May 10, 2002
Turning Tide of History #6: Let's Get Boogying For The Light
Hello everyone
There is something for nearly everyone in this compilation. Enjoy and feel free to share!
Jean Hudon
Earth Rainbow Network Coordinator
http://www.cybernaute.com/earthconcert2000
P.S. See also my latest Media compilation #71: For Those With Eyes to See - Posted at http://www.cybernaute.com/earthconcert2000/Archives2002/MediaCompilation71.htm
"We hear now of the Gaia hypothesis, of the interdependence of all inert and living matter, that we are part and parcel of a living planetary organism. Each of us is a cell, a perceptive nervous unit of the Earth. We have now a world brain: the United Nations and its agencies, and groups and networks around the world, are part of the brain. We are in the process of becoming a global civilization."
- Robert Muller, Former Assistant UN Secretary-General - Visit Robert Muller's website which includes 4000 Ideas for Peace and Decide To poems plus how to order his books and links to other beautiful websites for a better world: http://www.robertmuller.org/ -- Robert Muller gave a speech entitled "World Peace Is Inevitable" in San Diego on May 9 - details at http://peace.sandiego.edu
CONTENTS
1. A Feedback of the paradigm-shattering effect of a recent compilation
2. Action as a remedy against the powerlessness that extreme fear can generate
3. Upcoming Movie Documentary
4. Some beautiful work coming to a theater near you
5. Letter of commendation to Representative Kucinich
6. The Paradigm Clock
7. Initiatic Work of the Return of the Crystal Skulls
8. Bush's Bay of Piglets
9. U.S. renounces International Criminal Court
10. DO IT ANYWAY
INTERNATIONAL PEACE CAMP PLANNED
http://www.tamera.org/english/igf/Israel/index.html
The Institute for Global Peace Work has organized an International Peace Camp titled "Peace in Palestine and Israel" in Tamera, Portugal from the 19th of August to the 6th of September. The IGPW has invited leading forces of the peace movement in Israel and Palestine, as well as engaged youth of this area of conflict. For more info, follow the link above.
SOME IMPORTANT LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Israeli cabinet approves retaliation (May 9)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,712421,00.html
Sharon eyes option of large-scale military offensive
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,712249,00.html
Boycott of US firms catching on in Middle East (May 8)
http://www.dawn.com/2002/05/08/int7.htm
High-visibility American food chains are being hit hardest. Branch managers of McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken in Egypt have conceded sales falling by 20 to 50 percent since the outbreak of the intifada, or uprising, 19 months ago.
UAE: May 11 world day to boycott USA products and services
http://arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/020506/2002050602.html
POLL: BUSH MIDEAST POLICIES OUT OF TOUCH WITH US PUBLIC
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0509-01.htm
Israel's "Book of Terror" Purporting to Show Arafat's Role in Suicide Attacks is 'Riddled With Omissions and Falsehoods' (May 9)
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0509-03.htm
(...) In reality the documents portray Mr Arafat's military impotence. The papers the Israeli intelligence service have so far produced – assuming that most of them are genuine – paint a vivid, pathetic picture of his loss of power within the Palestinian community over the past 12 months, the suborning of his lieutenants and the gradual recruitment of his men by Hamas and Islamic Jihad opponents. (...) What the paper does show – yet again – is the huge amount of money available to the men who run the suicide squads. (...) It provides a startling contrast between the cash available to the suicide squads and the penny-pinching amounts that Mr Arafat apparently doled out. (...) The last thing they prove is that Mr Arafat is behind the wave of suicide bombings that continued in Israel even yesterday. CLIP
QUESTION: Where is all this money coming from?
Suicide Bomber Kills 16 In Israeli Nightclub Blast - Dozens Hurt
http://www.rense.com/general24/su.htm
(...) Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack in a message to the Al Manar television station in Lebanon. But Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza City, said he could not confirm the claim. "We do not have any clear evidence or information except what we are seeing on TV. CLIP
QUESTION: Could they have pulled a 9-11 on themselves to justify going after Gaza? Are you connecting the dots?
Invasion of Iraq: It's Sooner Than You Think (May 7)
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0507-04.htm
(...) Among the more telling signals not discussed yet in the mainstream media is the revelation that a number of MASH units are being called up to report for duty in July. These same units will be committed up to a 6 month period from the July (...) Also, Pentagon hawks see Israel as the key ally in the war of terror in the Middle East. Hence, it's just as likely that Sharon's visit to Washington will consider Israel's role in the invasion of Iraq since Israel's military power may be required to keep the Arab states occupied during a US full-scale attack on Iraq. In fact, a recently published story by an Israeli military analyst suggests that Sharon would attempt to capitalize on the war against Iraq to settle scores with other Arab states and even to begin a horrific "transfer" of Palestinians to Jordan. (...) Of course, there should be no illusions that an invasion of Iraq would be an easy "victory." One Pentagon study pointed to an "acceptable" death rate of 20,000-30,000 US soldiers. The arrogance of such chilling scenarios is further compounded by the lack of estimates of the number of "acceptable" Iraqi deaths. CLIP
U.S. Envisions Blueprint on Iraq Including Big Invasion Next Year
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/28/international/middleeast/28MILI.html
U.S. Arms Sales to Israel End Up In China, Iraq (May 9)
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0509-07.htm
ANDDOVUS Nations Authorize “Regime Change” for USA (May 7)
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0507-07.htm
Pro-Democracy Coup to be Staged No Later Than Next Spring
BUENOS AIRES -- The Association of Nations Destroyed, Destabilized or Otherwise Violated by Uncle Sam, or ANDDOVUS, has authorized the ouster of the current U.S. administration by no later than March 2003. Foreign ministers of the 123 nations that make up ANDDOVUS met earlier this week in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they agreed to appropriate $42.8 billion for what they termed “regime change in the United States.” CLIP
1.
Date: Wed, 08 May 2002
From: Marianne Weidlein <aimari@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: Rising Phoenix Series #14: The Time of Revelations Is Upon Us
Hi Jean. Are you feeling appreciated today? Well, may I remind you that you are? For all you give, may you feel warmly embraced in the arms of the Beloved.
Jean, kudos with today's selection. From 1993, when I lost my innocence from reading Barbara Marciniak's first book, to now, from the plethora of material arriving everyday through email, I can confidently say that Tony Wick's overview is the best compilation of "what is going on" that I've ever seen.
And yes, indeed it is paradigm-shattering, with a shock that can be nearly devastating to the idealistic consciousness. In 93, my world view was so shattered that it took me 6 months to even begin to regain a stable stance. I didn't like it, but it was necessary for me. It changed me forever. Now very little disturbs me, gratefully. I now see it all as integral to 3rd D reality...
And most importantly, it our our understanding and acceptance of this fact of dimensional reality that gives us the perceptual change and power to energetically outshine the consciousness of the dark ones. In other words, it is our acceptance of them that empowers our success in the ascension. By accepting them, we increase our light, add our light to the sum of light, and increase the frequency to a much freer 13 hz.
So I say, let's get boogying, brothers and sisters of the light, and be the light and love we want. What do you say?
With pleasure, I will zip to his website, find his email contact info, and tell him the same. Thank you for passing it on, Jean.
Much love to you.
M
2.
From: "Harmony Kieding" <worldhome@thesociety.net>
Date: Fri, 3 May 2002
Subject: Re: The Writing On The Wall Series #5: Confronting the Nuclear Nightmare --- Posted at http://www.cybernaute.com/earthconcert2000/Archives2002/WritingWall5.htm
QUOTED FROM THE COMPILATION ABOVE:
"The subject of this compilation is a dauntingly difficult one to confront both because of the extreme fear it may engender and because we can feel so powerless to address it."
Dear Jean,
One remedy against the powerlessness that extreme fear can generate is direct, positive, physical action. Much emphasis has been placed on prayer and meditation these days, and while it has been (and IS) an important and valuable emphasis, let us not forget the balancing force of action.
Most of us can do something to change things for the better. All we have to do to get out of being overwhelmed and powerless is to take a blanket to a homeless person. Or volunteer at a soup kitchen. Or visit a nursing home. Or click on a free donation site. Or write an email to a congressman or senator. There are now thousands of us on this mailing list, so if all of us were to do even ONE positive act a day, just think how much that can spread!
Three years ago, my husband and I were homeless and living in our van. Yet even in those circumstances, we were still able to give away ten blankets to other homeless people who needed them (and yes, they were CLEAN blankets). We gave transportation to those without it.
My point is this: Act with divine power! In the following words, the first "You" I address is to corpocracy and all that would grind down the human spirit. The second "YOU" I mention is "us"...us ordinary folk:
"To You who are so afraid of losing your power..
I say You never had it to begin with.
You hold on to an illusion of Power.
To You who have never discovered your Power
I say you have had it all along.
It comes from the Source of All Things
And it is endless."
There is a definite point at which Spirit meets Matter and impacts it. Great spiritual leaders know this and act from this state. Who are we to do any less? Know we not we are gods?
Harmony Kieding
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/7076/frames.html
---
About that same The Writing On The Wall Series #5 compilation Ellen Thomas <prop1@prop1.org> wrote:
At last you write about nuclear issues. I devote my life to eliminating nuclear weapons, power, and waste, and educating people about them. I've enjoyed your messages, but never felt inspired to respond until today.
Sincerely,
Ellen Thomas
Proposition One Committee
http://prop1.org
BAN ALL RADIOACTIVE BOMBS
* depleted uranium, fission, neutron *
Please Sign Online Petition! - http://www.PetitionOnline.com/prop1/petition.html
Write Letter to Congress - http://prop1.org/prop1/letter.htm
NucNews - http://prop1.org/nucnews/
3.
Sent by "Biannca Pace" <biannca@crystalgallery.com.au> on 4 May 2002
Spielberg to direct feature based on Palestinian Uprising
By Scott Tom Smittey
LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- In an announcement from Dream Works, Director Steven Spielberg announced that his latest project documents the current uprising of Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza (Intifada).
Spielberg, who has previously documented the horrors of the Holocaust in Schindler's List and World World II in the HBO series Band of Brothers, hopes that his new project would break the silence on a subject that until now has been taboo. In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter Spielberg said: "As an American Director who also happens to be Jewish, I can no longer stay silent about what the Israelis and the Zionist movement have been doing in the name of Judaism and with our tax money." He added "For years, the Hollywood community known to embrace progressive issues has been reluctant to tackle the issue of Palestine for fear of reprisal by what is perceived as a blind Jewish support to Israel in Hollywood. This needs to change; the sad history of the holocaust is being repeated again in Palestine at the hands of those who claim to do it in the name of Judaism. We should not remain silent."
The project is sure to create a huge controversy in an industry that has been known to shun any pro-Palestinian activities. Actress Vanessa Redgrave was all but blacklisted from the Hollywood system after speaking out in favor of Palestinian rights in the seventies.
4.
Sent by Trevor Osborne <wharmony@iinet.net.au> on 03 May 2002
Some beautiful work coming to a theater near you
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Documentary filmmaker William Gazecki, known for his Oscar-nominated work on "Waco: The Rules of Engagement," has launched his own production shingle.
Focusing on documentaries, Los Angeles-based OpenEdge Media is in production on three projects and has more than 12 in development. Already slated for release is "Crop Circles: Quest for Truth," which opens in theaters this August. Gazecki plans to follow up with "Into the Mystic," a study of psychotropic plants and psychedelic use throughout history, and "God's Truth: The Orphans of Duplessis," a historic Canuck story of injustice and coverup by the Catholic Church.
5.
Letter of commendation to Representative Kucinich
26 Feb 2002
You are Amazing...thank you for your courage
Oh how I honor your bravery, your utmost courage to stand up and speak the truth....to address the fear. You have so much support in the world and in this country. Know that you are not alone. Know that a great movement of hope and peace is being mobilized. Know that there are Americans like
myself who understand that we are a global community....that we are all ONE.
I thank God for coming through you as a powerful, loving force. This force will prevail. Truth will prevail. Your words remind me of the words of Beloved Dr. Martin Luther King...
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your courage will be answered in kind. My favorite quote is by Henry David Thoreau. I share it with you now: "Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail". There are many trailblazers among us. Thank you for taking the
lead this time.
Liz Daly <dalyreiki@earthlink.net>
Manhattan Beach, California
6.
The Paradigm Clock
http://www.paradigmclock.com
When the extraterrestrial presence about this planet is formally acknowledged by the primary institutions upon which the human race relies, the Paradigm Clock will strike midnight, and a major portion of a world view which has held dominance for thousands of years will be discarded. This moment, midnight, constitutes a formless line in time and space. It exists in the minds of human beings and can be crossed in a single day by virtue of a formal announcement from the leaders of nations. Or it may take months involving a graduated process of disclosure built strategically upon scientific announcements and political events.
The "pre-paradigm" refers to the years immediately preceding this formal disclosure process. This period began upon the earth in 1947. In that year the general public was introduced on a large scale to the presence of vehicles in the skies - and perhaps the remains of one on the ground - vehicles which could not be explained by our science and technology. Confirmed events during this period move the Paradigm Clock closer to or further away from midnight.For a compilation of these events, go to the Time Change Chronicle.
It is the "post-paradigm" - the years immediately following formal disclosure - that is the primary concern of this website. The extraordinary 50-year citizen science and political movement has thus far been principally about "learning" and "persuading." It has been a pageant of books, lectures and slide shows - a mixture of thoughtful, privately funded research, hoaxes, misguided zealotry, quasi-religion, and much more. It was conducted with little assistance from the government, the press, academia or the church. It was the pure product of a free citizenry and perhaps the finest example of how a constitutional republic can provide the means to overcome extreme intransigence by the state.
It is now time to move on to the "knowing." But the act of knowing is only the beginning of what is truly important, namely once the human race knows, what will it do, how will it act, how will it incorporate this new world view? When to begin addressing these matters is before the clock strikes midnight, not after. Failure to bring resources to bear on the issues of the coming post-paradigm will have consequences. To err is human, to procrastinate more human. There is time to become societally proactive, but that time grows short.
Find out more by exploring http://www.paradigmclock.com
7.
From: "Hunbatz Men" <mayan@avantel.net>
Subject: Initiatic Work of the Return of the Crystal Skulls
Date: Thu, 2 May 2002
Solar Brothers
May the Great Father Sun be with you when you receive this.
Mysterious messages coming from the crystal skulls have always been the great challenge of scientists and spiritualists from all over the world. Hundred of stories have been told about the crystal skulls; many people claim they were brought by aliens from outer space, others say they were made by special human beings, but actually, no one knows the truth about the mysteries of the crystal skulls.
Even some people claim that the crystal skulls could come from Atlantis, these people assure the skulls come from Lemuria and they could be about 26,000 years old. There are many crystal skulls in the world, some of them are very famous as for instance, that one belonging to Anna Mitchell-Hedges, the crystal skull exhibited in the British Museum, "ShaNaRa" of Nick Nocerino, "Xamuk'u" that belongs to Star Jonhsen Moser, "Portal of Light" of Joshua Shapiro, Octagona that belongs to Karlos Emmanuel Ah Puch, "Ebmnagine" of Vikki Cunningham, "Eh Hay U" of Helma van Son - ShavatY and so many others that are spread around the world.
There should be a very important reason why the modern humankind is getting eager, day after day, to know the true reason of the existence of these crystal skulls and their mission in this world. It has been known that there are some groups of scientists that are trying to know more about them, as well as groups of people that make meditations using the crystal skulls in order to make contact with other dimensions through them; many of these people have claimed to have received messages from these crystal skulls.
There is a Mayan prophecy that says: "When the crystal skulls return to the sacred Mayan lands, the cycle of time for the returning of the Mayan cosmic consciousness will be set up as completed". The sacred book of the Chilam Balam of Chumayel, in its Chapter IV, that is about the Tests, confirms what I previously said when it states:
- My son, go and bring me the crystal skull of the night -
Our Initiatic Work of the Return of the Crystal Skulls, to make the Mayan prophecy get fulfilled, will be held in September of the current year. For further details, please browse our web page:
http://www.itzmal.com.mx/crystalskulls.htm
May the Great Spirit be with you always.
Hunbatz Men
Maya Itza Tradition
AN INTERESTING TURN OF EVENTS!
8.
From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4400202,00.html
Bush's Bay of Piglets
If the US was the villain in the Venezuelan coup, Latin America's much-derided leaders were the heroes
Duncan Campbell Wednesday
April 24, 2002
The Guardian
Viva democracia! said the slogan scrawled on the bus offloading passengers near the presidential palace in Miraflores in Caracas this week. And so far democracy seems to be surviving in Venezuela, if only barely. The overthrow of the radical Hugo Chavez in a military coup on April 11 followed by Chavez's return to power within 48 hours was spectacular even by Latin American standards.
President Bush said after Chavez's return that he hoped he had "learned the lesson", but the main lessons need to be learned further north in Washington itself. The precise part played by the US in the coup remains unclear. What is known is that in January Mr Bush appointed, against the advice of the senate foreign relations committee, a man with a shabby record of covert meddling in Latin American politics: Otto Reich. Reich, a Cuban-American who was once the US ambassador to Venezuela, is now the assistant secretary at the state department for the western hemisphere and as such calls the shots for the US - almost literally - in Latin America.
In the Pentagon, the man with responsibility for Latin America is Rogelio Pardo-Maurer, who was the aide to the head of the Contras when they were waging their US-backed war against the elected leftwing Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Two of the Venezuelan military who supported the coup, General Efrain Vasquez and General Eddie Ramirez Poveda, are graduates of the US Army School of the Americas in Georgia, where many members of the Latin Ameri can military have been trained in how to deal with troublesome lefties.
The tycoon who led the media onslaught that preceded the coup and whose television station announced it, Cuban-American Gustavo Cisneros, is an old fishing pal of Bush senior.
While the US may not have been involved in the final timetable for the coup, it knew that one was imminent and clearly gave it a green light. While the world's attention was on the Middle East, the coup was greeted with speedy acceptance by the White House. One wonders if a Zapatista force had overthrown the elected Mexican President Fox whether Mr Bush would have responded by saying that he hoped Mr Fox had "learned his lesson".
It was President Fox and the often derided Latin American heads of state who behaved like statesmen. They have little love for Chavez or his policies, but they recognise a military takeover when they see one. Fox swiftly condemned it and said he would not recognise an unelected government. The secretary general of the Organisation of American States, the Colombian Cesar Gaviria, did the same.
This prompt action, combined with the angry pro-Chavez crowds on the street and the ill-advised dissolution of the national assembly and the supreme court by the newly installed president-for-a-day Pedro Carmona, changed wavering minds in the military. Chavez was returned to the palace. Only then, having realised their diplomatic gaffe, did the White House alter its stance. The lessons are plain. The leaders in Latin America know only too well what can happen if coups in democracies are allowed to succeed.
Bush was warned that by allowing this old discredited crew back into power he would be undermining the delicate relations between the US and her southern neighbours. He ignored that advice under heavy pressure from the powerful Cuban lobby in Florida, where his brother, Jeb, is running for re-election this year.
By doing so, he created an atmosphere whereby plotters must think they have carte blanche from the White House. As Democrat Senator Christopher Dodd said drily this week, those responsible for Latin America within the administration need more "adult supervision". Even the deputy secretary of state, Richard Armitage, who wrote to the Guardian in defence of Reich last year, admitted that the "formulation of the US statement wasn't what it should have been". This has been President Bush's Bay of Piglets.
It would be wrong to suggest that the coup was all got up by the United States. Chavez, who himself tried to seize power in a coup in 1992, has made many mistakes and many enemies. But he still enjoys a hard core of support of at least a third of the country, in particular the dispossessed who voted for him. He appears now to be trying, maybe too late, to repair some broken bridges.
On May Day, Chavez faces another test when a rally organised by the country's largest confederation of workers will be held in the capital. The good news is that the Latin American nations upheld the democratic position and recognised that it is still a chilling sight to see on television a bunch of burly men in uniform talking a little too closely into the microphones and announcing to the people that their president has "resigned".
Viva democracia! has to be more than a slogan on a bus. Perhaps a translation should be sent to the Latin American section of the US state department for them to stick above their desks: "It's the democracy, stupid!"
9.
ONLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE SOMETHING TO HIDE WOULD WANT TO STAY AWAY FROM THE REVEALING GLARE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW...
Sent by Mike Nickerson <sustain@web.ca>,
Globe and Mail, May 6, 2002
http://www.globeandmail.com/
U.S. renounces International Criminal Court
Washington - The United States, flouting the advice of major allies and enraging human-rights organizations, renounced Monday legal obligations toward the treaty that set up the International Criminal Court.
The decision, made formal in a letter to the United Nations, means the United States reserves the right to ignore the orders of the court, the first permanent world tribunal to prosecute people for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
Canada and the European Union expressed disappointment and regret over the decision by the administration, which had already angered some allies by walking out on the Kyoto climate accord and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
In Ottawa, Foreign Minister Bill Graham took a swipe at the United States for refusing to allow its troops to come before the court while at the same time feeling free to unilaterally apply its own laws around the world.
But Ottawa said it does not believe the U.S withdrawal has dealt a death blow to the court.
"I wouldn't hide from you that I'm extremely disappointed," Mr. Graham said. "One can always hope that, in the future, they will see things differently. ... I didn't see the international criminal court as a threat to the United States."
Speaking to reporters outside the Commons, he said: "I think there's a certain irony in the fact that the United States - which tends to extraterritorially apply its laws and jurisdictions rather widely - is not willing to participate in a truly international consensus for (the World Criminal) court.
"So I'll continue to argue with (U.S. Secretary of State Colin) Powell or with anybody I can, whether in the Senate or anywhere else in the United States, that ultimately this is an important institution for global governance ... which both needs the United States and which (will ultimately) benefit."
The administration of former president Bill Clinton signed the treaty in 2000 so that the United States could take part in talks on the setting up of the court.
But both the Clinton administration and George W. Bush's administration said they did not intend to ask the Senate the ratify the treaty, for fear it could be used for politically motivated prosecutions of U.S. officials or military personnel.
"The United States has no legal obligations arising from its signature on Dec. 31, 2000," U.S. undersecretary of state John Bolton said in the letter delivered at UN headquarters in New York on Monday.
"The United States requests that its intention not to become a party, as expressed in this letter, be reflected in the depositary's status lists relating to this treaty," added the letter, addressed to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said it is up to the countries that ratified the treaty to decide how to deal with the U.S. move. The court will be independent of the United Nations.
Deputy Prime Minister John Manley earlier rejected the idea that Washington had dealt a death blow to the court.
"We've recently passed the 60 countries required for the (court) coming into force and I think we move forward with that," Mr. Manley said. "It doesn't absolutely have to have the United States in it to be an important contributor to the global judicial dynamic."
Pierre-Richard Prosper, U.S. ambassador-at-large for war-crimes issues, said the letter to the United Nations makes clear that "we are not going to be a party to the process."
"It neutralizes the signature. ... It frees us from some of the obligations that are incurred by signature. When you sign, you have an obligation not to take actions that would defeat the object or purpose of the treaty," he added.
For example, the United States could reject an extradition request from the international court and decide to send the suspect back to his or her home country, he said.
"That could be construed as inconsistent with the objects and purpose of the treaty, since you are not co-operating. What we are saying is we have no obligations," he added.
Under Secretary of State Marc Grossman, in a speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Monday, restated the U.S. objections about the treaty and the court.
"The ICC (International Criminal Court) could have a chilling effect on the willingness of states to project power in defence of their moral and security interests," he added.
Most of Washington's major allies, including Canada and 14 of the 15 nations of the European Union, have signed and ratified the 1998 treaty and are strong supporters of the campaign for a system of international justice.
The United States says it prefers to rely on ad-hoc arrangements for particular conflicts, such as the international tribunals for Rwanda and Yugoslavia.
But the issue that dominated domestic debate in the United States was that the court could claim jurisdiction over some of the 200,000 U.S. military personnel who serve abroad. The United States tried but failed to obtain airtight guarantees that they would be not be liable to political prosecutions.
Canada, one of the prime movers behind the creation of the court, said it was disappointed by Washington's decision.
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, speaking in Madrid, said: "The European Union is an organization that tends to respect multilateral agreements, and we would very much like to see the United States joining this effort, and we regret that it is not so."
Human Rights Watch, the international rights organization, said Monday that renouncing the treaty was "an empty gesture that will further estrange Washington from its closest allies."
"The administration is putting itself on the wrong side of history," executive director Kenneth Roth said. "'Unsigning' the treaty will not stop the court. It will only throw the United States into opposition against the most important new institution for enforcing human rights in 50 years."
"The timing ... couldn't be worse for Washington. It puts the Bush administration in the awkward position of seeking law-enforcement co-operation in tracking down terrorist suspects while opposing a historic new law-enforcement institution for comparably serious crimes," he said.
A consortium of 23 other organizations, includes Amnesty International USA, the Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights and the Rainbow Push Coalition also criticized the Bush administration's decision on the tribunal treaty.
"It undermines American leadership and credibility at the worst possible time," they said in a joint statement. "This rash action signals to the world that America is turning its back on decades of U.S. leadership in prosecuting war criminals since the Nuremberg trials."
10.
DO IT ANYWAY
People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centred; love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives; do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies; succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow; do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable; be honest and frank anyway.
People favour underdogs but follow only top dogs; fight for some underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight; build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you help them; help anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth; give the world the best you have anyway.
- Author Unknown
Sent by "Stephanie Hope" <stephanie@findhorn.fsnet.co.uk>
