MAY LIGHT AND LOVE PREVAIL ON EARTH
November 3, 2007
Looking for Solutions Series #1: Change IS possible!
Hello everysoul!
I made a conscious decision this week to focus essentially on a sampling of positive solutions to some of our ongoing major world crises. I'm quite certain most of you will welcome this as a refreshing change to the usual fare of dastardly perplexing stuff I gather from the vast majority of emails I receive.
Now it's up to you to do something useful with what I found and even encourage me to continue with more instalments of this new "Looking for Solutions" series by providing me with other bits of such encouraging news and stimulating perspectives that may come to your attention.
Light, Love and Peace will prevail... :-D
Jean Hudon
Earth Rainbow Network Coordinator
http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com
IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you plan to join the global Meditation Focus #177: Achieving Critical Mass for Change this Sunday, please note that you'll have to begin an hour earlier because of the return to Standard Time. For instance, it will start at 11 am instead of noon in New York or Montreal, and 5 pm instead of 6 pm in most of continental Europe. If you want to verify your local starting time this next Sunday, simply click here.
P.S. Your feedback is as always welcomed and may be included in a coming compilation - unless you prefer it is not. Circulating this compilation (or any part of it) and personally inviting your correspondents to subscribe to this list would also help enlarge the circle of people who have access to this material. Please include the following note and the URL address for the archived copy below along with your forwards, so others may have the opportunity to explore the original copy, if they so choose.
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SPECIAL FEATURE
In a recent email discussion following a subscriber's suggestion that Peak oil is a hoax and that there are allegedly huge secret undisclosed oil reserves, I made the following observations that you may be interested to review as well:
"Whether there are undisclosed oil deposits is now irrelevant because we know all too well that a fairly good portion of the critical man-made global warming problem we face (something diehard skeptics have denied for years) is due to our elite-driven dependence on oil as a source of energy. The sooner lack of oil availability will impact our global economy and force our shortsighted civilization to implement on a massive scale alternative means of transportation, the better. Therefore if any such gigantic oil reserves exist, thank God that they've kept them secret! We cannot have more oil! We need truly carbon neutral sources of energy. And on that aspect, if the claims are for real that the US and cabal-led black projects have successfully managed to retro-engineer ET technology, I'd say the time is coming when these new technologies—provided they cannot create more harm than good in case they fall into the wrong hands—must be made public and massively implemented to kick our oil addiction and help save our environment. But even then, if all the brilliant new technologies that have been created (like water as fuel for cars) by lone inventors could be supported instead of blocked by all governments and big oil corporations, we could likewise go green much more quickly."
Incidentally, Matthew had this to say in his November 1, 2005 message about this issue: "This is a contrived story to create more wealth for the greedy and more fear in those already despairing. The “peak oil” term has been given to an effort that has achieved its dark intent well (...) Even with the Illuminati’s suppression of “free energy” technologies, car manufacturers are beginning to produce “hybrid” vehicles; and scientists and engineers in other areas are gearing up to reduce the need for oil. True, you can say that this is only good business sense, but it is important nevertheless because oil is Earth’s blood and its extraction must stop. CLIP
There was also another comment made by the same subscriber who doubt that nearly all extraterrestrial civilizations have benevolent aims toward us, and I was also led to offer the following perspective on this:
"If we could have the slightest idea how much love they are capable of, we would not let fear intrude between them and us. The fact that some technologically advanced groups in this galaxy and others may have contacted and helped the Earth Cabal doesn't change the fact to me that the vast majority of souls from other planets and realms of existence are utterly benevolent and following in their hearts and souls God's Will and serving it as One with All That Is. Suzy Ward, who, for the most part, is a reliable source for me, also indicated in her 4rth book that some so-called "reptilian" aliens have strayed from the Light. Yet the combined forces of the "Star Nations" are sufficient to keep at bay the worst ET offenders so that our own freewill evolutionary reality is not unduly manipulated or simply destroyed by them. And it falls to reason IMHO that for freewill to be an actual test of spiritual discernment and a true mettle-testing learning experience, some measure of unenlightened ET influence would be allowed, for otherwise the spectrum of choices for us to make would not be complete. In short, I'm sure that, at soul level, we have agreed to being exposed to all of this. Once we have made it out of the dampening 3rd environment we are still stuck in, it will become much clearer for all those who are now striving to reach for the Light within and spread it beyond themselves."
THE QUOTES
"I quote: "The speed at which mankind is using and abusing the Earth's resources is putting humanity's survival at risk, scientists have said." Overall, this is true. But you or I cutting down one dying tree is hardly the same as a mega corporation logging multi-acres for profit. You or I driving a 4-cylinder car a few kilometers a day is hardly the same as a mega corporation with a gigantic fleet of huge trucks bringing lettuce from distant parts when the farmer near us grows the same lettuce. For profit. I could go on at length but you get the picture. The problem is not mankind, but the constant drive for profit."
- FL from British Columbia, Canada
"The Global Environment Outlook: environment for development (GEO-4) report is published in what may prove to be a remarkable year-a year when humanity faced up to the scale and pace of environmental degradation with a new sense of realism and honesty matched by firm, decisive and above all, imaginative action. It highlights the unprecedented environmental changes we face today and which we have to address together. These changes include climate change, land degradation, collapse of fisheries, biodiversity loss, and emergence of diseases and pests, among others. As society, we have the responsibility to tackle these and the development challenges we face. The trigger propelling countries and communities towards a rediscovery of collective responsibility is the most overarching challenge of this generation: climate change. ...The difference between this GEO and the third report, which was released in 2002, is that claims and counter claims over climate change are in many ways over. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has put a full stop behind the science of whether human actions are impacting the atmosphere and clarified the likely impacts-impacts not in a far away future but within the lifetime of our generation.The challenge now is not whether climate change is happening or whether it should be addressed. The challenge now is to bring over 190 nations together in common cause. The prize is not just a reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases, it is a comprehensive re-engagement with core objectives and principles of sustainable development. For climate change, by its very nature cannot be compartmentalized into one ministerial portfolio, a single-line entry in corporate business plans or a sole area of NGO activism. Climate change, while firmly an environmental issue is also an environmental threat that impacts on every facet of government and public life - from finance and planning to agriculture, health, employment and transport.If both sides of the climate coin can be addressed-emission reductions and adaptation - then perhaps many of the other sustainability challenges can also be addressed comprehensively, cohesively and with a long-term lens rather than in the segmented, piecemeal and short-sighted ways of the past."
- Achim Steiner on the State of the Environment (10.27.07)
"Fear is at the core of the human condition on this planet. Those from other worlds recognize our situation and are working to help change it. However, until we take the initiative to rise above a civilization that is based on fear, we will not be welcomed into the cosmos. The vast majority of other star civilizations operate from a basis of love (Remember my definition of fear.). Our world has been quarantined so we would not export the darkness of fear to other worlds. It is time to throw off the shackles of fear. Yes, we have been enslaved by off-planet beings who operate in conjunction with elitists, all of whom have chosen to experience this lifetime withdrawn from the light. Yes, there have been agreements between extraterrestrial civilizations and the controllers of this planet. Yes, yes, yes, all that we have been told about those who operate in conjunction with the dark is most likely true (Again I have not experienced it first hand). However, keep in mind that they are doing you and me a great service by showing us that which we can choose to reject. Numerous celestials and star people have told us that Earth is already transitioning. We have been invited to come along. We need only set aside our fears and embrace love, learn to live at a higher level of consciousness. I believe that one of the factors to enable us to do this is that we must first recognize that our lives are dominated by fears, that we are surrounded by fearful people, controlled by those who use fear and who wish to keep us from ascending with Earth.
- Mark Kimmel - Taken from Beyond Fear below
"Dear Earth Angel... Thank you for all you are and for all you do for humanity and for our planet! I am ever so grateful for your positive words & thoughts. I choose ones that resonate with my heart, and they help me in my reawakening, my intents & my vibration. Together we will heal and return to peace & harmony."
- Levan Hindmarsh (hindmarsh@earthlink.net)
"Your newsletter is one of our remaining hopes to awaken the sleeping masses. I thank you and applaud you for that. (...) You manage to walk that fine line between the awakened and the unawakened, offending neither. Bravo!"
- Bev Sines -- Taken from her feedback below
CONTENTS
1. Feedback
2. “Orange ALERT” Prevent Bush Bombing Iran on Friday, November 16
3. World to US Congress: act now on climate
4. "If They Bomb Iran You Get Drafted"
5. Beyond Fear
6. Message from SaLuSa
7. Earthaven's ReMembership Covenant
8. 20 ways to Eco-pimp your home
9. ZENN AND THE ANGST OF MOTORING
10. INDUSTRY'S PLAN FOR US
11. THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE IN A NUTSHELL
12. A Space of Love - Anastasia: New Heroine of Russia
13. World Time Zones and Free Phone Calls
WORTHY OF YOUR ATTENTION
Peak Oil Energy Solutions
http://www.redicecreations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=861
This page offers an amazing wealth of information worth exploring. Recommended by Darren Walker (walkerdg@telusplanet.net) who wrote: "Numerous solutions are provided in the links, videos and articles within this Topic. Although, technically they are not "Free" they are cleaner than the burning of fossil
fuels."
Gas Price Gouging – Call It Like It Is
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110107M.shtml
Robert Weiner and John Larmett write for The Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "The oil industry uses the unrealized potential of small disruptions to implement huge price fluctuations. They are using the fear factor and war profiteering to repeat and increase what they had last year, the highest profits for any industry in American history."
The Waterfuel Channel (For the technologically inclined)
http://www.youtube.com/H2EARTH
The H2earth Institute is a new nonprofit research & education foundation being established in Washington, D.C. to promote the rapid and widespread adoption of waterfuel technologies. On June 26th, 2007, key U.S. patents covering a practical waterfuel device will expire, leaving this technology permanently in the public domain. Its been replicated; it works, and it can be incorporated into any [spark-ignited] internal combustion engine for motor vehicle or genset applications, immediately. CLIP
Ex-defence minister joins search for aliens (Oct 27, 2007)
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/270984
A new group is pushing for full disclosure about extra-terrestrials, and they've enlisted a former Canadian cabinet minister to help make their case.
Close encounters of the Turkish kind (Oct 31, 2007)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IJ31Ak02.html
FETHIYE, Turkey - The alleged sighting of an unidentified flying object (UFO) has excited the Turkish media with pictures appearing in both sensationalistic tabloids and more serious broadsheet papers last week. The UFO was spotted in the Karakopru area of Sanliurfa province towards 4am on Wednesday. Filmed by an amateur videographer, the strangely glowing hexagonal ball of light hovered in the sky emitting red, green and white lights and moved both fast and erratically. After 15 minutes it disappeared without a trace. CLIP
Millions Of Americans With Kucinich On UFO Belief (Nov 1, 2007)
http://wcbstv.com/politics/ufo.Dennis.Kucinich.2.480102.html
BOSTON (CBS) Do you believe in unidentified flying objects -- UFOs? A third of Americans do. One in seven claims to have seen one. And that group includes a presidential candidate. A lot of voters might find this the most believable claim they've heard in this race. But while politicians may laugh at UFO sightings, millions of Americans apparently aren't in on the joke. 34 percent of Americans say they believe in ghosts, according to a pre-Halloween poll by The Associated Press and Ipsos. That's the same proportion who believe in unidentified flying objects - or UFOs- exceeding the 19 percent who accept the existence of spells or witchcraft. Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich said he has seen a UFO, and he points out that, in more ways than one, he is not alone."You have to keep in mind that Jimmy Carter saw a UFO and also that more people in this country have seen UFOs than I think approve of George Bush's presidency," Kucinich said. CLIP See the treatment CNN gave to this at http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2007/11/01/moos.presidents.and.ufos.cnn
Give Dennis Kucinich your vote today... IF YOU SUPPORT DENNIS, THEN PLEASE HELP HIM AS EXPLAINED...
http://democracyforamerica.com/pulsepoll?c=6
Dennis Kucinich's picture will be added to box #1 automatically for you. Follow the Instructions and vote for 2 additional candidates by dragging and dropping the other candidates pictures into box #2 and #3. If you do not wish to vote for anyone other than Dennis Kucinich simply drag and drop the picture labeled "Other ?" into box #2 and #3 and type in "Dennis Kucinich" in both boxes. Once you have filled in all three of your choices a Registration box will appear below the 3 boxes. You will need to enter your Email Address, Zip Code, First and Last Name and then click on the submit button in order for your vote to be counted. That's it! We really need your help in telling others to vote for Dennis in this very important Poll. So please share the above link with as many people as you can. Please vote today and promote this poll strongly. The poll closes on Monday November 5th at Midnight. Dennis is currently in 2nd place and gaining on the leader with less than 3 days to go. The DFA community needs to know that there IS a candidate who organized 125 Democratic Congressmen to vote against the 2002 resolution to authorize force in Iraq, that there IS a Democratic presidential candidate who voted against the Patriot Act, that there IS a Democratic presidential candidate who supports withdrawing from NAFTA and the WTO, that there IS a Democratic Presidential candidate who has called for impeachment of the Vice President AND the President. And more importantly, there IS a Democratic candidate who stands for a NOT FOR PROFIT health care system, Medicare for All.
Kucinich talks to DFA members on Global Warming
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNwPGybkdus&e
Mayor Bloomberg: We Love New York, But Hate Your Government's Rainforest Destruction! (Nov 2, 2007)
http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=nyc_rainforest
New York City's (NYC) Department of Parks and Recreation is one of America's largest destroyers of rainforests, reports New York based Rainforest Relief. Parks and other NYC and state agencies including the Department of Transportation (DOT) and NYC Transit use hundreds of thousands of board feet of tropical hardwoods per year. New York City's use of ancient forest timbers comes at great expense to the Earth's biodiversity, ecosystems, climate and prospects for achieving global ecological sustainability... Please support Rainforest Relief's and NY Climate Action Group's campaign demanding that Mayor Bloomberg end NYC's use of tropical hardwoods. In order to protect ancient forests, the people who live there, and global climate; NYC purchases of timbers derived from ancient forests must be stopped and an important precedent set that all industrial scaled ancient forest logging must end forever. TAKE ACTION NOW through http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=nyc_rainforest
Earthdance 2007 - This took place in September but their short introductory video is worth watching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvprHoOvGOs
THE GLOBAL FESTIVAL FOR PEACE 2006 united over 340 locations in 57 countries through music and dance in celebration of peace. More at http://www.earthdance.org/
Peru Elders Gathering at Lake Titicaca (March 19-28, 2007)
http://www.netmar.com/~maat/earthdance-gathering.html
Bridging the Americas - Peruvian Prophecy states that all the Americas were once united by a common spiritual tradition and leader, and that they will be again. The Americas were anciently united as Amaruca or Ameruca, meaning "Land of the Serpent" during the time when the serpent was the universal symbol of mystical wisdom and spiritual power.One legend states that North and South America were named after a culture bearer known historically as Aramu Muru or Amaru Meru, the "Serpent Meru." Aramu Muru came from the ancient continent of Mu with many power objects including the powerful Solar Disc that had previously hung in an important temple in his homeland. He also brought many sacred rites and symbols, like the Chacana (the "stair-step" cross) and after being taken by missionaries to all the four directions, served to unite the Americas into a homogenous spiritual culture. Legend states that Aramu Muru assisted many Native American tribes after they arrived in Peru during the time of the destructions of Mu and Old Red Land (Atlantis). He then united these tribes into a very advanced culture that proceeded to build many of the towering megalithic temples that still adorn the landscape of Peru today. Although most of us have forgotten our past connections, the spirit of Aramu Muru has never left us, and he continues to watch over all the Americas from his Illumination Temple located above Lake Titicaca. Moreover, the great Solar Disc of Mu is also said to still continue to exist and is currently located on the bottom of the sacred lake. Since 1992, when Pachacuti or "World Transformation" anciently prophesied by the Incas first commenced, Aramu Muru and the Illumination Temple have made their presence known again and the Solar Disc has begun emanating powerful streams of spiritual light that will eventually unite the Americas and uplift the entire world.Soon the prophecy will be complete; the Eagles (North America) will reunite with the Condors (South America) and the tribes will once again become one. For more information on the gathering, please go to http://www.earthworksforhumanity.org
Time of the Sixth Sun - A journey of Awakening (Trailer) MUST SEE!
http://www.timeofthesixthsun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=39
SYNOPSIS: Time of the Sixth Sun is a multi-platform film project about the awakening and transformation of global consciousness, a witnessing of these times and the huge potential for change in the world …… in the way we relate to it and the way we live in it.In Time of the Sixth Sun, our protagonist, street poet Paradox, guides us on a quest to discover the meaning of 2012. Civilizations throughout the ages have indicated through ancient calendars and visions that 2012 will be a pinnacle time in the evolution of mankind. In the West, many are noticing an increase in life’s synchronicities and are experiencing time as speeding up. Scientists accept that global warming is a reality. Increasingly the world is seeking answers and the clock is ticking. We have been scouring the planet to speak to Tribal Elders, Wisdom Keepers, New Scientists, Spiritual Teachers and those offering Divine Guidance on what they have to say about these awesome times. Speakers include: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Credo Mutwa, Don Alverto Taxo, Maestro Tlakaelel, Lynne Franks, Dr. Maseru Emoto, HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Geoff Stray, Dr. Manjir Samanta-Laughton,Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Carl Johan Calleman, Tom Kenyon, Carla Rueckert and many more. There’s never been more information at our disposal. From ancient tribal wisdom, Religious texts, myth, prophecy, new sciences, spiritual teachings and divine guidance.In the end, we all have to make the journey within and decide what is truth for each of us individually.What tools do we need to progress in our spiritual evolution? And if we are the creators of our reality, what is our highest vision for the future? Rather than our downfall, is 2012 not our greatest epiphany? ‘Life is Film - Man is Actor - God is Director’ (written on the back of a truck in India!) Ask most people in the street about 2012 and they’ll mutter something about the Olympics in Britain. Yes....and....what else does it mean to you?....this usually is met by a blank look because the majority of people don’t have a clue what awaits us in coming years. This pivotal time in the history of mankind is merely six years away and still NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT IT !! Why not? …..and so begins our ‘journey of awakening’. We listen to the myths & prophesies of the Wisdom Keepers from many traditions and the possibilities they present to transform our lives in the countdown to 2012. What is the truth behind earth changes? What are our sustainable choices for food, housing, energy and community living in the future? How do we link heaven and earth, with the creative and spiritual in our everyday lives? How can we be divine beings in human form? How do we learn to open up our dormant telepathic abilities? Who are the ‘new kids on the block’? Are they the face of a new, highly evolved race, the grandmothers & grandfathers of the future? Does the return of the Divine Feminine herald a return to partnership society bringing balance and harmony back into our relationship with the Earth? Are we moving from Gaia to Cosmic citizenship? These are some of the questions posed along the way.Sometimes magician, sometimes jester, Paradox challenges our belief systems on our quest for truth. He reveals the power of positive thought creation, constantly reflecting the ‘bigger picture’ and daring us to glimpse into the future to see how we can affect it by the choices we make. ‘Time of the Sixth Sun’ is a unique docudrama, entertaining, informative, accessible, visually rich and emotionally satisfying. Shot in fabulous locations with a stunning soundtrack, it promises to be one of the cinema highlights for 2007/2008. The DVD set has many bonus features including a Satsang Sofa, Prophecy Oracle, Channelling Room, 2012 Toolkit plus a Website Commitment for the next six years which is dedicated to recording the 2012 celebrations of indigenous communities, guaranteeing an evergreen life for the project . Much more and LOTS of rarely seen pictures through http://www.timeofthesixthsun.com
No End in Sight (Trailer) The Film That "Has The White House Spooked"
http://movies.aol.com/movie/no-end-in-sight/28945/video/trailer-no-1/1934782
The first film of its kind to chronicle the reasons behind Iraq's descent into guerilla war, warlord rule, criminality and anarchy, 'No End in Sight' is a jaw-dropping, insider's tale of wholesale incompetence, recklessness and venality. Based on over 200 hours of footage, the film provides a candid retelling of the events following the fall of Baghdad in 2003 by high ranking officials such as former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Ambassador Barbara Bodine (in charge of Baghdad during the Spring of 2003), Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, and General Jay Garner (in charge of the occupation of Iraq through May 2003), as well as Iraqi civilians, American soldiers and prominent analysts. 'No End in Sight' examines the manner in which the principal errors of U.S. policy – the use of insufficient troop levels, allowing the looting of Baghdad, the purging of professionals from the Iraqi government and the disbanding of the Iraqi military – largely created the insurgency and chaos that engulf Iraq today. How did a group of men with little or no military experience, knowledge of the Arab world or personal experience in Iraq come to make such flagrantly debilitating decisions? 'No End in Sight' dissects the people, issues and facts behind the Bush administration's decisions and their consequences on the ground to provide a powerful look into how arrogance and ignorance turned a military victory into a seemingly endless and deepening nightmare of a war.The film systematically dissects the Bush administration's Iraq policy decisions and their consequences, which now include 3,000 American deaths and 20,000 American wounded, Iraq on the brink of civil war, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilian deaths, the strengthening of Iran, the weakening of the U.S. military and economic costs of over $2 trillion. It marks the first time Americans will be allowed inside the White House, Pentagon and Baghdad’s Green Zone to understand for themselves the disintegration of Iraq.
MARTIN SHEEN questions 9/11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocUxplGLnT4
Proposed Rulemaking on the Secure Flight Program
On August 23, 2007, Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) published a proposed rule entitled Secure Flight Program. Currently, aircraft operators perform passenger watch list matching using the Federal No Fly and Selectee Lists, as required under security directives issued by TSA following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Under the Secure Flight program, aircraft operators will be required to request certain information from passengers and transmit the information to TSA. TSA would receive passenger and certain non-traveler information, conduct watch list matching against the No Fly and Selectee portions of the federal government’s consolidated terrorist watch list, and transmit boarding pass printing instructions back to aircraft operators. The comment period has been extended to November 21, 2007. Proposed rule from the Federal Register
Advocacy contact: Jennifer Smith at 202-205-6533
Submit Comments to the TSA Electronically (Docket No. TSA-2007-28572)
Regulations.gov, the Federal government’s one stop site to comment on Federal regulations.
There needs to me a lot more public comments. So far in two months there have only been about 100. Forward this far and wide, and go make a public comment online. To do this go to:
1. Go here: http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main
2. Select - Search by Docket and the top and use TSA-2007-28572 as the docket #.
3. On the far right you can click and icon to leave a comment, and more...
That's it, except, spread the word. This is not a drill..... Related links:
1. http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/secureflight/nprm_hearing.shtm- notice only 90 people attended, and only a few comments were entered.
2. http://educate-yourself.org/cn/fedapprovaltravelwithinusa20sep07.shtml
(...) Come with me into a nightmare world where American citizens will have to obtain permission from the government before they can travel by air in the U.S. CLIP
3. http://www.contingencyplanning.com/articles/49813/- DHS Announces Pre-Departure Screening of International Passengers and First Step Toward Secure Flight
4. http://www.management.travel/news.php?cid=TSA-Secure-Flight.Oct-07.11">http://www.management.travel/news.php?cid=TSA-Secure-Flight.Oct-07.11 - TSA Gets Earful on Air Security Proposal - Only 100 comments filed!!! Why is it not 1000 or 5000?
5. http://tinyurl.com/yr6bee
Recommended by Forrist Lytehaause (Forrist@HWRIweb.com)
Campaign 2008
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/181.html
Poll: Bullshit Is Most Important Issue For 2008 Voters - From "The Onion" - It's funny, then you realize it's completely accurate. The American voter and what’s important in a presidential candidate...
Urge Canada to vote "YES" for nuclear disarmament at the UN (October 30, 2007)
http://ceasefireinsider.wordpress.com/2007/10/30/urge-canada-to-vote-yes-for-nuclear-disarmament-at-the-un/
There is an important meeting taking place right now at the United Nations to discuss nuclear disarmament, with voting on key resolutions scheduled to happen this week. I am worried that Stephen Harper may be planning to reverse Canada’s long-standing support for nuclear disarmament. The world is watching how Canada will vote. Our sources tell us that the government remains undecided on whether they will vote “YES” in favour of these critical resolutions. I urge you to send your letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier, calling on him to vote “YES”, and continue Canada’s tradition as a champion of nuclear disarmament.
DONNA'S HUNGER STRIKE BLOG
http://www.ccamu.ca/donnas-blog.htm
Donna Dillman began her hunger strike outside of the gates of the uranium protest site near Sharbot Lake, on October 8th at 12pm. She is calling for a moratorium on uranium mining in Eastern Ontario and is asking people to show their support by contacting local politicians, media outlets, Internet blogs and any organization you feel may be of help. CLIP Support her call for a moratorium on uranium mining in Ontario through writing a letter as explained at http://www.ccamu.ca/letter-writing.htm
Miracle in the Void: The New Energy Revolution
http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/MiracleinVoid.htm
A whole compilation about the new energy sources that I networked in March 2000
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About New Energy Science and Technology
http://www.infinite-energy.com/resources/faq.html
ALSO RECOMMENDED
How Long Can Congress Deny The Depression Crash? (November 2, 2007)
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2007/3443crash_congress.html
Over the two weeks, between U.S. Treasury Secretary Paulson's strange Oct. 15 announcement about a mysterious "Master Liquidity" scheme to save huge banks from huge losses, and Moody's Investors Service's Oct. 26 move to a massive international downgrade of bonds collateralized by mortgage securities, every economic sign has flashed the raw red of depression collapse underway.The U.S. dollar, after Paulson's giveaway announcement that the fear of bank collapses is abroad in his high financial circles, rapidly sank by another 5% against the euro (for example) within ten days. The Treasury's Oct. 16 report of net investments into/out of U.S. securities in August (Treasury International Capital Statistics, or TICS) was a shock that opened a view of the financial crash underway. One Royal Bank of Scotland economist quoted by the Financial Times called the report "a truly stunning TICS number, the likes of which I have never seen." The Treasury reported that there was a huge net outflow of $163 billion from U.S. securities in August, as everything but short-term U.S. T-bills (the flight to safety) was massively dumped. The U.S. mortgage-based bubble was where the junk, subprime, high-interest action was for banks and funds worldwide, blowing that bubble to $20 trillion proportions until it collapsed—and everybody had to dump the toxic crap. (...) The financial system is collapsing. Congress must act to put a "firewall"—a Homeowner and Bank Protection Act—between the financial collapse, and real households and the real economy. That opens the door to other emergency actions to invest in a new national economic infrastructure, to revive the industrial economy. Congressional leaders who are denying this systemic collapse, and basing their response to the foreclosure crisis on that denial, will have to eat their words—and soon.
Thousands Protest Iraq War in Nationwide Marches
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/102807C.shtml
Jim Doyle and Susan Sward of The San Francisco Chronicle report: "On cue from a bullhorn's blast, thousands of protesters fell to the pavement on Market Street in a symbolic 'die-in' Saturday as part of a coordinated protest staged in cities across the country against the war in Iraq."
Where Have All the Protests Gone? (October 30, 2007)
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/66433/
As the occupation of Iraq continues, the number and magnitude of demonstrations appear to be shrinking. What is happening to the protest culture of wars past? (...) However, over the years, unlike in the Vietnam era, the demonstrations shrank, and somehow the anxiety, the anger -- though it remained suspended somewhere in the American ether -- stopped manifesting itself so publicly, even as the war went on and on. Or put another way, perhaps the anger went deeper and turned inward, like a scouring agent. Perhaps it went all the way into what was left of an American belief system, into despair about the unresponsiveness of the government -- with paralyzing effect. As another potentially more disastrous war with Iran edges into sight, the response has been limited largely to what might be called the professional demonstrators. The surge of hope, of visual creativity, of spontaneous interaction, of the urge to turn out, that arose in those prewar demonstrations now seemed so long gone, replaced by a far more powerful sense that nothing anyone could do mattered in the least. (...) The rest of the march was, in essence, a police event, the demonstrators penned in by moveable metal barricades, "guarded" often by more police personnel than on-lookers. From the moment we began to march in the rain, the police presence was overwhelming, starting with a well-marked NYPD "Sky Watch" tower, a mobile tower that can be raised anywhere in which police observers can spy on you from behind a Darth Vader-style darkened window. In fact, we marchers were penned in by the police as we headed south for Foley Square, cut off, for instance, from the large cross street at 14th by a row of dismounted police using their motorcycles as a barricade. Police vehicles and police on foot moved slowly in front of the demonstration as well as behind it. Police even marched in the demonstration (though not as demonstrators). Essentially, it was, as all rallies and demonstrations now seem to be in our growing Homeland Security state-let, a police march.Led by a sizeable contingent of soldiers, vets, and military families, there were perhaps 10,000 marchers -- a rare occasion when my own rough estimate fit the normal police undercount -- on a dreary, rainy day, which is no small thing. (...) Add up all the people who did this in 11 cities nationwide, and the numbers aren't unimpressive. But with unending war, as well as perpetual death and destruction on the Bush administration menu, with the horizon darkened by the possibility of a strike against Iran, and a population which has turned its back on most of the above, it was, nonetheless, clearly underwhelming. CLIP
War protests: Why no coverage? (October 30, 2007)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1030/p09s02-coop.html
Newspapers have a duty to inform citizens about such democratic events. - Coordinated antiwar protests in at least 11 American cities this weekend raised anew an interesting question about the nature of news coverage: Are the media ignoring rallies against the Iraq war because of their low turnout or is the turnout dampened by the lack of news coverage? I find it unsettling that I even have to consider the question. That most Americans oppose the war in Iraq is well established. The latest CBS News poll, in mid-October, found 26 percent of those polled approved of the way the president is handling the war and 67 percent disapproved. It found that 45 percent said they'd only be willing to keep large numbers of US troops in Iraq "for less than a year." And an ABC News-Washington Post poll in late September found that 55 percent felt Democrats in Congress had not gone far enough in opposing the war. Granted, neither poll asked specifically about what this weekend's marchers wanted: An end to congressional funding for the war. Still, poll after poll has found substantial discontent with a war that ranks as the preeminent issue in the presidential campaign.Given that context, it seems remarkable to me that in some of the 11 cities in which protests were held – Boston and New York, for example – major news outlets treated this "National Day of Action" as though it did not exist. As far as I can tell, neither The New York Times nor The Boston Globe had so much as a news brief about the march in the days leading up to it. The day after, The Times, at least in its national edition, totally ignored the thousands who marched in New York and the tens of thousands who marched nationwide. The Globe relegated the news of 10,000 spirited citizens (including me) marching through Boston's rain-dampened streets to a short piece deep inside its metro section. A single sentence noted the event's national context. CLIP
Italians March for Peace
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39561
ASSISI, Italy, Oct 8 (IPS) - About 200,000 people marched from Perugia to Assisi Sunday calling for "all human rights for all" and the end of wars. The 24km "peace march" between the two towns in central Italy concluded a "peace week" featuring some 400 initiatives on peace and human rights. These included the 7th assembly of the United Nations of the People in Perugia Oct. 5-6. "Peace and justice walk together" and "Water for all" were among some of the banners at the march. Many carried the famous "peace flags" that marked Italian protest against the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Participants also joined the "Stand Up!" action in line with the United Nations' "No Excuse" campaign to promote the Millennium Development Goals, a set of eight goals agreed in 2000 to cut poverty and to improve health and education. People in the rally sat and then stood up to urge the Italian government to allocate the 0.7 percent of gross national income (GNI) to foreign aid. The march, the 17th such, was started by peace activist Aldo Capitini in 1961. It is organised by Peace Roundtable, a coalition of Italian NGOs, unions, church groups and local administrations working for peace and solidarity. The march is the big event for the Italian peace movement, and is a sort of barometer of civil society activities. To mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to be celebrated in December, the theme of the march shifted this time from peace to human rights. CLIP
Inexorable March Toward War With Iran?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110107C.shtml
Joseph L. Galloway, writing for McClatchy Newspapers, says, "There were some things far more frightening this week than Halloween's small ghouls and goblins - and the scariest of all is the Bush administration's seemingly inexorable march toward military confrontation with Iran."
Attack Iran and you attack Russia (Oct 26, 2007)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IJ26Ak06.html
The barely reported highlight of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Tehran for the Caspian Sea summit last week was a key face-to-face meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A high-level diplomatic source in Tehran tells Asia Times Online that essentially Putin and the Supreme Leader have agreed on a plan to nullify the George W Bush administration's relentless drive towards launching a preemptive attack, perhaps a tactical nuclear strike, against Iran. An American attack on Iran will be viewed by Moscow as an attack on Russia. (...) As if anyone needed to be reminded, the buck - or rial - stops with the Supreme Leader, whose last wish on earth is to furnish a pretext for the Bush administration to launch World War III. If Ahmadinejad now deviates from a carefully crafted strategic script, the Supreme Leader may simply get rid of him.
Attacking Iran for Israel?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18645.htm
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is at her mushroom-cloud hyperbolic best, and this time Iran is the target. (...) The Israelis appear convinced they have extracted a promise from Bush and Cheney that they will help Israel nip Iran’s nuclear program in the bud before they leave office. Never mind that there is no evidence that the Iranian nuclear program is any more weapons-related than the one Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld persuaded President Gerald Ford to approve in 1976 for Westinghouse and General Electric to install for the Shah (price tag $6.4 billion). With 200-300 nuclear weapons in its arsenal, the Israelis enjoy a nuclear monopoly in the Middle East. They mean to keep that monopoly and are pressing for the U.S. to obliterate Iran’s fledgling nuclear program.Anyone aware of Iran’s ability to retaliate realizes this would bring disaster to the whole region and beyond. But this has not stopped Cheney and Bush before. CLIP
Low Morale Has U.S. Troops in Iraq Pretending to Patrol (October 26, 2007)
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/66160/
Morale among US soldiers in the country is so poor, many are simply parking their Humvees and pretending to be on patrol, called "search and avoid" missions. (...) Aliff said he participated in roughly 300 patrols. "We were hit by so many roadside bombs we became incredibly demoralized, so we decided the only way we wouldn't be blown up was to avoid driving around all the time.""So we would go find an open field and park, and call our base every hour to tell them we were searching for weapons caches in the fields and doing weapons patrols and everything was going fine," he said, adding, "All our enlisted people became very disenchanted with our chain of command." Aliff, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), refused to return to Iraq with his unit, which arrived in Kirkuk two weeks ago. "They've already lost a guy, and they are now fostering the sectarian violence by arming the Sunnis while supporting the Shi'ites politically ... classic divide and conquer."Aliff said he is set to be discharged by the military next month because they claim his PTSD "is untreatable by their doctors". According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the number of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans seeking treatment for PTSD increased nearly 70% in the 12 months ending on June 30.The nearly 50,000 VA-documented PTSD cases greatly exceed the 30,000 military personnel that the Pentagon officially classifies as wounded in both occupations.VA records show that mental health has become the second-largest area of illness for which veterans of the ongoing occupations are seeking treatment at VA hospitals and clinics. The total number of mental health cases among war veterans increased by 58%; from 63,767 on June 30, 2006, to 100,580 on June 30, 2007, according to the VA. CLIP
Faces of 3,480 Fallen U.S. Soldiers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsUuLl1rxj0
A montage of the majority of the U.S. soldiers killed during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom...
“War Criminal” Ex-MI6 Head Dearlove Confronted At Event (November 1, 2007) WITH VIDEO!
http://www.truthnews.us/?p=611
Author of the infamous Downing Street Memo and ex-MI6 head Sir Richard Dearlove was confronted and branded a “war criminal” by audience members who attended his talk at the London School of Economics last night, before being hounded out of the building - but subsequent media coverage of the event completely failed to mention the controversy. (...) We Are Change UK members and former MI5 officer Annie Machon tried in vain to get Dearlove to answer their questions, before branding him a “liar,” a “war criminal” and stating that he had the blood of over 600,000 dead Iraqis on his hands and was a “proxy mass murderer.”
Iraq, Afghan Vets at Risk for Suicides
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/103107A.shtml
Kimberly Hefling, reporting for The Associated Press, writes: "Mary Gallagher did not get a knock at the door from a military chaplain with news of her Marine husband's death in a faraway place. Instead, the Iraq war veteran committed suicide eight months after returning home. She is left wondering why."
Cashing In on Terror
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/103107H.shtml
Robert Scheer, writing for Truthdig, says: "Not to stoke any of the inane conspiracy theories running wild on the Internet, but if Osama bin Laden wasn't on the payroll of Lockheed Martin or some other large defense contractor, he deserves to have been. What a boondoggle 9/11 has been for the merchants of war, who this week announced yet another quarter of whopping profits made possible by George Bush's pretending to fight terrorism by throwing money at outdated Cold War-style weapons systems."
Arming the World: CBC News investigates (October 29, 2007)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/arming-the-world/
A closer look at Canada's growing military export -- Canada's military exports have soared in the past decade, a CBC News investigation has found, yet the federal government has not released an annual report on exports of arms and high tech military goods for four years.Faced with a lack of information from Ottawa, CBC News did its own analysis, by constructing a database from figures kept by the Canada Border Services Agency.CBC News found that military exports rose 3.5 times between 2000 and 2006. And according to the most recent report by the U.S. Congressional Research Service, Canada was the sixth biggest supplier of arms to the world in 2006. (...) Critics say the government's silence is troubling at a time when the defence industry is growing so rapidly."We have not had data in four years - that is surprising to the point of astonishment," Janice Stein, director of the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto, told CBC News. (...) The situation has become an international embarrassment for Canada, Epps said.The Geneva-based Small Arms Survey recently dropped Canada's transparency rating because the reports aren't being released. "Canada's rating is 11 on the scale out of 20 this year, and the rating for Iran is 10.5. What does that say to you?" Epps said.Officials in the defence industry have no answers as to why the government is so far behind in releasing information about Canada's military exports. (...) "We've noted that there are a number of examples on a regular basis every year that Canada has exported to countries where there are persistent human rights violations," Epps said. "Examples include Colombia, Saudi Arabia, China and others, as well as countries that are at war, involved in hostilities. So we are concerned that Canada isn't meeting its own criteria when it's approving arms exports." CLIP
US Arms Exports Up, Oversight Down
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/103007J.shtml
"The Bush administration hopes to push through two license-free arms sales treaties before the end of this Senate session. Both would eliminate much of the oversight that governs international weapons trades. The treaties, one with the United Kingdom and one with Australia, exemplify a growing trend of weakening restrictions on arms exports, even as fears of weapons proliferation intensify worldwide."
The Military's Addiction To Oil (October 29, 2007) ABSOLUTELY, TERAGIGAMEGACATACLYSMIC HORROR!!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barry-sanders/the-green-zone-the-milit_b_70285.html
(...) Military fuel does not come cheap. In 2002, at the Tactical Wheeled-Vehicle Conference, General Paul Kern, head of the Army Materiel Command, revealed that the actual cost of fuel, depending on how it gets delivered, can range anywhere from a low of $1 to a high of $400 per gallon. The average, he allowed, hovered around $300 a gallon. The Navy uses an enormous amount of fuel for its nuclear and non-nuclear aircraft carriers. The recently decommissioned USS Independence, at its top speed of 25 knots per hour, consumed 134 barrels of fuel an hour, or close to 5,600 gallons an hour. (The ship boasts 4.1 acres of flight deck and a crew of 2,300.) On its way to the Persian Gulf in 1991 2002, a trip that took fourteen days, the Independence went through two million gallons of fuel. Every four days, the ship took on an additional one million gallons of fuel, half of which went to supply the carrier's jets. According to the 2006 Navy Almanac, at the beginning of 2006, the Navy held an inventory of 285 combat and support ships, along with 4,000 planes and helicopters. (...) Of all the branches, the Air Force uses the most fuel. In 2006, for instance, the Air Force consumed nearly half of the DoD supply, 2.6 billion gallons of jet fuel, the same amount of fuel consumed from December 1941 to August 1945, during World War II. (...) A draft report prepared by the Bush administration for the United Nations, released in March 2007 (but due one year earlier, in January 2006) estimates that for the US the emissions of greenhouse gases will rise from 7.7 billion tons in 2000 to 9.2 billion tons in 2020--an increase of 19.5 percent. The report also says that the biggest source of the gases, about 84 percent, results from the burning of fossil fuels, chiefly oil, coal, and natural gas. Since the report includes no category for the military, it remains entirely silent on the amount of greenhouse gases that the military has pumped into the atmosphere, twenty-four hours a day, every day, for the past four years in Iraq, and for the past six years in Afghanistan. But, if the military, by its own admission, produced 28 billion tons of carbon in 2006, that is already higher than what the government projects for the entire nation in 2020. With Afghanistan and Bunker Fuel included, those 28 billion tons might in actually be 40 or 50 billion tons. ...YET IF YOU READ THE MANY NEGATIVE COMMENTS AT THE URL ABOVE, YOU'LL SEE THE AUTHOR APPARENTLY GOT ALL HIS NUMBERS WRONG!
Ten ways to thwart Big Brother (October 28, 2007)
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2200579,00.html
We've never been under such intense scrutiny as we are today. So how do we evade the snoopers? Here, an 'off-grid' expert offers an insider's guide.
AWOL in Canada Videos
http://www.fluxview.com/AWOL_American_Military.htm
Video coverage of the June 17th 2006 Peace has no Borders event in Canada to support AWOL American soldiers who have fled the USA instead of killing innocent people./
AWOL GI's Have Been Going to Canada for Two Years
http://www.resisters.ca/AWOL_in_Canada.pdf
For over two years now, AWOL U.S. soldiers, sailors, and marines have been arriving in Canada, most of them after receiving orders to deploy (or re-deploy) to the Iraq War. So far, not one of them has been deported back to the U.S. Thousands of AWOL GI's are also in the U.S. The Pentagon estimates about 8,000. With proper counseling, some have been able to gain administrative discharges from the military.
Conscientious Objection - The GI Rights Hotline
http://www.objector.org/girights/gettingout/co.html
A conscientious objector (CO) is a person who believes that it is wrong to kill another human being in war. The military defines conscientious objection as a "firm, fixed and sincere objection to war in any form or the bearing of arms" because of deeply-held moral, ethical, or religious beliefs. A lot of people in the military believe it's too late to be a CO now that they have enlisted, but the fact is many people realize they are opposed to participation in war after joining the military, and they are discharged as COs. CLIP Check also: Getting Out: A Guide to Military Discharges at http://www.objector.org/girights/getting-out.html
Hundreds of U.S. Soldiers Emerge as Conscientious Objectors
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0415-11.htm
(...) The Center on Conscience and War (CCW), which advises military personnel on CO discharges, reports that since the start of 2003--when many soldiers realized they might have to fight in the Iraq war--there has been a massive increase in the number of enlisted soldiers who have applied for CO status. (...) As it is in the British army, CO discharge is a long-established practice in the U.S. armed forces and always peaks in wartime. CCW says there were an estimated 200,000 COs in the Vietnam War, 4,300 in the Korean War, 37,000 in World War II and 3,500 in World War I. The military granted 111 COs from the army in the first Gulf War before putting a stop to the practice, resulting in 2,500 soldiers being sent to prison, says Bill Gavlin from the Center on Conscience and War, quoting a report from the Boston Globe newspaper.During that war, a number of U.S. COs in Camp LeJeune in North Carolina state were "beaten, harassed and treated horribly," Gavlin says. In some cases, COs were put on planes bound for Kuwait, told that they could not apply for CO status or that they could only apply after they'd already gone to war. As far as Gavlin knows, that type of treatment has not happened this time. But he has counseled service members who were harassed. For example, one woman was told that if she applied for CO status she would be court marshaled. It is not an offence to apply, and her superiors did it, Gavlin says, "to intimidate her." CLIP
PBS re-broadcasts THE GOOD WAR AND THOSE WHO REFUSED TO FIGHT IT (Oct 3, 2007)
http://www.centeronconscience.org/UAA/10032007.shtml
THE GOOD WAR AND THOSE WHO REFUSED TO FIGHT IT is the story of 40,000 Americans who refused to shoulder weapons in "the good war" because their conscience wouldn't allow them to kill another human being. In the face of criticism and scorn, these CO's challenged the limits of democracy and applied their non-violence to pioneer social movements that transformed America in the years to follow. (...) The program is now available on DVD for the home market CLIP
Conscientious Objector
http://www.geocities.com/conscientious_objectors/
We are not just one country, we are one world Resolve not to do irreparable harm to the world while wrapping yourself in our nation's flag. War is the greatest disservice to our world, our country, and ourselves. Have you realized a contradiction between your convictions and your contract? It's Not Just a Job!It's a Crime Against Humanity!
US generals 'will quit' if Bush orders Iran attack (February 25, 2007)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1434540.ece
SOME of America's most senior military commanders are prepared to resign if the White House orders a military strike against Iran, according to highly placed defence and intelligence sources.Tension in the Gulf region has raised fears that an attack on Iran is becoming increasingly likely before President George Bush leaves office. The Sunday Times has learnt that up to five generals and admirals are willing to resign rather than approve what they consider would be a reckless attack."There are four or five generals and admirals we know of who would resign if Bush ordered an attack on Iran," a source with close ties to British intelligence said. "There is simply no stomach for it in the Pentagon, and a lot of people question whether such an attack would be effective or even possible." CLIP
TORTURE IS A MORAL ISSUE
http://www.nrcat.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=140
A Statement of Conscience of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. Please join the over 18,000 people who have already endorsed this statement. -- Torture violates the basic dignity of the human person that all religions, in their highest ideals, hold dear. It degrades everyone involved -- policy-makers, perpetrators and victims. It contradicts our nation's most cherished ideals. Any policies that permit torture and inhumane treatment are shocking and morally intolerable. Nothing less is at stake in the torture abuse crisis than the soul of our nation. What does it signify if torture is condemned in word but allowed in deed? Let America abolish torture now -- without exceptions. Endorse the Statement Today...
Military Commissions Act Reforms
http://www.nrcat.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=88
Help end U.S. sponsored torture and bring justice and due process to US-held detainees (some of whom may be innocent) at Guantanamo and U.S. detention facilities around the world. CLIP
A Petition to Investigate Torture
http://petitions.forusa.org/petition.php?petition_id=5
Americans and others around the world have been shocked by graphic images and descriptions of the abuse and torture of people held in the custody of the United States. While high U.S. officials have denied responsibility for these acts, they have also refused to allow independent investigations.Few human actions are more shameful and immoral than the abuse and torture of captives. They shatter and defile God's Image, as it is reflected in every human being. They violate the most basic ethical, moral, and religious principles. Abuse and torture are also serious crimes under the International Convention Against Torture, the U.S. War Crimes Act of 1996 and the U.S. Torture Act of 2000. Halting torture and other war crimes is the moral and legal responsibility not only of every government but of every citizen. Therefore, we, the undersigned, call upon our Congressional representatives to meet their responsibilities by ensuring a thorough, independent investigation of torture and other possible U.S. war crimes through all available means, including:
1) Congressional investigation (House and/or Senate Select Committee); 2) Appointment of a special counsel/special prosecutor by the Attorney General; and 3) Creation of an independent commission (similar to the 9/11 Commission).
Investigators should have the power and responsibility to follow up on whatever crimes they discover; they should have the power to subpoena evidence and testimony; and they should have an explicit responsibility to investigate the role of high government officials, refusing to offer impunity to anyone.Only by holding our highest government officials accountable for their actions can the American people and government restore a condition of mutual respect with the people whose citizens, cultures and religions have been so abused.* Signing and circulating this petition is an "affirmative measure" toward halting war crimes, a responsibility we all have under international law, as described in the Call to Resist the War in Iraq.
November Vigil: 16-18, 2007 -- Take a Stand for Human Rights!
http://www.soaw.org/article.php?id=1295
On the weekend of November 16-18, thousands will gather at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia for the Vigil and the Nonviolent Direct Action to Close the School of the Americas. Take a Stand for Justice! The weekend will include a massive rally, nonviolent direct action training, workshops, benefit concerts, puppet shows, teach-ins and more! Please check back soon for schedule changes and updates. CLIP
"It's You Canadians Who Are Responsible for Torture ..."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/103107G.shtml
Quebec's La Presse writes of its reporter Michele Ouimet's new series from Afghanistan: "Canada does not torture the Taliban captured by its army. But it hands them over to Afghan authorities that are not so squeamish, according to what people say. Here is the first article in a large-scale investigation conducted on the ground by our special envoy who met several prisoners who were victims of torture."
Evo Morales Announces: "No More Bolivian Soldiers to the SOA/WHINSEC!
http://www.soaw.org/
We are very excited to share that on October 10th, 2007, President Evo Morales announced that Bolivia will gradually withdraw its military from the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), renamed in 2001 the School of the Americas (SOA). Bolivia is now the fifth country - after Costa Rica, Argentina, Uruguay and Venezuela - to formally announce a withdrawal from this brutal military training school."We will gradually withdraw until there are no Bolivian officers attending the School of the Americas" said Morales. Questioning the U.S. government foreign policy he noted that "they are teaching high ranking officers to confront their own people, to identify social movements as their enemies."This is a great victory for torture survivors, social movement leaders and human rights activists of Bolivia and the Americas. The SOA/WHINSEC has played a significant role in Bolivia's recent political history, Hugo Banzer Suarez, who ruled Bolivia from 1971-1978 under a brutal military dictatorship attended the school in 1956 and was later inducted into the school's "hall of fame" in 1988. The SOA has trained tens of thousands of Bolivian military officers in the past fifty years. CLIP
The American Military's Cult Of Cruelty - By Robert Fisk (18 September, 2006)
http://www.countercurrents.org/us-fisk180906.htm
In the week that George Bush took to fantasising that his blood-soaked "war on terror" would lead the 21st century into a "shining age of human liberty" I went through my mail bag to find a frightening letter addressed to me by an American veteran whose son is serving as a lieutenant colonel and medical doctor with US forces in Baghdad. Put simply, my American friend believes the change of military creed under the Bush administration--from that of "soldier" to that of "warrior"--is encouraging American troops to commit atrocities.From Abu Ghraib to Guantanamo to Bagram, to the battlefields of Iraq and to the "black" prisons of the CIA, humiliation and beatings, rape, anal rape and murder have now become so commonplace that each new outrage is creeping into the inside pages of our newspapers. My reporting notebooks are full of Afghan and Iraqi complaints of torture and beatings from August 2002, and then from 2003 to the present point. How, I keep asking myself, did this happen? Obviously, the trail leads to the top. But where did this cult of cruelty begin? CLIP
Rumsfeld Hit With Torture Lawsuit While In Paris (October 26, 2007)
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/66263/
Former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's jaunt to France was interrupted today by an unscheduled itinerary item -- he was slapped with a criminal complaint charging him with torture.Rumsfeld, in Paris for a discussion sponsored by the magazine Foreign Policy, was by tracked down by representatives of a coalition of international human rights groups, who informed the architect of the US invasion of Iraq that they had submitted a torture suit against him in French court. The filed documents allege that during his tenure, the former defense secretary "ordered and authorized" torture of detainees at both the American-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the US military's detainment facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.The head of one of the groups responsible for bringing the charges, the US-based Center for Constitutional Rights, told RAW STORY today by phone that the suit was a long time coming. "We've been working on cornering Rumsfeld and getting him indicted somewhere going on three years now," said the Center's president, Michael Ratner. "Four days ago, we got confidential information he was going to be in France."Joined by activists, attorneys for the human rights groups caught up with Rumsfeld on his way to a breakfast meeting. "He was walking down the street with just one person," said Ratner."Around 20 campaigners gave Rumsfeld a rowdy welcome... yelling 'murderer,' waving a banner and trying to push into the building," reports AFP. Since neither President Bush nor the U.S. Congress will hold Rumsfeld accountable for violating the Geneva Conventions, perhaps the courts in France will.
Rumsfeld Flees France, Fearing Arrest (October 29, 2007)
http://www.alternet.org/story/66425/
Anti-torture protesters in France believe that the defense secretary fled over the open border to Germany, where a war crimes case against Rumsfeld was dismissed by a federal court. Former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld fled France today fearing arrest over charges of "ordering and authorizing" torture of detainees at both the American-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the U.S. military's detainment facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, unconfirmed reports coming from Paris suggest. U.S. embassy officials whisked Rumsfeld away yesterday from a breakfast meeting in Paris organized by the Foreign Policy magazine after human rights groups filed a criminal complaint against the man who spearheaded President George W. Bush's "war on terror" for six years. Under international law, authorities in France are obliged to open an investigation when a complaint is made while the alleged torturer is on French soil. (...) "Rumsfeld must be feeling how Saddam Hussein felt when U.S. forces were hunting him down," activist Tanguy Richard said. "He may never end up being hanged like his old friend, but he must learn that in the civilized world, war crime doesn't pay." CLIP
Pentagon reels from second major nuclear arms blunder in a month (October 27, 2007)
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/october2007/271007Pentagon.htm
The Pentagon was reeling last night from the American military's second major nuclear weapons blunder in a month. Congress is demanding a full scale investigation and serious questions are being asked about the competence of the officers in charge of the world's mightiest arsenal. The latest outrage came as Commander Michael Portland, the officer in charge of the USS Hampton, the most advanced nuclear attack submarine in the world, was fired after it was discovered that he had neglected to make basic daily safety checks. Last month 70 US airmen were demoted after they lost track of six nuclear-armed cruise missiles and allowed them to be flown halfway across America by a bomber crew that didn't even know they were there. The Pentagon said that it had lost confidence in Commander Portland's leadership after checks showed that he had failed to analyse the chemical and radiological properties of the submarine's nuclear reactor for a month. It is considered vital that the reactor's condition be fully examined every day so that any malfunction can be caught early. If something went wrong with the reactor it could lead to a devastating nuclear accident. The USS Hampton, currently docked in San Diego, is armed with nuclear torpedoes, nuclear cruise missiles and a massive mine-laying arsenal. US Navy officials said that it had also been discovered that logs on the USS Hampton had been filled out to make it appear the daily checks of the reactor water had actually been done. Members of Congress are furious about the latest scandal especially as it follows so closely after the nuclear missile debacle. In that incident a large US Air Force team failed to remove the nuclear warheads from six cruise missiles being flown by a B-52 bomber from North Dakota to Louisiana. It was described as one of the worst known breaches of nuclear weapons procedures ever. CLIP
US supreme court calls a halt to executions (November 1, 2007)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2202693,00.html
America's execution chambers fell idle yesterday after the supreme court made it clear it will allow no more prisoners to be put to death until it reviews the legality of lethal injection.Death penalty campaigners yesterday said they expected the informal moratorium to last at least until next summer when the supreme court is expected to issue its ruling.The moratorium follows a decision by the supreme court on Tuesday night to block the execution of a Mississippi inmate minutes before he was to be put to death. Earl Wesley Berry, who has been on death row for 19 years for the murder of a woman, had been served his last supper and was 15 minutes away from execution when the court intervened.The order for a delay marked the third time in just over a month that the supreme court has overruled state courts and the US court of appeals to block an execution.Death penalty campaigners yesterday called the successive rulings a powerful sign that the supreme court wanted to put executions on hold while it considers a challenge to the way executions are conducted in America brought on behalf of a prisoner in Kentucky.
DEATH PENALTY Q & A
http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/dp_qa.html
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception. The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state in the name of justice. It violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.There can never be any justification for torture or for cruel treatment. Like torture, an execution constitutes an extreme physical and mental assault on an individual. Consider the disgust most people feel when they hear accounts of individuals receiving 100 volts of electricity to sensitive parts of the body as a method of torture. Surely we should feel even more disgusted by the use of 2000 volts applied to a person's body with the intent to deliberately kill? The physical pain caused by the action of killing a human being cannot be quantified, nor can the psychological suffering caused by foreknowledge of death at the hands of the state. The death penalty is discriminatory and is often used disproportionately against the poor, minorities and members of racial, ethnic and religious communities. It is imposed and carried out arbitrarily. The death penalty legitimizes an irreversible act of violence by the state and will inevitably claim innocent victims. Since human justice is fallible, the risk of executing the innocent will never be eliminated. Amnesty International continues to demand unconditionally the worldwide abolition of the death penalty. CLIP
5 Reasons To Oppose The Death Penalty
http://204.3.201.185/fiveRs.html
1 The death penalty is racist. 2 The death penalty punishes the poor. 3 The death penalty condemns the innocent to die. 4 The death penalty is not a deterrent to violent crime. 5 The death penalty is "cruel and unusual punishment." -- The United States is one of a handful of countries which still executes people. There are currently more than 3,500 people on death row -- more than at any time in U.S. history. Since 1976, more than 580 people have been executed in the United States. Over 50% of those have been killed since 1992. More than three-quarters of all executions since 1976 took place in Southern states. The reality is that lynching still exists -- it's just legal now. Texas Gov. George Bush has personally signed death warrants for 100 executions CLIP -- More on this issue through http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=fr&q=oppose+death+penalty&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Taser Time on America's Public Lands
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/110107EB.shtml
Bill Berkowitz for Media Transparency discusses the "confusion and drift" of the US Forest Service "in the way it allocates power and responsibility." He focuses on the federal agency's recent purchase of 700 tasers and accessories from TASER International Inc.
Britain's biggest bookie has Texas Congressman 12/1 to win White House, down from 66/1 (Oct 31, 2007 )
http://www.infowars.com/articles/us/ron_paul_pres_odds_drastic_slash.htm
(...) After initially writing off the Texas Congressman as a fringe candidate, the establishment media are finally having to admit that Paul's meteoric rise over the last 10 months have turned him into a frontrunner with a real chance of claiming victory should his growth curve continue. CLIP
Cirque founder drops $100 million for clean water (Oct. 29 2007)
http://tinyurl.com/29sxq8
The founder of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberte, pledged $100 million to fund a new foundation that will help provide fresh water to the world's poorest countries.Laliberte unveiled the new One Drop Foundation in Montreal on Monday, saying it will improve access to water, ensure food security and promote gender equality in communities around the world. "No one can remain indifferent when we know that at least every eight seconds, a child dies from a disease caused by drinking contaminated water," Laliberte said in a statement. (...) Laliberte will give $4 million for 25 years to the One Drop Foundation to fund projects to rebuild water wells and provide drinking water in poor countries. "At Cirque we like to be inspired. The symbolic of water -- source of life -- is very inspirational when you want to think about a humanitarian cause," he told CTV News. The founder of the Montreal-based circus said over a billion people do not have access to water in sufficient quantity or adequate quality and that almost half of the world's population drinks untreated water.
French Muck: The New Penicillin for MRSA? (28 October 2007)
http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article3104663.ece
Scientists have discovered a new and highly effective weapon against deadly superbugs like the MRSA sweeping through Britain's dirty hospital wards – green French muck. The dramatic antibiotic success of agricur, a clay made from ancient volcanic ash found near the Massif Central, marks it out as a potential rival to penicillin, the wonder drug of the 20th century. In experiments, the clay killed up to 99 per cent of superbug colonies within 24 hours. Control samples of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) grew 45-fold in the same period. The clay has a similar effect on other deadly bacteria tested, including salmonella, E. coli, and a flesh-eating disease called buruli, a relative of leprosy which disfigures children across central and western Africa. It has been classed as "an emerging public health threat" by the World Health Organization (WHO). CLIP
Dalai Lama quotes Mao in face of China's attack (October 30, 2007)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071030.wdalailamato1030/BNStory/National/home
OTTAWA - With Beijing calling his Canadian visit "gross interference" in China's domestic affairs, the Dalai Lama shot back with a quote from Mao to insist that the country's Communist Party cannot survive without criticism. Entering a meeting with leaders of all three federal opposition parties, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Bhuddists said societies without criticism are like fish without water - they cannot survive.He said the Chinese Communist Party is no different. The Dalai Lama pointed out that modern-day China is ruled by a one-party system and said the father of Chinese communism, Mao Zedong, insisted on criticism from both inside and outside the Communist Party. Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, spoke to an audience of 5,000 at an Ottawa hockey rink SundayHe called Chairman Mao's philosophy "very wise" but added that domestic criticism of the Chinese regime has been "wiped out." (...) The red carpet treatment was just the latest in a string of warm western welcomes for the Dalai Lama that have included meetings with U.S. President George W. Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Dalai Lama is lauded in much of the world as a figure of moral authority, but Beijing claims the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate seeks to destroy China's sovereignty by pushing for Tibet's independence. China has ruled Tibet with a heavy hand since its forces invaded in 1951. The Dalai Lama, who fled Chinese rule for exile in northern India in 1959, remains immensely popular in Tibet and says he wants autonomy for the vast Himalayan region, not independence.
25 Most Endangered Primate Species Could "Fit Into Single Football Stadium"
http://www.conservation.org/English/Pages/MapFeature.aspx?MapFeatureID=25primates&nointro=true
Thanks to habitat destruction, poaching and being made into bushmeat, medicines and pets, primates are now facing their first possible extinctions in more than a century, according to a recent report by the US-based environmental group Conservation International. The report's findings show that twenty nine percent of all monkeys, apes and gorilla species are now facing the danger of extinction.Conservation International's list of the twenty-five most endangered primates includes the Greater bamboo and white-collared lemurs in Madagascar, along with the Sumatran orangutan and a recently discovered Indonesian tarsier. Only a few dozen of the most vulnerable species of listed gibbons and langurs remain, while Miss Waldron's red colobus monkey of West Africa may already be wiped out of existence. "You could fit all the surviving members of these 25 species in a single football stadium - that's how few of them remain on earth today," said Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservational International's Primate Specialist Group. "In Central and West Africa primate meat ... is a luxury item for the elite. Here it's even more for medicinal purposes, with most of the more valuable species going to markets in southeastern China." Mittermeier remarked that the loss of tropical forests and other primate habitats is a major concern in their long-term survival; yet, if reforestation projects were to be included in U.N. programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it could prove to be a "magnificent opportunity" to save both primates and sequester carbon. He noted that local conservation action could prove just as effective: with only an estimated twenty of southwest China's Hainan gibbon remaining, regional efforts to bolster their chances of survival could be seen as an example to be emulated elsewhere. "What they have done, which I find really amazing, is they have local villagers following these groups on a daily basis," Mittermeier said. "We are looking now at applying that in Vietnam, in Madagascar and a few other places." Related Links: Threat Growing for Mankind's Closest Living Relatives AND Primates in Peril: The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates-2006-2008 [PDF]
US Edges Towards Cap on Greenhouse Gases
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/110207EA.shtml
Suzanne Goldenberg of The Guardian UK reports: "The US yesterday took a first step towards mandatory controls on greenhouse gas emissions, in direct defiance of the Bush administration's policy on climate change."
Climate Experts Worry as 2006 Is Hottest Year on Record in U.S. (2007-01-10)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901949.html
Last year was the warmest in the continental United States in the past 112 years -- capping a nine-year warming streak "unprecedented in the historical record" that was driven in part by the burning of fossil fuels, the government reported yesterday. According to the government's National Climatic Data Center, the record-breaking warmth -- which caused daffodils and cherry trees to bloom throughout the East on New Year's Day -- was the result of both unusual regional weather patterns and the long-term effects of the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The center said there are indications that the rate at which global temperatures are rising is speeding up. Average temperatures nationwide in 2006 were 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the mean temperatures nationwide for the 20th century. Climate experts generally do not make much of temperature fluctuations over one or two years, but ... the record 2006 temperatures were part of a long and worrisome trend. For instance, NOAA said, the past nine years have all been among the 25 warmest years on record for the continental United States. Brenda Ekwurzel, a climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists [said] "when you look at temperatures across the globe, every single year since 1993 has been in the top 20 warmest years on record." Globally, 2005 was the hottest year on record ... and 2006 was slightly cooler. MORE on this issue through Global Warming: Key Media Articles Reveal Major Cover-up
California Fire Battalion Chief - Whoever Did This Knew What They Were Doing (October 22, 2007)
http://tinyurl.com/yvcle2
Fire officials are now stating that the Orange County Santiago fire was purposely set and there is speculation that other fires may have also been deliberate. See Interactive MapFire officials found three separate “points of origin,” all near the intersection of Silverado Canyon Road and Santiago Canyon Road. Two were on one side of the road, and the third was on the other. “Whoever did this knew what they were doing,” said Kris Concepcion, a fire authority battalion chief. Also, the fire traveled 3 miles in its first 20 minutes when it was ignited about 6 p.m. Sunday, he said. We are NOT implying that the California fires are an act of terrorism however; the threat of pyro-terrorist attacks pose a significant risk to the U.S. and the fires in California and in Greece earlier this year should be a wake-up call. In 2003 an FBI memo alerted law enforcement agencies that an al-Qaeda terrorist being held in detention had talked of masterminding a plot to set a series of devastating forest fires around the western United States.It was reported that the detainee, who was not identified, said the plan involved three or four people setting wildfires using timed devices in Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming that would detonate in forests and grasslands after the operatives had left the country. “The detainee believed that significant damage to the U.S. economy would result and once it was realized that the fires were terrorist acts, U.S. citizens would put pressure on the U.S. government to change its policies,” the memo said. A Local News Radio talk show host in San Diego asked, “how can so many fires, in so many places, in such a short period of time, all be caused by natural causes”. CLIP
Israel's Decision to Cut Power in Gaza Is Illegal, Says UN
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/103007N.shtml
Donald Macintyre reports for The Independent UK, "The UN's top official in Gaza will tell British ministers today that Israel's cuts in fuel and power to the Palestinians violate international law, while the isolation of Hamas has strengthened extremism and started to drive non-affiliated moderates who can leave Gaza to do so."
Cheap solar power poised to undercut oil and gas by half (2007-02-18)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/02/19/ccview19.xml
Within five years, solar power will be cheap enough to compete with carbon-generated electricity. In a decade, the cost may have fallen so dramatically that solar cells could undercut oil, gas, coal and nuclear power by up to half. Anil Sethi, the chief executive of the Swiss start-up company Flisom, says he looks forward to the day - not so far off - when entire cities in America and Europe generate their heating, lighting and air-conditioning needs from solar films on buildings with enough left over to feed a surplus back into the grid. The secret? A piece of dark polymer foil, as thin as a sheet of paper. It is so light it can be stuck to the sides of buildings. It can be mass-produced in cheap rolls like packaging - in any colour. The "tipping point" will arrive when the capital cost of solar power falls below $1 (51p) per watt, roughly the cost of carbon power. The best options today vary from $3 to $4 per watt - down from $100 in the late 1970s. Mr Sethi believes his product will cut the cost to 80 cents per watt within five years, and 50 cents in a decade. "We don't need subsidies, we just need governments to get out of the way and do no harm," he said. Solar use [has] increased dramatically in Japan and above all Germany, where Berlin's green energy law passed in 2004 forces the grid to buy surplus electricity from households at a fat premium. The tipping point in Germany and Japan came once households [understood] that they could undercut their unloved utilities. Credit Lyonnais believes the rest of the world will soon join the stampede. Needless to say, electricity utilities are watching the solar revolution with horror.
Note: Why is this inspiring, important news getting so little press coverage? And why not more solar subsidies? For a possible answer, click here. For an amazing new energy source not yet reported in the major media which could make even solar energy obsolete, click here.
The Better World Blog – an introduction by Glenn Ashton (Sept 24, 2007)
http://www.ekogaia.org/better-world-blog.html
(...) So folks, this is a blog that will aim to be interesting and factual and to keep the where, why, who, how, when on the page as well as being provocative as hell and pushing buttons all the way. I am sick and tired of writing what I consider good analysis and not finding anywhere to get it published half the time. So instead of wasting my time blogging will presumably allow me to write and be damned. Either someone will pick up on the work and publish it or it will languish in some electronic backwater. But at least it can be read. And kind reader if you damn what I write, well hell, that’s fine too. I am not known as a wind up artist for nothing. So, bear with me and read along. It’s going to be an interesting journey, that much I can promise. Saving the world is going to be a messy job, but being (amongst at least a dozen other jobs) a plumber, and having been up to my armpits in shit, getting messy does not phase me one iota. In fact I relish it, shit stinks just like money does and let’s never forget that. In fact money probably has more germs attached to it!So let us never forget this fact. This is not our world that we are messing up – it’s a world we have borrowed from our children. Quite how the asshole in the Hummer is going to look his children in the eye beats me, but I will do my damndest to make sure he, and my children, are informed about where we are going wrong and where we must go and what we must do to come right. Enjoy the trip. I am certainly going to……..
Recommended by Perry Norgarb (smallbizcrm@gmail.com ) in the ERN guestbook who wrote: "His Better World Blog is worth a read. I'm also grateful for having found your site, in turn. You are doing important work and I wish you all the energy you need to see your mission through and touch everyone on this beleaguered planet of ours."
The Radiation Poisoning of America
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/103107HA.shtml
On the World Health Net, Amy Worthington writes: "We can only guess how many Americans are in their graves today from microwave assault. Arthur Firstenberg, who founded the Cellular Phone Task Force, wrote that, on November 14, 1996, New York City's first digital cellular provider activated thousands of PCS antennae newly erected on the rooftops of apartment buildings. Health authorities reported that a severe and lingering flu hit the city that same week."
Science in Denial (23 October 2007)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/103007G.shtml
Professor Jean-Jacques Salomon accuses scientists of social irresponsibility. The planet accumulates prospects of catastrophe with its multiple pollutions, climate changes and exhaustion of its resources, in large part because the capitalist system has appropriated science to stimulate the economy and has muzzled scientists to prevent them from debating their inventions and their discoveries. And, as though that were not enough, humanity finds itself endowed today with new technologies that are potentially even more threatening, such as GMO [genetically modified organisms] and nanotechnologies, which spread their products without an evaluation of their potential impact on what remains of the biosphere beforehand. (...) According to him, science and scientists bear an enormous responsibility for the disequilibria that threaten the planet: "In principle, they should pose and resolve problems. But instead, they indulge in making their discoveries and they leave the public to cope with their impact. CLIP
1.
From: Bev Sines (email withheld upon request)
Subject: Re: The Moment of Truth Series #10: Upping The Ante
Date: 28 Oct 2007
Good Morning Jean,
I don't know whether you listened to Alex Jones on Coasttocoastam last night, or if you have seen his DVD "End Game", but either connect all the dots in regard to the "who, how and why, and possibly the when" of many of your articles in today's newsletter.
The good news of all of this is that we are not yet totally lost. Your newsletter is one of our remaining hopes to awaken the sleeping masses. I thank you and applaud you for that.
So often the methods for counteracting these attempts to control us get buried beneath the sheer volume of fear-producing events we are experiencing each day. Knowing the background, the history to date, gives us the knowledge we need to keep resisting what appears to be the inevitable.
I have half-heartedly practiced Silence as a method to increase my spiritual awakening but it is not easy for anyone who works or shares their home with others. It requires Being and not Doing - nothing that engages the mind - ie: no reading, listening to the radio or watching tv, videos, or even talking to yourself. Not an easy task in today's world - But! today's world requires such dedication to worldly 'inaction" if we desire to awaken to become part of the spiritual "New Earth". What interesting and challenging times we have chosen to be born into. A real test of our merit.
If you don't subscribe to James Gilliland's ECETI News you can email him at eceti@yahoogroups.com.
Thank you again for all of your diligent efforts to keep us informed. You manage to walk that fine line between the awakened and the unawakened, offending neither. Bravo!
Bev Sines
2.
Date: 29 Oct 2007
From: "Debra Sweet, World Can't Wait " (wcw-announce@worldcantwait.net)
Subject: Mark Ruffalo: Make Yourselves Known! You are Not Alone!
From: http://codeorange.us/article.php?story=20071025222416606
“Orange ALERT” Prevent Bush Bombing Iran on Friday, November 16
Nation-wide in unity with the Iraq Moratorium
The Bush regime staged a coup to get in office, is rampaging across the Middle East, changing laws to further its global agenda, intimidating the world by openly torturing people, gay-bashing and denying women’s rights, moving closer to a theocracy, suppressing science and critical thinking … and now threatening to bomb Iran.
The world can’t afford 15 more months of Bush & Cheney! If you don’t act when it counts, it doesn’t matter.
On November 16, wear bright orange at work and school. Protest and gather to publicly pledge resistance to a Bush bombing attack on Iran.
COVERAGE of Bush threats on Iran at http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4396&Itemid=220
Dear World Can't Wait Supporter,
By all accounts, tens of thousands in 12 cities marched on Saturday to end the Iraq war. The whole march – at least 30,000 people – “died” on Market Street in San Francisco to represent the one million people killed in the occupation of Iraq.
Actor Mark Ruffalo spoke for World Can’t Wait in Los Angeles, shown here with Ron Kovic, the Vietnam veteran of “Born of the 4 th of July”.
See Mark speaking here. “I’ve been around the world in the last eight months, and I’m telling you, the eyes of the world are on us! The world can’t wait another 13 months of bloodshed, and another illegal war and another act of American supported terrorism.
Wear orange and show the world that you do not condone the offenses against mankind that have been committed in your name. Walk out today and talk to folks, people. They’re hungry to hear from you. They agree with you. They’re fed up but they don’t know what to do. What we do is keep talking. Make ourselves visible. I have a message of hope today. The times they are changing. Make yourselves known, you are not alone!”
CLIP
---
Related articles:
Bush the Liar Escalates War Threats Against Iran (10/25/2007)
http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4396&Itemid=220
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Bush clashed over Iran, highlighting just how extreme tensions are and the danger of a U.S. attack (as well as the sharpening imperialist rivalry between the U.S. and Russia overall). Putin, on the first visit to Iran by a Russian head of state in over 60 years, denounced U.S. threats, declaring, “We should not even think of making use of force in this region…. Not only should we reject the use of force, but also the mention of force as a possibility.” Putin, who has so far resisted U.S. demands for more punitive sanctions against Iran, also stated there was no evidence that Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons. Two days later, President Bush hit back and took the war threats to a new level: “I’ve told people that if you’re interested in avoiding World War 3, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing [Iran] from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon.” The White House tried to downplay Bush’s remark, claiming it was just “a rhetorical point.” But the threat of world war was out there (implicitly directed at Russia as well!). And Bush was clearly demanding that Russia go along with his insistence that Iran be prevented from having even a nuclear energy program (which is legal under current treaties), because the technology needed could be used for weapons. The Bush-Putin clash comes as the Bush regime, with support of most of the U.S. ruling class, has increasingly targeted Iran as the main obstacle to its Middle East agenda, and may be preparing for war. The administration has orchestrated a propaganda campaign centered on accusations that Iran is building nuclear weapons and directing attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. The House and Senate have both passed resolutions labeling Iran’s Revolutionary Guards a “terrorist organization”—potentially a war trigger. The Bush regime is waging a “financial war” on Iran and trying to get other big powers to tighten economic sanctions. Nearly half the U.S.’s warships have recently been stationed near Iran. The Pentagon has been drawing up military plans for striking Iran for over a year. Earlier this month, the New Yorker magazine’s Seymour Hersh reported that “There has been a significant increase in the tempo of attack planning.” -- U.S. Allegations Against Iran: Lies, Hypocrisy, and a Cover For An Imperial Agenda -- What of U.S. charges that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons and attacking U.S. forces in Iraq? First, there’s the enormity of U.S. hypocrisy. The U.S. already has thousands of nuclear warheads, and while the Bush regime condemns Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions, it refuses (in its negotiations with Russia) to accept any limits on the number of nukes the U.S. can build. The U.S.—not Iran—illegally invaded and occupied Iraq. Yet Bush and company denounce Iran for “interference” in Iraq. Meanwhile, the U.S. is funding and organizing covert military and political operations inside Iran!So the imperialist logic at work here is that only the U.S. has the right to threaten the world with nuclear weapons (and have more than anyone else), and to intervene and wage war against other countries. Second, the U.S. has produced no conclusive evidence for its charges. Secretary of State Rice recently declared that Iran was “lying” about its nuclear program, but she offered no proof. People should remember that these are the same proven liars in the Bush regime who knowingly spread the lie that Saddam Hussein had WMD before the Iraq war. After many inspections, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has found no proof that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. CLIP
On the Eve of Destruction By Scott Ritter (Oct 22, 2007)
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20071022_on_the_eve_of_destruction/
The Secret History of the Impending War with Iran That the White House Doesn't Want You to Know (10/18/2007)
http://www.esquire.com/features/iranbriefing1107
Two former high-ranking policy experts from the Bush Administration say the U.S. has been gearing up for a war with Iran for years, despite claiming otherwise. It'll be Iraq all over again.
3.
From: "Ben Wikler - Avaaz.org" (avaaz@avaaz.org)
Date: 31 Oct 2007
Subject: World to US Congress: act now on climate
! Dear friends,
At last, the world can have a say on US climate change policy. On Monday, thousands of young Americans will visit their leaders in Congress to discuss global warming--and to hand-deliver messages from around the world.
CLICK HERE TO SEND YOUR MESSAGE
The United States has long been the world's most powerful opponent of progress on climate change. But next week, that could begin to change. US activists are organizing a massive outcry against President Bush's position--and on Monday, thousands of youth leaders will converge in Washington to lobby their members of Congress on climate policy.
The youth leaders have asked for messages from around the world about the climate crisis--and have promised to hand-deliver them to Senators and members of Congress.The timing is on the mark: in less than a month, UN negotiations begin on successor to the Kyoto Protocol. A strong worldwide message now could stiffen the nerve of US leaders to support decisive action. Send your message to the US Congress by clicking below:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/congress_climate_message/5.php/
The United States, with just 5% of the world's population, emits 25% of all greenhouse gases. What's more, the US government has undermined the wider international community's ability to act, giving cover to those, such as Australia's John Howard, who refuse to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
But the next US president, who will be elected this coming year, is likely to be very different from Bush. And already, the US Congress is showing a willingness to change. This progress has been driven from below--by a surging movement to change the United States' role in the climate crisis.
Let's show the young people at the forefront of this movement that the world stands with them.
Avaaz will gather the messages this Sunday to make sure they're in the youth leaders' hands on Monday morning. The most effective messages are personal, sincere, and respectful. Click below to tell US leaders why their climate policy should change :
http://www.avaaz.org/en/congress_climate_message/5.php/
Throughout this year, we've built momentum for a breakthrough--from the G8 in Germany to APEC in Australia, we've worked together to bring hundreds of thousands of citizen voices into the climate debate. If the United States steps up, the UN summit in Bali this December could be a turning point for our planet. We can help make it happen.
With hope,
Ben, Iain, Galit, Graziela, Pascal, Ricken, Sarah, Milena, and Paul--the Avaaz team
PS: We'll also be delivering the Avaaz climate petition to US Congressional leaders on Monday, in front of a crowd of Senators, students--and journalists. It's got 450,000 signatures on it already--including yours.
PPS: For more information on the growing climate movement in the US, please visit our blog:
http://www.avaaz.org/blog/en/climate_change/
4.
IMPORTANT ACTION RECOMMENDED TO CONCERNED US CITIZENS - Much more on this through http://www.usalone.com/cheney_impeachment.php
From: Stephanie Sutton (ssutton@phisciences.com)
Subject: "If They Bomb Iran You Get Drafted"
Date: 29 Oct 2007
From: The Pen (democracy@peaceteam.net)
Subject: Urgent: Kucinich Forcing Impeachment Vote, More Volunteers Needed to Put Up Impeachment Posters, and More You Can Do to Help
Last week we told you we were printing at least 10,000 Impeach Cheney posters to put up on college campuses all over the country.
Because of the tremendous initial response from you, our participants, we had already made the commitment to bump the initial four color glossy print run up to 25,000. And then we got confirmation that Dennis Kucinich was determined to force the impeachment issue, by bringing it as a privileged resolution before Thanksgiving.
We need hundreds of additional volunteers right now to help get these posters up, to really give the impeachment movement maximum visibility. We'll be picking up the full 25,000 11x17 posters this Tuesday, and start shipping priority mail the same day. So please, if you are anywhere near a college campus email us and we'll put you in contact with other volunteers in your area. If you've already volunteered, start organizing some other activist friends to join the Impeach Team.
The reason why we are specifically targeting college students with this outreach initiative is that while we the people would all lose if Cheney bombs Iran and starts a full blown World War in the Middle East, they are the ones who would be conscripted first. The posters dramatically make that point in bold red letters
"If They Bomb Iran You Get Drafted"
and then give the two easiest ways for them to speak out, 1) a "text to" short code function for cell phones (send the work "Impeach" to 30644), since they are always on their cell phones, and 2) a fully enabled message to Congress system as an application ("Voices") on the Facebook platform, which they are all engaged in already. See the poster here.
Impeach Cheney Poster: http://www.usalone.com/impeach_cheney_poster.php
If you can't help with the postering, but still want to do something to help, please consider making a contribution at the page above, and we'll also send you a free Impeach Cheney? cap (the default). If you have one already give one to an activist friend. And remember, you don't have to make a donation to get a cap, just email us back your mailing address and we'll send you one for no charge, not even shipping.
We want to distribute upwards of 50-100,000 of these posters in the next couple weeks. Just as fast as you can put them up we'll print more. We already know that the first thing Pelosi will do when Kucinich forces the issue is tell him to get lost by embracing a motion to table (it's parlimentary equivalent). Well, we're not going to get lost. And we need every possible impeachment supporter we can muster to send them that message before the vote.
We believe there will be other tomorrows, but few as critical and important as mobilizing in every possible way to compel Congress by our numbers to listen to the voices of their constituents now. The conventional polling companies are afraid to ask the question, because the last time they did, more than 60 percent of the American people thought Cheney should be impeached. But since we kicked off the National Cheney Impeachment Poll, and out of more than 113,000 free and fair votes, 99 percent say impeach Cheney.
If you have ever put up a poster for anything in your life . . . if you would ever consider helping. . . . Now is the time to stand up for the Constitution. Because after all they had to go through, our founders left us with that Constitution, so if we would just speak out we could make impeachment happen, so that we could peacefully oust a criminal government at any time . . . if you really want it. We're not waiting for them to steal another presidential election.
The American revolution was fueled by local pamphleteers, who got the word out with the only media they had available to them, to rally the citizenry to action. We have so much more, the internet, the most powerful grass roots media ever, and in a couple days we will have 25,000 full color glossy posters. Be the modern day pamphleteers. It worked then and it's going to work now.
And don't worry about George Bush, either. He's in the on deck circle. And once the consensus on Cheney can no longer be resisted, he'll be right on Cheney's heels.
If You Can, Step Up For Kucinich Too
None of what is happening now would be happening without the courageous leadership of Dennis Kucinich on this issue. Who else has the sheet guts to call for what the American people want? If you want to thank him for his stand on this issue, please consider making a donation to him as well.
Kucinich Donations: http://www.usalone.com/donations_kucinich.php
Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed to be ours, and forward this alert as widely as possible.
If you would like to get alerts like these, you can do so at http://www.usalone.com/in.htm
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Related poster and articles:
Help Support The Impeach Cheney College Poster Campaign
http://www.usalone.com/impeach_cheney_poster.php
Calling the Question — In the House — on Impeaching Cheney (November 2, 2007) http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/02/4988/
Broadcast media’s gate-keeping “stars” have done just about everything in their power to keep the matter of presidential accountability off the radar of the American people. That was evident during the most recent Democratic presidential debate, when NBC anchors Brian Williams and Tim Russert meticulously avoided following up on Congressman Dennis Kucinich’s three references to impeachment but somehow found time to grill the contenders on UFOs and what costume Barack Obama would be wearing on Halloween. Pollsters are almost as bad. Rarely are questions about impeachment included in statewide or national surveys. Despite the lack of media coverage, however, when citizens are asked what they think about holding members of the Bush administration to account, they respond with an enthusiasm far greater than that displayed for impeaching Richard Nixon at the height of the Watergate scandal. It is this reality — as opposed to the state of denial fostered by so much of the media and the political class — that Congressman Dennis Kucinich will act upon next week, when he offers a privileged resolution on the House floor to bring articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney. Kucinich will face an uphill fight in a chamber led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who continues to say that impeachment is “off the table.”The Ohio congressman and long-shot presidential contender may not be following the rules of engagement as dictated by major media and his party leaders. But when Kucinich raises the issue of impeachment, he will be speaking for a great mass of Americans who agree with his argument that, “Congress must hold the Vice President accountable.” (...) Forty-six percent of Americans surveyed backed impeachment proceedings against Bush — with support for impeachment at 69 percent among Democrats, 50 percent among independents and 13 percent among Republicans. What is notable is that, when Time magazine surveyed Americans in the late spring of 1974, after the Watergate scandal had evolved into a full-scale crisis of confidence in Nixon’s presidency, only 43 percent favored impeachment. A media that actually had a sense of history, not to mention reality, would focus on the fact that Americans are more supportive of a congressional intervention to thwart Bush and Cheney’s wrongdoing than they were of moves to hold Nixon to account just months before the former president resigned in disgrace. Now, it falls to Kucinich to speak the reality that, “The momentum is building for impeachment. Millions of citizens across the nation are demanding Congress rein in the Vice President’s abuse of power.” CLIP
Interview with Dennis Kucinich: "Fear is not a basis to run a government in a Democracy" (October 25, 2007)
http://tinyurl.com/2hfar2
I interviewed Dennis Kucinich about the details of a plan to refuse to fund the war. What would it look like? He replied with the quote in the title in answer to my comment that Democrats are not refusing to fund the war because they are afraid the Republicans will accuse them of refusing to fund the troops. Here's the transcript of the interview CLIP
The Political Psychology of Terrorist Alarms
http://www.apa.org/about/division/terrorism.html
(...) Where are the alleged thousands of terrorists inhabiting cells in our country? And where was the debriefing by our authorities to explain why nothing happened? It was nowhere in sight or sound. The high alert and its high anxiety induction just silently evaporated until another month or two, when the next call to alarm was sounded again, and again. We know from the classic story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf that after only three false alarms, people cease to take seriously the validity of previously credible messengers. After six no-consequence alarms, many Americans became desensitized to the need to be on high alert -- yet still lead normal lives. But for some, it became "normal" to be anxiously dreading the worst, given the lesson of the first horrific attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. That prolonged state of worry about one's vulnerability without any clear action to alter it, can have a profoundly negative impact on our individual and collective mental health. I call it a "pre-traumatic stress syndrome." (...) Terrorism is not about war in any traditional sense of destroying the material resources of an enemy nation and taking over their country. Terrorism is about psychology. It is about taking strategic actions that incite terror and fright in civilian populations. Terrorism is about making ordinary people feel vulnerable, anxious, confused, uncertain and helpless. Ultimately, when terrorism works, citizens feel hopeless and lose trust in their leaders to guarantee the fundamentals of existence -- safety and security. Terrorism is about imagining the monster under our beds or lurking in dark closets -- the faceless, omnipotent enemy who might be the friendly candy man, our neighbor, or some horrible creature of our imagination. It has no one place, time, space or face. The power of terrorism lies precisely in its pervasive ambiguity, in its invasion of our minds. CLIP
Behind the Facade of Incompetence (11/02/07)
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18653.htm
The storm clouds of World War Three are looming on the horizon. These are extraordinary times that demand something from every one of us. - It is clear that the US media moguls would have us believe that the catastrophic invasion and occupation of Iraq was a sincere effort to promote freedom and democracy in the Middle East, gone awry. But we must remember that everything associated with capitalism is about marketing: making the people believe that things and events are the opposite of what they really are, and creating artificial wants that neither benefit the individual nor society, while simultaneously embellishing corporate profits. This understanding would have been equally evident in the mainstream media’s buildup to the war had we a less propagandized, better read, and more informed citizenry. Even the politically naïve should have known that Saddam Hussein’s threat to the US, so vividly hyped in the media, was pure marketing propaganda. But the majority of the people bought it, and now we have no choice but to live with our purchase. Short of a major social upheaval, we are going to be in Iraq for a very long time, and the death toll will continue to rise, especially for the Iraqis—the unwilling recipients of our corporate benevolence delivered through carpet bombs, terror, and torture. For these are the undeniable legacy of our foreign policies, and the illegal, amoral, acquisition of property by blunt force trauma. If we are to survive as a republic, we must appreciate that capitalism and its cousin, global corporatism—not Saddam Hussein, not Communism or Socialism, nor Islamic terrorists, are the greatest threats to democracy. Zionism and Christian fundamentalism, which attempt to provide the flimsy moral basis for our Middle East policy, also pose significant obstacles to world peace by denying justice to others and promoting ethnic cleansing. CLIP
5.
INSIGHTFUL ARTICLE SHEDDING LIGHT ON HOW FEAR MAY GRIP US DEEP DOWN WITHOUT US NOTICING IT, AND HOW WE CAN FREE OURSELVES FROM FEAR. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Date: 31 Oct 2007
Subject: Cosmic Paradigm Newsletter -- Beyond Fear
From: Mark Kimmel (cp@zqyx.org)
From: http://www.cosmicparadigm.com/Newsletter_20073110_Fear.htm
The Cosmic Paradigm Newsletter by Mark Kimmel
October 31, 2007
Before we get to the message of this newsletter, I would like to offer a couple of things.
Many of you have requested copies of VIDEOS of my talks. I formerly made those available on the Cosmic Paradigm web site. Unfortunately, due to economic constraints, I can no longer offer these. However, you may now view them at Google video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=671058863658375786
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6578115834925189167
Over at the Cosmic Paradigm Network we will begin engaging in an exciting new project to assist the transition of Earth. I have been asked by those with whom I work to establish a monthly meditation envisioning a transformed planet. Please join us by becoming a member of the Network: http://www.cosmicparadigm.com/index2.html
In recent days I have observed how many times fear creeps into my consciousness. This has caused me to look at my actions and see how many of them were driven by fear.
The dictionary defines fear as: 1. A feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by present or imminent danger; 2. A feeling of disquiet or apprehension
I would suggest broader definitions: 1. Fear is the opposite of love; 2. Fear is a state of mind that focuses one singularly on oneself.
When one is acting out of fear, he or she will put his or her own interests above any concern for the rights of others. If I am hungry, I will steal. If I am threatened. I will kill. In the extreme, if I see the situation as totally hopeless, I will choose suicide.
But fear is usually much more subtle. Fears remains buried in our unconscious mind until they are triggered by a particul