MAY LOVE PREVAIL ON EARTH
January 25, 2007
The Big Scoop Series #16: Black Clouds on The Horizon
Hello everyone!
Although there is much in this compilation that would deserve a
special introductory comment here, there is one thing I need to bring
to your attention. It is the fact that we are just about to reach the
10th anniversary mark of the foundation of the Earth Rainbow Network
(ERN), something which I feel is worth celebrating. The initial
decision to create this network indeed stemmed from discussions
carried through emails between a small group of a dozen people,
mostly from the United States, in February 1997. I will soon search
through copies of emails from that period on an old computer where I
hope to find them, but I'm sure it was at that time it occurred. As
a result of this consensus made through numerous emails about
creating the Earth Rainbow Network, we have created the Mission
Statement and decided to organize the First International Meeting of
this network in December 1997, in California. If you go at http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/IntroInfo.htm
you will be able to read about this meeting and about how this unique
network came into existence, as well as see a couple pictures from
it. Here is a brief excerpt:
(...) The first international meeting of the Earth Rainbow Network
(ERN) took place at La Casa de Maria, in Santa Barbara, California,
from December 12 to 14, 1997. Almost a year after forming this group,
20 participants from the Earth Rainbow Network met in person for the
first time, some coming from as far away as Quebec, Miami, Washington
D.C. and the States of Washington and Pennsylvania. They came
together to find a way to manifest the vision expressed by the Earth
Proclamation, which calls for the worldwide manifestation of Peace on
Earth and the expression of compassion, generosity and unconditional
love in all fields of human activities. Their main goal:
"Co-creating a common vision of our millennial actions and
projects as well as a strategy to implement this vision."
Soon after this exciting meeting, I set up the initial ERN website on
02/13/1998 with the help of a friend and at a time when the Internet
was still relatively new. Over the years, I've fine-tuned my role as
the coordinator for this network and done my best to sustain the
spirit at the origin of this initiative, with the help of countless
people who, to this day, continue to play an active role in providing
me with material worthy of everyone's attention and with vital
opinions and comments that contribute to ensure the relevancy and
life pulse of this worldwide group of Light Servers.
In addition to this network, I've also been actively involved in the
creation in April 2000 of the Global Meditation Focus Group (you will
find the History of the Co-creation of the Focus Group at the bottom
of http://www.aei.ca/~cep/home.htm
if you are interested to know more on this) for the regular issuance
of Meditation Focuses which I consider to be an essential complement
to the dispatching of information I do through the ERN list.
Since, such key moments in the life of a group, however loosely
connected its "members" may be, are usually a good time to
reassess what we are doing and where we are headed, I would very much
welcome to hear from anyone of you who would like to offer a vision,
a suggestion or any kind of comment about how this networking service
could evolve and also about how we may all celebrate this 10th
anniversary.
I thought that if anyone has a virtual meeting place where we could
all "gather" to celebrate together, it would be pretty neat
and fun...
I look forward to read your emails on this and wish you all a good
experience when reading this new compilation below ;-)
Jean Hudon
Earth Rainbow Network Coordinator
http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com
P.S. There will be a new Meditation Focus issued next Saturday evening...
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.
Free subscription to a large weekly Earth Rainbow Network compilation
by simply sending a blank email to earthrainbownetwork-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
This compilation is archived at
http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/Archives2007/BigScoop16.htm
STATS for this compilation: Over 33,400 words and 156 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.
SOME USEFUL WEB RESOURCES
Note from Jean: If you have a website and would like to add highly
useful webtools to it, I recommend to your attention the following
ones, which are all entirely free:
http://www.statcounter.com/
http://www.google.com/analytics/
http://www.geovisite.com/
THE QUOTES
"Jean!!! How magnificent! You are a very creative and intuitive
photographer - not to mention a lucky duck for living in such a
beautiful part of this wonderful world. :-) Thank you so much for
sharing these with us - you have allowed us to journey with you on
your travels; let us share in the fresh air and sunshine and given a
lift to our souls."
— Cathy Brockway (nimros@comcast.net) NOTE from Jean: I replied
to Cathy (in part): "I've received more feedbacks on this than
on any other thing I've ever networked in the past 10 years. Amazing!
Perhaps I should dedicate my time to photography instead... Just
joking!"
AND THERE IS MORE! I've also just added an amazing picture of an
actual faery that was taken where I live a couple months ago... http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/Faery.htm
"Well, it -- it's pretty obvious the whole situation in Iraq is
a colossal failure. America has to take a new direction. And that
direction is out. Now, I have indicated to the president today I'm
willing to help him. I have put a 12-point plan together that calls
for the following, that the United States has to declare to the world
community that we are going to end the occupation, and we're going to
close our bases, bring our troops home. Simultaneous with that, we
need peacekeepers and security force to help provide security for the
Iraqi people. We need a program of reconciliation and -- and
reconstruction and reparations, and give the Iraqi people control of
their oil again. This -- only this is going to help lessen the
insurgency. It's our occupation that is fueling the insurgency. The
world is waiting for an American president to come forward who is
going to take a new direction, embrace the world community, talk to
people, negotiate with Iran and Syria. We need a regional solution.
And we need to do this, so the region doesn't become unstable. Larry,
the president tonight was setting the stage for an attack on Iran. We
have to take a new direction in Iraq. And we have to reconcile with
the world community and stop this cycling of war."
— Dennis Kucinich on CNN Larry King Live last night - Taken from
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/24/lkl.01.html
"We look around us at the madness so prevalent in the world
today, the hate and violence, the greed. Feeling overwhelmed, our
egos erect walls to hide behind. But rather than offering security,
these walls separate and fragment, creating fear and more insecurity.
We see evil on all sides, not realizing that the way we see the world
is a reflection of what we are inside.What is the answer? How can we
break this vicious cycle which threatens to blow the world apart?
Love is the way. Love is the only way to true peace! Love is
unifying. Love opens our hearts and our souls, showing us the way to
live in peace and harmony with our fellow human beings throughout the
world. Love reveals the fact that in truth we are one. We are one
being. Therefore, what we do to any member of the human race, we do
to ourselves. The injunction to "Love thy neighbor as
thyself" commands us to love everyone, without distinction of
race, religion, etc. - without moral judgment. This tenet is central
to all great religions. We do not have to agree with our neighbor,
but we must love. Love is the Only
Way."
— Raphael Egger (raphael@WeAreOne-Love.net) - Taken from http://weareone-love.net/
ERN subscriber Raphael has created T-shirt with the word
"Love" in 35 languages on it to "promote the awareness
around the world that we are truly one in spirit manifesting in many
bodies."
CONTENTS
1. Is channeling really what we think it is?
2. Protesters Will Urge Congress to Stand Up to Bush
3. Kucinich: State of the Union is war and neglect
4. Off the Rails: Big Oil, Big Brother Win Big in the State of the Union
5. Pentagon Sees US War Cost in Iraq Rising
6. Bloggers Who Criticize Government May Face Prison
7. ISRAELI NUCLEAR STRIKE ON IRAN TURNED BACK
8. How Congress Can Stop the Iran Attack or be Complicit in Nuclear
War Crimes
9. Cheap, safe drug kills most cancers
10. Slow Poisoning of US and Canada with MSG
11. Human guinea pigs eat “ape diet” for 12 days,
experience remarkable health improvements
12. PLANETARY ALERT
13. Fake "Alien Abductions" Conducted by Shadow-Government
Para-Military Operatives
14. DIANE: The Mass Awakening on Earth Is Quite Astounding
15. Appreciation
16. THE GREAT TURNING: FROM EMPIRE TO EARTH COMMUNITY
17. Create wonderful lives
18. Dissolving the Illusion of Separation
19. One hundred years ago.......
WORTHY OF YOUR ATTENTION
Akiane - Child Prodigy
http://tinyurl.com/yxewot
Recommended by Robert Breault (robertbreault@prodigy.net) who wrote:
"This young girl is absolutely a true master of the Arts!!! Take
a deep breath and get ready to be amazed."
Perceptual Experiment
http://www.nhne.com/misc/perceptual_experiement.html
Recommended by Bill Cain (bpcain@comcast.net) who wrote: "This
is to a short video which aims to demonstrate our perceptual
limitations. Although it was intended for the scientific community,
it can be applied to all of us. I thought you might find it
interesting." HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! AMAZING!
MSNBC Online Poll - 87% Want Bush Impeached (out of over 400,000
responses!)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10562904/from/ET/
911 Mysteries: Part 1 - Demolitions (1 hour 30 minutes) with French
subtitles!
http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=-4049590380102614532
Help us put an end to whaling
http://www.whalesrevenge.com
Whales Revenge is trying to get a million people to sign a petition
to stop whaling.
Update on the Chicago Airport UFO Sighting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAP1Wcip9qw&mode=related&search
Recommended by Richard Boylan (drboylan@sbcglobal.net) who wrote:
"Here is a most arresting brief (8 min.) videotape of two
Chicago Tribune Television reporters talking candidly off-camera and
then on-camera about the UFO which hovered over O'Hare International
Airport's United Airlines Concourse, specifically, 700 feet above
Gate C-17 for several minutes. The Incident happened November 7, but
the Chicago Tribune inexplicably only broke the story New Year's Day.
Definitely worth watching this new era in telling-it-like-it-is news
reporting, including mocking the government's unsatisfactory cover
story. And if you missed CNN television's straight-up and
acceptingreportage of the UFO over O'Hare Airport, including an
interview with anairport mechanic witness, then watch it (2-1/2
mins.) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoRr05yAGFk&mode=related&search
(Good old YouTube, the people's go-around to long-standing government
muzzling of UFO reportage.)
'Perestroika in the West' by Palden Jenkins (15 January 2007)
http://glastongog.blogspot.com
It's all about the need for change in the West, and the way our
failure to change earlier holds back progress in the Middle East.
(...) Restructuring in the West didn't happen, and now we are paying
a rising price. We cannot just wring our hands and rue lost
opportunities. But we do need to take note of what we in the West
already know. And, like the visionaries of the 1960s, who were driven
by a homegrown perception while co-opting ideas and methods from
other cultures, times and peoples, we might do well to look at the
essence of what the 'majority world' is saying and doing today.
CLIP
This Modern World: The very bad idea, part II
http://www.workingforchange.com/comic.cfm?itemid=21878
Comet McNaught photo Gallery - MOST BEAUTIFUL!
http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_mcnaught_page12.htm
Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) swung by the sun on Jan 12th - 14th, and
now it is emerging into the skies of the southern hemisphere. During
its close encounter with the sun, McNaught became a naked-eye object
in broad daylight. Recommended by Jeff Wefferson
therockist@yahoo.com">
Mysterious Smoke Rings or When is a Cloud not a Cloud? http://www.cassiopaea.org/cass/Laura-Knight-Jadczyk/article-lkj-16-07-03.htm
(...) French UFO investigator, Aime Michel - in his 1954 survey of
French UFO cases - called these types of UFOs
"cloud-cigars." They have been observed in Great Britain,
South America, Poland,the US, and the former Soviet Union. (...)
Pretty interesting, eh? Particularly when you note the
"ribbing" effect that was also present in the 1957
"smoke ring UFO" photos. Notice also the "vortex"
that is clearly evident as a sort of "tornado" extending
down out of the "hole in the sky," not to mention the very
specific "shape" of the thing - a giant
"mothership" that is partly hyperdimensional? CLIP
Apollo 11 mission was followed by a UFO
http://www.planetvids.com/html/Buzz-Talks-About-UFO.html
Apollo 11 Moon Mission astronaut Buzz Aldrin acknowledges in this
video interview that Apollo 11 was followed in deep space by a UFO on
its way to its historic first Moon Landing. Buzz died six years ago.
In this tell-it-like-it-is video, he describes the UFO and how NASA
told them to keep it quiet.
Anomalous Orbic "Spirit" Photographs? A Conventional
Optical Explanation
http://www.scientificexploration.org/jse/abstracts/v19n3a1.php
With the development of reliable and inexpensive digital cameras,
numerous individuals have reported capturing anomalous round-shaped
(orbic) objects in photographs. These seemingly anomalous orbic
images (AOIs) have sometimes been interpreted as reflecting
"spirits," "angels," "light beings,"
"aliens," and/or "UFOs." We decided to determine
whether we could (1) replicate capturing AOIs, and (2) investigate
their possible mechanism(s). Approximately one thousand photographs
were taken with five different digital cameras over multiple sessions
under conditions that would purportedly increase the chance of
observing AOIs. This included two "spiritual energy
healers" performing various diagnostic and treatment procedures
in a semi-dark room. More than two hundred photographs contained
AOIs. Careful examination of the photographs revealed a plausible
conventional optical mechanism that could explain most of the AOIs
observed. The most common mechanisms involved are (1) stray
reflections (often from the flash) from various shiny objects in the
environment (mirrors, glass windows, doorknobs, furniture, metal art
work) that are then doubly re-reflected off of lens surfaces and (2)
diffraction from the flash reflecting off of dust and dirt particles
near but not on the lens. Spiritual or other-worldly interpretations
of "orbs" in photographs should only be considered under
conditions in which all sources of stray reflection and diffraction
have been eliminated from the environment.
Meatrix truth
http://www.themeatrix.com/
ALSO RECOMMENDED
The Unthinkable: The US- Israeli Nuclear War on Iran By Michel
Chossudovsky (January 22, 2007)
http://www.ichblog.eu/content/view/60/1/
The World is at the crossroads of the most serious crisis in modern
history. The US has embarked on a military adventure, "a long
war", which threatens the future of humanity. At no point since
the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945,
has humanity been closer to the unthinkable, a nuclear holocaust
which could potentially spread, in terms of radioactive fallout, over
a large part of the Middle East. There is mounting evidence that the
Bush Administration in liaison with Israel and NATO is planning the
launching of a nuclear war against Iran, ironically, in retaliation
for its nonexistent nuclear weapons program. The US-Israeli military
operation is said to be in "an advanced state of
readiness". If such a plan were to be launched, the war would
escalate and eventually engulf the entire Middle-East Central Asian
region. The war could extend beyond the region, as some analystshave
suggested, ultimately leading us into a World War III scenario. In
this regard, the structure of military alliances is crucial. China
and Russia have entered into farreaching military cooperation
agreements with Iran. The latter have a direct bearing on the
conflict. Iran possesses an advanced air defense system as well as
capabilities to target US and allied positions in Iraq and the Gulf
States, as demonstrated in recent military exercises. The US-led
naval deployment (involving a massive deployment of military
hardware) is taking place in two distinct theaters:the Persian Gulf
and the Eastern Mediterranean. CLIP
US Plans Envision Broad Attack on Iran: Analyst (19 January 2007)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012007B.shtml
Reuters - Washington - U.S. contingency planning for military action
against Iran's nuclear program goes beyond limited strikes and would
effectively unleash a war against the country, a former U.S.
intelligence analyst said on Friday. "I've seen some of the
planning ... You're not talking about a surgical strike," said
Wayne White, who was a top Middle East analyst for the State
Department's bureau of intelligence and research until March 2005.
"You're talking about a war against Iran" that likely would
destabilize the Middle East for years, White told the Middle East
Policy Council, a Washington think tank. "We're not talking
about just surgical strikes against an array of targets inside Iran.
We're talking about clearing a path to the targets" by taking
out much of the Iranian Air Force, Kilo submarines, anti-ship
missiles that could target commerce or U.S. warships in the Gulf, and
maybe even Iran's ballistic missile capability, White said. "I'm
much more worried about the consequences of a U.S. or Israeli attack
against Iran's nuclear infrastructure," which would prompt
vigorous Iranian retaliation, he said, than civil war in Iraq, which
could be confined to that country. President George W. Bush has
stressed he is seeking a diplomatic solution to the dispute over
Iran's nuclear program. But he has not taken the military option off
the table and his recent rhetoric, plus tougher financial sanctions
and actions against Iranian involvement in Iraq, has revived talk in
Washington about a possible U.S. attack on Iran. The Bush
administration and many of its Gulf allies have expressed growing
concern about Iran's rising influence in the region and the prospect
of it acquiring a nuclear weapon. Middle East expert Kenneth Katzman
argued "Iran's ascendancy is not only manageable but
reversible" if one understands the Islamic republic's many
vulnerabilities. Tehran's leaders have convinced many experts Iran is
a great nation verging on "superpower" status, but the
country is "very weak ... (and) meets almost no known criteria
to be considered a great nation," said Katzman of the Library of
Congress' Congressional Research Service. The economy is mismanaged
and "quite primitive," exporting almost nothing except oil,
he said. Also, Iran's oil production capacity is fast declining and
in terms of conventional military power, "Iran is a virtual
non-entity," Katzman added. The administration, therefore,
should not go out of its way to accommodate Iran because the country
is in no position to hurt the United States, and at some point
"it might be useful to call that bluff," he said. But
Katzman cautioned against early confrontation with Iran and said if
there is a "grand bargain" that meets both countries'
interests, that should be pursued. - Read also ISRAELI NUCLEAR STRIKE
ON IRAN TURNED BACK below...
Leading Senator Assails President Over Iran Stance (Jan 20) )
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012007Z.shtml
Washington - The new chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee on
Friday sharply criticized the Bush administration's increasingly
combative stance toward Iran, saying that White House efforts to
portray it as a growing threat are uncomfortably reminiscent of
rhetoric about Iraq before the American invasion of 2003. Senator
John D. Rockefeller IV, the West Virginia Democrat who took control
of the committee this month, said that the administration was
building a case against Tehran even as American intelligence agencies
still know little about either Iran's internal dynamics or its
intentions in the Middle East. "To be quite honest, I'm a
little concerned that it's Iraq again," Senator Rockefeller said
during an interview in his office. "This whole concept of moving
against Iran is bizarre." (...) "I don't think that policy
makers in this administration particularly understand Iran," he
said. The comments of Mr. Rockefeller reflect the mounting concerns
being voiced by other influential Democrats, including the Senate
majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, and Senator Joseph R. Biden
Jr. of Delaware, about the Bush administration's approach to Iran.
The Democrats have warned that the administration is moving toward a
confrontation with Iran when the United States has neither the
military resources nor the support among American allies and members
of Congress to carry out such a move. Because Mr. Rockefeller is
one of only a handful of lawmakers with access to the most classified
intelligence about the threat from Tehran, his views carry particular
weight. He has also historically been more tempered in his criticism
of the White House on national security issues than some of his
Democratic colleagues. CLIP
Reporter Claims Israeli Nuke Strike On Iran Averted By U.S. Fighters
(Jan 19)
http://www.infowars.com/articles/ww3/iran_israeli_nuke_strike_averted_by_us_fighters.htm
Reporter Claims Israeli Nuke Strike On Iran Averted By U.S. Fighters
- Sources say F16 suicide mission armed with 20-kiloton bomb recalled
by Israelis under threat of U.S. Sidewinder missile shootdown
IRAN SHOOTS DOWN U.S. SPY DRONE AMID GROWING U.S. MILITARY PRESSURE
(January 17, 2007)
http://htdaw.blogsource.com/post.mhtml?post_id=422182
Iranian troops have shot down a U.S. pilotless spy plane recently, an
Iranian lawmaker announced on Tuesday as the Islamic Republic was
facing increasing military pressure from its arch rival --the United
States.The aircraft was brought down when it was trying to cross the
borders "during the last few days," Seyed Nezam Mola
Hoveizeh, a member of the parliament, was quoted by the local Fars
News Agency as saying.The lawmaker gave no exact date of the
shooting-down or any other details about the incident, but he said
that "the United States sent such spy drones to the region every
now and then." CLIP
Iran receives Russian air defense missiles, defense minister says
(January 24, 2007)
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/24/africa/ME-GEN-Iran-Russia-Weapons.php
TEHRAN, Iran: Iran has received a Russian air defense missile system,
the Iranian defense minister said Wednesday.Iran's announcement came
as it launched three days of military maneuvers — its first
since the U.N. Security Council approved sanctions against Iran on
Dec. 23."We have had constructive defense transactions with
Russia and we purchased Tor M-1 missiles that were recently delivered
to us," the official Web site of Iranian state television quoted
Minister of Defense Mostafa Mohammad Najjar as saying. (...)
Previously Moscow said it would supply 29 of the sophisticated
missile systems to Iran under a US$700 million contract signed in
December 2005, Russian media has reported. CLIP
Presidential Candidate Fears "Gulf Of Tonkin" To Provoke
Iran War (January 15, 2007)
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2007/150107gulfoftonkin.htm
Developments converge to signify inevitable conflict despite ongoing
chaos in Iraq - Republican Congressman and 2008 Presidential
candidate Ron Paul fears a staged Gulf of Tonkin style incident may
be used to provoke air strikes on Iran as numerous factors collide to
heighten expectations that America may soon be embroiled in its third
war in six years.Writing in his syndicated weekly column, the
representative of Texas' 14th district warns of "a contrived
Gulf of Tonkin-type incident (that) may occur to gain popular support
for an attack on Iran."The August 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident,
where US warships were apparently attacked by North Vietnamese PT
Boats, was cited by President Johnson as a legitimate provocation
mandating U.S. escalation in Vietnam, yet Tonkin was a staged charade
that never took place. Declassified LBJ presidential tapes discuss
how to spin the non-event to escalate it as justification for air
strikes and the NSA faked intelligence data to make it appear as if
two US ships had been lost.Should a staged provocation take place in
an attempt to justify striking Iran it would not be the first time
the current administration has considered such a ploy.(...)
Commentators largely agree that the furore surrounding President
Bush's speech in which he ordered the deployment of a further 20,000
troops to Iraq is a manufactured distraction to divert attention away
from alarming developments that grease the skids for an inevitable
conflict with Iran.
Lying Like It's 2003
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012107B.shtml
"Those who forget history may be doomed to repeat it, but who
could imagine we'd already be in danger of replaying that rotten year
2003?" asks Frank Rich.
Who will stop the US from attacking Iran?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article16230.htm
HARD AS IT IS TO IMAGINE, it is likely that another major war is
being planned by the US, this time against Iran. And the arguments
being marshalled by the Bush administration are exactly identical to
what was being said against Iraq in the build-up to that war in 2003.
Iran's President Did Not Say "Israel must be wiped off the
map" (01/18/07)
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article16218.htm
Across the world, a dangerous rumor has spread that could have
catastrophic implications. According to legend, Iran's President has
threatened to destroy Israel, or, to quote the misquote, "Israel
must be wiped off the map". Contrary to popular belief, this
statement was never made, as this article will prove. BACKGROUND: On
Tuesday, October 25th, 2005 at the Ministry of Interior conference
hall in Tehran, newly elected Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
delivered a speech at a program, reportedly attended by thousands,
titled "The World Without Zionism". Large posters
surrounding him displayed this title prominently in English,
obviously for the benefit of the international press. Below the
poster's title was a slick graphic depicting an hour glass containing
planet Earth at its top. Two small round orbs representing the United
States and Israel are shown falling through the hour glass' narrow
neck and crashing to the bottom. Before we get to the infamous
remark, it's important to note that the "quote" in question
was itself a quote— they are the words of the late Ayatollah
Khomeini, the father of the Islamic Revolution. Although he quoted
Khomeini to affirm his own position on Zionism, the actual words
belong to Khomeini and not Ahmadinejad. Thus, Ahmadinejad has
essentially been credited (or blamed) for a quote that is not only
unoriginal, but represents a viewpoint already in place well before
he ever took office. (...) The full quote translated directly to
English:"The Imam said this regime occupying Jerusalem must
vanish from the page of time". (...) While the false
"wiped off the map" extract has been repeated infinitely
without verification, Ahmadinejad's actual speech itself has been
almost entirely ignored. Given the importance placed on the
"map" comment, it would be sensible to present his words in
their full context to get a fuller understanding of his position. In
fact, by looking at the entire speech, there is a clear, logical
trajectory leading up to his call for a "world without
Zionism". One may disagree with his reasoning, but critical
appraisals are infeasible without first knowing what that reasoning
is.In his speech, Ahmadinejad declares that Zionism is the West's
apparatus of political oppression against Muslims. He says the
"Zionist regime" was imposed on the Islamic world as a
strategic bridgehead to ensure domination of the region and its
assets. Palestine, he insists, is the frontline of the Islamic
world's struggle with American hegemony, and its fate will have
repercussions for the entire Middle East. CLIP
Sanctions Could Escalate With Iran
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011807F.shtml
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, said
Thursday he was concerned that UN sanctions on Iran could escalate
the country's standoff with Western powers over its suspected weapons
program.
US plans envision broad attack on Iran -analyst
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article16233.htm
U.S. contingency planning for military action against Iran's nuclear
program goes beyond limited strikes and would effectively unleash a
war against the country, a former U.S. intelligence analyst said on
Friday.
Iran masses troops along borders with Iraq
http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=944040
A Pishmerga source said that Iran has beefed up its troops stationed
along the main border crossing (Pashmakh), midway between the Kurdish
Penjavin city and the Iranian Miriwan city.
International Mobilization To Stop U.S. Attack on Iran (January 26, 2007 )
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2007/3404mobe_v_iranwar.html
(...) Internationally, initiatives have been taken by French
President Jacques Chirac, who is sending a special envoy to Iran, and
by Russian officials, who are blowing the whistle on U.S. plans. As
for the Arab states in the region, who are being wooed to support the
plan, they have coolly recommended to the Administration that it
carry out talks with Iran. They have been rebuffed. Overall, a
certain degree of fatalism pervades the capitals of Europe and Asia,
vis-à-vis being able to stop the British-crafted, but
Bush/Cheney initiated plans to hit Iran. They rightly look to the
United States for the decisive action. For that to be effective, the
timetable will have to be moved rapidly indeed, but the aggressive
intention to prevent such a disaster is palpable on Capital Hill.War
Preparations OngoingCol. San Gardiner (USAF ret.), who has an
excellent track record regarding military operations in the Southwest
Asia theater, issued a new warning on Jan. 16, entitled
"Escalation Against Iran." After noting the fact that a
second carrier strike group was leaving the U.S. on Jan. 16, Gardner
listed a number of steps he expects the U.S. will take, if indeed it
is on the warpath. First, he said to expect a barrage of articles in
the media, planted by a National Security Council staff-led group,
commissioned to produce "outrage" against Iran. Then, he
wrote, expect some European-based missile defense assets to be
deployedto Israel, plus additional U.S. Air Force fighters deployed
into Iraq and perhaps Afghanistan. He wrote that some of the
"surge" troops sent into Iraq will be sent to the Iranian
border. Then, "As one of the last steps before a strike, we'll
see the USAF tankers moved to unusual places, like Bulgaria. These
will be used," Gardiner writes, "to refuel the U.S.-based
B-2 bombers on their strike missions into Iran. When that happens,
we'll be only days away from a strike." Gardiner's forecast of a
massive media campaign has already been confirmed. CLIP - Proof of
this media campaign in the next 2 excerpts...
North Korea helping Iran with nuclear testing (according to the Daily
Telegraph in London!... Manufacturing consent for war!)
http://tinyurl.com/yq7wwe
North Korea is helping Iran to prepare an underground nuclear test
similar to the one Pyongyang carried out last year.
Israel faces nuclear Holocaust warns Gingrich
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3356103,00.html
Gingrich, who addressed the conference via satellite from the United
States, said he thought Israel's existence was under threat again for
the first time in 40 years.
Bush's War Strategy Shifts to Iran, Christian Zionists Gear Up for
the Apocalypse
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/46753/
Christian Zionists are dancing the hora in San Antonio. Armageddon
appears to be at hand.
Israeli billionaire Saban biggest donor to US politicians
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3355786,00.html
Communications tycoon has donated at least USD 13 million to American
politicians. As a close friend of the Clintons he contributed to the
Democrats, but President Bush has not been deprived either
Michael T. Klare : Petro-Power and the Nuclear Renaissance
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article16212.htm
Not "Islamo-fascism" but "Energo-fascism" -- the
heavily militarized global struggle over diminishing supplies of
energy -- will dominate world affairs (and darken the lives of
ordinary citizens) in the decades to come
Rogers Says Oil Will Rise to $100 After `Correction'
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=azQIiqfEPt8g&refer=exclusive#
Oil will resume its march toward $100 a barrel after a
``correction,'' said Jim Rogers, who predicted the start of the
commodities rally in 1999.
Iraq War Costs Going Through Stratosphere
http://www.btimes.com/News/article/article.asp?NewsID=75516&sID=35
The cost of the Iraq War in addition to costing thousands of American
and Iraqi lives is bleeding the American treasury at dangerous
levels.
US general sees $70 billion bill to expand Army
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=N23271247
The Bush administration's plan to permanently increase the size of
the U.S. Army, strained by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, will cost
$70 billion over five years, a U.S. Army general said on Tuesday.
Russian defense minister bristles at U.S. missile defense plans
http://tinyurl.com/2evcvm
Russia's defense minister on Wednesday harshly criticized U.S. plans
to deploy missile defense sites in central Europe, saying that Moscow
doesn't trust American claims that they are intended to counter
missile threats posed by Iran and North Korea. (...) Asked about how
Russia could respond to the U.S. move, Ivanov said Wednesday that
there was no need for any quick retaliation. “Our strategic
nuclear forces ensure national security under any scenario,” he
said. Russia's criticism of the U.S. move comes just days after the
United States and other allies raised concerns over the rising
militarization of space after a successful test by China of an
anti-satellite weapon. China confirmed the test on Tuesday, but
didn't provide details. Aviation Week, which first reported the test,
said the satellite was hit by a kinetic kill vehicle launched from a
ballistic missile.Analysts said the test represented an indirect
threat to U.S. defense systems by raising the possibility that its
spy satellites could be shot down. The threat wouldn't affect the
anti-missile system, which relies only on ground-based radar. The
U.S. military has had the capability to shoot down satellites since
the 1980s. In October, President Bush signed an order asserting the
United States' right to deny adversaries access to space for hostile
purposes.
China Tests Anti-Satellite Weapon, Unnerving US
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011907P.shtml
China successfully carried out its first test of an anti-satellite
weapon last week, signaling its resolve to play a major role in
military space activities and bringing expressions of concern from
Washington and other capitals, the Bush administration said Thursday.
Only two nations - Russia and the United States - have previously
destroyed spacecraft in anti-satellite tests, most recently the
United States in the mid 1980s.
Beijing secretly fires lasers to disable US satellites
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/09/26/wchina226.xml
China has secretly fired powerful laser weapons designed to disable
American spy satellites by "blinding" their sensitive
surveillance devices, it was reported yesterday.
1,000 US Troops Present Petition for Iraq Withdrawal to Kucinich
http://kucinich.us/node/2015
WASHINGTON, Jan.16, 2007 -- Congressman Kucinich today received
petitions from over 1,000 active duty members of the armed services
who are calling for an end to the war in Iraq. They are using a
little known procedure called an appeal for redress which is provided
for in the rules of the Department of Defense. The Appeal for Redress
from the war in Iraq reads: 'As a patriotic American proud to serve
the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in
congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military
forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not
worth the price. It is time for the US troops to come home.'These
active duty ,active reserve, and guard soldiers have signed this
appeal at http://www.appealforredress.org"Today
on behalf of these men and women who proudly serve America, I will
proudly present their appeal for redress to the Clerk of the House
for referral to committee" said Kucinich. "It is important
to remember that many of these soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines
have seen combat in Iraq. They did not refuse to serve. They did not
challenge any of their commanders orders, but they do have rights
under the constitution and within the military code to present their
grievances to the US Congress." "We should pay careful
attention to these brave men and women and I am determined that we
should continue to support our troops by bringing them home."
U.N. warns Iraq sliding to abyss
http://tinyurl.com/3xpz9p
A U.N. envoy said on Tuesday Iraq was sliding "into the abyss of
sectarianism" and urged Iraqi political and religious leaders to
halt the violence after two car bombs in a Baghdad market killed 88
people.
Congress Takes First Steps Toward Curbing Cheney
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2007/3404curbing_cheney.html
As Republicans are increasingly joining with their Democratic
counterparts to challenge the permanent war dogmas of Bush-Cheney,
the words "double impeachment" are being heard around the
Capitol. (...) According to one military commentator, Col. Patrick
Lang, former head of Defense Intelligence for the Middle East, if the
Bush-Cheney White House goes ahead with the deployment of additional
military forces in defiance of the will of the Congress, the
President and the Vice President will be walking into an
"impeachment trap." Such a trap is exactly what Lyndon
LaRouche demanded in his Jan. 11 webcast. LaRouche warned that the
only way to avoid an expanded war, likely to last for generations, is
to dump Cheney from the Bush Administration immediately. CLIP
Hillary for President?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012207A.shtml
Cindy Sheehan writes: "This occupation of Iraq can't be won by
being smarter - it was lost before we went in. The US, again, was a
big loser in a capricious military expedition, with the support of
Senator Clinton. She is an amazingly brilliant person, and she cannot
say that she was fooled by George. We, the American public, can be
brilliant too, and we can't buy that baloney."
Obama? Yomama! by Edgar J. Steele
http://www.conspiracypenpal.com/rants/obama.htm
Note from Jean: I've been suspicious for a while now as to why the
Jewish/elite cabal controlled US media have been so relentlessly
supportive of Barack Obama, based on his alleged popularity with
ordinary people. In his rant above Edgar Steele makes the argument
that "their" plan would be to ensure that either Hillary
Clinton or Barack Obama becomes the Democratic presidential
candidate, then ensuring in "their" view that the next
Republican candidate will have a fighting chance to win the next
presidential elections based on the fact - in "their" view
- that American white men are less likely to vote for a woman or for
a black man. I believe there is some merit to this argument, and it
could partly explain the media's positive attitude towards Barack
Obama.
Obama: The Democratic Messiah?
http://www.ichblog.eu/content/view/64/1/
Is Obama just another example of how our corrupt political system
ingeniously creates candidates to keep hope alive? Is the
self-professed progressive Obama the real thing? Is he something
other than a conventional politician?
Bush's Oil Stockpile Plan Could Raise Prices
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012407T.shtml
George W. Bush's decision to double the emergency oil stockpile in
the US may help to stem a six-month slide in prices as China, India
and South Korea also add to the demand by bolstering their defenses
against shortages.
Terror and starvation in Gaza
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article16210.htm
Pilger on the genocide that is engulfing Palestine as bystanders
silently look on.
Genocide in Gaza, Ethnic Cleansing in the West Bank
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article16216.htm
A creeping transfer in the West Bank and a measured genocidal policy
in the Gaza Strip are the two strategies Israel employs today. From
an electoral point of view, the one in Gaza is problematic as it does
not reap any tangible results; the West Bank under Abu Mazen is
yielding to Israeli pressure and there is no significant force that
arrests the Israeli strategy of annexation and dispossession.
Israel's 'invisible hand' in Gaza
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6270331.stm
Although Israel withdrew from Gaza more than a year ago, its control
over the lives of Palestinians there is in some ways even tighter
than before, a new report by an Israeli human rights organisation
says.
Webster Tarpley Interview (18 Jan 2007)
http://www.kpfa.org/archives/index.php?show=13
January 17 excellent radio interview with Webster Tarpley by Bonnie
Faulkner, "Widening the War". 13 min. in Tarpley mentions
that our new Director of National Intelligence, Mike McConnell,
"spent the last several years at Booz Allen Hamilton" and
states "This is very ominous. If you wanted to do an
investigation of the events of September 11th an indispensable
component would be to go to Booz Allen Hamilton and demand to have
the activities of all components of that corporation on or about
September 11th accounted for. And that would be the line of
questioning that one would have to pursue with McConnell if he were
ever brought before the Senate for confirmation hearings, which
should happen fairly soon. 'Where were you on September 11th? What
were you doing and prove it?'...There were private military firms,
consulting firms, involved." 49 min. in Tarpley remarks,
"There is no global war on terrorism. It's all a fraud and the
biggest fraud is the 9/11 story, which is the basis of all this
stuff."
Do new Ohio recount prosecutions indicate unraveling of 2004 election
theft cover-up? (January 19, 2007)
http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2007/2362
Three criminal prosecutions in Ohio's biggest county have opened with
strong indications that the cover-up of the theft of the 2004
presidential election is starting to unravel. Prosecutors say these
cases involve "rigging" the recount in Cuyahoga County
(Cleveland), where tens of thousands of votes were shifted from John
Kerry to George W. Bush, or else never counted. Meanwhile,
corroborating evidence continues to surface throughout Ohio
illuminating the GOP's theft of the presidency. According to the AP,
County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter opened the Cuyahoga trial by charging
that "the evidence will show that this recount was rigged, maybe
not for political reasons, but rigged nonetheless." Baxter said
the three election workers "did this so they could spend a day
rather than weeks or months" on the recount. CLIP
World Social Forum focuses on Africa's economic struggles (January
21, 2007)
http://tinyurl.com/38z5gu
More than 80,000 people gathered for an annual anticapitalism
conference yesterday in Kenya's capital and marched on Nairobi's
largest slum to protest globalization policies they say hurt the
poor.
World Social Forum in Nairobi (Jan 22)
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/01/22/18350707.php
The 7th Annual World Social Forum meets from January 20 thru January
27, 2007. This year's gathering will emphasize the exploitation of
African nations. Nairobi, Kenya, January 20, 2007 The 7th Annual
World Social Forum opened Saturday in Nairobi with a march from
Kibera, one of the largest ghettos in Nairobi to the Moi
International Sports Center Kararani. Organizers estimate that more
than 80,000 marchers participated in a show of solidarity of all
African nations against globalization and colonization. More than
150,000 participants are expected to attend the Forum which lasts
from Saturday through Friday, January 25th. The World Social
Forum(WSF) was first held in Porto Aligre, Brazil in 2001 as an
alternative to the World Economic Forum. Activists, social movements,
networks, coalitions and other progressive forces from Asia, Latin
America, the Carribbean, North America, Europe and all corners of
Africa have converged of Nairobi will participate in making
presentations in the areas of science, social policy, the environment
and human rights. The 7th WSF will focus on Africa and its non-stop
history of struggle against foreign domination, colonialism and
neo-colonialism. Kenneth Kaunda, ex-President of Zambia opened the
Forum by emphasizing that all the active forces of the world's
societies must join forces "to struggle together against
poverty". CLIP - For more information go at the World Social
Forum website: http://wsf2007.org/frontpage/view?set_language=en
Debt burden hindering development (22 January)
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/754c4b07bb2fa5dc0cebd7404240c33f.htm
NAIROBI (IRIN) - Efforts to alleviate poverty in developing countries
continue to be hampered by the burden of debts owed to rich nations,
Kenyan Nobel laureate, Wangari Maathai, said on Monday, adding that
most of the loans had been incurred illegitimately by irresponsible
governments."The debt burden continues to make it impossible for
many governments to give services to the people," Maathai said
at a seminar organised by churches in Africa to campaign for debt
relief at the World Social Forum, under way in the Kenyan capital,
Nairobi. She described the debts as having been "poorly
transacted and illegitimate. In many African countries we were being
governed by dictatorial, unaccountable governments," Maathai
said, urging the churches to continue spearheading the debt relief
movement."Indeed, the loans were used to oppress the people,
strengthen the ruling and co-operating elites, and exploit resources
at the expense of the health of the environment and the welfare of
the people," she said.Maathai said people in developing
countries continue to die because of the dearth of social services,
noting that an estimated eight million people in Africa
died every year because they could not access medicine for treatable
diseases, yet their governments continued to service debt.She
challenged the poor and civil society in Africa, Asia and Latin
America to raise their voice against the debt burden and not wait for
their governments to champion their cause because governments were
often made up of rich politicians who did not feel burdened by the
loans. CLIP
Davos 2007 - It's Showtime In Switzerland (Jan 22, 2007)
http://www.forbes.com/corporatecitizenship/2007/01/23/leadership-davos07-davos-lead-citizen-cx_hc_0123walkup.html
Davos, Switzerland - From Tony Blair to Bono, anyone who has an
opinion and can afford the hefty price tag is gathering in Davos,
Switzerland, for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum this
week, Jan. 24-28.As climate change damages the tourism industry in
the Swiss Alps, heavy hitters from around the world will be
discussing global warming, energy security and developing economies.
The 2,400 attendees include the wildly wealthy and the merely
powerful. Angelina Jolie showed up last year; she's not expected this
time around, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime
Minister Tony Blair will be among the most honored guests.What will
come out of this year's meeting? The theme is "The Shifting
Power Equation," though the guest list doesn't reflect any
shifting of power at all: One-third of the 2,400 attendees will be
CEOs or chairmen. The theme is intentionally broad; according to the
World Economic Forum's Web site, it could encompass "the
empowering of users through new Web applications or the shift of
economic power to Asia." The rise of India and the rise of
YouTube--both are clearly issues that shape the world today.Founded
by Swiss business professor Klaus Schwab in 1971, the World Economic
Forum and its annual Davos meeting have been targeted by
anti-globalization protesters, who say the tycoons who attend are
part of the world's problems, not its solutions. Recently, some of
those critics have launched the rival World Social Forum, which holds
its massive annual meeting around the same time of year, usually in
the developing world. CLIP
Green agenda for global leaders at the World Economic Forum (Jan 25, 2007)
http://www.lexpress.mu/display_article.php?news_id=79710
Climate change, the rise of Asia and the next web revolution will
dominate the agenda as the World Economic Forum gets on the way in
Davos. (...) Participants can expect a daily reminder of what global
warming could mean: usually the Davos valley is buried under a metre
or two of snow at this time of year, but until recently the mild
winter left the hills mostly green. There has been some snow, but it
compares poorly to the huge amount of snow that participants have
come to expect. Big politics, big business Many of the forum’s
key events will focus on big politics, like the war in Iraq and the
fight against terrorism. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is
currently holding both the chair of the G8 group of top
industrialised nations and the presidency of the European Union, is
expected to outline her international agenda. Most of the sessions,
however, cater to the needs of company bosses, who will tackle topics
like activist investment funds, the recent commodities boom and the
rise of new internet technologies. Among the business leaders at this
year’s World Economic Forum will be the bosses of more than 70
of the world’s 100 largest companies. CLIP
Global warming: the final verdict (January 21, 2007)
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1995348,00.html
A study by the world's leading experts says global warming will
happen faster and be more devastating than previously thought -
Global warming is destined to have a far more destructive and earlier
impact than previously estimated, the most authoritative report yet
produced on climate change will warn next week. A draft copy of the
Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, obtained by The Observer, shows the frequency of devastating
storms - like the ones that battered Britain last week - will
increase dramatically. Sea levels will rise over the century by
around half a metre; snow will disappear from all but the highest
mountains; deserts will spread; oceans become acidic, leading to the
destruction of coral reefs and atolls; and deadly heatwaves will
become more prevalent. The impact will be catastrophic, forcing
hundreds of millions of people to flee their devastated homelands,
particularly in tropical, low-lying areas, while creating waves of
immigrants whose movements will strain the economies of even the most
affluent countries. 'The really chilling thing about the IPCC report
is that it is the work of several thousand climate experts who have
widely differing views about how greenhouse gases will have their
effect. Some think they will have a major impact, others a lesser
role. Each paragraph of this report was therefore argued over and
scrutinised intensely. Only points that were considered indisputable
survived this process. This is a very conservative document - that's
what makes it so scary,' said one senior UK climate expert. (...) And
in a specific rebuff to sceptics who still argue natural variation in
the Sun's output is the real cause of climate change, the panel says
mankind's industrial emissions have had five times more effect on the
climate than any fluctuations in solar radiation. We are the masters
of our own destruction, in short. CLIP
World Faces Megafire Threat
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/011907EA.shtml
They burn like fire hurricanes on fronts stretching sometimes
thousands of kilometres and with a ferocity that explodes trees and
makes them impossible to extinguish short of rain or divine
intervention. Bushfires like those that had raged through Australia's
southeast for two months and struck Europe, Canada and the western US
in 2003 were a new type of "megafire" not seen until
recently, a top Australian fire expert said today. "They
basically burn until there is a substantial break in the weather, or
they hit a coastline," Kevin O'Loughlin, chief executive of
Australia's government-backed Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre,
said. "These fires can't be controlled by any suppression
resources that we have available anywhere in the world."
Wildfires have struck five of Australia's six states since November,
blackening more than 1.2 million hectares of bushland, killing two
people and gutting dozens of homes. An army of 15,000 volunteers is
being assisted by firefighters from Canada and New Zealand, with more
teams from the US expected to arrive next week. Mr O'Loughlin said
international experience pointed to megafires becoming usual in many
parts of the world, driven in part by global warming and by laws
protecting national parks, which provided a source of fuel to
megafire fronts. Huge fires devastated large parts of Portugal, Spain
and France in 2003, and also struck Canada and the US as well as
Australia, which is the world's most fire-prone country. "Even
in the US, which has quite substantial suppression resources -
helicopters, the army, fleets of planes - they still cannot control
them," Mr O'Loughlin said. Megafires are created when separate
fires link and create one "super-front". Some of
Australia's fires this summer have borders stretching thousands of
kilometres, although authorities have been fortunate in that most
have been in remote mountain ranges. The fires are so fierce they
create their own weather and winds, sucking in air from all
directions. "Once you get to a certain size the fire takes on a
life of its own and, for example in Canberra in 2003, you got fire
tornadoes," Mr O'Loughlin said, referring to blazes which
swallowed entire suburbs in Australia's capital four years ago.
CLIP
Meteorologists Disagree on Human Role in Warming
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/011907EB.shtml
A leading meteorologist on the Weather Channel in the United States
has caused a squall in the industry by arguing that any weather
forecaster who dares publicly to question the notion that global
warming is a man-made phenomenon should be stripped of professional
certification.
Experts: Alps Glaciers Will Melt by 2050
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012307EA.shtml
Glaciers will all but disappear from the Alps by 2050, scientists
warned Monday, basing their bleak outlook on mounting evidence of
slow but steady melting of the continental ice sheets.
World Is Running Out of Water, Says UN Adviser
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012307EC.shtml
The world is running out of water and needs a radical plan to tackle
shortages that threaten the ability of humanity to feed itself,
according to Jeffrey Sachs, director of the UN's Millennium
Project.
Waterbirds Pay Price of Global Warming
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012307ED.shtml
Nearly half the world's waterbird species are in decline, mostly due
to rapid economic development and the effects of climate change,
according to a global survey released today.
Japan Meeting Seeks to Save Tuna From Extinction
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012407EB.shtml
Illegal fishing has depleted global stocks of tuna, and governments
need to take bold action to save some critically endangered species,
the WWF conservation group said. Japan's insatiable appetite for tuna
has been a key factor behind the threat to stocks, and now increasing
demand from other countries is adding to the pressure.
The EPA Closes Its Libraries, Destroys Documents
http://ucsaction.org/campaign/1_17_07epalibraryclosures
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun closing its
nationwide network of scientific libraries, effectively preventing
EPA scientists and the public from accessing vast amounts of data and
information on issues from toxicology to pollution.
The Death of Abbe Pierre
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012407G.shtml
Abbe Pierre, a wildly popular French Catholic priest who was a member
of the Resistance and fought his whole life for social justice, died
at age 94 yesterday. Jean-Marcel Bouguereau reflects on the message
of his life.
Montréal downtown transportation management center -
INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS AND SOLUTIONS - An example that should be
emulated around the world!
http://www.voyagezfute.ca/infobulletin.asp?lng=1
Voyagez Futé Montréal is the downtown transportation
management center, a one-stop service for companies wishing to
improve their employees' transportation habits. Voyagez Futé
Montréal offers information and support to develop and sustain
alternate means of transportation such as carpooling programs,
Self-Serve Bike programs, and much much more!
Communauto - the care-free automobile
http://www.communauto.com/index_ENG.html
Communauto's vehicles are for the exclusive use of its members. By
becoming a member of Communauto, you gain access to a fleet of
vehicles which may be rented by the hour -even by the half-hour- by
the day or for longer periods, as needed. Just call to reserve a car.
Vehicles are conveniently located near members, right in their
neighborhoods, and are available without delay, day or night. Note
from Jean: This innovative cost-cutting service is available in 4
major cities in Quebec and should also be emulated worldwide...
Dr. Carlo reviews the Danish cohort study. (December 13, 2006)
http://www.safewireless.org/Portals/2/Documents/danishrev.pdf
After a number of prominent, peer-reviewed studies indicating that
cell phone radiation can cause genetic damage, brain and blood cell
dysfunction and a host of health problems including cancer, now comes
a Danish study that appears to say there is no danger at all.And,
that is exactly what cell phone users want to hear – if it is
true. The problem is that the new Danish cohort study does not
support the reassurances that have been ascribed to it. It is a ruse
based upon a program initiated by the telecommunications industry
more than a decade ago to control the global scientific research
agenda concerning cell phones and health effects. The industry
strategy has been to fund low-risk studies that will assure a
positive result – and then use it to convince the news media and
the public that it is proof that cell phones are safe. Even though
the actual science proved nothing of the sort.It is against this
backdrop that the Danish study provides an illustrative case history.
CLIP
Health risks of Wi-Fi and WLAN on our health - LOTS of resources on
this critical issue!
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1122031/
Omega-News Collection 20. January 2007
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/3210028/
1.
Note from Jean: I happen to think Lea raises some very valid
concerns below which are worth considering and keeping in mind.
Learning and practicing true discernment is something we all need to
do. We should always be attentive to how we really feel deep within
whenever we read so-called channeled material, to sense if it does
resonate with what our soul knows is genuinely real. To me, a
reliable sign that something is indeed true is when I feel sudden
body-wide tinglings and a positive sense of inner resonance with the
tone and substance of the material or information I'm reviewing. If
it remains flat on my "inner veracity scale", I've learned
to heed that soul assessment and consequently move my attention
elsewhere. Ego flattery in channelings is also for me a red flag,
unless it is positive encouragements and stimulation to keep forging
ahead. But contrary to Lea, who displays a hint of doubts at the end
of her letter as to whether things will indeed turn out to be
positive on Earth in the end, I prefer to believe in the power of
Light and Love in all of us to achieve seemingly unattainable
"miracles" and turn around what may sometime seems so
despairingly discouraging into wonderful accomplishments for the
highest good of all. If I did not sincerely believe in that, I would
not be doing what I do, and be who I am. And I suspect most of you
would not stick around on this list... P.S. As for the
"electronic harassment" mentioned in the quoted article
below, this is a whole different issue that is not directly related
to what Lea writes about, but it makes for an interesting read on a
rather weird topic.
From: Lea Rothrock lrothrock@yahoo.com">
Date: 24 Jan 2007
Subject: Is channeling really what we think it is?
Dear Jean,
You may have mixed feelings about posting this letter, but I hope you
do. I've avoided writing it for many months, because I told myself
that at the very least people were getting reasons to stay positive
and be hopeful. But it wouldn't let me go. Then, after I'd mostly
finished, I "coincidentally" received an article from a
friend that I thought was quite relevant. Quoted below:
MIND GAMES (January 14, 2007)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011001399_pf.html
New on the Internet: a community of people who believe the government
is beaming voices into their minds. They may be crazy, but the
Pentagon has pursued a weapon that can do just that. (...) Until
recently, people who believe the government is beaming voices into
their heads would have added social isolation to their catalogue of
woes. But now, many have discovered hundreds, possibly thousands, of
others just like them all over the world. Web sites dedicated to
electronic harassment and gang stalking have popped up in India,
China, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Russia and elsewhere.
Victims have begun to host support meetings in major cities,
including Washington. (CLIP)
Despite the typical mainstream media tactic of eventually
discrediting the subject, I felt this information added another
dimension to my concerns, which before included only the disembodied.
At any rate, I send this to you with a sincere and earnest heart, and
leave it in your hands.
Lea Rothrock
---
Dear Fellow Travelers,
I love the spirit I find here. It pours out of letter after letter,
and illuminates Jean's tireless efforts to keep us informed and
connected. (Thank you, Jean.) I think this network is ultimately
about hope, and is a bright stubborn flame in the face of the grim,
the horrific, and the unbelievable in our current crazy world.
I'm writing this letter because I'm concerned about a trend that many
of us have gotten caught up in - channeling. It seems so benign, and
really quite beautiful and helpful, why would I object to it? Because
I think it opens a dangerous door, and please let me tell you why.
The happy news we've been told is that we're preparing for a Golden
Age. That's not too hard to believe, especially since Christianity
has been telling us that for a couple of thousand years. Peace will
reign, the Earth will be healed, and humankind will live harmoniously
in the ways of the Spirit. Sounds great, we're ready. Yet, when I
look around me, I don't see that humankind is really ready at all.
Most of us are still struggling with the basics, like kindness,
honesty, perseverance and selflessness. We don't stand a chance of
sustaining a better world until we master ourselves.
Of course, there's the dimensional shift. Those of us who are
advanced enough will be able to stay with the planet, and all the
others will have to go start over somewhere else. That's sort of a
reverse Rapture, in which the Christians think the deserving will be
taken up to heaven with Jesus, and the rest of everybody will have to
stay down here to face torment at the hands of Satan. Except, I don't
believe in the Rapture. That and the dimensional shift idea both have
an exclusivistic, I'm-right-you're-wrong quality that I don't see
anywhere in nature but in humans.
Hm. Now let's take a look at the unhappy news. Remember NESARA?
National Economic Security and Reformation Act. Channeled information
said it was supposedly passed in secret, before Bush came into
office, and would be revealed when.... Many of us here in the US
supported it, we believed in it - but if you think hard about it, it
really isn't very believable. The chances that a Republican-majority
Congress would pass anything even remotely like it are virtually
zero. Truly.
We've also been told that our "negative mindsets" create
our negative situations, the message being that if we could just be
positive enough, we could live happy, healthy, perfect lives. But
what about the innocent children who suffer starvation or sickness,
or who are sexually and/or physically abused, even by their parents?
It certainly wasn't their "negative mindsets" that created
those situations, so there must be a different explanation.
I won't go into the countless promises of mass first contact, or
indictments of high criminals that haven't really materialized. I
will say that if St. Germain ever set up a trust, it's not likely
that the Illuminati bankers wouldn't have looted it. All that aside,
we're told that White Knights are in place to do their parts, and we,
the amazing courageous Lightworkers, need to be ready to guide our
brothers and sisters through the turmoil when the depth of the
darkness is finally brought to the light.
First, you can't trust a flatterer. All that business about how
incredible, and special and amazing - and Right - we are is flattery.
Second, you don't get something for nothing. A better world isn't
going to be handed to us just because we're fed up with the old one.
Third, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. These old
sayings may sound too earth-bound to apply to our cosmic
sensibilities, but let's not forget that we are actually still on the
Earth. The 3D rules apply. They are the Natural Laws, and it does not
do well to try to forget them.
We know that spiritual progress must be earned. When we can walk the
talk, and make the right choices in the worst situations, then we can
move to the next level. The Earth is our school. It provides us with
the worst situations, and has for countless thousands or millions of
years. Hopefully, overall we're making some progress, though when I
look around me I can't be sure.
Still, we have to respect the process. Why, then, would we want to
turn our school into a playground? What if our thoughts and fervent
prayers do have an effect on the nature of our school? Who would that
really benefit? I'm reminded of the island in Pinocchio where the
boys were promised all the fun they wanted, only to find themselves
donkey slaves in the end. As lofty as our ideas of a just and
equitable world are, is what we're pushing for really spiritually the
best thing, or just what we want?
Encouraging the pleasure principle is one reason I think channeling
is dangerous. Another is that, as uplifting and inspiring as it can
be, the truth is we don't know who's on the other end of the line.
Deception can be just as sophisticated as it needs to be, from
telling us what we want to hear, to hiding a small lie inside some
big truths, even to urging us to be discerning about channeling.
Proof of identity is dubious, too, because according to many who have
had near-death experiences, knowledge is freely available outside of
body.
Then the proof is in the pudding, as they say. False hope (NESARA,
etc.) isn't still hope. It's a gateway to misdirection. It's an
opportunity for entrapment. Channeling could easily be like inviting
the vampire into the house. That's why I'm concerned. I see all these
beautiful spirits who want so badly for the world to be a better
place that they become susceptible to exactly the kind of con that
channeling would permit.
What if the world doesn't become a haven of peace and sustainability
in the next five, ten, or even fifty or a hundred years? Or ever?
What if we go to school here over lifetimes, and when we're ready to
graduate, we stop coming back? Instead of wishing away the hardships
that teach us so much, we can prove our mettle by how we treat each
other in our suffering, and the steps we take to build a better
way.
I bring to your attention a different kind of hope. A hope grounded
in the premise that things really do happen for a reason. A hope that
believes we had the good sense to plan what is right for us before we
came down here, while we still had knowledge and perspective. I offer
hope in our outcomes, after painful growth, hard choices, and debts
paid.
And hope that when we get back up there, we can high-five and say
"Man! I'm glad I don't have to do that again!"
See you at graduation,
Lea
2.
THIS LOOKS LIKE IT IS GOING TO BE A REALLY MASSIVE PEACE MARCH AND IS
A HISTORIC EVENT IN THE MAKING!
From: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012007Y.shtml
Protesters Will Urge Congress to Stand Up to Bush
t r u t h o u t | Press Release , from: United For Peace and
Justice (UFPJ)
January 20, 2007
Peace march expected to be among largest since war began.
New York, New York - Americans angered by Bush's plans to escalate
the Iraq war will flood the streets of Washington on Saturday,
January 27, in a massive national peace march organized by United for
Peace and Justice (UFPJ). Marchers will call on Congress to listen to
the voters, not Bush, by using its power to end Bush's war and bring
the troops home. The last three national marches organized by UFPJ
each attracted between 300,000 and 500,000 people.
MoveOn.org has called upon its 3.2 million members to join UFPJ,
describing the march as potentially a "turning point for the
war" comparable to how "Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on
Washington in 1963 was a turning point in the fight for equality and
civil rights." The National Organization for Women (NOW) is
mobilizing its chapters to participate. Local anti-war groups in
cities and towns across the nation are mobilizing.
On Monday, United for Peace and Justice's web site received more than
700,000 hits. District Council 37 in NYC, AFSCME's largest district
council, and New York's United Federation of Teachers, the largest
teachers union local in the country, are sending busloads of their
members to Washington. Car caravans and peace trains are heading to
Washington, DC, from all over the East Coast, Midwest and Southeast.
Buses and vans are coming from more than 30 states and 111 cities,
including from as far away as Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Wisconsin, and
Minnesota.
Judith LeBlanc, UFPJ Co-Chairperson, said, "Bush's announcement
of plans to escalate the war has backfired. Every day people call or
send email to say they will be marching in Washington with United for
Peace and Justice on January 27th to call for an end to this war.
They are demanding that Congress stand up to Bush. There is no doubt:
This is the right action at the right time."
Among those slated to speak at the pre-march rally are Salt Lake City
mayor Rocky Anderson, who last year led an anti-war march of
thousands, the largest protest in Salt Lake City history; Reverend
Jesse Jackson Jr.; Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio);
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.); Bob Watada, father of Lt.
Watada, the first military officer to refuse deployment to Iraq and
currently facing court-martial; and active-duty service people.
On Monday, January 29th, UFPJ is sponsoring a Grassroots Lobby Day,
in which hundreds will press the case for withdrawal from Iraq
directly with their Congressional representatives and senators. The
weekend's activities will include a Saturday morning interfaith peace
service and organizing workshops on Sunday.
On Thursday, January 11, United for Peace and Justice member groups
and allies staged more than 1,000 local protests of Bush's escalation
of the Iraq war. UFPJ's March on Washington is the next step in the
anti-war movement's national surge of opposition to Bush's escalation
of the war.
Much more on this through http://www.unitedforpeace.org/
---
RELATED EMAIL:
Date: 23 Jan 2007
From: "Ricken Patel - CeasefireCampaign.org"
team@ceasefirecampaign.org">
Subject: Join Saturday's Global Peace March...Without Leaving Your House
This Saturday, hundreds of thousands of Americans will march on
WashingtonDC to demand peace and justice in Iraq and the Middle East.
We can be there too, raising a global voice of solidarity -- through
our own worldwide virtual march. Time is short, so add your voice and
join the march today!
http://www.avaaz.org/en/global_peace_march/act.php
Avaaz supporters in Washington have offered to carry real banners and
placards at the US demonstration - showing how many internet marchers
from all round the world are joining in. We will carry the flag of
each country that generates more than 500 internet marchers, so tell
your friends!
With American opposition to this war mounting, 45,000 of us from over
100 countries have already joined the call to oppose Bush's military
escalation and demand a real plan to end this war.
Can we get 75,000 - even 100,000 people from round the world to join
the march before Saturday? Click here to join the march:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/global_peace_march/act.php
This could signal the rebirth of the US peace movement. We need to
show them the world is on their side. Let's bring our call for peace
to the streets of power in Washington. Join the global peace march
and tell your friends today!
With hope,
Ricken, Paul, Tom, Rachel, Galit, Lee-Sean and the rest of the Ceasefire
Campaign (now Avaaz.org! ) Team
Check also http://www.avaaz.org/en/global_peace_march/now.php
---
Related article:
Five Reasons Why I'll March on January 27
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012307D.shtml
Saif Rahman writes: "Even if you, like most Americans, oppose
this war, why march? Why protest? Why hold up signs in the middle of
winter and walk around in a big circle? And how is that going to end
the war? For me, a protest is not only one of the various means that
activists can use to achieve a political end. It's also is something
deeply and sincerely personal."
ACLU Report Shows Widespread Pentagon Surveillance of Peace Activists
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/spyfiles/28024prs20070117.html
The American Civil Liberties Union today released a new report
revealing that the Pentagon monitored at least 186 anti-military
protests in the United States and collected more than 2,800 reports
involving Americans in an anti-terrorist threat database.
3.
From: http://kucinich.us/node/2256
Kucinich: State of the Union is war and neglect
2007-01-24
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman and Democratic Presidential candidate
Dennis Kucinich called President Bush's State of the Union address a
series of unfulfilled promises.
"President Bush is using a broad brush to colorfully portray the
State of this Union as bright and optimistic while thousands of our
service men and women are dying in the President's misadventure in
Iraq. The true state of this union is war and the neglect of an urban
agenda," Kucinich said.
"The truth is the President's domestic agenda is being swept
aside as the Administration focuses solely on escalating the war. We
must focus on America's most basic needs: decent housing, healthcare
for all, quality education, securing good paying jobs and providing
retirement security," said Kucinich. "Our whole domestic
agenda is being sacrificed to pay for this war."
Iraq
"The President knows his Iraq plan is failing. The American
people, Democrats and even Republicans know the President's plan to
send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq is the wrong direction. The
President refuses to admit that he has failed in Iraq.
"The President is giving us more war, while we need a new
direction-and that direction is out of Iraq. It's time to end the
occupation, to withdraw our troops, to close the bases and work with
the international community on an international peace plan. I have
introduced a 12-point plan
to the Congress to close military bases and bring our troops home.
"President Bush is continuing down the road toward a failed
policy in Iraq. It is imperative that Congress step up to its
constitutional responsibility to restrain this abuse of executive
authority by notifying the President that we will no longer agree to
fund the war in Iraq. Members simply cannot say they oppose the war
and vote to continue to fund it.
"The supplemental budget request of up to $100 billion, which is
due to be voted on this spring, would enable the President to
continue the war against Iraq through the end of his term. It would
also give him the resources to attack Iran, in the name of defending
Iraq and the region.
"Congress needs to challenge the position of the President and
take the necessary steps to bring our troops home. We need to begin
talks with Iran and Syria -- and not blame them for our misguided war
in Iraq.
Diplomacy is the only way to avoid a widening war. If we follow the
President's path of war, we will get more war.
Health Care
"The President is off the mark with his health care reform plan,
proposing a new tax deduction for purchasing health insurance. The
President should not be looking to the tax code to fix the lack of
affordable health care. Both employers and labor unions oppose the
President's health care plan.
"This proposal would impose a new tax on the middle class and
turn the employment-based health insurance system into chaos. It will
not help the uninsured buy health insurance: the people who don't buy
health insurance usually cannot afford to do so and they therefore
won't benefit from a deduction.
"This week, along with Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), I
plan to introduce a real plan for health care for all Americans. This
bill was envisioned by America's doctors and nurses on the front
lines of our nation's health care crisis-not by business interests or
politicians. My proposal will provide health care coverage for every
American. It would provide coverage for all medically necessary
procedures including dental care, mental health care, long-term care
and prescription drug coverage. There would be no co-pays, no
premiums and no deductibles.
Energy
"While the President's belated acknowledgement of the need for
action on global warming is welcome, his proposals fall far short of
what is needed. The best science tells us that we need to reduce
global warming pollution by 80% by 2050. The President's proposal
merely changes the way we calculate the efficiency of cars and to
make gas burn slightly cleaner. Addressing global warming will take
more than token subsidies and spin.
"Like most environmental problems, the effects of global warming
will be disproportionately felt by those least responsible for the
problem: the poor and future generations. We have an obligation to
take the lead, consistent with our disproportionate contribution.
With only 5% of the world's population we produce 20% of the
emissions.
"We can increase CAFE standards from 24 miles per gallon to 40
miles per gallon for starters. We can derive our ethanol from
renewable resources, not those that exacerbate world hunger by
driving up food prices and exact environmental damage of their own.
We can reduce our dependence on hydrocarbon fuels, unsafe nuclear
power, and our dependence on foreign energy sources.
"The best path forward is a combination of multiple renewable
energy technologies that when combined holistically can achieve these
goals.
Economy
"President Bush's claims that his tax cuts have fueled robust
economic growth and record revenues, is wrong. The U.S. has not had
strong growth since this President took office. Continuing with
Bush's economic policies would do little to stimulate growth and
would weaken the country's financial resources.
"In 2005, 37 million people were living in poverty, making the
official poverty rate 12.6%. The unemployment rate in December 2006
was 4.5%.
"The President's tax cuts are the leading contributor to federal
budget deficits. The Congressional Budget Office reports that tax
cuts enacted from 2001 to 2006 were responsible for 51% of the
deterioration in the budget. Obviously, economic growth was
insufficient to make up for reduced tax levels.
"The President turned a budget surplus into budget deficits. He
has never proposed a balanced budget since it went into deficit,
never vetoed a spending bill when Republicans controlled Congress and
offered little sustained objection to earmarks until the issue gained
political traction last year.
Education
"America's students represent the future of our nation, and it
is vitally important that all children have full and equal access to
a quality public education. As a member of the Committee on Education
and Labor, I am dedicated to ensuring that schools have the resources
and flexibility needed to teach every child.
"The President's call for the extension of his No Child Left
Behind education program, with modifications to make it more flexible
is more empty rhetoric with no fulfilled promises.
"Our schools must be fully funded and given chances to improve
where they might fall short, as identified by new testing mandates.
Local schools have continuously had to make up for a shortfall left
by the No Child Left Behind and also live up to new mandated
contained in NCLB."
4.
From: http://www.ichblog.eu/content/view/95/2/
Off the Rails: Big Oil, Big Brother Win Big in the State of the Union
24 January 2007
By Greg Palast
01/24/07 "ICHBlog" -- There was that tongue again. When the
President lies he’s got this weird nervous tick: He sticks the
tip of his tongue out between his lips. Like a little boy who knows
he’s fibbing. Like a snake licking a rat. In his State of the
Union tonight the President did his tongue thing 124 times — my
kids kept count. But it wasn’t all rat-licking lies.
Most pundits concentrated on Iraq and wacky health insurance stuff.
But that’s just bubbles and blather. The real agenda is in the
small stuff. The little razors in the policy apple, the nasty little
pieces of policy shrapnel that whiz by between the appearances of the
Presidential tongue.
First, there was the announcement the regime will, “give
employers the tools to verify the legal status of their
workers.” In case you missed that one, the President is talking
about creating a federal citizen profile database.
There’s a problem with that idea. It’s against the law. The
law in question is the United States Constitution. The Founding
Fathers thought the government had no right to keep track on a
citizen unless there is evidence they have committed, or planned to
commit, a crime.
But the Founding Fathers didn’t imagine there were millions and
billions of dollars to be made by private contractors ready to
perform this KGB operation for the Department of Homeland Security,
tracking each and every one of us to keep tabs on our
“status.”
These work databases will tie into “voter verification”
databases required by the Help America Vote Act. And these will tie
to the databases on citizenship and so on.
Will Big Brother abuse these snoop lists? The biggest purveyor of
such hit lists is Choice Point, Inc. – those characters who,
before the 2000 election, helped Jeb Bush purge innocent voters as
“felons” from Florida voter rolls. Will they abuse the new
super-lists? Does Dick Cheney shoot in the woods?
There were several other little IEDs (improvised execrable policy
devices) planted in the State of the Union. Did you catch the one
about doubling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve? If you’re
unfamiliar with the SPR, it is supposed to be the stash of oil we
keep in case the price of crude gets too high.
Well, the price of oil has been horribly high but Dick Cheney, the
official who sits on the Reserve’s spigots, has refused to
release the oil into the market.
Instead of unleashing the Reserve and busting Big Oil’s price
gouging Bush will double the Reserve, which will require buying
three-quarters of a billion barrels of oil. This is a nice $40
billion pay-out to Big Oil from the US Treasury. Compare this to the
President’s health insurance plan which will be “revenue
neutral” — that is, have a net investment of zero.
But the $40 billion in loot the oilmen will get from us taxpayers for
doubling the Reserve is nothing compared to the boost in the
worldwide price of crude caused by this massive, mad purchase. While
the Congressional audience didn’t even bother polite applause
for the reserve purchase plan, there’s no doubt they were
whooping it up in Saudi Arabia. Clearly, the state of the Saudi-Bush
union is still pretty good.
But why end on a cynical note? I must admit I was moved by the
President’s praise of Wesley Autrey, a New Yorker who, last
month, threw himself on top of a man who had fallen on subway tracks
— and held him between the track rails as the train passed over
them.
While the President properly acknowledged Autrey’s courage in
saving the man who fell on the subway tracks, Mr. Bush still did not
explain why Dick Cheney pushed the man in the first place.
---
Some of the comments to this article:
The SPR wass last tapped after Katrina and Rita knocked out Gulf of
Mexico oil and gas production, with about 300K bbls disrtibuted, but
as of yet not replaced. So adding another 1Bbbls would mean 1.3Bbbls
needs to be purchased to fill the new and old SPRs. Further, about
70% of the crude in the SPR is what's known as heavy, for which
there's little refining capacity in the US. This info and much more
can be found at http://www.mms.gov/
while additional discussion can be found at http://www.theoildrum.com
---
Palast's excellent article skips another big funding initiative for
the military:
Tonight I ask the Congress to authorize an increase in the size of
our active Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 in the next 5 years. A
second task we can take on together is to design and establish a
volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps. Such a corps would function much
like our military reserve. It would ease the burden on the Armed
Forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve
on missions abroad when America needs them.
This "volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps" idea sounds pretty
scary too, IMHO. An armed and trained domestic army of wingnuts,
eager for "a chance to serve in the defining struggle of our
time"? Sounds like the first step towards a Republican militia.
And that's ON TOP OF his plans to expand the military and throw more
money at Iraq.
Bush is a war president all right. And Bush's USA is a dangerously
war-loving nation, with an economy that is dangerously dependent on
the war machine, and a foreign policy dangerously dependent on
sticks, not carrots.
This man must be removed from office. The USA must plot a new course
and show the world a new face.
---
Related article:
The Tiniest President
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012407A.shtml
William Rivers Pitt writes: "There was, to be sure, keen public
interest directed at Bush's audience for the speech, mostly focused
on the woman sitting behind and above him. The mere presence of Nancy
Pelosi in that high place, along with the majority crowd of Democrats
arrayed across the floor below, at least partially explained the
lemon-pucker grimace worn by Vice President Cheney throughout the
evening."
5.
From: http://tinyurl.com/ypzuw6
Also from:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012007A.shtml">ttp://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012007A.shtml
Pentagon Sees US War Cost in Iraq Rising
By Richard Cowan - Reuters
19 January 2007
Washington - The steadily rising Iraq war price tag will reach about
$8.4 billion a month this year, Pentagon spokesmen said on Thursday,
as heavy replacement costs for lost, destroyed and aging equipment
mount.
The Pentagon has been estimating last year's costs for the
increasingly unpopular war at about $8 billion a month, having
increased from a monthly "burn rate" of around $4.4 billion
during the first year of fighting in fiscal 2003.
During testimony at a House Budget Committee hearing, Deputy Defense
Secretary Gordon England said that nearly four years into the war,
the Pentagon's war costs were rising because it was having to replace
big-ticket items such as helicopters, airplanes and armored vehicles
that are wearing out or were lost in combat.
"We have a backlog and are seeing an increase," England
told the panel.
When factoring in U.S. combat costs in Afghanistan, the Pentagon will
spend about $9.7 billion a month during the fiscal year that ends on
Sept. 30, according to Pentagon spokesmen.
Early next month, the administration is expected to ask Congress for
a further $100 billion in "emergency" war money, on top of
the $70 billion already approved for this year. The request comes as
President George W. Bush has sketched out an increase of 21,500 U.S.
troops in Iraq that could cost about $5.6 billion.
House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt, a South Carolina
Democrat, said he hoped Congress could avoid recurring emergency
funding bills for the war. "We would like to get a better grasp
of the cost of the Iraq war and the global war on terrorism - a way
of accounting of costs to date and projecting costs to come."
Since fiscal 2001, Congress has approved $503 billion to pay for the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other aspects of the U.S.
"global war on terrorism," according to Congressional
Budget Office testimony. Of that, $344 billion has gone for military,
diplomatic and other security costs in Iraq, the CBO said.
Most of the funds have been provided on an emergency basis, outside
regular budget procedures. Critics say that obscures the true cost of
the war and results in less congressional oversight.
"Residual Tail"
Democrats won control of Congress in elections last November due
largely to the Iraq war's unpopularity. England said the financial
burden of the conflict would persist for some time.
He said even after the war ends, and he did not estimate when that
would be, there would be two years of a "residual tail" of
costs for rebuilding the military.
Democrats and Republicans on the budget panel grilled England on
whether the Pentagon was slipping money for expensive, nonemergency
projects into the emergency war funds requests.
Specifically, they inquired about reports Bush would ask for money to
pay for two "Joint Strike Fighter" airplanes that are
several years from being ready for combat, along with money for
ballistic missiles and Navy aircraft repairs and procurement that is
unrelated to Iraq combat.
England would not comment specifically on the upcoming request for
emergency war money. But he said that when equipment was lost in
Iraq, it was not replaced with "something old," but with
new equipment.
Democrats have promised tougher oversight of defense spending, while
challenging Bush's plans to broaden the American war effort in
Iraq.
---
Related articles:
Pentagon Changes War Funding http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070119/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/iraq_budgeting
(...) With the cost of the wars spiraling, the committee chairman
said it is critical to account for them in long-term budget plans if
Bush and majority Democrats are going to try to make good on promises
to balance the budget. "The costs of our operations in Iraq and
the global war on terrorism increased from $96 billion in 2004 to
$122 billion in 2006. Reports indicate that 2007 war costs could
increase further to as high as $170 billion," said Rep. John
Spratt (news, bio, voting record) Jr. D-S.C. "We have to account
for the impact of these operations on the budgets bottom line.
"The day-to-day cost of Pentagon operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan has reached almost $10 billion a month, according to Tina
Jonas, the Pentagon's top budget officer. That is up from an average
of $8 billion per month for 2006, Jonas told the committee.
Iraq War Not Breaking the Bank (January 23, 2006) http://www.nationalreview.com/nrof_buzzcharts/buzzcharts200601230854.asp
In fact, it’s one of the least expensive conflicts in our
nation’s history. Critics of the war in Iraq often complain
about the “escalating cost of the war.” Listening to them,
you’d never know that the war is one of the least expensive in
American history. Robert Whaples, professor of economics at Wake
Forest University, has measured the cost of each major American war
up through the first Gulf War. We took these costs and compared them
to the cost of the Iraq war and found that the Iraq experience has
consumed a smaller percentage of GDP (just 2 percent of one
year’s wealth creation) than every other American war except the
first Gulf War (which measured just 1 percent of GDP). This stands in
stark contrast to the Vietnam experience, which opponents have often
attempted to liken to the Iraq war. Vietnam comprised a much heartier
12 percent of GDP at thetime. Other conflicts, such as World War II,
took a remarkable 130 percent of a year’s GDP to see through to
success.The work is not done in Iraq, and the financial costs will
grow beyond the $251 billion we have spent so far. The real cost, of
course, is in human lives, manifested in the debate about whether it
is worth losing a few thousand American lives in order to liberate 23
million people. But the data are clear; any attempt to discredit this
war based on its effect on the U.S. economy is an unnecessary
distraction.
Bush readies State of the Union speech (Jan 20)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070120/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_state_of_union
WASHINGTON - President Bush's State of the Union address on Tuesday
gives him a second chance to defend his new Iraq strategy to a nation
soured on the war and a Congress poised to vote against the plan. It
will be the president's last major opportunity to shape America's
legislative agenda before the fast-moving 2008 presidential campaign
begins to drown out his message.Bush is expected to strike a
conciliatory tone on some domestic issues where he believes he can
work with the first Democratic Congress in 12 years. On Iraq, he is
expected to stand firm.The nationally televised speech typically
offers great political theater. This year, however, it comes just 13
days after the president's prime-time announcement of his decision to
send 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq.Since then, Capitol Hill —
the forum for the State of the Union address — has grown more
hostile.Democratic support is building around a nonbinding resolution
opposing Bush's plan for more troops. Some Republicans already
critical of the White House's Iraq policy have embraced the idea and
others are looking for ways to sign on.Despite the political
tensions, House Democrats invited Bush to speak at their annual
retreat in Williamsburg, Va., on Feb. 3 and the president
accepted."The elephant in the room is Iraq," said Ken
Khachigian, a former speechwriter for Presidents Reagan and Nixon who
thinks Bush should use forceful, blunt — even combative —
rhetoric to rebut Democrats and others who criticize his war
strategy. (...) The White House said Bush also will lay out his
policy on global warming, but will not propose a mandate to cut
greenhouse gases.CLIP
Whither all the war protesters? (Jan 19)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0119/p01s03-ussc.html
As the Iraq war heads toward 'surge,' the antiwar movement, now
mostly online, nears a crucial moment. - On a beach in US House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district the other day, about
1,000 war protesters formed up to spell out the word
"IMPEACH." The aerial photo quickly spread to China and
Europe.Still, there were no political harangues, no civil
disobedience. The quiet turnout was mostly "old hippies, and
even older hippies," jokes event organizer Brad Newsham. In
Boston, a peaceful rally to protest the planned "surge" in
US troops drew no more than a few hundred people.Nearly four years
into US combat in Iraq, the antiwar movement has yet to generate the
kind of mass protest seen during the Vietnam War. There's no shutting
down universities or blocking traffic at military bases – no
tense face-offs with police.But with the new Congress, the Bush
administration's surge strategy (which critics deem an
"escalation" of the conflict), and increasingly negative
public opinion polls on the war, this may be a critical moment for
the antiwar movement.Now, it is organizing and most active in
cyberspace. And while that "public space" is not as visible
as the town square and university grounds nearly four decades ago, it
no doubt feeds the growing public opposition to the Iraq war.
(Seventy percent of Americans oppose sending more troops to Iraq,
according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll last week.)One key reason
that opposition to the war has been less overt, organizers recognize,
is the lack of a military draft. Also, the scale of the war is
different. There were four times as many troops involved and 10 times
as many American casualties over a comparable period in
Vietnam.Third, only a handful of Americans are directly affected by
the war or asked to sacrifice for it. For many, "it feels
removed," says Tressa Jones of Needham, Mass., who joined the
recent rally in Boston. "It's easy to forget because there
hasn't been a draft. It's not wartime in the way we are living....
People aren't collecting scrap metal or growing victory
gardens."Yet scholars of recent controversial wars say that
though the Iraq War is far different from Vietnam in many ways,
opposition, in fact, developed much sooner. (...) On Tuesday, two
active duty servicemen – Navy Petty Officer Jonathan Hutto and
Marine Corps Sergeant Liam Madden, who served in two tours in Iraq
– presented to Congress more than 1,000 signatures from active
duty and Reserve troops in support of "the prompt withdrawal of
all American military forces and bases from Iraq." The day
before, about a dozen of those troops held a press conference at a
Unitarian Church in Norfolk, Va., to voice their opposition to the
war.Those are relatively small numbers compared with the 140,000 US
troops currently in Iraq. But it's the kind of act that gets public
and political notice. And it echoes 1969, when 1,366 active duty
troops signed a full-page ad in The New York Times opposing the war
in Vietnam.Around the country next week, Veterans for Peace will
launch an antiwar effort based on a constitutional argument.
Organizers will target Democratic lawmakers – especially those
in leadership positions like House Speaker Pelosi."The
Constitution is being violated," says Vietnam veteran Lee Thorn
of San Francisco, referring to allegations that the US has tortured
prisoners as well as what he calls infringements of civil liberties.
"It's our duty as those who've taken an oath to defend the
Constitution to continue."Later in the week, a large
"mobilization" of antiwar groups is planned in
Washington.
Pelosi, White House clash on Iraq (January 20, 2007)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-pelosi20jan20,1,2659669.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
A Bush spokeswoman lashes back after the House speaker suggests the
president is moving fast to put more troops in harm's way so Congress
won't block funding. - WASHINGTON — With barely a nod to the
bipartisan civility they have saluted since the last election, House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a White House spokeswoman traded sharp
language Friday over President Bush's Iraq policy."He has to
answer for his war. He has dug a hole so deep he can't even see the
light on this. It's a tragedy. It's a stark blunder," said
Pelosi, a Democrat from San Francisco."The president knows that
because the troops are in harm's way, that we won't cut off the
resources. That's why he's moving so quickly to put them in harm's
way," she said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning
America."Bush has said he will put additional forces in Iraq, an
effort largely aimed at stopping the sectarian violence in Baghdad.
Some Democrats have said Congress should block Bush's plan by
eliminating funding for the troop increase. CLIP
Full Coverage: Iraq
http://news.yahoo.com/fc/world/iraq
6.
TOTALLY MIND-BOGGLING! MUST BE OPPOSED TOOTH AND NAIL!
Recommended by "Kathleen Roberts" weerkhr@pacbell.net">
From: http://www.infowars.net/articles/january2007/180107Bloggers_Prison.htm
Bloggers Who Criticize Government May Face Prison
Bill would allow rounding up and imprisoning of non-registered
political writers
Steve Watson
January 18, 2007
You'd be forgiven for thinking that it was some new restriction on
free speech in Communist China. But it isn't. The U.S. Government
wants to force bloggers and online grassroots activists to register
and regularly report their activities to Congress in the latest
astounding attack on the internet and the First Amendment.
Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of GrassrootsFreedom.com, a website
dedicated to fighting efforts to silence grassroots movements,
states:
"Section 220 of S. 1, the lobbying reform bill currently before
the Senate, would require grassroots causes, even bloggers, who
communicate to 500 or more members of the public on policy matters,
to register and report quarterly to Congress the same as the big K
Street lobbyists. Section 220 would amend existing lobbying reporting
law by creating the most expansive intrusion on First Amendment
rights ever. For the first time in history, critics of Congress will
need to register and report with Congress itself."
In other words Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats may redefine the
meaning of lobbying in order that political communications to and
even between citizens falls under the same legislation.
Under current law any 'lobbyist" who 'knowingly and willingly
fails to file or report." quarterly to the government faces
criminal charges including a possible jail term of up to one year.
The amendment is currently on hold.
This latest attack on bloggers comes hot on the heels of Republican
Senator John McCain's proposal to introduce legislation that would
fine blogs up to $300,000 for offensive statements, photos and videos
posted by visitors on comment boards.
McCain's proposal is presented under the banner of saving children
from sexual predators and encourages informants to shop website
owners to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who
then pass the information on to the relevant police authorities.
Despite a total lack of any evidence that children are being
victimized en mass by bloggers or people who leave comments on blog
sites, it seems likely that the proposal will become legislation in
some form. It is well known that McCain has a distaste for his
blogosphere critics, causing a definite conflict of interest where
any proposal to restrict blogs on his part is concerned.
In recent months, a chorus of propaganda intended to demonize the
Internet and further lead it down a path of strict control has spewed
forth from numerous establishment organs:
During an appearance with his wife Barbara on Fox News last November,
George Bush senior slammed Internet bloggers for creating an
"adversarial and ugly climate."
- The White House's own recently de-classified strategy for
"winning the war on terror" targets Internet conspiracy
theories as a recruiting ground for terrorists and threatens to
"diminish" their influence.
- The Pentagon recently announced its effort to infiltrate the
Internet and propagandize for the war on terror.
- In a speech last month, Homeland Security director Michael Chertoff
identified the web as a "terror training camp," through
which "disaffected people living in the United States" are
developing "radical ideologies and potentially violent
skills." Chertoff pledged to dispatch Homeland Security agents
to local police departments in order to aid in the apprehension of
domestic terrorists who use the Internet as a political tool.
- A landmark legal case on behalf of the Recording Industry
Association of America and other global trade organizations seeks to
criminalize all Internet file sharing of any kind as copyright
infringement, effectively shutting down the world wide web - and
their argument is supported by the U.S. government.
- A landmark legal ruling in Sydney goes further than ever before in
setting the trap door for the destruction of the Internet as we know
it and the end of alternative news websites and blogs by creating the
precedent that simply linking to other websites is breach of
copyright and piracy.
- The European Union, led by former Stalinist and potential future
British Prime Minister John Reid, has also vowed to shut down
"terrorists" who use the Internet to spread propaganda.
- The EU also recently proposed legislation that would prevent users
from uploading any form of video without a license.
- We have also previously exposed how moves are afoot to clamp down
on internet neutrality and even to designate a highly restricted new
form of the internet known as Internet 2.
Make no mistake, the internet, one of the greatest outposts of free
speech ever created is under constant attack by powerful people who
cannot operate within a society where information flows freely and
unhindered. All these moves mimic stories we hear every week out of
State Controlled Communist China, where the internet is strictly
regulated and virtually exists as its own entity away from the rest
of the web.
The phrases "Chinese government" and "Mao Zedong"
have even been censored on China's official Web sites because they
are "Sensitive phrases". Are we to allow our supposedly
Democratic governments to implement the same type of restrictive
policies here?
Under section 220 of the lobbying reform bill, Infowars.net could be
required to seek a license in order to bring this information to you.
IF we were granted a license we would then have to report our
activities to the government four times per year in order to bring
you this information. Does that sound more like free speech or more
like totalitarianism?
Take action:
As well as calling the Senate you should go to GrassrootsFreedom.com
which has a petition that you can sign against Section 220 of S. 1,
the lobbying reform bill.
Paul Joseph Watson contributed to this report.
Go at http://www.infowars.net/articles/january2007/180107Bloggers_Prison.htm
to access the numerous links embedded in this article.
7.
AN EXCELLENT RECAPITULATION OF MANY INFO ALREADY NETWORKED BUT WITH
SOME VERY DISTURBING CLAIMS FROM UNIDENTIFIED SOURCES. TO ME PARTS OF
THIS IS SPECULATIVE BUT THE SCENARIOS DESCRIBED ARE WITHIN THE RANGE
OF POSSIBILITIES. A LONG READ BUT MOST INFORMATIVE.
From: "Will" rwt@telus.net">
Subject: ISRAELI NUCLEAR STRIKE ON IRAN TURNED BACK by William Thomas
Date: 18 Jan 2007
From: http://www.willthomas.net/Convergence/Weekly/Israeli_Nuclear_Strike_On_Iran.htm
ISRAELI NUCLEAR STRIKE ON IRAN TURNED BACK
By William Thomas - http://www.willthomas.net
exclusive
A recent strike by nuclear-armed Israeli Air Force fighter-bombers
bound for targets in Iran was turned back after being intercepted by
U.S. fighters over Iraq, this reporter has learned.
Two sources have independently confirmed the encounter, which took
place on January 7, 2007. Though the first informant offered few
details beyond an initial tip, a second source long-known by this
reporter to have well-placed U.S. and "non-U.S." military
and government contacts provided specific information regarding the
raid, which was aimed at the radical religious ayatollahs holding
ultimate power in Iran.
Israeli nuclear strikes are not unprecedented. Soon after Desert
Storm, U.S. Navy pilots told this reporter in Kuwait how in late 1990
Israel made good on its pledge to respond in kind to WMD attacks by
launching nuclear-armed aircraft against Baghdad following a lethal
assault on Tel Aviv by Scud missiles tipped with chemical warheads.
That air strike was called off when the Americans refused to provide
the vital IFF codes needed to fly through U.S.-controlled
airspace.
When questioned concerning the "Identification Friend or
Foe" transponder codes needed to overfly Iraq today, this source
said that allied Israeli aircraft are routinely provided "squawk
codes" when flying missions aimed at acquiring the
characteristics of air defence radars triggered by their approach to
Syrian, Jordanian, Iranian and U.S.-controlled Iraqi airspace.
This source added that visiting IAF warplanes are routinely
"topped off" by American aerial refueling tankers, but only
on condition that the Israeli jets fly a "racetrack"
holding pattern-and do not continue "downtown" toward
Iran.
The designated turn back point is the "160 station"-a
clearly charted tapline road located 160 kilometers from Baghdad. Any
aircraft proceeding beyond this point must declare its intentions.
Otherwise, a USAF F-15 will take position off its wingtip. After
waggling its own wings to attract attention, if the interloper fails
to turn back, the American Eagle "drops behind and gets
tone" by locking a Sidewinder anti-aircraft missile onto the
offending plane.
According to this very reliable source, on two previous occasions
Israeli fighter-bombers armed with nuclear bombs have headed
"downtown" before being turned back over Iraq.
The January 7th mission, which trespassed beyond 160 station before
being recalled by Israeli authorities, comprised three IAF F-16s.
Each carried conventional munitions-as well as a single 20-kiloton
nuclear bomb.
The atomic detonation that razed the city of Hiroshima and killed
140,000 people outright was a 13-kiloton blast. [Agence France-Presse
Aug 6/05]
DEADLY DEFENCES
This report of an attempted nuclear strike contradicts military
analysts who have long maintained that Israel would deploy as many as
25 I-model F-15 fighter-bombers from the 69th Squadron based at
Hatzerim Air Base in the northern Negev, about 50 miles south of Tel
Aviv. Any Israeli Air Force attack, it is believed, must first
suppress Iranian air defenses, while ensuring that enough
conventionally-armed F-15s get through to set back that country's
widely dispersed nuclear program for many years.
The latest model F-15 can carry as much ordnance as a
neighborhood-flattening World War II B-17 heavy bomber. As the
independent think tank Strategic Forecasting points out, the IAF
"has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to conduct long-range
strikes"-including the 1976 raid on Entebbe, 2,600 miles from
Israel, and a 1985 attack on the PLO headquarters in Tunis, 1,500
miles away. [www.stratfor.com]
But Iran's air defenses are far more formidable than any the Israeli
Air Force has yet faced. Manufactured at the KBM factory near Moscow,
Russian-supplied SA-18 Igla-S mobile missile batteries are said to be
highly effective against low-flying jets. According to Russian
intelligence sources known as DEBKA, the Igla's mobility "makes
them difficult to target and limits the maneuverability of Israeli
planes."
DEBKA has also revealed that Russian advisers from the Raduga OKB
engineering group based in Dubna near Moscow have completed
installing two advanced radar systems around the Bushehr nuclear
reactor on the Persian Gulf. Codenamed "Tin Shield", the
mobile 36D6 systems are modified to protect Iran's Russian-supplied
nuclear facilities from American or Israeli aircraft, stand-off
missiles, and cruise missile attacks. On January 12, 2006, Tin
Shields also went operational around the uranium enrichment plants at
Isfahan in central Iran.
Other air defenses supplied by Moscow to Syria-and most likely
Iran-include advanced mobile SS-26 Iskander-E surface to surface
missiles carrying a 1,000-pound multiple warhead capable of dodging
air defense radars and electronic jamming, as well as surface-to-air
SA-10 "Grumble" missiles capable of engaging several
targets simultaneously at various altitudes, and SA-18
"Grouse" shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles fitted
with a 4.5-pound high-explosive warhead. The SA-18 has a maximum
range of 5.2 kilometers and a maximum altitude of 3.5 kilometers.
Another major worry for Israeli pilots is Iran's first satellite.
Carried into orbit by a Russian booster in October 2005, the Sinah-1
can provide a "look down" capability to spot low-flying
aircraft long before they intrude Iranian airspace.
"The Iranians' space programme is a matter of deep concern to
us," said an Israeli defence source at the time. "If and
when we launch an attack on several Iranian targets, the last thing
we need is Iranian early warning received by satellite."
Moscow has also supplied an estimated $1 billion worth of advanced
Tor-M1 anti-missile systems capable of destroying guided missiles and
laser-guided bombs dropped from high-flying aircraft. "Once the
Iranians get the Tor-M1, it will make our life much more
difficult," worried an Israeli air force source. "We can't
waste time on this one." [www.envirosagainstwar.org; Sunday
Times Dec 11/05; WorldNetDaily.com Dec 11/05]
OSIRIK, THE SEQUEL
According to DEBKA, Moscow intends to secure its investment at
Bushehr "against the fate of the Saddam Hussein's French-built
Tamuz nuclear center, which the Israeli air force bombed out
existence 24 years ago."
Fitted with modified drop tanks to extend their range, a trio of
smaller, more agile F-16s presents a much more difficult challenge to
Iran's defenders than a larger force of twin-engine F-15s. Renowned
for their ability to "tweak" American-supplied weapons, the
Israelis have, according to my inside source, managed to reduce the
F-16's radar profile "to the size of a kid's tricycle."
As he described it, "We fuel 'em up and they go off the
reservation, hit afterburners, hit the deck, and vanish..."
Demonstrating his insider knowledge, he further noted that the
Israelis have modified the original drop tanks supplied by the
Americans to simultaneously feed the F-16's single engine, thereby
avoiding the fuel management distractions required to keep the
fighter in balance using the one-tank-at-a-time U.S. system.
Also unlike their USAF counterparts, Isr