizens. The former category seems more benign, and it's tempting to lump Bush's affinity for "presidential signing statements" in that camp. It's tempting to believe that with these statements he is merely asking that the courts take his legal views into account. But President Bush never asks anything of the courts; he doesn't think he has to. His signing statements are not aimed at persuading the courts, but at reinforcing his claim that both courts and Congress are irrelevant. (...) It's so tempting to laugh off Bush's signing statements as puffed-up, groundless claims that he is all-powerful, all-knowing, and also devastatingly handsome. But this is the president talking and instructing his subordinates-and also outlining a broad legal regime that may not technically be constitutional, but that hardly makes it laughable. These declarations promote a view of the law that may have no merit in the courts but may never have the chance to be resolved there in the first place.

New Patriot Act Provision Creates Tighter Barrier to Officials at Public Events
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020106H.shtml
A new provision tucked into the Patriot Act bill now before Congress would allow authorities to haul demonstrators at any "special event of national significance" away to jail on felony charges if they are caught breaching a security perimeter.

What's Our National Identity? (12.06.01)
<
Oracle's Larry Ellison and Harvard's Allen Dershowitz have been all over the media recently pitching a National ID Card. One poll indicates 70% public support for the notion. Most critics of a National Identity Card mention Hitler, police stops, and personal privacy to argue against the proposal. Those are good reasons to oppose a National ID Card, but they miss the idea's worst features.Proponents of a National ID Card have a responsibility to tell us exactly what the system will do to day-to-day life in America. They are unlikely to do so because most thoughtful Americans would be alarmed at the prospect. A National ID card is *not* really about identity. It is about authorization. A modern National ID System will:* Require Americans to obtain federal government authorization to travel, work, rent or buy housing, obtain medical care, use financial services, and make many purchases.* This federal authorization could be denied for many reasons including database errors, a suspicious transaction profile, being a deadbeat parent, failure to pay taxes or fines, and any other social control measures Congress wishes to hang on the system.* The system will almost certainly create an outlaw class - as large as 10 to 20% of the population - cut off from "normal" life in America. This class will include political refuseniks as well as those whose behavior has caused the system's software to deny their transactions. This outlaw class will sustain the underground economy for the use of future terrorists (and ordinary criminals).These effects are easy to predict because they've already happened on a lesser scale. CLIP

Women of Gaza Fear for Their Freedoms under New Religious Regime
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/013006WB.shtml
Naila Ayesh, a secular married woman who frequently goes about Gaza in Western clothes, has already noticed a subtle change since Hamas's election victory last Wednesday. "You will hear even kids saying to you, 'your head isn't covered now but it will be. You can drive now but you won't be able to later.'"

Torture School Protesters Face Six Months in Prison
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012706S.shtml
On Monday, January 30, thirty-two people ranging in age from 19 to 81 will begin federal trials for peacefully walking onto a military base in protest of a controversial Army training school. Each person faces up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine for this act of nonviolent civil disobedience.

Spychips make Orwell's Big Brother seem relatively harmless (Jan 17)
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_424.shtml
(…) the tagging of everything, and thus of everyone, can be stopped dead in its tracks with massive consumer action reflecting the very high level of consumer opposition to RFID. CLIP

VERICHIP RFID IMPLANT HACKED! (January 27, 2006)
http://www.spychips.com/press-releases/verichip-hacked.html
Will Security Problems Quash IPO Plans for Controversial Company? (...) "If you look at the VeriChip purely from the business angle, it's a ridiculously flawed product," says McIntyre. She notes that security researcher Jonathan Westhues has shown how easy it is to clone a VeriChip implanted in a person's arm and program a new chip with the same number. (...) "For a life or death medical device, that's unbelievable," says McIntyre. "I wouldn't buy toilet paper that required that kind of a disclaimer, never mind a product that's supposed to serve as a lifeline in an emergency." CLIP

Bio-electromagnetic Weapons (24 January 2006)
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/BW.php
The ultimate weapon - Electromagnetic weapons operate at the speed of light; they can kill, torture and enslave; but the public are largely unaware that they exist, because these weapons operate by stealth and leave no physical evidence. Electromagnetic weapons have been tested on human beings since 1976. By widely dispersing the involuntary human test-subjects, and vehemently attacking their credibility, it has been possible for the United States to proceed with these human experiments unhindered by discussions or criticisms, let alone opposition. This ultimate weapon system is currently being deployed in Iraq. The US Air Force and the Marine Corps refer to it as “active denial technology”, as if it were used purely for defense, but it is not (see Box 1). (...) On 1 March 2001, the Marine Corps announced a new non-lethal weapon, “active denial technology”. It produces enormous pain by allegedly boiling the molecules of water in the human skin without damaging the skin itself. As described in an article published in New Scientist, it employs pulsed electromagnetic radiation at a frequency of 95 GHz with a range of about 600 meters [10]. There have been several new reports in the magazine in 2005, including one published in July [11], describing volunteers taking part in tests to determine how safe the Active Denial System (ADS) weapon would be if used in real crowd-control. The ADS weapon’s beam was reported to cause pain within 2 to 3 seconds, and becomes “intolerable after less than 5 seconds”. (...) Since completing this article in mid-June 2005, it has come to my attention that the Israelis are deploying a device called “The Scream”, which sends out bursts of audible, but not loud sound at intervals of about 10 seconds. A photographer at the scene of a demonstration said that he continued to hear the sound ringing in his head even after he covered his ears. This suggests to me that the active agent is electromagnetic rather than acoustic. In other words, the Israelis have come up with a device that is far cleverer than our “active denial technology”. It not only deters rioters, but also issues an audible warning that it has been turned on, which the US device does not, leaving it entirely to the enlisted men operating it to determine how much burning pain their adversaries receive. The margin for error with the US device is unconscionable. It may as well be called a lethal weapon because in practice it very frequently will be

Francoise Chipaux | Afghanistan: From Insurrection to War of Terror
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012706H.shtml
"We've gone from an insurrection to a war of terror, with a level of atrocities not seen in the last four years." Francoise Chipaux reports from Afghanistan.

Army Forces 50,000 Soldiers into Extended Duty
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013006A.shtml
The US Army has forced about 50,000 soldiers to continue serving after their voluntary stints ended under a policy called "stop-loss," but while some dispute its fairness, court challenges have fallen flat.

Haliburton Awarded $385 Million Contract to Build Immigrant Detention
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013106D.shtml
KBR announced Friday that the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) component has awarded KBR an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contingency contract to support ICE facilities in the event of an emergency. KBR is the engineering and construction subsidiary of Halliburton.

US Savings Rate Sinks to Lowest since Great Depression
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013106N.shtml
The US savings ratio fell to minus 0.5 per cent last year, meaning Americans not only spent all of their after-tax income but also had to increase their borrowings or plunder their savings. This is the first time the ratio has gone negative for an entire year since 1932 and 1933, when the US was struggling to cope with the Great Depression.

Take a Drink Every Time He Says "Nucular" (GRIST SUMMARY)
Bush will talk up nuclear, hydrogen, and ethanol in State of the Union"We've got to wean ourselves off hydrocarbons, oil," said President Bush on Friday. Yup, you read that right. In an interview aired on CBS, the president said he would use tonight's State of the Union address to decry "foreign oil" and offer up initiatives on alternate energy sources and fuel-saving technologies. (Global warming? Didn't come up.) "I want to see different kinds of cars on our road that don't require upon crude oil from overseas," he said with his trademark folksy charm. He was quick to add, however, that he opposes a gas tax. Bush and his aides forecast a speech that would push for expanded nuclear power (a boon to the nuclear industry), expanded use of corn-based ethanol (a boon to the agribusiness industry), and expanded hydrogen fuel-cell research, which should produce a marketable car in, oh, about 15 years. Details at http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/13743740.htm

Ukraine cold claims 589 lives in two weeks (Jan 31)
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/31/060131165419.abmapppv.html
Cold weather has killed 589 people in Ukraine since January 16 as temperatures dropped below minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit), the health ministry said.The latest figures show 220 people died from cold between January 21 and 27. Across the country, 6,700 people have sought medical help since mid-January of whom more than 3,870 were hospitalised, the ministry said in a news release.In the past few days temperatures have risen to as high as one degree Celsius (34 Fahrenheit) in places.

Babies born with defects on the rise - report (January 31 2006)
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=117&art_id=qw1138640401875B251
Washington - About eight million children worldwide are born every year with a serious birth defect - many of whom die or are disabled - a stunning and largely hidden toll, says research released on Monday by the March of Dimes.(...) While birth defects are under-appreciated globally, most occur in poor countries, where babies can languish with problems easily fixed or even prevented in wealthier nations, the report found. CLIP

Birth defects affect one in 17, study finds (January 31, 2006)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20060131/BIRTH31/TPHealth/
Doctor says simple public health measures could prevent 70 per cent of conditions - One in every 17 babies born in the world has a serious birth defect, a hidden epidemic of global proportions, according to a revealing new study. Almost eight million children annually suffer from a birth defect, including 3.3 million who die and another 3.2 million who live with severe mental and physical disabilities that often condemn them to a life of poverty and suffering. "This is a serious, vastly unappreciated and underfunded public health problem," said Jennifer Howse, president of the March of Dimes, which commissioned the report .Birth defects principally involve deformities of the heart and spine, and blood disorders, but as many as 70 per cent of the conditions are preventable with simple public-health measures and basic medical technologies, Dr. Howse said. CLIP

Google adheres to Chinese censorship (Jan 26 2006)
http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2006Jan/gee20060126034435.htm
Search engine will be censored for info deemed objectionable - Bowing to the censorship requirements of the Chinese Government, Google decided that it will follow the guidelines that will allow its services to be available in China. The acquiescence will see both Chinese versions of the main Google search site and Google News offered to the Chinese, but with certain content deemed objectionable by the Chinese Government filtered out.Senior Policy Counsel for Google, Andrew McLaughlin, stated that the decision to comply with the Chinese regulations is because Google must "respond to local conditions" while increasing "access to information." Human rights groups have jumped on Google for making the concession, stating that this makes it a lot easier for the Chinese Government to control information access over the Internet. The human rights group Reporters Without Borders has accused the search giant of hypocrisy, calling Google's decision " a black day for freedom of expression in China" and saying that without a search reference subjects such as Tibet, democracy, and human rights will never be found.

Check out China's Google search results for "falun gong"
http://www.google.cn/search?hl=zh-CN&q=falun+gong&meta=
The new self-censored Google search engine - dedicated to China only - produces a load of lies and disinformation on Falun Gong. To find out the truth, try this search with the Canadian Google... http://www.google.ca/search?hl=fr&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22Falun+Gong%22&meta=

Google fixes China search bugs (Jan 27)
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6032118.html
A day after Google's buggy censorship of sites for Chinese-users was revealed, the search giant has responded by fixing its filters so topics such as beer and jokes are no longer deleted. An investigation published Thursday by CNET News.com showed that Google's new China search engine not only censored criticisms of the Chinese government, but went further than similar services from Microsoft and Yahoo by targeting sites related to teen pregnancy, alcohol, dating and homosexuality. On Friday morning, however, those previously verboten sites became available through Google.cn. That brings Google's filtering in line with blacklists used by Microsoft and Yahoo. CLIP

The End of the Internet? (Feb 2)
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0202-26.htm
The nation's largest telephone and cable companies are crafting an alarming set of strategies that would transform the free, open and nondiscriminatory Internet of today to a privately run and branded service that would charge a fee for virtually everything we do online. CLIP

US Plans to 'Fight the Net' Revealed (January 27, 2006)
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0127-04.htm
WASHINGTON - A newly declassified document gives a fascinating glimpse into the US military's plans for "information operations" - from psychological operations, to attacks on hostile computer networks.Bloggers beware. As the world turns networked, the Pentagon is calculating the military opportunities that computer networks, wireless technologies and the modern media offer. From influencing public opinion through new media to designing "computer network attack" weapons, the US military is learning to fight an electronic war. The declassified document is called "Information Operations Roadmap". It was obtained by the National Security Archive at George Washington University using the Freedom of Information Act. Officials in the Pentagon wrote it in 2003. The Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, signed it. The "roadmap" calls for a far-reaching overhaul of the military's ability to conduct information operations and electronic warfare. And, in some detail, it makes recommendations for how the US armed forces should think about this new, virtual warfare.(...) US digital ambition: And, in a grand finale, the document recommends that the United States should seek the ability to "provide maximum control of the entire electromagnetic spectrum". US forces should be able to "disrupt or destroy the full spectrum of globally emerging communications systems, sensors, and weapons systems dependent on the electromagnetic spectrum". Consider that for a moment. The US military seeks the capability to knock out every telephone, every networked computer, every radar system on the planet. Are these plans the pipe dreams of self-aggrandising bureaucrats? Or are they real? The fact that the "Information Operations Roadmap" is approved by the Secretary of Defense suggests that these plans are taken very seriously indeed in the Pentagon. And that the scale and grandeur of the digital revolution is matched only by the US military's ambitions for it.

Pentagon to Families: Go Ahead, Laugh! Ha-ha, hee-hee, ho-ho
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-01-12-pentagon-laughter_x.htm

Movie Pulled from Discovery Channel: Child Sex/Bush Administration
http://www.propagandamatrix.com/141003conspiracyofsilence.html

Yale study: Not enough metals in earth to meet global demand (25-Jan-2006)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-01/yu-ysn012506.php
Researchers studying supplies of copper, zinc and other metals have determined that these finite resources, even if recycled, may not meet the needs of the global population forever, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.According to the study, even the full extraction of metals from the Earth's crust and extensive recycling programs may not meet future demand if all nations begin to use the same services enjoyed in developed nations. (...) According to the study, titled "Metal Stocks and Sustainability," all of the copper in ore, plus all of the copper currently in use, would be required to bring the world to the level of the developed nations for power transmission, construction and other services and products that depend on copper. For the entire globe, the researchers estimate that 26 percent of extractable copper in the Earth's crust is now lost in non-recycled wastes; for zinc, it is 19 percent. Current prices do not reflect those losses because supplies are still large enough to meet demand, and new methods have helped mines produce material more efficiently. The study suggests these metals are not at risk of depletion in the immediate future. However, the researchers believe scarce metals, such as platinum, risk depletion in this century because there is no suitable substitute for use in devices such as catalytic converters and hydrogen fuel cells. They also found that, for many metals, the average rate of use per person continues to rise. As a result, the report says, even the more plentiful metals may face similar depletion risks in the future. CLIP

White Slopes, Green Practices
http://www.gvnr.com/107/3.htm
Every winter thousands flock to the ski slopes, from Switzerland to Colorado skiing is a pastime enjoyed by many but until recently has been extremely polluting. The combined effect of the daily use of ski lifts as well as transporting goods up to the often remote locations uses large amounts of fossil fuels and electricity. Fortunately many winter sports resorts are reacting to climate change in an effort to reduce carbon emissions and take better care of their natural surroundings.

First People’s Peace Summit
http://www.gvnr.com/106/1.htm
Following a two-day summit at the Houses of Parliament, the first People’s Peace Summit launched an international initiative for the creation of Departments of Peace in governments throughout the world. The Declaration was presented to a packed public meeting in the Grand Committee Room and hosted by John McDonnel MP.There is a rapidly growing international movement to establish Departments or Ministries of Peace everywhere. The idea is to support the emergence of a culture of peace, where non-violence would become one of the organising principles of society. The meeting was attended by people from 11 countries and opened with video greetings from US Congressman, Dennis Kucinich, the originator of the concept. He said that more than 60 members of Congress have now signed on to co-sponsor his Bill, which is calling for a Department of Peace in the House of Representatives. “We can conceive of peace as not simply the absence of violence but the active presence of the capacity for a higher evolution of human awareness. We may all tap the infinite capabilities of humanity to transform, not only consciousness, but the conditions that impel violence at a personal or national level, and instead create understanding, compassion and love.” CLIP - More such good news at http://www.gvnr.com/106/index.htm

Omega-News Collection 28. January 2006
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1478988/

---

NOTE from Trevor Osborne worldharmony@westnet.com.au">

A couple of weeks ago I sent out an email (see details HERE - near the bottom) about Servas International and said its hosts offered free accommodation in exchange for spending some time together sharing thoughts and ideas about creating world peace and harmony, etc. Apparently, by doing so I breached their rules as they do not wish their service to be promoted as a free service and as such have received an email pointing this out to me by one of Servas's unpaid helpers. Accordingly, I'd like to point out that Servas is NOT a free travel organisation. Sure once you pay to join, money does not change hands between host and traveller unless the traveller is paying for phone calls etc. It is also appreciated if the traveller arrive with some food and perhaps a gift. A traveller needs to be appreciative of accommodation and contribute by joining the host's activities if suitable, eg helping to plant a vegetable garden. I'm sorry if I gave the wrong impression in my enthusiasm."