The Moment of Truth Series #1: Final Assessment of our Choices

MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH
(Peace Etcetera Inc. has granted permission for use of this peace logo which is solely
owned, copyrighted and is a registered trademark of Peace Etcetera Inc.)

August 8, 2006

The Moment of Truth Series #1: Final Assessment of our Choices

Hello everyone!

When I started putting together this compilation this morning (August 7), I wanted to put great emphasis on the first item below (URGENT ACTION REQUESTED: Stop the Bloodshed). Then as I spent the rest of the day and evening and night reviewing the piles of accumulated recent emails, I ended up with far more material for your review than I first intended. I also watched a number of Internet videos today, most of them being recommended below. I tried to strike a balance between Light-filled messages and, in stark contrast, the dribbling of war and other similar news.

Overall, there seems to me that everything points out towards an approaching Moment of Truth, something that will massively and permanently change the shapes of things on Earth... Hence the name of this new series.

We are entering the crucible of many lifetimes' crossroad and we each have to decide which way our future evolutionary journey will take us.

And as in every journey of significance, the first step we take is the foundation of everything that will follow.

I'll leave it to you to figure out what is best for each of you...

Jean Hudon
Earth Rainbow Network Coordinator

P.S. Your feedbacks are as always welcomed and may be included in a coming compilation - unless you prefer they are not. Circulating this compilation (or any part of it) and personally inviting your correspondents to subscribe to this list would also help enlarge the circle of people who have access to this material. Please include the following note and the URL address for the archived copy below along with your forwards, so others may have the opportunity to explore the original copy, if they so choose.

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"The truth is that you have been prepared, with your willingness, to represent points of light throughout your world, not as some massively-promoted, excitement-filled, miraculous endeavor, but as interconnected individuals who can spread common awareness that the goal of life is more than material and more than an idea about God, but rather found in your personal seeking to God and an awareness of intercommunication with spiritual forces, coupled with your continuous efforts to manifest those values gained therefrom in service to your fellows, such that the eventual recognition of planetary fellowship can occur."

- Aaron (1/05)

"We are asking you to no longer sit passively by the wayside and do nothing. You are being asked to stand up and be counted, for your dynamic Life Force energy is needed now as never before. You are much more powerful in your thought forms and actions than you can imagine, my brave friends, and you are playing an important role in attaining a peaceful solution to a very unsettling world situation. The energy you are radiating from your heart center has just as much an influence on the outcome of the devastating conflicts around the world as those who are on the 'front lines'. We can inspire, direct and assist you, but you and you alone must take the action that will result in Heaven on Earth."

- Archangel Michael (10/04)

STRIKE FOR 9/11 TRUTH ON 9/11/06
Wouldn't it be great if all the employees of private and governmental agencies including the military and main stream media decided not to go to work on 9/11/06 because they are sick and tired of being lied to by our government. Main stream media's top reporters should also go on strike along with all the personal that run these media outlets. All government employees should skip work that day. Everyone that can should get to DC and march on the White House and Congress demanding that 9/11 truth be told. If you can't make it to DC then you go to your state, city or local government buildings and demand 9/11 Truth there. You can also go to your state and city district attorneys and demand that they take action for 9/11 Truth. This is a dream of mine but I really hope it would come true. Anyway I'll keep on dreaming.

- Excellent idea suggested by Matthew nausmr@yahoo.com> - Recommended by "Kathleen Roberts" weerkhr@pacbell.net> who wrote: "Matt, this strike for 9/11 Truth is one of the best ideas I have heard in a long time! Some will strike for 9/11 Truth. Some will fast for 9/11 Truth. Some will demand 9/11 Truth. Some will educate around 9/11 Truth. While there is not much time to grow this campaign, if there is enough buy-in and support, this certainly can happen! As an old song goes, "It only takes a spark to get a fire going..." If you really want this dream to happen and if enough people want to work to help make this happen, I see no reason why it can't!

"The long-range results of the war are not immediately obvious. They belong to the category defined by Bismarck as "imponderables" - things that cannot be measured. Every day on their TV screens tens of millions of Arabs and hundred of millions of Muslims see the atrocious pictures of crushed babies, the sights of the horrible destruction. These are deeply imprinted in the consciousness of the masses and will leave behind them an accumulation of anger and hatred that is far more dangerous than an arsenal of missiles. In these 25 days, thousands of new suicide bombers have been created. And as the stature of Nasrallah as the hero of the Arab world increases, so the respect for the "moderate" Arab regimes hit new lows - the very regimes that the US and Israel rely on for creating the New Middle East."

- Uri Avnery -- Taken from Junkies of War (08/05/2006)

"This morning we got up with the diplomatic arena taking the center, following the agreement between the Americans and French on the ceasefire terms, and commentators endlessly analysing and dissecting it and most coming to the conclusion that it was "good for Israel". Then, at noon came the news of twelve Israelis being killed by rocket fire in the north, the largest number of casualties Israel suffered in a single day of this war (though for Lebanon this number would be rather below average). It took many hours before the confirmation that the twelve were reserve soldiers, called up in preparation for a possible extension of the ground offensive into Lebanon and encamped - by the height of folly - under the open sky in a daily targeted area, though the nearby Kibbutz offered them its air raid shelter. And towards the evening, the new missile attack on Haifa, covered live on TV, with the commentators visibly goading each other into greater and greater frenzy: "Four falls detected in Haifa"; "Seven falls"; "Do you see these clouds of smoke?"; "A house has collapsed"; "There are children there, small children, a woman was giving birth just when the missile hit!"; "This is an Israeli Qana, now the international public opinion will see that our civilians are also suffering, all these Europeans who demonstrate and accuse us of destroying Lebanon!"; "What do you say, gentlemen? You in the studio here are all ex-generals with a lot of experience, what would you advice the government to do?"; "I say we must send the tanks forward, immediately, if possible already this night, take all the territory until the Litani river and perhaps beyond, clean up all the hidden missiles in the villages"; "No, no, that's wrong, Hizbullah will then ambush our soldiers, they are guerillas. I say use our air power really to the full, every village from which missiles are shot should just be totally destroyed, totally! No more humanitarian considerations!"; "But what about the ceasefire, gentlemen? The Security Council will convene tonight or tomorrow!"; "What ceasefire? Do you think we can let the war end this way, to give them the last word?" The last which we heard on TV, about ten minutes ago. (9.15 pm Israeli time) was unconfirmed rumors about an emergency cabinet meeting, to authorize the army to do...what?"

- Adam Keller (6 August 2006) -- Taken from "We Shall All Lose", networked by "Gush Shalom" otherisr@actcom.co.il> - http://www.gush-shalom.org

Worthy of Your Attention

Most amazing Celestial Glyph yet!
http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2006/blowingstone/blowingstone2006a.html

Knowing the world (COMPELLING AND POWERFUL PICTURES)
http://www.neverhappened.org/neverhappened/2005/06/knowing_the_wor.html
The Norwegian diplomat Charung Gollar was asked to present the UN with a graphic showing the main problems in the world in 2004. He presented a set of 8 pictures entitled "The power of stars" and was applauded for the simplicity of his idea. In spite of having no pretension at all, his work was presented to participate to the Nobel Price of Politic Marketing.

George Galloway On The Terrorist State Israel (Video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-brkmfrxrQY
In your face, no-hold barrel, stellar performance of this British parliamentary during a TV interview. You'd wish there was such an outspoken truth teller this side of the Atlantic...

Jews Against the Occupation
http://www.jatonyc.org/
A Jewish Voice of Opposition to the War on Palestinians - Jews Against the Occupation is an organization of progressive, secular and religious Jews of all ages throughout the New York City area advocating peace through justice for Palestine and Israel.

Jewish Voice for Peace
http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/
Opposed to Bombing Civilians? Sign Jewish Call to Action Petition - HELP END THE GAZA AND LEBANON INVASIONS NOW! Urge the U.S. to put a stop to the attacks on Lebanon and Gaza. Show the world there is a principled Jewish voice that opposes the collective punishment of an entire people.

Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=3269

Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land - What you're not seeing on US TV
http://brasscheck.com/videos/middleeast/me1.html
It's a myth that all Jews and all Israelis support Israel's ongoing military aggression in the Middle East, but you'll never learn this fact on US TV. Why? This informative film (1:19:14) documents the current Israeli government's program of genocide against the Palestinian people and its well orchestrated public relations program designed to insure that Americans - whose tax dollars subsidize the Israeli military - never learn the truth about Israeli tactics and intentions. NOTE from Jean: This is a most excellent and MUST SEE documentary that will tear your eyes open on the true despotic nature of the Israeli government policy of unrelenting, despicably inhumane ethnic cleansing that, as far as I know, has no precedent in all of human history and which has been fully supported by the current and by most previous US Administrations, and has been cunningly disguised by complicit US media as being merely Israel defending itself against Palestinian aggression. Make SURE also to review the other amazing videos offered at http://www.brasschecktv.com/ Brasscheck TV: Imagine... TV about what's really going on!
- The 4 items above were recommended by Nelly Lewin nellwin108@free.fr>

I Am Declaring PEACE
http://www.lightparty.com/Artainment/MusicGiftCDs/IAmDeclaringPeace.mp3

Video of I Am Declaring PEACE
http://www.lightparty.com/Artainment/Video/imdeclaringpeace/imdeclaringpeace.mov

Video Clip SACRED
http://www.lightparty.com/Artainment/Video/sacred/Sacred.mov

The Angels of Comfort (This is the music I play for the weekly Meditation Focus)
http://www.lightparty.com/Artainment/MusicGiftCDs/Iasos-AngelicMusic/AngelsofComfort.mp3

Eternal OM - Robert Slap Golden Bowls - Karma Moffet Timeless Sound - Iasos Celebration - Suzanne Doucet
http://www.lightparty.com/Artainment/MusicGiftCDs/Peace/Peace.mp3

- The 5 items above were recommended by Da Vid Lightparty@aol.com>

Massive CO2 increase ahead!
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/climate/GCremote3.html
Make sure to review the CO2 increase graph there

More revealing such graphs through
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=lang_en&safe=off&q=co2+temperature+chart

- The 2 items above were recommended by "Mark Graffis" mgraffis@vitelcom.net>

CONTENTS

1. URGENT ACTION REQUESTED: Stop the Bloodshed
2. Diane 07-August-06
3. HO'OPONOPONO
4. AIPAC's Hold
5. Banking on War

Faleh A. Jabar, an Iraqi intellectual resident in Beirut who has been a leading force in promoting a democratic intellectual culture in Iraq, writes from Lebanon...
"Dear All: This situation in Lebanon is going from bad to worst. Innocent lives are being shattered and threatened in mass. I need to ask you and other colleagues in the academia to launch a campaign to pressure the US to stop Israeli destruction of bridges, power stations, and end the Israeli blockade to Lebanon. Fuel is running short, and hospitals will come to a stand still, water supplies will be cut short, a total human disaster. Israel's official target is to secure Hizbollah-free south, not to starve four millions and randomly threaten the lives of all civilians. I am sixty years old this year, and my life does not matter that much; but I look at the young and shudder: I have young neighbours who need kidney-wash every 48 hours, and there are children with cancer, lot with heart diseases. Cutting power supply means a death sentence to them. May I add that doctors in Beirut advised that the fate of more than 20,000 patients is at stake. Pregnant women will most certainly suffer. Their numbers are anybody's guess. There are two tankers waiting offshore for Israeli guarantees to no avail. They carry fuel supplies to power plants and vehicles, some 20 odd days. This is horrible and unbearable. Please do something. Send letters to the UN, EU, the White House, the International Red Cross. This is urgent."

- Faleh A. Jabar ' -- Taken from http://www.juancole.com/

See also:

Israel Intensifies Airstrikes in Lebanon (August 7, 2006)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080706S.shtml
Israel intensified its strikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 33 people in one of the heaviest tolls in days. Lebanon's prime minister won strong support from Arab states to plead his case at the United Nations for a full Israeli withdrawal.

While the UN Fiddles ... the Middle East Burns (August 7, 2006)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080706N.shtml
The US and Britain warned that a UN resolution was only a "first step" toward ending the violence, as Israel and Hezbollah militants used the window before a vote to inflict maximum damage. Meanwhile, Arab leaders are rejecting the US-French draft UN Security Council resolution that would bring a "full cessation of hostilities" but enable Israeli forces to stay in southern Lebanon until deployment of an international peacekeeping force.

The War's Toll on Environment
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/080706EA.shtml
About 110,000 barrels of oil poured into the Mediterranean two weeks ago after Israeli warplanes hit a coastal power plant. Oil has slicked one-third of Lebanon's coast, and threatens beaches in Syria, Cyprus, Turkey and Greece, yet no cleanup can begin until the fighting is over, says the UN. Meanwhile in northern Israel, huge swaths of forests and fields have been scorched by thousands of Hezbollah rocket strikes.

Human Rights Watch: Israel Guilty of War Crimes (03 August 2006)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080306C.shtml
Human Rights Watch, after extensive investigation, has concluded that the Israeli military is guilty of war crimes. HRW says:Israeli forces have systematically failed to distinguish between combatants and civilians in their military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Human Rights Watch said in report released today. The pattern of attacks in more than 20 cases investigated by Human Rights Watch researchers in Lebanon indicates that the failures cannot be dismissed as mere accidents and cannot be blamed on wrongful Hezbollah practices. In some cases, these attacks constitute war crimes. The 50-page report, "Fatal Strikes: Israel's Indiscriminate Attacks Against Civilians in Lebanon," analyzes almost two dozen cases of Israeli air and artillery attacks on civilian homes and vehicles. Of the 153 dead civilians named in the report, 63 are children. CLIP

Anti-War Protests Erupt Across the Muslim World (August 5, 06)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080506D.shtml
Mass protests have erupted across much of the Muslim world against the war in Lebanon, prompting louder and more desperate calls for a cease-fire from governments fearful of a popular backlash. Meanwhile, the largest peace march since before the Iraq invasion is expected to descend upon Downing Street today demanding calls for an unconditional cease-fire in the Middle East.

Cindy Sheehan Returns to Crawford
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080706Z.shtml
A year after her first war protest in President Bush's adopted hometown attracted thousands and reinvigorated the nation's peace movement, Cindy Sheehan resumed her vigil Sunday. Under the blazing Texas sun, Sheehan and more than 50 demonstrators again marched a mile and a half toward Bush's ranch, stopping at a roadblock. As Secret Service agents stood silently, Sheehan held up her California driver's license and said she wanted to meet with the president. "It doesn't say my new address, but I do live here now," said Sheehan, who lives in Berkeley, California, and recently bought land in Crawford for war protests. "My name is Cindy and Bush killed my son."

Camp Casey: Hearts Connect
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080706A.shtml
"This is the mission of Camp Casey this year: To remind George and the rest of his heart-disconnected administration that their hearts are connected to ours and the innocent people of the world being killed by their thoughtless greed. It is also our mission to remind the people of the USA who still support the carnage that their hearts are connected to the babies and children who are wantonly being killed," writes Cindy Sheehan.

Americans Are Still Dying in Iraq
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080706D.shtml
With the news being dominated by endless television coverage of Israel and Hezbollah/Lebanon, Jimmy Breslin reminds us that Americans are still dying in Iraq. "By the way, there are many American soldiers fighting in the Middle East. In case you haven't noticed, they get killed. A lot of them get killed. The strategy for the Middle East is to keep Israel and Hezbollah/Lebanon fighting. Keep all attention on them. If they ever stop, then everybody would look at Americans dying."

Lieberman Loss Could Be a Party Watershed
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080606Z.shtml
"A victory by businessman Ned Lamont on Tuesday would confirm the growing strength of the grass-roots and Internet activists who first emerged in Howard Dean's presidential campaign," writes Dan Balz. "Driven by intense anger at President Bush and fierce opposition to the Iraq war, they are on the brink of claiming their most significant political triumph, one that will reverberate far beyond the borders here if Lieberman loses."

Bush seeks broader powers? Sounds like Germany in 30's? (Aug 03, 2006)
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/world/15176692.htm
MILITARY COURTS Bush seeks expanded military tribunal role - The White House is seeking legislation that would allow people not affiliated with terrorism to be prosecuted in military commissions -- with far fewer rights than afforded civilians. Washington Post Service WASHINGTON - A draft Bush administration plan for special military courts seeks to expand the reach and authority of such ''commissions'' to include trials, for the first time, of people who are not al Qaeda members or the Taliban and are not directly involved in acts of international terrorism, according to officials familiar with the proposal plan. The plan, which would replace a military trial system ruled illegal by the Supreme Court in June, also allows the secretary of defense to add crimes at will to those under the military court's jurisdiction. The two provisions would be likely to put more individuals than previously expected before military juries, officials and independent experts said.The draft proposed legislation, set to be discussed at two Senate hearings today, is controversial inside and outside the administration because defendants would be denied many protections guaranteed by the civilian and traditional military criminal justice systems. Under the proposed procedures, defendants would lack rights to confront accusers, exclude hearsay accusations, or bar evidence obtained through rough or coercive interrogations. They would not be guaranteed a public or speedy trial and would lack the right to choose their military counsel, who in turn would not be guaranteed equal access to evidence held by prosecutors. Detainees also would not be guaranteed the right to be present at their own trials, if their absence is deemed necessary to protect national security or individuals. An early draft of the new law prepared by civilian political appointees and leaked to the media last week has been modified in response to criticism from uniformed military lawyers. But the provisions allowing a future expansion of the courts to cover new crimes and more prisoners were retained, according to government officials who are familiar with the deliberations.

Top Military Lawyers Oppose Plan for Special Courts
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080306A.shtml
The military's top uniformed lawyers, appearing at a Senate hearing yesterday, criticized key provisions of a proposed new US plan for special military courts, affirming that they did not see eye to eye with the senior Bush administration political appointees who developed the plan and presented it to them last week.

40,000 US Troops Have Deserted Since 2000
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080506X.shtml
Since 2000, about 40,000 troops from all branches of the military have deserted. Those who help war resisters say desertion is more prevalent than the military has admitted. "They lied in Vietnam with the amount of opposition to the war and they're lying now," said Eric Seitz, an attorney who represents Army Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to the war in Iraq.

Army Raises Enlistment Age to 42
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080306P.shtml
The Army has begun training the oldest recruits in its history, the result of a concerted effort to fill ranks depleted during the Iraq war. In June, five months after it raised the enlistment age limit from 35 to just shy of 40, the Army raised it to just under 42.

US Generals: Iraq on Verge of Civil War
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080406L.shtml
Two senior American military commanders said today that the wave of sectarian bloodshed in Iraq has heightened the danger that the country will slide into all-out civil war.

Iraqi Medic Describes Carnage
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080706L.shtml
Testimony begins in hearing for US soldiers accused of rape. An Iraqi medic who responded to a home where US soldiers allegedly raped and killed a teenage Iraqi girl and murdered her sister and parents described on Sunday a display of carnage so horrific he said it made him sick for two weeks.

TerrorStorm (911, London, Madrid Bombings, Conspiracy) EXCELLENT!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7516705476148472744&hl=en
The long-awaited arrival of Alex Jones' latest trend-setting documentary has arrived! TerrorStorm delivers a powerful sucker punch to the architects of global terrorism and how they stage false-flag events to achieve political and sociological ends. Alex journeys from the depths of history from the Gulf of Tonkin, the USS Liberty and Gladio through to the Madrid and 7/7 London bombings and robustly catalogues the real story behind the government induced fable. This film contains viable solutions on how we can reclaim human dignity and freedom and prevent the global population from becoming the slaves of a prison planet.

Webster Tarpley on the Real Causes of 9/11 (07/30/2006)
http://www.politicalcortex.com/story/2006/7/29/231258/035
Webster Tarpley has a long background of service in international journalism. His lengthy record of service in the field has provided him with many contacts, which he uses judiciously, as well as an international perspective, enabling him to see well beyond the smoke and mirrors generated by governments functioning as self-serving mechanisms.Tarpley, who received richly deserved praise for an earlier unauthorized biography of George Bush the Elder, which exposed the family's involvement in providing funding for Hitler's Third Reich, has delivered a prolifically researched and dramatic work detailing the real causes of 9/11. He makes the case for continuing investigation into the series of tragedies that transformed the entire world amid the plumes of smoke surfacing from New York's burning Twin Towers.9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in U.S.A., now in its third edition, is an indispensable work in that it tackles the number one issue that America and the world needs to currently confront. CLIP

"Unprecedented" Evacuations & Power-Downs in the WTC Prior To 9/11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcUQg3DadaA&NR
6 min. 53 sec. video

Superb Interview: Scientific Proof of WTC Detonation/Official Lies
http://www.kpfa.org/archives/index.php?arch=15425
Recommended by "Kathleen Roberts" weerkhr@pacbell.net> who wrote: "1 hr audio for people wanting scientific proof NIST report on 911 is "pathological science" and government story is an absurd lie. This scientist pleads with all Americans to look at the evidence "which is overwhelming" and says that to refuse to do so is "contrary to logic, to science, to reason, to humanity". This is a very intelligent, carefully-prepared radio interview, in layman's terms, of BYU physicist, Steven Jones, on his proof that the WTC towers were detonated and the US government lied. Interviewer Bonnie Faulkner is one of our best journalists and has been doggedly pursuing 911 Truth, attending both national 911 conferences.

9/11 Truth: In-depth Kevin Barrett Interview on Wisconsin TV (August 2 2006)
http://infowars.net/articles/August2006/020806Barrett.htm
This is the best, fairest, most thorough and in-depth interview I've seen on American telelvision in a long time. It makes you realize just how low we've sunk that the way Sean Hannity "interviews" his guests is normal for this day and age.

Journal of 9/11 Studies
http://www.journalof911studies.com/
The Journal of 9/11 Studies is a peer-reviewed, open-access, electronic-only journal covering the whole of research related to 9/11/2001

State will be testing mass evacuation plans (08/03/2006)
http://www.goedwardsville.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17010405&BRD=2291&PAG=461&dept_id=473648&rfi=6
Governor Rod Blagojevich and Madison County officials announced that a major emergency exercise will be conducted in Edwardsville and surrounding areas to test the state's plans for large-scale evacuations and terrorism response. The exercises will begin on Friday and will, for the first time in Illinois history, test a mass evacuation and sheltering component. This exercise will be the second in the past three months for the state, but will be the largest ever conducted in the state. three-day exercise was conducted in Chicago last May to respond to simultaneous major emergencies. The military will be located in Madison County for six days during the drill which begins Friday. The area of Edwardsville that holds mostly warehouses, Liberty Middle School as well as parts of Madison and Granite City will all be a part of the mock evacuation and terrorism events. (...) Several state agencies will be taking part of the exercise. Those include: the Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Illinois National Guard, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Office of the State Fire Marshal, American Red Cross, State Weapons of Mass Destruction Teams, Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System, Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, Urban Search and Rescue Team and the Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team.Air mobilization will come from the Urban Search and Rescue team from Chicago. Wilson stressed these events may look scary, but residents will be notified if an actual emergency takes place and from Friday to Tuesday, all events are staged.

The Second People’s Summit for Ministries and Departments of Peace
http://www.gvnr.com/113/1b.htm
They came by plane, bus, car, ferry, and on foot. Sixty men and women, representing diverse cultures, nations, ages, and languages, travelled to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, for the Second People’s Summit for Ministries and Departments of Peace held June 19–22, 2006. Speaking with one voice they called on countries around the world to establish government structures whose goal is to work hand-in-hand with civil society — reflecting, building, and sustaining a culture of peace.

Iran Says Oil May Hit $100/Barrel
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080506Z.shtml
Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Mohammad Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian said on Friday global crude oil prices could touch $100 a barrel on geopolitical tension and soaring winter demand.

BP shutting top US oil field Prudhoe Bay due to spill (Aug 7, 2006 ) http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlebusiness.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2006-08-07T014428Z_01_N06274365_RTRUKOC_0_UK-ENERGY-BP.xml
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil producer BP Plc said on Sunday it was shutting down the Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska, the biggest in the United States, cutting oil production by 400,000 barrels per day indefinitely. The closure was due to the discovery of severe corrosion and a tiny spill from a Prudhoe Bay oil transit line, BP said, the latest incident to hit its key Alaskan operations and another blow to BP's image in the United States following a deadly refinery explosion last year and a trading scandal. Prudhoe Bay, which pumps about 8 percent of U.S. domestic oil production, is operated by a BP-led group that includes oil majors ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil Corp.

World Must Race to Develop Green Energy
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/080406EC.shtml
An urgent project on the scale of the Apollo moon landings is needed to boost research into green energy sources and save the planet from environmental disaster, according to Britain's top scientist.

Pacific Coast Dead Zones Linked to Global Warming (August 3, 2006) http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3302
In the latest bad news related to human-induced climate change, scientists last week reported bottom fish and crabs washing up dead on Oregon beaches are the latest victims of global warming, which is reportedly causing oxygen-deprived "dead zones" along a 70-mile stretch of Oregon's Pacific coast. Marine ecologists attribute these dead zones to increasingly explosive blooms of tiny plants called phytoplankton that die and sink to the ocean floor, where they are then eaten by bacteria that consume the oxygen in the water column. The recurring phytoplankton blooms, which scientists first noticed off the coast of Oregon in 2002, are caused by increasingly strong north winds--a symptom of climate change--that result in massive cyclical upwellings of sea water. "We are seeing wild swings from year to year in the timing and duration of the winds that are favorable for upwelling," says Jane Lubchenco, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University. "This increased variability in the winds is consistent with what we would expect under climate change."Unlike localized dead zones that are attributed to agricultural run-off and other forms of pollution in Washington State's Hood Canal and Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta, the coastal Oregon dead zones mirror similar circumstances witnessed recently off the coasts of Namibia and South Africa in the Atlantic and Peru in the Pacific. These cases join the litany of evidence pointing to the increased environmental impact of climate change across the globe.

Sea Urchins Dying off California Coast
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/080406EB.shtml
Hundreds of dead or dying purple sea urchins have washed up into tide pools at a Southern California marine refuge center in recent days, but no one is certain what is killing them.

Real Outer Space Art at the Judah L. Magnes Museum
http://www.artknowledgenews.com/Jonathon_Keats-Outer_Space_Art.html
Berkeley, CA - Concluding centuries of speculation about extraterrestrial intelligence, conceptual artist Jonathon Keats has discovered that a radio signal detected by the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico contains artwork broadcast from deep space. Initially dismissed by researchers as meaningless, the transmission -- which originated between the constellations Aries and Pisces thousands of years ago -- is now claimed to be the most significant addition to the artistic canon since the Mona Lisa, or even the Venus of Willendorf.Painstakingly decoded and transferred onto canvas by Keats, the artwork will be unveiled to the public at the Magnes on July 30, 2006. "This is the ultimate outsider art," notes Keats. "Historically our culture has ignored extraterrestrial artistic expression. Exhibited at the Magnes, the art becomes accessible to everyone." CLIP

Omega-News Collection 5. August 2006
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/2486018/

1.

Date: 06 Aug 2006
From: "Eli Pariser" moveon-help@list.moveon.org>
Subject: Stop the Bloodshed

Dear friends,

We haven't been in touch very often since our work around Iraq. But with civilians in Israel and Lebanon dying daily, we're at another critical global moment.

Regional and global leaders continue to fail to come up with a workable plan to stop the violence in the Middle East. Our friends at the Ceasefire Campaign are urging people around the world to pressure the Security Council to come up with a real plan to get an immediate ceasefire and international peacekeepers. This is a sensible call that would curb the bloodshed while laying the groundwork for a more enduring peace.

The Ceasefire Campaign is looking for 1 million co-sponsors to deliver their petition to the Security Council this week. Can you join them? Sign here:

http://www.ceasefirecampaign.org/mo/en.html

Sincerely,
–Eli Pariser

P.S. Here's a message from the Ceasefire Campaign with some more detail:

Dear friends,

For more than three weeks now we've watched the bloodshed in the Middle East with horror. All the while, global and regional leaders have stood by and failed to take the necessary action to stop the violence. Finally, this weekend, the US and France reached agreement on a plan. But this compromise plan fails to call for a full ceasefire and is so weak that the violence has not—and will not—stop.

http://www.ceasefirecampaign.org/mo/en.html

This is unacceptable. Hundreds of innocent civilians have already been killed, thousands have been wounded, and almost a million people have been made homeless.

The UN Security Council will be meeting early this week to try to resolve the crisis. They need to know that the world is watching them, and that anything less than an immediate ceasefire is not good enough. Click here to sign this petition demanding that the members of the UN Security Council take immediate action to end this bloodshed.

http://www.ceasefirecampaign.org/mo/en.html

Please sign the petition today, and then spread the word by forwarding this email on to all your friends and family. Our goal is to deliver a petition to the Security Council with 1 million signatures this week, and to publicize the petition in major newspapers in the capitals of the US, UK, France and other Security Council members.

Thanks so much for your help,

Ricken Patel
CeasefireCampaign.org

P.S. Groups and leaders from across the world and from diverse perspectives agree that an urgent ceasefire is an important part of resolving this crisis. Most countries of the world, from Lebanon to Tanzania to India, have called for a ceasefire, and have been joined by major international NGOs such as Oxfam and Amnesty International. Christian leaders such as Pope Benedict XVI, and the World Council of Churches have also called for a ceasefire. Arab and Muslim organizations such as the Organization of the Islamic Conference have also been joined by Israeli and Jewish groups such as Meretz Israel, Degel HaTorah, and Brit Tzedek v'Shalom in calling for a ceasefire.

2.

Forwarded by "Ricardo" ricardos@auroville.org.in>

Diane 07-August-06

Dear Ones, in the Heavens a gathering is taking place of great Beings. They come from many different groups, that are responsible for ensuring that Humanity is the beneficiary of changes that are now far advanced and are appropriate for the time you are in. There is a movement towards exposure of the Illuminati plans for mankind, and the covert actions that have been taking place for a long time. It is essential that you learn of the way you have been manipulated and used, in manifesting the dark agenda that has led you to the edge of a major disaster.

The ones who are coming forward to support the revelations are being given our protection, and we will ensure that the truth shall be given out. The time for concealment has passed, and people must be released from the oppressive yoke placed upon them by the dark. Light is breaking out all over that is proving to be a mighty force that is overpowering moves by the dark to prevent their covers being exposed. Our allies are imbued with the confidence that they can provide the opportunity that will finally bring matters to a head.

We for our part are as ever closely following events, and we will draw the line beyond which the dark cannot pass. The net is closing in on the principal members of your Government who are responsible for the chaos that has been created. Once their power is removed, you will find that great strides will be made towards their total removal from all matters concerning your future. They have had many chances to pull back and admit their defeat, as they fully know that they cannot now possibly achieve their objective for world domination.

We will play our part in supporting you, until we can make an open declaration of our intent to come to Earth. Our work quietly takes place and we are strengthening your hand to enable progress towards our ultimate goal, which is to release you from the clutches of the dark. You have many wonderful years to come when peace shall have been made between all countries and their people. Those who remain loyal to the dark leaders will have no further say in your future, but they will be invited to come over to the Light, as everyone is encouraged to make such a transition. However, as with all other souls who may choose to remain in the lower vibrations, they will lovingly be removed, to continue their experiences elsewhere.

Feel the energy that accompanies this message, let it inspire you to send your Light out to create an even bigger impulse that will carry everything forward to a speedy conclusion. You should not be surprised if we tell you that you have much more power than you imagine. Believe it because it is true, and know that we need your support just as you need ours. Of course we could come now and force changes, but that is not our way unless it is considered a last resort. We want our joint efforts to stream together and create a firm base from which we can all work.

We call upon you to draw your attention away from the problems that besiege you, because of the issues produced by the war in the Middle East. Concentrate your minds on how to manifest your desire to see matters placed on a different level, one that will result in achieving that elusive peace. It can be done, and is vital as a way of breaking out of the cycle of death and violence.

Man is not naturally a warlike creature, but falls for the hatred whipped up by those who care little about human life. Step aside and see the dark for what they are, and do not allow them to pull you into the emotional trap that fuels death and destruction. We encourage you to be the strong Beings that you really are, standing proud and spreading your Light wherever it is needed. Now is the time to be the those great Ones that you always were, Beings of Light that came from higher realms to find your way out of the dark and re-establish the Light upon Earth.

Take care and do not be distracted from your commitment to take charge of events upon Earth. You are part of a mighty force that can determine which way they work out. Many of you came to Earth to play a prominent role in these end times, and you are aware of it. You will find yourselves naturally being drawn to the groups that work with the Light, and will know when you have found your right place. This week is leading to another important period when even more Light is to be beamed to Earth. It will give you additional power and your work will yield more positive results.

Man is being forced by circumstances to establish his rightful place in this present time. It is no longer possible to be non-committal, and if you are of the Light your path is clear. You are important to the Legions of Light that approach ever nearer to you, and there will be a coming together to lift Man up. Let us go forward and provide the solutions that your governments are incapable of providing. You are the silent army of souls that are helping create the new Earth. You carry immense power and now is the time to point the way to Ascension, through your love and service to others.

I am Diane of The Galactic Federation, and bring you a heart felt message to bring you hope and confidence in your ability to shape your own future. We will be totally behind you even if you are unaware of our presence. Go about your work with our love and together we will be victorious.

Thank you Diane.

Mike Quinsey

---

See also:

Message from SaLuSa 8-4-06
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritworkers/message/539
Without a doubt this month is one of great importance, and over the next few weeks there will be developments brought to your attention. They will show you signs that open up a path to change as you have expected. There are two directions being clearly opened up, one is more of the same chaos and destruction that you are now experiencing. The other is the intensity of the Light that is now growing more rapidly than at any other previous time.There is no escaping the choice which is being presented, and it shall continue to be so for the immediate future. Man cannot be of both camps, and the decision has to be made as to which path you will align with that will allow your preparation for what is to come. Great Beings are approaching Earth and very soon they will find the vibrations have been raised sufficiently to allow their full presence. Meantime, they continue to spread their Light amongst you, and are one of many sources helping with your upliftment. CLIP

3.

SEVERAL PEOPLE FORWARDED ME THIS MOST INSPIRING AND MOVING STORY

From: http://educate-yourself.org/zsl/hooponopono25jul06.shtml

HO'OPONOPONO

by Joe Vitale

"Two years ago, I heard about a therapist in Hawaii who cured a complete ward of criminally insane patients--without ever seeing any of them. The psychologist would study an inmate's chart and then look within himself to see how he created that person's illness. As he improved himself, the patient improved.

"When I first heard this story, I thought it was an urban legend. How could anyone heal anyone else by healing himself? How could even the best self-improvement master cure the criminally insane? It didn't make any sense. It wasn't logical, so I dismissed the story.

"However, I heard it again a year later. I heard that the therapist had used a Hawaiian healing process called ho 'oponopono. I had never heard of it, yet I couldn't let it leave my mind. If the story was at all true, I had to know more. I had always understood "total responsibility" to mean that I am responsible for what I think and do. Beyond that, it's out of my hands. I think that most people think of total responsibility that way. We're responsible for what we do, not what anyone else does--but that's wrong.

"The Hawaiian therapist who healed those mentally ill people would teach me an advanced new perspective about total responsibility. His name is Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. We probably spent an hour talking on our first phone call. I asked him to tell me the complete story of his work as a therapist.

He explained that he worked at Hawaii State Hospital for four years.

That ward where they kept the criminally insane was dangerous.

Psychologists quit on a monthly basis. The staff called in sick a lot or simply quit. People would walk through that ward with their backs against the wall, afraid of being attacked by patients. It was not a pleasant place to live, work, or visit.

"Dr. Len told me that he never saw patients. He agreed to have an office and to review their files. While he looked at those files, he would work on himself. As he worked on himself, patients began to heal.

"'After a few months, patients that had to be shackled were being allowed to walk freely,' he told me. 'Others who had to be heavily medicated were getting off their medications. And those who had no chance of ever being released were being freed.' I was in awe. 'Not only that,' he went on, 'but the staff began to enjoy coming to work.

Absenteeism and turnover disappeared. We ended up with more staff than we needed because patients were being released, and all the staff was showing up to work. Today, that ward is closed.'

"This is where I had to ask the million dollar question: 'What were you doing within yourself that caused those people to change?'

"'I was simply healing the part of me that created them,' he said. I didn't understand. Dr. Len explained that total responsibility for your life means that everything in your life- simply because it is in your life--is your responsibility. In a literal sense the entire world is your creation.

"Whew. This is tough to swallow. Being responsible for what I say or do is one thing. Being responsible for what everyone in my life says or does is quite another. Yet, the truth is this: if you take complete responsibility for your life, then everything you see, hear, taste, touch, or in any way experience is your responsibility because it is in your life. This means that terrorist activity, the president, the economy or anything you experience and don't like--is up for you to heal. They don't exist, in a manner of speaking, except as projections from inside you. The problem isn't with them, it's with you, and to change them, you have to change you.

"I know this is tough to grasp, let alone accept or actually live. Blame is far easier than total responsibility, but as I spoke with Dr. Len, I began to realize that healing for him and in ho 'oponopono means loving yourself.

"If you want to improve your life, you have to heal your life. If you want to cure anyone, even a mentally ill criminal you do it by healing you.

"I asked Dr. Len how he went about healing himself. What was he doing, exactly, when he looked at those patients' files?

"'I just kept saying, 'I'm sorry' and 'I love you' over and over again,'he explained.

"That's it?

"That's it.

"Turns out that loving yourself is the greatest way to improve yourself, and as you improve yourself, you improve your world.

"Let me give you a quick example of how this works: one day, someone sent me an email that upset me. In the past I would have handled it by working on my emotional hot buttons or by trying to reason with the person who sent the nasty message.

"This time, I decided to try Dr. Len's method. I kept silently saying, 'I'm sorry' and 'I love you,' I didn't say it to anyone in particular. I was simply evoking the spirit of love to heal within me what was creating the outer circumstance.

"Within an hour I got an e-mail from the same person. He apologized for his previous message. Keep in mind that I didn't take any outward action to get that apology. I didn't even write him back. Yet, by saying 'I love you,' I somehow healed within me what was creating him.

"I later attended a ho 'oponopono workshop run by Dr. Len. He's now 70 years old, considered a grandfatherly shaman, and is somewhat reclusive.

He praised my book, The Attractor Factor. He told me that as I improve myself, my book's vibration will raise, and everyone will feel it when they read it. In short, as I improve, my readers will improve.

"'What about the books that are already sold and out there?' I asked.

"'They aren't out there,' he explained, once again blowing my mind with his mystic wisdom. 'They are still in you.' In short, there is no out there. It would take a whole book to explain this advanced technique with the depth it deserves.

"Suffice It to say that whenever you want to improve anything in your life, there's only one place to look: inside you. When you look, do it with love."

More from http://hooponopono.org and http://hooponopono.org/lectures.html

---

"The time of waiting and preparation are over. The time for action has been initiated. Only you can decide how you will express the precious gift of love. Allow us to share our Light with you as, together, we fill the darkest corners on Earth with the transforming vibrations of love. Feel it, experience it to the fullest, and pass it on."

- Archangel Michael (1-2005)

---

See also:

Our Situation Is Dire; and There's No Need for Pessimism - by Paul Levy
http://www.awakeninthedream.com/html/
(...) Shedding light on the darkness within us is a form of illumination. Once we become intimately related to and engaged with our own darkness, we become fluent in its language, coming to know how it behaves and operates within ourselves. We are then able to translate this familiarity with our own darkness in such a way so as to creatively illumine the darkness in the outer world. Once enough of us have made acquaintance with the darkness that exists within us, we are then able, like sunlight melting the morning dew, to collectively dis-spell the darkness that has seemingly enveloped our planet. Paradoxically, it is only by coming to terms with the darkness within ourselves that we are able to step out of our trance-like addiction to pessimism and become full-bodied representatives of the all-embracing light of consciousness. Uniting in collective “lucidity” (which, etymologically, refers to “light”), we reciprocally co-inspire each other as we empower ourselves to create a more grace-filled universe to co-inhabit. A radical, evolutionary idea whose time has truly come!

4.

THE POWERFUL POLITICAL ARM OF THE JEWISH LOBBY AT WORK IN WASHINGTON

From: Katie ktr2567@bellsouth.net>
Subject: AIPAC's Hold
Date: 7 Aug 2006

From: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060814/aipacs_hold

AIPAC's Hold

Ari Berman

August 4, 2006

The Nation -- In early March, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) held its forty-seventh annual conference in Washington. AIPAC's executive director spent twenty-seven minutes reading the "roll call" of dignitaries present at the gala dinner, which included a majority of the Senate and a quarter of the House, along with dozens of Administration officials.

As this event illustrates, it's impossible to talk about Congress's relationship to Israel without highlighting AIPAC, the American Jewish community's most important voice on the Hill. The Congressional reaction to Hezbollah's attack on Israel and Israel's retaliatory bombing of Lebanon provide the latest example of why.

On July 18, the Senate unanimously approved a nonbinding resolution "condemning Hamas and Hezbollah and their state sponsors and supporting Israel's exercise of its right to self-defense." After House majority leader John Boehner removed language from the bill urging "all sides to protect innocent civilian life and infrastructure," the House version passed by a landslide, 410 to 8.

AIPAC not only lobbied for the resolution; it had written it. "They [Congress] were given a resolution by AIPAC," said former Carter Administration National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, who addressed the House Democratic Caucus on July 19. "They didn't prepare one."

AIPAC is the leading player in what is sometimes referred to as "The Israel Lobby"--a coalition that includes major Jewish groups, neoconservative intellectuals and Christian Zionists. With its impressive contacts among Hill staffers, influential grassroots supporters and deep connections to wealthy donors, AIPAC is the lobby's key emissary to Congress. But in many ways, AIPAC has become greater than just another lobby; its work has made unconditional support for Israel an accepted cost of doing business inside the halls of Congress. AIPAC's interest, Israel's interest and America's interest are today perceived by most elected leaders to be one and the same. Christian conservatives increasingly aligned with AIPAC demand unwavering support for Israel from their Republican leaders. (In mid-July, 3,000-plus evangelicals came to town for the first annual "Christian United for Israel" summit.) And Democrats are equally concerned about alienating Jewish voters and Jewish donors--l!
ong a cornerstone of their party. Some in Congress are deeply uncomfortable with AIPAC's militant worldview and heavyhanded tactics, but most dare not say so publicly.

"The Bush Administration is bad enough in tolerating measures they would not accept anywhere else but Israel," says Henry Siegman, the former head of the American Jewish Congress and a Middle East expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. "But the Congress, if anything, is urging the Administration on and criticizing them even at their most accommodating. When it comes to the Israeli-Arab conflict, the terms of debate are so influenced by organized Jewish groups, like AIPAC, that to be critical of Israel is to deny oneself the ability to succeed in American politics."

There are a few internationalist Republicans in the Senate and progressive Democrats in the House who occasionally dissent. Representative Dennis Kucinich and twenty-three co-sponsors have offered a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire and a return to multiparty diplomacy between the United States and regional powers, with no preconditions. But even the resolution's supporters admit it isn't likely to go anywhere. Another bill introduced by several Arab-American lawmakers that stressed the need to minimize civilian casualties on both sides was "politically swept under the rug," according to Representative Nick Rahall (news, bio, voting record), a Lebanese-American Democrat from West Virginia who voted against the House resolution. Dovish American-Israeli groups, such as Americans for Peace Now, have largely stayed out of the fight.

The latest hawkish Congressional activity is primarily intended to show voters and potential donors that elected officials are unwavering friends of Israel and enemies of terrorism. "It's just for home consumption," said Representative Charlie Rangel, a powerful New York Democrat who signed on to Kucinich's resolution. "We don't have the support of countries that support us! What the hell are we going to do, bomb Iran? Bomb Syria?" His colleagues, said Rahall, "were trying to out-AIPAC AIPAC."

Discussion in Congress quickly widened beyond Israel to include a broader policy of confrontation toward the entire Middle East. Congressmen sent a flurry of "dear colleague" letters to one another, hoping to pressure the Administration into tightening sanctions on Syria and Iran, Hezbollah's two main state sponsors. Former Middle East envoy Dennis Ross addressed a packed AIPAC-sponsored luncheon on the Hill, where, according to one aide present, Ross told the room: "This is all about Syria and Iran...we shouldn't be condemning Israel now." Said Representative Robert Andrews (news, bio, voting record), a Democrat from New Jersey and co-chair of the Iran Working Group, which this week hosted an official from the Israeli embassy: "I concur completely with that approach."

Democrats, as they did during the Dubai ports scandal, used the crisis to score a few cheap, easy political points against the Bush Administration. The new prime minister of Iraq, Nouri al-Maliki, found himself engulfed in a Congressional firestorm after he denounced Israel's attacks on Lebanon as an act of "aggression." Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rahm Emanuel, who volunteered in Israel during the first Gulf War, called on Maliki to cancel his planned address before Congress. Asked Senator Chuck Schumer, who skipped Maliki's July 26 speech: "Which side is he on when it comes to the war on terror?" Howard Dean one upped his colleagues, labeling Maliki an "anti-Semite" during a speech in Palm Beach, Florida.

Ironically, during the 2004 campaign Dean called on the United States to be an "evenhanded" broker in the Middle East. That position enraged party leaders such as House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, who signed a letter attacking his remarks. "It was designed to send a message: No one ever does this again," says M.J. Rosenberg of the center-left Israel Policy Forum. "And no one has. The only safe thing to say is: I support Israel." In April a representative from AIPAC called Congresswoman Betty McCollum's vote against a draconian bill severely curtailing aid to the Palestinian Authority "support for terrorists."

Not surprisingly, most in Congress see far more harm than reward in getting in the Israeli lobby's way. "There remains a perception of power and fear that AIPAC can undo you," says James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute. He points to the defeats of Representative Paul Findley and Senator Charles Percy in the 1980s and Representatives Cynthia McKinney and Earl Hilliard in 2002, when AIPAC steered large donors to their opponents. Even if AIPAC's make-you-or-break-you reputation is largely a myth, in an election year that perception is potent. Thirty-six pro-Israel PACs gave $3.14 million to candidates in the 2004 election cycle. Rahall said his opponent for re-election issued his first press release of the campaign after Rahall voted against the House resolution. "Everybody knew what would happen if they didn't vote yes," he says.

AIPAC continues to enjoy deep bipartisan backing inside Congress even after two top AIPAC officials were indicted a year ago for allegedly accepting and passing on confidential national security secrets from a Defense Department analyst. "The US and Israel share a lot of basic common values. The vast majority of the American people not only support Israel's actions against Hezbollah but also the fundamental US-Israel relationship, and the bipartisan support in Congress reflects that," says AIPAC spokesman Josh Block. Rosenberg, himself a former AIPAC staffer, puts it another way: "This is the one issue on which liberals are permitted, even expected, by donors to be mindless hawks."

By blindly following AIPAC, Congress reinforces a hard-line consensus: Criticizing Israeli actions, even in the best of faith, is anti-Israel and possibly anti-Semitic; enthusiastically backing whatever military action Israel undertakes is the only acceptable stance.

Recent Gallup polls show that half of Americans support Israel's military campaign, yet 65 percent believe the United States should not take sides in the conflict. But it's hard to imagine any Congress, or subsequent Administration, returning to the role of honest broker. What the region needs now, according to Brzezinski, is an American leader brave enough to say: "Either I make policy on the Middle East or AIPAC makes policy on the Middle East." One can always dream.

5.

From: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080206Z.shtml

Banking on War

By William Rivers Pitt

t r u t h o u t | Perspective

02 August 2006

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.

- Dwight D. Eisenhower

Only the dead, said Plato, have seen the end of war. As true as this may be, it does beg the question: why? Why is there so much conflict in the world? Why are there so many wars? Ethnic and religious tensions have been casus belli since time out of mind, to be sure. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War ruptured a framework that held for almost fifty years, bringing about a series of conflicts that are understandable in hindsight.

There is a simpler answer, however, one that lands right in our back yard here in America. Why so much war? Because war is a profitable enterprise. George W. Bush and his people can hold forth about the wonders of democracy and peace, and can condemn worldwide violence in solemn tones. Until the United States stops being the world's largest arms dealer, these words from our government absolutely reek of hypocrisy.

Mr. Bush and his people did not invent this phenomenon, of course. The United States has been selling hundreds of billions of dollars worth of weapons to the world for decades. In the aftermath of September 11, however, American arms dealing kicked into an even higher gear. The Bush administration, in 2003, delivered arms to 18 of 25 nations now engaged in active conflicts. 13 of those nations have been defined as "undemocratic" by the State Department, but still received $2.7 billion in American weaponry.

One example is Uzbekistan, a nation with an astonishingly deplorable record of human rights violations. Thousands of people have been imprisoned and tortured for purely political reasons, and hundreds more have been killed. Still, that nation received $37 million in weapons from the United States between 2001 and 2003.

In 2002, the United States sold almost $50 million in missile technologies to Bahrain. In the same year, the United States sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of missile technology, rocket launchers, tank ammunition, fighter jets and attack helicopters to Egypt. The United States has sold millions of dollars worth of weapons to both India and Pakistan, two nations that have been on the brink of war for years. This list goes on and on.

Analyze the list of the top twenty companies that profit most from global arms sales, and you will see American companies taking up thirteen of those spots, including the top three: Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman. These arms dealers act in concert with the Department of Defense; they exist as a sixth ring of the Pentagon.

The Associated Press reported last week that business for the arms industry is, to make a bad pun, booming. "Northrop Grumman, the world's largest shipbuilder and America's third-largest military contractor," reported the AP, "said second-quarter earnings rose 17 per cent, as operating profit at its systems and information technology units overcame a decline at the company's ships division. Raytheon Co., the fifth-largest defense contractor, reported second-quarter net income jumped 54 per cent, buoyed by strong military equipment sales."

Beyond the missiles and the tanks and the warplanes, there is the small-arms industry. This is, comprehensively, far more deadly than the large-arms sales being made. A report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences describes the deadly situation:

Since the end of the cold war, from the Balkans to East Timor and throughout Africa, the world has witnessed an outbreak of ethnic, religious and sectarian conflict characterized by routine massacre of civilians. More than 100 conflicts have erupted since 1990, about twice the number for previous decades. These wars have killed more than five million people, devastated entire geographic regions, and left tens of millions of refugees and orphans. Little of the destruction was inflicted by the tanks, artillery or aircraft usually associated with modern warfare; rather most was carried out with pistols, machine guns and grenades. However beneficial the end of the cold war has been in other respects, it has let loose a global deluge of surplus weapons into a setting in which the risk of local conflict appears to have grown markedly.

The Federation of American Scientists prepared a report some years ago detailing the vast amounts of small arms delivered to the world by the United States. "In addition to sales of newly-manufactured weapons," read the report, "the Pentagon gives away or sells at deep discount the vast oversupply of small/light weapons that it has in its post cold-war inventory. Most of this surplus is dispensed through the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program. Originally only the southern-tier members of NATO were cleared to receive EDA, but following the 1991 Gulf war, many Middle Eastern and North African states were added; anti-narcotics aid provisions expanded EDA eligibility to include South American and Caribbean countries; and the "Partnership for Peace" program made most Central and Eastern European governments eligible for free surplus arms."

"Around 1995," continued the report, "large-scale grants and sales of small/light arms began occurring. In the past few years (1995 - early 1998), over 300,000 rifles, pistols, machine guns and grenade launchers have been offered up, including: 158,000 M16A1 assault rifles (principally to Bosnia, Israel, Philippines); 124,815 M14 rifles (principally to the Baltics and Taiwan); 26,780 pistols (principally to Philippines, Morocco, Chile, Bahrain; 1,740 machine guns (principally to Morocco, Bosnia); and 10,570 grenade launchers (principally to Bahrain, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Morocco)."

We hear so often that this is a dangerous world. It is arguable that the world might be significantly less dangerous if the United States chose to stop lathering the planet with weapons. Much has been made, especially recently, about the billions of dollars in weapons sales offered to Israel by America. This is but the tip of the iceberg.

It is, at bottom, all about profit. We sell the weapons, which create warfare, which justifies our incredibly expensive war-making capabilities when we have to go in and fight against the people who bought our weapons or procured them from a third party. This does not make the world safer, but only reinforces the permanent state of peril we find ourselves in. Meanwhile, a few people get paid handsomely.

In the end, it is worthwhile to remember that whenever you see George W. Bush talking about winning the "War on Terror," you are looking at the largest arms dealer on the planet. We can pursue cease-fire agreements, we can topple violent regimes, but until we stop loading up the planet with the means to kill, only the dead will see the end of war.

---

William Rivers Pitt is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of two books: War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know and The Greatest Sedition Is Silence.

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